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“I have a casketball game that night.”
“You don’t have a casketball game that night.”
“I’m supposed to study with Heath after school.”
“You didn’t make plans to study with Heath after school.”
“I don’t want to go.”
“Make sure to mow the lawn when you get home, okay?” Maddie asked.
She lifted her spatula to the skillet and used it to gently push around the eggs that were frying in it in order to cook them further, being sure to watch them so they wouldn’t burn. As she did, she looked over her shoulder to see her son’s response.
Deuce sat at the table, slumped back in his chair and wearing a grumpy expression on his face as he looked at her through his shades. He jabbed at his eggs and toast with his fork absentmindedly.
“I just don’t understand why they need to come now, of all times,” he said, “And why here? We’ve never had it hear before.”
Maddie sighed and turned back to the skillet, grabbing by the handle so she could fork out the now scrambled eggs onto a plate on the counter. “Because,” she said as she scraped at the old iron, “This year, it’s my turn to host. And, as your aunts and I discussed, this would be the best time for everyone to come since the rest of the year, everyone’s got something or another going on.”
“There’s never been a problem with everyone not being able to go before,” Deuce argued further, “We’ve never had a family reunion that wasn’t in summer. Why can’t we just wait until then, when we’re at the vacation home like we always do?”
“Why are you so worked up about it all of a sudden?” Maddie asked back, “You never seemed to have a problem with it happening before.”
“Before, I also never had to deal with anyone’s antics being seen by half the neighborhood,” she heard Deuce mutter.
Rolling her eyes behind her pink lens sunglasses, Maddie withheld a retort and just shook her head. Of course, her son was coming into the age that he was more observant, and thus more self-conscious, about the people around him who would possibly be watching his every move and thus making every kind of preconceived judgment before they so much as asked his name, even though he really shouldn’t have cared what anyone thought about him or her.
Maddie knew she couldn’t really tell him that, though. After all, she was the exact same way, even after seven thousand years.
Instead, she grabbed her plate and poured herself a glass of raspberry lemonade, before she turned to take a seat across from him at their table.
“There’s going to be no antics,” she said as she sat down, “It’s just going to be us and the rest of the family finally reconnecting after so long and having a chance to hear what everyone’s been up to. Everyone’s going to be on their best behavior and we’re all just going to have a nice, relaxed evening.”
“Considering who we’re related to,” the younger gorgon said, “I highly doubt that.”
“Deuce, please,” Maddie finally requested with a sigh, “This is the first time in a while that your brothers and your grandparents have been able to make it at the same time. It’s been so long since everyone- and I mean everyone besides Stheno and Euryale- have been able to make it. I just want to have a nice night where we can all talk and be a family.
“If you can’t find it in you to be excited, could you at least do it for me?” she asked, “Please?”
Deuce’s expression faltered. True, his mother spoke, it had indeed been quite a while since the entire side of his mother’s family had been able to assemble- to be fair, it wasn’t exactly easy to plan a family reunion considering all the interbreeding or extramarital affairs that demigods and monsters of Greece were known for- but Deuce would be lying if he didn’t think it wasn’t a bit of a blessing.
He loved all his family, but besides his aunts, the rest of his mother’s relatives weren’t exactly...the most self-aware people. Or socially presentable for that matter. It was complicated. While he was never one to turn away family, he was in all honesty also content with keeping some of them at arms’ length.
When he saw the small sparkle of hope and longing in his mother’s eyes behind her sunglasses, though, Deuce quickly lost the ability to argue he’d had all morning. It was a look that pained him to see on her face, no matter what their relationship was like at the moment.
So, letting out his own sigh, he hung his head and put down his fork.
“Fine,” he said, slowly lifting his head to meet Maddie’s gaze, “But I’m not doing any dance or little catchphrase this time, no matter how much they ask. The last thing I need is Chrys and them putting it all up on Frightbook for everyone to see.”
That got him a laugh out of Maddie. She stopped eating and threw her head back with a cackle, her bronze-nailed hand flying to her mouth. The curled snakes around her scalp hissed in response to her reaction.
“I forgot about that!” she exclaimed in between giggles, “I remember how completely off guard he looked when you nearly twisted his arm out of his socket. He definitely wasn’t expecting that growth spurt you went through once you reached eighth grade.”
“Maybe it should be a lesson for him,” Deuce scoffed, “Let him know that his ‘wittle baby brother’ is coming into his own now.”
Still smiling, Maddie reached across the table and patted his hand.
“It will all be okay, leventi mou,” she reassured, “All we all want is to be able to see each other after so long.”
“I know,” Deuce said, though he still wore a slightly grim expression on his face. He took a bite of his toast and looked at the clock, nearly choking as he saw the time.
“Shit!” he exclaimed, his chair nearly clattering to the floor as he shot to his feet, “I got to go!”
He tossed his half-eaten toast onto his plate and hurriedly put it and his glass in the sink, before he pushed in his chair as he passed by and made his way to the front door, grabbing his skateboard and his backpack from where they rested in the foyer.
“Um, aren’t you forgetting something?” he heard his mom call from behind.
Deuce stopped right as his hand grabbed the door handle. He had a realization and quickly turned on his heel, heading back to the kitchen where Maddie was still sitting.
“Sorry,” Deuce said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Maddie smiled, “That’s much better.”
Deuce turned back around and hurried back to the front door. He ran down the steps of the porch and got on his skateboard; his right leg kicked wildly to build up momentum, before he put both feet on and skated down the sidewalk through the neighborhood, trying to quickly get to Monster High before the first bell rang.
As he rode, his thoughts traveled back to the upcoming family reunion.
The entire family, back together again.
Already, he could think of at least a dozen things that could go wrong.
As he passed by the houses, Deuce looked up at their front porches with a grimace.
I wonder how many people have security systems around here, he thought. He grimaced.
He wondered if any of them would be willing to take bribes in case they happened to catch any footage from the reunion. That way, they could keep it between them and nobody would know anything that could embarrass him further…
“So it’s happening this Friday?” Clawd asked, “Seems a little soon, doesn’t it?”
The day was about halfway over, and it was currently lunch period for some of the junior and senior classes. Deuce and some of the other guys were sitting in the bleachers on the gym, talking amongst each other as they ate. He was currently telling them about his upcoming family reunion at the end of the week.
“That’s what I said,” Deuce lamented, sitting back his shoulders resting on the bleachers a level above him, “But my mom was insistent on hosting it now since apparently everyone else is busy and it’s the only bubble of time where exactly everyone can meet together.”
Jackson raised an eyebrow as he noticed the gorgon’s rather despondent look. “You don’t seem like you’re looking forward to it much.”
Deuce sighed; he looked out on the casketball court.
“It’s not...I mean, it’s not that I’m not looking forward to it,” he said, “It’s just I’m not really close to the rest of my relatives like my aunts. I mean, that’s not their fault- there are thousands of years between them, after all- but they’re also...a little much at times.”
“I can get that,” Clawd said. He had attended plenty of family reunions in his life, and he knew firsthand how overwhelming it could be to spend time with people that you barely knew or talked to on a regular basis, especially when they bombarded you with thousands of questions.
“I guess it’s also just nerves,” Deuce admitted, “My mom asked me to bring Cleo over so everyone else could meet her.”
The rest of the guys all gave out “oooooh’s” of sympathy. Clawd reached over and patted Deuce on the arm.
“It’ll be okay, man,” he said, “I’m sure they’ll like her.”
“Yeah, and if they don’t,” Heath joked, “I’m sure they’ll see next time she makes a nice statue on the front lawn.”
Him, Romulus, and Manny chuckled at the remark, while Deuce gave them a venomous glare from behind his sunglasses. His mouth twisted up in a deep frown.
“Cleo’s not so bad,” Jackson defended, “She’s gotten better through the years. I mean, your mom likes her well enough, doesn’t she?”
“Well, yeah,” Deuce answered.
Jackson shrugged and gestured to him, “Well, there you go. You’re already on the right path. I’m sure your mom’s a good judge of character. If your aunts see that she trusts her, then it’s smooth sailing.”
“Yeah,” Gil agreed, “I mean, it could always be worse. They could be at each other’s throats constantly.”
He gave a bit of a wince, remembering the disastrous first meeting that had gone down at his house between Lagoona and his parents when he brought her over for the first time.
“It’s not my aunts I’m worried about,” Deuce explained, “It’s my-”
“Hey, Deuce!”
He was cut off as him and all the guys looked over to see Iris coming up to them.
“My mom wanted me to ask if there’s anything else we need to bring over on Friday,” she said, “She’s planning on making some rice pudding and lokma, but she wanted to know if that was maybe overkill?.”
Deuce shook his head, “Naw, that’s fine. Anything helps. Just make sure there’s enough, cuz I’m sure if my brother gets his hands on it, it’ll be gone before the sun is even down.”
“Well, just so you know, that’s why my mom insisted on buying everything in bulk from the store,” Manny said, “She says if we’re going to be feeding a militia, then she’d rather not break her back having to clean two hundred dishes.”
Iris nodded with a giggle at his response. The guys looked between the two of them, confused.
“Wait, Manny, Iris, you guys are going?” Jackson said, “Doesn’t that, um, go against the whole idea of it being a family reunion?”
Manny shrugged, “Eh, most Greek monsters are distantly related to each other one way or another.”
“Yeah, and I mean, our parents have known each for so long, they probably feel we’re family on some level,” Iris said, “Wydowna’s going to be coming, too.”
The guys nodded in understanding. Deuce suddenly made a face as the thought sunk in; Great, he thought with dismay. Only more people to potentially see him get embarrassed if the night turned out to go in disaster.
Suddenly, they all felt the ground tremble under them. The overhead lights began swinging back and forth and the casketball hoops rattled in their frames. Everyone in the gym let out shouts of alarm as they struggled to maintain their footing if they were standing up.
