I sat on the edge of the bed, shaving cream in one hand, razor in the other. A small cup of water sat on the nightstand. Anders was very particular about his facial hair, so I’d taken it upon myself to make sure it was maintained.

  Caring for him took my mind off what’s going on outside. Everything I’d built over the last few decades was falling apart all around me, and I couldn’t seem to make it stop. I would have considered running away again, but we had nowhere left to go.

  I placed the shaving supplies on the nightstand and gently wiped his face off with a damp cloth. The room was dark, except for the lamp beside me. It started to get brighter, and I was immediately alarmed. I leapt to my feet, spinning around to find a woman standing at the foot of the bed. Strawberry blonde hair fell in curls around her shoulders, freckles dusting her porcelain cheeks. She wore a white frilly blouse, and grey slacks.

  “Mother?” I gasped.

  “Hello, Seraphina.” She said, smiling sadly without actually looking at me.

  “What are you doing here?” I narrowed my eyes. I hadn’t so much as heard from her in centuries. She waved a gesture to the sleeping man in front of me.

  “I’m here to watch over this man as he ascends. There must always be an angel present at such an event.” She said matter-of-factly. Her tone was cold and removed.

  “There’s already one here.” I scoffed.

  Her smile faded, “You are only a Nephilim, my child. You do not count.”

  I swallowed my pride. That exact argument was why we had stopped speaking.

  “You could have watched over him without revealing yourself, you and I both know that. Why are you really here?” I snapped.

  “You always were a clever one, Seraphina. Seeing through mortals and even immortals with your keen mind. We could use one such as you among our ranks. We could make you whole." She smirked, again without looking at me.

  “If you came here to recruit, you can leave. I would not take the knee and bend to your God then, and I will not now. Especially not now." I told her.

  “You really must let go of these human attachments. They make you weak and you have so much potential.” She replied coldly her voice dripping with disappointment.

  “We’re not talking about this here.” I waved to the doors. She moved to stand in the middle of my office, and I followed her in and closed the door behind me.

  As she looked around the room, she noticed the toys scattered on the floor. Her head lifted with one eyebrow raised, yet her eyes never met mine.

  “You have a child? A girl, by the look of it.” She almost looks disgusted. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

  “Yes.”

  “The father?” She hummed. I turned away from her.

  “Ah… Interesting choice." She said, turning back to look at the closed doors behind us. "Has she shown any powers yet?”

  “She’s not even ten years old.” I shot back. My mother chuckled

  "So she has. How very interesting.” She mused. I hated when she did that.

  “Why are you here?” I asked, hoping she would leave. She heaved a sigh.

  “The Gods are worried, all Gods are worried. Lesser Greek Gods Eris, Nemesis and Hypnos grow stronger with each passing day. There are even stirrings in the other pantheons, as a shift in one will cause chaos for the others. And here, the Chosen of the Order of Vigilance are scattered amongst the planet, Lilith has gone into hiding and you are here neglecting your duties.”

  “Neglect?” I repeated, incredulous. My mother started to pace.

  “Your defenses are lacking, your chain of command has fallen apart, and you have brought undead under your roof. You have lost all control of this house. You go against everything that we stand for.” She barked.

  “I’ve disappointed you.” I stated, my jaw clenched.

  “I came here hoping you would let me help you.” She stated, tipping her head. Our eyes still hadn't met. It pained her to even look upon me.

  “Help me?” I scoffed, “Where were you when those creatures were breaking down our doors, stealing children from their beds? Where were you when I was dying from a Manticore sting? Maybe if you had been here when I needed you, I wouldn’t have to rely on vampires for protection!” I screamed, reaching boiling point.

  Her hand moved faster than my eyes could see. My head snapped to the side and my cheek burnt with the sting of her hand.

  “Three thousand years, and you are still making excuses like a child.” Her voice still had no hint of emotion, her face still and unmoved.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  I turned back slowly, and we glared at each other.

  "Your hatred for mortals hasn't cooled even an ounce in all this time? You could be helping them, saving them from themselves and yet you hide yourselves, watching this world descend into nothingness. If you have such a problem with the Gods, deal with it yourself, you self righteous harpy." I growled, full of hatred. I hated that her face never shifted to shock or anger. It was always pity and disgust, if at all.

  "Never in the history of this world has revealing ourselves helped humanity. Mortals are animals; savage and thoughtless. You know what happens when we make ourselves known. You know how mortals react to our presence." There is a brief twitch to her glowing, hollow eyes. A memory that she hated and repressed. And was reminded every time she looked at me. "You know what they are like. Lustful, ignorant sinners."

  “Uh… Is this a bad time?”

  My heart stopped. The rough, and groggy voice came from behind me. I held my breath as I turn around, tears already blurring my sight. His grey eyes, half open, gave off a faint glow in the dim lighting. A clear sign that he was not the same man that fell out of the sky. He was no longer just a man, but something more.

  “It is an honor, Anders Pendragon.” My mother stepped up beside me and bowed deeply. “Aniel, at your service.”

  “It’s a pleasure, Aniel, I’m sure.” Anders frowned at her. He rubbed his face and ran a hand through his dark hair. Without all the gel to hold it down, the dark strands stuck out in every direction, as though gravity held no sway over them. He looked at me, face scrunched in confusion, “How long have I been out? Everything’s stiff and I could drink a lake.”

