I'm stuffing my face with ultra spicy volcano rolls and pork cutlet udon and onigiri packed with spicy tuna and steamed edamame and takoyaki and chicken veggie potstickers and fried wonton and crab rangoon and pork egg rolls and beef lo mein and chicken chow mein and steak hibachi and a shitload of shrimp fried rice and the general's chicken and whatever else I can get my chopsticks on.
The others are laughing, cheering me on and putting more food on my plate. Every minute or two, I come up for air and make out with either Kahri, Aife, or Hito, whoever's in reach. Across the table, Clive is murdering some hotpot in a way that's honestly awe inspiring, Aife is knocking back spring rolls and spiked kombucha to my left along with Kahri, who's making out with her whenever I'm busy with Hito. Anna is drunk just to my right and she's being all lovey dovey too, hugging me and leaning against me and kissing my cheeks, smiling ear to ear as she eats and drinks and sings. To her right, Hito is halfway over the table pouring hot sake into everyone's cups, just as rosy in the face as she is in the–the fur.
I keep getting fixated on her for some reason I can't figure out. It's just that she keeps catching my attention, and that alerts my dumb drunk brain that there's something I should be remembering in regards to her, but I have no fucking idea what that could possibly be.
That is, until the moment she gets to my cup, looks me dead in the face, and leans forward over the table. The heart-stopping sight of her magnificent cleavage in that kimono of hers smacks me so fucking hard that it jogs my memory.
"Hito," I slur, right arm around Anna, left arm copping a feel of Kahri's tail. "There's… something I've gotta tell you, baby girl."
"Hmm?" She makes a point of licking the last few drops off the rim of the decanter. Oh Gods she has fangs. Top and bottom. "What's that, Nico? You're reconsidering? It's okay. We don't have to."
"N–No, not that. Well, yes, that, but… But um… Um… Ah, by Gods, old boy, I am quite remarkably drunk."
"Heavens, so you are!" Kahri gasps, hands feeling at me underneath my hoodie. "Rather a vivacious evening here, old boy, is it not?"
"I say, old boy. Wait, what was I saying?"
Hito answers, "You said there's something you have to tell me. Presumably about our plans for the evening, which we made prior."
"We did? Which plans?"
"Anooo… Something private."
Nearly falling over into my lap, Anna blurts, "Sex."
"Well, yes, there it is. Sex."
"Yes, that!" I gasp, pointing my chopsticks at her. "There's some–"
"Please don't do that," she interrupts.
"Huh? Don't do what?"
"Chopsticks," Anna tells me like I should know. "No… No pointing!"
"Oh. Sorry. Ignorance."
"Yes, your true enemy tonight."
"You're so fucking gorgeous, Hito."
"Ah!" She blushes even redder than her ears.
"A master flirter at work," Kahri muses, knocking back her sake and slithering her tail around.
"I'm taking notes," Aife snickers, drinking too.
I love sake. It's so good. I drink mine and sigh with content as the rice wine warms my throat. "Wait. What was I saying?"
Hiding behind her ornate paper fan, Hito answers, "Y–You said… Something to tell me. About sex…"
"I did? What was it?"
"Nico, you haven't told me."
Turning to Aife, I say, "This is how the whole adventure has been. Nicole Astoria gets drunk and forgets what she's doing."
Kahri bursts out laughing. Two fangs. Two long fangs. "She–Did she fucking tell you she forgot about the highschool thing? 'Cause that bitch called me to help work it out! You're so damn adorable, Nico, I can't get enough."
"She really is," Aife smirks.
That… That feels… good. Good to hear.
It feels good. I can't remember the last time…
Wait. What was I trying to tell Hito?
"Look, look, look!" Anna gasps, sticking a finger in my face. "There! That look in her eyes! She forgot again! So fucking cute, isn't she? Beyond endearing!"
That feels even better to hear. "Wait, but what was I saying?"
"Something to tell me about sex between us," Hito states, placing an empty sake cup on the table then refilling it. "Can I hear it now, please? I'd rather not be here waiting and wondering."
"That's kinda just Nico, isn't it?" Aife asks with an airy grin and a glance at me. "It's not malicious. She's just getting there. At her own pace. Y'know?"
I don't even know how to decipher that.
"Case and point," Anna says, indicating herself. "Nico found her way to me just about six hours later than my estimation at the start. You have to expect and allow her to wander and meander a bit, that's just how she is. All the better for it. And once you learn how to guide her attention with just a few light touches, she'll be able to focus a little more. Observe."
