“But you’re like a god. I mean you’re our god, or goddess, or whatever. Can’t you do whatever you want?” Axel inquired.
Looking around, Dana saw the same looks of curiosity and confusion on most faces. Glancing at Max, Dana noted she alone had a look of resignation and understanding. Recalling how little Mordecai had known of their theology, Dana did not blame everyone for their lack of understanding. “It is not so simple. I am a part of the Triumvirate. I am one of the original three entities in the cosmos – in reality. I am bound by rules of my own making.”
“The Triumvirate? It’s real? And you’re one of them?” Darius asked, standing up from his seat at the table. “I’ve read about the Big Three but I thought it was just a myth.”
“The Big Three?” Dana’s lips twitched, knowing Tempus and Tanda would get a kick out of the name.
Darius flushed, looking at his brother. “That’s what Dex used to call them when he read me stories when I was a child.”
“It is,” Dex admitted. “I’d forgotten. Or rather, I had believed them to be bedtime fables.”
“They are not fables,” Dana admitted.
“Okay, for those of us who have never heard the word Triumvirate in their lives – what the hell is it?” Ryker piped up.
“Mother Nature. Father Time. And Death,” Darius supplied.
“Did you just say Death? And Father Time? They’re real?” Ryker asked, eyes wide.
“They are. We three were the first of our kind,” Dana said.
“Uncle Tempus and Uncle Tanda are cool,” Max offered into the silence of the room. “I didn’t always remember them, but I have since I regained my memory this last time.”
“Uncle Death?” Ryker wheezed in disbelief.
Dana was amused because they had all come such a long way in treating her more like family than a deity. But apparently learning there was a Grim Reaper and a Father Time was still a lot to take in. “Other planes have other rulers of course – other gods and goddesses – but the Triumvirate are the original. It is a huge responsibility and not one I can simply ignore in favour of just doing whatever I want.”
Silence reigned for several moments before Beyden raised his hand. “Uh, you said other gods and other planes of existence.”
Dana smiled and nodded at the gentle beast paladin. Dana found him endlessly endearing. “Yes, there are other Gods and Goddesses, including the God,” she said in answer to his question.
“Greek gods? Roman gods? Wiccan gods? All real?” Lark peppered her with questions.
Dana shrugged negligently. “Sure. They are not all involved with this world in the here and now, but yes – all real.”
“Zeus? Zeus is real?” Lark was getting excited.
Dana rolled her eyes, “That guy? Yes, he is real – a real prick. Truly, if you ever want a lesson in arrogance, just ask Zeus.”
“I bet this is what a stroke feels like,” Darius commented. Diana patted him on the back in a comforting way, but even she looked shocked by the revelations.
“Anyway,” Max said, clapping her hands and gaining everyone’s attention. “The point is, if mum stays here and crosses the line like she did before she will be subject to the same punishments as she was before.”
“Punishment? What the fuck do you mean punishment?”
Chapter Nine
After cooling his jets for a while, Mordecai and his Order had driven back to Max’s home for the evening meal. He and his brothers had officially moved out just two nights prior. The HQ was by no means complete, but his set of rooms on the upper floor was set up enough to house him and his paladins. It wasn’t that he didn’t love being around Max and her family, but he was a more reserved individual and he valued his space. Something that was in short supply at Max’s home. The HQ had been designed with three storeys, the top level being reserved for a series of suites for the IDC as they travelled in and out of the country. Mordecai’s wing of five bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and three bathrooms was going to be a permanent home for him and his Order. For the first time in memory, Aiden, Bastien, Tobias, and Madigan would have their own bedrooms. Everyone was very excited, even though the rooms only consisted of beds for now.
After an aggravating drive where he was forced to endure teasing from his Order about the kiss he shared with