Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter.

Consul of the Underworld: Grinding Phase

Chapter Sixteen: Mina Potter-Branwen, Justice Girl

Beta: ShadowofAxios

In the middle of the wilderness that was the New Mexican desert stood a single nondescript building. Connected to the rest of the world by a single road that snaked through its inhospitable surroundings and with little to distinguish it from an ordinary storage compound besides its location, to an outside observer it would appear to be nothing more than a remote cluster of warehouses whose contents were perhaps to be reserved for an emergency.

While it did serve this function, its primary purpose was vastly different. In numerous underground vaults beneath the facility there were some of the most dangerous supernatural entities ever encountered by man. For this was no mere storage facility, this was the United States Maximum Security Supernatural Containment Facility.

It was into the depths of this clandestine, and in some circles infamous, facility that Alkaid Shadow-Traveled her family.

"I feel like we should at least be in tactical gear. I honestly don't like us being here at all, Kaidy." Pyrrha frowned as she looked around the hallway they found themselves in. It was lined on either side by vault doors that must have sealed up various cells. On the right side of each door was a mounted touch screen computer whose default screensaver appeared to be a presentation on the inmate contained in the cell. Just a casual glance at some of the things shown in the photos in those presentations sent a chill down Pyrrha's spine.

"There's nothing to worry about," Alkaid assured the daughter of Ares with a small smile, "Everyone here is on death row. We're just accelerating the time of their deaths in the name of justice."

"The Feds won't exactly agree if they catch us." Pyrrha countered, a scowl now coming to her face. "Just being here has to break a couple dozen different laws. You sure they don't know we're here?"

"As sure as I can be," Alkaid reassured her girlfriend. "I've tampered with the facility's wards so they can't detect Shadow Travel outside of the cells and I've also hacked into the electronic surveillance systems to shut them down, so there's no real way for them to detect us."

"Look at all the to-be dead people, mums!" Mina cheered, her pale cheeks rosy and her eyes sparkling as she looked around excitedly.

"Yeah, it's quite the list huh?" Pyrrha said distractedly while still looking uneasily at Alkaid. "And they can't sense us just walking around with magic?"

"I've tampered with the wards there and added us as exceptions."

"Mum thinks of everything!" Mina chimed in with a broad smile. "Now we can go kill baddies in peace. Justice!"

"Ah, the hero phase has arrived." Pyrrha gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah yeah, let's go kill some baddies, Mina."

"Yes, but let's be systematic about it and go through this list in order." Alkaid said with that serious face of hers. The one that said she wasn't going to like being questioned.

Sighing in resignation, Pyrrha just nodded. Though hers was meek in comparison to the enthusiastic response from Mina. Honestly, if the goddess was anymore vigorous about it, her little head might just fall off.

Putting a hand on her head to stop the girl from overdoing it, Pyrrha gestured for Alkaid to lead the way.

"Come, Mina." The brunette said authoritatively as she waved her hand and conjured some kind of compass made of light that pointed down the hall. "I believe your first target should be this way."

"Yay, it's killing time!"

"Just a little more." Pyrrha said placatingly, sending her daughter a long suffering smile.

Her little murderer was insatiable wasn't she? She'd just massacred a whole street gang in Chicago last night, bloodily enough mind you that it made the national news and here she was thirsting for more blood. Sure, as a daughter of war herself, Pyrrha understood bloodlust. Still, even to her, this was a little extreme.

That said, she didn't and would never say anything. Not when this extreme murderous desire was a core part of her daughter's being. It didn't stop it from unnerving her though.

Pyrrha mulled on these thoughts as she followed her girlfriend and daughter down the hallway full of eldritch abominations. Occasionally, Mina would stop and ask Alkaid if the occupant inside a particular cell was the one they were looking for only to be disappointed by a negative shake of the brunette's head.

There's a pattern in her choices, Pyrrha noted as she kept pace. She's overlooking the more inhuman looking creatures and only asking about the humanoid ones. That's a little disturbing. Does she only get her fill out of killing humans or those that look human?

"Relax, Py." Alkaid whispered as she stopped to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Mina's just more familiar with humanoids is all. She was Jack the Ripper. Killing humans is her speciality."

"What about monsters?"

"Shouldn't be a problem. Her ability to impose death comes from her domain over killing. It's not specific."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. I had her test it out on a pig shaped Anemoi Thuellai the other day."

"It squealed like a real pig," Mina chimed in with a nostalgic smile on her face. "Oh! I hope the thing we kill today does too. I like piggy noises!"

"Okay, at least you tested it." Pyrrha said, relieved. "And it took the form of a pig? Really?"

Alkaid shrugged. "It likely wasn't the smartest storm spirit."

"You think?" Pyrrha retorted with a snort.

