.^^ The Vision Athenos ^^

— Athenos —

"A status report, sir, from Lady Durham." A male hand reached into my field of vision, momentarily confusing me.

I looked up, and hummed. "Greta's brother, yes? Medicine DemiGod, Laurent?"

"Correct." He nodded.

I nodded and read the report. "He defeated a Forest God on his own?" I asked, a little incredulous. I'd felt his surprise and adrenaline, but that didn't give me much details.

"Neutralized it before they could fight, actually. Turned it into a seed that we have not been able to find. Warren searched his belongings, but found nothing." He hummed.

I raised an eyebrow slowly. "And he will never do so again. My son is not under Lady Durham's employ, nor is he her property. That which he claims in battle is his own, regardless of any other variables. Is that understood?"

He nodded. "We agree completely, he will grow best when he is free to do as he pleases... but not being able to track him means not being able to keep him safe and, (our main goal as I'm sure you will agree,) alive."

"He will protect himself. And I have a way of tracking him, should he be in actual danger. Our psychic link traverses as many as eight of the realms. Unless he goes to Hel, or a different dimension, I will always know if he is safe." I shook my head.

I thought about the lock of hair James had placed in my pocket after his Chrysalis, which I had crafted into a rune of seeking, and branded into my left palm. Not even the 'secret' room I'd built for him in the Loft could keep out the magic I was constantly using to locate him.

"May I know where he is now?" He asked.

"Damascus." I nodded.

He blinked. "Where Ziamin Peterson, the rebel Ünterqueen, and eight of her male brethren, were just Sighted a few weeks ago?"

"Are any of the males Ünterkings?" I asked casually.

"No."

"Then he's fine. Send Warren to join him, in the shadows. Purely reconnaissance." I stressed.

He nodded and turned on his heel, walking out and making a call.

Greta looked up from her paperwork. "Is your son that powerful, or do you have something in the works?"

"Both... always, both"

—

I blinked slowly, and sat up straight. "Someone contact Warren and figure out what just put James to Sleep!"

"Already done, sir, he was kidnapped by a minion of the Dark Elf who calls herself the 'Golden Princess'. A high-powered Loan Shark putting on airs, basically. She is Seelie, not UnSeelie, surprisingly. Likely she wants an alliance, as he's hunting the rebels who have publicly announced they will pay no debts, to anyone... as that includes her, she likely wants to help him." One of the apprentices shrugged, holding out a phone.

I spoke into it. "Speak."

"Heya, Doc! Yeah, he's fine, they're dragging him to a warehouse that's pretty well warded, I can't follow them in without blasting the doors down. I mean, I wouldn't mind it, if you like." Warren chuckled.

"Your mission doesn't change unless they try to kill him while he's helpless. They you wake him up, and he lays waste to them. That is all. You will only fight when you are needed. Clear?" I commanded.

"You knows, it's almost like you think I work for you." He hummed.

"Do as I say, or I'll return you to your master in thirteen separate pine boxes." I growled.

"Sheesh! No need to get all grumpy!" He chuckled, and ended the call.

I tossed it back to the apprentice, and groaned. "By Athena's Grace, he irks me!!!"

Greta smiled. "He is rather irksome. Anyway, we have two surgeries scheduled for today; one is a heart surgery, and the other is a necrotic spell on a hand. The antidote and counter-spell have been applied successfully, but the mort flesh much be removed promptly."

"Which would you prefer?"

"I'm a Neuro-Surgeon, and you're a Heart Surgeon. Guess?" She asked dryly, and walked out.

I hummed, and went to get ready.

—

"And so the point of this is?" I hummed, looking at the paint on my face, like a skull.

Gabriel giggled. "You're a member of the Tribe, now! It's a Lunar Eclipse, tonight, and we're gonna teach you how to connect with your inner spirit!"

"Mm... and the paint? I imagine the skull has some significance?" I asked.

"Yep! Your old life dies, when you become one with the tribe." She said seriously, and then in a quick motion pierced my left ear with a slim needle, leaving a hole that healed swiftly, around it.

