Part 25 - Family Dynamic
"You know how he is."
Joxer couldn't see what was going on - his eyes were closed and he was supposed to be concentrating as Aphrodite had showed him. It wasn't really that hard, actually, once she'd laid out the particulars. Once he had it down, it would be something he could do without thinking about it.
It wasn't all that easy, either. He could feel a ripple pulling at him from the inside, new power flexing and rising like a tide. It was hard not to give in to it and let it wash over him, but he was determined to reign it in. All he had to do was concentrate and think all of that energy into a manageable ball. Teach that power who was in charge, as Aphrodite had said.
Not so easy when there was a conversation happening close by. Especially when that conversation was making the power he was trying to corral lean and reach in that direction. He had an immense urge to toss in his two dinars. But he resolutely kept his mouth shut and imagined gathering those tendrils of power in. It was kind of like trying to keep an octopus in a net bag, but he was managing it as best as he could. He could do this. He really could�
"Yeah, I know." Cupid scuffed his boot on the floor, scowling at it. "But� it's me! Why would he need to hide from me?" A look of 'duh' leveled at him and he went back to his boot. "I mean aside from that. He doesn't know that."
One of these days, The Goddess of Love was sure her eyes were going to roll straight out of her head. Of course Strife didn't know that. He was too busy trying to hide his own feelings about her son to ever notice her son's feelings for him. Though, judging from the scroll he'd dropped off at Cupie's, he wasn't exactly hiding them much anymore. She was tempted to boot her first-born child in the behind and just tell him herself, but something told her it'd do her no good. He needed to talk to his cousin.
"Don't worry, Pookie. He'll slow down, you'll catch up and then�" she rolled a hand in the air as a finisher, not really wanting to end the thought with him fainting dead away on the floor. Which, if he saw the image in her head of just what would happen between his cousin and himself, was a dead certainty. The love goddess cast a look back to Joxer. He was struggling with his task, a fine sheen of sweat had broken out on his brow and he had that 'I'm concentrating' look on his face that would probably drive her war god brother mad with desire. Those two� she shook her head slightly. Not that she was surprised. She couldn't have found Arry a better mate if she'd tried. She'd always suspected that he'd need someone less soft and girly than herself and slightly less crazy than most female warrior types tended to be. And Joxer fit the bill nicely in both areas, as well as several extra ones. She wondered, though, what Joxer was going to get from this, aside from a good, hard, regular plowing. He'd always wanted to be a hero, and now was kind of stuck being a god. Most people would jump for joy� And most people aren't Joxer, she grumbled to herself, ignoring the continued protests and near-whining coming from her son. Not that she believed that her brother didn't care for Joxer. Hades knew THAT wasn't true. But he guarded his heart like gold and threw up walls like he was the God of Masonry�
And speak of the bricklayer� She could feel him scanning her temple, looking no doubt for his wayward snookie-pie. She could even feel the eyebrow launching up when he found Joxer there. Another roll of her eyes preceded the burst of light that delivered her brother in front of her, looking archly annoyed at her.
"Now, what was it I said about interference from the House of Love?"
"Oh, stuff it, Arry. No one's interfering." She cast a look to Joxer and could see his brow furrowing deeper in concentration. Her voice lifted over to him, "Ignore him, Studmuffin. You just keep workin' on it."