"Ah! Mama made a piggy noise." Mina teasingly pointed out.

"I'll have you know boars are my dad's sacred animal," Pyrrha reminded her daughter. "So it's perfectly respectable for a child of Ares to make pig noises."

"Hehe, piggies." Mina giggled into her hands, looking mischievous.

Pyrrha was about to reprimand her daughter but luckily for the brat they had apparently reached their destination.

"Here it is," Alkaid declared, her compass pointing firmly at the door to the cell to their right. "The cell of the Greater Demon of Lust, Sidroth the Sinuous."

That poured cold water on everything and knowing the answer, Pyrrha asked the all important question one last time.

"You sure this is a good idea?"

"Mina has no, well, desires at the moment. It should be a safe target for her."

"That's not what I meant." Pyrrha said with a glare. Alkaid knew full well what she was talking about. "Is it really okay to just kill this thing?"

"It's on death row, Pyrrha." Alkaid shot back. "The only reason it's still alive is because the Feds haven't figured out how to kill it yet. We have a way."

Pyrrha shot her an unconvinced look.

Alkaid sighed in frustration, before replying. "Think of it as us accelerating the course of justice."

"And when the Feds find their inmate missing? What then?"

"They'll thank us? They certainly won't come arrest us, if that's what you're worrying about." Alkaid assured her. "Father will see to that."

"I hope you're right." Pyrrha sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. Still, I wish you didn't go to your old man for a get out of jail free card.

"I always am." Alkaid said with a playful smirk.

"Mama, Mum! Stop flirting! It's killing time!" Mina whined. "Grandpa Hades is probably getting impatient too."

"What does Hades have to do with anything?" Pyrrha asked, confused.

"You do remember that he steered us here, right? By filling the list with beings locked up here?" Alkaid clarified. "He didn't say it, but he's probably planning to sell Mina's 'waste disposal' services to the Feds and is using tonight as a proof of product before he makes his offer."

"Yup, yup." Mina confirmed. "Grandpa Hades is being sneaky."

"How lucrative." Pyrrha said, her cheeks red. She hated that she had thought her girlfriend was just being a daddy's girl. Honestly, she should know better by now, right?

"It should be. The Feds would probably pay through the nose, pardon the phrase, for a service like this."

"Do we get a cut?"

"Mina getting her fix isn't good enough?" Alkaid asked with a mischievous smirk. "But, seriously? Of course we will. I have no idea what it'll be but I'm pretty sure it'll be substantial. My Father is scrupulously fair."

"I'm going to fill my piggy bank." Mina chirped.

What's with all the pig references today? Pyrrha groaned but nodded. "Alright. If you save enough, you might be able to get something nice."

"Like what?" Mina pondered. "I'm a goddess right? I can get whatever I want right?"

"Have you learned conjuration yet?" Alkaid asked airily.

"No~" Mina replied with a pout.

"Then you'll still need to buy most things." Pyrrha informed the now disappointed goddess. "So that money will come in useful after all."

"I want a vroom vroom."

...The horror! It'd be a death machine. Pyrrha inwardly panicked. "Uh, sure. We'll check it out."

"Okay, enough distracting chit chat," Alkaid said with a apologetic smile. "This door is proving a lot tougher than I expected. I need to focus."

"Sure thing, 'Kaidy. We'll be quiet." Pyrrha said dutifully, even as Mina covered her mouth with both hands.

When did she even start hacking the wards? I never noticed. Pyrrha boggled even as she watched Alkaid work, this time more obviously as magic circles occasionally popped in and out of existence around her and the door. She's really gotten good at this subtle magic thing, huh? Too bad she doesn't really use it in a fight, bet it would be cool to see. If it didn't get us killed that is.

Despite her admiring thoughts however, Pyrrha didn't forget where they were and kept a lookout for guards. If Alkaid didn't want to be disturbed by chatting then a guard showing up was probably the last thing she wanted.

Despite being filled with people on death row, it was silent. Eerily so.

"No need to worry about guards Mama," Mina assured her in a whisper.

"You do something?"

The little goddess shook her head.

"No guard would ever come here. No need. Not when she's here." Mina said pointing to a cell down the row. "She makes sure no one gets out."

"And people getting in?"

"She knows why we're here. I told her. She's okay with it."

"Do I want to know who she is?

Mina wrinkled her nose, "She's not a nice thing. I don't wanna go near her, she's always crying. At least when she's not just destroying you for one reason or the other."

"Leave it, Pyrrha." Alkaid took a moment from her ward hacking to add. "Some things are best left unknown."

Pyrrha felt a chill go down her spine at that. A being that Mina kept away from and which Alkaid warned her against learning about? Whatever it was sounded terrifying. For the first time since she learned she was a daughter of Ares, she decided to practice the better part of valor and leave well enough alone.

