Summoned Again?

I ended up enlarging the bathtub and the three of us enjoyed the bath, massages, and having sex. Both Karen and Anita were a bit more hornier than usual and were quite enthusiastic about pleasing me. I did it right back to them and took both women to bed after drying them off. I held them and they cuddled into my sides, happy and sated.

I didn't have to make breakfast the next day, because it was included with the room, and we went downstairs to the restaurant and ate at the breakfast buffet. I kissed them both goodbye afterwards, told them I would be keeping a discreet eye on them, and I would be gone for the entire day. I wanted to scrounge around the new city I had never visited and they needed time to relax without me there.

Neither woman protested, because we would have the rest of the week to hang out together. I told them that they had my permission to have fun without me, despite that not really being possible, and they laughed and pushed me out the front door.

I waved to them and went to The Bear, pretended to grab a big backpack, and then walked off. Once I was out of sight, I cast the time spells on myself and changed my clothing to casual. I stored the backpack and cast Obscure and Stealth spells on myself before I took off flying into the air.

I went to Karina and the wolves first, fed them breakfast, then I flew around the country to drop off more food to the various wolf dens. Each group of wolves greeted me happily and slobbered over my face to thank me for taking care of them. I made sure to scratch each of them behind the ears, especially the pups, before I left.

I had an appointment that I had been looking forward to and flew at my best speed to get there. I landed in front of the condo and dismissed the spells hiding me as I knocked on the front door. It opened a minute later.

“Uncle Damon!” The little girl gasped and then squealed with delight as she jumped into my arms.

I laughed and caught her to hug her. “Hi, Cynthia.”

“UNCLE DAMON IS HERE!” Someone shouted from inside and I was suddenly surrounded and dragged inside the condo. A flurry of hugs and kisses followed and I kept laughing as a certain young woman had snuck around and taken three turns at hugging and kissing me before everyone had been satisfied that they had greeted me properly.

“Are you girls ready for a full day of shopping?” I asked.

“NO!” “YES!” Came the chorus of replies.

“Why don't I just sit here and wait while you figure it out?” I said and sat on the couch with Kathy.

“I... I'm one of the ones that said no.” Kathy whispered.

“I know.” I whispered back and held her close. “Everyone get yourselves ready and make sure everyone else is, too.”

“Okay!” They shouted and then scattered to their own rooms.

“Damon...” Kathy whispered and blushed.

“I know.” I whispered back, stood and picked her up in a princess carry, then took her to her room and cast the protection spell and then the time spells on it. “We have three whole days together before we have to go shopping.”

“Oh, Damon!” Kathy exclaimed and kissed me.

I put her on the bed and stripped her off, then made love to her for several hours before I stopped and we ate lunch, then we went at it again and Kathy was really into it. She loved having my sole attention and that I could magically make time to be with just her.

*

The girls felt like they were in heaven. They went to every store and their rich uncle bought them everything that they wanted. Clothes, jewellery, food, accessories, make-up, and even things only girls needed at certain times. Damon led them around and catered to their every whim, even when they wanted hugs and kisses, which made them all blush and made them all extremely happy.

As for all of the shop owners, it was quite the spectacle to see a group of 16 people pretty much clear them out of a lot of their available stock. They also paid in cash, so their profits for that month were going to be ridiculous, even compared to the holiday season that was usually their best time of the year. The jewellery store alone had made a huge profit on all the basic chains they had in stock.

The restaurant the group chose was flabbergasted to have such a large party to feed at one time, especially since they all wanted to try different dishes, just because they could. The tips of little gold bars made it worth all the extra work, though. They would always remember that handsome man and his gaggle of girls and promised that they would treat them like royalty every time they came there.

*

Kathy, Bethany, and the other older girl helped me usher everyone back into the condo that evening.

“Thanks, Uncle Damon!” The other girls shouted and then another train of hugs and kisses almost ran me over. I laughed as I hugged and kissed each of them and then I went to each of their rooms to put their things in there for them to unpack.

I went back out to the living room and I wasn't surprised that Kathy was there all alone.

“I'm a little sad that it's finally over.” Kathy said as she hugged me.

“Who said it was over?” I asked and she gave me a surprised look. “I'm staying the night.”

Kathy moaned and kissed me soundly, then she took my hand and led me to her bedroom. I cast the time spells again and we spent another three days together in bed.

*

“Thank you, Damon.” Kathy said as she hugged me tightly.

