Afterwards, I put my Hali in a lovely black dress and red high heels, and wore dockers and a collared shirt myself, and took her out to dinner. I’d been in the mood for steak, and although she didn’t need it, I felt the need to woo her a bit, including dancing afterwards. She really didn’t need it, all she needed was a firm dominating hand and orders, along with my warm loving awe for her and being cherished.

  That didn’t mean, monster or not, that she wasn’t joyous with wide sparkling green eyes and excitement, as I made her the center of my world and spoiled her with a night on the town. She was still a woman too, and it wouldn’t do to take her for granted, and I never wanted to do that.

  Why settle for making the love of my life merely content and secure in her instincts, when I could fill her life with joy and wonder too. Her sweet and loving vivacious joy and thrilled delight made it more than worth it in my mind. She was beguiling.

  The sex that night was even more delicious, after the long teasing buildup of chatting over dinner and holding her in my arms as we moved to music. It was all new to her too, no matter how ancient she truly was. There were no dance clubs at the bottom of the ocean after all, and she was breathtaking the whole night. My Hali was attentive, clingy, warm, and a bit cheeky at times.

  But I was starting to get the idea that cheekiness only stemmed from her need for me to be firm with her. She just wanted to be kept in line, as sexist as that will sound, it was the simple truth. I thought she was probably cheeky every time she needed to feel possessed and cherished. I suspected that was both her monster instincts needing a strong firm hand, and her feminine womanly need to be submissive to her man and mate. A combination.

  Not to imply all women needed to be submissive, I meant specifically in her case as it applied to her human half as a woman. Both the monster and woman in her were submissive to her chosen and claiming master and mate.

  In short, I was fairly sure she was using that cheekiness to manipulate me into being controlling, which was kind of amusing when I thought it all the way through. Because if that was true, in the end it was really her controlling me. I was far from a martinet, and only gave her orders because she needed them. Sure, it was a bit fun for me too, but far from a necessity from my side of things.

  Well, if Hestia made me her champion, I’d be able to know for sure exactly what she needed, not only in general but situational and mood shifting needs as well. But I was pretty sure I was already right about most of that. My empathy already gave me insights that way most men lack, and I still didn’t understand women. Not completely, but maybe a little better than most because of that power. At least, the ones in my life that I’d spent a lot of time with.

  Empathy didn’t help all that much with strangers, outside of detecting danger and serious mood changes. Like Katerina for instance, I didn’t know her nearly well enough to accurately interpret her emotional swings and the causes of them. But I’d lived and trained with Hali long enough to have a really good idea what was going on in her head. It was just the new submissive mate part of her personality I was still working out.

  In the end though, I did it because I wanted to make her happy, and relationships took work, even if that effort was all pleasure for me. My Hali was worth it.

  The crackling of the fire and sense of contentment was the first thing I noticed. The leather chair I sat on was the most comfortable chair in the universe, or so I suspected. My body felt like jelly, as I completely relaxed from the warmth, the sense of presence, and the feeling of home. I wasn’t sure contentment could even sum it up, it was more than that, like my every need was met. I was even more relaxed than during my first professional massage with Katerina, though in this place there was no sense of sexual tension, or any kind of tension as at all.

  Serene ease. A serenity of relaxation.

  I also felt the goddess’s presence, but she seemed more than willing to wait for me to absorb the sensations of this place and collect my thoughts. She may have been the goddess, but I got the sense she’d have rather cut off an arm than disturb my serenity. She was my host, my ease, and the source of that contentment.

  Her presence was warmth, welcome, and home. The soft chair, the crackling fire, the calming scents, it was all a mere shadow of presentment next to the power her aura had on me. I’d compare it to the most beautiful woman in the world wearing makeup. The fire, chair, the comfortable warmth of the room were all the touch ups, mere enhancement that the power of her aura really didn’t need.

  I looked her way, and she was serenity itself, welcome. Her scent smelled of feminine warmth, but also of hearth and home, a potent enhancement of her aura. The goddess herself was stunningly beautiful. She had light honey-brown hair, and warm doe eyes I could stare at for days. She had full lips, and flawlessly light tanned skin. Her beauty was a soft classical beauty. Her cheekbones somewhere in between there, soft but not as soft as Maris’s delicate beauty, they were firm yet subtle, on a lovely heart shaped face.

  In short, her face was an adorable classic beauty, right between the middle classical beauty of the scale and soft innocent beauty, which made her somehow both.

  She was between petite and average at five foot four, with a lovely and perfect hourglass body in perfect proportion to her height. Her generous B cup breasts were lovely and perfectly rounded, though I only saw a small amount of her cleavage in the charming warm red dress she had on.

  I was attracted, there was no doubt about it. She was gorgeous, forever eighteen, and so powerful my mind couldn’t comprehend it. She was… a goddess, and as obvious as that statement is it said everything. I felt a chemistry between us as well, at least from my side of the equation, but it had an odd flavor in my mind because sexual tension was impossible in this place. Any tension at all, really.

