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S imi sat at a table in Savitar’s kitchen with Tory who was feeding crackers to baby Bas. Akra-Danger and akri-Lexi were here, along with Xirena, akri, and akri’s daughter Katra and her husband Sin, and their little girl, Mia.

Urian, an ex-Daimon akri had saved, walked in and sat down beside Katra. Ever since akri had returned Urian to life, he’d been part of their family, too. He even lived in the temple in Katateros with them. Simi thought of him as another big brother, even though she was pretty sure he was younger. There was just something about Urian that seemed older than he was.

And he was old. Almost as old in ages as akri.

It’d been a long time since they were all together like this. Sin and Katra lived in Las Vegas where Sin had a casino. And though Simi was glad they were happy there, she wished she saw her baby sissy more, ’cause Kat was a lot of fun and so was her little girl, Mia.

Sadly, they mostly spent holidays together.

Or, like today, plotting ways to avert the end of the world.

Savitar appeared in the middle of the room with akri-Styxx by his side. He looked around their group and shook his head.

“They’re not going to wait all day,” Savitar warned akri. “We need to get moving.”

“I know, but as I was reviewing the situation with everyone and trying to come up with an alternate plan that didn’t leave Styxx hacked into little bloody pieces, Urian reminded me that we were missing a most vital member of the team.” Akri pinned his gaze on Styxx. “The quarterback who actually went up against the Atlantean gods centuries ago and beat the shit out of them.”

Styxx shrugged at the group. “Since no one has bothered to tell me what I’m heading into, I’ve got nothing. I still don’t know why I’m here.”

Akri looked at Simi who blushed and grinned sheepishly. Poor Styxx had no idea what she’d done. Or that she’d done it while trying to make him happy.

Pursing her lips, Simi tried to explain everything. “Well, see, akri-Styxx, it all started when the Simi decided she was gonna give you the promise for your birthday for Christmas. See?”

He scowled. “Clear as a two-hundred-mile-an-hour sandstorm.”

Akri gave a low, sinister laugh. “Simi decided to wake up the Atlantean gods for you.”

Styxx’s jaw fell open. “Wait … what? Why?”

Simi sighed heavily as she still regretted everything that had happened. Nothing had worked out the way she intended. “Well see, it wasn’t supposed to be all them gods who woke up. It was only supposed to be the one. But she won’t get up. Lots of them others got up and got ugly, fast, and the Simi still don’t know why the only one I tried to wake keeps sleeping when it’s so important she get up and talk. It’s all so confusing.”

Before Styxx could comment, Sin turned toward Savitar. “I have two gods and a demigod requesting permission to enter your home and join our planning session. Can I let them in?”

Savitar gave him a look that questioned his sanity. “Who?”

“My brother, Seth, and your least favorite god of all time.”

Savitar arched a brow. “Noir?”

“Second least favorite,” Sin quickly amended.

Savitar made a sound of supreme disgust. “I thought that bastard was dead.”

“Apparently not.”

A tic started in Savitar’s jaw. “Why?”

Sin shrugged. “I have no idea why he’s not dead. But they say they can help with this.”

Hands on his hips, Savitar glared at akri and then Kat. “Apollymi owes me. Big. And so do you.” He looked back at Sin and gave a curt nod. “Tell them fine. They can enter, even if it chafes me to my soul.”

Simi wasn’t exactly sure what was going on as the god Set appeared beside akri with a man identical in looks to Sin—only with longer black hair. Oh! She’d had no idea Sin was a twin like her akri.

Those two also had a third man with them with curly, red hair. His features were very similar to Set’s. So much so that she wondered if he wasn’t the son who’d been held in Azmodea long ago. The one akri-Jaden still had guilt over.

The Sin twin laughed and nudged Set to look at akri-Styxx. “Now there’s a photo op expression if ever there was one.”

With a wry grin, the god Set transformed into the form of another man. One akri-Styxx seemed to know. “Over four thousand years ago, Apollo and his whore mother used my son Seth,” he indicated the red-haired man with them, “to trap me in the desert without his knowledge of what was being done to him and why and restricted my powers so that the Greeks could take over my pantheon and hand my son over to my bitterest enemy. But for you, Styxx, I’d still be there, chained in the desert, fighting off vultures—human and animal.” He glanced to his son and his gaze softened instantly. “And my son would still be hating me for something I tried my best to spare him.”

