Pulling out his phone, Apollo watched Titus closely as he lifted the screen so he could see it, quickly pressing the button for the glowing Paulie app. The app responded immediately. “Welcome to Zeus’s network, Lord Apollo, God of Music, Prophecy, Light, and Healing. How may I assist you today?”
“It is lovely to speak with you,” Apollo said softly. “I appear to have hit a bit of a glitch with the man who insists we are fated. The man concerned, a wolf shifter, seems reluctant to discuss much about himself at all, to the point of suggesting I ask you for information about his life instead.”
There was a moment’s pause, and then Paulie replied, “That is indeed an unusual situation, especially between fated mates. Paranormals do not lie to their mates for any reason, and you are correct that the wolf you’re sharing a truck with is your fated mate. Is it possible the wolf prefers to say nothing instead of lying outright or lying by omission about some particular situation he’s lived through?”
“That is a possibility,” Apollo said. “However, it could be equally possible that when I mentioned the Zeus network and this particular app, the wolf didn’tappreciatethe depth of knowledge currently held in my father’s systems.”
“He doesn’t appreciate…?” Paulie clearly did not like that. “What is this doubting person’s full name, if you please?”
“The man is known as Titus Haverland. He’s a wolf shifter who owns a trucking company out of Buffalo, NY.”
“You will be aware that there are billions of records held in the Almighty Zeus’s database. If you can give me a moment…”
“Of course.” Ignoring Titus’s smirk and the snort Titus probably didn’t realize he could hear, Apollo spent his waiting time wondering how much the voice on the app might resemble the actual Paulie. He hadn’t met his father’s fated mate. Apparently, Paulie had lived as a down-on-his-luck tiger shifter until Zeus noticed him. Later it turned out Paulie was also a demi-god, who learned to translocate with no assistance at all – which is how Zeus was initially claimed.
Apollo wasn’t sure if that story was strictly true. Gossip across the pantheons, and even between members of various pantheons, was often embellished or exaggerated, depending on who was speaking. Apollo figured if he needed to know, he’d just go and visit his father and mate himself.
In the meantime, Apollo kept his face expressionless. He could see that Titus’s shoulders were tense, although the wolf shifter was doing a darn good job of pretending he wasn’t concerned. All that did was make Apollo all the more determined that Titus was hoping to hide something from him – something he didn’t realize the godly network would already know.Doesn’t he realize none of this matters? I simply wanted a conversation with you…and now we have this.Titus’s ever so slight flinch when Paulie started speaking again confirmed Apollo’s suspicions.
“There is considerable information on Titus Haverland,” Paulie said. “I can give you the summarized version verbally if you prefer, and then send you the full details in an email for you to peruse later.”
“Is the email follow-up a new service?” Apollo had never heard of the app sending follow-up emails before.
“Yes, Lord Apollo. Your father believed that far too many people have the attention span of a gnat, in his words, and that sending vital information via email helped reduce the number of timesa person might inquire about the same topic. It is one of Coda’s efforts to streamline godly communications as more of them are now living on Earth. An efficiency drive, if you will.”
“That’s a very good idea. Yes, if you can summarize the main information relating to family, work history, and past relationships, then you can send the rest to my email.” Then Apollo had a thought. “Do I have a personal email?” He wasn’t sure if that had to be set up separately or not. He knew he had a business email through Orion Industries, but he didn’t want Artemis reading about his mate.
Titus’s whole body was twitching, clearly trying not to laugh. Apollo ignored him.
“A personal email address was set up when you accessed the network,” Paulie said calmly. “It is a hundred percent secure, and the content of the emails sent through this network is only visible to your eyes.”
“That will be helpful, thank you.” Apollo had no idea if it would be helpful or not, but he knew how to be polite. “About Titus?”
“Certainly, Lord Apollo. Titus Haverland is a wolf shifter who was born in a small pack in Idaho, in the fall of nineteen forty-six. He is one of four children, he has three younger sisters. His parents, Dolly and Dennis Haverland, are the alpha pair of the pack. They are not fated mates, they are bonded, but their relationship appears stable.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Apollo could see Titus nodding.
“Titus left the pack in nineteen seventy-two, accompanied by another younger alpha male from the pack – Regis. There was some gossip among pack members when Titus and Regis left the pack to be together, but there is no evidence of any intimacy between the pair.”
Apollo glanced up to see Titus’s raised eyebrows.Paulie knew something you didn’t?
“Titus and Regis worked a number of different jobs and businesses before Titus Industries was formed. This included owning a general store in Utah in the nineteen eighties. They moved to Nevada in the nineteen nineties, and owned a small hotel and casino in Las Vegas that is still part of Titus Industries, but the day-to-day is managed by paid staff.”
Titus wasn’t grinning anymore, or nodding. He seemed fixated on the road ahead. His knuckles on the steering wheel were white.
“I got the impression that Titus had always been interested in the trucking business,” Apollo said.
“That is correct to a point, Lord Apollo,” Paulie said. Titus’s lips tightened. “Titus Haverland bought his first truck in nineteen ninety-three by taking out a mortgage on the hotel. He and Regis started expanding their delivery options in nineteen ninety-six, and bought the second truck. However, due to personal circumstances, those trucks were sold in two thousand and one, and Titus Haverland didn’t purchase another one until two thousand and eight.
“He and Regis moved to Buffalo in two thousand and fourteen and have run Titus Industries since then. The company has grown to twenty-four trucks owned by the company, alongside an extensive network of contract drivers who use their own vehicles across the country.”
“I get the idea,” Titus muttered. “The Paulie app is very thorough. Haven’t you heard enough yet? We’re about to stop for a break shortly.”
“I’m having a conversation with Paulie because you didn’t want to tell me these things yourself.” Apollo thought for a momentand then asked Paulie, “It’s clear that over time Titus has become a successful businessman, which is to be applauded, but I’m more interested in the loves in his life. What type of relationship history does he have?”
“Oh, come on.” Titus slapped the steering wheel. “There’s no way an app could know things like that.”
“Paulie?”
