Published: 20 Apr 2020

Synergy

Death

Dike had sent the boys to play in Nemesis’s room. I wasn’t sure what she wanted with us, but when she erected a shield so that only she, Gary, and I could be privy to her conversation I knew it was important. She didn’t mince words.

“Calvin, Bobby, and Kevin are becoming something different. It is something new, but it echoes something I have seen before. Exactly what form it will take, I cannot say,” Dike said.

“Cannot? or will not?” Gary and I asked, at nearly the same time. Gary’s eyes were sparkling, and I knew that mine were, too. As soon as Dike had given words to her concern, both Gary and I had seen it. And we saw that Dike’s vision of the future was a threat to the three boys.

“I will not say,” Dike said. “For if I am wrong, I would do great harm. Will you please accept this? Both of you were once mortal. Your universe – a universe that is governed by science, logic, reason, and cause and effect – is crumbling.” Her voice lowered nearly an octave. She still looked like a grandmother, but she spoke with all the power of a god.

“Science and the laws of cause and effect still apply and will always seem to apply except where gods and spirits choose to interfere. But something dark has inserted itself into the human psyche, into the souls of mortals. Whatever it is, it is causing them to turn away from reason and logic.”

Dike looked at me. “You have seen it,” she said.

“Someone interfered, and both Zhang and Richard Brooks, our new Asclepius, would have died horrible deaths well before their allotted time – had not you been there.

“Someone interfered, and Calvin nearly killed his brother and would have been killed by his stepfather had you not been there.

She looked at Gary. “You were there when Kenny and Viktor were nearly killed before their time. You must have been at least suspicious that something was wrong with reality when Nemesis rescued the boy in the museum, and later at the death of Benji’s little brother.

“Not all of what has happened is wrong; the friendship you two have—” She gestured toward Gary and me. “Your friendship has served, in part, to balance what is going wrong.”

Dike continued. “Gods and spirits have powers that allow us to operate outside the bounds that restrict mortals. We can not interfere between cause and effect; but we can create effects that seem not to have a cause.”

She chuckled. “One mortal understood that, I think. He was a radar technician and a science fiction author. His third law said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. That applies, as well, to our powers.

“Many mortals perceive what we do as magic. The religious among them worship our acts as miracles. The rational ones, the scientists, think in terms of puzzles to be solved.

“For the past dozen centuries or more, most of us have operated within the narrowest confines of our Authorities. There are exceptions: Yahweh, for one, still insists occasionally on performing flamboyant miracles. I have never forgiven him for that stunt he pulled at Fatima in 1917. You have no idea how much effort went into trying to straighten that out.

“However, he is losing his powers. The charlatans and televangelists who want to be his heirs are eroding that power. So far, among those multitude, no single one has been able to seize more than a small fraction of Yahweh’s power. Zeus has stepped in, and is dealing with that, himself. I do not think we will see a new version of Yahweh.”

“What is Zeus doing?” Gary asked. It was off topic, but might have been important.

“It is not by accident that their theology is fragmented, and that each sect has selected a different portion of their scriptures on which to base their entire belief system. It is not an accident that fringe elements, such as that group which pickets military funerals with their ‘God Hates Queers’ slogans, receive so much publicity.

“You don’t think humans invented the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy, themselves, do you?”

Dike looked at us as if over the top of a pair of reading glasses, although she was wearing none. Her face was an invitation to speak.

I nodded. Gary started to say something, but I spoke first. And, I spoke to Gary rather than to Dike. I selected my words carefully, just as Dike had, for what the gods and spirits speak, we may create.

“Gary, you are the first friend I have had in more than two hundred years. You were my friend before and then after you received your Authorities. You have the powers of an elder god, and are more powerful than I. Yet, you are my friend, and by that friendship, I ask you to listen to what Dike says, and accept it.

“I feel – I know – that Calvin is something more than he appears to be. My feeling is not entirely unbiased. When Calvin and I first met, I restored reality to keep his brother alive; then, I killed his stepfather. I knew then that he would remember what had happened and that he would remember me. No mortal should have remembered.

“I felt something else when Calvin first brought Kevin to me, and again when he and Kevin together met Bobby for the first time. Just as Calvin is something different, so are the three of them.”

Gary looked troubled. His lower lip curled over his upper; his jaw tightened. If I didn’t know him, I might have thought he were pouting.

Dike waited, silently. She understood.

“George, my friend for all that means,” Gary said at last. “You gave Nemesis to me. In a parking lot behind an abandoned shopping center, you made him mine when you told me to help him. Later, you told me what I needed to know in order to love him fully and completely. You must have known that he would become my responsibility – and a great deal more.”