“Why didn’t you tell me it was you when I freed you?” akri-Styxx asked.

“You were in enough anguish over Bethany. I didn’t want to make it worse when I didn’t think I could do anything to fix it or help you. Especially after you did me such a massive favor by setting me free.”

Set inclined his head to Sin’s brother. “Zakar and I were allies back in the day, which was why I had you take me to his place to recuperate after you found me in the desert. Since you left, we’ve been trying to find a way to revive my daughter without awakening the other Atlanteans.”

Oh …

Simi cringed as she realized that they would have done what she tried to do. Only they would have probably succeeded and not bungled it so badly.

Styxx scowled at them. “But Bethany was Egyptian, not Atlantean.”

“From me, yes. Her mother is Symfora.”

The Atlantean goddess of sorrow. Simi remembered her well. She was one of the nicer Atlanteans. Mostly because she was always so sad that she left everyone else alone.

“Bethany is Bet’anya Agriosa?” Styxx asked.

Set nodded. “For an obvious reason, she was scared to tell you the truth. She was so afraid you couldn’t forgive her for what they did to you without her knowledge or approval, that she was planning to give up her godhood entirely, in both pantheons, to live a mortal life with you in Didymos. Her aunt had already mixed the serum that would have stripped her of everything so she could be with you and not hurt you.”

Simi gaped as she heard those words. Giving up a godhood was no small thing. Akra-Bet must have really loved Styxx to do such a thing.

“I wouldn’t have cared about that.” Styxx’s voice trembled. “I would never have held the actions of others against Bethany.”

“Good,” Seth said. “Because if you want her back, you’re going to have to bleed Apollo and battle the worst of the Atlantean gods for her.”

“And you’re not going to fight without us.” Maahes and Cam flashed into the room, next to Savitar who cursed at their appearance.

Stunned, Simi stepped back. The last goddess she expected to appear here was Cam. Although, she was Set’s sister and Bethany’s aunt. Still …

What have I done?

Cam had gone by many names over the centuries. The worst was Menyara where the goddess had set up Cherise Gautier to birth Nick. Cam had ruined the poor woman’s life and caused Cherise to die horribly at the hands of Daimons.

Poor Nick. He’d never get over the death of his mother. No more than Simi had ever gotten over hers.

Savitar growled. “Anyone else you want to bring to the party?”

Maahes grinned insolently. “Mother, may I?”

The look on Savitar’s face said that Maahes was barely a step away from becoming a lion throw rug on Savitar’s floor.

Cam stood up on her tiptoes to place a kiss to Savitar’s cheek. “Remember, you like me.”

“I don’t like anyone who barges into my home uninvited, Mennie.”

“You’ll get over it.” Tiny and thin, Cam had long black braids and beautiful dark skin. She turned her attention to the group. “All right, children. Catch us up?”

“From what I’m hearing … screwed.” Styxx crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m going to be dense for a moment because I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this…. Bethany can be brought back. Yes?”

Cam and Set nodded.

Simi winced at the agony that appeared in his blue eyes. It was obvious that akri-Styxx was angry over all the centuries he’d been forced to live without his Bethany.

He turned to glare at akri. “Why didn’t anyone tell me this before?”

Akri held his hands up in surrender. “I had no idea your Bethany was Bet’anya or that she was in my basement garden of statues. That’s the truth. I was a little distraught and disoriented eleven thousand years ago when my mother took me to Katateros the first time. After I teleported their statues to the basement and Simi told me who they were, I locked the door and never went near that area again.”

Styxx looked at Set and Cam. “Why didn’t one of you tell me?”

Cam tsked. “Sugar, every one of us thought she was dead. Believe me, had we known she was frozen in Katateros, we’d have freed her for all of our sakes.”

“Well, we would have tried.” Set sighed. “Probably would have failed. It was the alignment on the twenty-first that made this possible. That, and the demon.” He turned his gaze to Simi.

Hating to be put on the spot, Simi flashed a happy smile at akri-Styxx. “I told you wishes can come true, akri-Styxx, and not just at Disney World. The real world does a good job, too, sometimes.”

Akri frowned at Simi’s familiarity with his brother. “When did you two become friends?”

