Endymion smacked his hand to his face. “Do we really need to do this right now?”
“Yes, we do!” they screamed simultaneously.
“What exactly is the issue? And can you introduce yourselves, please?” I asked.
The first of the twins, who adorned dark brown shoulder length locks and piercing red eyes, tossed her curls before smiling wickedly. “My name is Isadora, and this is Odessa. We’re twins, if you couldn’t tell. We were promised Icheiris’s Layer if anything should happen to her, and since she’s toast, we’re here to claim our inheritance.”
“And what qualifications do you exactly have that warrant me giving you that title?” I scoffed, which made Isadora’s smile fall instantly. “I can’t just give the Layer to some random demons who think they have a right because their daddy made false promises.”
“Endymion promised this to us well before you were even a thought!” Odessa whined.
“He tends to make a lot of false promises and stick his dick in a lot of people behind his husband’s back. This wouldn’t be the first time he did something like this,” Erasmus added with a glare that deepened by the second.
Endymion rolled his eyes. “What’s done is done. Girls, this has nothing to do with me anymore. Gehenna is Nicodemus’s Realm, so if you want a shot at the Layer, you have to talk to him. He’s right after all; what have you exactly done that gives you rights to the Layer?”
“We are high ranked beings in Gehenna! She’s trained us to perfection and then some. We know that Layer like the back of our hands! If anyone should rule it, it’s me!” Odessa sneered.
“You? What makes you more qualified than me?” Isadora barked back.
“And this is why we don’t sleep with demons,” Erasmus whistled to egg Endymion on, though I did giggle at his comment.
Endymion spun the girls around and shook them once. “This is not the time nor place for this conversation. You are embarrassing not only yourselves but me, and I will not tolerate that this evening. Take your tantrum somewhere else.” His tone was commanding, intimidating, but it barely fazed the twins.
“But father…!” they whined simultaneously.
In an attempt to keep things civil, I procured a business card with my name and number on it and pressed it into Isadora’s hand. “Look, your father is right. We have a lot going on tonight, so please, let’s not fight. How about you give me a call in a few days, and we’ll sort out this whole mess. I need to be on my toes tonight, so I would rather deal with this situation when I don’t have the weight of the world on my shoulders,” I offered with a sincere smile.
Odessa stole the card from her sister before winking to me. “I will certainly be calling you, God of Death. We look forward to meeting with you soon.”
“Likewise,” I replied stiffly.
The two whisked off to find some other companions, leaving Endymion to shrink under Erasmus’s scowl. “Could you stop burning holes in my skull?” Endymion growled to him.
Erasmus jammed his finger into Endymion’s temple. “Everywhere you go, mess follows you. Do you realize how much chaos you cause?”
“Alright, alright, let’s play nice. You two need to keep it together for one night,” I said as I sandwiched myself between the two and tried to shake them out of their oppressive glaring.
Erasmus ground his teeth. “Yes, a night hanging on my ex-husband’s arm. What a fun evening this is turning out to be.”
“Stop being so grumpy and get a drink,” I laughed, shoving him towards the refreshments table. He finally took his leave, though he did stick his tongue out at Endymion for good measure.
Endymion crossed his arms. “I suppose I can’t be mad at him for hating me. I’m not exactly a valiant partner.”
“So I’ve heard. Then again, letting go of him is probably for the better. You two are very toxic for one another, and you deserve to find your happiness,” I said.
He flicked his odd eyes to me curiously. “Happiness, eh? I don’t know where to begin looking for such a thing. I’ve been alone for so long, yet somehow fall into the same habits, even after four thousand years. Childish, isn’t it?” His voice was distance as he said this, remorseful, and did make me frown in his honor.
“You two are still the same people. You’ve been alive for centuries; it’s not like your personalities are going to do a magical reset. Times have changed, though, so you should probably work on conforming to them.” I nudged his arm, which made him wobble a little. “We’re all trying to right wrongs, so cut yourself some slack. Neither of you are perfect by any means, and neither are any of us. Just take it a step at a time.”
“I’m trying…” he sighed through his nose before tousling my hair gently. “I’m going to make sure our kids aren’t causing too much trouble. Do your best to network tonight. It will be very beneficial for you to meet as many Elementals as possible this evening.”
“Will do,” I replied as he walked off, his energy still full of anxiety, but he was hiding it well. I shook my head at him before ducking to find Odysseus, who was wrapped in a conversation with two women on the opposite side of the hall.
Odysseus let out a delighted laugh, though his champagne glass rattled in his hands slightly. “I suppose that’s true…” he said before turning to see me traversing the crowd. “Ah, here he is now. Ladies, this is my fiancé, Nicodemus Crawford.”
“Charmed,” I loosely said as I shook hands with the immaculate women he’d been entertaining. “And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?”
“My name is Aexina, and this is my wife, Eliana. We were Stark’s second-in-command and have stayed on as guardians of Caelum for your mother,” Aexina chimed in delight.
