Villain at Night *Third Book To Hero by Day

Chapter 16 - A date with your Damsel

"Hercules, huh? That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn – there he is."

~ Percy Jackson (Son of Poseidon)

:Aden:

Tonight was the big night. I left Olly's mom's rehearsal dinner early just for this. I didn't even tell him who I was meeting, but I think he got the gist.

"Hello, sir." I smiled at Detective Pearson's stone gaze.

Meeting Detective Pearson without my Kratos costume on felt a little more than weird. I was no longer a superhero with enumerated abilities. I was only Aden Dashner, a nerdy freshman with a crush on the sweetest girl in school.

Detective Pearson was also different. Gone was the caring detective who was so thankful for me bringing his daughter home safely. In his place stood the overprotective father who probably scared off boys with a shotgun.

He narrowed his eyes at me and the temperature seemed to drop, Man, was it just me or was it getting hot? I was sweating and my legs were shaking under his glare.

"So, what do you do for fun?" He asked, blocking my view inside his house.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Um, I like to hang out with my friends." And together we saved the city. What fun.

He nodded. "What kind of friends are they?"

"Well, my best friend, Tyler, is a bit of a karate geek. He loves all of that fighting stuff, but not at school. Olly is a junior. He is probably the nicest guy in school, and he saves the world in his free time."

I froze. Oh, god. I hoped the detective wouldn't take that last part literally.

"What do your parents do for a living?" He asked.

I had the sudden insane urge to sneeze. Was I suddenly getting allergic to the flowers in my hands? Wait a second, supers don't get allergic to the normal stuff.

"My dad owns DashCorp, the 'multimedia empire'. My mom stays at home."

He tilted his head and shifted his weight. I had said something that peaked his interest and set him off. I knew how the detective thought.

"So you would say you're pretty well off?" He asked and I nodded hesitantly. "And would you say that money makes you entitled to things that other aren't like better education and benefits?"

I shook my head immediately. "No, sir. I may have been born with privileges that others haven't had the chance to get, but that doesn't mean I necessarily deserve them. I would like to do everything I can with the privilege I've been given to help those who haven't been given the same advantages in life."

He nodded to himself and huffed. I had answered correctly.

"What would you say your opinions are on politics?"

I paused, but thankfully someone had come to my rescue.

"Daddy, stop interrogating my date. It's not like he's an axe murderer." Annalise turned to me, "You aren't an axe murderer, are you?" I shook my head and she turned to her father. "See? Now, leave him alone."

I was at a little of a loss for words. Annalise was . . . stunning. She was wearing white skinny jeans and a blue sweater, which were so different from our normal uniform that it almost looked weird to see her like this. Her hair was down for once, and in soft curls that framed her soft, smiling face. She was also wearing a bit of makeup, something she never wore at school.