  She smiled, “True. I usually have to lessen my aura’s effects for my lovers. But that’s neither here nor there. I prefer to get to know my champions first, unlike my two favorite allies I don’t jump into bed headfirst, and not all of them do become lovers. We will see.”

  I blushed, “Right, mind reading. Glad I hadn’t gotten to the fantasies yet.”

  She giggled, “That comes with the wanting desire and sexual tension, so you’re not exactly off the hook. Can I assume you are willing to be my champion? I have to warn you before we proceed, since you weren’t wise enough to seek out Janice before giving me oaths in front of your mantel. My blessing comes with a cost and a weight that my allies’ blessings do not. It will do all you believe, and all you hope for and more, but it will also affect you. Change you.

  “You will be able to read your mates, and your lovers and know what they will need. Not when it comes to pleasure, but I’m guessing you’ve got that handled after your… odd sexual schooling from the Nereids. It won’t help you with love either, just with making your guests, allies, and lovers feel at home. You’ll be able to read what they need for that, not just what they need from you, but what they need to contribute to home and hearth. It will help with relationships as well, love and lovemaking are only one small part of a mating, and my blessing will help with all the rest.”

  I blushed, and I nodded.

  She grinned, “So yes, all that, but you will also see it in everyone else. It can also be used as a business tool, but at the same time it will never be abused, by you at least. You’ll instinctively give whatever they need in a business deal, which may help you get what you want.

  “The catch, what it does to you, is that you will feel the need to ease and warm almost everyone you meet. That can be hard to resist at times, and you’ll need a strong will to keep things in perspective. On the good side, you can learn to pull it inside yourself so that you won’t be bombarded everywhere you go. I don’t expect with your disciplined witch mind it would take you long to figure out. By default however, the aura of the blessing will be out, it takes effort to hold it in.

  “Secondly, it will also draw people to you, make them trust you and confide their needs. Not strangers on the street, but certainly anyone you engage with for more than a few moments. I’m sure you’ve noticed people that are naturally ingratiating to others, a draw, and more often than not that person will be one of mine. That can be a burden, but it is what it is. I am the goddess of hearth and home, as such all humans are my children. That is my mantel, and the strength of my influence and will. Enough for that warning, what the blessing will mean to you outside our hopes. There is one further thing I’d discuss with you before you make your choice.

  “I would also, as you suspect, give you missions that don’t necessary line up with my mantel. Many in the know try to abuse my champions and children by taking advantage of what the blessing does to you. I may request that you… help them, evict those abusers who twist my mantel into something it was not meant to be. You will want, just short of need, to accommodate almost anyone in anything. Some of my children gain that focus to see through that, some never do.”

  I replied, “I understand. In a way, I already feel that need, that’s what brought me here and made me feel like you were the goddess for me. At least, for family and where my passion lies. I won’t be arrogant enough to claim it will be easy, but I believe I can resist being taken advantage of and of course learn to control the blessing quickly. I’m also not selfish enough to do it only for me, and my family. I didn’t know the details, but I did assume I’d be assisting others in some way to serve your will.”

  She said, “You long for what you’ve never had. So now that you’ve been warned, I will give you the options even though you’ve already answered. You can refuse, and continue to follow me, follow those oaths already given and do the best you can without my blessing as my worshipper alone, or you can be my champion and take on what you did not count on, and also the likely tasks I will be giving you. I may also assign you to other things I give my daughters and sons, and champions without your gifts of strength and valor. I don’t like violence at all, even less than Aphrodite. After all, some sex and pleasure can be violent.”

  I chuckled at that last, and then I gave it a moment’s thought, even though I was already positive I wanted the job it wouldn’t hurt to review it. I didn’t want to take the goddess’s warning flippantly. I also felt a bit naked, at her first comment that I long for what I’d never had, which was the largest and most obvious source of my passion. I knew it already of course, the reason I longed to build a family of warmth and a house that was a home. A family was something I’d never really had outside of in name.

  My father had been abusive, and my mother not much of a mother at all.

  “I understand. I will endeavor to solve all those problems without killing, if possible. I’ve yet to take a life save by accident, and I won’t do so lightly. I am not just willing to be your champion, I am honored.”

  She nodded, “Very well, and just to be clear, I am happy to have you, Evan. To control the blessing, and I mean pull it inside you so that others aren’t affected by it or read by the magic to inform you what they need. That will be the extent of your control, turning it off with mental effort to give yourself a break. You’ll need to think of me, my mantel, and making others feel at home, while sinking into the magic. Then focus on your body pulling it in. It shouldn’t be all that different than when controlling your magic, just a different focus. Ironically it can be difficult for some because of that, usually when someone wants a break from the magic the last thing they want to do is sink themselves into thoughts of selfless home and hearth.”

  I replied, “Sounds straight forward enough, thank you.”

  She smiled, “So, now that that’s out of the way. How big a family are you thinking?”

