by Drako
All I have to do is keep his mind on me during sex and I’m more than good enough for that.
Brandon refrained from laughing out loud. You think just because you’ve got a nice piece he’s only thinking of you? I hate to burst your bubble, wolfie, but size isn’t everything. Last night, his mind certainly wasn’t on you the whole time.
“Adonis, go inside,” Phil ordered.
Adonis shook his head. “I’m not letting you two fight again.”
Brandon snorted. “You call that last thing a fight? I call it owning a wolf.”
Phil’s jaw ticked. “We’re not going to fight. I promise.”
“Oh yeah, we’ll play nice.” There was a mischievous look in Brandon’s eyes that wasn’t normally there.
Adonis was skeptical, but he eventually made his way inside. Brandon waved his hand and the window they’d gone through repaired itself. Then he turned to Phil.
“You got something to say to me?”
Phil glared at him. “Just how close are you two really?”
“Close enough that I’m bombarded with details on every move he makes. I know when he’s having sex, who he’s having sex with, when he’s thinking about sex, and every inch of who he’s having sex with as soon as he learns it. I know everything that I’d rather not know. He did not, however, clue me in that you were a wolf. Apparently he doesn’t think about it at all.”
“He’s never seen me in wolf form before today.” Phil studied him. “He said you two were friends. What are you really?”
“Nothing more than what he said. I’m the friend and protector for the time being. But I meant what I said to you.”
“What are you protecting him from? He’s human.”
“There must be something special about him if your brethren are after him.” Brandon folded his arms across his chest. “I scanned your mind already, so I know you’re not with them otherwise you’d be dead no matter what he said.”
“Can you really get to him anytime he needs?”
“Yes, and due to the bond we made with each other, I have to come whether I want to or not if he’s insistent.”
Phil took a few seconds to think. “I feel like he’s not telling me everything. You two are closer than what he told me.”
“That’s because he doesn’t know the full extent of the bond,” Brandon told him. “And I’d prefer to keep it that way. I’m not the one for him, that much is obvious, and I don’t want him to change his mind over some form of guilt.”
“So you’re letting me have him?” Phil asked, suspicion in his voice.
“So long as he doesn’t reach for me, I’m not your problem. But if he calls me again during sex like he did last night, I’m replacing you.” Brandon vanished.
Fourteen
“So you’ve become a computer nerd?” Victoria asked Andreas.
They were sitting at the computer Andreas had set up in the living room. He had several windows open, one of which was a forum devoted to their kind.
“I get bored easily,” he told her. “I’m retired, after all. After I give you guys something to do under Father’s orders, I have very little to keep myself occupied.”
“This is still weird,” Victoria commented.
“Father had a human set it up. There are loads of our kind on here.”
“I pray Father never retires me.”
Andreas laughed. “It’s not so bad, really. Immortality gets boring if you don’t stop to enjoy yourself. Life can’t be all work.”
“I enjoy work. Sitting here is driving me crazy.”
Andreas shook his head. “Your level of impatience is why Father normally refrains from sending you on the more difficult missions. In over six thousand years, you’ve yet to learn any form of patience.”
“I fail to see what my level of patience has to do with computers,” Victoria mumbled.
“We all get bored. You pick fights when you have nothing to do. The rest of us find hobbies.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “I don’t need a hobby. I need to be hunting. It’s maddening to have absolutely no leads.”
“At least he has no one he can use against you. All you have to do is force him out.”
“Easier said than done with warlocks. Like their master, they’re cowards.”
Andreas chuckled. “Patience is a virtue, dear sister. With all that’s going on, he can’t stay hidden for long.”
Victoria had no more to say on that matter so she switched subjects. “So what’s the deal with our nephews?”
“What do you mean?” Andreas asked.
“I know they’re special. They’re stronger than I was at their age. I don’t think I was as powerful as they are in my first two hundred years.”
“The gods don’t answer me any more than you, and Kazarian doesn’t know any more than we do,” Andreas told her.
“The vagueness of the gods is irritating,” Victoria commented.
Andreas smirked. “That’s an understatement. All we can do is what they tell us to do. Time will tell the boys’ destinies.”
Victoria laid back on the couch in silent thought. The room went dark for a second before Brandon appeared.
“How is it you get the gift of flashing?” Andreas asked.
Brandon shrugged. “I picked it up in Shevat. Didn’t my dad have it?”
“Definitely not,” Victoria answered. “It’s actually a spell that even I don’t do effectively. I find that rather unfair.”
Brandon rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I just found out that Adonis’ new boyfriend is a werewolf. I got tackled through a window and have the cuts in my back to show for it.”
Andreas stood and went to examine his back. “Is the wolf dead?”
“No, he’s not a rogue and he got the point to stop after I slapped him around a bit.”
Andreas grunted. “If I catch hold of him, that won’t matter. I’ll have General Tso’s wolf for dinner.”
Victoria laughed. “Are you really babying him?”
Andreas glared at her. “Wolves always pick on him and it pisses me off. They get a whiff of demon blood and attack with no question. I’m just bored enough to roast a wolf for some payback.”