“I'll stay in touch, I promise.” I said and let her go to look at the other girls. “Plus, I'm sure I can sneak away a few times this week before we take another delivery mission.”

“YAY!” The younger girls said and tackled me.

Another round of hugs and kisses later, I was out the door and flying back to the hotel.

My arrival set off a minor shopping spree for Anita and Karen, so we made the rounds at similar and some quite different shops, since their interests ran quite a bit differently than the younger girls. Karen had us visit several old military surplus stores and I bought a few things that she wanted. I would have to repair them and get them working again; but, they were things she wanted, so I got them for her.

That night, I snuck out and went to meet Denise, stayed there for a week to make her happy, made more pendants, slept with Karina six more times to reassure her that she really was pregnant, and went back to the hotel to spend the night and the next day with Anita and Karen.

Karen had some inquiries to give to the main facility about the upcoming job and she begged me to take her out driving to do it. Anita begged off and stayed in bed, so I kissed her goodbye and took Karen out of the city to get some experience driving The Bear. After the first lesson, Karen had me do her on the turret's chair and she screamed out her pleasure. Learning how to handle the APC was a huge turn-on for her, apparently.

I dropped her back off at the hotel several hours and two more driving lessons later, and I went to the condo with the 15 girls I had rescued. I was greeted in a familiar manner and then we all went out to eat and had more fun at the local park and playground.

*

The week passed and Karen accepted another delivery job. There was a backlog of personnel changes at several different facilities and we were taking three from the main facility and exchanging them with three from a facility two towns away. Since The Bear was so fast, we completed the job in under a day and received another payoff and accepted another job.

This pleased the head man immensely and he gave us the next most important job on the list. Three days later, we were back with another scientist and their assistant and no incidents. Karen said we needed a couple of days for maintenance and the man agreed as he handed over the next job. This one was an exchange at two different cities and we would have to come back to the main facility afterwards for payment.

I said my goodbyes to the girls at the condo, because it would be two weeks of travel and I couldn't sneak away this time. Some of the younger ones cried a little at not having me around, so I reassured them that I was taking a week off after that and would spend it with them. With that promise and another round of hugs and kisses, I was off on another trip across part of the country.

*

A week later, I had just parked at the first facility to pick up the scientists when a sharp pain lanced through my head. It wasn't my own pain, though.

Karina! I gasped.

Mate! One of our dens is being attacked! Karina responded and showed me which one.

I'll be right there! I thought and hopped out of The Bear.

“Damon? What's going on?” Anita asked.

“I need to go. I'll be back in a minute.” I said and looked at Karen. “You can drive.”

“YES!” Karen yelled and kissed me.

I walked around The Bear, made myself disappear and cast the time spells on myself, and flew at my best speed towards the den. I broke the sound barrier four times before I slowed down and landed in front of the den. Now that I was so close, I could feel the wolf's pain myself. I ran over to it and it was on the ground and twitching with blood pouring out of its head.

“No!” I exclaimed and stored the bullet before I cast Major Healing on the wolf. After a few moments, the wolf stopped twitching. It was also completely silent, both mentally and physically. The brain damage it had suffered from the high speed bullet had been too extensive. A female wolf whimpered from her hiding spot nearby. She had cubs to protect and her sorrow at the loss of her mate filled the mental link.

I cast a Detect spell for guns and found a spot over five hundred feet away. I cast Remote View and caught my breath. A young woman with a long range military rifle was there with four men with hunting rifles. They were all dressed in camouflage and looked ready to slaughter all the wolves.

“I'll handle this.” I said and stood. “No one kills members of my pack.”

The wolves howled a little and then ducked back to keep hiding.

I cast Swiftness and Quickstep on myself and I was suddenly right in front of them.

“SHIT!” One of the men gasped and jumped back. When he raised his rifle to shoot me, he didn't have it anymore.

I bent it into a pretzel and tossed it onto the others that I had just done the same thing to.

“You're buying me a new one.” The young woman said and stood up to glare at me.

“You don't care at all that you just killed a sentient being, do you?” I asked her.

“Ha! They're just wolves.” She said.

“And you are just a human.” I spat and grabbed her by the neck. We both gasped as we felt that instant connection between us that I only ever felt when near another summoned being. I quickly checked through her memories and saw that she was one of the heroes I was looking for. I also saw that she had killed thirty-six wolves so far and didn't regret it at all, because she was going to hunt them all down.

“Who are you?” She asked.