"And with a little tweak here, that should be that!" Alkaid softly cheered as the ward blocking the cell weakened. Just enough for them to swing the door open.

As it did, it revealed the prisoner within, Sidroth the Sinuous.

The Greater Demon of Lust was a naga-like being with a serpentine lower body covered in scales that shimmered like jewels. It was an androgynous creature with a face that was the pinnacle of masculine perfection but yet had two perfectly enticing female breasts that despite being bare to the world was perfectly perky without the slightest hint of sagging. It had four arms: two of which ended with human-like hands, while the remaining pair ended with large crab-like claws. These appendages were bound to the cell walls with thick metal chains covered in glowing runes.

Against her better judgment, Pyrrha couldn't help but find it incredibly attractive despite its monstrous appearance. A sentiment that Alkaid shared if her awed gasp was any indication.

Okay, I ain't no furry but holy shit… that is one attractive snake dude chick thing.

Seemingly unfazed by whatever power that the demon was using, Mina rushed forward her knives ready to kill it.

Pyrrha opened her mouth to stop her from killing this specimen of perfect beauty but her reason caught up to her quickly enough and she managed to transform it into a simple wordless cry.

Seeing that it would be getting no help from them, the demon shifted its jewel like eyes off the two demigods and onto the goddess that it was fending off with its tail. It had so far been successful, its whip like tail lashes being able to keep Mina away. However, the goddess was inching closer to its restrained form with each evasion and it was managing to avoid getting stabbed by an ever shrinking margin.

Though Pyrrha was only just realizing this. She had been so caught up in the creature's charm that until it shifted its attention away, she'd not even noticed that Mina had already engaged the thing.

"Opening the cell," Alkaid said breathlessly. "It must have weakened the wards dampening its powers. It tried to charm us."

"No shit, 'Kaidy." Pyrrha replied as she leaned against the open door frame to regain her bearings. "Shit! It's breaking free!"

In the cell, Sidroth was indeed breaking free of its chains. Flexing its perfectly toned muscles, it pulled hard against its bonds, causing the links to strain and groan. Unable to withstand its strength, they slowly snapped one after another. As the last chain snapped, it ripped the shattered remains of the heavy bindings off and tossed them at Mina, forcing her away.

With some distance from its opponent gained for the moment, the demon turned its attention to the demigoddesses. Smiling winsomely at the two women, it applied all of its supernatural charm at them.

"Why thank you darlings for freeing me." The being's voice was somehow baritone yet sweet as honey all at once. "Now why don't you come and join me. I've been ever so lonely."

It wasn't wrong to shiver in delight at its voice, right? ...Right?

Fortunately for the two demigoddess, their daughter was not about to let a sleazy lust demon mind control her parents.

"Leave my mums alone! Snakes are icky and gross!" Mina screamed as she seemed to teleport onto its back and stabbed down into its neck, releasing a fountain of rainbow coloured blood and causing the demon to shriek in pained ecstasy. "No snake makes goo-goo eyes at my mums! Now die, die, die!"

Despite its reaction though, the demon kept its composure enough to grab the comparatively tiny goddess with its clawed hands and toss her away from itself before immediately attempting to flee.

"Mina! Don't let it get away!" Alkaid ordered even as she erected a array of barriers in front of the open cell door that the demon was slithering towards.

"We're going to my playground." Mina hissed, her teeth bare and her canines looking sharp. "I want your blood to paint my streets. Darkened Misty Metropolis!"

The mad goddess giggled, her voice echoing as billowing thick smog seemed to fill their surroundings from out of nowhere. It rushed pass them from all directions in a swirling vortex that swallowed all of them up without even a chance of escape.

Blinking her eyes open, Pyrrha could only see about a few feet in front of her in the dense fog that had blanketed the area. An area which had also been transformed. Where beforehand she had been in the middle of a prison, now she stood in a cobblestone street straight out of Victorian London.

"'Kaidy, Mina? Either of you here?" Pyrrha asked warily as she summoned her Labrys into her hands.

"Pyrrha," Alkaid said as she walked out of the mist to her right, seemingly unfazed by the odd new environment.

She looks like she's actually familiar with this place. Oh! Who am I kidding? She definitely is. I bet she had Mina show her all her tricks at some point. Damned wish I had thought to do the same.

"Ah, the choking taste of the air. It feels like home." Mina's voice echoed from everywhere. "I hope you like it, it's the last thing you'll taste. Besides your own blood! Die! Die! I want to bathe in your blood!"

"Quaint little pocket dimension you've created, little goddess." The demon's alluring voice hissed back in anger. "I'll enjoy tearing it to pieces."

"Hehe, heehee!" Mina's mad giggles echoed.

"What do we do now?" Pyrrha asked her lover, honestly at a lost.