Gary turned to look at Dike.

“Dike, you gave Bobby to me. You were very clear that I was responsible for him, and would be for a long time. Now, you’re telling me that he may be something … something I cannot protect, something I cannot control, something that may be a danger to others whom I am bound to protect.

“That is very hard to accept.”

Dike did not, as I expected, assume her divine aspect. She patted Gary’s cheek.

“Yes, it is hard to accept – but it must be accepted. That is a conundrum.

“You are right, of course,” she said. “But neither you nor I can stop what is about to happen. I do not think it will be a bad thing. Still, all we can do is wait and see, and prepare the boys as best we can.

“This is something that is greater than all of us. All we can do is teach the boys that which is right and which is good, and hope they will remember that.

“Can any parent do more?”

Gary and I exchanged looks. I knew we both had thought of ourselves as fathers to the boys, even though we’d never spoken of it. Now, it was out in the open, under the careful eye of Dike. We both looked at her, seeking her approval.

I nodded; then, Gary nodded. I could feel that he wasn’t happy, but also that he understood Dike was right – and that she approved.

Dike

I knew Death’s thought: that our words created reality as often as they reflected it. I knew that was why he hurried to speak before Gary did. Death has had more than two hundred years to grow into his Authorities; Gary, much less time – microseconds in comparison. I debated saying what I knew had to be said: that Death and Gary were so much more than lovers and parents to Calvin and Nemesis; that Gary was so much more than a guardian to Bobby; that Death and Calvin were so much more than rescuers to Kevin. Death and Gary had been mortals, so the parent analogy worked for them. It will likely be centuries before they could understand, much less adopt, the more intimate relationships toward which they are moving.

Nemesis

Dike didn’t pull her punches: she ordered me to take the other boys to my bedroom. I have a little trouble thinking of it as my bedroom, since Gary and I sleep together in his bed every night. Well, except sometimes when Bobby and Benji visited.

I also have a little trouble thinking of Calvin as a boy. He’s only a few years older than I am, but he has a depth of mind and soul that makes me think he’s a lot older. Like I was – am – was. Whatever. That thought lasted only until the bedroom door closed, and Bobby started tickling Calvin.

It wasn’t more than an instant before Calvin and Bobby were on the floor, rolling around, tickling each other and laughing. Kevin looked a little … left out, I guess, so I poked him in the ribs. He looked at me kind of funny. I poked him again, and he started giggling. It wasn’t long before the four of us were on the floor, together. Then Benji came in, and there were five.

I think I was the only one who felt it when Dike put up a shield so that she could talk privately with Gary and Uncle George. I probably felt it because I’d been there when she’d done it, before. Still, I figured she had a good reason, and kept the tickle-fest going until everybody was worn out.

We lay on the floor, trying to catch our breath. I couldn’t help but notice that Bobby and Kevin had ended up on either side of Calvin, with Calvin’s arms around them both. They kind of looked at each other, and I felt that they were all aroused – and attracted to one another. I could also feel that Calvin was nervous about that. I guess I would be, too, if my lover were Death.

Actually, I would feel nervous about getting hard for another boy, except that I didn’t, any more. Except that I just had. My penis was as stiff as it ever got. Ah, it was just the playing, and rolling around, I decided, and pushed the thought aside.

Calvin

Dike had left. Gary said he would take Kevin to get some of his things from his old home and then for a visit with his little brother whom Gary and Uncle George had rescued at Dave & Busters. Nemesis agreed to take Bobby and Benji back to Erewhon. Uncle George wanted some alone-time with me. We retrieved Impala from the valet. Before we reached the freeway, we were in the air somewhere over South Dakota.

Uncle George parked Impala on a different bluff. We faced east, and watched as night fell and the sunset behind us painted the rocks colors that ran from rose to something like a purple-gray. I knew Uncle George wanted to tell me something. I figured he would after he’d had time to think about it. I was right.

“Calvin? Dike told us something, today. She didn’t say it was secret…”

I filled in what Uncle George didn’t say.

“It was about us,” I said. Uncle George knew when I said, us I meant Nemesis, Bobby, Kevin, and me – the kids.

Uncle George nodded. “I think she wanted Gary and me to have time to understand it before we told you and Bobby and Kevin. And Nemesis and Benji, even though it doesn’t directly involve them.”

Uncle George started thinking, again. When he spoke, his voice was calm.

“Not long after Nemesis came into his powers, I took him to meet someone who gave him lessons on how to use his sword. The person was D’Artagnan. Do you know of him?”

