Hades Ain't Got Nothing on Us

Ch. 8 - Hob or Nob

At 5:55 p.m., Rob stood in awe of Sephy's phenomenal mansion. He looked down at the driveway, whose acanthus tiles reminded him of the floor of a Roman bath house. Its Mediterranean style gave the home an old world charm, which was somehow undiminished by the modern solar-paneled roof and domed glass tower. With so much to admire, Rob was grateful that he'd padded his schedule with an extra five minutes.

To the right viewer, all the subtle nuances of the home pointed to the identity of its inhabitants. The unique frieze was sculpted with bas-reliefs of deer, wolves, swans, bulls, serpents and sheafs of grain. A row of potted hyacinths mounted on the front door, no doubt a shrine to Leo's former flame, confirmed that he was at the right address.

Side by side, Sephy and Anna greeted Rob in the doorway. Rob tried to avoid the searching scowl on Anna's face, which was easy given the alternative view Sephy was providing. For the first time ever, she was nothing but happy to see Rob.

It was freeing to have someone not from her world know the secret she'd been unable to speak for thousands of years. The best part was that she no longer had to pretend she didn't like him, though she was never convincing about that. Lying was not one of her strong suits.

"Since I still have all my arms and legs, I assume everyone was okay with being discovered?"

"On the contrary, we were impressed, Robert." Anna spoke mischievously through her steepled fingers. She did not hug Rob or shake his hand, but she stepped aside to let him into the house. "This is for all of you."

Rob presented Anna with a framed black and white photograph of the Santa Monica pier. It was almost as tall as her.

"I hope you like it; you guys are hard to shop for."

"It's stunning," Anna commented with a note of reluctance.

Effortlessly, she balanced the print on the mantle in the living room. She wasted no time planting herself in the tallest armchair, on tenterhooks to subject Rob to the third degree.

Clearly, she was not entirely relaxed at the idea of Rob in their home. Sephy gestured Rob to sit.

"Is that one of Allison's?" she asked.

"Yes, it is. I think she could make a name for herself one day."

"I've seen her art," Anna stated factually. "Are you as talented as she?"

"Rob is a musician. He writes his own songs," answered Sephy. "Artistry runs in the family. Please thank your sister for us, Rob."

"She'll be happy it has a home as unique as yours. Did Leo design it?" "How did you know?"

Leo sauntered down the hallway, with Deion close behind.

"I guessed from the hyacinths, and the laurels in the yard."

"You did your research," Leo complimented.

"I couldn't believe you put it together," Deion admitted. "It's quite an accomplishment."

"The credit goes to the sculpture of Leo. The resemblance was so uncanny it might as well have been himself standing there and slapping me in the face."

"True, but we have been there on many occasions, seen dozens of field trips in progress. Hundreds of patrons breeze through those halls everyday, but few people your age really look at the pieces," Leo said.

"I know that if Cliff and his friends were there," Anna scorned, "all they would have studied would be the female nudes."

As she said that, Cliff fell over from an invisible kick to his crotch fifteen miles away in his home. Anna continued without missing a beat.