"Fire support." Alkaid said briskly as she gestured for Pyrrha to follow. "Mina is keeping the demon as far away from us as possible so it can't charm us. But that doesn't mean we can't help her. Even from range we can hit it with our magic."

Pyrrha snorted at that. 'Our magic'? Yeah right… I'm practically useless as fire support. There's a reason why I'm a close combat witch.

"Right, you set up and I'll keep it back if it wants to dazzle us again."

"No point to that," Alkaid cut in harshly as she summoned a magical platform under them. "If it hits us, we're charmed. That thing's allure is too powerful for either of us to resist. No, we'll just have to hit it from far away and behind cover."

"So what will I do?" Pyrrha asked, frustrated and on the verge of whining.

"Use the Levitation Charm and send rubble flying at the thing?" Alkaid said with a shrug as they sped through the cramped streets of Mina's pocket world. "Just because you don't know many bombardment spells doesn't mean you can't improvise."

"That's actually a good idea." Pyrrha mused as they came to a stop. "So where should I aim?"

"Grrh! Stand still you slippery booby snake thing!"

Alkaid just shot Pyrrha an amused smile and nodded towards the direction of their daughter's annoyed shout.

Yeah, won't be so hard to aim as long as I follow Mina's shouting. Pyrrh shook her head and pulled out her wand.

"Let's begin shall we? επικαλούνται: Οι Επτά βέλη της η Μεγάλη Άρκτος (Invoke: The Seven Arrows of the Big Dipper)!" Alkaid incanted and sent seven meteors hurtling down from the sky in the direction of the fight between Mina and the demon.

"Are you insane mortals?" The demon hissed. "What if you hit your daughter?"

"Haha, rocks are fun! No worries Mum! I can take it!"

"Well, here's a little from me too. Bombarda!" Pyrrha said shattering a section of the road into large chunks of rock perfect to serve as projectiles. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

At her command, the boulder sized rocks hurtled through the sky at the divine fight.

"It's raining rocks! It's raining rocks!" Mina sang playfully even as the demon's unintelligible curses echoed over the distance. "It's raining, it's pouring, the snakey's going to be squished!"

Yes, our girl is tone deaf. Pyrrha winced at the shouting.

"Divine Buster, Judgement Barrage!" Alkaid incanted, ignoring the banter and sending a brace of massive green beams of magical energy shooting at the distant battlefield.

"I forget how ridiculous your magic is." Pyrrha said, admiring the lightshow.

"Less talk, more spells." Alkaid reminded her as she began to work on another spell.

Mina laughed with childish glee as she danced around her Mum's magical barrage that tore up the whole area around her and that shitty demon. Teehee! She loved all the colorful explosions!

She especially liked it when one of the beams slammed into the snakeman-woman-thing's back because she distracted it and it's back exploded in all that pretty rainbow blood! Her Mum made such beautiful art!

Maybe they should do some arts and crafts some time? They could make a day of it!

"Curse those interfering mortals! What right do they have to be on this battlefield except to be my thralls!" The demon ranted in that slimy voice that it had. "And curse you, you brat! Why don't you have lusts I can exploit!"

"My mums go where I go, stupid-face!" Mina stuck her tongue out as dozens of her knives danced in the air around her. The goddess sent each one of the wickedly serrated blades slicing through the air but sadly they stabbed only cobble as the demon slithered out of the way.

"And I'ma little girl! Why would I have grown-up things like that? All I have is bloodlust!" The serial killer continued her reply as she conjured a new set of knives around her.

"Which I sadly cannot manipulate! Argh! Why does your one lust fall under the power of the uncouth spawns of Satan!" The demon bemoaned as it used its clawed hands to bat away another brace of Mina's throwing knives.

"Grandpa doesn't like you guys from the Inferno, you're all bad for business apparently." Mina retorted as she weaved through its claws, sinking two daggers into the grossly exposed tits. Her mummies had nice boobs too, nice enough that Mina wanted hers to be just like theirs when she grew up, but they had the decency to keep them covered instead of distracting everyone with how perfect they were all the time. This idiot was just being rude to let its rack just hang out like that.

Grandma Persephone had said that people like that were hussies just like those that Mina could remember from back in London. She didn't like hussies. They were all stupid and mean.

"Why are you even trying to kill me, you brat?" The demon asked with annoyed curiosity as it summoned a wavy looking sword into each of its human hands and tried to use them like a scissor to cut Mina in half. "I'm not going to escape. I know better!"

"Because mummy told me you were bad. And, and, and~! I can kill ya!" Mina replied cheerily and complemented with a wide and demented smile. "Fan of Knives!"

At her shout, she swung her hands in a wide arc in front of her, unleashing an immense number of her deadly blades.