“Sure,” I said. “He’s the fourth musketeer…”

I knew, then, what he was going to say. A bunch of little things came together in my mind: the thoughts and feelings when I first saw Kevin on the bridge; how I felt when Bobby kissed Uncle George; the tickles this afternoon; and how Kevin and Bobbie had ended up cuddled with me. I knew, but I wasn’t sure what I knew.

“Wait a minute … Bobby and Kevin and me. We’re like the three musketeers?”

“Dike said that the three of you were becoming something. She said it was going to be like something she’d seen before, but also new and different. I think the synergy and friendship of the three musketeers will pale beside that which she foresees for you.”

“But you don’t know what that is,” I said. Uncle George shook his head.

“Well, it shouldn’t be hard to find out,” I said. “Greek mythology … sorry, you know what I mean, I know it’s real … and a trio. How about a fruit smoothie at that internet café?”

“There’s a bunch of threes in Greek history,” I said, after a few minutes on the internet. “I’ve found at least … five places, now, where three is important. The Fates, Cerberus, the Graces, Chimera, and a Giant named Garyon. What’s with the number three?”

“It’s a sacred number in more than one world-view and set of superstitions,” Uncle George answered. “Why, I don’t know. Perhaps simply because it’s the sum of one and two, the first two numbers. Entire religions have been founded on sillier notions than that.

“Yahweh’s followers have created a three-headed god; the Greeks were content with a three-headed dog and a three-headed Giant.”

“Actually, that’s probably not a good comparison.” I said. “Yahweh’s people have created a three-person godhead, not a three-headed god.” I giggled.

“Not sure the difference is that clear,” Uncle George said.

“Yeah, well, I’m sure the three of us aren’t going to have anything to do with Yahweh’s religion. Let’s get back to the Greeks. Are we the new incarnation of one of their trios? Or are we something completely different?” I asked.

“You’re not Cerberus … he’s still guarding the gates of the underworld. I don’t think you’re Chimera or Geryon. I have never seen either of them, but neither makes sense. You certainly aren’t the Graces: they’re the goddesses of joy, charm, and beauty.”

“Are they still around?” I asked.

Uncle George shook his head. “Not that I know,” he said.

“Then, why couldn’t we be they? I mean, Nemesis’s and Gary’s Authorities were once held by girls. Besides which, I kind of like being something happy, like joy. And you’ve told me I’m beautiful.”

I thought I had him with that, but his frown let me know I was wrong.

“Because,” Death said, “because I saw something much darker in Dike’s vision.”

Sometimes, he spoke as Uncle George; sometimes, as Death. I was getting accustomed to that, and accustomed to what it meant. Uncle George spoke of happy; Death spoke of … of fate, of necessity, and of the dark things that were our enemies. I guessed what he meant.

“That leaves the Fates,” I said. “And, they’re as dark as it gets, I think.”

The Fates, to the Greeks and later the Romans, were three women who controlled the life and death of every human and, according to some, the lives and deaths of the gods, as well. One of the three Fates spun the thread of each life. The second measured the length of that life. The third cut the thread at the point of death.

It’s come back to death, I thought. I figured out the first day that Uncle George was Death. Now, me?

More practically, I asked, “What about Kevin? And Bobby? If we’re the new Three Musketeers … are they going to come live at the ranch?”

Uncle George got such a look on his face that I had to smile.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” he said.

Uncle George took a cell call from Gary. “He and Kevin are back, as is Nemesis. We’re invited to stay the night.”

After supper, Death and I went to one of Gary’s guest rooms. We were still on duty, and out of the stream of time that governed the ranch.

“Uncle George?” We were cuddling after some heavy-duty sex.

“Hmmm?” His response was muffled because his lips had found mine.

I pushed him away. This was serious.

“Uncle George, this afternoon, while you and Gary and Dike were telling secrets, we boys had a tickle-fest on the floor of Nemesis’s bedroom. I got really hard, and I felt … I felt like I wanted to kiss Kevin, and I know he wanted to kiss me. And Bobby, too. It’s like … it’s like sex is going to be part of this three-musketeer, thing. And that’s not right!”

Uncle George propped himself up on one elbow, and looked at me. His free hand wandered over my tummy for a minute or so, and then retreated. He knew he couldn’t distract me that way, but it gave him time to think.

“Calvin, we know that Kevin is gay. We know that his first boyfriend – his crush, really – had rejected him. I saw that, even though he didn’t tell us, and I know you saw it, too. Bobby doesn’t yet have a boyfriend, but he’s had several partners at Erewhon.”

