“Oh, yeah.” Jace gave him a bright smile.
He didn’t need his father to find out. The Osiris and Gehenna would tell him everything anyways so he was glad to have his father’s honor be left intact.
“Ah, I’ll join you afterwards,” his father suggested.
Jace’s head bobbed. “Yeah, Osiris wants to inject you with something.”
His father’s eyebrows rose. “Oooookaaaayyyyyy.”
“To welcome you to the crew!” Jace added, realizing how that sounded. “It’ll be good!”
“I trust you,” his father said, but there was a little bit of alarm in his expression.
You need to tell me EXACTLY what you’re putting into him and Khoth, Osiris, Jace warned the AI.
Of course, the Osiris answered dryly.
“How is this going to work between the two of you, though? Keeping secrets from one another? Being apart?” Jace asked, hands threading together nervously.
His parents put their arms around one another and smiled softly and with incredible love behind their eyes.
“We’ve been keeping secrets from each other all our relationship so that’s not new,” his father said. “Your mother’s always outranked me.” He playfully pulled her closer to him. “Now my son will.”
“Yeah, well, I promise to go easy on you.” Jace ran his hands through his hair nervously.
“You better not!” his mother laughed. “Your father needs structure and a tight chain of command! Otherwise, he’ll be off playing practical jokes and stealing your spaceships for joy rides.”
“Just as long as he invites me, I’m good with that,” Jace said with a grin.
“But, in all seriousness, Jace, we’re doing this because it's the right thing to do to keep humanity--and you--safe,” she said as she reached up and squeezed his shoulder.
He nodded. “Same here.”
“We know, son.” His father thumped his back.
“So the Parkers are going to save the universe?” Jace asked.
“Are you going to do the hands in the center thing?” Gehenna’s voice rose up behind his mother as the metal behemoth clanked over.
“No, Gehenna. I was just being silly,” Jace said with a shrug.
“We could do it,” his father said.
“We are working to save the universe,” his mother pointed out.
“Oh, my God, I’m dying here. Fine. Let’s be dorky, but we’re telling no one about this,” Jace said.
Jace put his hand in and his parents did the same. Gehenna’s metal hand covered all of theirs.
“Go Parkers!” she cried.
And they pulled their hands back.
Jace shook his head and muttered, “Never telling a soul.”
His mother laughed delightedly and his father chuckled. They hugged him as they made their way out. Jace knew that Khoth was at the door and he indicated to Osiris to tell him to come inside. Khoth’s soft steps into the room had Jace lifting his head to see the Thaf’ell Commander in his new “casual” uniform.
While Jace’s was pretty much suited to modern human fashion, Khoth’s reminded him of Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi battle armor in midnight black with silver inlays and stitching. The shoulders flared out. There was an elaborate belting around his slender waist. Leggings covered Khoth’s long, muscular legs with shiny black boots coming up to Khoth’s knees. Jace blinked.
