New York

Thanks...but you ever do that to me again and I'll kill you Ares. The now bonded Southside Demon thought with equal parts anger, fear, and relief. Never before in all of his history had Jamie's strength failed him. His courage was drawn from that fact, from the invicible certainty of being able to defeat all comers. When such a fragile looking piece of cloth held him bound and unable to move it was as if the world had ended. It had shattered his belief in the fate he thought his. For what was a warrior without the courage that came from strength.

Courage is more then strength, it's more then victory. Courage is facing the enemy head on. And no matter how weak or how little your chances of victory never giving up. And even when Hades comes to collect you spitting in his face.

Anger collected at the merest mention of Ares calling him a coward. But even as he wanted to tell the God of War to shut up he didn't. The Berserker had promised to listen to his patron's advice after all.

Relief however was the biggest emotion. The event the Vice President of the Southside Demons MC had been waiting for nearly eighteen years was finally over. Honestly he thought this was going to mark the end of his life as he knew it. But Meredith seem different from the others. Some small part of him, the tactically obbessed part wondered if the attraction to Apollo's chosen was part of the bond. Watching the emotions flit across her face made Jamie care little though. There were less pleasant options around the table after all.

Taking out his flask Jamie uncapped it when Meredith asked him if he had any left. Swirling the contents around he smiled at the flush in his bond mate's face.

" To the Gods sense of humor and their small mercies. " Jamie toasted before putting the flask to his lips and draining exactly half of the Pyatizvyozdnaya contained within. Handing the rest to Meredith.

You have no idea the kinda of favours I had to call in with Apollo to make this happen. Small mercies my ass. Next lifetime I am sticking ya with a fugly she troll ya hear.

For once the chosen of Ares didn't counter the statment. After all the God of war wasn't wrong. Jamie just hoped the next lifetime wasn't decided in a coffee shop.

Chris listened as Kat explained her powers. It had to be hard for her, knowing what everyone around her is feeling. He couldn't even imagine how she'd learn control over something like that. Of course she probably feels the same about his powers. It could explain her awkwardness, trying to keep from sensing everyone's feelings must be unnerving. But he's glad it's not full on telepathy, he's not sure how he'd handle that. "Oh by means, let's see the confident Kat!" Chris smirked at her about ready to saw something risky, well risky for her at least.

So, she wanted to get out of here? 'Denise? What kind of question is that? Wait.....crap I forgot to clarify that Denise is my car didn't I?' He's been alone on the road a lot, and he can sometimes forget about making a few things clear. He then looked closely at her face. 'Wait, is she jealous? Oh man she is! Does she have a crush on me?' He pondered. "Sure, a change of scenery sounds nice. But I'm just gonna tell you right away, I don't put out on the first date." He couldn't even keep a straight face to finish that sentence.

"Come on, Denise is waiting outside. You can meet her yourself." Chris got out of his chair, and took Kat's hand in his, and lead her out of her seat. "So, with your powers, does that make you like a Counselor Troi on steroids? Just remind me not to play poker with you Kitten." Chris smirked. Whether she'd follow him or not, he left the dining room and went outside.

Once Chris got outside he went straight to his red Mustang Denise. "Hey baby miss me?" Chris said as he ran his index finger across his car's hood. "Denise, my pride, and joy! The most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Chris just oozed pride, and love over his car, having helped built her from pretty much scratch with his brother.

Kat Jones


Meet Denise? She felt like she was being silly but was suddenly filled with dread. It would be her luck that the person she was going to feel drawn to the rest of her life probably had a girl friend or something. Now that she thought about it, of course he had a girl friend. Look at him, he was freaking gorgeous. She was probably someone really cool that didn't mind him flirting too much because she knew how devoted he was or something like that. That's why he made the joke about putting out on the first date that had Kat a pretty pink color.

She had never even had a kiss before, except once in second grade, but she hardly thought that counted. Not that she was a prude or anything, she just didn't branch out to meet people often. You have to meet people to kiss them.

Star Trek references? The gods really knew who to pair her with it would seem after all. She followed him outside taking a deep breath and preparing for the worst.

"Denise, my pride, and joy! The most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He was beaming with pride over the mustang in front of him. She could feel it coming off of him, all the love and memories he held with his car. His car. His car was named Denise. Relief flooded through her. She did her best to cover her sudden change of emotion. She smiled

”Nice to meet you Denise,” there was a slight chuckle to her tone. ”Did you build her? She's beautiful. My dad dabbles in cars so I know a little about them,” she admitted.

Speaking of her dad... she checked her phone, it was almost time for her dad to be home. She assumed he wanted to hear all about the ceremony. Instead there was a text.

Sorry Kit-Kat, working late. We will talk when I get home. Love you She tried her best to mask the disappointment He was always working late, most of the time she felt like she lived alone.

”Well I'm free all evening it would seem, we can do whatever. It's pretty nice out if you wanted to walk, but I would be lying if I said I didn't want to ride in Denise,” She tried to give a flirtatious smile as she said so. ”We just ate, but I could still eat if your hungry.” She felt pretty lame for not having a plan after asking him to leave. She didn't know where people went. She never went anywhere really. Well except one place.

”There's a uh...bookstore type thing, down the ways a little we could go to, unless you have something better in mind.”' She was having a hard time describing the cafe. It was like a small diner that the upstairs was comic books and they had gaming tournaments and such at. If that didn't scare him off, due to her nerd-ness nothing would.

Kat wasn't sure why but she was very trusting of Chris for having just met him. Maybe that was the bond. She felt like she could trust him, that she was safe around him. It would be pretty weird of her to get into some other stranger's car.

