Chapter 32
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It was still raining softly when Alex woke up the next morning. He opened his eyes to see Persephone walking softly across the room toward him.
"Are you ok? You might get better sleep on top of the bed." She said in a concerned yet teasing voice.
Alex's sleep-addled mind had no idea what she was talking about as he rubbed his eyes and looked up at her.
"What time is it?" He asked after a yawn.
"Its about eight in the morning. I came to wake you up earlier but didn't have the heart to disturb you after seeing you like this."
Persephone gestured at Alex still lying on the floor next to the bed wrapped up in his blankets.
"Oh..." Alex said as he looked at his body.
Alex wasn't much of a talker first thing after waking up, his brain took time to warm up. Seeing how tangled up he was, he finally understood what she was talking about. He winced a little as he pushed himself off the ground. The minor wounds from last night's fall were still there.
"D*mn, how'd this happen?" Alex brushed his left palm with his right hand inspecting the wound.
"Ooh, just how many times did you fall out of bed last night?" Persephone continued to tease Alex with a mocking smile, though she had real concern in her expression now.
"I have no idea..."
Alex spent a bit of time inspecting the scrapes on his hands before he remembered Persephone was there waiting for him.
"Ah, sorry. I'll get ready right away."
Alex managed to stand up, but in his hurry to untangle himself from his bedding, he unwittingly exposed his nakedness to Persephone once again.
"Oh my! You are daring~" She said in mock shock before twirling around as she headed for the door.
Alex looked down and hurried to cover himself while gritting his teeth. He wasn't in a joking mood this morning. Not only did he not feel well rested but he had just woken up from a bittersweet dream where he had visited his family back on Earth. He never had enough money to move out and now that he was separated from them, he was split between wanting to let them know he was ok and wanting to embrace his new existence. There was also the warning from Zeus about needing to control his power or he might accidentally kill those around him when he visited the mortal plane.
"I'll give you some privacy while you take your time. I'll be waiting in the dining room when you're ready." Persephone could tell that he was a little down and decided to leave him alone for a bit.
Alone in the room, Alex looked at his wounds again.
"The heck? Usually, I can remember falling out of bed."
["That may be partly my fault"]
"Geeejuz!" *Bam* *Thud*
Persephone heard Alex hit the ground and stopped walking down the hall long enough to smile and call him a clutz under her breath. Alex had jumped from Angel's voice suddenly sounding in his head as if she was speaking right into his ear, and he tripped on the bedding still tangled around his ankles. He landed hard on the floor but chose to ignore the pain as he realized Angel was speaking again.
[{He bounced...}] Angel thought to herself.
[Angel!? You're ok!?]
["Yes Alex, I'm perfectly fine"] Angel was touched and her voice revealed that she was pleased by his worry for her.
["I've been busy trying to fix our connection and a few other things that were nearly lost from your transformation into a demigod. It's all fine now though."]
Alex frowned upon hearing about stuff being damaged and was really curious what it all was. Angel realized that she'd gone off script and revealed too much in her eagerness to brag to somebody.
["The others might think its odd that I'm working again so soon and might want to take you apart to study me, so let's keep us a secret, for now, ok?"] She quickly changed the subject.
Alex's back became tense upon hearing about the possible danger. He didn't know Zeus and Persephone well enough to know what they might or might not do. Wondering about the potential ramifications if what Angel said was true drove his curiosity about what she had mentioned earlier completely out of his mind.
["It only has to be for a little while until you're stronger Alex."]
Angel could see that Alex was a little stressed about keeping her a secret and reminded him about how Zeus said it was only a matter of time before Alex had the power to support her basic functions again.
["By the way Alex, Persephone has actually left a water basin and towel next to the bed for you to freshen up with"]
"Is this a d*mn knot?"
Alex was sitting on his butt trying to untangle the bedding from his feet. Angel had let her mischievous streak out when wrapping his body up last night even though wrapping herself up on her own wasn't as much fun.
He finally got free and put some clothing on before splashing his face and rinsing his hair a bit to help flatten any bed head as he ran his fingers along his scalp.
*Ahem*
Alex spun around to see Zeus standing in the doorway looking down the hall as if to see if anyone was coming before he walked into the room.
"I've got something for you. But you need to keep it a secret."
Zeus walked over and unwrapped a little parcel he took from his pocket. He picked out a little slice of ambrosia and held it out to Alex.
"Here this is ambrosia, some of the best food you'll ever eat. It'll help you gather and hold more power."
Alex accepted the small slice of fruit and stared at it. Angel was much more shocked.