She wrinkled her nose at him. Little did akri know, she kept a lot of secrets. “On your birthdays, akri. Did you know akri-Styxx don’t gots no one to spend his special day with? He all alone on it, and so the Simi went to apologize and make him her friend, too, so he won’t be alone on his special days anymore. But he done broke the Simi’s heart so now he my other akri-baby like Baby Bas and akra-Kat. The Simi has officially adapted him … no … adopted him.” She grinned so wide, her fangs flashed.

Instead of being angry, akri laughed and kissed her cheek. Then, he turned back toward his brother. “All right, Styxx. Your show. How do we do this?”

Styxx glanced around the room at them. “Still the sole human here. I don’t know what we’re up against or who we’re fighting. I need more details.”

Akri spread his hands out and a schematic of his temple appeared on the wall that showed the basement and the statues housed there.

As he spoke, the animation illustrated his words. “A dozen gods woke up while Simi was in the basement with Xirena, looking for Bet’anya, apparently as a birthday present for you. Since I was in Vegas with Sin and Katra fighting off gallu demons, and Tory was with my mother in Kalosis, the Simi and her sister were left alone to create well-intentioned mischief. As soon as the gods began to stir, Xirena ran to tell Alexion and Danger. The three of them grabbed Simi and escaped here to Savitar to let him know what had happened.”

“That’s when they called me in Minnesota,” Urian said. “And told me not to come home for a few days as we had ancient interlopers in Katateros who most likely would not host me a Welcome Back party. And none of them had better be playing on my Playstation.”

Akri sighed. “We’re also flying blind.” He motioned to his wall decoration. “We have that tidbit based on Simi’s recollection. After Simi and crew vacated the premises, Archon and the others have blocked out our sforas. None of us can see where they are or anything inside the main temple. We don’t know exactly how many gods are awake or what they’re doing.”

“Do we know who we’re up against at all?” Styxx asked.

Akri glanced to Simi before he answered. “We’re not one hundred percent sure. Because Simi was an infant when they ruled, she’s a little iffy on some of their identities and she was the only one who got a look at all of them. Best we can figure, it’s …” He again turned to the images on the wall—one of which looked more like Wreck-It Ralph than an actual god. “Dikastis, Ilos, Isorro, Asteros, Epithymia, Diafonia, Nyktos, Paidi, Teros, Phanen, Demonbrean, and we know for a fact Archon is with them as he’s the one we’ve been talking to. And of course everyone’s favorite dickhead, Apollo.”

Styxx let out an exasperate breath. “Beautiful. My ideal guest list … for a fete in hell.”

Simi felt terrible for him, but she understood. They were horrible gods.

Styxx went over them for the others so that they’d know who they were fighting. Unlike Simi, he knew the names and faces of every one of them … even Wreck-It Ralph AKA Demonbrean. Though to be honest, Simi preferred calling him Wreck-It Ralph.

Styxx used akri’s diagram of the gods he’d named to highlight each one. “Apollo’s not a problem. He’s an effing idiot when it comes to things like this. And he’s a bully with no courage who will back down to someone more powerful. He won’t be leading a charge but will stay back until he can land a punch from safety. Unfortunately, Archon isn’t any of that. He’s sharp and deadly. Vindictive as hell. Brutal. But out of the list, Epithymia and Asteros”—he highlighted them—“are the two we have to neutralize immediately. Do not underestimate them, especially Epithymia. She is absolutely lethal.”

He swept his gaze around the room’s occupants. “And whatever you do, do not let her touch you … Demonbrean is even dumber than Apollo, but he’s also the size of an effing house. His skin is armored, and he lives to crush things. Treat him like a python and don’t let him get his arms around you. Dikastis will hang back to get the lay of the situation and might not fight us at all. The rest are followers. Lethal, but pawns nonetheless. They were servants for Misos in war and only did what they were told to do. You take out Archon and they will stand down … Now what do we know of their demands?”

Savitar laughed bitterly. “Because I was their Chthonian, Archon contacted me, not knowing my relationship with the Grom. They want Acheron as a sacrifice so that they can use his blood and heart to bring back the rest of their merry band, except for Bethany. Archon blames her for this, as if he wasn’t the one who caused Acheron to be cursed … what were you telling me about his intelligence?”

“Steadfast denial is not the same as intelligence.” Styxx rubbed at his eyebrow. “Just out of curiosity, what was the game plan you had once you sent me in to die, and they discovered my blood and heart couldn’t bring back their dead?”

Savitar shrugged nonchalantly. “Buy us time to gather enough Chthonians to take them down.”