"Are you a cartoon character?!" The demon hissed in exasperation even as it began spinning its twin swords in front of it like a pair of giant blenders and knocked most of the knives out of the way.

"Who calls out attack names?!" The sexy demon said with a wince as a handful of the knives found their mark. Not enough to kill it but more than enough to make it feel real pain.

"Me!" Mina said putting up her hand, "It's fun and because I'm a goddess I can do whatever I think is fun. Least that's what Mr. Dionysus tells me. So I'mma torture you dead!"

"Tch, blasted newborn, I'll rip your essense out and feed on it!" The demon taunted even as it had to hastily slither out of the way of a whole block of terrace houses thrown its way like a giant javelin.

Wow! That must have taken a lot out of Mama! Mum must have helped her with it. Mina mused even as she took advantage of the opening the attack created to teleport in close and become a whirling dervish of deadly blades.

The skanky demon surprisingly managed to swing its swords into position quickly enough to actually parry a good bit of her attack, but not before Mina had managed to score a good number of hits that left wounds which bled its pretty technicolor blood.

I really, really want to paint with that. I wonder if Mum will let me keep the body? Mina thought as she parried the demon's counter strikes that unfortunately managed to push her back out of way of more direct hits. The demon's superior size and mass allowing it to put a lot more force into its blows, enough that it sent Mina skidding or flying back every time their blades met.

Not that it really mattered. She didn't need many more hits to end this anyways. Already the demon was visibly weakened. Not only was it covered in wounds but it was also starting to breath hard, which was kinda weird since she was pretty sure it didn't need to breath.

Maybe Mum can explain that later. Mina mused as she skipped back from a furious swipe by the demon to watch the its life slowly drain away.

The sight sent an excitable shiver down her spine.

One which grew into a full blown excited laugh of demented glee when an armory's worth of spectral swords fell down from the sky. The tired demon barely raised its swords and claws in a bid to defend itself, and to its credit actually managed to knock a good number of the incoming projectiles out of the way, but dozens still managed to pierce its flesh and most importantly its long tail, pinning it to the ground.

Weaving under the feeble guard it tried to put up, Mina buried her blades into the demon of lust's throat and heart.

As it let out gasping gurgles, its blood spilling over her hands, Mina casually dodged its flailing hands as they tried to put pressure on the wounds and/or swat her off all while managing to scoop up a handful of its multicolored blood. Jumping away from the dying demon's and its death throes, she drank deeply from the stolen blood in her cupped hands. As it passed her lips, a weird shudder came over her and outside of her volition, her cheek began glowing with a brilliant blush. There was a strange tingling between her legs too but it was so faint that Mina was pretty sure she just imagined it.

"Mm! Fruity!" The goddess of serial killers chirped, feeling yet another rush as the last slivers of life escaped the demon and its heavy body fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

In death, the slutty demon looked like a dead fish. Then again all bodies tended to look like that. Lifelessly still and all that. But like with the remains of all her victims, Mina couldn't help but enjoy the sight. As her Mum taught her, it was a good thing to be able to appreciate one's work.

"Mummys! All done! Can we keep the body? It tasted good!"

"You ate it!?" Mama shouted incredulously as she and Mum flew over on a magical platform.

"Nope! Just drank its blood!" Mina said, skipping over to them. She was covered in the technicolor blood and held her arms out to let her mummies have a look at the pretty liquid, "It tastes fruity and made me all tingly. It's weird but nice!"

"Weird how?" Mum asked with a cocked brow even as Mama admired the demon's corpse.

"Uh, I dunno." Mina replied with a shrug, but quickly elaborated at her Mum's insistent, concerned look. "It makes me all tingly, but I get that whenever I drink any blood. Maybe a little more than usual 'cos it's powerful and all, but the weird thing was where it made me feel tingly this time."

"And where is that?" Mum pressed. Even Mama had turned to Mina, looking concerned and that just made the little goddess fidget nervously.

Is something wrong?

"Um, uh, between my legs."

Mummies exchanged a look.

"K-Kaidy…" Mama looked nervous.

"I know, I know. I'll be sure to get in touch with Persephone." Mum waved off without a concern. If Mum wasn't worried, then Mina wouldn't be either. "But for now. Mina."

"Yes, Mum?" The little girl replied with a surprised little jump at suddenly being addressed.

"How intense was this tingle?"

Mina cocked her head to the side as she considered the question.

"Ummm…. Just a little bit? I actually thought it might have been just my imagination for a bit."

Mama breathed a relieved sigh and Mum nodded as if what Mina had said confirmed whatever she was thinking.

"Then it shouldn't be a problem. Just an expected side-effect of consuming some of a lust demon's essence." Mum said in that teacher voice she got when she was being all smart.

She loved when Mum was smart.

Mina wished she could be smart like her but she was more like Mama. A doer, not a thinker.