"Eat it now before anyone sees it and starts asking questions." Said, Zeus, before he turned around and left the room.
Alex was still staring at the food when Angel spoke up.
["You should hurry up and eat that. Ambrosia is premium stuff around here. It can purify you and help your energies flow better."]
As Zeus said, ambrosia was extremely beneficial in cultivating one's power. Angel was amazed that Zeus had given Alex even that much of the fruit. That was a seriously thoughtful gift for Zeus to give to Alex.
[Are you sure I should eat this? It smells like it's been dropped in perfume]
["Yes! And make sure not to let any juice dribble down your chin. And lick your fingers after. You don't want to make it obvious what you've just eaten."]
Alex put the ambrosia in his mouth after sniffing it again, he was never adventurous with his food. He wasn't even sure he wanted to put food that was touched by someone else directly into his mouth without rinsing it off first. Angel was actually getting annoyed by Alex's temerity. If he really understood the value of what he was gingerly chewing on, he'd probably choke on it. Alex felt full of energy after finishing his snack and went to meet Persephone.
["You should get a drink of wine before opening your mouth near her, just in case"]
[Is it really that big of a deal to keep it a secret? Just what is ambrosia?]
["It's a very rare food that is in extremely high demand all the time and is currently being rationed. Even Zeus would find it difficult to get his hands on even a single slice, like the one he just gave you."]
Alex was already used to Angel knowing everything so he didn't even question why she would know any of this. He drank some wine in the kitchen and headed for the front door with Persephone.
"Why don't we just eat breakfast here in the house?" Alex asked out of curiosity.
"When Zeus lives alone, he is usually asleep at odd hours of the day and has a weird sense of time, so breakfast isn't normally prepared until around lunchtime. The afternoon is often the morning for him and half the time he just goes out to eat at a bar."
"But he had food for us last night."
"That was most likely leftovers from the last batch his servants cooked up and I for one, don't consider salted peanuts to be breakfast food." Persephone was referring to the only morsel of food to be found on Zeus's dining room table no matter the time of day.
It really bothered Alex to be leaving the house without a proper meal. One of the side effects of being mothered his whole life. They stopped under the wooden awning of the front patio and observed the light rain. Then, Persephone smoothly opened her spring green umbrella, which was painted with a flower motif, and stepped into the rain. She twirled around and smiled at Alex as the rain pitter-pattered on her umbrella.
"Is there another umbrella for me?" Alex asked.
"It's not very manly for you to have your own, so would you like to hold mine for me as we walk together?"
Alex was a bit taken aback but was less shy considering how she was all over him yesterday. His cheeks were still tinged red though, as he took up her umbrella.
"Just don't let me get wet, my clothes would become see-through if the rain soaked into them." Persephone told Alex as she wrapped her arms around his once again while pressing her chest snuggly against him.
["This b*tch"] Angel involuntarily whispered before she caught herself. Alex didn't notice though, he was way too distracted, and happily so, which just vexed Angel even more.
["She's the queen of the dead, you know. She's married to Hades, the king of the dead."] Angel informed Alex matter of factly to vent her frustration.
Alex nearly stumbled a little and grew pale as Persephone led him out of the gate while she happily hummed softly.
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It was still raining softly when Alex woke up the next morning. He opened his eyes to see Persephone walking softly across the room toward him.
"Are you ok? You might get better sleep on top of the bed." She said in a concerned yet teasing voice.
Alex's sleep-addled mind had no idea what she was talking about as he rubbed his eyes and looked up at her.
"What time is it?" He asked after a yawn.
"Its about eight in the morning. I came to wake you up earlier but didn't have the heart to disturb you after seeing you like this."
Persephone gestured at Alex still lying on the floor next to the bed wrapped up in his blankets.
"Oh..." Alex said as he looked at his body.
Alex wasn't much of a talker first thing after waking up, his brain took time to warm up. Seeing how tangled up he was, he finally understood what she was talking about. He winced a little as he pushed himself off the ground. The minor wounds from last night's fall were still there.
"D*mn, how'd this happen?" Alex brushed his left palm with his right hand inspecting the wound.
"Ooh, just how many times did you fall out of bed last night?" Persephone continued to tease Alex with a mocking smile, though she had real concern in her expression now.
"I have no idea..."
Alex spent a bit of time inspecting the scrapes on his hands before he remembered Persephone was there waiting for him.
"Ah, sorry. I'll get ready right away."
Alex managed to stand up, but in his hurry to untangle himself from his bedding, he unwittingly exposed his nakedness to Persephone once again.
"Oh my! You are daring~" She said in mock shock before twirling around as she headed for the door.
