1. The Immortal Convocation #2
I smirked half-heartedly. “I hope to be everything you’re expecting. This is all so new and crazy to me, but I’m ready to show the world what I got,” I laughed nervously.
Juniper spoke in a gentle tone, but her voice was aged with years of wisdom and grace, much like Seraphine’s.
“We’ve already heard of some of the changes you made downstairs in Gehenna.
That whole journey your partner made… Gods, it was just so heartbreaking, yet so incredible.
You both have been through so incredibly much.
Your power is surely astronomical to what we ever expected. ”
“Hopefully in a good way?” I peeped, which made the couple laugh.
“We expect no less from someone Seraphine is so proud of. She tends to be guarded in her emotions, but she’s gushed to us all night about you, so you surely shine in her eyes,” Dorian said. I was ecstatic to know Seraphine thought so highly of me and relished in that fact.
I conversed with Dorian and Juniper for a moment, but the conversation was stagnant, so my eyes began to travel amongst the room.
To my right, I saw Endymion arguing with a pair of girls, and this piqued my interest. I excused myself briefly and ducked through the crowd to try and catch the tail end of the conversation, but before I had a chance to sneak by, one of the girls snapped her head around and pointed to me.
“Him, it’s him! He can decide what’s fair! ”
“Girls, please… do not bring him into this!” Endymion tried to moan, but one of the two had already grabbed my arm and yanked me forward.
“Um, hi there?” I attempted.
“You’re Nicodemus, right? The next God of Death?” the one who grabbed me asked.
I freed myself from her iron grip. “Yes, I am. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?”
“Endymion’s daughters,” Erasmus bitterly sniffed as he joined us as well, crossing his arms tightly over his chest so he could glare at his ex-husband menacingly.
“Your… daughters?” I questioned.
Endymion groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “They are… mine and Icheiris’s.”
The other girl narrowed her eyes at me. “Yes, Icheiris, the demoness that your boyfriend murdered. You know, our mom…” she spit acidly.
I cleared my throat against the awkward air. “Um, I apologize, for all that transpired with your mother. It was very difficult circumstances for all involved.”
“Sure it was,” Erasmus huffed.
The original girl stuck her tongue out at him. “You can be salty all you want; she was still our mom, and we have the right to her Layer now that she’s gone!”
“Her Layer?” I pressed.
Endymion smacked his hand to his face. “Do we really need to do this right now?”
“Yes, we do!” they screamed simultaneously.
“What exactly is the issue? And can you introduce yourselves, please?” I asked.
The first of the twins, who adorned dark brown shoulder length locks and piercing red eyes, tossed her curls before smiling wickedly.
“My name is Isadora, and this is Odessa. We’re twins, if you couldn’t tell.
We were promised Icheiris’s Layer if anything should happen to her, and since she’s toast, we’re here to claim our inheritance. ”
“And what qualifications do you exactly have that warrant me giving you that title?” I scoffed, which made Isadora’s smile fall instantly. “I can’t just give the Layer to some random demons who think they have a right because their daddy made false promises.”
“Endymion promised this to us well before you were even a thought!” Odessa whined.
“He tends to make a lot of false promises and stick his dick in a lot of people behind his husband’s back. This wouldn’t be the first time he did something like this,” Erasmus added with a glare that deepened by the second.
Endymion rolled his eyes. “What’s done is done. Girls, this has nothing to do with me anymore. Gehenna is Nicodemus’s Realm, so if you want a shot at the Layer, you have to talk to him. He’s right after all; what have you exactly done that gives you rights to the Layer?”
“We are high ranked beings in Gehenna! She’s trained us to perfection and then some. We know that Layer like the back of our hands! If anyone should rule it, it’s me!” Odessa sneered.
“You? What makes you more qualified than me?” Isadora barked back.
“And this is why we don’t sleep with demons,” Erasmus whistled to egg Endymion on, though I did giggle at his comment.
Endymion spun the girls around and shook them once.
“This is not the time nor place for this conversation. You are embarrassing not only yourselves but me, and I will not tolerate that this evening. Take your tantrum somewhere else.” His tone was commanding, intimidating, but it barely fazed the twins.
“But father…!” they whined simultaneously.
In an attempt to keep things civil, I procured a business card with my name and number on it and pressed it into Isadora’s hand.
“Look, your father is right. We have a lot going on tonight, so please, let’s not fight.
How about you give me a call in a few days, and we’ll sort out this whole mess.
I need to be on my toes tonight, so I would rather deal with this situation when I don’t have the weight of the world on my shoulders,” I offered with a sincere smile.
Odessa stole the card from her sister before winking to me. “I will certainly be calling you, God of Death. We look forward to meeting with you soon.”
“Likewise,” I replied stiffly.