Meredith took the flask he handed to her, with a grateful nod, and drained the remainder in the hip flask within a couple of gulps. The alcohol hit her stomach with a warm burn and she enjoyed the feeling, knowing it would not be long before her body burned it off. As she drank she noticed that the blonde guy had been paired with the one that was handing out name tags and they seemed to be getting on well. She couldn't help but be impressed when she saw him apparantly create lightening from nothing. Her ability might be useful but it wasn't anything as flashy as that. She wished the two of them well, she had her own bonded to focus on.

Meredith was wondering what happened next when she felt a familiar pain in her head and she grimaced massaging her temple with her free hand.

"Apollo your timing as always, sucks." She muttered before the world shimmered in front of her and she was looking at a different scene entirely.

A woman and a young boy, her son Meredith guessed, were walking through what looked to be a park. It was late and the moon was out. The young boy was talking and waving his hands animatedly, clearly excited about something. She wondered what they were doing out so late at night. They had just passed out of the glow of a streetlight when two dark clad figures stepped out from the trees. Meredith guessed they were male but couldn't see anything else as they wore black from head to toe. The woman stopped suddenly and faced the two men pushing her son behind her clearly trying to hide him from them.
Meredith watched with growing dread, she had a very good idea what would happen next even without the vision and she really did not want to see it.

"Look here, someone new to play with." One of the men said his voice laced with excitement.
"I don't want any trouble." The woman said fearfully. "Please just let me pass."
"Not going to happen sweetheart." The second man said. "You're going to have some fun with us."
The woman began backing away, keeping her son behind her, but the two men darted forward grabbing her by the arms and yanking her forward. She struggled in their grip, her son forgotten for the moment, and managed to elbow one in the ribs making him wince and let go.

"Bitch!" He cursed.

"Tommy run!." The woman called. "Go get help!"

The man she had elbowed saw her son for the first time and glared at the woman. He exchanged a look with the first man, who by now had managed to restrain the woman, before taking off after the boy who had sprinted away at his mother's cry. Though the boy ran as fast as he could, the man's longer legs meant he easily caught up with him. He dragged him back and threw him down beside his mother.
The vision abruptly ended leaving the woman and her son's fate unknown, it was typical of her visions, she could see the future but it was fragmented and ramdom at best. She had no idea who the woman was and so she had no way to help them.

She realised she had probably looked to Jaime as though she had simply zoned out and she smiled apologetically. "sorry about zoning out there for a minute. An unfortunate side effect of being Apollo's chosen. So what do we do now?"

As the Berserker watched his other half as it were down what was left in the flask he felt it was a more meaningful gesture then it appeared. Jamie was then reminded of an old pagan tradition, that of newlyweds sharing a drink from the same cup. The VP then shrugged it away. The bond was after all its own kind of marriage, perhaps not in the romantic sense but in other ways. Though he'd not deny there was a part of him that found Meredith attractive on a purely physical level. The scarred and tattoed street fighter wondered though how she'd accept his lifestyle.

That thought made Jamie pause for a second. Never before had he cared what another had thought of his chosen path. He was an outlaw biker that lived only for the thrill of freedom. Now though his life belonged to another or was at least now tied up with anothers. It was not a wholly unpleasant feeling, this thought of facing life standing besides more then his brothers in arms. It was one completely foreign to the Berserker though.

Was it her pretty face Jamie wondered. But he quickly dismissed it. He had known many beautiful women and none of them had been more then passing fancies.

The Vice President of the Southside Demons Motorcycle Club then laughed at the thought he was giving the subject. Nothing mattered in the end but the next breath, the next drink, and the next bit of fun. That being said Jamie looked Meredith over with gaze that would speak volumes even to a nun.

" Well as for what comes next I've got an idea or two o chosen of Apollo. " The Berserker replied to her question with a little crooked smile that spoke loud and clear enough for even the blind to understand. " First things first, I think if this bond thing is all they said its going to be it's time to meet the family. The Southside Demons MC has its clubhouse in South Bronx just off the Deegan and Bruckner. We got plenty of everything and the place is always jumping. Should be a good party going right now, Sean made a lot of cash from my fight earlier tonight. Why anyone would still bet against me is confusing as hell. But hey the club is making a killing. If you want ya can catch a ride back with me or come on your own. Or hell not at all if that floats ya boat. But me and the MC are a package deal. Either you accept them or this relationship is going to end quickly. I am sure Ares would get a kick out of that. "

Without waiting for her answer the Vice President of the Southside Demons Motorcycle Club strode away from his bonded and indeed out of the coffee shop entirely. Jamie had enough of a place that had no real excitement. Clearing the doors he strode to edge of the sidewalk. The grey cement, familiar as his own heart beat. He had after all spent his childhood wandering them. The pavement upon which his bike lay atop the never ending path of his life.

Smooth real smooth skreb. Lets give a woman you've known all of five minutes an ultimatum. What is this some emo vampire novel?

You tell me Ares, why the hell does it feel like she's in my head?

It's cause she is in a way. Your bonded to her and she to you. It'll allow you to always be close even when the physical distance between you both is great. Your average soldier would kill to be that close to their loved one.

The average soldier gets to chose their spouse.

But ya not average skreb, lift up that bike above your head. Hold it there with one hand and load a fresh mag into that 1911 .45 ya keep at the same time.

Failing to see what that would prove aside from his strength and reflexes Jamie nonetheless complied with Ares's request. Lifting the Harley Davidson Softail Fatboy Lo over his head with one hand he fished the pistol out of the concealed holster in the lining of his leather jacket. Racking the slide and hitting the mag release the Beserker emptied it, the bullet and full mag hitting the ground with a light tinkling. Throwing the pistol in the air he then fished out a spare mag. Throwing that about a foot in the air Jamie then caught the descending firearm. Twisting it so the handle hung pointed up in the air just in time to let the mag slide in. Spinning it the Southside Demon racked the slide, the 1911 .45 was now locked and loaded.

