When Cameron woke, the first thing he noticed was the presence of a resting dog's mind. The next was that he and the dog were both laying on a bed more comfortable than any he ever remembered laying on, with a thick, fluffy pillow under his head and thick, fluffy blanket over him. The dog itself was laying on top of the blanket, right beside Cameron, its head resting on the boy's chest.

Slowly expanding his mind, Cameron determined he was in either an apartment or a hotel of some sort, and there was a familiar mind nearby, sleeping. Gently poking at the dog's mind, he woke it up, then sat up and scratched behind the dog's ears, feeling a sense of contentment emanating from the animal with the action.

"Eden?" Cameron poked at the teen's mind, and felt it immediately wake up. "Eden, I'm scared. Where are we?"

"At my apartment," Eden responded. "Give me a moment, and I'll be in there."

A couple of minutes later, Eden knocked on the door to the room Cameron was staying in.

"C-come in," Cameron called weakly, feeling himself start to shake as he remembered that Blake had died, tears beginning to roll down his face.

Eden entered the room and turned on the light. He was dressed in a pair of silk pajama pants, his torso bare, revealing a muscular body with well-defined abs that drew Cameron's eyes. Even Blake hadn't been that well-defined.

"It's okay," Eden said soothingly, making his way over to Cameron, who could sense the calm mind of the teen. "You're safe, Cam, no one's going to hurt you here."

"B-b-but Bl-Bl-Blake-"

"It's okay," Eden climbed onto the bed and pulled Cameron against him. "He's being cremated, along with the other undergrounds who were killed in the battle. I know you're paranoid, but you won't be able to stay at the hotel again, so if you want, you can stay here with me. And I can teach you how to fight with martial arts, too, and you can play with Soldier all you want."

"S-Soldier?" Cameron gave him a confused sniffle.

"Yes," Eden rubbed his back, then the dog's head. "This is Soldier, my dog. I found him on the street a few years ago."

Cameron sniffled for a few minutes, basking in the calm of the minds of his friend and the dog, which helped him relax, only a little.

"H-how do you live in an apartment?" Cameron asked.

"It's actually my parents'," Eden scratched the back of his neck.

"Th-they won't care if I stay here?" Cameron asked.

"They don't," Eden snorted. "It's just me and Soldier."

"B-but-I'm confused."

"They own the apartment," Eden told Cameron. "But they don't even check up on me. I don't even need the money from the fights, it just supplements my allowance. I discovered that I could teleport a few years ago, and my parents… reacted weirdly to it. They weren't magicians, and had no knowledge of it.

"Instead of kicking me out, putting me in the hospital, calling black market doctors and scientists to dissect me," Eden ruffled Cameron's hair. "They bought me this apartment and gave me a monthly allowance. They pay my bills and give me the money, but other than that, I'm pretty much on my own. They don't even care that I never attended school again. As long as I'm okay, that's the extent of their care. Me being able to teleport around weirded them out."

"Oh," Cameron said, then leaned into Eden, who felt him shaking. "Wh-what's going to happen to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Th-there were so many fairies," Cameron said. "Doesn't the Department of Supernatural Services do stuff? I-I got knocked out, and wasn't I attacking everyone when I freaked? Aren't they going to hunt me down and-and-and-"

"No," Eden assured him. "Adam's a lot more influential than he lets on. DoSS leaves him be, and he's put you and me under his protection. He probably suspected something like that could happen, which might be the real reason he wanted to train you."

Cameron gave him a confused look, and Eden snorted.

"You're adorable like that," Eden kissed his forehead. "Adam probably wanted to help you get your powers under control because of how much power you have. You knocked me out in an instant, so what I know comes from what I heard before I grabbed you and left, before remembering who, exactly, Adam is."

"Who is Adam?"

"Adam Leosvar," Eden answered. "One of the five most powerful magicians in the world. Thousands of years old, with his exact age being unknown, he's older than pretty much any other mortal on Earth. He's trained nearly every magician who reached the strongest hundred in our history, and of the ones he didn't train, he fathered most. The only reason the fae were able to do so much damage last night is because he couldn't go all-out with everyone there."

