by Gideon Mills
“Did we?” I asked. We barely talked to him and didn’t even learn his name or powers.
“We did,” Fleur said.
6
Investigations
Now we had two fronts to look into. Both the mystery gang that was haunting Broadway and Reign. To me, neither of those investigations had much to go on. That was the frustrating part, and I hated it.
A few days passed, and both Lola and my sister had learned little on both fronts. Athena wasn’t pleased that I was taking time away from looking into my mother and Reign to deal with this gang.
We were in my room, and she glared at me. “Brother,” she said. “That gang isn’t your concern.”
Neither one of us was willing to back down. I was in the midst of another alpha contest. Looking at each other in the eyes and not blinking. Athena was one of the best at this, but I wasn't going to change my mind.
“I’m helping them out,” I said. “We are Paragons and superheroes.”
Athena groaned. “You really have become attached to the humans.”
I smiled. “You know I have, always have.”
“Too much like father in that regard,” Athena said. “And that is why we are in this mess to begin with.”
I shrugged, not taking my eyes from hers. “The gang that is mugging those people has to be dealt with, and so does Reign.”
Athena moaned. “So be it, but stop dilly-dallying around.”
Her vocabulary was developing since she'd come here to Earth. It was rather amusing to listen to the words she gravitated to.
“Have you had any luck with Reign?”
She scoffed. “No. For a human, he is rather smart. Very shifty.”
Part of Athena appeared to be impressed with him and his ways. I had to admit that as much as I hated the man and that he rubbed me the wrong way, he had skills and knew how to use them. That was a rare talent even among the Gods.
Many people wasted their talent and their lives. It was as if they were all my brother, Dionysus. Prone to getting drunk and bouts of madness. A real shame, in my opinion, he could be a great man, but he was the embodiment of that type of person.
Reign was not that man, and he knew it. Driven to succeed and be the most powerful around. To work in a spot that didn’t constrict him like being the Mayor, Governor, or President. He had more power than any of them, and he knew it.
That was a scary thought, and my body shivered.
“We can’t ignore Reign for long,” Athena said.
I sighed. “Not ignoring him. Been trying to figure out a way to defeat him that didn’t involve me killing him.”
That was always an option, but one that would help my mother. Further, it would fuel the hatred of Paragons and make the humans turn against them. It was a surprise that she hadn’t killed him already.
Her absolute refusal to venture to Earth might be the only reason we could pull this all off. She loathed Earth to the point she wouldn’t set foot on it. She would send an astral projection of herself. Yet, even that made her feel dirty, and she hated that.
“But you’re not going after Reign, you’re going after this gang.”
“What is the point of saving Earth from Hera if we leave it to be run by villains, vile Paragons,” I countered.
Athena was silent for a long minute. “You are right. That was short-sighted of me.”
It was rare that I won an argument with Athena, especially when I tried to use logic. She was the Goddess of Warfare and Intelligence.
“Just make sure you don’t get too lost in it all,” she finished. With that, she left the room, and I was left wondering what to do about all the gangs in the city.
I really needed a big team. Sure Fleur, Lola, and Felicity with the addition of Athena were great. But in the movies, there were these enormous ensembles of heroes. I needed that.
Maybe when the final battle arrived that would be the case, but for now it was just us. We had to make do, and defeat Reign and the gangs of New York alone.
Out in the central hub of the secret lair, I met up with Lola. She was hard at work on her computers. The technology here in the hideout never ceased to amaze me. The Guardian was so intent on her work that she didn’t even hear me approach. She sat in the center of the large open room with the high ceilings. Along three of the walls in the room were monitors and other tech that Lola would use. The fourth had a small area for Fleur to exercise in, a secondary area for Fleur. There were a few tables with chairs for us to sit around and talk. The planning area of the liar. The room was calm and refreshing and painted in neutral gray, letting the lights keep the area bright.
I tapped Lola on the shoulder, and she nearly jumped out of her chair.
That hadn’t been what I wanted to do to one of the women I loved. Felicity was in the main room as well, and she burst out laughing.
“That wasn’t funny,” Lola said. Typically, she was playful and didn’t mind a good laugh.
“You should have seen your face,” the squirrelkin said. “That was priceless.”
I missed Lola’s look and was glad I didn’t see it. The last thing I wanted to do was laugh at her. She probably would get over it and tease me later, but I didn’t want to risk that. She meant too much to me for that to happen.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“It’s okay.” Lola resituated herself on the chair and looked at the monitor. “I’ve been running a program that analyzes the NYPD’s database.”
“Looking for this Paragon in Broadway?”
Lola nodded. “I am. I know we don’t have a name or even powers, but we have his appearance. I’m hoping that will be enough to narrow the list down.”
That sounded a like a long shot to me, and I wondered if that was even possible. I know that facial recognition had come a long way. That she might be able to do it. Lola was the leader when it came to cutting edge technology and computer. If anyone could write up a program to do what she was saying, she could. I had faith in her and her skills.