Meredith watched her recently bonded, stride out of the coffee shop doors and wondered for a moment what she had said or done wrong. No one else's bonded seemed to be leaving their bonded's side except for Jaime. But then Meredith mentally scolded herself for allowing someone else to affect her in such a way. Even if she had upset him, and that was a big if, then he would just have to suck it up as she was not in the habit of being someone she wasn't. Besides he had invited her to his biker club and given her the option of riding there with him so she figured he would wait for a few minutes at least before leaving. She didn't particularly like his abrupt ultimatum at the end of their conversation and her first instinct was to tell him where to shove his ultimatum but she paused.

The two of them were joined now, regardless of whether they wanted it or not, and as such they would have to adjust to each other unless they planned to ignore each other for the rest of their lives. Which would be difficult and uncomfortable since Meredith could almost feel Jaime in the back of her head. Besides if she walked away now that would be like giving up and that she would not do. It wasn't so easy to get rid of her and if Jaime decided that he wanted to he would find it nearly impossible to do so.

She followed him out of the coffee shop and stopped short when she saw him standing there holding a gun in one hand and, incredibly, his motorcycle in the other. He stood there completely at ease as though the vehicle weighed nothing to him. She was stunned for a moment before her natural humour kicked in.

"Well I guess I know what Ares gave you." She said with a grin. "How exactly are we planning on getting to your club if you're carrying our ride?" She asked hands on hips.

"Yeah, me and Jack spent the summer building her when I was sixteen. He thought if we'd have some 'bonding time' that I'd stay out of trouble. It didn't work all that well." Chris explained. "I got a bit more rowdy when I got me some wheels." Chris chuckled when he thought some of the things he did after getting her. "I remember the next November, on Black Friday, I got up real early, and parked her in the parking lot at the mall, and spent the whole day with her taillights on, you know like I was backing up. Needless to say, people weren't happy. It was great!"

"Nah, I don't have any idea on what to do. You're the local, not me." Chris said as he opened the driver's side door, and hopped in. He leaned over to the passengers door, and opened it for Kat. He was a gentlemen after all. "So where's this bookstore at? And ya think they got any Walking Dead? Or maybe some Frank Hebert?"

(OOC: Sorry for the short post. Writers block.)

JAMIE SOUTHSIDE

Ah and here comes the love of your life skreb

Go fuck yourself Ares Was all Jamie replied with as the image he must be portraying sunk in. Here he was holding his steel horse above his head like a child's toy. Out in the open with nary a concern for the boundaries most humans endured. Though the Berserker had never made much secret of his gifts, after all physical strength and razor honed reflexes were within the reach of all but the crippled, he had never really openly flaunted them.

This was made doubly aware to him as the chosen of Apollo walked through the doors of their bonding ceremony, such as they were. At least the expresso was good. But it was the look upon Meredith's face that made Jamie truly aware of how absurd he must look. And her question hardly made the matter any better. Silently berating himself the Southside Demon instead holstered his pistol by throwing it in the air and at the same time jumping up still holding the bike. Twisting around Jamie laid the Harley underneath him. Landing in a prefect sitting position Jamie caught the Colt 1911 .45 in his right hand. Giving it a spin he slid it back in the concealed holster in the lining of his leather jacket.

" Please I could carry you and the bike and still make back in time for the first act on stage. Ares only choses the very best, unlike that loser old lighting chucker picked. But you Apollo types are easily frightened I hear so we'll go the boring normal way. Wouldn't want you to have an heart attack or anything. My medical insurance isn't that good. " Jamie retorted to her good natured humour with his own cocky as hell smile.

Whether or not he was physically capable of such a feat was besides the point. His special brand of confidence was beyond such things. Besides he honestly didn't know the upper limits of his gifts. Till that little red ribbon tied itself around his wrist the the Vice President had never been remotely challenged by anything in life. Nothing had ever forced him in that desperate corner were he felt personally threatened. Well not since that night on his tenth birthday.

That crucible had lead him here however, watching his bonded stand hands on hips. Meredith looked good in such a pose Jamie had to admit. Though her presence along with Ares in his head made him feel just the slightest bit crowded in his own skull though.

" So hop aboard the Southside Demons express." Jamie added with an amused sort of laugh. " Spare helmet in the saddlebags if ya need it." This said as he strapped his own on, the crest of the MC front and center on it.

Anthony mostly kept to himself until suddenly Artemis' voice rang out in his head. "Stop eating, my boy. It is time." At that moment fear surged within Anthony's body; the thought of being bonded hit him fully at this exact moment: It'd be another cage.

When everything went dark and then flashed red, he jerked his hand back, only to find the bond tied around it, and his hand entwined with that of a female. Suddenly he could see and his wide yellow feline eyes stared into the eyes of Aeron; the chosen of Hermes. His free hand was covered in flame, the flames forming the paw and claws of a tiger as his fist gripped the arm of the chair he sat in tightly, the wood cracking under the pressure.

Suddenly she spoke to him and he pulled his head back a little, his bound hand tight around hers out of fear, but the grip slowly loosened, never tight enough to hurt her, of course; Anthony wouldn't hurt anyone unless they deserved it.

"O-oh...um....Hi!" He said, putting on a goofy smile, his canines flashing into view again before he spoke again. "Y-yea, I guess we are bonded now...." he chuckled, blushing softly as he realized he was still holding onto her hand. Without a word about it he released her hand and cleared his throat.