“What’s going on?!” Jackson exclaimed, holding his bag to his chest as he looked at the ground in surprise.
Clawd gripped the bench to keep from being shaken off. “I-I think it’s an earthquake!”
They all suddenly had to grab on as the bleachers rattled violently, like they were about to collapse under them at any second. The metal vibrated against its hinges and created loud drilling sounds that were painful to their ear drums. Romulus and Gil held their bags above their heads in fear that things were going to come down from the ceiling on top of them.
Just as quickly as it had come, though, the sensation just as quickly passed. From next door, where the swimming pools were, they could hear people scream out in surprise at something, before the sound of what sounded like massive waves splashing together echoed throughout the gym.
Then, suddenly, a loud voice boomed from the pool room.
“GREETINGS, IMMORTALS AND MORTALS OF OLD AND YOUNG!” a man shouted out, “WHO SHALL BE THE ONE TO SERVE THE MIGHTY PHORCYS AS HE BLESSES YOU ALL WITH HIS PRESENCE THIS DAY?!”
The guys all looked at each other in confusion.
“Did you all hear that?” Clawd asked.
“It sounded like it was coming from where the pools are,” Jackson asked.
Deuce, however, had a different reaction. He suddenly paled with dread.
“Oh, no,” he muttered, “Not here.”
Manny and Iris both seemed to also be aware of something the others didn’t; they looked at the gorgon with varying expressions. Manny smirked in amusement, while Iris gave him a strained smile of sympathy.
They followed the rest of the guys out as them and other students hurried over to the swimming pool area, curious to see what the commotion was about and the cause was for the sudden quake that had occurred.
Deuce followed behind his friends, looking more reluctant than curious as they all rushed through the double doors and into the pool area. Students on the swim team were scrambling away from the pool, turning to look over their shoulders in bewilderment at what had just occurred.
Clawd and the guys stumbled back a few steps as they what lay before them. Clawd muttered, “What the…?”
In the middle of the swimming pool, a gargantuan slate of rock now jutted up from the broken tile floor, seemingly having been resurrected from the earth right underneath. A variety of sea creatures now swam in the water; they were all a rather terrifying variety, like anglerfish and vampire squids, as if they’d all been reeled up from the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean.
At the top of the rock, a monster stood on the very edge, waving some kind of staff that looked like a burned out torch as he gazed upon the students. He looked at them, taking in their surprised expressions. His jet black eyes narrowed.
“WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE?” he demanded, “THOSE WHO DARE, SPEAK UP NOW, OR FACE THE WRATH AT KEEPING YOUR MIGHTY GOD WAITING!”
Clawd and the boys gaped at him. He was a sea creature of some kind, and he definitely looked...odd. The man’s skin was bright red like that of a lobster, and covered in spikes, like that of a king crab or a sea urchin. It was a vast contrast to his long, shiny gold-colored hair that hung around his shoulders. He had a pair of long antennae sticking up from his forehead, like that of a crustacean. His bottom half was even more perplexing: He seemed to be a merman, as his lower abdomen was that of a fish tail with a fin that was olive green in color. Yet, he also had a pair of what seemed to be arms or small legs sticking out from just under his hips. These were the same structure of a crab’s claws. The man was shirtless and lacked any sort of clothing, save for the string of sea urchins that was draped across his chest like a sash.
He was definitely a site to behold, and whoever he was, he radiated an aura of great importance and power. Or at least, that's what he was trying to give off.
“Who the hell is that?” Clawd asked, taking in the sea monster’s unusual appearance.
"...That would be," Deuce answered with a heavy sigh, "My grandfather.”
They all stilled. The guys all looked to the left to gape at him, unsure if they heard him correctly.
“Y-Your...” Heath stammered.
“Your grandfather?” Jackson followed up with.
As if on the cue, the sea monster turned to them. His eyes landed on Deuce. All at once, his stern expression melted as his eyes widened. His face lit up and a big smile came upon his features that immediately made him appear more boyish and friendly.
“Deucelion!” he exclaimed, holding his arms out, “Agori mou!”
The man dove off the large slate of rock into the pool. Students scuttled away as he rose up above the water and climbed out; they stared as he walked towards the group, using the crab-like appendages like makeshift legs. It was a rather strange sight; it made him look like some sort of freakish offspring between a lobster and a fish.
The boys stared as the man came up to them and threw his arms around Deuce, pulling the gorgon into a tight hug. Deuce stiffened and stared out over the man’s shoulder in surprise.
“Oh my boy!” the sea man said, “Oh, it’s such a delight to see you! I’ve missed you so much!”
Deuce sighed. He looked like he was feeling the exact opposite of the sea man.
“Hiiii, Papouli,” he finally greeted reluctantly.
“Oh, my goodness, look at you! How you’ve grown!” his grandfather said, smiling greatly as he held Deuce out at arms’ length, “You look just like you fight alongside Achilles at Troy!”
He turned to the group. They all leaned back, slightly wary of the strange man and what he would do. However, the sea man seemed to take no notice of this, as he just smiled at them. Jackson shuttered as he saw the man’s teeth were razor sharp.
“And who are these fellow warriors?” the sea man asked.
“These are my friends, Papouli,” Deuce said. He turned to face them and gestured to the sea man. He looked tremendously unhappy doing so.
“Guys, I’d like you to meet my grandfather, Phorcys,” Deuce said, before gesturing to them, “Papouli, these are my friends Jackson, Gil, Clawd, Manny, and Romulus.”
The guys slowly raised their hands in hesitant gestures of greeting. Only Manny seemed to be the only one unbothered; it was as if he was used to this.
“Um, it’s...good to meet your sir,” Jackson said holding out his hand.
“Yeah, uh, great,” Clawd said awkwardly.
Phorcys beamed. He grabbed their all their hands and shook them rapidly, like he was nearly trying to rip their arms off, causing all of them to stumble.
“Oh, it’s so great to meet you all!” he said warmly, “I’ve been told so many stories about the colorful group my grandson associates with and I couldn’t wait to see for myself! It’s a pleasure!”
Before any of them could reply, they heard another shrill voice coming from the pool.
“Deuce! Phorcys, there you both are!”
Deuce turned and stumbled back as someone lunged at him, nearly tackling him to the ground as she wrapped her arms around his waist. The person was revealed to be a mermaid who was quite shorter than him, just barely coming to his chest area. Like Phorcys, she had quite an unusual appearance; her skin was a deep pinkish-purple color that seemed to glow with some sort of bioluminescence, as did her bright blue tail. Her clawed hands were webbed and she had fins on her forearms, while her eyes had snake-slit pupils and were bright purple. Her hair was bright orange and fell in a style that was similar to the oral arms of jellyfish, and she had a big spiked fin sticking out of the crown of her head.
The mermaid forced Deuce to lean over as she peppered him with kisses. “Oh, look at you, agori, you’ve gotten so big!” she exclaimed.
Deuce grew red with embarrassment. He winced as he tried to escape her hold, but despite her size, the mermaid was quite strong.
“I-I-It’s nice to see you, too, Mamme,” he greeted.
“Ceto! Come here and meet Deuce’s friends!” Phorcys said. The mermaid finally let Deuce go and turned to them, a big smile on her face. She had a pair of fangs sticking out over her dark blue lips. Even though they were on land, she seemed to have no problems sliding around on her tail like a snake.
Phorcys turned back to the group and smiled at them; his hand came up to rest on Ceto’s shoulders.
“Boys, I’d like you to meet my wife, Ceto,” he told them warmly.
“Hello,” Ceto greeted, waving at the boys, “It’s a pleasure to meet you all!”
“Um, Mamme, Papouli,” Deuce finally cut him, coming up to the both of them, “W-What, um, are you guys doing here right now? Mom said you weren’t supposed to be here until the day after tomorrow.”
Phorcys turned to him. “Oh, we were, but the tides have been so smooth we were able to completely cut our trip by two days! Isn’t that great!”
“Wonderful,” Deuce muttered without any enthusiasm.
He was all too painfully aware of the fact that his friends and all the other students who had gathered to watch the scene were now staring at him in shock. At the doors, they suddenly moved out the way at the sound of hooves, before Headmistress Bloodgood came in, riding high on Nightmare.
“What on Earth is going on here?” she asked, her eyes widening as she caught sight of the giant rock that had pierced completely through the pool. She looked at Deuce and the two strange sea monsters who stood next to him.
Deuce came to stand in front of his grandfather and put his hands up. “Headmistress Bloodgood, I’m sorry,” he said, “I wasn’t expecting this to happen-”
“What’s this?” Phorcys asked. He stepped out from behind his grandson and leaned in close as he eyed Nightmare with confusion. Nightmare stared back at him, her eyes furrowed as she leaned away from the strange man and let out a nicker of disapproval.
“A land horse?” Phorcys asked, grasping his chin in surprise. He looked at Ceto, “But it has such a powerful aura, like it has come from Tartarus. How strange.”
“Must be one of those hybrid breeds,” Ceto suggested.
Bloodgood frowned in confusion at their statement. She glanced between them, before she turned back to the gorgon between them.
“Um, Deuce, do you know these people?” she asked.
“Yes, Miss Bloodgood. I’m sorry, these are my grandparents,” Deuce explained, “We have a family reunion coming up, so everyone’s coming in to town. I wasn’t aware that they were going to drop in like this.”
He let his tone drop as he murmured the next part through gritted teeth, “Especially when I’m in the middle of school-”
He turned back up to Bloodgood, “But they came to see me. I’m sorry, I’ll pay for any damage that they caused.”
“Damage?” Phorcys asked. He turned to where him and his wife had emerged from. Something akin to realization seemed to flicker in his eyes, “Aw, that!”