Alex looked down and hurried to cover himself while gritting his teeth. He wasn't in a joking mood this morning. Not only did he not feel well rested but he had just woken up from a bittersweet dream where he had visited his family back on Earth. He never had enough money to move out and now that he was separated from them, he was split between wanting to let them know he was ok and wanting to embrace his new existence. There was also the warning from Zeus about needing to control his power or he might accidentally kill those around him when he visited the mortal plane.
"I'll give you some privacy while you take your time. I'll be waiting in the dining room when you're ready." Persephone could tell that he was a little down and decided to leave him alone for a bit.
Alone in the room, Alex looked at his wounds again.
"The heck? Usually, I can remember falling out of bed."
["That may be partly my fault"]
"Geeejuz!" *Bam* *Thud*
Persephone heard Alex hit the ground and stopped walking down the hall long enough to smile and call him a clutz under her breath. Alex had jumped from Angel's voice suddenly sounding in his head as if she was speaking right into his ear, and he tripped on the bedding still tangled around his ankles. He landed hard on the floor but chose to ignore the pain as he realized Angel was speaking again.
[{He bounced...}] Angel thought to herself.
[Angel!? You're ok!?]
["Yes Alex, I'm perfectly fine"] Angel was touched and her voice revealed that she was pleased by his worry for her.
["I've been busy trying to fix our connection and a few other things that were nearly lost from your transformation into a demigod. It's all fine now though."]
Alex frowned upon hearing about stuff being damaged and was really curious what it all was. Angel realized that she'd gone off script and revealed too much in her eagerness to brag to somebody.
["The others might think its odd that I'm working again so soon and might want to take you apart to study me, so let's keep us a secret, for now, ok?"] She quickly changed the subject.
Alex's back became tense upon hearing about the possible danger. He didn't know Zeus and Persephone well enough to know what they might or might not do. Wondering about the potential ramifications if what Angel said was true drove his curiosity about what she had mentioned earlier completely out of his mind.
["It only has to be for a little while until you're stronger Alex."]
Angel could see that Alex was a little stressed about keeping her a secret and reminded him about how Zeus said it was only a matter of time before Alex had the power to support her basic functions again.
["By the way Alex, Persephone has actually left a water basin and towel next to the bed for you to freshen up with"]
"Is this a d*mn knot?"
Alex was sitting on his butt trying to untangle the bedding from his feet. Angel had let her mischievous streak out when wrapping his body up last night even though wrapping herself up on her own wasn't as much fun.
He finally got free and put some clothing on before splashing his face and rinsing his hair a bit to help flatten any bed head as he ran his fingers along his scalp.
*Ahem*
Alex spun around to see Zeus standing in the doorway looking down the hall as if to see if anyone was coming before he walked into the room.
"I've got something for you. But you need to keep it a secret."
Zeus walked over and unwrapped a little parcel he took from his pocket. He picked out a little slice of ambrosia and held it out to Alex.
"Here this is ambrosia, some of the best food you'll ever eat. It'll help you gather and hold more power."
Alex accepted the small slice of fruit and stared at it. Angel was much more shocked.
"Eat it now before anyone sees it and starts asking questions." Said, Zeus, before he turned around and left the room.
Alex was still staring at the food when Angel spoke up.
["You should hurry up and eat that. Ambrosia is premium stuff around here. It can purify you and help your energies flow better."]
As Zeus said, ambrosia was extremely beneficial in cultivating one's power. Angel was amazed that Zeus had given Alex even that much of the fruit. That was a seriously thoughtful gift for Zeus to give to Alex.
[Are you sure I should eat this? It smells like it's been dropped in perfume]
["Yes! And make sure not to let any juice dribble down your chin. And lick your fingers after. You don't want to make it obvious what you've just eaten."]
Alex put the ambrosia in his mouth after sniffing it again, he was never adventurous with his food. He wasn't even sure he wanted to put food that was touched by someone else directly into his mouth without rinsing it off first. Angel was actually getting annoyed by Alex's temerity. If he really understood the value of what he was gingerly chewing on, he'd probably choke on it. Alex felt full of energy after finishing his snack and went to meet Persephone.
["You should get a drink of wine before opening your mouth near her, just in case"]
[Is it really that big of a deal to keep it a secret? Just what is ambrosia?]
["It's a very rare food that is in extremely high demand all the time and is currently being rationed. Even Zeus would find it difficult to get his hands on even a single slice, like the one he just gave you."]
Alex was already used to Angel knowing everything so he didn't even question why she would know any of this. He drank some wine in the kitchen and headed for the front door with Persephone.