"Name's Anthony, Chosen of Artemis. You?" He asked, smiling softly, his eyes darting around her face and figure to try and decipher her body language, not check her out. Anthony wasn't the type of guy that would go around checking girls out; no, he was a hunter; his eyes dictated so; his Goddess dictated so. He looked for body language, he didn't do it consciously, either, he just did it.

So far Aeron seemed to be friendly, so his own body slowly relaxed, the flames around his other hand vanishing without a trace and his hand returning to normal strength as well. "S-sorry.....a bad memory came back as we were being bonded.....hope I didn't scare you....." he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

The more Chris talked the more she liked him. He had an uncanny ability to put her at ease about her dorky nature. Maybe it was the waves of confidence she felt rolling off of him, maybe it was contagious.

Something was nagging at her though. What did this bond mean for her? For them? She barely knew this guy. Where they going to continue to be friends after this or were they going to play this day out and never speak again. The thought worried her and she pushed it aside. She spent so much of her time worrying. She really needed to just relax. Just enjoy the time with him and see where it went.

She smiled at him as he opened the door, and gracefully sat down inside. The car was phenomenal.

“Woooow...” she whistled as she looked around inside. “Denise is beautiful.” She gave him directions. The book store wasn't far.

“They have all sorts of stuff there! But you don't need to buy Walking Dead, I have the whole series at home....” She stopped short and blushed. She didn't even know if this guy was going to want to hang out with her after today. She didn't need to be offering to loan him all her books. She took the opportunity while he was driving to examine him a little more closely. She was lucky, he was friendly and attractive, so attractive in fact that being near him made her a little on edge, but he wasn't at all what she thought he was going to be when he introduced himself earlier that day.

“You know...” She began and then stopped looking for the right words. “I don't know how to say this without sounding super weird so...just bare with me? You don't make me as nervous as I thought. I mean... how do I say this.” Kat stumbled over her words. Took a deep breath and continued. “I just mean that since you are like a “cool guy” I just expected for you to think I was lame. But you've been really nice to me, so thank you.” She chewed her lip, still not happy with how that came out, but hoped she got her point across. Despite the flutters she felt from having social interaction with a super hottie, she felt pretty normal around him. He didn't make her feel out of place or abnormal, the way she felt around a lot of people and it was really nice. Chris was super confident, but it didn't make her feel less so the way other confident people did. It was strange but nice.

As Anthony introduced herself, Aeron gave a sweet smile back. He was peculiar looking, although it seemed to suit him. With his yellow eyes and pointed teeth, he appeared to have more animal qualities than human. Even the way his eyes darted around, he seemed to always be on instinct. Aeron thought he seemed sweet enough though. She shook her head in response to Anthony's apology.

“Oh! No no no, you are fine,” Her voice was soft and sweet as it always was. “It was all a bit frighting, I don't blame you. I'm Aeron by the way, Hermes' chosen. You are friends with Kat right? I see her around school from time to time, she seems nice.”

Aeron was struggling to make conversation. What do you talk about with someone you barely know, but are bonded to for the rest of your life? Aeron sat down in an empty chair, sad the food was gone. She hadn't eaten anything all day.

“So tell me about yourself, Do you go to school or anything? I don't think I've seen you around before,”

Anthony seemed to put at ease by her sweet, gentle nature, and his body relaxed a bit more. The sound and tone of her voice put him more at ease. At her question he nodded. "Yes, we're close friends, have been for two years." He explained. "A pleasure to meet you, I suppose, even if the meeting is awkward...." He said, a very faint blush appearing on his cheeks.

"But, yea, she's a nice girl; I just hope Zeus's Chosen doesn't hurt her......he seems like a jerk." He added, the blush vanishing and his eyes gaining a sense of protectiveness.

So far she hadn't noticed the flames that had surrounded his hand for a while, and he let out a small breath of relief for that. He noticed that his half-eaten steak was gone and he frowned, having looked forward to finishing it. He remembered he had some money from a job he did earlier in the week, shocking both Artemis and his room-mates with the fact that he could actually work, and work damn hard to get what he wanted.

"Me? Oh, I um, never really went to school." he admitted. "But I learned just about everything needed for life from other children that I would play with in my spare time." He explained. "Aside from that, I mainly just nap and sleep all day." he added, chuckling softly. There was a tight feeling in his chest, and he wasn't sure what it was; as he only felt it a few times before, and each of those times were with Artemis, and once with Kat. Could it be the Bond? Could it be....love? Nah, couldn't be. Not this soon!

Clearing his throat Anthony stood and offered Aeron a hand to help her up. "Listen, why don't we head somewhere with better steak? I know a great place where we can talk more, if you want." He offered, a small, trusting smile on his face. Whether or not Aeron took his hand didn't really matter to him as he moved on to the next thing that was pressing at his mind:

"So, um...what are your powers? Being gifted to Hermes must mean you have the freedom to do just about everything, right?" He asked calmly, but with a sense of high curiosity that was akin to that of a cat.

Meredith watched in amusement as Jaime performed an impressive display of his physique and abilities, neatly re holstering his weapon and positioning the bike so that he landed astride it. Meredith tried to appear nonchalant at such a display, not wanting to show how impressed she truly was, but she was sure some of her awe was showing through. She had just never seen someone as big and strong as him before and rather than frightening her it made her feel safer than she ever had in her life. With Jaime at her side no one could force her to do anything she didn't want to do. Not only that but being with him made her feel strong, confident, as though she could do anything. She wondered if that was also part of the bond, as well as the odd sensation of him being in her head.