“I... I'm...” I shook my head. “It doesn't matter, Emily. You killed someone under my protection. There's only one penalty for that.”

“Wolf-lover!” One of the men gasped.

“I'm much more than that.” I said and changed my eyes to that of a wolf.

The men all pissed themselves and one even let his bowels go.

“You're one of them?” Emily asked, surprised.

“I am much more than that.” I repeated. “I am their king.”

Two of the men fainted and Emily didn't look afraid at all.

“Good luck trying to kill me. If you've got the guts. The local authorities already know about this location. When I don't return, this place will be destroyed.” Emily said, confidently.

“You couldn't be more wrong about that.” I said and let her throat go. “I deeply regret that we've met like this. I feel like we could have been great friends.”

Emily chuckled and took a sexy pose as she waved around us. “If you're one of them, something everyone on the planet hates, there's no chance we could ever be friends.”

I sighed and used my compress ability on the other hunters. They were crushed into little balls with squelching sounds and then they dropped to the ground.

Emily looked around at them and back at me. “That's a neat trick. You can eat them much easier now.”

“I'm not going to be consuming them.” I said and cupped the sides of her face. “Only you. One of the four chosen.”

Emily caught her breath. “How do you know about that?”

“I'm number one.” I said and opened my mouth.

“AHHHHH!” Emily screamed as she dissolved and then her essence flowed into my mouth and down my throat.

I felt her latent powers join with mine and I sighed, because Emily had only been 18 and she used her sexiness to her advantage. She had accepted her position as superior to everyone and she had fit right in with the locals, right from the start. Her class was Sniper and her best ability was Gun Specialist. I also felt her connection to that deity and how she had been used to do what I refused to do.

“I hope you haven't corrupted the last one, too.” I said to no one.

Several wolves came over to me and I nodded to them. They ate the hunters and I walked back over to the den where the injured wolf lay. He was a blank slate, barely able to breathe consistently, and he didn't know how to walk or move around. He was worse off than a newborn cub and wasn't going to live much longer, even though his body was intact.

“I am so sorry.” I said and the wolf's mate came out of her hiding spot with their six cubs.

Not at fault. She said into my head and licked my face. Tried to help. Too late.

I nodded and rubbed her muzzle. “What should we do with him?”

We leave him where he lays. He died here and we honor him once a week. Howl for him. She replied.

I looked at the giant wolf as it laboured in its breathing. “Would you mind if I buried him right here? We don't want him rotting above ground and possibly making you all sick.”

The other wolves exchanged looks and murmured to each other.

Compromise is acceptable. She said and licked my face again. You good king. Killed own to protect us.

I nodded and took out a shovel, then frowned. It didn't feel right to do that, so I stored the shovel and closed my eyes. I stored my clothing and let myself change into a full giant wolf. The other wolves of the pack howled and chittered as I changed form into one of them. I was a little bigger than them and the female that had cubs gave me several pokes with her nose.

You would be great mate for whole pack if Queen allowed. She said and I laughed.

She never would. I am hers and she is mine. I thought to her, then I started to swipe my clawed paws at the ground under the wolf to dig out large furrows of dirt. His breathing was barely making any sound and I paused to put a paw on the wolf's head and pet it. It let out a huff and a cough, then it stopped breathing.

I joined in the sad howl of the wolf's passing, then the other wolves helped me dig. We had his body in a large hole only minutes later and then covered it with the dirt. I put two paw prints at the head of the grave and then changed back to human and equipped my clothing.

“I will join the howl when it's time.” I promised. “I'll be back to help with the cubs, too.”

Yes, you would make good mate. The female wolf said in my head and licked my face.

I scratched behind her ear. “As long as we remember him, he will always be with us.”

She let out a happy bark and the pups jumped around us and then onto the small mound of dirt.

I gave them all more food, flew around the main den area and play area, and cast obscure and hiding spells to cover the whole thing. I also placed several protective enchantments to keep people away from the area. Once that was done, I had some preventative measures to take care of.

I flew towards the town the hunters had come from and destroyed every gun and weapon, the police station, and the mayor's office. I also disposed of anyone planning on hunting down the wolves. They couldn't be allowed to do that, not now that I assumed responsibility for them.

With my horrible task completed, I flew back to where I had left Karen and Anita. I walked over to them as I cancelled the time spells and they gave me questioning looks.