  “I’m not sure. I think I’ll know when it feels right. I don’t imagine I could keep up with more than four or five, at that point relationships would start suffering. The personal ones I mean. The support should go up in general and proportion with each mate, so that isn’t really a factor from that angle, I don’t think. I’m also not in a hurry, and I plan to avail myself of my new friends, and hopefully soon allies. Wonder what dad thinks about that, making allies with Zeus’s kid.”

  Hestia giggled, “There isn’t much trust between them, but they aren’t petty about their children getting along. My sister is the only one that way, and only when it comes to her husband’s children.”

  I assumed she meant Hera, and not Demeter.

  She said, “That seems wise, on the rest. Though you could probably handle a couple more if you manage to all work together, like Nicole’s and Levi’s family. But it’s about quality not quantity.”

  I nodded in agreement, “No doubt, this place is… if you could bottle it, we could make millions,” I joked. I’d probably be shocked by my forwardness and gall in the morning, teasing a goddess I mean, and the one I work for and worship. But it was literally impossible to worry or feel tension in this place and more importantly in her presence.

  She grinned, “Thanks, I like to call it home.”

  “Is there anything you need?”

  She laughed, “I won’t be shy in letting you know. For now, just your presence and conversation. Your serenity right now is worship, to me. It isn’t absolute you know. You’re so serene because you’re completely open to me, I’m not pushing myself on you.”

  I nodded, “I am. Any advice on that, the family thing, besides what you already mentioned, no more than six or seven if we can all work together. Or work for that matter.”

  She grinned, “The blessing is all the advice you’ll need beyond that limitation, save as we already discussed the love and pleasure side of things. As for work, you’ll have to figure that one out. A lot of my children go into service-oriented work. Running a bed and breakfast for instance, building a home for strangers and getting paid for it. Janice is rather unique in what she does, giving battered women what they need to reclaim their lives in martial arts and a sense of peace. Most of my other children will get into like I said, some kind of service or calling. Orphanage, foster homes, giving people the gift and a taste of home and hearth so they grow up wanting to build their own.

  “Food is a big part of that as well. Restaurants, caterers, and then other things, like home designers, wedding planners, architects, and the list goes on. I suspect you’ll be another unique one, and it may take time for you to get where you’ll end up. Don’t hesitate to pursue lesser opportunities, if it helps you build your own home and family, and a strong bond to allies, while you’re figuring things out. In the meantime.”

  “Lesser opportunities?”

  She shrugged, “I’ve said enough on that, you’ll remember my words and they’ll make sense later. The point is, I’m not telling you to settle, but sometimes there are several levels and stops on the way to the brass ring. It’ll be difficult to find a calling and career to share after all, until your family is complete, and you know all their needs and skills. In the meantime, before that happens, you need to do something.”

  We continued to talk for what felt like forever, but I felt serene and relaxed the whole time. The night together seemed endless but felt like it was probably around three days straight that I spent in that room chatting. It would’ve been a little intimidating, if it wasn’t for the fact tension didn’t exist. I also took her at her word, that I could feel tension if I wasn’t open to her, but I was. She was… stunning on all levels.

  Without that serenity I doubt I’d have had the balls to ask her some of the questions I did, in some ways it was like starting a friendship. Getting to know her not just as a goddess but as a person. It was a good first night, and she didn’t give me any assignments. Past of course, me learning to control the blessing, which I honestly didn’t think would be difficult. I’d already mastered my power and although there was plenty of witchcraft to learn I had all the basics down.

  Not that I could worry about it, not even in the least, so I resigned myself to work on it in the morning.

  Chapter Eight

  The blessing was a bit overwhelming at first that Friday morning, even with it just being Hali and I as we got up. We had a reprise of the night before, sparred, and had gotten breakfast. A lot of my insights into Hali’s needs were accurate, but that came from five years of friendship and her being my teacher, so it certainly wasn’t a waste to have the power. I didn’t have five years to spend alone with every new mate I’d find before we actually took that step. If that made sense.

  It also made it a less self-conscious thing to give her firm orders and tell her what to wear, when I could sense just how strongly she needed that to feel content and at home. Lastly, I couldn’t keep my hands off of her, and I don’t mean sexually though that was surely true as well. Sure, I’d known she was a toucher, but she took comfort in my touch as well. Outside of sparring I found myself stroking her arm, squeezing her hand, and caressing her back often, to her warm delight. I couldn’t not do it, and I realized from that fact that Hestia’s warning was far from per functionary. The blessing was already partially dictating my actions, but in Hali’s case I saw no reason to fight that. She wasn’t a stranger, she was my mate, and beyond trustworthy and would never take advantage.

  Plus, I’d hardly classify needing to touch my mate often as a burden or distasteful, or even out of character.

  It didn’t take me long to figure out how to sink my mind into the blessing and pull it in, but it did require a whole lot of my concentration to do it. I knew it’d get easier in time, and I’d have to work on that as well as using willpower to resist it. At the same time, I wasn’t overly worried that I’d start going around touching strangers, since that need also surely had a comfort level of intimacy attached to it. People didn’t feel comfortable being touched by a stranger, so that situational need for normal personal space to be comfortable would be an overriding factor.