She mock glared at him when he said that as Apollo's chosen she would be easily frightened, boy was he in for a surprise, she took that as a challenge. She disliked anyone seeing her fear and even she did feel afraid she would never show it to someone else they use it against her. She walked towards the bike, admiring its sleek lines and powerful appearance. She had never ridden a motorcycle before but it looked like it could be fun. A part of her also liked the idea of riding one with Jaime in front of her and with that she made her decision. She grabbed the spare helmet that he had indicated and looked at him.

"I think maybe you have me mixed up with Hermes's chosen."She grinned. "I laugh in the face of fear. Bring it on." She laughed to show she took his comments in jest and then pulled the helmet down over her long black hair.

She climbed onto the back of the bike behind Jaime and wrapped her arms around his waist to secure her to the bike, A small part of her felt a hint of trepidation but this was swallowed by overwhelming feelings of excitement at the coming ride.
She tapped his shoulder to indicate she was ready.

Aeron thought Anthony was pretty sweet. He obviously cared for Kat, but maybe a little too much? She had been hoping the bond would grant her love and she could live happily ever after. It would be kind of awkward if she fell in love with someone who was already in love with someone else.

He was kind of peculiar though, never having gone to school, Aeron wondered what kind of life he had lead. She didn't have much room to judge, living with her six sisters and distant parents, her social skills were probably lacking. They were very different, she worked hard as a full time student had part time employee and he took a lot of naps. But different wasn't so bad.

"Listen, why don't we head somewhere with better steak? I know a great place where we can talk more, if you want." Anthony offered. Kat's stomach grumbled and she agreed delighted. Although steak was a little out of her budget.

“That sounds great!” She took his hand to stand up and followed him out.

"So, um...what are your powers? Being gifted to Hermes must mean you have the freedom to do just about everything, right?” Anthony asked. Aeron giggled.

“Yeah I suppose that I am kind of a jack-of-all-trades.” She admitted. “I can talk telepathically if I wish. Although I try not to do that sort of thing without someone's permission. It can be kind of...invading I suppose. I can also sort of teleport. I call it Blinking, but I have to have been there before. And I have a way with locks. Nothing super spectacular.” She realized she was talking a lot.

“What about you? Do you have super hunter skills or something? With Artemis being the goddess of the hunt, your powers must be much more impressive.” She gave him a wink as she said this.

“Oh! How did you want to go? I have my car if you want or I can ride with you. Whatever you prefer.”

"No problem." Chris answered to Kat's thank you. Really he didn't know what she was thanking him for, but who doesn't like a good thank you? "Maybe you're more comfortable because you're being yourself." Chris stated as they drove down the road to the book store. "Just be yourself Kitten. That's what I do. If people don't like me, then screw 'em. I learned a long time ago that you can't please everyone. And if you try, you're not being true to yourself." Chris said in a stern voice. "I think it was Dr. Seuss that said 'Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind'." Chris then realized what he just said. He hoped she didn't think of him as some smart guy. "Unless you like Michael Bay movies. Then I'll throw your skinny ass out on the curve. Zeus be damned." Chris sarcastically said.

They soon arrived to the bookstore. "I guess this is it." He stated. "Hope they have some Dune. Left my Dune Messiah back in Boston. I've read it a dozen times." Chris said as he parked the car next to the sidewalk, and took the keys out. "I need to read Dune at least once a month. I need my Alia fix, I love that little crazy bitch. Oh! I hope they got I, Robot too! Daddy gets cranky if he doesn't get robots, and or spaceships." Chris then stepped out of the car. He went around and opened Kat's door. "So, you and what's his face. The cat guy, Artemis' chosen..." Chris said, realizing that Kat is the only other chosen's name he knows. "You guy's are friends? I haven't met another chosen before today, did you know he was one of us when you met him? Do we have like a 'Highlander' buzzing thing that we get when around other chosen? Chris asked. "Must have been nice to have someone to talk to about all this. Zeusy isn't the warm and fuzzy type, and Jack.....I just couldn't be completely truthful to him. As far as he knows I'm just like a X-Man-style mutant."

Kat Jones

Kitten had never been a nick name she had liked, but Kat liked the way it sounded off of Chris' lips. It made her feel warm and accepted, not something she was used to. The more he talked the more she realized she was right. She was being herself around him. She didn't have to hide her nerdy jokes and references. If anything he made more than she did. It was freeing.

“You know, I'm not 100 percent sure I know how to be myself. I'm constantly worried about what people think. You make a lot of sense. It's really nice to feel this...free?” She blushed as Chris opened her door and she exited Denise.

"So, you and what's his face. The cat guy, Artemis' chosen...You guy's are friends?” He asked as they walked up to “The Last Word.” Kat looked him over. Was he jealous? She didn't have room to talk, the first sign of a girl's name and she freaked out. She was probably reading too much into it as per usual.


”I haven't met another chosen before today, did you know he was one of us when you met him? Do we have like a 'Highlander' buzzing thing that we get when around other chosen? Must have been nice to have someone to talk to about all this. Zeusy isn't the warm and fuzzy type, and Jack.....I just couldn't be completely truthful to him. As far as he knows I'm just like a X-Man-style mutant." Kat immediately felt bad about thinking it was a jealousy thing. She was really lucky, she still had at least one parent and she was going to school and had at least one friend and for the most part had a normal childhood. She could feel the pain rolling off of Chris. She wanted to ask about Jack, but didn't want to pry. Instead she put a hand on Chris' arm, she resisted the urge to ease his suffering with her powers, and instead just tried to give a gentle, comforting gesture.