"Hey!" I snapped.

"Oh calm down, you big sissy." She huffed, and placed a dangling bone earring in the ear, then did the same to the other ear.

"Gabriel? Are you in there, dear one?" Rafaela called through the door in Spanish.

"Just a minute, Mama!"

"Darling, you've been in there for almost an hour, do you need some ginger ale to settle your stomach? We've got to get to the Graveyard, soon..." She hummed, concerned.

"I'm okay, Mama, the Doctor's make-up is almost finished!" She called back, giggling.

The door swung open, and Rafaela snorted, covering her mouth, then laughed. "Darling, you didn't just pierce his ears, did you? Oh, Axiom, I'm so sorry!"

"Please tell me I did not suffer through this for nothing?" I groaned.

"No, no, it's just... there are easier ways, and Emmanuel was going to give you a pair of Clip-On earrings, instead of... Well, what's done is done." She sighed, and kissed me, then flicked her daughter's ear gently. "Leave this to the professionals, dear heart, before I get angry."

Gabriel scurried out, giggling.

Rafaela laughed softly, and began fixing the haphazard make-up that her daughter had done, which closely mirrored her own. "I'm surprised, you deal with her very well."

"She's hard to say 'no' to, though. Very strong-willed, like her mother." I smirked.

She laughed again, and hugged me. "This is going to be fun, darling... your first Walking is always the most intense. I'll be there with you, every step of the way. Emmanuel is 19, so he could Walk with you, I suppose, but I want to. It's a very intimate thing, and I'm happy I get to share it with you."

"What's this 'Walking'? You said it like a title. Like, 'When the Ents went Walking', but that's a story of the Ent Wars." I hummed.

She giggled softly. "You'll see, my dear. Now come! We need to be there before the eclipse!" She dragged me out, and I snagged my bag as we went.

The graveyard was entirely deserted, except for the witches that filled the corners, surrounding the open patch in the middle. They showed a varying degree of respect for the graves, some going as far as to lean against the gravestones of their dearly departed.

Rafaela dragged me into the middle, when I would have stayed in the outskirts, the long grass... I shook the odd thoughts from my head, and followed along willingly.

When we reached, she grinned, and bowed slowly to the old woman spirit, her grandmother. The woman smiled at me, and nodded when I bowed my head. "Well well... look at you, Cher? He almost look like a proper Witch, now don't he?" She laughed, and her fellow spirits chuckled.

She nodded slowly. "Mm... well, as you all should know, it's a lunar eclipse... and when the sun blocks the moon, we can see our true selves. So tonight, Athenos Axiom Parthenos of Greece and the Everglades, friend to Gabriel and Emmanuel, and close friend of Rafaela,-" a smattering of laughs around us, "-will Walk for the first time, as an Adult Man. You will walk with him, of course, Rafaela?"

"Of course, baba." She swatted my ass, and I yelped, glaring at her as the laughter and whistles died down.

"Hmph. Well, you may begin. Teach him well, and no funny business... there's young eyes, here tonight." The old woman pointed a finger at her granddaughter.

"No promises. None at all. They can look away." Rafaela grinned, and then began stripping.

I moved to cover her with my jacket. "What are you doing?!?"

"You've obviously never been to a pagan ritual, lover. Strip." She winked.

I sighed. "So that's why the paint covers my chest, too." I grumbled, and stripped self-consciously, folding my clothes meticulously, and casting magic to keep them from being tampered with.

Rafaela pinched my backside, as I stood up, and I growled at her. "Hey! Children, remember?" She smiled slowly, and I saw her eyes glow green. "Oh... oh dear. I'm in for a sore morning, aren't I?" I grinned.

Her smile widened into a grin, and suddenly we were tumbling across the open patch, and my thoughts slowly unfocused, like a camera zooming out.

Soon enough, I couldn't quite remember where I was, or why I was tumbling with the beautiful woman in my arms. She would make a nice mate, though. Very firm hips, yet springy, and wide. All good for childbirth.