Simi was aghast that Savitar had planned to sacrifice poor akri-Styxx. That was awful!

And Styxx didn’t look very pleased either. “Thank the gods none of you were among my military advisors. We’d have had our asses handed to us,” he mumbled under his breath. Then louder, “Are they at full strength?”

Akri shrugged. “No idea.”

“Let’s assume yes.” Styxx ran over the facts. “So our numbers are basically even. The weakest link in our group is me…. What are our strengths?”

Simi opened her coffin purse and pulled out her barbecue sauce. “Demons ready to eat, Sir Akri-Styxx! Gimme!”

Laughing at her enthusiasm, akri jerked his chin toward his other daughter. “I don’t want Katra in harm’s way, but she’s a siphon.”

“I’m also a trained soldier, Dad.” Kat rolled her eyes at akri then looked at her husband, Sin, and warned him with her gaze not to say a word. She turned toward Styxx. “I was my mother’s primary kori, and unlike my seriously overprotective father and husband, she?—”

“Put her ass in harm’s way all the time with a blatant disregard for her safety that still pisses me off,” Sin growled.

Kat smiled and cupped his cheek. “Yes, baby, but had she not been so careless, I wouldn’t have you. Now would I?”

He grumbled under his breath.

“What else do we have that they won’t know about?” Styxx asked.

Set folded his arms over his chest. “For thousands of years, my son was the High Guardian for Noir in Azmodea.”

Seth nodded. “I’m used to battling angry gods. I can also get us a bird’s-eye view of anything you need. What I use, they can’t block.”

“We also have this.” Urian held up a shiny necklace Simi had never seen before.

Set’s eyes widened with recognition. “How did you get that?”

Urian snorted. “My enemy’s enemy is my best friend. We borrowed it from my father who was more than happy to lend it and wants us to tie it in a bow around Apollo’s neck.”

Simi was surprised by that. Urian’s father was Apollo’s son that akra-Apollymi had saved all those centuries ago.

“What is that?” Styxx asked.

Set laughed, low and evil, and made no moves to touch it. “The Eye of Verlyn. That will deplete the powers of any god it comes into direct contact with.”

Yikes! Simi didn’t like the sound of that.

Styxx looked at it with a new respect. “For how long?”

“As soon as it touches them, they’re wiped. Then it depends on how long it’s on their body and how strong they are. Too long, it’ll kill them.”

Styxx smiled. “Does it work on just full-bloods or any other species?”

Set shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Well, there was only one way to find out. Simi grabbed her sister and put her hand on it.

“Hey!” Xirena snapped. “What are you doing?”

Finding out the answer. “You still gots power, sissy?”

Xirena shot a blast of fire at her.

Grinning and ducking, Simi looked at Styxx and let go of Xirena. “It don’t work on us.”

Urian laughed. “I’m only a quarter demigod, and it doesn’t seem to affect me.”

“I think I’m the only true demi here.” Seth bravely took it into his hand and waited. After a couple of minutes, he shook his head. “No effect on me, either.”

Styxx hesitated. “Since my powers are borrowed from Apollymi, I’m not chancing it. We’ll assume I need to stay clear of it. Urian, let’s leave it in your custody.”

As Urian tucked it away, Styxx looked at Set. “Can the stone be broken apart or duplicated?”

Set shook his head. “Not without destroying it.”

“Would the stone just suck out your god powers and leave the rest intact?” Styxx asked akri.

“That’s what usually happens. Why? You thinking of giving me an early Christmas present?”

“Don’t distract or tempt me.” Styxx swept his gaze over all of them. “My most important question of all … Where’s my Bethany?”

As akri-Styxx reached for the doorknob with Simi by his side, Katra placed her hand on his arm. “I know we’re not friends, Styxx, but I’d rather you not go in there alone. Someone should be with you.”

“How are you Artemis’s daughter?” he asked in a quiet tone.

Kat smiled. “She’s not as bad as you think… Apollo, however, is probably worse.”

Standing on his other side, the Simi leaned in to whisper in his ear, “We’ll be super quiet. Akri-Styxx won’t even know we’re there.”

Urian put his hand on Styxx’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. What happens happens, and we won’t think anything about it. We’ll just be here for you if you need us.”

Because this was the first time akri-Styxx would see his Bethany. And he didn’t need to do it alone.

With a grim nod, he offered them a tenuous smile. “Thank you both.” Then, he opened the bedroom door.