He waved it off as he looked up at Bloodgood. “Oh, where were my manners! Please don’t mind that, we simply had no other way of dropping in, but luckily there should be nothing permanent! Here!”
Turning back to the pool, he held up the torch in his hands. Students backed up against the walls, cautious as to what he was going to do. The end of the torch suddenly erupted in bright blue light that made them all raise their hands to shield their gazes.
Everyone stumbled as another quake similar to before shook the walls and the ceiling. The large slate of rock vibrated back and forth, before all of a sudden, with a large scraping sound, it loosened from the crack in the floor and dove back underground. The deep sea fish that had appeared with it were sucked back into the hole like water going down a drain; then, magically, the broken tile slammed back into place and mended, leaving the pool exactly how it was before the two sea monsters showed up.
“There! Good as new!” Phorcys said, giving Deuce and Bloodgood a satisfied smile.
B loodgood raised her brow, unsure of what to make of the tall, muscular man before her who looked like he had a severe case of sunburn. Deuce slapped his hand in exasperation.
“We should go out!” Ceto suggested, clapping her hands together, “How about it! That way we can do some early catch up!”
“Um, Madam,” Bloodgood began, “I-”
“No,” Deuce cut in sharply, “I’m, uh, glad you two decided to pop in and surprise me, but I still have class today. I have stuff I have to do.”
He looked heavily annoyed by this point. Phorcys and Ceto turned to him, like they were initially confused by this statement. Phorcys, however, nodded like he was unbothered.
“Of course!” he said, “You need to get your education, I get it! Not worry, we’ll have a few days to be able to talk it all over! Does that sound good?”
“Yeah, yeah, sounds great,” Deuce said with annoyance, “Just...come on. I need to call Mom to let her know you’re here.”
Ceto and Phorcys followed him as he re-shouldered his bag and started leading them out of the pool area, not once looking behind him. Bloodgood and Nightmare turned their heads to watch them, before they shared a look. Bloodgood looked out at the students.
“Was anyone hurt?” she asked.
They all shook their heads.
“Good,” she replied, “I’ll guess, I’ll...give them a mini-tour while they wait.”
Nightmare slowly turned them around and they followed through the double doors after Deuce and his grandparents. Other kids stepped out of her way, still processing what had just occurred.
The rest of the guys in the group watched them go. They stood in place, all of them too flabbergasted by everything that had happened just now to say anything for a moment.
Finally, Romulus took his gaze away from the doors and turned to them, one of his brows raised in surprise.
“...Deuce’s full name is ‘Deucelion?’” he asked.
They all looked back at him, equally surprised by the revelation.
( Later that day…)
“I’m telling you, Cleo, Bloodgood gave me that look, and I swear I could’ve just lived on the spot,” Deuce ranted, “I mean, can you imagine if your dad decided to pop in out of nowhere or something like that?”
Cleo smiled, “You speak as if I haven’t had to put up with that from Nefera for the last few years.”
The two of them walked home together, holding hands as the gorgon recounted the humiliating experience that had come with his grandparents’ arrival in school, his skateboard resting under his arm . Cleo listened with mild amusement. She shrugged as Deuce concluded with how the few minutes it took for his mom to come and pick them up felt like it took hours.
“I personally don’t see why you’re so worried,” Cleo said, “You should feel honored they decided to make such an entrance. Let the rest of them see that you’re of truly divine blood.”
Deuce gave her a look. “Little hard to brag about being divine when half of them don’t even know who the ‘divine’ is.”
“Then you’ll just have to teach them,” Cleo said, “Perhaps cause a little splash their way or raise a school of piranhas from the depths. I don’t care.”
That got her a smirk, “ That would require me actually having the ability to do those things. I’m just a regular guy.”
“Who can stone people,” Cleo added.
“That too.”
They turned the corner and headed towards Deuce’s house. Cleo looked up at the old porch as they approached.
“So are they staying with you until the reunion?” she asked.
Deuce said, “Actually, no. My mom made sure to get them a hotel room by the beach; not only would be too crowded, but she said she has a feeling my grandpa gets super antsy after being on land for too long-”
Just as they were approaching the walkway, the front door suddenly swung open. The two of them stopped.
A figure appeared in the doorway, grinning wildly as he glared down at Deuce. Deuce stiffened as he recognized the figure immediately.
“There’s the man of the house!” the man said with a cackle, “Come here, you!”
He leaped down the stairs and flew at Deuce; Cleo let out a scream of surprise as a flash of gold passed before her eyes, before her boyfriend was suddenly ripped from the spot. She stumbled back and whirled around to see the man who’d been in the doorway wrapping an arm around the back of Deuce’s neck and getting him in an arm hold, before he proceeded to give the gorgon a noogie. Deuce struggled in his hold as he grit his teeth in discomfort.
Cleo watched the scene, her brows raising in surprise. She took in the strange man’s looks; from his golden skin, the large white wings on his back, his pig-like nose and the large tusks that jutted out from his bottom jaw, she immediately knew who he was.
“What’s the problem?” the boar-man teased, “You too good to say hello to your big brother! Huh?”
Deuce waved his hands as his snakes hissed in disapproval at the man’s gesture. “Let go of me, man! Get off!”
“Chrysaor, leave him alone,” Pegasus said as he appeared in the doorway in his humanoid form, frowning as he saw the current position his brothers were in, “You didn’t even give him a chance to come inside.”
“Aw, come on, Peg, he knows I’m just teasing,” Chrysaor defended, though he finally relented and let Deuce go to pull him up so their cheeks were touching, “Ain’t that right, baby bro?”
Deuce glared at him from behind his glasses. Chrysaor just waved him off, “Aw, what’s that look for? Aren’t you glad to finally see your big brothers after so long?”
“I’m positively over the moon,” Deuce said in a flat tone.
Pegasus walked down the porch to greet them. He held out his hand to Deuce.
“I apologize for Chrysaor’s behavior,” he said, “You know how he always has to be the center of attention wherever we go.”
Deuce took his hand and shook it, now noticeably much calmer. He allowed Pegasus to pull him into a brief hug. As they separated, Chrysaor frowned.
“Damn, he gets a hug and I don’t?” he questioned, “Man, Deuce, why you gotta be like that?”
“Pegasus doesn’t try and drive my blood pressure up every time I’m around him,” Deuce responded, shooting him a look as he turned after him and Pegasus separated.
Chrysaor just shrugged, “Hey, I’m just doing my job as your big brother.”
He suddenly turned and looked at Cleo. His brows furrowed, “Who are you?”
Cleo just stared at him back with a grimace, like she didn’t know exactly of what to make of him. Pegasus, also know catching sight of the mummy, raised his brows and looked at Deuce for answers.
“Can’t we go inside, first?” Deuce asked, “Please?”
Chrysaor opened his mouth to object, but Pegasus luckily beat him to it.
“Of course,” he said, gesturing to the door, “Please come in. Mother’s in the sitting room with Grandmother and Grandfather right now.”
He gestured to the front door and started leading them all up it. Chrysaor looked behind him, grinning at Deuce and Cleo, seemingly already having figured out what was going on, before they both went in. From inside, they could hear Pegasus telling Maddie of their arrival.
Cleo went forward. Right as she was about to put her foot on the first step, however, Deuce grabbed her hand and stopped her. He tugged her to him so he could lean into her ear.
“I’m warning you right now, they can be a bit overwhelming,” Deuce muttered, “And especially Chrysaor- he really has no filter. So if they say anything mortifying, I’m sorry.”
Cleo smirked, “I’m sure it hasn’t been anything I haven’t heard.”
“You’d be surprised,” Deuce said, “He’s practically skilled in making people uncomfortable.”
That earned him a laugh from the mummy. Cleo brought his hand up and kissed it in reassurance; that made Deuce smile. He helped her up the porch into the house; they both smelled lemon tea brewing in the kitchen.
Out from the doorway leading to there, Maddie suddenly appeared, holding a tray in her arms that had mugs and a teapot sitting on top. She raised her head at the sight of Cleo and smiled.
“Aw, Cleo, hello again!” she greeted, “How are you doing?”
“I’m doing well, Miss Gorgon,” Cleo said back with a smile, “Do you need any help?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Maddie said, pulling the kitchen door shut with the heel of her shoe, “Come in, both of you, sit down. I’m just about to give everyone tea.”
As they followed behind her, Deuce shot Cleo another look.
“Welcome to the circus pre-show,” he whispered.
“Oh, stop it,” Cleo said.
They entered the living room to see Phorcys and Ceto on the sofa. They both raised their heads and grinned in their direction as they caught sight of Deuce again. Pegasus and Chrysaor were seated next to them on the couch against the wall; Maddie was bent over the coffee table, pouring tea into mugs and handing them out to everyone.
“Aw, Deuce!” Phorcys greeted, “Hello again! Sorry about that interruption earlier. Ceto and I were just so excited to come see you, we couldn’t help ourselves. You know she and I aren’t quite accustomed to the way you all do things hear above the shore.”
“I-It’s fine, Papouli,” Deuce replied. Deep inside it wasn’t- he could barely hold his head up for the rest of the day, as everyone stared at him in the hallways, clearly wondering what in name of Ophidian he had to do with the strange lobster man who’d come bursting out from beneath the pool- but he wouldn’t say that out loud.
Ceto perked up as she saw Cleo standing next to him. “And who is this?” she asked.
Deuce brought his hand up and rested in on Cleo’s shoulder, holding her gently to his side. Cleo gave him a small smile and brought her own to rest against his back as Deuce gestured to her.
“Um, everyone, this is...this is my ghoulfriend, Cleo,” the gorgon introduced, “We’ve been together for two years now. She’ll also be at the reunion this week, so...yeah, this is Cleo.”
Cleo smiled and nodded out at the small group. “Hello,” she said, “It’s nice to meet you all. Deuce has told me about you before, but it’s great to finally see you all in person.”