“Bathroom emergency.” I said and they made gagging noises, then the three of us laughed. I climbed into the vehicle and into the turret seat, to show Karen that I really was letting her drive.

Karen smiled at me and climbed inside to assume her new role.

I sat back and closed my eyes as I thought about what I had just done. I hadn't let Emily try to explain and did what I had to do, to make the wolves happy. That I now had Emily as a part of my powers was something I hadn't expected, or wanted for that matter. If I had the time, I could have found out where she came from, who she really was, and why she had so easily agreed to commit mass genocide for the deity.

It didn't really matter in the end. It was just my idle curiosity and my sorrow about losing a potential friend that had killed an adoptive family member. I didn't wonder which life was worth more, because that also didn't matter. Stopping Emily had saved all the lives she would have taken, even though killing her didn't balance the scales at all or brought back the ones she had already killed.

I was brought out of my melancholy when The Bear came to a stop. I was on food service duty this trip and I did my job efficiently and with the same flair as I always did, even though I didn't feel like being chipper and happy. With my situation the way it was now, I was saddened that I would have to literally stumble across the last member of the group before I could complete the mission and return home.

I was not looking forward to a possibly endless search.

*

We finished the job and drove all the way back to the main facility. Thanks to The Bear, this was possible when all other transports usually stayed where they were sent or they made a slow circuit through different towns every few months to pick up odd jobs and continue working.

The head man was very pleased that we kept coming back to him and we had become his favorite transport option, even for those jobs that were weeks away from his facility, as the last job had proven. He didn't mind at all that we wanted a week off before accepting the next job.

Anita and Karen were slightly saddened that I wanted the week to myself, until I explained that I was working on a plan to solve the wolf problem and needed time to get some things made. When they asked what I meant, I gave them each a pendant and explained what they would do. They put them on and both Anita and Karen reacted in the same way, by dragging me to bed.

I left them satisfied and then flew over to spend a week with the wolves as I worked on making more pendants and spent time with Denise and a reluctant Martha. I also went to every wolf den and gave them the same protections I had placed on the den that Emily had attacked. Soon, all the wolves felt safe and Karina ordered me back to her and to please her again.

Karina wouldn't listen when I said that we had to be careful about her pregnancy, until I told her she was having six pups. SIX! She yelled in my head in her sexy voice. I'm having six pups!

Every wolf in the pack heard her and sent back a massive feeling of approval.

Yes, so we can go at it; but, I can't be as vigorous as you want me to be. I thought to her and carefully mounted her in my giant wolf form.

What followed was a very frustrated giant female wolf as she was gently made love to. It was so weird for her. Not only for the slowness, also for not being satisfied properly. She still felt good and I made sure of that. The problem was, she really liked it rough. She was a wolf, after all.

It should have been fast and frantic and given her nearly instant pleasure. Instead, it was agonizingly slow and the pleasure was stretched out over a very long period of time. She didn't enjoy it nearly as much as she wanted to.

Off. Get off of me, Mate. Karina said with finality when I was finished.

I sighed and dismounted. I knew it hadn't been very good for her when she hadn't relaxed and sucked all of me inside to hold me. I'm sorry that the human way wasn't to your liking.

You intentionally go slow? Karina and the other wolves asked, clearly shocked.

We try to make it last and enjoy it for as long as possible. I thought to her and them.

No wonder humans are hunting us! They can't stand having us doing it right! One of the wolves commented and the others chittered in agreement.

I didn't bother correcting that assumption and changed back to human. “I need to go. I have others to take care of.”

Karina gave me a pointed look. I will not require your services for some time.

I sighed again. “Can I ask how long you'll be angry at me?”

About two to three months. Karina responded. It is my first litter, so it could be normal or extended.

I nodded and pet her head. “I'll still return to feed and take care of you and the pack.”

That is your job. Karina said, sternly. Do not make me regret choosing you by slacking off in your duty.

“I didn't meant to imply...” I stopped talking and took a deep breath. I nodded to her and flew up into the sky, then took off at my fastest speed. I had a large group of girls to spend time with during the normal week.

The girls at the condo greeted me happily and I had a great time spending the days there and then spending three days every night with Kathy. She wasn't demanding that I spend time with her and she appreciated that I gave her special time with just me.

I still left every day for an hour to feed and play with the wolves at every den and not just the ones with Karina as guards. I also spent the time making pendants and had to buy more chains. I was getting a lot of stock built up and would be able to put them up for sale soon.