“How do you know that?” I asked. “And what about Benji? I thought Bobby and Benji…”

“I know because Bobby broadcasts his thoughts so strongly. And Benji? At one time, I thought he and Bobby might someday become boyfriends. But that’s changed. What he and Bobby have is brotherly love, and cuddles. It’s a good thing, but it’s not what we’re seeing, here.

“We have three willing, interested, and capable boys who are going to be tied together in some mystical and magical way. If sex is going to be part of that, if you were to have sex with Kevin and Bobby, it would be a good thing. I would be happy for you – and for Bobby and Kevin.”

“But, Uncle George!” I said. “I thought …”

And then I shut up. What had I thought? I wondered. I wanted to ask Uncle George, but I could tell that he was tired. So I kissed him and closed my eyes.

My sleep that night was troubled. I woke often. I tried to lie quietly, so not to disturb Uncle George. My body may have been still, but my mind raced. Who was I to think I could bind Death to me? He was an immortal spirit. Why would I think I could be his sole and exclusive lover? I was Calvin King, a kid who had grown up isolated from most of the world and raped by his stepfather. I had found someone I loved and whom I thought loved me. No! I knew Uncle George loved me! But …

Exhausted, I fell asleep before I could complete that thought.

“Calvin?” Uncle George’s voice penetrated the fog that blanketed my mind. I opened eyes that were sticky with … with the residue of tears. Bright sunlight painted the walls … it must be late morning. I jerked awake.

“What time …?” I began, when Uncle George put his lips over mine, cutting off what I was about to say.

“We exist outside of time, remember?” he said, when the kiss was finished. “In Chicago, it’s nearly noon; but we will join Gary and Kevin and Nemesis for breakfast at 7:00.

“You did not sleep well. You finally fell asleep just before sunrise. I have therefore lain with you until now.”

“You … you could have gotten up …” I began.

“For nothing would I have missed this chance to watch you sleep,” Death said. “But something troubles you. Will you share that with me?”

“Um, I kind of did, last night,” I said. “Kevin and Bobby, remember?”

Uncle George nodded. “I remember. And I remember what I said. Apparently, that wasn’t enough.”

He sat up and pulled the duvet around our shoulders.

“Many children have two parents and love both of them. Many people have more than one sibling, and love all of them. Others have multiple aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and love them all. For most purposes, it is considered okay to love more than one person.

“When it comes to sex for procreation, however, monogamy seems to be the norm. There’s probably a reason for that, a reason based on evolution and science. The human child needs protection and nurture for much longer than most other animal species. A genetic predisposition to monogamy – at least until the child is weaned – may be a survival trait, something encoded into our genes by thousands of centuries of evolution.

“This does not apply to the kind of relationship we have. That is to say, the genetic mandate does not apply. There is no reason you cannot love Kevin and Bobby. There is no reason that you cannot enjoy sex with them. I would not love you less; nor, I think, would you love me less.”

Uncle George kissed me, and then led me to the shower. We had swum naked together at the lake; we had showered together in … where was that? Oh, yes. Omaha. But this was the best, so far. He covered me with body wash; he massaged shampoo into my hair; he rinsed me off and then – after I did the same to him – then he penetrated me while warm water ran off our bodies. I splashed my essence against the wall of the shower when I felt his heat pulsing inside me.

Death

Gary was the only other person awake when I walked into the kitchen at 7:00 AM.

“Calvin didn’t sleep well last night,” I said after a good morning. “He’ll be along in a minute.”

Gary nodded. “I take it that you told Calvin what Dike said?”

I nodded.

“Neither Nemesis nor Kevin slept well, either,” Gary continued. “Although I’ve not said anything to either of them.”

I explained what Calvin had said about the sexual attraction among the boys. “I suspect that both Nemesis and Kevin were as worried about that as Calvin was.”

“Were worried?” Gary said. “You resolved it?”

“I hope so. Calvin and I need to go back to the ranch. We could stay out of the normal time-stream longer, but Calvin isn’t as accustomed to that as I am. He needs to be grounded in reality more often than I. We should take Kevin with us, I think. Bobby, too, but not right away.”

“I will explain to Bobby and to Nemesis,” Gary said. “They’re his friends … he needs to know. Besides, they may need his experience … and, someday, his power.”

Gary

Bobby was about to be problematic. That is to say, he was about to be a problem.

It wasn’t Bobby, really. It was what he was becoming. And, it wasn’t his fault.