“Yeah, I'm pretty lucky I guess,” Kat admitted. “I stumbled into one of Anthony's dreams by mistake. So he knew about my powers almost immediately. I could feel there was something different about him. Maybe it was part of my Empathy, so we got to talking and we found out we were both Chosen and we both knew about the bond.” Kat gave Chris a mischievous smile. “Why? Are you jealous?” She asked teasing. She was slowly becoming more comfortable around the tall, lighting throwing boy. Plus she assumed the gentle flirting would make him smile.

“Come on! Let's go find you some Dune. I can't have you getting withdrawals on me.” She went with the confidence she was feeling due to Chris's Dr. Sues inspired pep talk and grabbed his hand pulling him toward her favorite spot in the entire world.

When she entered, the lady at the counter gave her a familiar wave and Kat returned the favor. She gave Chris a sheepish grin.

“I sorta come here a lot. It's really neat they have gaming tournaments here from time to time, and the food isn't half bad. And there are all kinds of games to buy, table tops and card games. And of course books,” She realized she was nerding out and blushed and rolled her eyes a little at herself.

“Sorry, I just really like this place.” Why was she always apologizing?

What about you? Do you have super hunter skills or something? With Artemis being the goddess of the hunt, your powers must be much more impressive.” She gave him a wink as she said this.

“Oh! How did you want to go? I have my car if you want or I can ride with you. Whatever you prefer.”

Anthony let out a playful scoff as Aeron listed off her powers and abilities, chuckling a little. "Man, you do have the freedom to do as you please. I envy you a little, to be perfectly honest." he admitted, a smile on his face still. He didn't seem to mind that she liked to talk; he was willing to listen. After all, it's not every day that you get bonded to a person you've never met before yet are stuck with for the rest of your life. Might as well make the most of it.

At Aeron's question Anthony raised his eyebrows and lifted a hand up, lightly tapping one of his canines. "Well, you're close, but not exactly right." He chuckled. With that the hand that tapped his canine flicked out and flame surrounded it, forming the paw of a tiger. "As you can already guess, I'm pretty cat-like in my appearance. Always have been. My canines were always sharp, and I liked Tigers, still do. Anyway, long story short, I can use my aura to heighten my senses, reflexes, strength, and alter my body. As you can see here, my hand is now a paw." He said. With that he lowered his hand and the flames disappeared. "My eyes gained their color because of my powers; it was an added side-effect you could say.

"My aura can also shield me from things....like rain, rocks, the occasional bullet or knife." He shrugged. He then playfully put his arm around Aeron's shoulder and pulled her into a sort of hug. "And if someone is inside my aura, they're protected too, I would assume...haven't tried it yet." he chuckled.

"You have a car? Great! I walk everywhere, so..." He blushed and shrugged; his demeanor still sweet, gentle, and playful. He followed Aeron to her car and opened the driver side for her, closing it after she entered before literally hopping over the car and landing on the other side without a sound, flames around his legs and feet, making them appear cat like for a second before vanishing as he opened the car door and sat in the seat.

"Now, let's see.... which steakhouse to go to..." He contemplated. "Oh! There's Christos Steak House on 23rd Avenue. Some of the best steak in town, and they've got Greek sides. Kinda geeky for a first date, if you wanna call it that, since we were chosen by Greek gods, but.....oh well! Steak awaits!" He says, pointing triumphantly and puffing out his chest as if he were an action hero.

Aeron listened carefully as Anthony talked about his powers. It was an interesting concept. He was not quite a shapeshifter but he did have some super neat abilities. Her's weren't nearly as interesting in retrospect, but he said he was a little envious of her, and that made her feel good. It made getting to work and school and lawyer appointments a snap to be able to blink and be there. The difficult part was getting there all in once piece and without being seen.


"My aura can also shield me from things....like rain, rocks, the occasional bullet or knife." He continued to explain. As he lifted his arm to bring her into a hug, she flinched ever so slightly. It was barely noticeable, but a nasty habit she had. She eased into and laughed with him. "And if someone is inside my aura, they're protected too, I would assume...haven't tried it yet." he chuckled.

“That's pretty impressive! I feel safer already!” She teased. She curtsied playfully as he opened her door for her. As he leaped over her vehicle she laughed and shook her head. He was energetic and pleasant to be around. She could have faired much worse as bonds went.

"Oh! There's Christos Steak House on 23rd Avenue. Some of the best steak in town, and they've got Greek sides. Kinda geeky for a first date, if you wanna call it that, since we were chosen by Greek gods, but.....oh well! Steak awaits!"

Date? Aeron thought. She smiled. She supposed it was. She had never really been on a date before. Between work and school she never had the time for a normal social life. She had only ever had one boyfriend and she ended up breaking things off about three months before because she didn't want to string him along knowing the bond was coming along.

”What are you worried about kiddo? I have it on good authority from Artimis herself that this kid is nothing more than an overgrown kitten with a hot temper. You can tell him I said so.” Aeron chuckled a little.

“Hermes has informed me that your patron goddess has called you an 'overgrown kitten with a hot temper'” Aeron suddenly looked over at her date, worried this would offend him. “He talks a lot, sorry if he says something rude. I can't really deny passing along his messages.” It wasn't long before they were pulling into the steak house. Aeron started calculating her funds, this place looked fancy. She didn't have a lot of extra dough. All her money went to her lawyer as it were.

“This place looks upscale,” she tried her best to keep the worry out of her tone. She flashed a sweet smile to cover it. She straightened her dress and pink hair. At least she was dressed the part.

Anthony gently patted her shoulder gently at her teasing, and chuckled again. As she spoke of what Artemis had told Hermes, a large blush came to his face and he was quiet for a few seconds before awkwardly laughing and clearing his throat. "O-oh really?" he chuckled, "I....guess I am? I could do without the temper, to be honest...but there isn't anything I can do about it....." he admitted.