"Makes sense." Mama nodded in agreement, though the slightly lost look in her eyes told Mina she didn't completely follow what Mum was saying. Mina could empathize. Mum could be too smart sometimes. So much so that Mina couldn't understand what she was saying, but could only nod along like Mama did at times.

"That being the case," Mum said, turning to Mina and smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry Mina, but we can't keep the body. I know the blood is delicious to you, but it's just not safe for you to drink too much of it."

Mina pouted and looked to Mama for support, but found her nodding along to what Mum said.

Knowing when she'd lost, Mina decided to apply what Mum had taught her once: when defeated, at least try to get something out of the loss.

"Can I at least take a bottle back home with me?" The goddess asked in her most whiny voice and with her best attempt at the puppy dog eyes.

Mama caved immediately, but turned to look at Mum for confirmation.

Yes, when the two of them ganged up on Mum, even she couldn't defend herself for long!

Proving that fact, Mum gave a resigned sigh and nodded.

Mina would have whooped in joy but that might make Mum change her mind so she held herself back. Instead, she tried to act like a big girl and played it cool. Just like Mum would, 'cos she was amazing like that.

"How do I do this again?" Mina knitted her brow and held her hand in front of her. It was hard to make things that weren't her knives, everything else took too much effort to make. "Mum! Can you make me a bottle? I can't do it…"

Mum leaned down with a pretty smile and ruffled Mina's hair, even as with a bright green pulse of light she conjured a pretty little bottle with shooting stars and other starry stuff running along its sides.

The tiny goddess loved her Mum's star motif, it was beautiful.

"Thanks Mum!" Mina cheered as she grabbed the bottle and skipped over to collect some of her treat. In the background, Mina heard Mum laughing at her enthusiasm but she didn't mind. Mum had a pretty laugh and she liked to hear it.

"Aw, her first spoil of victory since we adopted her." Mama chuckled, joining in on Mum's mirth.

In the end, rather than teleporting home, Alkaid had just had Mina drop them back at their house as she dispelled her pocket dimension. Being a space outside of their regular universe, where exactly it deposited its occupants when it was dismissed was, within reason, changeable. That Mina hadn't realized that just meant that it became a nice little lesson for their daughter. Considering how few things the sorceress could teach her goddess of a daughter, Alkaid greatly appreciated the opportunity she had been given.

Not that Pyrrha agreed. Then again, she had been forced to sit through a fifteen minute lecture of things she barely understood, so Alkaid could sympathize with her lack of enthusiasm.

Especially when the redhead had confessed later that to her the lecture was tantamount to nothing beyond how space time was "from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff."

Alkaid rebuffed that she was watching too much of the good Doctor.

Pyrrha had scoffed and pointed out that there was no such thing.

That had led to a minor argument that had culminated in quite a pleasant round of make-up sex, which thanks to Mina being away at Camp for her lessons with Mr. D wasn't interrupted.

It was a great relief for all their tension lately. Was there nothing the Doctor could not do?

Alkaid was currently reminiscing about the experience while sitting in the living room watching with a pleasant smile on her face as Mina gave her parents an account of her lessons the previous day.

"And then I threw a knife at one of the annoying kids. I almost took off her head, but Mr. Dionysus said scaring them was just as fun!"

"Glad to hear you didn't kill anyone." Pyrrha said with the resigned voice she'd picked up for whenever they had to deal with their daughter's more murderous tendencies. "It would be a bitch to have to deal with their godly parents if you did."

Alkaid could only nod in agreement.

"Mr. Dionysus said that too." Mina chimed in, sounding disappointed. "He said it was the biggest reason he doesn't just turn all the Campers who annoy him into cute squeaky dolphins. Least then they'd have a use."

"I can empathize." Alkaid admitted freely. That she had little love for the more annoying Campers was well known, though that didn't save her from the warning glare that Pyrrha shot her. Though she ignored it with the ease of practice. Far too much of it, in her opinion.

"You are a counselor there, Kaidy, and part of the staff besides. You gotta deal with them some time. I thought you wanted to be a teacher?"

"...Touche my love, touche." Alkaid conceded. "As for your point about being a teacher, there's nothing that said teachers have to be gracious about tolerating annoying and ungrateful children."

Mina nodded eagerly, her snow white locks bouncing, "Mr. Dionysus says the same thing."

Pyrrha just threw her hands up in defeat.

As if on cue, this was exactly when the doorbell rang.

"Expecting someone?" Alkaid asked her lover.

"No." Pyrrha frowned as her eyes narrowed.

"A delivery then?"

"Didn't order anything." Pyrrha said even as Mina shook her own head in denial.

Alkaid frowned as a house elf popped into the room.

"Mistresses," the diminutive magical creature said with a bow. "Yous have a guest at the door."

