I really don't understand why people like to hit me. I mean, sure, I can be the wisest of asses, and my sarcasm is usually pretty juvenile, but I'm really not that bad of a guy. So why is it that people seem to take a special kind of pleasure in tormenting me? Maybe if I had a chance to follow that line of thinking to its conclusion I could have figured it out, but I had to interrupt the thought to dodge out of the way of an iron-shod quarterstaff headed for my face.

I rolled quickly to my side and barely avoided getting my head caved in by a powerful downward swing from Ash's staff. The cap of the staff continued past my head and…Hells Bells… spread a web of cracks through the marble as big around as a dinner plate. "Stars and Stones Ash, that last one almost…." I was forced to abandon that particular line of complaint to move away from another literally earth shattering blow of his staff. I sent a swing towards his ankle where he had his weight settled and cursed as he drew the leg (which was not in fact where he was putting all of his weight) up and stomped down on my own rune-carved staff, pinning it to the ground.

I felt the iron tip of Ash's quarterstaff press against my neck. "You cheated." Ash raised an eyebrow "How do you figure?" I scowled up at him from my place on the ground "You said no powers, human beings can't lift up the leg that all of their weight is on without falling over, you were levitating or something." So fine, complaining about it was petty, and it made me sound like a sore loser, but damn it the man said no powers and I certainly hadn't used mine.

Ash rolled his eyes and moved the staff away from my neck, offering me his hand to help me to my feet. "It's a Karate technique called Gamaku, it's a move that involves shifting your body away from your center of gravity to fool your opponent into thinking you're balanced on the opposite leg." I blinked at him owlishly. He rolled his at me again and sighed "I think you might have a concussion from banging your head on the floor, we're done for the day."

I groaned audibly in relief, Ash was a good guy and he had helped me a lot in the last few weeks, getting me adjusted to my new strength and speed, not to mention my new dental plan. The fact remained however that he was also a dictatorial teacher and a strict and brutal taskmaster, the end of my daily training was something I always looked forward to with great relish. A girlish giggle sounded from the other side of the room and I looked over to see a gorgeous goth girl, who looked at least twenty years too young for me, with her feet propped up on the spine of Ash's throne as she hung her head upside down off the seat.

Black (for the moment at least) pigtails hung down around a sweet heart-shaped face. Her skin was pale (also for the moment, her demon form weirded me out a bit so Ash told her to keep up her human glamour) and she had sharp teeth exposed in a wide grin. "Akri, the Simi is so glad you let her watch this. Next to QVC and playing with baby Marissa, watching you beat up Akri-Harry is the most fun the Simi gets to have." Over the weeks I had gotten Ash to explain (with much pestering on my part) that Akri was Atlantean (his native tongue, how weird is that) for lord and master.

Which did not of course do anything to alleviate either of our confusion as to why Ash's demon felt the need to call me that, and asking her didn't work either, as Ash's demon was ridiculously spoiled and had quite the attitude most of the time. When questioned about why she felt the need to refer to me in such a fashion Simi's response was simply "Well what else would I call him?" Which was almost as vague as it was unhelpful, but neither of us could get the demon to say another word on the subject.

Seeing as she was basically Ash's daughter I found it best to just give her her own way, and was ecstatic to learn that whatever mojo affected the women around me did not work on Simi and that she was not in the least bit interested in me sexually. This apparent exception did not however include Ash's servant's live-in sweetie, Danger. Alexion had spent the first week or so glaring daggers at me while his girlfriend flirted with me at breakfast.

I think he probably would have killed me when Ash wasn't around if we hadn't explained what was going on to him and Danger after a particularly uncomfortable incident where I ended up with a face full of one of Danger's thongs, while she was still wearing it (I know it sounds bad but I swear it was really a big misunderstanding on a three-stoogian scale). Needless to say Ash had to literally restrain Alexion with his powers while we explained the misunderstanding and the reason for Danger's *ahem* provocative behavior. On a positive note, apparently having a lapful of my face was more mortifying for Danger than whatever power I had was effective because she had been very careful around me ever since.

Despite the fact that Alexion still REALLY didn't like me Ash and Danger had managed to talk him down, and had promised that they would ask Savitar (who was apparently kind of a big deal) to come see if there was a way to curb the effect. It wasn't really that it made me irresistible or anything (the underwear incident was one big pratfall and Danger really loves Alexion and would have never actually done anything) but the flirting was starting to really get to pretty much everyone and Danger was very…um…forward about the way she spoke, so it couldn't possible go anywhere good.