Fleur arrived in the control center and strode over to us. “I got word that four more muggings happened yesterday,” she said once she was next to us.
I groaned. “That man is really attacking a lot of people.”
It didn’t help that we had no idea how many people were in his gang, and what they could do. So many unknowns to factor in and that rubbed me the wrong way. In my many years, the unknowns were the things that often led to disaster. Which was something that, right now, I wanted to avoid. It was a good goal to have all the time, but now with my mother plotting against me, it was even more needed.
“I’m working on it,” Lola. She went into great detail about what she was attempting. Fleur seemed to understand what Lola was saying. I lost interest after the first few sentences. While I wasn’t a Luddite, I was no computer person. My skills extended to using Google to do searches.
The day that I learned how to do that was a good one. Back on Mount Olympus, I learned how to use the computer for the most basic stuff like Netflix, searching for random facts about myself, and Amazon. Not that I could have anything shipped to my house there, but for when I was here.
Now that I was here, I wanted to buy all sorts of stuff but didn’t have the funds to do so. If I asked, Fleur would most likely buy me whatever I wanted, no questions asked. That wasn’t something I wanted to do. I was a man, a God. While I had no shame in accepting help, handouts were a little more than I could handle, and right now, I was being overwhelmed with them.
It was time to start being Ares again and taking care of myself.
“I’m going to Broadway,” I said. “I want to take the area again.”
In my life, I had always had my feet on the ground. Looking at my battleground before the conflict started. It was a sound way to go about life. Making sure I had all the information I could before I engaged my enemy.
“I’m going with,” Fleur said.
I nodded. There was no way I was going to turn down her aid. Having her at m
y side was one of the most exciting things in the world. She made me happy and horny. Can’t beat that in life.
Before we left, my sister came over. “I was wondering if one of you would join me in looking into this Belladonna,” she said.
Felicity jumped to her feet. “I will.”
The excitement in her voice was unexpected. I knew that the petite kin hated the woman. That the scientist, Belladonna, must have done something to her personally. Though when the two were in the same room together, there was no acknowledgment of each other. What Belladonna did wasn’t clear, but she had some sort of background in genetics and technology.
“Great,” Athena said. Out of all the people here, Felicity might be her favorite. Even more than me. Not that I was surprised that she liked someone more than me, since we weren’t known for being getting along all that great.
Yet, I had thought she would gravitate to Fleur or Lola. They were more like Athena in many ways. The plotting and thinking ahead, where Felicity was more like me. Act first and ask questions later. Maybe that was why Athena liked her. The balance she gave her.
Athena narrowed her eyes. “You going out?”
“To Broadway,” I said.
Her lips quivered for a second and then Athena forced a smile. “Okay. Do try to wrap that distraction up.”
Even though she accepted it was necessary didn’t mean she liked that we had to deal with it. She might be able to think about a thousand things at once, but she could be hyper-focused at times. Not the best activity or process for the Goddess of Warfare. One of the many flaws that people didn’t realize she had.
“Doing my best,” I said.
Fleur and I left first and took Athena’s car. Athena had gotten a vehicle that was just as gaudy as Fleur’s. A brand-new Beamer with all the bells and whistles. My sister had gotten access to her money.
I needed to ask her about that, and figure out a way to get into mine. That was still a nagging concern for me.
7
Time Travel?
Arriving in the heart of the theater district in Manhattan, we parked the car in one of the overpriced lots and began the walk again. This was one of my favorite things to do.
“What do you think of Felicity?” Fleur asked.
Her voice was different than usual and had a slight edge to it. I shrugged. “She’s a powerful Paragon.
Fleur nodded. “One that is attractive and clearly into you.”
My eyebrows narrowed, and I stopped walking. I wanted to look at Fleur. See where this was going. “What do you mean?”
Never in my life had I expected Fleur to sound jealous, but she did. She was nervous about Felicity.
“She’s into you, and you haven’t noticed.”
“Well, I have eyes for two others. Hard to notice another.” That wasn’t entirely true since I noticed just how sexy Felicity was. She had a fantastic body and one I wouldn’t mind seeing without the clothes.
Fleur smirked. “Like you haven’t noticed how attractive she is.”
“Not denying that, but I have you and Lola.”
“Don’t you want more?”
I eyed her, wondering if I was about to walk into some sort of trap. “I want what you want.”
She smiled. “Such a weasel answer.”
I shrugged.
We were now at Theater Row, and suddenly, the world around us felt different. “You feel that?” I asked.
Fleur nodded. “What’s going on?”
I had no clue, but then the ruffian from the other day appeared. “I told you to stay away.”
I glared at him and bit my lips. This man was responsible for the weird feeling, I was sure of it, but I didn’t know what he was doing. “I told you I wouldn’t.”
“You’ll regret this,” he said. The man sent a burst of something at me, and it sent me flying.
Never in my life had I been handed my ass like that. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Battling my father and the Titans did kick my ass a time or two. But this was a first for a human or even a Paragon.