He chuckled awkwardly again and scratched the back of his neck out of habit. "It's fine....it's what Hermes does; pass messages along." He said. As he saw the steakhouse he smiled and sat forward with interest.

"Don't worry about paying...I have plenty from a job I did earlier this week." He said, seeing the slightly worried look on her face. "Plus, I come here often; they give me a discount." He laughed softly as they pulled into a parking space and he exited the car, walking around to open the door for Aeron and offer her and hand to help her out of her car now.

After they entered, the service at the desk gave Anthony a small knowing nod, and he returned it. Another waiter came up and smiled "Always a pleasure, Anthony! Right this way." With that Anthony hooked his arm in Aeron's and walked with her after the waiter, who took them to a quiet booth in a corner of the steakhouse. "The usual for you, Anthony?" The waiter asked, at Anthony's nod he smiled and wrote it down. "And what will you have, Ma'am?" the waiter asked Aeron with a smile.

After they both ordered, Anthony sat back and yawned, his canines showing again for a second before he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he looked at Aeron. "So....tell me. What made you make your deal with Hermes?" He asked rather calmly. "I can understand if you don't want to tell me; my reason for making the deal with Artemis isn't very....pretty, either." he added softly, but loud enough for her to hear him.

Anthony was so cute, the way he blushed and scratched his head. Aeron smiled at him widely as he explained that he couldn't control his temper.

“It's nothing to be ashamed of. I don't think there is any reason to hide the way you feel. Everyone should just be themselves.”

”You are one to talk, oh-one-of-hiding-everything” She smiled to hide that Hermes was talking to her. She was always hiding everything with a smile.

Aeron flinched again as Anthony linked arms with her, but eased into it. It was a really sweet gesture, and for someone who hadn't ever really been on a real date like this, it felt rather nice. She allowed herself to be lead to the table.

Aeron stared down at the menu. She was having difficulty deciding, she didn't want to cost Anthony too much after he was being kind enough to pay for her. She played with a strand of her deep pink hair as she considered what to get, curling it around her finger.

“Uh... I'll take the 8oz sirloin, medium rare and the mashed potatoes?” She nodded as if to confirm it to herself, and handed the menu back to the server. She looked over at Anthony and he showed his canines and it caused Aeron to smile. She could see where some people would find them really intimidating, but she just found everything about him rather endearing. Was that the bond working? Or was it just her being attracted to him? She had been so guarded around men her entire life because she knew eventually this bond was going to happen. Maybe for the first time she was just allowing herself to realx.

"So....tell me. What made you make your deal with Hermes? I can understand if you don't want to tell me; my reason for making the deal with Artemis isn't very....pretty, either." Anthony said in a low voice. Aeron's heart sank. This wasn't a conversation she had been looking forward to having.

“Oh well I have six sisters. Back then, we were all pretty much identical. I'm the middle child so I never got a lot of attention,” Aeron was taking careful consideration of her face, trying to keep it from looking upset. “So Hermes came to me and offered to make me different, unique. He told me about the bond but being only eight at the time I didn't really care or understand what he was asking of me. I accepted. Since then my hair has been this color!” Aeron said happily. “...and of course I got my powers.” She looked up into Anthony's yellow eyes and considered for a moment telling him about how becoming different had backfired for her. How she was now an outcast in her own home, but thought better of it.

“That makes us kind of similar. You got your eyes and I got my hair,” She winked at him. “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, about your past. I will understand if you don't want to go into it. I am just happy you are here. I'm really glad to have met you.” Aeron said with a slight blush. Anthony really did make her feel safer. Maybe that’s why Hermes sent him to her.

“Of course you can tell me if you want to! I just don't want you to feel pressured.”

The server brought them their food and Aeron started to eat slowly. It had been a while since she had eaten something this rich. It tasted heavenly.

“You weren’t kidding! This is amazing,” She said through a giggle. As the server left she locked eyes with Anthony and asked the question she had really been wanting to ask.

“So how do you feel about this whole bonding business? Were you excited, or nervous? Was it something you were dreading? I just find every one's opinions interesting. So I'm curious.” She knew she sounded weird but waved it off.

Chris smiled. "Jealous? Why would I be jealous? Is there something to be jealous about? The only thing I'm jealous about is that I didn't know you sooner. I bet you were much more awkward when you were younger." Chris smirked, and followed with a slight chuckle. "Ok, no more coffee for you." Chris said as she dragged him inside. Chris gave the lady at the counter a smile, and a flirtatious wink. "Ok, sounds good." Chris replied to Kat's explanation of the place. "Not really interested in card, and table top games though. Just not as exciting to me as a video game, or a comic." Chris stated. He raised a eyebrow over her apologizing.

"Dude seriously, quit apologizing for being yourself. Makes life so much more fun." Chris smirked. He really just couldn't grasp why she was apologizing so much. Chris started to browse around, until he heard Thunderstruck by AC/DC, and felt a vibration on his leg. He took out his IPhone, and saw that Jack was calling him. Yes his ringtone is Thunderstruck, and yes some could consider it a bit corny for a guy who can shoot lightning to have such a ringtone, but he doesn't care, it's a good song. Chris sighed, he's been dodging Jack's calls ever since he left. He isn't quite sure what to say to him. "I better take this." Chris sighed. He pulled his arm away from Kat and walked away.