"Anyone we know?" Pyrrha asked, her hands twitching in the way that they did when she was itching to summon her labrys.

The house elf shook his head, his large ears flopping crazily, "Not cleared guest. Not VIP. A stranger in a suit, he being. Says from the Feds."

Alkaid raised an eyebrow at that, even as Pyrrha shot her an accusatory look.

I guess the government was more concerned about us doing their job for them than I thought they would be.

"Then let's go see what he wants shall we?" Alkaid said airily, without letting on about her unease.

With a nod, Pyrrha joined Alkaid as they walked towards the front door.

"I'm coming too!" Mina demanded as she squeezed her way between her parents and stood in front of them with her hands on her hips. "If he's mean, I'll gut him."

"Alright dear, but no knives in front of guests. It's rude manners." Alkaid said with a smile at their little goddess' protectiveness.

"Aw, alrighty, Mum."

United as one, the family opened their front door to find a nondescript man in a black suit standing patiently on their front porch.

"Good evening ladies," the thoroughly plain man said with a tip of his head. "I'm with the U.S. government. Do you mind if I come inside so we can chat?"

"No pleasantries?" Alkaid asked with a quirk of her brow.

"Would you appreciate them considering the situation?" The man said with a knowing smile.

Alkaid was about to reply but a nudge in the side by Pyrrha preempted her snarky reply

Swallowing the sharp retort she had prepared, the brunette gestured inside, "Please, come in."

The man walked in respectfully and the women followed, though no one was fooled by the facade of civility. The man radiated a sense of smug threat and the family returned it with their own aggressive defensiveness.

A state of affairs that continued as they all took seats in the living room and the house elves served them all tea.

"Tea? How British." The man noted as he took a sip from his offered drink. "And you didn't even ask what I wanted. You really are unsettled. Does my being here really upset you so much?"

"I've bad experiences with dealing with government agents." Alkaid told the man honestly, a tight smile on her face.

"Ah! The fiasco with the fickle idiots at MI5? I've read about that." The agent said with a grimace.

"Yes. Is that what this is lining up to be or are you going to deliver your message from your superior?"

"The latter I assure you." The man said with a pleased sigh as he put his cup down. "Excellent tea by the way. And let me just say that we aren't going to be as stupid about it as MI5 was."

"Gods bless America." Alkaid praised sarcastically. "Yet it still sent a smug smartass into my home."

"No choice in that," the man said with a shrug. "They don't have many options when dealing with people in your power bracket and I can't help how I am."

Pyrrha nudged Alkaid again, a frown on her face. She turned to the man respectfully and asked, "If this isn't going to be like MI5, what's the proposal you have for us?"

"I'll get to that, but first let me offer my thanks for killing off Sidroth. We've been scratching our heads trying to arrange for someone willing and able to do the deed. I even gave a go at it myself, not that it stuck."

Mina giggled, looking bashful, "I tried my hardest!"

"And it's worked." The agent said, offering the little goddess a genuine smile. "That demon is dead for good at last, at least as far as we can tell."

The goddess of serial killers preened at the praise.

"Thanks, Mr.-"

"Agent T. Just call me Agent T." The man said with a wink, even as he cut Mina off.

Alkaid frowned. It was obvious this man was more than he seemed but Mina's reaction sealed it. Whoever he really was, he was someone that moved in the circles of the gods. At least enough that their daughter recognized him.

"Oh! Right. Thanks Mister Agent T!"

The being masquerading as a mortal man laughed uproariously at their daughter's unintentional joke.

"Oh! You're as adorable as they say you are. You know that?"

"I stab all week." Mina puffed up her chest in pride.

The being chuckled, even as he turned to Alkaid and leveled her with a serious look.

"And before you get it into your pretty little head to try and figure out who I am, don't." The man warned. "Your daughter might be immune to the memetic defenses I've put up to keep my identity safe but you're not. You don't want to make her an orphan again, do you?"

Mina gasped, and quickly shook her head.

"Mina doesn't want that!"

The man turned to her with a placatingly smile. "Neither do I, to be honest. That's why I warned your mummies is all. They can be too curious for their own good at times. That means you also shouldn't tell them my real name, okay? My little curse is built into it after all."

The goddess nodded urgently at his warning.

"Honestly, I think it's a little overboard but Washington insisted and who am I to defy my President." The man said as he rambled on. "Great man, but a little too seri-"

Alkaid cleared her throat.

The man shot her a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that."

The sorceress waved the apology away.

While the threat was not appreciated, Alkaid wasn't about to fault the being for it. At least it had the decency to give a warning.

"Warning noted. We'll respect your privacy." The daughter of Hades said impatiently. "Now, shall we get to business? I'm sure your time is precious."

"Not really," the man said with a shrug. "But it always is for you mortals, so sure."