When the week was over, the girls had been thoroughly spoiled by me and didn't want me to leave. I promised them that I would be back and then presented each of them with a protective wolf's head pendant and chain. Their squeals of happiness rang in my ears and I was quickly covered in hugs and kisses once more.

With them mollified and Kathy had been given a heated goodbye kiss, I flew back to the hotel and joined Anita and Kathy in their room. We prepared ourselves for another job and went to the main facility. We had a lot of work to do.

*

Time moved on and two months had passed. I had worked hard and played almost as hard, sold thousands of pendants, and kept searching for the last member of the summoned heroes. I needed to find him to complete the mission and I tried to not let that frustration affect me. I would have to meet him eventually, since the deity had set things up that way.

I suddenly felt Karina's pain and made an excuse to Karen and Anita. We were out on a job transporting cargo and I had to leave. I claimed a bathroom break and skidded The Bear to a stop.

I hopped out of the vehicle and gave a look to Karen. “Take over. Even if I come back in a few minutes, you can keep driving.”

“You know we can't just sit here waiting.” Karen warned me.

“Then start driving. I'll find you again.” I said and Anita gasped. “No, I'm not telling you to abandon me. I know the importance of this delivery.”

Neither woman got my double meaning.

“I could be more...” I winced as another pain shot through me. “...a lot more than a few minutes. Go on. I have a tracker on The Bear and will find you again.”

“We can't just leave you out here in the middle of nowhere.” Karen said.

“Neither of us has a choice about that.” I said and hunched at more pain. “Go! I can't ignore the pains anymore!”

Karen leaned out to give me a kiss. “You better find us again.”

“If I don't show up at the delivery, I'll meet you back at the main facility.” I promised and looked at Anita. “I promise.”

Anita sighed and nodded. “Karen, let's go.”

Karen nodded as well. She shut the driver's side door and stepped on the gas. I watched them speed down the road and then I turned and ran. Once I was out of sight, I cast the time spells on myself and flew at my best speed to get to Karina.

I landed just outside the protective area and walked inside, so I wouldn't make the wolf guards nervous. I felt their frustration and their worry, so I sent calm feelings and the thought that everything was going to be alright. I went to Karina in the large dog bed and she was on her side and panting heavily. Both Denise and Martha stood off to the side and looked worried.

“I'm here, my queen.” I said and pet her neck.

HURTS! Karina yelled in my head.

“I know it does.” I said and cast several diagnostic spells. I saw that several of the pups were facing the wrong way. “I'll need to go inside and move them around to give them a hand.”

HURRY! Karina yelled and another pain shot through me.

I went to her birthing area and cast cleaning spells on my hands and then stored my shirt and slid one hand inside her up to my elbow. I was quite glad for my extensive stay at the research center in the Beast world, because I had learned a lot about animal biology. I cast another diagnostic spell on her and turned the closest put around. Karina sighed as the pressure on her eased and I pulled on the little guy as gently as I could.

Thankfully, he was only about the size of a human baby and passed through the birth canal easily. The wolves around us yipped happily and I cut the cord and tied it off with string before I placed the pup in front of Karina's face. She gave it several licks and then let out a noise of pain. I went back to work and reached back inside. I had to feel around to find the next pup and he was partially jammed against the wall of the womb.

I used what little leverage I had and my fingers to ease the thing out from his stuck spot and then he slid out just as easily as the first pup had. Both were mewling and their eyes were glued shut. I added him next to his brother and reached back inside Karina. Two more pups slid out easily, both females, which made the wolves around us rejoice.

“Only two left, my queen. You're almost done.” I reassured her.

No... something... something wrong. Karina panted and a strong pain cut through her and then me.

I immediately dove both hands inside of her and cast a diagnostic spell. One of them had their umbilical cord wrapped around their neck. With the pressure of the other pups gone, all that strain was choking the poor thing. It took me several moments to lift and release the pressure on the thing, then I eased the cord from around the neck. There was just one problem with that.

I didn't feel a muzzle.

Before I could comment about it, I felt the umbilical cord try to wrap around my hand that was over the thing's throat.

“FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING DEITY!” I yelled and pulled my other hand out, grabbed a protection pendant, and shoved it back inside. It took some doing to get it onto the neck under my hand that was holding off the murderous umbilical cord. Once it was in place, the cord stopped trying to strangle it. I pulled the thing in my hands out and stared.

The wolves let out startled sounds and Martha threw up.