I knew why Dike had been reluctant to describe what she thought was happening to Bobby, Kevin, and Calvin. I knew that the words of gods and spirits could create reality. That was one of the few things Yahweh had gotten right: the part about in the beginning was the word. Too bad his followers didn’t understand what that really meant. Actually, given the depth of the avarice, lust for power, and insanity of some of his followers, it was probably good they didn’t know what it meant.

I wasn’t sure how to approach Bobby. It would not be too hard to explain to him that he would develop Authorities of his own. He was accustomed to being around gods and spirits. He knew that Zhang and Richard began as mortals, but that Richard was the new Asclepius and that Zhang not only was his lover, but also was becoming his helper – and something more than mortal. Bobby probably knew at least something about how Nemesis had gotten his powers. He knew that I had received powers, too, and he’d seen Uncle George translocate into the kitchen.

No, I could talk to Bobby about Attributes and Authorities. However, I didn’t know how to talk to him about the bond that was forming among him, Calvin, and Kevin. I wasn’t sure what I should say – what I could say. And, I was worried about how Benji would react. Turns out, Benji’s reaction would be the least of my problems.

“George?” I managed to get him alone in the kitchen for a few minutes. As usual, he declined coffee this late in the day, and then surprised me by not accepting a beer or my invitation to supper, either.

“I need to get back to the ranch. Calvin needs to be grounded in something familiar. He needs some time to reflect, and to understand what is happening to him.”

“Kevin needs that, too,” I said. “So does Bobby.

“George? I’m in over my head here,” I confessed.

Death chuckled. He does that a lot more than he used to, for which I am happy.

“Gary, I’m over my head, too. But, you’re right. The boys need time. And, I think, some separation. What if I were to take Kevin to the ranch, and later we put Bobby with them?”

It was a better plan than anything I’d come up with, so I agreed.

Uncle George and Kevin had left for the ranch. They were in the Mustang. I suspected that Kevin was going to get a surprise.

Meanwhile, Nemesis went to Erewhon to pick up Bobby and Benji. He left early, to avoid the going-home traffic. Now that he had his full powers, he could have translocated himself and the Land Rover without incurring a significant energy debt, but he got a kick out of driving, and I got a kick out of his pleasure.

I remembered: do two happinesses equal love? Maybe so. In any case, I found that I was just as happy as Nemesis when he was happy.

Nemesis brought the boys back in time for them to change into play clothes and then for us to reach our favorite Dave and Busters.

“Benji’s got a boyfriend!” Bobby announced after we found a table but before a waiter found us.

Benji blushed, and then grinned. “He’s really nice,” Benji said. “His family came here from India. His parents were working for some computer company before they were killed in a car wreck.”

I remembered him. I had popped from my home to the front door of an apartment and then knocked. There was no answer, although I knew Ahan was inside. Smart kid, I thought. Knows better than to answer the door, even here, even in a secure building.

It was just as easy to open the locked door by turning the knob as it had been to break down the door to Andy’s father’s apartment.

“Ahan?” I called. “Please do not be afraid. I’m a friend.” There was no answer, although I knew he had heard me.

I found the boy in his parents’ bedroom. He was sitting on the bed, holding a framed photograph.

“If you kill me, I will join them,” he said, and turned the photo around so I could see it. A young couple, a background that could have been any large city in the world, a child standing between them holding their hands.

“Ahan,” I said. “I am not here to kill you, but to help you. Your parents are dead. I am sorry, but I must tell you.”

“I have known this for three days. Who are you? Are you the police? To take me away?”

“My name is Gary,” I said. “Will you come with me to a place where you will be welcomed? A place where you don’t have to eat … what have you been eating, anyway?”

It was a rhetorical question; the boy shrugged.

I explained about Erewhon, and asked if he’d like to live there until we could contact family in India.

“But I do not wish to go to India,” he said. “My family there are poor, and could not feed me. My parents came here to escape the poverty of that country.

“Besides, I was born in this country. I know that makes me a citizen. You cannot send me back!”

He lost control and was crying. I scooped him into my arms and before he could become frightened by my touch, hugged him tightly and projected reassurance. I know the reassurance was overlaid with love, but not lust. I had learned to control that.

Ahan surprised me. “You can’t be Shashthi,” he said. “She is a woman, and she rides on a cat. You are a man! And you have no cat. Who are you?”

I remembered Dike saying that I wasn’t the only “protector of children.” Something clicked in my mind. The Hindu pantheon … as many gods as are in it, there must be at least one protector of children. Ahan’s mind, which was focused on Shasthi, provided the information I needed.

“You are right, I am not Shasthi. She is quite busy in India and elsewhere that Hindus live. However, she cannot by herself do all she needs to do. I, uh, I sort of have that job for a lot of Western civilization.”

