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Asterion stood there for another moment, staring after the witch. Shaking his head, he trudged toward the room Korinnae had picked out and knocked softly. When he heard no response, he peeked in. Korinnae was fast asleep on the bed, still in the same clothes she’d been wearing. He contemplated waking her up and telling her to get ready, but they’d had a long day. A long two weeks, actually. So, he pulled it shut and pivoted on his heel. He gave the witch’s room one last glance before heading into his own.

The following day, Maldenis picked them up at nine, as promised, and drove them to the team’s headquarters. Liora led him away to give him a tour while Maldenis offered to show Ria the space they’d cleared for her workshop and the crates that had arrived—her things from the Upperworld and Hecate’s workshop. Korinnae trailed after Ria without being asked, which Asterion decided not to argue about.

“Medusa and Perseus are on the Upperworld,” Liora explained as they began their tour. “They really wanted to meet you, but as we’ve explained, we are running two missions.”

Ah yes, that had come up. Two missions running at the same time. The geryon search in the Upperworld, led by Bob with support from Medusa and Perseus, and the demigod hunt across Vale Crossing, which was their side. “And I’ll be working on the second mission here in Vale Crossing.”

“Yup. For now, we’re calling ourselves The Guard, and like Hektor and Maldenis, you’ll be our guide and using your, uh, other talents as well to protect us.”

He stopped just as they were walking into the next room, then turned to face the human. “And Korinnae?” he asked. “You promised something about school and housing.”

“All covered,” Liora said. “The house is yours for as long as you need it. There’s a school in Alindale that takes monsters and humans and everything in between. Korinnae can start anytime she’s ready. Ria will continue the treatments for as long as necessary, even if you decide to quit tomorrow.”

“And what am I paid?”

She mentioned a number, which wasn’t even close to what he earned from his “jobs” with the clan. But it was enough for him and Korinnae, and at least this time, if he broke any limbs, it would be to protect someone.

“It’s real work, Asterion. Not charity,” she reminded him.

He grunted. It was as close to “thank you” as he was going to get right now.

The tour continued down a short hallway that opened into the main office. It was a large room with desks arranged in a cluster. Only one person was inside, a dark-haired human male with tattoos down his arms, sitting at the desk by the window, typing at a computer. Asterion recognized him as the third member of the triplets. Elian, if Asterion recalled correctly. He looked up when they walked in and gave him a nod of recognition.

“Asterion,” Elian greeted as he stood up and extended a hand. “Welcome to The Guard. Settling in okay?”

“Getting there.” Asterion took the hand, shook it and nodded, but said nothing else, which the human didn’t remark on. Instead, he shrugged and went back to his computer.

They continued the tour of the modest building. It was a two-story office space, which had several rooms, including a kitchen, a conference room, and even a gym for training.

“That’s about it,” Liora said. “Let’s see how Maldenis and Ria are doing.”

They turned a corner and the corridor opened into a wider room at the back of the building. Maldenis stood inside with his tail curled around a chair leg, while Korinnae sat on the floor, both of them watching Ria circle the space. It was bare, with stone floors and high windows. Crates of supplies were stacked near the entrance, and Ria’s kit sat open on a workbench, already half unpacked.

“How’s it going?” Liora asked. “This space good for you? Sorry we don’t have anything else. It used to be a store room that we cleared out.”

“It’s fine,” the witch said. “Perfect actually. I mean, this is the first time I’ll have my own space to do with as I please. I mean, I can fix it up, right?”

“Of course,” Liora said. “Make yourself at home. Actually, maybe we should give you some time to yourself.” She turned to Korinnae. “Hey, want to go see my desk? And maybe help your uncle decorate his?”

The calf’s eyes went wide with excitement. “Really! Can we put stickers all over it, Uncle Asty?”

Asterion snorted. “Fine,” he relented. “But no pink.”

“But—”

“No pink.”

Korinnae’s lips twisted. “Alright.” She grabbed onto Liora’s hand. “Let’s go.”

They were halfway back to the main office when Ria caught up with them.

“I need to order a few things,” she said to Liora. “How do I go about that?

Liora gestured for her to follow them to the office. “Elian can set you up and whatever you order can be delivered by tomorrow.”

Elian was still at his desk when they filed in. He stood when he saw Ria, and his face broke into an easy grin. “Hey, Ria, welcome to our headquarters. How’s the workshop space working out for you.”

“It’s all good, thanks.”