“And you as well, my dear,” Phorcys greeted back with a smile, “Please, come, come! Take a seat, let’s talk!”
After a few minutes, they were all seated around in a circle, sipping tea as everyone asked varying questions about Deuce and Cleo’s relationship.
“De Nile? I’ve heard that name before,” Pegasus remarked as the mummy explained a bit about her family, “Like De Nile Treasures and Troves, right?”
“That would be my father, all right,” Cleo said in satisfaction, “He’s one of the best around. I almost believe he could convince Ra to hand over the sun if he could.”
“Didn’t he have that whole banquet Boo York a few months ago?” Chrysaor asked, “The big one where that whole Comet Crystal fiasco or something occurred?”
At that, Deuce and Cleo both winced. That vacation had been a definite defining moment in their relationship, and the two of them truly believed that they had left the city stronger than ever, but the events leading up to it and the previous disasters that had occurred before then were still a sore spot for them.
For Deuce, especially. It seemed now, while him and Cleo had grown closer, it also felt like Ramses and Nefera hated him now more than ever.
Phorcys silently raised his head at this. He seemed to be the only one who was aware of their reactions to the aforementioned event, but he didn’t say anything in response.
“Yeah, that was the one,” Cleo finally answered. She sighed, “Daddy’s clever and smart, but he can also be...a bit caustic at times.”
Maddie scoffed as she took a sip of her tea. “I would caustic is putting it lightly. No offense, kiddo.”
“Oh?” Pegasus asked, looking at Deuce, “I take it you’ve already met the other family.”
“Yep,” Deuce said, “It’s...a work in progress in that area.”
Cleo gave him a look from her peripheral. Her hand slid over to squeeze his knee. Everyone looked in his direction, now all of them catching the slightly defeated tone in his voice. Maddie looked at her son with worry; she was fully aware of the problems that presented in their relationship with Cleo’s family. Pegasus and Chrysaor shared a look, both a bit perplexed at the tone.
Ceto was the one to break the silence. She leaned over the table and grabbed Deuce’s hand to give it a light squeeze. Her grip was cold and clammy, and the webbing between her fingers felt a bit slimy.
“It will all work out in time, glykia,” she said softly, “You know how relationships work. Every father is protective over his children.”
“Yes, quite...” Phorcys said a bit distantly. It went unnoticed by everyone else.”
“Yeah,” Chrysaor agreed. He leaned in to Cleo, grinning like he had something on his mind.
“Like Pegasus,” he said, pointing his thumb at his brother, “You should’ve seen him when his oldest daughters found mates. I swear, he was about to flood the whole farm side!”
Pegasus blushed heavily, though he frowned, “I did not.”
“Oh, Peg, sure you were!” the golden monster insisted, “Like his firstborn, Alexia. She found this stallion- big, giant, grey guy, this dude was; he had to be an offspring of Sleipnir- and was winnying until the harpies came home. Pegasus found out, and dekara, he looked like he was about to swoop in and stomp the poor guy to death!”
Deuce raised his brows and looked over at his half-brother. He said, “I think I heard this one before. Didn’t you make it, like, rain in the field he was in for two weeks straight to scare him away until her mom found out or something?”
“Or, more than that!” Chrysaor laughed, “Alexia’s mom was so mad she got up on her rear legs and kicked him right in the face, divine or not!”
Pegasus blushed angrily. He muttered into his tea, “He wasn’t good for her, anyway...”
Deuce couldn’t help but laugh at the twisted expression on his brother’s normally passive face. Chrysaor could be exasperating much of the time- whatever Callirhoe saw in him, he would never know- but it’d be false if it wasn’t enjoyable to see him be able to work Pegasus up in ways no one else could.
“Oh, lighten up, Peggy, you know I’m messing with you,” Chrysaor smirked as he nudged the equine monster with his shoulder.
“Don’t...don’t call me ‘Peggy’,” was all Pegasus said.
“Reminds me of Deuce when he was little,” Phorcys chuckled, “He was quite the hellraiser when it came to the kids who tried to pick on him, especially once his powers came in.”
Cleo quirked an eyebrow up at that. She looked at her boyfriend with an expectant look. “Oh?”
Deuce jerked in his seat, his gaze becoming one of horror. He could immediately feel dread fill his chest, knowing where this was going.
“Oh, yes!” Phorcys chuckled, “Back in Greece, they’d come around him, trying to tease him or put their hands on him or steal his toys, and once the stone gaze came in, he’d just lift his glasses and bam! They all saw their best friends were temporary gargoyles!”
“Really, now?” Cleo asked in amusement, resting her chin on her laced hands.
Deuce went red. “I-I-I wasn’t that bad!”
“Only after I had to take a spoon to your backside,” Maddie said, “Before that, it was practically a free-for-all for him. Once, this siren he had a crush on laughed at him and told their whole class how he felt, and he stoned her parakeet and left it right on her porch for her to see. Poor ghoul was in tears.”
Chrysaor reared his head back and laughed, “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that! Damn, Deuce, you really knew how to hit people where it hurts!”
“Wow, so he’s got a wild side to him,” Cleo said slyly, pressing up against her boyfriend, “I’ve never heard you be so bad before.”
Deuce groaned and covered his eyes with his hand in embarrassment. Baby stories were definitely something that he wasn’t looking forward to with this reunion. He at least thought he still had a few days to protect his ego. It didn’t help that Cleo seemed to taking it all in with delight.
He didn’t know how he was going to get through it with everyone else there to listen and bring up all the things they were bound to remember about him.
Is it too much to ask if I could be drowned in the River Lethe? He thought, unable to withhold a groan as his siblings and grandparents continued to indulge Cleo with all the humiliating stories from his childhood.
The days didn’t seem like they could pass by quickly enough. Finally, however, Friday finally came around, and as soon as he got home from school, instead of being able to sit down and relax and enjoy the weekend, Deuce found himself put to work.
His mom, him, and his brothers worked around the clock to clean the house. Maddie vacuumed, swept, and disinfected the entire downstairs, her snakes snapping at anyone who walked by or left so much as a hair out of place as they passed by. Deuce and his brothers quickly made a note to stay out of her way, less someone get a handful of snake bites.
Thankfully, since her and Deuce also planned on cooking and preparing the food, she made Pegasus and Chrysaor clean the dragon pits and garage and feed the animals while the two of them got to work in the kitchen. It was but a small relief, though, as her and Deuce set to making what felt like every single Greek dish known to monsters.
After a good three hours, Deuce felt himself sweat what felt like buckets as the kitchen grew hot and stuffy from the heat of the oven. He had already made spanakopita, meatballs, pans upon pans for people to make their own gyros, and the moussaka was currently baking. He was currently preparing a pan of baklava. His arms were covered in flour up to his elbows and he had patches of it on his face. His mom stood out the counter behind him, cutting stuff for salad.
They both heard the front door open.
“Medusa!” Phorcys called out, “Ceto and I come bearing gifts for you!”
Maddie groaned, “I told them at least three times to wait until seven to show up.”
Deuce withheld a chuckle as she put down her knife and washed her hands to greet them.
Instead of his grandparents being the ones to enter into the kitchen, however, the door swung open and a woman called out, “Ooooh, it smells delicious up in here! Could I perhaps sneak a bite!”
Deuce and Maddie both perked their heads up. Deuce grinned. In the doorway, a group of familiar looking reptilians entered the kitchen. Four of them- two grown women and two teenage ghouls around his age- were gorgons like him and his mom. Unlike them, though, their eyes were free to be seen. One of the ghouls also had actual hair that was interwoven with her snakes. The two sole men in the group consisted of a grey-skinned cuelebre and a green skinned naga whose long tail trailed all the way down to the front parlor.
“Stheno! Euryale!” Maddie exclaimed happily, immediately rushing around her son to greet her sisters.
Their headsnakes all hissed in approval as the three sisters hugged. Deuce watched, enjoying the way his mom’s face lit up and brightened.
“Oh, Viperine! Alyson!” Maddie said as she looked over Stheno’s shoulder, “So nice of you two to make it! Come here!”
“Oh, Tia, you look so beautiful,” Viperine said as she hugged her aunt and planted a kiss on her cheek.
“Yeah,” Alyson agreed, “You barely look a day over a hundred.”
Maddie rolled her eyes, “Oh, stop it. I know I look a mess.”
“Deuce, mijo!” Viperine’s father, Casper, greeted as him and Alyson’s father Russell came up, “How’ve you been?”
Deuce shrugged and shook their hands. “I’m doing good. Getting through school, playing sports, that kind of stuff.”
“And obviously working your skill,” Russell said in approval as he took in the boy’s floured covered appearance, “I cannot wait to taste whatever treats you and Medusa have made for tonight.”
That got him a blush from the gorgon. “They’re not that great...”
“Oh, nonsense,” Russell said, “Everyone knows you cook the best in the family.”
“Oi,” Euryale said, giving him a fake frown of disapproval, “You trying to say something.”
“Yes,” Russell said without hesitation.
That caused Casper to sputter as he tried, and failed, to withhold a chuckle. Deuce raised a brow as he noticed the cuelebre slip his hand around Stheno’s waist. He looked to Viperine for an explanation.
They’re back together again? The look on his face asked.
Viperine made a pained face. Yep…
“Hey Ma!” Chrys called from outside, “Peg and I are done with-”
He opened the back door and paused in the doorway, noting the new presences that had made themselves known in the kitchen. He grinned wildly.
“Hey! Aunties!” he greeted; he briefly turned back to the outside, “Hey, Peg! Get in here! The aunts are here!”
“Quit calling me ‘Peg!’” he got as a response from outside.
He shot them all a look. The ghouls all giggled at the face he made. He looked at Maddie.
“Anyways, Peg and I are done with the pits,” he said.