However, as I spoke, I wondered. I’ve not been called to South America or Australia, yet. A couple of times to Europe. Once to Russia. Never to the Middle or Far East. Who is taking care of children, there? I knew I’d not figure it out on my own, and resolved to ask Dike. I probably would have asked sooner if I had known, then, what Ahan’s name meant.

Aiden

I heard enough of what was going on with Ahan to have all the papers ready when Gary and Ahan showed up at Erewhon. Gary gave me plenty of time, because he wasn’t quite ready to let Ahan know that Gary was a god. They had to wait until Nemesis could give them a ride in Gary’s car. I knew that was really unnecessary, but for some reason, I didn’t tell Gary.

On the other hand, since Nemesis was with them when they reached Erewhon, I got a serious hug and kiss from Nemesis. I knew he was tuned to Ahan when we did it. I whispered, “So?”

“He’s surprised, but it’s a happy surprise,” Nemesis whispered back. “I’ll ask Bobby and Benji to keep an eye on him, help him understand. It will be time, soon. Now, watch this.”

Nemesis linked with me so that I could feel what Ahan was feeling, and then pulled me into another kiss. Yeah, Ahan liked it. I could feel his stiffy and at least one shudder. If he were a couple of years older, he’d have had a mess to clean up.

“Nemesis!” Gary’s voice was sharp. “Aiden!

“I don’t know whose idea that was, but stop it and don’t do it again. Do you understand me?”

Oh shit, I thought. I’ve pissed off a god … and he’s Nemesis’ daddy, and he’s pissed off at Nemesis, too. We’re in trouble!

Nemesis rescued us. He turned loose of me, and grabbed Ahan. It was a good hug, and Nemesis projected care, concern, and friendship. No lust.

“Ahan, I’m sorry I didn’t get to say more than hello when you and Gary got in the car. I’m Nemesis; Gary’s my daddy. And this,” he gestured to me, “is Aiden.

“Aiden is my special friend.”

Nemesis

I remembered something Gary had said the first day we met.

“People don’t get to be friends right away,” I told Ahan. “It takes work. It takes more work before they get to be special friends. I think I would like to be your friend, but we’ve got to get to know one another, first.

“We could start with another hug. Would you like that?”

Ahan’s face lit. He stepped into my outstretched arms. It was a good hug. I risked a kiss on his forehead, and saw a little color rise under his brown cheeks. I also felt Gary’s approval – and heard Aiden’s sigh of relief that Gary was no longer pissed off.

Gary

I sent Nemesis off with Bobby and Benji to get Ahan settled. Aiden and I completed the paperwork the staff needed. We were now alone in my office. I crossed the floor and sat beside Aiden on the couch.

“Aiden, thank you for your help, today .I know that you must move extensively in time to do what you do. I know that we have powers that assist us in our jobs, but I worry about you. Are you over-exerting yourself?”

Aiden pecked a kiss on my cheek. I was startled, but realized I invited that intimacy when I sat beside him.

“No, Gary,” he said. “Thank you for caring and for asking. I actually get a boost of energy when I do something like this for you.”

Was he getting a crush on me? I wondered. He doesn’t have a boyfriend – at least, not one that I know of. Is this going to be a problem?

Dike

Gary left a message asking me to lunch. Why? Undoubtedly because of what was going on among Bobby, Calvin, and Kevin. I anticipated that he’d want all the boys there, and was wondering how I should dress for a Dave and Busters – and how old I should appear. He surprised me, though. It was to be a private lunch. Just the two of us. I couldn’t read him. It was the first time he had blocked me. I was interested.

The restaurant wasn’t fancy: a family-owned Italian place on the north side of the river, close to downtown. Family, in this case, was the cosa nostra. The waiter put a plate of antipasto between us, poured a dusty red wine into our glasses, and disappeared. Gary got straight to the point.

“We will be safer and more private here than in your chambers. The owner’s son was in my platoon in Afghanistan. The father and son are both convinced I saved the boy’s life. I know that the money to open this restaurant came from illegal activities, including drugs sold to children. I know that some of the patrons are still engaged in illegal activities. However, I also know that the son – who will inherit this restaurant – is a good person and that he intends to make good the bad things that his father and grandfather and great-grandfather did.

“It’s my investment in the future; it’s my morality; it’s my understanding that sometimes, good things can be fished from polluted water.”

He picked up a piece of capicollo, wrapped it around a bit of smoky provolone, and held it in front of his mouth. I sensed defiance, and a little fear, but also – something I’d always seen in Gary – a healthy dose of respect and a need for approval.

