The ride back to my home went by blissfully uneventful Kate sleeping in my arms. Titan draped across my feet. I tilted my head back. Not sleeping but just resting. My body ached from tanking that necromantic ray spell. Like i had done an ridiculous back and shoulder circuit at the gym.

"Where did you find this guy Kelly?" Liz asked tiredly.

"We didn't, Lord Hades went out and recruited him personally. As I understand it he was a security guard with that big time mortal company you see everywhere.

Some mortal thugs kidnapped a drug store employee and a kid. He ran after them and incapacitated or killed five or six guys, taking what should have been mortal wounds in the process. Hades found him, made him the deal and he accepted the title. And now we are here." Kelly explained.

"And the big ass bear dog?" Liz asked eyeing Titans large form

"No idea." Kelly said. "Tonight's the first time I saw him. No idea why, he could have made chew toys out of the skeletons, or the Necrosis gang members at the club. He seems fairly capable though. Maybe he didn't want to give away the full extent of his abilities."

"Full extent. What exactly is that anyway? He killed Ramos's son, and made Ramos run away. Neither of them were slouches"

"I'm not exactly sure." Kelly admitted. "He has only been initiated for a couple days, and Mom was a bit hostile with him so we couldn't really ask."

"What do you want to know?" I asked, eyes still closed. Making both girls jump and blush or look away.

"No worries ladies, I don't mind sharing, just don't share outside the cool kids club. Gotta give you trust to get it." I said. Eyes still closed, but a smile turned my lips up. "Maybe wait till Kate is up. So I don't have to tell the same stuff a bunch of times, maybe Kelly's mom too."

"Ok, but for now at least, what is with the dog bear he isn't normal" Liz asked.

"His name is Titan. He was my best and dearest friend in my mortal life. Ten years ago, he died protecting me. Apparently he was a very far descendant of a doggo death god. Had enough juice to reincarnate into mortal life every once in a while. When Hades came to talk to me and the shade of Titan here was still there watching over me. Hades did some voodoo to make him my soul familiar." I explained

"Even Hades couldn't bind a soul familiar Titan had to have truly wanted to be with you." Liz said. "That is sickeningly adorable. Kate will eat that up." Liz said with a faint but genuine smile touching her lips.

"He is the goodest boy. No doubt" i said. Titans tail started thumping into the seat as it wagged happily.

"So you saved some kids and Hades made you his Lord?" Liz asked

"Yeah." I said simply. Never one to talk about action scenes, especially when I killed people.

"I see." She said simply.

"He fought five or six doped up gang soldiers by himself and killed more than half." Kelly said. "Two of which while he was severely wounded."

Again I didn't say anything. Never liking to brag about these things. Taking a life, no matter how shitty it had been shouldn't be something to brandy about casually, like beating a video game or reading the latest novel release.

"Damn," liz said. Again falling into a comfortable silence.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Do any of the bedrooms have two beds?" I asked Kelly, or Peter. Both shook their heads but my phone buzzed and I managed to look at it without disturbing the sleeping Kate.

Mrs. Montoya has arranged for beds in a room for these prospective vassals. She changed some things around when she heard of your interest and a small unobtrusive background check was conducted.

They have indeed been roommates for the majority of their lives. The bedroom closest to yours has been remodeled to have two beds.

"Thanks T" I whispered. Then addressing the women. "Looks like we have a room for you with two beds."

Liz nodded. A sleepy Kate clutched tightly at my neck and sleepily whispered. "Nooo, we should sleep with daddy."

"Uh daddy?" I asked, feeling my cheeks flush.

Surprisingly genuine laughter echoed through the vehicle from Liz. To the point she was reeling over clutching her sides, tears spilling down her face. We all sat staring at her for a solid 3 minutes.

"I'm sorry" she finally said, wiping tears from her almond shaped gold hued eyes. "It's just, you walked into a superior force confident as could be, challenged high level members of a gang to single combat, took out an army of skeletons with one spell, apparently billy badass in the mortal realm to the point it gets the attention of a super powerful god, And a girl with a little kink calling you daddy has you flustered. Were you a fifty year old virgin?"

Suddenly Thalia burst out into deep belly laughter. "I mean, you were so at ease with my stuff, took to it like a pro dom negoriating a scene from a dungeon but she sleepily mutters "daddy" and you shut down like a 16 year old V card holder."

At this point even kelly was looking at me ludicrously, politely covering her face. I looked helplessly to Peter only to catch the privacy glass going up and the top of his forehead turning bright red.

"It wasnt that funny." I managed to get out in a weak defense. Adjusting Kate in my arms and leaning back in the chair. Closing my eyes, while the three women colectivly laughed at me.

I didnt mind too much. They could use a laugh, Especially Liz. So i just grinned and bore it stoicly.

Before I knew it we were home and i had deposited Kate along with Liz in thier own room. Kelly returned to the house on the adjoining property that was her home.

Thalia and i returned to our room, showered and got into bed, her head resting on my chest, almost immediately falling asleep. I watched her easy breathing lips slightly parted.

These were the moments I was fighting for. Laughter and peace. Everyone deserved to have them. I couldnt give those things to everyone. But damn me i'd try. And give them to as many people as I could.

I drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately it was not the peacfull dreamless sleep. Instead I was suddenly living out a memory. A memeory i wish had been buried with my old life.

We were driving in a caravan of humvees. The blue diamond with a black wolf silhouette stamped on the door panel. Chris, the owner of the company sat next to me speaking into a mic.

"Ok ladies, we got a pretty simple escort mission. Some mexican bussiness tycoon wants some of his extended family brought over to the states before the cartels find out he made it rich over there and kidnaps them for ransom." He said concisely "looks like three adults, a teenager, and a little girl."

We continued the trip in silence. Each conducting our own little rituals. I prayed. I was still a very active catholic at the time. A Saint Michael effigy pinned to my chest. The man next to me shuffled a deck of cards. Dale the other co owner of the company went over his DOPE logbook. Hundreds of shots he had made in the past. Too much algebra on the fly for me. Not to mention that whole Coriolis Effect. No thanks. Id stick to clearing rooms with a shotgun.

Chris leaned back. Eyes closed. I knew he wasnt sleeping. He was deep into his what ifs. Planning for every eventuality and what he would do when shit went sideways a hundred different ways. I had no idea how the guy didnt have any grey hair to speak of with all that anxiety. Heavy is the head that wears the crown I suppose.

We arrived at the small town out in the middle of nowhere. Finding a house with a blue flag flying from the roof. We got out. Chris giving directions for us to move out into a perimeter and keep an eye in all directions while he talked to the family. An old woman, A middle aged couple, a teenage boy holding hands with a small girl who looked incredibly like dora the explorer.

I looked out to the east with a pair of binoculars my rifle not having a scope. Dale was hanging out the roof of the Humvee his bolt action rifle sweeping back and forth in the south.

Two other members of the team were on west and north. We waited while Chris talked to the family. Apparently there was one more member of the family that we didnt know about that they insisted on waiting for. So we stood. And waited.