“Did you scrub them with brimstone like I asked?” Maddie asked, a brow raising over the frame of her glasses.
“Yes, ma’am,” Chrys said, “And waxed them and sprayed them off with some lemon cleaner to give them that extra kick of cleanliness.”
“How sweet of you, Chrys,” Euryale smiled, “It was nice of you and your brother to do that.”
“Yeah, until you find out Mom made them do it,” Deuce muttered. Alyson laughed as he ducked and dodged Chrysaor’s attempt to clock him on the arm.
“Do you need any more help, Aunt Maddie?” Alyson asked, looking at the oven and the sheets of recipes the two of them had laid out on the kitchen island, “I could help you, if you want.”
“Yes,” Maddie said.
“No,” Deuce countered. He knew his cousin was a definite picker and the last thing he wanted was to make something and to find she’d eaten half the bowl of ingredients. Plus, he was picky about the way he went about making things and preferred to be on his own.
“Yes,” Maddie repeated with a bit more volume. She shot him a glare, “And it will so thankful to the both of us that you did such a kind offer of volunteering, Alyson.”
Deuce rolled his eyes. Alyson smiled smugly and stuck her forked tongue out at him.
“Here, I’ll help, too,” Stheno said, taking off her coat.
They all got to work to help the four of them finish up preparing the house and the food (Deuce really had to bite his tongue to keep from wacking Alyson’s hand with a spoon as, as he feared, he caught her taking bites of the samples they had out for their desserts).
Just as the last batch of basbousa was in the oven, Deuce felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Cleaning his hands on a towel, he reached in and pulled it out.
Getting ready now. B there in an hour <3- Cleo
“Who is that?” Alyson asked, looking over his shoulder, “That your ghoulfriend?”
“And what if it was?” Deuce asked, giving her a sour look as he texted a kiss emoji in response.
“Depends. You still dating that prissy princess?” Alyson questioned.
“That also depends,” Deuce countered, “You even have someone you can date?”
“Oh, both of you stop it,” Euryale said, waving a dish towel at them. “Deuce, you and your mom go upstairs and get ready. Everyone should start arriving soon.”
Deuce and Alyson shared one last glare- his of annoyance, hers of mischievous satisfaction- before he turned away and exited the kitchen, leaving his aunts and their boyfriends to start cleaning the kitchen.
“Deuce,” his Aunt Stheno called from below, “Cleo’s here.”
Deuce turned away from his mirror; he finished buttoning up his shirt and strolled across his room, grabbing his phone on the way as he prepared to head downstairs. He’d since showered and changed into a green flannel and some black jeans.
As he reached the door, he shot Perseus a look from his cage.
“Wish me luck, buddy,” he said, “If the police or the fire department or both gets called on us, then you know right now it wasn’t me.”
Perseus chirped out a response. Deuce nodded, as if in agreement, then went downstairs.
As he made the last few steps, a big grin broke out on his face as he caught sight of a familiar hint of bright blue in the foyer. Even though he knew her wardrobe had to be at least two family fortunes and she could afford every kind of material there was to exist, the sight of his ghoulfriend dressed up never failed to take his breath away.
Cleo stood near the entryway, a bit of a frown on her face as she typed out something on her phone. She looked stunning in the light as she stood dressed in a teal and gold dress with some gold wrap-up heels.
She looked up as she heard the stairs creek; her lips, painted now a dark maroon color, quirked up in a smile as Cleo gazed upon her boyfriend. She put her phone into her purse and hurried over to him as Deuce made the last step and held out his arms; stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.
“I thought you were going to greet me at the door,” she said with a small pout, “It’s improper to keep royalty waiting.”
Deuce smiled, “Well, I’d also thought it’d be improper to show up under dressed.”
Cleo clearly wasn’t all that bothered by it, as she leaned up to steal another kiss from him. Maddie appeared from the downstairs bathroom; she had since changed into a black dress printed with blue and red roses and a pair of black strap heels. She was in the middle of putting on some dangle earrings as she walked out.
“Deuce, could you please do me a favor and keep watch for everyone who comes?” she asked, “I still have a few things to finish upstairs while your aunts and them finish up the kitchen.”
“Um, sure,” Deuce said. He looked at Cleo, “You willing to wait outside with me?”
Cleo made a face- it was a bit chilly out and she’d already taken off her coat- but nodded.
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” she said.
That got her a fanged smile from the gorgon. “Don’t I know it?” Deuce joked.
They sat out on the porch, looking out on the neighborhood as they kept watch for guests. It was a nice autumn evening this day; the sunset painted the sky in beautiful shades of orange and red and the leaves of similar shades danced across the sidewalk as the breeze came by.
“There’s the man of the hour,” Deuce someone call out as he looked through his phone. He glanced up to see Manny, Iris, and Wydowna’s families all coming up the sidewalk, all of them dressed for the occasion. Arachne and their mothers all carried dishes of food with them.
Deuce smiled and got to his feet. “Hey, come on in! We’re just getting the last clean-up done!”
He held the door open from them as they stepped in; the teens lagged behind as their parents wiped their feet and strolled in.
“Oh, I hope your mother doesn’t mind that I brought extra,” Arachne said as she stopped by him; all three pairs of her arms were holding various aluminum-covered trays, “But having met your brothers a few times, something tells me that we’ll be through the first batches within only a few minutes.”
“You got that right,” Deuce smirked, “I think Mom and I bought everything for thrice the recipe, and it still doesn’t feel like enough.”
Arachne chuckled and headed in. She looked down the hall and called out, “Maddie! I brought some saganaki like you wanted!”
As they were let in, Manny, Iris, and Wydowna hung back with Cleo on the porch.
“So,” Manny said, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans, “How has it been, with the grandparents and your estranged siblings finally coming back into the picture?”
Deuce frowned, “We weren’t estranged, we just...don’t talk that often. And...”
He sighed, slumping back into the chair he’d been sitting in, “It’s been...an experience.”
Wydowna smirked, “Good or bad?”
“Yes,” was what she got as an answer.
The three of them laughed. Iris glanced over at Cleo.
“What do you think, Cleo?” she asked, “Since you said you got to meet them?”
Cleo made a face. She spoke carefully, “They’re quite a….colorful group.”
Then, as if someone had cast a hex on them, all of a sudden, that familiar rumble was felt under their feet. They all stumbled as the porch vibrated and threw them off balance. The windows started to rattle in their frames and threatened to shatter. Inside, they could hear their parents yell out exclamations as dishes vibrated on counter tops and pictures shook against the walls.
Down the street, car alarms started going off. Fire hydrants wiggled back and forth like they were about to burst right out of the ground. The other houses started lighting up inside as people tried to figure out what was going on, clearly confused by the sudden commotion.
Unlike what had happened at Monster High, however, luckily, there was not some giant hole that opened up in the middle of the cul-de-sac (Deuce didn’t think the city council and police would like them very much if that happened). Instead, they all jumped as a giant spray of water suddenly burst out from the sewers like a geyser. It didn’t splatter on the street as it came down; as Deuce and them watched, it instead solidified into two giant blobs that stayed in formation as they landed on the concrete.
As they landed, they could see the blobs of water start to take form and become opaque as they took on their own color. There was a spark of gold shimmer that made them block their eyes; as they took them away, they could see Phorcys and Ceto now standing in the middle of the street, a giant puddle of water at their fins.
“Deuce! Hello again!” Phorcys greeted, throwing his hands up in delight at the sight of his grandson, “We’re not too late, are we?”
“Uh, no,” Deuce said, “They’re just getting the last few things ready.”
“Great!” Phorcys said, “We feared we may have been tardy. We were trying to figure out ways to travel , but there’s no nearby bodies of water that we could use?”
Ceto shook her head in disappointment. “We were able to find a small line of water running underground, but at first we were scared that we’d have to resort to traveling through the sewer system. There’s no telling what kinds of filth lurk in those polluted waters.”
“Anyways,” Phorcys said, perking up, “It’s no big deal. Now, we come and have a good time! Get to see the family again after so long!”
He hurried over on his crab legs and bounded up the steps. Him and Ceto quickly grabbed Deuce in a big hug- Deuce winced as he felt his grandfather’s spikes digging into his ribs and chest through his shirt- before they pulled away and took notice of Cleo and the others.
“Aw, Princess De Nile!” Phorcys exclaimed as he shook Cleo’s hand, “It’s so good to know you could make it!”
“Well, I always try to bring some life to the party,” Cleo said with a smile, satisfied at having her title being used on her. Iris and Wydowna rolled their eyes.
“And you two!” Phorcys said, turning to them, “Hello, there! Nice to meet you!”
He pointed at Wydowna, “You must be Arachne’s little ghoul!”
Wydowna smiled and gave a small nod. “Yes, sir. That would be me.”
“Oh, so nice you could make it!” Phorcys exclaimed, “It’s great to see friends included as family!”
He grabbed her and Iris’s hands and shook them with as much force as he did the boys. The ghouls stumbled and tried not to let their discomfort show, even though it looked like he was well about to fling them three miles away. Manny, Deuce, and Cleo shared a look; Deuce shook his head and grabbe the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Manny couldn’t help but smirk at his reaction.
“I assure you, it will be a night everyone remembers!” Phorcys said, “We shall have a good time and bond.”
With that, him and Ceto grabbed the front door and headed in. “Where are my daughters!” they heard Phorcys exclaim, “I need to see my three youngest together again!”
As they let the door shut behind them, the teens stared at it for a moment, before they all turned to look at Deuce.
“He seems...nice,” Iris offered sheepishly.
“Yeah, and strong,” Wydowna said with a wince as she rolled her top right arm; it had felt like Phorcys was almost trying to rip it out right out of its socket.