"The fae," Cameron started sniffling again. "They-they want to make me a tree!"

"Sh," Eden rubbed his back. "It's okay, Cam. No one's going to turn you into a tree. You have me and Adam protecting you, and I promise that I won't let anyone hurt you."

Cameron cried for a few minutes, until he calmed down and asked about Greyson, and how he was coping with Blake and where he was.

"He went to one of the agents," Eden shrugged. "Said something about wanting to go home. I don't really-"

"His dad's the Director of the Anti-Fae Task Force," Cameron told him. "But-but he hates his dad. He said that one of his classmates came out as gay and was looking up what that meant and stuff, and his dad and mom hated him for it and thought he was gay and stuff. So he ran away. He has wings."

Eden laughed, patting Cameron on the back.

"Yeah," Eden said. "He does have wings. They're usually not manifested. Nephilim, during puberty, gain their wings. Until they gain control over the manifestations, strong emotions can force them out, like last night."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Eden chose not to let Cameron know that Greyson had injured his wings in his fall when Cameron freaked out, which would also affect when he could put them away. Injured wings couldn't unmanifest.

"They were so beautiful," Cameron breathed.

"Yeah," Eden smiled. "Nephilim wings are said to be one of the ten most beautiful things in existence, when not including actual gods and angels."

Coming to a decision, Cameron chose to trust Eden. He sensed nothing more than sincerity in the older boy, and a genuine feeling of protectiveness was there as well. It had nothing to do with the voices, who were silent again, though still present.

"I-I met a god," Cameron said, and Eden raised an eyebrow. "A-Adam summoned one last Friday. He-he, oh, we never did ask if they could punish rapists. Well, Adam said that particular god wouldn't care. He hijacked the ritual, anyway. It wasn't the god that Adam was trying to summon. He also said that the god that hijacked the ritual didn't need to hijack the ritual, he could've just come down on his own. It turns out that I'm a demigod, and other gods are hunting me, but my dad bound up my divinity, so it makes me seem like I'm perfectly human."

Cameron realized he was fingering the stone his father had given him and dropped his hand. Then, panic filled him, and he started patting his pockets.

"Where's my wallet?" He exclaimed.

"On the night stand," Eden frowned as Cameron detached himself and scrambled over to the nightstand. "I didn't take your money, I just didn't think it'd be comfortable to sleep with a wallet in your pocket or watch on your wrist."

He'd also removed Cameron's belt and sneakers, though those were on the floor.

"It's not the money."

Cameron opened up his wallet, checking its hidden pocket, then let out a sigh in relief. When Eden around him to see what he was checking on, he saw nothing in the preteen's hands but the wallet, the object already having been returned to its spot.

"What is it?" Eden asked as Cameron set the wallet back down.

"It's-it's nothing," Cameron looked away. "Th-thanks for the bed, Eden."

"You're welcome," Eden snorted. "I got you some pajamas, too. They're on the dresser. If you want a shower, the bathroom's down the hall on the left when you leave the room, first door after yours. If you're hungry, I can make us an early breakfast."

"What time is it?" Cameron checked his watch. "Just after five."

"Yeah," Eden ruffled his hair. "There's a fresh set of clothes by the pajamas. Pick whichever you want to wear."

Cameron nodded, and Eden left the room as the younger boy wondered what Greyson was doing, and how he was handling his decision to go home.

----------------------------------------

The answer to Cameron's question was 'pretty well', for at that moment, Greyson was snoozing on the couch in his father's office, his father's jacket covering him. He had fought his exhaustion, but it eventually won him over after several hours of feeling numb from the loss of his close friend.

As Greyson slept, his father sat in the office next door, where his boss, the Director of the Department of Supernatural Services, sat, having flown in as soon as the incident was reported.

"And Adam won't budge on his stance?" George asked.

"No," Lucas responded. "Can you tell me why we dance so gently around him? No matter how many times I push, the explanation is never given. Even the most powerful of magicians can be handled."

"Maybe," George said, then sighed. "To be honest, I'd love to tell you, except the answer is classified to my pay grade or higher. If he wants those two boys left alone, however, then it's in our best interests to do so."