"Why don't we just eat breakfast here in the house?" Alex asked out of curiosity.
"When Zeus lives alone, he is usually asleep at odd hours of the day and has a weird sense of time, so breakfast isn't normally prepared until around lunchtime. The afternoon is often the morning for him and half the time he just goes out to eat at a bar."
"But he had food for us last night."
"That was most likely leftovers from the last batch his servants cooked up and I for one, don't consider salted peanuts to be breakfast food." Persephone was referring to the only morsel of food to be found on Zeus's dining room table no matter the time of day.
It really bothered Alex to be leaving the house without a proper meal. One of the side effects of being mothered his whole life. They stopped under the wooden awning of the front patio and observed the light rain. Then, Persephone smoothly opened her spring green umbrella, which was painted with a flower motif, and stepped into the rain. She twirled around and smiled at Alex as the rain pitter-pattered on her umbrella.
"Is there another umbrella for me?" Alex asked.
"It's not very manly for you to have your own, so would you like to hold mine for me as we walk together?"
Alex was a bit taken aback but was less shy considering how she was all over him yesterday. His cheeks were still tinged red though, as he took up her umbrella.
"Just don't let me get wet, my clothes would become see-through if the rain soaked into them." Persephone told Alex as she wrapped her arms around his once again while pressing her chest snuggly against him.
["This b*tch"] Angel involuntarily whispered before she caught herself. Alex didn't notice though, he was way too distracted, and happily so, which just vexed Angel even more.
["She's the queen of the dead, you know. She's married to Hades, the king of the dead."] Angel informed Alex matter of factly to vent her frustration.
Alex nearly stumbled a little and grew pale as Persephone led him out of the gate while she happily hummed softly.
It was still raining softly when Alex woke up the next morning. He opened his eyes to see Persephone walking softly across the room toward him."Are you ok? You might get better sleep on top of the bed." She said in a concerned yet teasing voice.Alex's sleep-addled mind had no idea what she was talking about as he rubbed his eyes and looked up at her."What time is it?" He asked after a yawn."Its about eight in the morning. I came to wake you up earlier but didn't have the heart to disturb you after seeing you like this."Persephone gestured at Alex still lying on the floor next to the bed wrapped up in his blankets."Oh..." Alex said as he looked at his body.Alex wasn't much of a talker first thing after waking up, his brain took time to warm up. Seeing how tangled up he was, he finally understood what she was talking about. He winced a little as he pushed himself off the ground. The minor wounds from last night's fall were still there."D*mn, how'd this happen?" Alex brushed his left palm with his right hand inspecting the wound."Ooh, just how many times did you fall out of bed last night?" Persephone continued to tease Alex with a mocking smile, though she had real concern in her expression now."I have no idea..."Alex spent a bit of time inspecting the scrapes on his hands before he remembered Persephone was there waiting for him."Ah, sorry. I'll get ready right away."Alex managed to stand up, but in his hurry to untangle himself from his bedding, he unwittingly exposed his nakedness to Persephone once again."Oh my! You are daring~" She said in mock shock before twirling around as she headed for the door.Alex looked down and hurried to cover himself while gritting his teeth. He wasn't in a joking mood this morning. Not only did he not feel well rested but he had just woken up from a bittersweet dream where he had visited his family back on Earth. He never had enough money to move out and now that he was separated from them, he was split between wanting to let them know he was ok and wanting to embrace his new existence. There was also the warning from Zeus about needing to control his power or he might accidentally kill those around him when he visited the mortal plane."I'll give you some privacy while you take your time. I'll be waiting in the dining room when you're ready." Persephone could tell that he was a little down and decided to leave him alone for a bit.Alone in the room, Alex looked at his wounds again."The heck? Usually, I can remember falling out of bed.""That may be partly my fault""Geeejuz!" *Bam* *Thud*Persephone heard Alex hit the ground and stopped walking down the hall long enough to smile and call him a clutz under her breath. Alex had jumped from Angel's voice suddenly sounding in his head as if she was speaking right into his ear, and he tripped on the bedding still tangled around his ankles. He landed hard on the floor but chose to ignore the pain as he realized Angel was speaking again.{He bounced...