“Let’s just hope we can get through the evening without anyone calling the police,” Deuce said; he looked out at the neighborhood with dismay as he saw people step out on the porches, trying to investigate the strange quick quake, “I have a feeling Mom and me are already going to get some complaints.”
Cleo didn’t seem bothered by it, though. She just shrugged and came up to lean against him as she grabbed his hand. “If they can’t handle the presence of the powerful, then they don’t need to come outside.”
Deuce was about to respond, but was cut off as another big flash of light appeared in the street. They all closed their eyes. As it faded, Deuce heard someone call out his name.
“Deuce! Is that you?! My, my, you’ve grown so big!”
Standing up straight, Deuce smiled as he saw a group of familiar figures start to approach the house. Cleo lifted her head from his shoulder; her eyes widened as she saw who they were.
Among the group, she could see two canine-like monsters, both of which had multiple heads; one had two heads while the other had three, the latter also having a snake for a tail. One resembled a giant water snake that had dozens, if not hundreds of heads poking out around its neck area. They were followed up by three ancient looking women who all had grey skin and thin white hair.
“Is that-” she began.
Deuce broke away from her and started down the porch. He held his arms out. The woman in the group who’d called his name- a monster woman with green hair and lips whose bottom half was that of a long green serpent’s tail- came rushing forward to wrap him in a hug.
“Oh, Deucey!” she exclaimed, “Look at you! You’re so tall! How long has it been? Goodness, you look like a giant, now.”
“Hi, Aunt Echidna,” Deuce greeted with a smile.
He looked over her shoulder to see the rest of the family had come. Cerberus and Orthus stood in their human forms, each of their heads talking with one another in what looked to be an intense conversation, as was his Uncle Ladon with his dozens of heads. Hydra had dozens of what looked to be gifts in their many heads, while his aunts the Graeae all looked like old ladies out of a horror movie, their couch-print frumpy dresses a bright contrast to their grey skin and sunken in, eyeless sockets; right now, Aunt Enyo was the one who possessed their lone eye.
“Look at you! Built like Heracles himself!” Echidna exclaimed as she cupped his cheek, “It feels like it was just yesterday that I remember you barely reached my waist.”
She turned and looked over her shoulder. “Oh, Typhon, look at him! Doesn’t he look like a true warrior?”
“Yes. He has definitely been fed well.”
Cleo and them all took a step back in horror at the monster who came from behind Echidna, their eyes widened. Iris made a squeak and hid behind Manny’s arm, as if the fearsome beast was going to come charging at her.
They had all heard stories of the terror-inducing and frightening stature of the infamous Typhon, but nothing could compare to seeing the real thing up close. The tall donkey-headed monster towered over Deuce and the rest of them at a height of at least seven feet. His eyes glowed with an unholy fire that looked almost as bright as the sun. What had to be hundreds of snakes grew from the seams of his shoulders, while two large pythons served him as legs. Giant leather bat wings spouted from his back.
He looked like the worst nightmare to come out of the most deranged person’s imagination. And Deuce was talking to him with no problem.
“T-That...That’s Typhon?” Cleo asked, her voice unusually small.
“Yeah,” Wydowna whispered back, “He...he certainly has a unique appearance.”
They watched as Deuce greeted the rest of their family, before Echidna lifted her head at the sight of them standing on the porch.
“Oh, these must be your friends, no?” she asked, turning to Deuce, before looking back at them, “Hello, there! I am Echidna! I’m Deuce’s lesser known aunt, if you will.”
“It’s nice to meet you, madam,” Wydowna said, stepping down to offer the snake woman her hand. Echidna shook it with vigor.
“You’re not lesser known,” Deuce argued.
“Well, in terms of my relation to you, I am,” Echidna joked back. She stepped back so they could see my family.
“You all may have heard of our extensive family, but let me introduce all of us!” she told Cleo and them, “These are my sons Orthus, Cerberus, and Hydra.”
Cerberus and Orthus just gave them some light hearted barks, while Hydra’s many heads hissed in response.
“My brother Ladon,” Echidna continued.
“How nice...” “To meet...” “All of you...” Ladon’s hundreds of heads replied in unison.
“My sisters Enyo, Deino, and Pemphredo-”
“Who’s a ‘pumphredo’?” one of the Graeae replied, her eyeless sockets scrunching up in anger as she blindly looked around.
“You, stupid!” Deino announced, “That’s your name, ain’t it?”
Enyo, the only one with an eye this time, rolled it in response.
“And of course,” Echidna finished, slithering up to hold Typhon’s shoulders as she looked up at him lovingly, “My husband, Typhon.”
“Very nice to meet you,” Typhon said; his voice was thunderous and sounded like a thousand different people at once somehow. Cleo and them tried not to recoil as it hurt their ears, “I hope that we get acquainted with each other very well this evening.”
He held out his hand towards Iris to shake it. Iris lifted hers to respond, only to freeze and go pale as she looked down and saw that snakes grew as the monster man’s very fingers. They all looked up at her and flicked their tongues out.
“Um, i-it’s nice t-t-to meet you, too,” the cyclops replied shakily, grasping the snake that served as Typhon’s index finger and lightly shaking it.
“We have alssssso brought giftssssss for everyone,” Hydra spoke up, gesturing to all the gifts that all his smaller heads had coiled around.
“Some of them are also make up gifts from Thoosa,” Enyo commented, “Since she ‘allegedly’ couldn’t make it.”
Deino shook her head and scoffed, “Aw, yes. Miss Old, Tall, but Pretty. Acts like she’s way too young and cute to hang out with the rest of us ugly folk.”
“What a shame,” Pemphredo replied, “Acts like she embarrassed of the lot of us. Thinks she Athena, sometimes, with the way she acts like she just sprung from the Earth.”
Echidna leaned into Deuce’s ear. “Pardon them,” she whispered, “They’re a bit more senile than usual.”
Deuce smirked up at her.
The front door flung open and Phorcys marched out. He regarded his children and grandchildren, as well as Deuce’s friends, with a gesture of disbelief.
“What are you all standing out here, for?” he questioned, “Come, come! It’s time for the festivities to begin! Let’s drink, eat, hear of one another’s stories!”
“...So then, this guy was coming up to me, acting like he was going to spear me in half with this rapier! But what he doesn’t know is that I wasn’t hatched yesterday,” Chrysaor narrated, “So I WAM! BAM! I flew up and grabbed that arm of his right he was thrusting at me, and SCCCCRH! Ripped it right off his body! Oh, you should’ve seen it, he was gushing blood and the muscle was hanging off it and he was screaming bloody murder-”
“Chrys,” Deuce butted in with a groan, “Can you please talk of something else?”
The reunion was now in full swing. All of Deuce’s family was huddled in the living room, everyone talking with each other as they caught up on each other’s unlives.
Right now, Deuce, Cleo, and the rest of the teens were seated on the sofas, all of them huddled in a circle as they listened (or, more accurately, were kind of forced into it) to Chrysaor recount his glory days sailing the high seas. And, in typical Chrysaor fashion, he had no filter and wasted no breath in boasting upon all the gory details when it came to the men he fought and how he had killed them.
Manny, Iris, Wydowna, Viperine, and Alyson all listened silently. Their eyes were wide with shock at the gold-skinned monster’s casual mentions of hacking off limbs and biting men’s jugulars out. Manny’s eye twitched, while Iris looked like she was about to faint. Wydowna looked sick. Cleo, who sat beside Deuce, just watched stonily; she was clearly unimpressed with the boar monster’s escapades.
Viperine shot Deuce a pained look. They both knew how Chrysaor could go on for hours and never stop. Deuce sat with his head in his hands.
“Wait, hang on, I’m almost done,” Chrysaor just said nonchalantly, “So anyways, he’s wriggling on the floor- he looked like a fish out of water, and he’s just like ‘Oh, kill me!’ ‘Oh, the pain!’ But I’m thinking, ‘Hey, you came onto my ship, you try to kill me. I can’t just let that slide. So I waltz over, and I’m-”
Deuce rolled his eyes. He felt a tug on his arm and looked up to see Cleo staring at him with a strained look.
“I’m thirsty,” she said, “Come on, let’s get drinks.”
“Good idea,” Deuce said. They immediately shot to their feet and scurried away to where Maddie and Pegasus had set up two drink fountains for everyone; punch for the underage ones, wine for the adults.
Cleo, being as ancient as she was, gladly took a plastic cup and scooped herself a helping of the wine.
“If I have to listen to that airhead try to make me throw up, I might as well be prepared for it,” Cleo said as she took a large sip of it.
“Go ahead,” Deuce said with a grimace, “I have a feeling he still has a lot more up his sleeve.”
Cleo took another sip and looked around. Her eyes landed on where Maddie stood with Viperine’s dad, Hydra, and Manny’s dad, all of them talking as they ate some food they had taken from the trays that were currently laid out against the wall.
She pointed to Casper. “What’s the deal with him, anyway? I see him and your aunt hanging around each other, and sometimes they seem like they’re deeply in love, while other times it’s like they can’t stand each other.”
“That’s their relationship for you,” Deuce sighed, “They’re either rekindled the spark or they’re breaking up. I don’t know if that’s just what works with the two of them or what, but they’ve been doing it ever since I can remember. I really don’t get how Viperine puts up with it. You’d think for being the oldest, Aunt Stheno would be a bit more mature.”
A thought came to him. He looked to where he saw Euryale and Alyson’s dad, Russell, talking with Typhon and Ceto.
“Now, that I think about it,” he said, “I’m not sure why Russ is here, either. I mean, him and Aunt Euryale have been broken up for years.”
“It’s cuz she’s pregnant,” Alyson cut in, suddenly appearing from behind him, “Mom and him were messing around on and off, though, while she was also messing around with this tsuchinoko, so until the kid’s born, they don’t know whose the father. Dad decided to stick around just in case.”