The floor-to-ceiling windows were open, letting in the soft ocean breeze. But it was the huge, canopied bed in the center of the room that was most important. White linen drapes were pulled back with gold cords, obscuring the woman in the bed.

This was where Simi had brought Bethany when the Atlanteans had rushed her on Katateros. She figured this was the safest place for the goddess to stay until they found a way to wake her for akri-Styxx.

His hands trembling, Styxx pulled the covers back and saw the blood that was still on her white gown from where Apollymi had taken their baby from the goddess’s belly all those centuries ago.

Throwing his head back, he howled in pain, then gathered her body into his arms. “Beth?” he breathed against her cheek as he cradled her head to his shoulder. “Please come back to me. Please. I need you so …”

The goddess didn’t move or breathe and that made Simi ache for both of them. How terrible to need someone so much and not be able to have them. She couldn’t imagine anything worse.

Tears choked Simi. Why were those other monster gods up and around and not her? It didn’t make sense.

And it wasn’t right.

Why couldn’t she wake the goddess for akri-Styxx? He was a good man who deserved to be happy. Simi didn’t like the rules of this game.

It should be fair and it wasn’t.

Her heart breaking, she sniffed as akri joined them.

Without a word, he went to his brother and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Kat took her hand and led her from the room so that akri and Styxx could be alone.

She didn’t really want to leave, but Katra was right. Styxx needed his brother and akri needed his. This was a time for them to come together again and be a family.

Katra returned to her husband while Simi stayed out in the hallway. She wanted to help but didn’t know how.

Especially when she heard Styxx’s angry bellow. “I hate you.”

Akri answered those words with a heartfelt sorrow that made her tears fall down her cheeks. “I know, brother … I know. I wish more than anything that I could take it all back. Everything. That I’d listened to and followed the advice I gave to others. I hurt you and I abandoned you and it was wrong. I was wrong and I am so incredibly sorry for everything I’ve done.”

“Why can’t I just hate you?”

“Because you’re a better man than I am. You always were.”

But that wasn’t true, and Simi knew it. They were family. Even in pain and grief. Even when the world did its best to break them, they were brothers.

Family stuck together. Through thick and thin. Just like her and her siblings. Sure, they fought. Sometimes they were really nasty to each other.

But in the end, they knew that they’d fight and bleed for one another.

Forever.

That was family, and that was the most important thing in all the world.

And akri confirmed that. “I will never turn my back on you again, brother. I?—”

“Don’t make a promise you might not keep.”

It would kill akri if he did. As an Atlantean god, he had to keep all his promise.

She heard Styxx’s low laugh through the door. “But at least you finally got a decent haircut.”

Simi shook her head. While Styxx might like akri’s shorter hair, she didn’t. He’d worn his hair long for centuries.

Even though he’d done it for charity to celebrate Bas’s first birthday, it was still strange-looking on him.

The two of them kept talking to the point that Simi felt awkward standing alone in the hallway. Maybe she shouldn’t be eavesdropping.

Just as she started away, she heard a peculiar crackling sound as if someone else had teleported into the room.

“I think we startled her more than she startled us,” Styxx said in his deeper tone.

Akri sighed. “What are you doing here?”

Simi gasped as a woman answered and not just any woman.

The heifer goddess, Artemis. “That’s just … not right. Say something else so I know which of you is Acheron.”

“What, Artemis?”

“There’s that irritated tone I loathe.” She paused a moment before she spoke again. “I have brought you presents.”

Simi’s brows shot up at those words. Always beware a Greek bearing gifts, especially when it was a god.

“Why?” akri asked.

“You’re going up against my brother and the rest of those animals … I want you to win, and make him bleed. A lot. Buckets and buckets full until it gushes and fills the entire hall.”

“Should I be afraid of the bloodlust?” Styxx asked.

“I’m terrified of her. What did Apollo do, Artie?”

“He attacked Nicholas while he was weakened. I will not have it. Since I’m not powerful enough to harm my brother on my own, I want you two to kick his leg.”

Kick his leg? Simi repeated silently as she tried to make sense of that.

“You mean ass, Artie?”

Oh … Simi shook her head. The heifer could never get her sayings right. She messed them up all the time. So much so that it made akri crazy.