“It's a baby!” Denise exclaimed. “Oh, my god! A giant wolf gave birth to a baby!”

I cut the cord and walked over to Karina's head. “May I present our daughter to you?”

Karina licked the baby several times and I placed her among her siblings. I went back to her birthing area and grabbed the last pup and put him with the others.

“I cannot allow this to continue.” A woman's voice said and the wolves around us immediately jumped to attention and growled at her.

I felt my time spells be cancelled and turned to see a gorgeous woman, that just happened to look like my ideal woman, as she strode into the clearing. “It's a good thing you have no choice in the matter.”

“This is my world, Damon.” The woman said. “This violates my laws and...”

“Fuck your laws.” I said and stood to face her. “You kidnapped me and dropped me here with no information. You've tried manipulating me and you've hindered my powers. You're just as bad as the other assholes that have wrecked my life, so you can take your self-righteous ass right back to whatever realm you came from.”

“You do not understand.” The woman said and started to raise a hand towards the baby.

I cast stillness on her and I felt her trying to fight it. “No, it's you that doesn't understand.” I said and walked over to her. “You just threatened my child.”

I could almost feel her frustration as I formed my magical sword. “I know you've had to limit your powers to appear here, because of your non-interference policy, so this won't be as satisfying as it should be.” I said and shoved my sword right through her chest and her heart.

“NOOOO!” An old woman's voice cut through the air.

“Oh, yes.” I said and pulled the sword out and licked it.

____

Encounter over! Congratulations! You have defeated the embodiment of the Goddess Obfome as only a Level 99 combatant with limited fighting abilities. Good Job!

Experience earned: 1,954,983,834,209

Battle Crazy Bonus (x2): 3,909,967,668,418

Grand Total: 5,864,951,502,627 Experience Points

____

Your Devourer class has assimilated the tertiary bloodline of the Arcanus family.

Skills gained: (Locked)

Experience Overload Bonus: Extra experience gained can be converted to Stat Points or Skill Points at the cost of 1,000 Experience for 1 point.

Unspent Experience: 5,864,951,502,627

Current Point Potential: 5,864,951,503

____

I blinked my eyes at that, then I laughed. “Boy, did you fuck up by coming here yourself.” I said and cut her head off, then I opened my mouth and she dissolved and flowed down my throat.

I ignored the two startled screams from Denise and Martha and waited for a moment. I felt a touch of godly energy flow through me and my eyes glowed slightly as I felt my Divine Sight and a bunch of my other powers came back. I also felt a strong foreboding feeling.

I immediately had the vision of several gods and goddesses descending upon me for revenge and I let it all play through to see what would happen. I made certain choices and saw the outcomes, then I smiled. I knew what to do now and I opened my eyes and stored the sword to not be seen as a threat.

“I was summoned here to do a job. I was severely limited in using my powers by the weak goddess that has just sacrificed herself to me to give those powers back.” I said. “If I had known that Karina, or Goddess Hyacinth as she was previously known, had been sent here as a punishment for her transgressions, quite a few events that have happened here wouldn't have happened, including what just happened.”

The foreboding feeling eased off and I thought I felt a hint of curiosity and anger.

“I would like to formally apologize for my actions, both in defiling a goddess with my unworthiness and then killing the embodiment of her cousin's jealous niece.” I said.

The curiosity increased while the anger receded.

“As penance for our crimes, I offer up the first Goddess born in a hundred and fifty millennia to be raised by your holiest of holiest, with the condition that my daughter is told who her mother and father are and how she came to be. From the horrible mistakes of two goddesses and the love her parents shared.”

Another absolutely gorgeous woman appeared in the clearing. She was eight feet tall and wore a flowing gown and sandals on her feet. She also stayed well away from me.

“You just fought to keep the child. Why would you give her up?” She asked.

I dropped to one knee and ducked my head, showing the supplication they desired. “I was fighting for my child's survival, not to keep her. The weak goddess wanted to remove the new threat to her power, as a born Goddess on a world gains that as her world.”

“How do you know such things?” She asked.

“My Divine Sight was restored to me with the weak goddess' death. I've seen what needs to be done to please you and to ensure that both I and my daughter will live after this mess is resolved.”

“Why do you think I won't mistreat her?” She asked, curiosity in her voice.

“I've seen that you have been searching for an apprentice to teach for millions of years. Not only will you get your fondest wish, I will get mine as well. She will be protected, loved, and cared for.”

“You don't want her to stay here with you?”