A voice entered my hearing, like it was breaking through a dirt-and-root dome over me. My nest, in the riverbank, where I hid from bigger predators, and hoarded my treasures.

"And as the moon reaches its zenith, you will feel your spirit, like never before. The Natives Of this land, and the Natives Of many others, have always believed in the practice of Animal Guides... but I'm afraid they misunderstand it, and without the guidance of their shaman's, they have forgotten the Old Magic. The Guide is not separate from oneself... you, yourself, are your own guide. Your spirit is already an animal. But you do not know how to release it. This, I will teach you... listen to the sound of my voice... answer my questions."

I cuddled the female, and hid in my nest from the loud voice, waiting for it to go away patiently. Forever patiently.

"You are hiding, Patient, but where are you hiding?"

'Never... the Hoard is Secure... it is safe. I am safe. The female is safe. Waiting, I am.' I grumbled in Greek.

"A Hoard, you say? Might I have a piece?"

'OVER MY ROTTING CORPSE!!!'

"I see... a Hoard, and possessiveness... are you a Dragon?"

'Such as I am,
Power I am not,
But Knowledgeable, I am,
And Lives I can blot.

The air on my Scales,
Hot or Cold, filled with Smells,
Or even Scentless, and Stale,
I still hear the Tolling of the Bells.

Now I have sent to know,
For whom the Bell Tolls:
And This my courier replied to me,
As placid as the echoing sea;

'Never send to know,
for whom the bell tolls,
For it then tolls for thee'.'

"A riddle... how quaint... it would seem that we have our first Dragon, amongst the Tribe." The voice replied gently, and then my nest broke, wide open, and my treasures disappeared.

The female disappeared, and I was alone, in an icy wasteland. Hel.

I breathed fire, all around me, to try to heat myself up, but the flames were snuffed out by the cold. The feeling of helplessness, as the cold encroached, ripped through me, and I rebelled, suddenly, something I hadn't thought to try, before. Not just with fire, but with my mind.

The ice crackled loudly, and I felt a spirit stroke my scaled cheek, as if she was happy I had let go of something. I couldn't understand, fully.

Then I found myself on a desolate landscape, not unlike Hel, but different. Peaceful. The earth spun, lonely, far below me, and my problems suddenly seemed so small. My fears and worries and petty grievances, they all just seemed Small. Inconsequential.

As I realized that, they ceased to worry me, and I was in a graveyard, now. Crowding around me were hundreds of creatures, big and small, and they were approaching me. I snarled, and the female was there again, next to me.

She caressed my cheeks gently, and kissed my nose. "Calm, Lover... you are with us, now. You have Walked a Long Path, and it led you to us. They wish only to welcome you, Axiom." She chuckled softly, and I saw her spirit for just a second, a giant fox, with a few pups under her feet, before she laid under me as Rafaela again.

I blinked slowly, looking at my again-human hands, and then kissed her. She laughed and rolled us, maneuvering between my legs.

"Ahem? Children present!"

"Look all you like, children, you may learn some tricks! Heh." Rafaela responded sarcastically, and continued, regardless of the crowd of creatures.

I shivered, some human senses returning. "Uhm... perhaps we should... move to your room? Lover?"

"Under the moon is fine." She laughed, and rolled us again, and I couldn't think of much more than her, for a long while.

—

I gasped awake, and then looked around. "Holy fucking shit...!"

"Language!" Rafaela giggled, kissing my neck. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't... the alarm clock! It isn't here! But I'm awake!" I laughed, and pulled her with me back into the bed.

She smiled and kissed me sweetly. "Yes, Yes you are... well, if we're awake, you need to pay the 'woke up my woman at 1:00AM' tax." She spread her legs and smiled mischievously.

I grinned and kissed my way down happily. "As she wishes..."

—

"Alright... now it's my turn to tap out... good gods in heaven, you..." Rafaela huffed for breath, pulling me from between her legs. "You, sir, have way too much energy, now!"