I laughed. I laughed harder than I’d laughed in a long time. When I could control myself, I patted Gary’s hand.

“Thank you, Gary. Thank you for reminding me that hubris is the fatal flaw of mortals and gods, alike.

“Thank you for pulling my feet back to the ground.

“Thank you for your respect, but more, for your courage.”

Now, it was my turn to select from the plate. I used a cocktail fork, speared an olive stuffed with feta cheese, and popped it into my mouth.

Gary remained silent. I think he was still surprised by my laughter. By this time, the waiter returned. We both ordered lasagna.

Gary’s questions were not about the boys. He explained that he’d want them to hear those answers first-hand, after Calvin and Kevin returned to Chicago. I didn’t disabuse him of that thought, but knew that we’d be in Texas when it happened.

His questions were about his role, his responsibilities.

“You are right,” I said, “about Shasthi. She is the Hindu protector of children—although she began her life as a killer and eater of infants. I suspect she was originally an ogre-figure used to frighten those who misbehaved.

“Just as Nemesis did, she’s shaken that image both from her public image and from her mind. She’s actually quite a nice person.”

I withheld from Gary my relationship with her. She and I played mahjong with a couple of others about once a month. Shasthi had a beautiful home in the mountains of northern India. The view from her veranda was much nicer than the Chicago skyline, so she was usually our hostess.

“As far as the Middle East? That became a black hole some time ago. They’ve created their own … their own thing. With the power of millions of fundamentalists behind it, there’s nothing we can do. They have no protector of children.

“It will likely take the collapse of civilization to eliminate them.

“Russia? The Russian Orthodox Church split from the Catholic Church over more than ritual; the split was over the nature of God. They have a rather militant group of protectors who are being kept busy by the Russian mafia’s involvement in the child sex trade.

“That’s all I can tell you. Experience is the best teacher. You’ll eventually meet some of the others.”

Gary

If Ahan were going to be Benji’s boyfriend – even though they were still too young for much more than cuddles and tummy rubs – I felt it important to let Ahan know what he was getting into. The boy had been born in the USA, but his mother was reared in India, and cooked that way. I didn’t need to scan the cupboard to know that: the residual odors when I walked into the apartment were enough. So, I took the boys – Ahan and Benji, Bobby and Nemesis – to an Indian restaurant.

Ahan’s eyes lit up, and then flooded with tears. I probed, and realized his parents had taken him to this place. Kicking myself for thoughtlessness, I took the boy’s hand and squeezed.

“I’m sorry, Ahan, I didn’t know … would you like to go somewhere else?”

“Thank you, Mr. Gary. No. This was their favorite restaurant. This will be a time to remember them.”

His eyes twinkled – a clue he was developing his own Authorities and Attributes. “I will order for you my father’s favorite dish.”

Ahan ordered in Hindi, so I didn’t know what my supper would be until it was delivered. It was in a porcelain bowl, larger and flatter than a soup bowl but shallower than a pasta bowl. Large pieces of chicken made islands in a reddish-brown sauce. The islands were guarded by whole, narrow, red peppers. The peppers looked innocuous, but weren’t. After the first bite, I broke one of my self-imposed rules, and signaled the waiter for a beer. It was imported. From India. And probably three times the alcohol content of the American beer I was accustomed to drinking.

Glad Nemesis is the designated driver, I thought.

Later that night, when we got ready for bed, I found myself paired with Ahan. I don’t know what arrangement Nemesis, Bobby, and Benji had made, but I suspected I’d find the three of them together in Nemesis’s bed the next morning.

“Ahan, are you reluctant to sleep with me?” I asked. “Although I sleep without clothes, and although I will hold you – what we call cuddling – I will not do sex things with you.”

I had read the boy correctly. He was mature enough to know what I meant, yet innocent enough to have a sense of wonder – and curiosity.

“Mr. Gary, I know when you arrived, the door to my parents’ home was locked; yet you entered. I know that when you brought me to Erewhon we were met by Aiden with papers already containing my name.

“I know that you and Shasthi are gods.”

He paused, but I knew he had more to say. “I think that Aiden and Nemesis are also gods.

“What I do not know is why you found me, why Benji is my friend, and why you want to sleep with me.” He stood beside the bed, naked. He wasn’t aroused, but he was curious.

“Ahan, I want to sleep with you – and Nemesis helped to arrange that – only so that I can talk to you privately and so that if what I say becomes hurtful or frightening I could cuddle you and comfort you.

“Do you believe that?”