“Whatever body part pleases you. You can’t kill him, but you can make him suffer. Long. Hard. Pitifully. I gave Savitar an assortment of weapons I dipped in the River Styx. It will weaken Apollo to the point he’ll be as a mortal. If I were you, I’d castrate him slowly and with a great deal of?—”

“Grammy! Grammy!”

Simi laughed at the sound of Mia breaking in. Amused, she cracked open the door to see the dark-haired four-year-old leap into Artemis’s arms. She was so beautiful. The top of her frou-frou dress bulged with pink-and-white cloth flowers, some of which decorated the long, poofy, yellow tulle skirt. Her legs were covered with matching pink leggings and pink patent leather shoes. Mia was even wearing a pair of munchkin-sized, pink tulle fairy wings that Kat had made for her so that she could match Simi’s resting wings.

Her rant instantly forgotten, Artemis gave the child a giant hug as she picked her up. “Mia Bella! How is my precious today?”

The little girl squealed. “Gamma, Gamma, Gamma, guess what? Guess what! The Simi gonna put hornays on my head like hers and Pappas’s. And she said that I could pick any color I want and that they’d be on all the time, and they can glow in the dark, too.”

That was true. Simi had offered to do it so that Mia would have beautiful hornays like hers.

Bug-eyed, Artemis looked horrified.

Akri laughed and rubbed Mia’s back. “How about if Simi makes you a pair that can come off?”

Pfft on that. Akri always spoiled her fun.

Mia wrinkled her nose at him. “Pappas! No! I want real ones. Like you and Simi and Xireni.”

Artemis screwed her face up at Mia. “You know Pappas only has those when he’s mad, right?”

Mia’s eyes widened. “Really?”

They both nodded.

Mia’s attention finally went to Styxx. Her eyes widened. “Who cloned Pappas?” she whispered loudly.

Akri smiled. “He’s my brother … your grand uncle Styxx.”

Mia launched herself into Styxx’s arms so that she could kiss him. “You look just like my Pappas.” Then she put her hands on his cheeks and rubbed noses with him. “That’s how Charonte say hello. But only if they like you. Otherwise, they eat you with ketchup or barbecue sauce, or if they’re like my uncle Xed, jalapenos which are really hot, too.”

Simi gasped as she realized how much attention Mia paid to her whenever the Simi ate with the little cherub angel. She knew exactly how Simi and her sibs likes their foodies!

Aww! It caused her heart dance in her chest. She’d always loved Mia before, but this …

This made Simi want her own baby.

Artemis pulled Mia back into her arms and tickled her. “Don’t scare your uncle the first time you meet him, silly belle.”

Kat and Sin came into the room making irritated, yet relieved parental sounds.

“Sorry.” Kat took her daughter from Artemis. “She got off the chain when we took our eyes away from her for three seconds. She must have sensed you were here, Mom.” Hugging Artemis, she gave her a kiss on the cheek as Sin took his daughter from Kat.

Mia made an adorable face at her father. “Am I in trouble, Daddy?”

“No, baby girl. But you shouldn’t vanish like that without telling us where you’re going. You scared me and your mom terribly.”

Those words reminded her of Thorn all those centuries ago when Simi had gone to visit him, and he’d been afraid akri would be angry.

Some things never changed. And for that, she was grateful.

Sin kissed the top of her head. “You do have to go back to Aunt Tory and Aunt Danger and stay with them for a bit, okay?”

She pouted adorably and nodded.

Artemis stopped Sin before he could leave with Mia. “Grammy will be by in a little bit to read her baby belle a story, okay?”

Mia grinned and bounced. “Can we ride in your deer chariot, too?”

“Only if Mommy and Daddy say it’s okay … and you’ll have to put on a sweater.” Artemis gave her a big hug and kiss. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She nodded then went rigid in Sin’s arms. “Wait! Wait! Pappas!”

Smiling, akri gave her a tight squeeze. “I, too, will be back as soon as I can.”

“Then we’ll watch Megamind !”

Simi cringed at the thought. While she loved that movie, they watched it at least four times a day whenever Mia was with them. She just couldn’t get enough of the blue alien.

“Sure, baby.”

Mia planted a loud, wet kiss on akri’s cheek. Then Kat took her back from Sin. “I’ll return her to her closet and lock her in.”

Sin kissed the top of Mia’s head before he turned back to them. “Really sorry for the intrusion.” He followed after his wife and daughter.

Simi stepped back and closed the door, then headed toward the kitchen where the others were. They had a lot to do and time for them was running out.