“Well, when you put it like that.” Titus chuckled again, but his face grew quickly serious. “I can’t help worrying, though,” he admitted. “When I was talking to Paulie earlier, the app reminded me that I’m immortal now. You are, too. But Cassius…he isn’t. He’s a half-vampire child, so he will be stronger and will live longer than if he’d been fully human. But how do you bear it, Apollo? How do you bear watching the ones you love die? Cassius won’t live forever, like we will.”
“You don’t know any of that for sure,” Apollo said quietly. Immortality could be a difficult topic for mortals. “There are a number of things that could happen between now and the demise you’re thinking of. For a start Cassius is only ten years old. He’s not old enough to make such a life-changing decision about accepting immortality or not.
“When he gets older, he might turn out to be the mate of another immortal being, such as one of the hellhounds or another ancient god. But at ten, Cassius doesn’t need to be thinking about things like that. And realistically, you shouldn’t be worrying about that either.
“All you’re doing is worrying about a future that’s decades away, a future we haven’t got to yet. Isn’t it better for us to enjoy the days on that journey with Cassius and each other?”
“I guess.” Titus did look a bit happier. “I didn’t realize you could make Cassius immortal if you wanted to.”
“Ah, no, you can’t put it like that,” Apollo warned. “Cassius becoming immortal at a future time has nothing to do with whether I wanted to gift him that or not. Yes, something like that is in my power. But no god, regardless of pantheon, would gift immortality to an individual unless the person concerned is old enough to make the decision for themselves.
“Immortality is not all it’s cracked up to be. Without a limited life span, boredom becomes a real problem. A lot of beings, particularly gods, are so darn lonely. Mortals live a full life, and yes they die, but they leave families who remember them fondly.
“There are so many of my kin who sulk in their domains, or stomp around on Earth, basically daring anybody to have anything to do with them, when in effect that human contact is what they need more than anything else.”
“There’s a new job for you.” Titus ran his finger down Apollo’s cheek. “You could start a dating agency for lonely gods.”
“They would make impossible clients,” Apollo said, kissing Titus’s finger. “But yes, sorry for the lecture, but immortality is not easy to live with. There’s no reason to strive. No reason to push forward in life. You can always think, ‘I’ll do that tomorrow,’ because you have a million tomorrows.”
“It’s easier to handle with a mate, though, right?” Titus reached for his hand. “We’ll be okay, won’t we?”
“We’re going to have the most amazing life together.” Apollo smiled. “I’m the god of prophecy, I can say things like that. The key is to keep living, to keep doing things, and experiencing what life has to offer. But anyway, yes, that is a long-winded way of saying that is why we don’t gift anyone with immortality without giving them a choice. A lot of people refuse it.”
“It’s quite strange, don’t you think?” Titus said, giving Apollo’s hand a squeeze. “When I think of you doing your godly things,I imagine it’s just done with a wave or a wink or a clap of your hands, no thought or effort required.”
“It’s actually done through thought, but other people seem to appreciate some indication that I’m actually doing something, like clapping my hands. Cassius liked me clicking my fingers.”
“So it is done by thought, but you also put a lot of thought into what you use your powers for?”
Apollo scrunched up his nose. “Not all the time, if I’m being strictly fair. There are times when I’ll just click my fingers and have a picnic because I’m hungry. No thought required. There’ll be other times when I’ll simply zap to somewhere because I’m sick of where I’ve been.
“But when it comes to important concepts like immortality, I have to think about that. It’s not something that can be undone, and it’s a really huge commitment to make. So,” Apollo felt as though he’d been giving a lecture, and that’s not what their bedroom space was for. “How about we respect the fact that Cassius is ten and we just enjoy him as he is now?”
“Aren’t you going to miss the fact that we can’t travel around now that we’re family men?”
Apollo doubled over with laughter. “What makes you think we can’t travel now we’ve got a son? Lorna had the right idea, not sending Cassius to school. The way he sees things, the way he views life and the people around him, school would be a nightmare for his senses. I couldn’t see him ever doing any good there.
“But there’s nothing that stops us from zapping to any corner of the world you want to go. And there’s nothing to stop him from experiencing life in every way possible. We’ve got to remember it’ll only be another ten years, and he’ll probably be off out, dating girls or guys or whatever, living his life without us.”
“That’s a good point.” Titus sighed. “Childhood never lasts very long and is such a small fraction of life overall. We’ve missed the first ten years already.”
“I wouldn’t call it missed – he was busy doing something else,” Apollo said. “But yes, we’ll travel if we want to, or stay home if we don’t. But, ooh.” Apollo remembered something he’d thought of earlier in the day and forgot to ask. “When Cassius said he was ready to go home, after we finished our burgers today, why did you choose this place? I mean, it’s our home and I love it here...”
He rested his head against Titus’s arm. “I realized we’ve been together a week, and we’ve been to quite a few places already, but I’ve never seen your home. I was surprised because I would think you’d believe Cassius would be more comfortable there?”
“He wouldn’t be,” Titus said. “Mine is more of a functional space – think of something like my office, but with a bed, a couch, and a coffee machine. This place is a home – it has space, comfort, and a protected yard. Those things are important when you’re raising kids.
“I’ll probably put my house on the market or rent it out, maybe. I’m not sure yet. I’ll also have to get in touch with Regis and let him know about us having Cassius and see about increasing his wages so he can take over more control of Titus Industries.”
“Don’t forget Cassius is looking forward to a road trip in your truck,” Apollo said with a chuckle. “Perhaps this trip won’t be on a delivery deadline, and we can stop more often along the way.”
“I won’t make that mistake again.” Leaning over, Titus kissed his nose. “But what about you and Orion Industries? What about your sister? You haven’t mentioned her since we walked out of your office either.”
Apollo let out a huff. “I’ve been happier not thinking about it, to be honest. I’m useless at business. I don’t know why Artemiswanted me to partner in her business in the first place. I’ve asked her why a dozen times, but when I do, she just talks in circles. I don’t have time for that anymore. I have a mate and a child now.”
Flopping back on the bed, Apollo stared up at the ceiling. “Do you think I could quit? How does someone give notice and stop working? There’s no way I’m spending empty hours in an office when you and Cassius are off doing something else.”
“You could write a letter or send an email,” Titus suggested. “That’s all it takes. You can give her notice or just let her know you are taking parental leave, or an extended leave if you think quitting is a step too far right now.”