} Angel thought to herself.Angel!? You're ok!?"Yes Alex, I'm perfectly fine" Angel was touched and her voice revealed that she was pleased by his worry for her."I've been busy trying to fix our connection and a few other things that were nearly lost from your transformation into a demigod. It's all fine now though."Alex frowned upon hearing about stuff being damaged and was really curious what it all was. Angel realized that she'd gone off script and revealed too much in her eagerness to brag to somebody."The others might think its odd that I'm working again so soon and might want to take you apart to study me, so let's keep us a secret, for now, ok?" She quickly changed the subject.Alex's back became tense upon hearing about the possible danger. He didn't know Zeus and Persephone well enough to know what they might or might not do. Wondering about the potential ramifications if what Angel said was true drove his curiosity about what she had mentioned earlier completely out of his mind."It only has to be for a little while until you're stronger Alex."Angel could see that Alex was a little stressed about keeping her a secret and reminded him about how Zeus said it was only a matter of time before Alex had the power to support her basic functions again."By the way Alex, Persephone has actually left a water basin and towel next to the bed for you to freshen up with""Is this a d*mn knot?"Alex was sitting on his butt trying to untangle the bedding from his feet. Angel had let her mischievous streak out when wrapping his body up last night even though wrapping herself up on her own wasn't as much fun.He finally got free and put some clothing on before splashing his face and rinsing his hair a bit to help flatten any bed head as he ran his fingers along his scalp.*Ahem*Alex spun around to see Zeus standing in the doorway looking down the hall as if to see if anyone was coming before he walked into the room."I've got something for you. But you need to keep it a secret."Zeus walked over and unwrapped a little parcel he took from his pocket. He picked out a little slice of ambrosia and held it out to Alex."Here this is ambrosia, some of the best food you'll ever eat. It'll help you gather and hold more power."Alex accepted the small slice of fruit and stared at it. Angel was much more shocked."Eat it now before anyone sees it and starts asking questions." Said, Zeus, before he turned around and left the room.Alex was still staring at the food when Angel spoke up."You should hurry up and eat that. Ambrosia is premium stuff around here. It can purify you and help your energies flow better."As Zeus said, ambrosia was extremely beneficial in cultivating one's power. Angel was amazed that Zeus had given Alex even that much of the fruit. That was a seriously thoughtful gift for Zeus to give to Alex.Are you sure I should eat this? It smells like it's been dropped in perfume"Yes! And make sure not to let any juice dribble down your chin. And lick your fingers after. You don't want to make it obvious what you've just eaten."Alex put the ambrosia in his mouth after sniffing it again, he was never adventurous with his food. He wasn't even sure he wanted to put food that was touched by someone else directly into his mouth without rinsing it off first. Angel was actually getting annoyed by Alex's temerity. If he really understood the value of what he was gingerly chewing on, he'd probably choke on it. Alex felt full of energy after finishing his snack and went to meet Persephone."You should get a drink of wine before opening your mouth near her, just in case"Is it really that big of a deal to keep it a secret? Just what is ambrosia?"It's a very rare food that is in extremely high demand all the time and is currently being rationed. Even Zeus would find it difficult to get his hands on even a single slice, like the one he just gave you."Alex was already used to Angel knowing everything so he didn't even question why she would know any of this. He drank some wine in the kitchen and headed for the front door with Persephone."Why don't we just eat breakfast here in the house?" Alex asked out of curiosity."When Zeus lives alone, he is usually asleep at odd hours of the day and has a weird sense of time, so breakfast isn't normally prepared until around lunchtime. The afternoon is often the morning for him and half the time he just goes out to eat at a bar.""But he had food for us last night.""That was most likely leftovers from the last batch his servants cooked up and I for one, don't consider salted peanuts to be breakfast food." Persephone was referring to the only morsel of food to be found on Zeus's dining room table no matter the time of day.It really bothered Alex to be leaving the house without a proper meal. One of the side effects of being mothered his whole life. They stopped under the wooden awning of the front patio and observed the light rain. Then, Persephone smoothly opened her spring green umbrella, which was painted with a flower motif, and stepped into the rain. She twirled around and smiled at Alex as the rain pitter-pattered on her umbrella."Is there another umbrella for me?" Alex asked."It's not very manly for you to have your own, so would you like to hold mine for me as we walk together?"Alex was a bit taken aback but was less shy considering how she was all over him yesterday. His cheeks were still tinged red though, as he took up her umbrella."Just don't let me get wet, my clothes would become see-through if the rain soaked into them." Persephone told Alex as she wrapped her arms around his once again while pressing her chest snuggly against him."This b*tch" Angel involuntarily whispered before she caught herself. Alex didn't notice though, he was way too distracted, and happily so, which just vexed Angel even more."She's the queen of the dead, you know. She's married to Hades, the king of the dead." Angel informed Alex matter of factly to vent her frustration.Alex nearly stumbled a little and grew pale as Persephone led him out of the gate while she happily hummed softly.