Fleur looked at me with shock on her face and concern as well. I stood and looked at the man who was in charge of this group.
“We need back-up,” I said, and reached into my pocket for my phone.
“Good luck with that,” the man said. He had more confidence than I thought any Paragon would ever have with me.
My phone had no signal at all. That wasn’t possible as I was in the biggest city in America, and every inch of it had reception. Sure, the GPS didn’t work the best with the tall buildings, but the phone had four bars.
“What in the world.”
Fleur was looking at hers too. “Who are you?” she asked.
“I’m nobody,” he said. “This is your last warning.”
He slowly backed away from us. Then he was gone in a blink of an eye, and suddenly we were surrounded by people, and my phone was ringing. I was at a loss for words. I had no idea what had just happened.
It was Lola on the phone. “You have to get here,” she said. “I found him.”
“So did we,” I said. There was silence on the other end. “We’re fine. Both of us will be back in a few.”
Back at the hideout after the encounter with the man, Lola was ecstatic. “I found him.”
She was bouncing around the room with happy energy, and I loved it. Lola was really fun to watch when she was happy. The Guardian loved to help and succeed. It was nice to see her this happy.
“Don’t leave us hanging like this,” Fleur interjected. “What’s his name, and what power does he have?”
“You didn’t realize his power?” Lola asked. “You said he used it on you.”
I nodded. “He did, but I don’t understand it at all. He sent me flying with a flick of his wrist and a burst of something.”
Lola rubbed her chin. “Interesting.”
Fleur groaned. “Lola.”
The brunette smiled and struck an amused pose with her hands on her hips. It was sexy and made me want her. Maybe I would get her soon since neither Athena or Felicity had returned yet. I still didn’t know what they were up too.
“He can make bubbles of time,” Lola finally said. “Calls himself Master, and his name is Elric Michael.”
“That explains it.” Fleur stopped pacing. “No wonder our phones didn’t work.”
“Yup,” Lola said. “You were out of time in a way. In a place that made you move faster than those around you.”
“How did he send me flying?” Time travel didn’t explain that to me. Not that I understood this at all. I was a warrior, not a scientist. It had been my understanding that time travel wasn’t possible. Never had any of the Gods been able to do it.
If one of the Paragons could, that was a real concern, and I could see why my mother was worried about her chance of beating them. Not that Elric would fight against Hera. There was no doubt he was just out to make a few bucks. That was troublesome.
“He made an even smaller bubble that hit you,” Lola said.
“Uh.” That might be it, but I wasn’t sold on it. I held my tongue on the matter. “How do we defeat a man that can control time?”
“We don’t let him make his bubbles,” Fleur said.
“Easier said than done,” I countered. I had no clue what we could do against a man this powerful. I might be physically stronger than him, but if he could move around in time, even if only in a small burst in one place, that was still something I couldn’t counter. He was going to be a very frustrating opponent, and I wasn’t looking forward to our next encounter.
“Anything else?” I asked.
Lola nodded. She had a detailed history of Elric. He grew up in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and moved to New York last year. Registered after arriving, and even worked as a hero for a few weeks before retiring. For most of his time, he was working for a private firm that hired Paragons for security. The company was forced to close when Reign arrived in the city, and Elric, with a few of his former co-workers, took
to crime. That was the theory Lola found on the streets. Until now, no one knew what he was doing.
“Who were his co-workers?”
“Stefan Cole, who has charm abilities,” Lola said. I had only recently learned what charm powers were. He could make people do what he wanted them to. To a certain degree, the person already had to want to do it. “Marie Summer, she has the ability to teleport.”
With those powers working together, it was no wonder they were able to move undetected and rob as many people as they wanted. The gang was going to be a tough foe to defeat and it might take too long. With Reign ruling the city, we were in over our heads, and I didn’t like it.
“That it?” Fleur asked.
“That I could find,” Lola said. “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t more.”
“Let’s hope not.” I didn’t want to think of them with a horde of Paragons. The group was already bad enough.
“We need to remove him, and fast,” Fleur said. “With powers like that, they could take over the city. So far, we are lucky they have small-time goals.”
Once again, Fleur was right, and it was frustrating to think about.
8
Lola
After having that long talk, I needed to take a break. I had a feeling that we were going to be busy for a long time, and that wouldn’t leave much downtime. I walked back to my room and jumped into the shower.
I let the scalding hot water flow over me. My muscles relaxed, and the tension melted away. The time since we’d defeated my sister, Eris, had been tough. I was with two, or three, women that I loved. But I still wasn’t making the progress I wanted.
That wasn’t normal for me, and I loathed it. Right now, I needed a distraction and break from it. At least, we had made progress today on the Broadway job. One of us needed to contact McGarrett and let him know.
The door to my bathroom opened, and someone slipped into the shower with me. I didn’t look to see who it was and didn’t care. So long as it was Lola or Fleur, I was going to be happy.