Blood Magic

2-5: Oh, Fortuna

.^^ Kiana ^^

— Athenos —

I entered the courtyard, with Rafaela, Gabriel, and Emmanuel, to find Kari angrily drawing a portal.

"Running away on Fortuna? Who will man the Grill?" I joked.

"I've got it for four more minutes!" James called from behind the behemoth of a cold-iron grill.

"I'm working as fast as I can, nephew, portals aren't my strong suit!" She snapped at him.

"Here, let me help." I knelt next to her, and helped her finish the portal, making it more accurate, and stable. "Where we going?" I asked.

"Brazil." She sighed.

"Ooh, I get to meet your wife now? Very nice!" I grinned.

"Mm." She shrugged, and let me activate the portal.

I turned to my father. "Ah! Papa, these are Rafaela's children, Emmanuel and Gabriel. I brought them for Fortuna, I thought you'd like that."

He laughed and jogged over, shaking Emanuel's hand, then kneeling in front of Gabriel. "Well hello, little one! I am Xeda, Athenos's Father!"

She shook his hand seriously. "I am called Gabriel Diana Santa-Jeanne Maria Nero."

He smiled and shook her hand just as seriously. "Aha! Then I am fully introduced as Xeda Triskelion Parthenos, Patriarch of Clan Parthenos, and Elder Wizard."

She hummed, then looked up at her mother. "I like him. He knows how to play along."

"That Really is his name, Bebe Linda." Rafaela laughed.

"Ooooh... even better!" She grinned.

"We going, or no? I don't want your son to burn my ribs." Kari sighed.

I nodded and activated the portal.

We were suddenly in front of a blazing Forge, while a woman hammered steel with a large hammer.

I blinked. "Is your woman a Dwarf?" I asked.

"Only half." Kari stepped through, and hugged the woman, surprising her.

She yelped, nearly smashing her hand when the hammer cam down. "Dammit, Kari! You scared the hell out of me!" The woman quenched the metal, then turned, hugging and kissing her wife, before seeing me, still standing in front of the portal.

I waved, grinning. "Nice to finally meet you! We have food about to burn, though, so come on in."

Kari chuckled at the taller woman's blank look of shock, then dragged her into the portal, after snagging her a shirt. (She was only wearing pants and her leather smithing apron.)

After she made herself decent, I held out my hand. "I'm Athenos, Kari's little Brother."

She shook my hand slowly. "Yeah... I'm Kiana."

"Great! Come meet the family! Kari, you can man the fire again." I dragged her over to Rafaela, who was standing with my father, and grinned. "My lover, Rafaela, and the children, Gabriel and Emmanuel, then my father, Xeda, and my grammas, all four of them. Don't worry about the names, it's no issue. Then there's the rest of these savages, whom I grudgingly call family." I waved a hand at the rest of them, and smiling through the good-natured jeering I called upon myself.

She waved mutely, still mortified.

I nodded and walked her back over to her wife, releasing her into more capable care. "And my son James, by the way." I grinned and patted his shoulder. "Did you burn anything?" I asked.