He slide his finger across the touchscreen to answer. "Yeah?" Chris nervously answered. He knew he had to answer him sometime, and has been dreading it. "About damn time! Where the hell are you?!" Jack answered in a understandably angry tone. "Right now? On Earth. They haven't made space travel quite commercially available yet." Chris smirked. "Ha, ha, you're so funny Christy. Where are you?! I've been worried sick! I'm gonna kick your ass when I see you again you selfish little....""Such a way with words. And you never could take me. It's a little embarrassing if I might add." Chris interrupted. "Shut up. Just tell me where you are." Jack demanded, he was beginning to calm down.

"I'm in New York if you must know." Chris begrudgingly answered. "New York? Why the hell....whatever, I'll be on the first flight." Jack stated. "I can take care of myself." Chris argued. "I know that, you're my baby brother, I'm always going to worry. Especially when you can power an entire city. I'm coming, that's the end of it." "I said no! There's things going on that I don't want you apart of." Chris interjected. "What's going on? Are you in trouble? Let me help." Jack pleaded. Chris sighed, and wiped his hand across his face. "No, I'm fine. It's just.....I can't tell you." Chris said. "We've had each others back since the beginning. You can tell me anything." Jack stated. "I know....it's complicated. Just trust me on this. Please don't come." Chris pleaded.

"You know I can't promise that. You're the only thing I got, and whether you like it or not you're stuck with me." Jack said in a calm voice. "I....I know. Just....I can't explain right now, I'll call you later. Just don't come here, ok?" Chris asked as he rubbed his eyes. "Fine. I'll wait. But you're not talking me out of this." Jack stated. "Alright, bye." Chris said before he hung up. Chris sighed.

Kat tried her best not to listen in but she caught bits and pieces of the conversation, that and the stress she felt coming from Chris she knew it wasn't a good phone call. Was that Jack he had been talking to? She needed a way to cheer him up, make him stress less. She wasn't the kind of person to pry into someone's life. She darted around the store, she knew it like her own room and found a Doom boxset. She discreetly bought the set and thanked the lady at the counter. As Chris was getting off of the phone she jumped from behind one the shelves.

“Guess what lightning shooting hunk is the new owner of a hardback boxset?” Kat said enthusiastically. She presented it from her bag in front of him and smiled widely.

“I hope this will keep all those nasty withdraws in check, because I rather like having you around.” she handed it to him.

“I'm not sure what's going on, but my super power kinda tells me when something is off. You don't have to tell me about it, but you can if you want. I think all of the chosen have it kind of rough. No pressure.”She coughed, clearing her throat and working up her courage. “But if you want, you could come over sometime, I have the PS4 so if you haven't gotten to play that you could...” She was blushing again, but at least now she was holding a conversation. She would need to seriously clean up her room if she was going to let Chris come over. Right now it was littered with empty bags of snacks, dirty clothes and cords every where.

“My dad is basically never home, so I kind of have the place to myself. Except Sundays.” Kat didn't explain why Sundays were off limits.

Lewis Hartley

She was far shorter then Lewis who stood at an easy six feet and it made him feel very much so like a giant. She had soft features Lewis felt her hand slide from his now realizing for the first time that he had been the one gripping unto hers. "Seraphina Antoniou, the chosen of Hera. Pleased to be acquainted with you..?" Hera. he made a mental note.

"Lewis Hartley, Aphrodite’s chosen.” Taking a step back he rolled his shoulders, suddenly finding everything to be constricting and tense. ”I don’t believe I seen you at the beginning of all this." Crossing his arms."Hiding in the back?" He added with a smirk.

Lewis had no interest in taking this newfound and unwanted relationship anywhere but he wasn’t about to leave unprovoked. There was no reason for him to part ways; he had no plans for several hours at the least and guessed it wouldn’t be too hard to simply take his leave if he wanted to. The only real issue he was facing was the strange feeling he had at his core. There was no clear answer for it and Aphrodite blatantly blew him off when he asked about it. He concluded that it related to the bond so for now all he could do was ignore it and hope it goes away.

Anthony listened calmly as she explained her reason for taking the deal with Hermes and he nodded understandingly. "I see..... well, you seem to have gotten what you wanted. I still had to work for my-" Then she asked him the question as to his own past and he paused for a second, waiting until the food had been brought to them and the server left them in quiet.

"Well...you told me, so I guess I owe you...." He looked around to make sure no one was listening and cleared his throat, scooting closer to Aeron and speaking low.

"My parents thought I was a monster when I was a child; my teeth frightened them, and they locked me in a cage for most of my life. When Artemis came, well, I got my powers, but I stayed there, thinking that my parents would change their minds about me, but they only shunned me more because of my eyes. For three years I begged for their love....for three years I grew closer to Artemis and mastered my powers." he explained calmly. Every now and then he paused to put a piece of food is mouth and eat it.

"I escaped, and lived on my own from then on until I moved into the apartment I'm living in now with two people who hardly know I exist, which is fine, 'cause they wouldn't understand me anyway." He chuckled softly, sadness in the undertone of his chuckle.

"But, yea, that's all about me... As for how I felt about the Bond, well..." He smiled and scooted away from Aeron just a tad so he had some elbow room to eat. He swallowed down his last piece of steak and continued. "I didn't feel anything about it until it was happening; at that point fear filled me, and I thought it would be another cage; not being able to do everything I want. But now.....I'm rethinking it." He said softly, an undertone of happiness and playfulness returning to his voice as it was his turn to wink at Aeron.

He found her stunningly beautiful; crazy pink hair and all, and enjoyed her presence; it filled him with energy he usually never had, and he felt complete....Wait..what? What was this? Love? Already? He barely met her! Oh man this Bond stuff was weird...... And it wasn't that bad.

Anthony blinked himself back to reality and smiled at Aeron; not knowing what else to say at the moment as the two ate their food together.