She shot them a look. “You didn’t hear it from me, though,” she added, “I’m supposed to keep it secret until later tonight.”
Cleo shrugged, “Whatever. It’s your drama.”
“Oh...” Deuce said, surprised, “Well, um, congrats? I mean, it’s great your getting a sibling, right?”
“Eh, it could be worse,” Alyson said, “I mean, it could always be like them.”
She pointed to where Pegasus sat outside with Enyo and Hydra. The equine cryptid was currently talking, but as Cleo and Deuce took notice, he seemed not to realize how Hydra kept shooting him dirty looks whenever he looked away.
“They still mad about Chimera?” Deuce asked.
Alyson nodded, “That’s why he didn’t come. He said he’d rather not cause a scene. Peg says he still doesn’t feel like he did anything wrong. In his words, he was just ‘helping the gods with his duty.’ Uncle Typhon and them think that he was just a wuss who allowed the Gods to bully him into being their pet.”
“Ouch,” Cleo said.
“Yeah,” Alyson agreed, “I say it’s been like, what, four thousand years? And that they just need to kiss and make up. But, oh well.”
Deuce looked back to the living room. Chrysaor was still deeply entrenched in one of his stories, speaking with great fervor and waving his hands wildly. Wydowna and Iris were wincing deeply as they were forced to listen; Viperine seemed to have since tuned him out as she fiddled with one of the snakes in her hair.
Manny turned in his seat and shot the three of them a desperate look. Help, it read, begging Deuce to put a stop to his brother’s narration.
Deuce sighed, “Guess we better help them.”
Alyson scoffed, “You can. I’m going to see if to chat it up with Uncle Ladon.”
She dipped out before either one of them could stop her and headed into the kitchen where their aforementioned black dragon in question resided. Deuce looked at her back with a frown.
“Casper, you drop that right now!” Echidna suddenly shouted from the kitchen.
Everyone paused in conversation to look in their direction, just in time to see the cuelebre rush out of the kitchen with Echidna on his heels.
“That dessert is for the end of the night, when everyone’s ready!” the snake woman hissed as she grasped the doorframe, “You don’t touch, you sneak!”
Stheno shook her head. “Casper...”
Casper held his hands up as if caught right in the act. “I was doing no such thing!” he exclaimed, “I was only looking at it!”
“With your mouth?” Euryale called out, earning a laugh from everyone.
Deuce and Cleo watched the scene with amusement. As they did, they felt a presence appear next to them. They looked to the right to see Orthus had come up to them.
“Rrrrrooooow,” the two-headed dog monster growled to them softly.
“Oh, hi,” Deuce said, “Yeah...yeah, it’s going okay.”
“Aarrrrroo?” Orthus asked, pointing to Cleo. The noises he made sounded like the sounds that a dog would make.
“Two years, actually,” Cleo said, turning to him. She shot Deuce a loving look, “We met in math class.”
Deuce smiled as he watched them talk. Even though she seemed to at first be uncomfortable around his family as he introduced her to everyone- though he couldn’t exactly blame her, considering how high energy and overwhelming a few of them could be (namely Phorcys and Chrysaor). But, as the evening went on and they ate and conversed, Cleo seemed to naturally fall in to bonding with several of them. It was nice.
Plus, he knew she always enjoyed being able to talk about herself whenever and subtly flex her family’s fortune whenever she could. Whether his aunts and uncles noticed it, he didn’t know. Whatever, it all worked out.
Orthus’s left head perked up and let out a small, friendly bark.
“Oh, no!” Cleo clarified, “I’m just a natural, that’s all. I am captain of the fearleader team, though, and have been ever since I took over from my sister...”
Deuce was going to listen further, but right then, felt a tap on his shoulder.
He looked up. Phorcys was standing next to him, his gaze stern. He tugged on Deuce’s sleeve.
“Come,” he said, nodding with his head towards the hallway, “Let us talk alone.”
“Uh, I don’t think-”
“They’ll be fine,” Phorcys insisted, “It’ll be just a few minutes. I want to be able to talk you one on one, just us boys. We haven’t had the chance to do that.”
Deuce opened his mouth to protest, but Phorcys was already grabbing him by the arm and taking him towards his mom’s office. He looked over his shoulder to see if anyone noticed, but everyone was entrenched in their own conversation. Cleo and Orthus were still deep in conversation, while his mom and Euryale were now talking with Typhon and Echidna. Manny and Iris looked like they were forced to listen to another one of Chrysaor’s wild stories. Wydowna had disappeared to wherever (probably the bathroom, just to get away from his brother for once).
Phorcys led them into the office and shut the door behind him. He strolled over to the couch against the wall that lay under the window and sat down, sipping his whiskey.
“So, um...what did you want to talk about?” Deuce asked, rubbing his neck.
Phorcys just smiled and patted the empty cushion next to him. “Sit, Deucelion. Is it so bad a god wants some alone time with his grandchild?”
Deuce frowned, “You know I don’t like it when you call me that.” He took a seat, anyways.
“And I don’t get why you don’t,” Phorcys rebutted, “It’s a fine name. Powerful. You should take pride in it.”
“I’m not ashamed of it,” Deuce said, “It’s just a mouthful, that’s all.”
Phorcys nodded, “I can see your point in that.”
They lapsed into silence. Deuce bounced his leg uneasily. He had a bad feeling as to why his grandfather would want to talk to him alone. They’d never been all that close throughout his unlife- he could only remember seeing about maybe once or twice in the past five years. Hell, his mom had never been close to them, either.
Phorcys took another sip of his drink, before finally, he spoke up, “Your mother says you don’t have a good relationship with your ghoulfriend’s family.”
Deuce paused. He glanced at the old sea god, surprised at the topic. Phorcys just sipped his glass and looked at him out of his peripheral expectantly.
“You flinched when Chrysaor brought up the Comet incident in Boo York,” he added, “Does that relate to whatever ‘work in progress’ as you put it, that you two are experiencing?”
Sighing, Deuce leaned back against the couch and looked out across the room.
“Only that her dad and her sister think I’m the lowest scum to walk the Earth,” he said, “They despise me. It’s like nothing I ever do for them is good enough.”
“Ho?” Phorcys inquired, “And why would that be?”
Deuce frowned and crossed his arms. “They think I’m a slacker,” he explained, “That I’m too much of a commoner- a peasant, for their princess daughter. They don’t like the way I dress, or the way I talk. Or that I’m in a band. Pretty much, they think I’m a total loser and that Cleo can do better. That she should do better with someone who can match her in status.”
Phorcys raised a brow, “...And do you believe them?”
He watched as the gorgon flinched as if slapped. Deuce shifted in his seat, thinking it over.
“...I don’t know,” he confessed, “Some days I get really pissed off thinking about it. I mean, who are they to judge me? I get good grades, I pick up after myself, I know what I want to do for college and a career, I have a part-time job. But just because I like heavy metal and I can’t afford Louis Booiton, that’s not enough? Honestly...sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it. It also doesn’t help when I feel like Cleo’s being a complete bitch at times.”
His shoulders slumped as he got deeper into thought about it. Phorcys looked at him, awaiting his next response.
“But sometimes...I think they’re right,” Deuce confessed, “I mean, Cleo’s...she’s amazing. She’s smart, she’s talented, she knows how to take the reigns and do what needs to be done. Yeah, she’s a little too much sometimes, but when you get underneath it, you can really see just how beautiful she is as a person. And I’m...I’m just plain old me.
“I mean, she can buy out the entire town three times and never have to worry about being secure, while I can barely afford to buy new school clothes sometimes,” he continued, “And as much as her family annoys the absolute fuck out of me...they’ve been through a lot. I don’t want to get between that. So sometimes...sometimes I think they are right. That she deserves better than someone like..like me.”
He was quiet after that. It was weird for him, speaking all his deepest fears out loud. It was suddenly difficult for him to swallow; it felt like he had a lump in his throat. It felt shameful, but Deuce felt like he could cry in the moment.
It was so frustrating. Either he’d be with the ghoul he loved with all his heart and constantly be torn down by Ramses and Nefera, or finally break it off and live with the pain and heartbreak that felt like it was going to crush him every time he so much as felt like it.
Were relationships always this difficult? Or was it just the added problems of high school and knowing you were really having to figure things out on your own?
Phorcys was silent for a long time afterward.
“...You know,” he finally responded, “I remember your mother once said the same exact thing about your father.”
Deuce’s eyes widened. He turned sharply to the red-skinned monster, shocked at the mention. Phorcys nodded; he looked down at his glass as he swirled the ice inside.
“It was just after she met his parents, in fact,” the sea god explained, “Lest to say, they were not accepting in the least, and after a disastrous dinner, she ended up leaving the house in tears.
“She called me using the fountain and was crying her eyes out. She said how she didn’t think she could take it any longer; she felt guilty of constantly putting him in the middle and said how she didn’t want to make him choose like that,” Phorcys said, “She thought he deserved more than a ‘disgusting, ugly thing’ like her, as she put it.”
Deuce winced at that. Even after thousands of years, his mother’s self-esteem since her transformation was still fragile.
Yet, he was interested. He couldn’t remember ever hearing his grandfather speak about his dad before.
“And you know what happened?” Phorcys asked, looking to him.
Deuce only stared awaiting his response. Phorcys smiled at the child-like wonder in his eyes that he could see even behind the teen’s glasses.
“She told your father about it- and Thaddeus refused,” he followed up, “He wouldn’t hear a word of it. Your mother said he told her that he wasn’t going to give up on them, no matter what his family or friends or anyone else thought. He wanted her, and as long as she wanted him, he wouldn’t give her up for the world. And if it meant losing his family? Well, that was a burden he’d be willing to bear.”
Phorcys let out a small noise and looked out on the coffee table. He had a sad, wistful look in his eye.