“I cannot take care of a child and neither can Karina. She will be forever frustrated, because in her current punishment form, the differences between our lines of thinking and acceptability are very different.” I said. “If you were monitoring things like a certain old hag was, you would see that although I am king of the wolves, we all defer to her. If she doesn't accept something, it's not accepted.”

The woman smiled and walked over to me. “Your libidos are compatible and your methods are not.”

“She can still get me off with five licks.” I added and the goddess laughed.

“The others are reluctant to agree to this.” She said in a serious tone.

“My job here hasn't been completed and my title is still being debated. I should not have been brought here to troubleshoot without being told what the problem was.” I said and I felt some agreement. “As you may have seen, I wasn't against coming here to do the work. I was fighting against not being able to do it properly.”

That had a huge amount of approval feelings come from the gods and goddesses.

“I have to agree. You have not been... handled properly.”

I had to chuckle at her choice of words. “If I may stand? I can present my daughter to you properly.”

The goddess touched my shoulder and I felt pain lance through my entire body as I lost a trillion experience in an instant. “Be grateful that I didn't take it all from you.”

“I... I am, my goddess.” I whispered. “Very grateful.”

“You may proceed.” The goddess said.

I barely managed to stand and I felt weak as a child. It took me a moment to recover and then I walked over to Karina.

No! You can't... she is mine and... Karina stopped talking when I knelt and kissed her muzzle.

“My words were the truth. We can't handle a newborn Goddess.” I said and took a towel out of inventory and carefully picked the little girl up.

Everyone watched as I stood a little shakily and put a hand on Karina's shoulder to steady myself, then I walked over to the goddess. I dropped to my knees in front of her and lifted the baby up over my head.

“Oh, great and mighty Goddess Athena! Please accept my offering of an eternal child to devote to your teachings and to your wisdom! Let her become your second, your heir, your pride and joy, just as she is of her parents!” I exclaimed in both a prayer and in a pleading voice.

The look on Athena's face was priceless. She was genuinely shocked with my wording, probably because she had only thought I would hand the baby over without comment.

“You have surprised many of us this day, Damon.” Athena said and bent down to take the child from my outstretched arms. “I accept your offering in the spirit in which it is intended.”

“Thank you.” I said gratefully as I bent down and placed a kiss on her right foot and then on her left. “You honor me, my goddess.”

“Stand.” Athena said and I did so.

I knew what was coming, so I braced myself for it.

Athena's hand swung out and she slapped me hard across the face, breaking my jaw. “Do not overstep my goodwill.”

I cast healing on myself and looked up at her two foot height advantage. “Can you blame me?” I asked and gave her Angel's angelic professional smile. “How often does a mere mortal such as myself get to kiss the feet of the most intelligent and wisest of the gods and goddesses?”

Athena gave me a pointed look. “No one ever has.”

My smile spread into a grin. “I hope that's added to my title discussion. I solved a problem you had that you didn't know you had.”

There was an echo of soft laughter around us.

Athena sighed and shook her head. “You are incorrigible.”

“Well, you are my daughter's new mother figure. I had to make a pass at you. What kind of father would I be if I hadn't?”

“A better one?” Martha asked and another echo of laughter flowed through the air.

Athena gave her a look and nodded before looking back at me. “Be more careful in the future with whom you flirt.”

I put a hand over my heart and bowed. “As you command, my goddess.”

“If I didn't know you were being sincere, I would say you were mocking me.” Athena said.

I reached up and pet the head of my daughter and smiled at Athena. “I would never mock you for the same reason I had to flirt. You are going to raise my daughter as your own. I respect you for that.”

“He doesn't respect a lot of people or their opinions.” Martha said.

“I really don't.” I admitted. “It's pretty rare, actually.”

Athena smiled and nodded. “Farewell, Damon.”

“Oh! One last thing.” I said. “When my job's done here, will you be willing to get us to the white room? I can complete the summoning ritual from there on my own.”

Athena nodded. “Call my name when you are ready to leave.”

“ATHENA!” Martha yelled.

That made a lot of laughter flow around us and the wolves joined it.

“When the job is done and the four of you are together.” Athena said and gave me another pointed look. “He is on your current path. You will find him when it is the right time.”

I nodded. I knew she meant my delivery schedule with Anita and Karen, which meant I would find the last member within the next three months. “Thank you for telling me, my goddess.”

Athena hugged the baby close and then the two of them faded away.