Anna turns to me. That motion alone grabs my immediate attention and I perk up to listen like a dog that just heard the word 'ball'.
"You were saying, boo?" she asks me. "What do you have to tell Hito regarding sex?"
"Hito. About the sex we discussed having. There's one problem."
Frustrated, she sighs and closes her eyes. "Let's hear it."
"Hey, Nico. Can you tell her the problem? It's important."
"Hm? Tell her… Oh, yeah. So, I didn't know what the hell kinda little dude that little dude Womp was, and I reached out to an expert. Uh. Artemis."
Hito groans, "Where is this going, Anna?"
"Just wait. Nico, you spoke to Artemis?"
"Texted. But uh." I crunch into another fried wonton, shaking my head as I chew. "This whole divine quest thing. Transactions with the Divines. If I need anything from them, even from family, I gotta pay for it in some way."
"Oh shit," Anna whispers with a big smile. "I know exactly where this is going. What did you trade Artemis for that information, Nico? Hm?"
"Trade… Trade Artemis?"
"Yes, you just said you traded something."
"I did? Traded what?"
"We don't know, boo, you haven't said."
"Oh, my fault. Yeah, I asked her to ID the little dude. The puckwudgie. See, I offended Womp by not knowing his species, and he kept dangling that over my head like a total dick, so I got the answer so I could hit that dirt nasty argumentative quickdraw. Buuut I had to pay Artemis somehow. And… Um… You… Shit, I lost it."
"What did you agree to do for Artemis, boo?"
"Right! Right. You know what Artemis is the goddess of? Besides the hunt and all that." I hold my head and groan from the bottom of my soul. "Chastity. She's the goddess… of chastity."
Clive starts choking on the hotpot and Kahri bursts out laughing again and Aife facepalms hard and Anna just drunkenly giggles away, all while poor Hito sits frozen in place with wide white eyes fixated on me and her ears pointed all the way up at full sail.
"Yeah, so… She made me take a vow of chastity until midnight tonight…" I'm honestly a little embarrassed, warm in the face, but not in a bad way. "So… It'll have to be after… Sorry…"
"You're fucking perfect, you idiot," Hito groans and relaxes, ears down and back. "I thought you were telling me to get lost."
"Oh, hell no, girl. I like you. You're so my type."
"Every girl is your type," Anna comments.
"Except TERFs and conservatives." I drink more sake. "Anyway, yeah, that's what's up, Hito. Sorry. I forgot to mention it earlier."
"That's–That's fine!" She smiles bright, showing me those adorable fangs. "Midnight it is!"
"I'd offer company," Kahri purrs as she leans against me, "but if it's your first time with her, foxy, you'll want the full experience."
"So true, bestie." Aife drinks some more. "Kahri, care to dance with me tonight?"
"Oh, absolutely, sweetheart. It would be my pleasure."
Aww! Look at my friends getting along! I love it!
"How about you, Anna?" asks Aife, tilting her cup.
"I appreciate it, but I need to go home right after this…" She emits a heavy sigh, head still on my shoulder. "Gotta… fix some things. See my Dad. Start detox and… get my ass to Caduceus for rehab, I guess. But I don't really wanna talk about that right now…"
"Oh, that's fine. No worries. Take care of yourself first."
Aife responded to it, but that last part Anna said was intended for me.
I don't exactly like not knowing, but it's better not to push it. Besides, I think I've gathered enough details about what kinda shit Anna was going through leading up to this, and I'm sure we'll have a deeper conversation about it at some point. For now, it's enough for me to know she's safe, free, and going home. I am leaving the topic where it stands, but there is one little thing I have to push for here anyway.
"Um. Anna?" I hesitate, looking into my little sake cup. "Rehab for… What?"
"Everything, really." She turns to look at me, expression soft. "Promise. I was in a bad place for a while. But… That time in the cage helped me think clearly. Honestly, part of it was to force myself into detox. Just ask Hito."
"It's true." She nods, pouring herself and Clive another. "That's why we set it up so she couldn't let herself out. And just in case she decided to put that on me, we made sure the lock would only open if you used the Moon Sword." Her ears stick up and she turns to Clive. "How did you three manage to get into Anna's rift space anyway?"