Ash had sent Alexion and Danger back to the real world for a week or two on his dime and today was the day I was supposed to see Savitar. Simi rolled backwards and flipped off the chair to land on her feet. "Akri, are we leaving for Savi's island soon." Ash smiled at his demon as I pulled my head out of the clouds of thought I was getting lost in. "Yes, we're leaving now."

For most people this would probably be a figure of speech but Ash reached out to put his hand on my shoulder and suddenly we were just…elsewhere. We were standing on a beach on beautiful, lush, tropical, island. A ways down the beach was what appeared to be the lone figure of a man waxing a surfboard. He cleaned and waxed the wood with the steady practiced movements of ritual.

He looked as if he gained a measure of peace from the motions, losing himself in the steady repetitive work and the sound of the waves. To be honest I felt a bit bad to be disturbing the large man, who had to be just as tall as Acheron and even more heavily muscled and I knew from one glance at his lavender eyes that this must be Savitar. And I knew just as strongly that whatever I did, I did not want to soulgaze this being. If I even could.

I carefully averted my eyes so I was looking him in the face without looking him in the eye (a trick most wizards pick up at some point) and we began to walk down the beach toward the figure who was wearing of all things, a surfers wetsuit. As we approached the man began to look agitated working more furiously on the board as if to compensate for our interruption. Apparently it didn't work because he threw the board down and looked up at me…and I froze. I knew this man. I couldn't begin to say from where but I was absolutely positive that I remembered him, and he certainly remembered me. He jumped to his feet and began to look even more agitated, his eyes widening in what I thought had to be…panic?

"Oh shit, what are you doing here? Acheron why the fuck would you bring HIM here? And why are your eyes black, and the fangs? Jesus…you're a Dark-Hunter…how did you...you DIED?!" Savitar (or the man I assumed was Savitar) was beginning to turn purple and was looking positively apoplectic. Ash, for his part looked confused. "Sav, man what's wrong? Do you know Harry somehow?" Savitar let out a burst of bitter mocking laughter "Know him? You could say that. I'm his godfather."

My breath whooshed out of me in a wave like someone had punched me in the solar plexus "Wait. What? You knew my mother?" I had heard lots of things about my mother over the years but only vague facts here and there. I had come to trust Ash over the past few weeks and if Ash thought Savitar was alright this could finally be my chance to learn more about my mother. This could finally be my chance to understand my parents better.

I had been an orphaned as a child and after my father died when I was six I had wondered constantly about what my parents had been like when they were younger. I had fantasized about having a family as a teenager and wondered what they would be like, but it had been especially bad about my mother. I had never met my mother, she died in childbirth and everything I had heard about her from my sources made her sound like some kind of criminal.

I couldn't help but think that there had to be more to my mother than just the revolutionary I had heard about. My mother had been a person. With hopes and dreams, faults and strengths, with all the things that made people real, made them people. And I suddenly wanted nothing more than to know. To know all about her and what this man knew of her life. To hear stories of my mother making dinner, or spending time with friends, or anything at all to prove to me that she had been a real person.

Savitar looked like he still might have an aneurism so I suppose he wasn't thinking when he muttered, just loud enough for me to hear "No I never met Maggie personally, but I'm good friends with your father." I just about collapsed in shock. For one thing my father had somehow known this powerful immortal. And for another he had referred to my father in the PRESENT TENSE. I was saying the words aloud even as the thought was coalescing in my mind. "My father is still alive?"

Ok that's it for this chapter. A bit short I know but I wanted to end it on this note because I wanted to make sure that you guys knew there will be minor spoilers for the chronicles of nick. Nothing really plot based at this point but some facts that get revealed that are pretty surprising in context. Some people will probably be annoyed but Harry's dad is not going to be human. I wont say who he is so far but I will give you a small hint. It has to do with Harry's combat magic and his new lust powers, and his dad is REALLY powerful. As for why he left you'll have to read more to find out. Also I wanted to ask anyone who wants to to send reviews voting for pairings. My picks at the moment are Katra, Medea(Strykers daughter) and Appolymi. Or possible more than one of them let me know what you think.