“He was a good man like that, your father,” he said, “Truly, he lived up to his name; a courageous heart, indeed. You don’t find many men like that now. And he made Medusa so happy...”
He trailed off as his smile fell a little. Deuce let his gaze fall to his lap.
It had been years since anyone had openly talked about his dad besides him and his mom, and even then, those conversations were scarce and brief.
The memory of his dad’s death still hung over them both like a heavy rain cloud and stung like a fresh wound. And it was, in many ways; Deuce didn’t think it would ever heal, not entirely.
When Phorcys looked back at him, his gaze was warm and loving.
“You have a lot of him in you, you know that?” he asked, “I know if Thaddeus could see you, he’d mighty proud of you.”
Deuce felt like he’d been punched in the gut. He swallowed hard.
That was a thought he’d struggled with every day. To hear his grandpa reaffirm it, it...it felt like a weight was lifted off him.
He suddenly had to look away and brought a hand to his mouth. Behind his glasses, his eyes swam with tears.
“Don’t give up on that ghoul, Deuce,” Phorcys said softly, “It is not money or titles that make a man, but the soul he carries in him. She sees that in you the same way your father saw that in your mom. This is a great storm in your relationship, but it is one you do not have weather alone.
“Don’t let overprotectiveness be mistaken for being right,” he added, “Many parents are overprotective of their children, but this doesn’t mean that they’re always right.”
He suddenly looked away in shame. “Chaos knows that I certainly didn’t make the right choice when I let your mother go serve that witch of a war monger…”
Deuce raised his brows, slightly surprised at the admission. In the few times he’d spent with Phorcys, he didn’t think he had ever once heard his grandfather talk about the ill-fated experience his mother had had serving in the temple of Athena.
The temple where she’d been raped by Poseidon and where Athena, blind in her rage at the sea god, cursed his mother to the serpent state she now found herself.
Phorcys took a deep breath, as if the admission took a lot out of him. He looked slightly older as he looked back at Deuce; more worn down. It almost made him look mortal.
“You understand?” he asked.
Deuce nodded absentmindedly. He took a few shaky deep breaths, trying to hold himself together. He looked at his grandfather.
“T-T-Thank you,” he said in a thick voice.
“No need, young one,” Phorcys said, “If there’s one thing that this dried up old fuddy-duddy sack of chum can give you, it’s this.”
He handed Deuce a napkin. Deuce accepted it with great thanks and looked away to wipe at his eyes.
“...Besides,” Phorcys offered, “If ever he gives you trouble, you could always call me. He may have been a pharoah, but I am a god.”
That earned him a laugh from the green-headed gorgon. Deuce shook his head with a smile, “I don’t think I need my potential father-in-law having the piss scared out of him.”
“Well, why not?!” Phorcys persisted, “Let him know just what family he’s messing with! Those crocodiles he came across on the Nile will look like kittens compared to the fish I rule over!”
“Thanks, Papouli, but no,” Deuce said.
“Ookay,” Phorcys said, “But if ever you change your mind? Remember, I’m just an ocean away.”
Deuce smiled and nodded in understanding. Phorcys finished off the last of his drink, before he turned to his grandson and gestured at the door.
“I think it’s about time we got back, don’t you think?” he asked.
Deuce nodded, “Yeah. If we don’t hurry, they’re going to eat all the dessert.”
They stood up at the same time. They shared a look, before they slowly embraced one another. Unlike all the previous times, Deuce was more than willing to accept it and give it back.
“Thank you,” he said to Phorcys again, “For...for that. I needed it.”
Phorcys nodded and gave him a smile. It was surprising, just how young it made him look, especially against his more monstrous features. He gripped Deuce’s shoulder and squeezed it in affection.
They both suddenly jumped as they heard a crash come from the living room.
“Oh, for the gods’ sake- Chrys!” Maddie yelled out.
“It wasn’t me!”
“OI!” Echidna yelled out, “I told you two those for the end of the evening!”
“I couldn’t resist! It was calling my name!” Casper responded.
“I just didn’t want to wait,” Russell said in a flat voice, lacking any sort of remorse.
Phorcys chuckled and looked to Deuce.
“I think it’s about time we get out there,” he said, “Before the house ends up a disaster zone.”
“Sounds good,” Deuce said.
Sharing another smile, they then turned and left the office, hurrying to put an end to any potential fights that were possibly about to break out at the moment.
A few hours later, the evening finally came to a close. Maddie and Deuce stood in the front hall along with Pegasus and Chrysaor as they bid the rest of their family goodbye.
“Mama and Papa have to go back in a few days, but I still have an extra week before we start filming for Elissabat’s next movie,” Viperine said, “We should get lunch over this weekend.”
“That sounds great,” Deuce agreed.
“And what about your parents?” Maddie asked, looking out to where Stheno and Casper were getting into their rental car, “You think they’ll leave together?”
Viperine made a face and sighed. “Maybe. Maybe they’ll have another one of their squabbles and call it quits again. Either way, they’ll be there for each other one way or the other.
“Even if it drives me absolutely boig, when they can’t make up their minds,” she added.
“Tell me about it,” Maddie said.
They all gave her a hug and watched her leave, leaving the four of them alone. As Maddie shut the door, she turned to her sons.
“Okay,” she said, “Who wants to help me clean up?”
“Oh, sorry, Ma, no can do,” Chrysaor said, holding up his hands, “Peggy and I are going out.”
Medusa frowned behind her shades. “Out? Out where?!”
“Well, we figured we’d spend a night for just the two of us,” Chrysaor said, “Since we’ve been apart for so long, we could get some brotherly time to ourselves. You know how it is!”
“I didn’t agree to it,” Pegasus added, “He suggested we ‘spend a night out on the town and look for some ladies, maybe’ and told me I was going before I even answered.”
Chrysaor shot him a look. “Always throwing me under the bus, aren’t you?”
He didn’t seem very put off by it, however, as he just shrugged and gave Maddie his best attempt at an apologetic look.
“Anyways, sorry,” he said, leaning over to kiss Maddie’s cheek, “We’ll try to be back before it’s too late, though, if there’s anything you need.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Maddie grumbled, “And you’ll just happen to arrive right as everything is finally done.”
Chrysaor grinned in satisfaction and grabbed Pegasus’s arm to drag him out the door, shooting a ‘Bye, Mom, bye Deuce!’ over his shoulder as they left. The two gorgon watched them head down to the porch and onto the sidewalk, before they both flapped their wings and headed into the air to fly over to town.
Maddie sighed and looked at her youngest. “I just it’s you and me, then.”
“Do I get a choice in the matter?” Deuce asked.
“Not if you still want an allowance, no,” Maddie said.
Deuce chuckled, “Fine.”
He went to work picking up the dishes that lay scattered all over the coffee tables and extra chairs that had been pulled out, while Maddie grabbed the broom and started sweeping. They worked in silence for a couple of minutes, the only sounds being the clinking of glasses and ceramic and the brush of the broom’s bristles on the hardwood floor.
Then, Maddie paused in her task and looked over at Deuce. He was bent over a chair to pick up the used napkins and place them on top of the stack of plates he had.
Maddie took a moment to think of her words, before she turned back to sweeping and said, “Dad says you two talked for a few minutes in the office.”
Deuce paused. He lifted his head, before he went back to his task. “Uh...y-yeah. Yeah, we did...”
“He says you...talked about your dad,” she added.
Now, Deuce stopped at all. He stood up and turned to look at her. Maddie kept her head down for a couple of seconds, before she turned and shyly met his gaze.
“...Yeah,” Deuce said, “He said...he said he sees a lot of him in me.”
Maddie smiled and nodded. The lens of her sunglasses were sepia-toned, allowing her eyes to be seen. They were wide and soft.
“You do,” she confirmed, “I always loved that...me and him had a little talk ourselves later, about that.”
“You...y-you did?” Deuce asked, “A-About what?”
Maddie shrugged, “A lot of stuff. Him...you...me…especially after...after we lost him…”
Her voice became very small. Her lip quivered as she got this look in her eye; she stared off into the distance for a second. Deuce felt a small pang in his chest. She looked so tiny when she got that look in her eye; so delicate and breakable. Not at all like the fearsome gorgon of legend…
Maddie blinked and shook her head. She looked at Deuce and gave him a watery smile; she put down the broom for a second and walked over to him. Deuce stood silently, letting her approach. Maddie took the dishes from his hands and set them back down on the table so she could take his hands.
She looked down at them as she held them. They looked completely human compared to her scaly green ones with their bronze nails. Maddie took a deep breath and looked up at her son.
“I know I nag you a lot,” she said softly, “I know I’m overbearing and I get on you too often and I’m hard to please. I’m...I’m trying to be better.”
“I know, Mom...” Deuce replied in a low tone.
“It’s just...after your father died, I felt so lost,” Maddie confessed tearfully, “I...I didn’t know what do, and I just felt like every decision I made was the wrong one. It’s so hard, feeling like what you’re doing is right when you don’t have your biggest support there to guide you through it.”
Deuce said, “Y-You didn’t do a bad job...I mean, you try...You’re not always perfect, but you do try. I mean, I’m not perfect either...”
That got him a smile from his mother. Maddie looked up at him lovingly; she wiped her tears away, before she tugged him towards her.
The two of them gently held each other in a hug.
“I love you, Deuce,” Maddie said, “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Mom,” Deuce said. He smiled as her snakes came up and planted gently licks and kisses on his face.
As they pulled away from each other, Maddie looked up proudly and took a moment to cup his cheek gently. Deuce smiled at her.
They then went back to picking up, a silent understanding coming between the two of them.
Though their family was definitely an unconventional one, tonight’s reunion had served as a reminder to the both of them that they still had those who would have their backs and be there for them, no matter the distance.
I t wasn’t the most usual family they had, but it was theirs, all the same.