“Mr. Gary, I believe you … and I believe that Durga, whom you call Nemesis, has the powers of the god of retribution.

“What I do not know is why I am here among you.

“And you have answered only the easiest of my questions.”

Ahan and I talked. Why did I find him? There were two levels to that answer. First, because he was a child in pain, and rescuing him was my job. On a deeper level, however, because he had a part to play in some grand plan that involved not just him and me, but also Nemesis, the “three musketeers,” Dike, and others. That part I did not understand, and cautioned him I could not talk much about it without perhaps altering reality.

“And I’m not experienced or smart enough to know how best to alter reality.”

Why is Benji Ahan’s friend? That probably had more than one answer, too. On the surface, it was because they both were cute, healthy, and probably gay boys. On another level, it was perhaps so that Bobby would be free to make a connection other than Benji without harming Benji.

“But, there’s got to be more to it than that. I don’t know if you and Benji are going to create something; I don’t know if you two will both have powers; and, I’m afraid to talk about that, too much.”

Ahan nodded … and nodded … and fell asleep in my arms.

He and I were awake most of the night, yet neither of us felt exhausted the next morning when the others came in and pounced on the bed to awaken us.

Nemesis

Gary had told me Bobby and Calvin and Kevin were going to be like the Three Musketeers, and would be a team. And then warned me not to say anything about it. He explained what Dike said, and about words creating reality. I was a little scared, and told him so.

“You’ve had your full powers ever since …” Gary paused. “Since Apollo gave his powers to Caden—”

“You mean, ever since the fire,” I said. “You don’t have to tiptoe around it, you know.”

Gary hugged me.

“I know,” he said. “I don’t do it just for you, you know. I was never so afraid – not in Afghanistan, not ever – when I saw you unconscious on the floor beside me.”

He smiled, and gave me a kiss. “I don’t think day-to-day conversations about routine things do anything. It’s only when we talk about important things and when we focus? That’s what we need to understand.”

Kevin (Texas)

I figured out that Uncle George wasn’t a pimp, and Calvin wasn’t bait. I should have figured it out a long time ago, but I was so wrapped up in me I couldn’t see past that.

While we were at Gary’s, Nemesis had pushed me into a tickling contest on the floor of his bedroom. When it was over, I was out of breath, and cuddled with Calvin. I knew Bobby was in Calvin’s other arm. That didn’t bother me as much as trying to figure out how I could tell both Bobby and Calvin that I … well, I couldn’t tell them I loved them, ’cause I didn’t know them that well. But I was pretty sure I did.

I must have fallen asleep in Uncle George’s car, because I woke up when he shut off the engine and Calvin opened the door.

“Kevin?” Calvin said. “You’re here. This is where I live.”

Uncle George grabbed the duffle bags that Uncle Gary helped me pack at my father’s house, and walked toward the house. Calvin sort of herded me along.

“Kevin? Would you sleep with me, tonight? I’ve got a big bed…” Calvin’s voice softened. He looked into my eyes. I was no longer sleepy. “Is that okay?”

I couldn’t believe Calvin was asking me to sleep with him, and I was glad I was wearing fairly tight pants so that my stiffie didn’t poke out. Much. I was able to think at least a little bit.

“Calvin? You know that I like you. You know that I get a major stiffie thinking about you. But, you’re older than me …” I wasn’t sure that made any difference, except it’s what I’d been told for years.

“Kevin? I’m only a couple of years older than you are. But, I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you because I’m older, or because I can see in your mind you want to have sex with me so bad that you’re afraid your dick is going to break if you can’t loosen those pants.”

I couldn’t believe he said that!

“You told me … you told me you could see what I was thinking. That is so not fair!” I said. “How can …”

Calvin shushed me … with a kiss. At first, I tried to turn my head away, but he was so … so soft, so gentle, I couldn’t refuse him.

“It’s fair only because I promise never, never to look behind your surface thoughts and because soon you will be able easily to see my thoughts, as well.”

“Huh?” It wasn’t my most brilliant moment.

“Kevin? You know that Uncle George and I aren’t regular people. I mean, we popped you from a bridge to a café and from the café to Gary’s apartment. In Chicago.

“Do you know where we are now? We’re in Texas, on the ranch where I live. You’ll see, tomorrow.

“Uncle George and I, Nemesis and Gary, we’re something different. We have powers: Attributes and Authorities. They let us do things that mortals think of as magic.

“Kevin? You’re one of us. You just haven’t found your powers, yet. And besides, you and I and Bobby are on the road to becoming a team … a team that will be important, and good.

I was overwhelmed. All I could do was nod.

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