“No need to kill him. Adonis wants him and I’m not hurt.” Brandon’s voice was purposefully emotionless.
Andreas studied him for a few seconds. “OK, kid, if you say so.”
Brandon walked off, going into his bedroom.
“This mission is killing him,” Andreas said quietly.
“If I had a way around using him, I’d use it,” Victoria replied.
“Kazarian!” Andreas called.
Kazarian appeared before him. “You rang?”
“We need a favor,” Andreas told him.
Kazarian raised an eyebrow in question. “What is it?”
“Aren’t you gods supposed to be all-knowing?” Victoria asked.
Kazarian turned to her. “Shouldn’t you know better than to ask dumb questions?”
Victoria shrugged. “I should, but I have to entertain myself somehow.”
“Did you show her the site?” Kazarian asked Andreas.
“She wasn’t interested,” Andreas answered.
“Oh well. What’s the favor?”
“This mission is causing Brandon grief. Can you keep a watch over Adonis?”
Kazarian closed his eyes for a few seconds. “No, I can’t. Adonis has to release Brandon from the obligation.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s a spell,” Victoria answered.
Andreas turned to her. “What kind of spell?”
“It’s a binding spell, one that those two cast together,” Victoria explained. “It’s something similar to your bond to Kazarian, but more of a promise thing that can be cast between friends or lovers. It’s handy for when one is close to a human and knows that human will be targeted. Unlike your vows, it can be broken by the weaker link in the bond.”
“Isn’t that unnatural?” Andreas asked.
&nb
sp; Kazarian shook his head. “No, because they cast the spell together. It works as it’s meant to, which they may not have fully understood when they cast it. When Adonis is in need, Brandon will always come to him whether he wants to or not. If Adonis wasn’t human, it would work both ways.”
Andreas thought for a few seconds, and then went to his own room. When he came out, he was fully dressed.
“Where are you going?” Kazarian asked.
“To see Adonis. Are you coming?”
“I’d better not. I can’t interfere.”
Andreas shrugged. “Your loss. Send me to him.”
Kazarian sighed and waved his hand, doing as he was told.
“Damn, I should have thought of that,” Victoria muttered.
Kazarian started to reply, but paused and gave a puzzled look.
“What’s wrong with you?” Victoria asked.
“Ares wants me to ask you to come to Olympus,” Kazarian answered, clearly startled by the request.
Victoria shrugged. “I’m bored enough. Let’s go.”
Andreas appeared in Adonis’ room just as Adonis walked in. he jumped, startled by his appearance.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Andreas folded his arms across his chest. “We need to talk, kid.”
“Adonis, what’s taking you so long?” Phil came in and stopped when he saw Andreas. “Who are you?”
“Your worst nightmare, now shut up and look pretty or something. My business isn’t with you this time, wolf boy.”
Phil growled, causing Andreas to smirk.
“I’m not as nice as my nephew, furball, so jump if you feel froggy,” he warned.
Adonis placed a hand on Phil’s shoulder and addressed Andreas. “What do you want from me?”
“That bonding spell you and Brandon cast before he left needs to be reversed immediately,” Andreas told him.
Adonis paled. “Why?”
“Because you’re hurting him and it’s pissing me off. Do you really want to know what happened to the last guy that pissed me off?
Adonis clearly took that as a rhetorical question. “I don’t really know how to reverse it.”
Andreas narrowed his gaze. “Refrain from playing stupid, boy. I know better.”
Adonis lowered his head for a few seconds, thinking it over.
“What’s he talking about?” Phil asked.
Adonis looked at him. “It’s a binding spell meant to protect me. We did it two years ago before he left.”
Andreas began to tap his foot impatiently. “I don’t have all day. Every time you call him, every time you think of him, you cause him pain.”
“You’re telling me I can’t deal with him at all?” Adonis questioned.
“That’s not my decision to make. But I don’t want him privy to your every thought and move. The link you forged is so strong he can’t block you at all and there are some things he doesn’t need to see. And he sees everything.”
Adonis sighed. “Fine, I’ll lift it.”
“Get on with it,” Andreas ordered.
Adonis closed his eyes and lowered his head. Andreas felt a tremor of power that unmistakably belonged to his father, though his father was definitely not there physically. Andreas frowned even as the power faded.
“You’re a witch?” he questioned.
“Something like that,” Adonis answered.
Andreas looked at Phil. “That boy’s life is now worth more than your own. If anything happens to him, I’ll make sure your life ends and you burn for eternity. By now, you know I’m the oldest black dragon and I can make that threat reality.”
Phil nodded. “If I can’t protect him, I’ll get him to safety.”
Andreas reached to Kazarian and vanished again.
Fifteen
Kazarian led Victoria to Ares’ temple on Olympus.
“This is strange. Why’d he invite me here?” she asked.
Kazarian shrugged. “Ares isn’t big on explanations. He issues orders and I follow them. It’s the same way your parents treat you.”
They entered the temple to find Ares standing over a table looking over a map of the human world. He looked up as they joined him.
“Glad you could make it.” He looked to Kazarian. “Bring Andreas and the twins here as well. We have matters to discuss.”