Lucas sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"How're your agents doing?" George asked. "I heard that Cam's mental wave was pretty hard on everyone there, even the few who managed to maintain consciousness."

"Yeah," Lucas rubbed his temples. "I'm glad I wasn't there when it happened, based on what they said. I'd almost gone, just to see Greyson again, but thought better of it after your warning that observations should only occur there. You really can't tell me why we shouldn't cross Adam? We could always call in-"

"No, I won't," George said. "And no, we won't. Anyway, our debriefing's done, and we've all had a long night. You should head home and get some rest, Lucas."

"I was planning on waiting for Greyson to wake up," Lucas informed his boss. "Let him rest a bit more. He should hopefully be calm enough to hide his wings again."

"Half-angel," George sighed. "We know your wife isn't one."

"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "Another reason I want to delay going home. From what my agents told me, Greyson was flying pretty well, too, which means he's known for at least a little while what he is. Most nephilim break their wings in their first flight attempt, not soar straight up into the air. I am not looking forward to this conversation with Kathy."

"Good luck," George said.

"Thanks," Lucas sighed, then frowned. "Did you know that a minor god was spotted in town last week?"

"I heard about that," George nodded. "Though word took quite awhile to reach me."

"I was just getting the report when Michael called the attack in," Lucas said. "He's apparently looking for a demigod. Did you hear who stopped his little fit?"

"No," George answered. "I was reading the report when you called me. Looks like someone might have intentionally delayed us hearing about this. Who stopped him?"

"Namil," Lucas said. "Chief Cupid."

"Doesn't he stop in town at least once a month for chocolate cake?" George asked.

"Yeah," Lucas chuckled. "The god decided to show up while the Chief Cupid was on one of his regular trips. However, the interesting part of this is that Namil hasn't left. He's still here, and several other angels have been spotted around town since, under six different gods. I actually walked into Refari earlier."

"Where at?"

"And I mean that literally," Lucas said. "Turned a corner and walked right into him. Just around the corner from here, actually. I was heading into the parking lot. He just looked at me, snorted, and walked off."

"Something's going down," George said. "I received a report earlier that Derrick's trafficking ring moved into Tejina over the last few weeks, and that they made a mistake of entering the Blood earlier chasing after a kid with magic. We suspect it was Cam, based on the sightings."

"Damn," Lucas muttered, rubbing his temples again. "That's just what we need, George. A new trafficking ring, potential war involving the oldest vampire on Earth, an unknown demigod, two Class X-level mages with lone schools who are both still kids, one of whom is powerful enough to break through mind defenses in just a few seconds, fae invasions, and a heavenly battle going on all at once."

"Hey," George smiled.

"Don't you fucking dare."

"At least we aren't dealing with a primordial."

"I fucking hate you," Lucas said. "You just fucking jinxed us, George."

"I know," George laughed. "Honestly, though? All of the primordials are bound up in other planes and under heavy security. They won't be breaking free anytime soon, so it's extremely unlikely. Anyway, I'm sending extra agents into town, hopefully, we can settle things without a secrecy breach. Or at least, without too big of one. I'll be staying in town awhile as well, and we'll be releasing a press release."

"For what?" Lucas asked. "The warehouse situation was contained – thankfully – but-"

"To explain possible oddities seen by the mundanes," George answered. "We'll claim that there's a festival coming to the city in two months, and that they'll be seeing preparations for it and visitors from out-of-town arriving earlier, to celebrate this year's winter solstice. The people drafting it up are coming up with some reason why this year's is special."

"That makes sense," Lucas nodded. "It'll help with the secrecy breaches for sure, and we'll be able to handle the rest."

"Hello, Greyson," George looked to the door and smiled at the teen, who looked shy and nervous, his father's jacket worn backwards to cover his chest. "Your father and I were just talking about you. Those are some pretty cool wings you have there. Lucas, I'll leave you two alone."

George stood and left, and Greyson shuffled his feet before walking over to his father and wrapping his arms around him in a hug.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I'm sorry, too," Lucas whispered. "Once you hide your wings, we'll head home, okay?"

Greyson nodded, tightening his hug.