I grinned. "I feel great! No more aches in my knuckles, I'm not shaking... it's a good day!"

"It's 5AM." She chuckled, chest heaving for air.

"I've been going down on you for 4 hours? Damn, love, you should've tapped sooner!" I frowned, hugging her gently.

She smiled. "Oh don't be sorry, I'm just worried you won't be able to kiss me, with the carpet tongue cramps you're going to have..."

"Not a Chance. Mine is an experienced tongue, it never cramps. And with my new libido and stamina, I believe I'm your match, woman!" I smirked.

"Oh is that a challenge?" She growled.

"Bring it, lover. I can take anything your throw at me. I feel like I could mount the world, right now." I smiled and laid back as she straddled my hips.

"How about when I mount you?" She grinned, reaching under her bed for the box of fetish paraphernalia.

"Bring it, lover." I reiterated.

—

A knock at the door halted our fun, several hours later, and she hopped up, striding to the door with the strap-on still attached to her belt. I whistled, pointing at it, and she shrugged.

"Yes?" She asked, opening the door wide.

"Oh JESUS, MA!!!" Emmanuel covered his face, blushing.

"What did you need?" She asked calmly.

"I just came to tell you that Gabriel's school is calling!" He handed her the house phone, and ran away, still covering his face.

She hummed and closed the door, climbing back into bed with me, and answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Ms. Nero?" A female on the other end asked.

"Indeed it is, what did you need? Has Gabriel received another award of some kind?" Rafaela chuckled.

"She wins awards?" I asked quietly.

"Oh, all the time, most helpful student, sweetest student, most likely to clean up the classroom, she's Eight, they give awards for everything. It's honestly weird, sometimes." She sighed.

"Well, while I tend to agree, ma'am, no, that's not the reason for my call. You see, your daughter has been in something of a scrap, and gotten herself hurt... we're calling the proper medical teams, Of course, and it doesn't look to be too serious, but we need you to come to the school, at once... please?" The woman sighed.

I hummed. "When they follow 'At once' with 'Please', you know they're afraid of you... what did you do?" I asked.

"Not much. I just reminded them who owns the land the school is built upon. I'll be there in ten minutes or less." She said, and hung up.

I hummed. "Do you want me to stay and clean the room up a bit, or...-"

"Get that sweet ass outa bed!" She said happily, and kissed me. "Gabriel likes you, which is good, but she needs to see you in some normal situations... situations that don't involve The Big M." She explained.

I nodded. "That makes sense... though I suppose I am the Big M." I smirked and hugged her as she groaned at the bad pun. "Oh you know you liked that joke!" I quipped.

She smiled and kissed me again, then threw all the stuff from the bed into the hamper, including her toys and belt, which she removed and replaced with a silk thong, while I laid behind her, humming appreciatively.

"Hey! Less staring, more dressing!" She smirked.

"It takes me like six seconds to dress. I can spare a few minutes watching you. You do it so much better." I grinned.

She laughed. "True, I suppose... but less staring, more dressing!"

I snapped my fingers, and then paused, when nothing happened. "What the fuck?... okay that's not good."

"It's alright, I've seen Mages get accepted into the Tribe before. Just reach through your heart, not your mind." She said soothingly.

I nodded slowly, and reached again for my magic, finding it in my heart. "Mm. Alright." I snapped my fingers, and clothes appeared on my frame, then my bag sailed towards me.

I snagged it, and slipped it over one shoulder. "Let's Go, then." I spanked one of her bare, (and likely still sore,) ass-cheeks. She yelped, and I laughed. "Ahh, Such sweet revenge..." Her growl chased me down the hall, as I booked it out of the house, to my car, mysteriously parked outside.

She came out a few minutes later, dressed in jeans and a nice shirt, then sat in the passenger seat of the car. "You'll pay for that, you know." She said simply.

"Oh, I'm counting on it, lover." I smiled, and started driving.