  I opened my mouth to reply, but what was I supposed to tell him? A few tears spilled down my cheeks.

  “Sera?” His hair fell back into his face when he let go of it to reach for me. “Why are you crying?” His hands rested on my arms. He leaned forward slightly, bright eyes wide.

  “Weeks.” I croaked. My lips trembled. “It’s been weeks.” He stumbled back a step, eyes now bulging out of his head. He stared down at me in disbelief.

  My mother piped up in that moment, “I can see you two have some catching up to do. I am quite pleased to see you are well, Mr. Pendragon. I’m sure we will meet again soon, as I now know you are the father of my grandchild.” She told him, hollow eyes piercing, before she simply vanished.

  “Oh boy… In-laws… and she knows about the kid.” Anders chuckled nervously. “Can I go back to sleep now?”

  I grimaced. That was almost a good idea. I had spent so much time hoping for him to wake up, I didn’t really think about what to tell him when he did. “What do you remember?”

  "Uh, giant monsters, bright lights and more power than I have ever felt in my entire life. Somehow, I managed to not only summon my Artifacts, but channel, what felt like, the entirety of the Vault. Did we win?" He asked, completely serious.

  I blink a few times, “Uh… Yea. Yea, you won that one.” I tore my gaze away, “But we have other problems now.”

  “What did they do?” His smile went flat and his eyes narrowed.

  “They?” I asked, surprised.

  “The kids.”

  I chuckled and scratched my head. “Maybe you should sit down…”

  “Uh oh…” Anders sighed and scratched at his beard. “Before we do that...” Arms snaked around me and I was spun around, nearly lifted right off the floor. He kissed me, like he'd never kissed me before. The hesitation, the fear that always held him back, had vanished.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, and entangled my fingers in the mess of his hair. My knees buckled for a moment, my heart raced and I felt light headed. He pulled away with a cocky smirk, and I had to catch my breath.

  “Maybe you should sit down.” He teased.

  I nodded, “I think you’re right.”

  He led me to the two guest seats by the desk. He leaned forward, keeping my hands between his. His head tilted, eyes bright and curious, but also worried.

  Where do I start, I thought.

  “Erik took off, followed by Ethan and Kalysta.” I watched his lips form a tight line. “Ethan and Kalysta appear to have gone after Erik, against Andrea’s orders.”

  He tried to stay positive. “Well, I suppose they could use a vacation. What’s the worse news?”

  “Dyson has also gone missing as well, which concerns me a great deal more than the others. I'd hate for us to have another Chase situation. And Orion tells me three other Chosen have arrived at the Cathedral. Apparently you sent for back up?”

  "Ah, I was wondering when the new recruits would get there. They were probably really short handed. Dyson missing could be an issue…” He stroked his beard and nodded slowly.

  “That’s… not all.”

  “Oh boy. Saving the best for last, my dear?” He tried to smile. He’d taken everything well so far, but I knew the last thing could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I thought about not telling him, but he would find out once he got back to the Cathedral. I chewed my bottom lip.

  He frowned, squeezing my hand. “Sera, what is it?”

  I made the mistake of looking into his big, grey, puppy eyes. “Chase left. According to Andrea, she hasn’t seen him since you two last spoke, before you came here.”

  “What?” a shadow fell over his expression.

  I dropped my gaze, ashamed and a little afraid. “I tried to track him, but I can't sense his life force, and his GPS signal stopped moving in Wales. I’ve reached out to contacts in the area, but no one’s seen him.”

  “Wales? What the fuck is in Wales?” Anders jumped up. He grabbed his forehead, and carefully lowered himself back into the chair. “Dear Gods, I told him not to leave.”

  “I have no idea.” I leaned back in the chair, “But I have a feeling it’s nothing good.”

  "I suppose this is what happens when I'm gone for a while. Everything goes to shit. I thought Hector and Andrea would have a better handle on things, but they've been out of the game too long. Now I know I can never take a vacation, lest the entire Cathedral be reduced to ashes." Anders sighed heavily, shaking his head.

  I laughed. It was a reflex, and I covered my mouth to stifle it a moment too late. Anders lifted his hands away from his face, eyes narrowed. When I looked at him, I couldn’t help giggling again. The fact that he probably didn’t see the awful truth of his own words is almost too absurd.

  "I'm glad you find this amusing. I have to get back. Do you think you can teleport me back with your harp? Actually, where is Auria? I want to say goodbye. Or hello. I could also use an entire bottle of Tylenol." He groaned.

  I studied his face for a moment. The intricate lines creased in his skin from laughter and stress. His expression shifted from curious to suspicious. I glanced at the door.

  “Aurea will be back soon. She’s taken to overseeing the other children as they do their chores. In the meantime,” I stood up, “We need to get some food in you, and maybe a shower before you go anywhere.” I held out my hand.

  “Care to join me?” He winked as he took my hand. As soon as he stood, he started to stumble again. I raised an eyebrow.

  “I just might have to.”

  He dropped his head and chuckled with defeat, “Yea… I may need you to hold me up.”

  His grey eyes flashed with a faint glow as he stared down at me. I placed his arm over my shoulder. It was almost impossible to look away. “You don’t know… Do you?”

  Panic flashed across his already pale face, “Oh dear Gods, what else? What else could possibly be wrong?”

  I never thought I would say it…

  “Anders… You ascended. You've become an immortal.”

  Anders’ head snapped in my direction, “Kwah?!”