"Well, we'd been casing you for a while," he says to Anna with a wince, "so we knew you were close with Hito. Fi managed to stick a tracking jinx on her, and because she was coming and going from there…"
"Aiyahhh!" Hito exclaims, distraught. "I led them right to you! Kuso!"
"It's okayyy," Anna giggles, poking her shoulder. "They couldn't possibly have gotten to me, remember?"
"Still! Outsmarted by a garden gnome! It's just fucking embarrassing!"
Clive laughs and then we all do. Hito's ears drop back and she whines then drinks, dismissively flicking her tails and waving us off with her fan. I'm feeling good about all this, and I go back to eating with a warm smile to myself. Not bad for a first rescue, in my opinion. It had its ups and downs, and plenty of twists and turns, but I got through it somehow and even made some new friends along the way.
I succeeded. I rescued my first Demigod. My best friend.
Guess this is where the hard part begins. I saved Anna, yeah, but Uncle Hades had my back the whole entire way and took care of things with the other Divines for me. Like he said at the start, this was something of a trial run for the rest of the job, and the next eleven Divines I'll be working for won't be half as lenient. Or accommodating. I won't be able to call them in a panic about how scared I am to fuck things up, and they won't be dropping everything to show up and console me like he did.
Aw, man. I'm so fucked.
But! Uncle Hades said he set the expectations to a week per rescue, and I got to Anna way ahead of schedule, so it sounds like I'm gonna have some extra time for the next one if I start soon. I don't know who's gonna be next just yet, but that's tomorrow's problem. Tonight, I'm drinking with my friends. And at the stroke of midnight, I'm gonna fuck that foxgirl stupid. And maybe jump into the mix with Aife and Kahri too afterwards. But, first of all, my immediate priority is to safely get Anna home.
"Anna," someone says from behind me, quite rudely interrupting our drunken frivolity.
I turn and my jaw hits the floor as I look up at the single baddest goth bitch I have ever laid eyes on. Big platform boots, fishnets, a short skirted black dress with thin straps and no sleeves, perfect cat's eyes done with bold black eyeliner, and long silky black hair down to her waist. Not only that, but she's flanked by two massive black German shepherds that are probably as big as I am. Though she called Anna's name as she approached, her cold and calculating green-eyed gaze is fixed onto me. For a brief moment. Then she glances away.
I think I'm in love.
"Good to see that you're out of there." Gods, her voice is pretty. "Your dad sent me to pick you up. Sorry to cut this short, but we need to get you out of sight before the fuckers try again."
"That's exactly what I was just thinking," she sighs, kisses my cheek, then stands up and stumbles, grabbing my shoulder to steady herself. Once she straightens her skirt, she sighs again and looks around the table. "Yeah. Sorry, girls. I really should get going."
I stand up too, also stumbling, but catching myself on Anna. Lowering my voice, I mumble, "Who is that?"
"I'll introduce you sometime." She giggles like bubbles, taking my hands in hers. Cold fingers. "Thanks, Nico. I… I really missed you. I'm sorry I kinda… disconnected…"
"What? N–No, I'm the one who disconnected. I wasn't there for you when–"
"I pulled away. I wouldn't have let you help me. Y'know, I… didn't wanna be helped. And… I don't know." She trips over her words, tilts her head back, and takes a breath. "You always come to save me. Always. I love that. I love you for it. But… I can't fix me if youfix me. Y'know?"
I don't know what else to say to that. "I'm sorry I didn't notice."
"I was hiding it from you. Like you hid your addiction from me, back then. But… I'm here now. Right? We're together again. And I'm kinda ready to heal. Maybe. A little bit. With you right beside me, backing me up. Can I ask you to do that? Help me get through this?"
"Yeah. Yeah, absol–"
She tosses herself into my arms. I backstep and catch her, lifting her off her feet with a tight squeeze. Her arms around my shoulders, mine around her waist, she breathes me in and exhales with a rosy grin.
"Thank you, Nico. You rescued me."
"You'll always be first, Anna. Take care of yourself."
"I will." She lets go far too soon, but holds my hand for another few seconds. "Don't falter. Don't slow down. Not for me. So long as you keep fighting the way you are, I'll be able to keep fighting the way I'll have to. And we'll be there for each other from now on. Like we always have been. Like we always should've been…"
"R–Right. Um. I love you, Anna."
"I love you too, Nico."
"I'll see you soon, yeah?"