Kazarian vanished.
“And here I thought I was getting a special invite,” Victoria commented.
Ares gave a slow smile. “As much as I’d love to invite you here simply to spend time, work comes first. I have new intel on the forces Lucifer is gathering and I find it best to make preemptive strikes. The goal is not to let him enter the mortal realm.”
“What’s preventing him now?” Victoria asked.
“What he thought was protection from the former god king was really a curse. I’m not sure what he needs to get free, but I don’t intend to wait and find out. I want his forces extinguished.”
Jarel and Zeus appeared.
“Nice strategy,” Jarel commented. “And you brought in more than enough firepower to do it. Two of my children is almost overkill.”
Ares shrugged. “I’m just doing my job. I’d rather destroy them quickly and then go after Cronus.”
Kazarian appeared with the others and everyone gathered around the table.
“Here’s the deal: Lucifer’s earthly supporters are gathering in large numbers in several locations around the globe. Apparently he has supporters from several races, not just humans and demons. He’s got plenty of rogues and apparently some harpies as well.” Ares pointed to the Sahara desert on the map. “This will be our first target, simply because it’s clearest.”
“What forces are gathered there exactly?” Zeus asked.
“There’s a very large entity stationed there, probably a child of Echidna and Typhon judging by the size. It’s being concealed so my sources haven’t gotten a good look at it.”
Zeus frowned. “Typhon doesn’t make weakling, subservient children. They’re bred for dominance and with utter hatred for the gods.”
“I’m not taking this lightly, Father,” Ares assured him.
“I sincerely wish Vic was here for this,” Jarel said thoughtfully.
“I’m sure we’ll do fine without him this time,” Andreas told his father.
Jarel nodded absently, his mind clearly on the phoenix that had served him for longer than the Olympian gods had been in power.
“What else is there?” Zeus asked Ares.
“A large number of rogue werewolves and a warlock leading them, though it’s not Balthas,” he added for Victoria.
“Either way, the warlock is mine,” she replied. “It’s my job to hunt them.”
Ares nodded. “Typhon’s child is mine.”
“That leaves everything else for us,” Andreas commented.
Ares looked to Zeus. “We’ll need a cover to go in.”
Zeus nodded. “Make sure you clean up the mess.”
Jarel looked to Andreas and Victoria. “You are allowed to transform into dragon form for this battle. Zeus’ storm should keep you concealed from all human eyes. Any human allied with Lucifer is to be treated the same as any other race.”
The Black Dragon God clearly wasn’t playing around if they were allowed to be in full dragon form, which could prove quite destructive. With only a slight huff, Andreas had toppled an entire palace before while in dragon form.
“So how are we going in?” Victoria asked Ares.
“I want you and Andreas to come in by air, with me and Kazarian.” Ares looked at the twins. “You two flash in on the ground. Go right in the center and work your way through.”
Demun glanced around. “So there’ll be six of us against an army?”
“As fun as that would be, no,” Ares replied. “I have an army and they’ll come in on the ground as well.”
“I think you should let the boys take charge of leading the ground assault,” Jarel suggested.
Ar
es raised an eyebrow. “If you want, so be it.”
Jarel smirked. “It’ll be good practice for them.”
Brandon and Demun’s heads snapped towards their grandfather.
“What? You’re going to need it very shortly,” he told them.
“Great, another cryptic answer,” Demun muttered.
Brandon snorted. “It shouldn’t be cryptic for you, at least. I know what you’ve got planned and so does Gramps.”
“Well, as interesting as this all is, and I sincerely mean that, we need to move out shortly. Kazarian will show you to the armory.” Ares gave a look to Kazarian, who led the way to the armory as told.
Only Zeus and Jarel remained.
“I almost want to join the battle myself, but I have enough to do on Olympus,” Zeus remarked.
“You’ll get your shot at battle as soon as you come face to face with your father,” Jarel told him.
“You appointed me god of war at my birth so all of this stuff is my job, especially since I clearly can’t take out Cronus,” Ares added.
“True enough. Speaking of Cronus, has he been seen?” Zeus asked.
Ares shook his head. “He’s staying hidden, which gives me cause for concern. I’m wary of playing into his hands.”
“Cronus is smart. He knows we all despise Lucifer and don’t want him openly preying on humanity.” Jarel folded his arms across his chest. “He also knows we’re watching for Typhon and Echidna. All these threats are making his job easier. He’s simply waiting for Zeus to leave Olympus. Alone, he can overwhelm the remaining gods, save perhaps for Athena. And while Athena is powerful, her power does not compare to that of Cronus. Zeus and Zeus alone can defeat Cronus, and he knows it well. But, if he takes Olympus, Zeus would be forced to plan a strike against him alone. And while Zeus could take all the other Titans out, Cronus would be there waiting at the end.”
“So clearly, my leaving Olympus unguarded is not a possibility, no matter how much I itch to join the battle.” Zeus sighed. “I wish Cronus would just attack out right. I’m prepared for the battle.”
“Well, we’re making preemptive strikes on Lucifer, why not Cronus as well?” Ares asked.