"I hope so." Letting go of my hand, she walks backwards a few steps to join the girl dressed in black, waving to the others around the table. "Byeee! Good to meet you, Kahri and Clive! I gotta go…"
I zone out as she trades goodbyes with the others, a hug with Aife and Hito, then another with me, before nodding to the girl in black that she's ready. A red swirling portal opens up behind them, and the gorgeous woman's dogs both jump through as she and Anna take one more look at us. Both of them look at me for a little longer than they do the rest. With one final wave, Anna's gone, and the portal closes behind them.
Immediately, I discover a deep ache embedded in my heart. Anna's presence is always there to stay. Right now, it hurts, and I don't know why. I'd like to rip my heart out and toss it aside but I can't.
I fucking hate how things change. I hate the awful ways this life breaks us down. I hate it the most when terrible things happen to pretty girls. Like, any tragedy is bad enough already, but that puts an added layer of fucked up to the injustice of it all.
And all girls are pretty girls…
But Anna is very very very pretty…
Still, I sit back down and try to socialize, but my battered heart just isn't all that into it. Not long after, Clive decides to head out and I grab his number and Hito's to start a group chat with all of us. He and I agree to meet up for some hoops later and then he goes, leaving me with my girls.
I feel empty. I need to fill that emptiness.
Fuck, is it midnight yet? I'm getting stressed.
I need to have sex, like, now. It always feels good.
I need to feel good again. I had it for a second.
Where did that feeling go? Why did it leave?
Because Anna had to go home. Without me.
Fuck, it's making me anxious. I can't wait.
Thankfully, the other girls have more sense than I do, and refuse to leave earlier than planned. I dump alcohol down my throat to drown out the noise and get fucked up so I don't have to feel this way. Finally, the clock strikes midnight, and I immediately get up to go. Anna said she'd cover me but she left without paying, so I'm not sure what to do. Not until the server tells us the woman with the dogs paid for everything already.
I don't know what to make of that.
Not that it matters. I'll take it.
Hito brings us back to her place in the rift, and I have at her without hesitation, laying her down in the grass beside the giant koi pond and undoing her kimono. Gods, she's fucking beautiful, and I love fucking beautiful things.
I don't hold myself back. I'm being rough. She pulls me in for a kiss and locks her heels behind me, begging for more. Drunk, exhausted, aching, and hollow, I give her everything she wants and more. I give her the time of her life. I give her my empty but overpowering love.
Like I always do.
After she's done, I fuck Aife.
After she's done, I fuck Kahri.
After she's done, I fuck Hito again.
It goes like that until they can't take any more.
I leave to go smoke a cigarette by myself.
Sex felt good. It felt really good. But now it's over.
The numbness in me was warmer there for a minute.
Now it just feels exactly that. Numb.
I did it. I saved Anna. I ended up here. Now what?
My phone starts buzzing. It's an unknown number.
I answer it anyway. "What?"
"Hello, little godling," a woman seductively purrs. "I hear you were asking about me. Something about getting into bed with a Fury, hm? I want you. Right now. Drop everything, pet. I'm coming to take you."
Shit. I forgot about that. "Yeah, Alecto. Let's fuck until I forget all the shit that's wrong with me."
"Won't take me long to do that."
A red portal rips open in front of me.
In red and black, chains and fishnets, Alecto is maybe three feet taller than me with an enraged smile dense with malicious cruelty. "Mm. You're cuter than I remembered. Care to try my whip, pet? It'll cleave the flesh from your bones. Answer me."
I'm a little nervous. "Do you have, like, a softer one, or…"
"Aw. Is the little kitten scared?"
Oh, that's hot. "If I admit I am, will you go easy on me?"
"Hm." She crosses her arms, looking down on me. Not many human women are taller than me. Most Deities are. "Get on your knees, crawl over here to my feet, paw at my legs, and bark for me."
"Ohhh. Okay…" I get on my knees and crawl over there to her bare feet and paw at her legs with my knuckles, then bark. "Arf! Arf! Please go easy! Arf!"
She hinges at the hip, flexible as hell, and brings her face inches from mine to spit in my mouth and smile, teeth sharp and serrated like a shark's. "Yes, I'll go easy on you, so long as you remain obedient, pet. I'm taking you. Now."
She snaps her whip around my waist and drags me somewhere into the Hells to feast on my marrow and strip the flesh from my bones and make me scream.
I need this. I need to feel something.
Alecto makes me feel everything.
My reward for rescuing one of the twelve Primeval Demigods.
Only eleven to go…