"So what's the message?" Pyrrha asked in an agitated growl.

"Right, right. Sorry got distracted again." The agent said with a apologetic shake of his head. "First and foremost, I need to point out that you all broke the law when you broke into the United States Maximum Security Supernatural Containment Facility. If you didn't get the results we all wanted, I'd be here to drag you away. So next time you want to break into one of our facilities, please call ahead of time for proper arrangements. Less of a mess and a hassle in all honesty."

Agent T shot them all a disapproving frown at that. His frustration at them seemed personal though, almost as if he had been one of those whose lives they had inconvenienced with their stunt.

"Now, we're willing to let you off the hook this time. If, and only if, we exchange for some services with Mina here. Your Father, Hades, has already agreed to it."

Of course he has. This was part of his plan the whole time.

"Can I presume that Father has already negotiated payment?"

"Of course." The government agent easily replied. "And don't worry, he made sure you get a decent cut too."

That's not the issue. Alkaid was tempted to tell the being, but held herself back. She wanted this creature gone and dragging it into an argument would be counterproductive to that. Instead, she decided to just be polite about the whole thing.

"Very well. Agent T, we graciously accept this offer." Alkaid smiled at the agent.

"Wonderful! I'll have the documents with the details sent over later." The disguised being said with a pleased smile as he jumped to his feet. "In the meantime, I'll be taking my leave."

"Let us see you out." Alkaid offered as courteously as she could manage.

Agent T offered her a nod for the effort and allowed her to escort him out of the house.

The family watched as he walked off their porch and once he was under the open sky looked up to make sure everything was clear overhead before with a blinding flash and the ear splitting sound of a thunderclap, he was gone.

"Oh, pretty!" Mina clapped.

"Good riddance!"

Alkaid was inclined to agree with her lover. She hated dealing with governments and their agents.

The back alleys of San Francisco had become quite a seedy place in recent years and it was not uncommon, even in 'safer' neighbourhoods, for it to harbor cheap prostitutes, drug dealers or other savory elements of society. Tonight however these alleys were graced by a group of particularly villainous individuals, namely a group of empousai.

These legendary monsters of seduction however weren't using these darkened backstreets as venues to ply their trade and lure in unwitting prey. Instead, the daughters of Hecate were fleeing for their lives from a hunter that chased them from within a growing bank of fog that crept after them mercilessly.

"Shit! A dead end!" One of the bloodsuckers cursed, even as they were engulfed by the unnatural fog.

Standing on one of Alkaid's magical platforms, the sorceress and her lover watched the whole thing unfold.

"She's got them," Pyrrha noted as she looked down at their daughter's handiwork. "Man, we should've just done this from the get go."

Alkaid shrugged her shoulders, eying the carnage her cute little girl was making, "You are correct, but I just wanted to give Mina some variety to sate her urges. Hopefully this should quell her desires to murder to a manageable degree."

Her darling lover gave an unlady-like snort at that assessment.

"That and I was following Father's suggestion."

"His scheme, you mean?"

Alkaid didn't deny the observation, Pyrrha was essentially correct after all.

"Mum! Mama!" Mina called out, skipping like an adorable pixie of death towards them. Hanging from her hands were half a dozen bronze horseshoes, spoils of war from her prey. "I finished! Can we get ice cream now?"

She beamed at them, dark ichor dripping from her petite body, her yellowish-green eyes large and pleading.

"I don't see why not." Pyrrha confessed as she flicked her wand and muttered an incantation. A quick spell later. their tiny little murder angel was cleaned head to toe, much to her annoyance.

"Aw, I liked the warm feel on my skin."

"Dragging blood into an establishment isn't good manners, Mina." Alkaid offhandedly chided as their daughter stepped onto the magical platform.

"Okay~!"

It was Sunday, which meant it was time for the weekly Branwen Brunch with Jane. Ever since her kidnapping, both she and Pyrrha had expressed the wish to see her mother once in a while, so the couple had arranged for a weekly meetup to stay in touch and to let the grandmother spoil Mina rotten.

In this same vein, they would also proceed later in the day to make a trip down to the Underworld to spend some time with Hades and Alkaid's sisters. Pyrrha had briefly suggested setting something up with either her Father or cabin at Camp too, but had quickly abandoned the idea when the only thing she got when she raised the idea with them had been laughter.

Alkaid consoled her after that, something that certainly left her lover more perky afterwards.

As the mortals sat around a patio table in the gardens of the Branwen house, they all watched as Mina ran around 'playing' with the Rockwell gnomes. They were playing tag, though that was entirely one sided as the gnomes rightfully fled for their lives.

Jane giggled as Mina trapped a gnome before he used his magic to disappear underground to escape her. Looking back at her daughter and girlfriend, she said, "She's certainly a lively one. I guess gods can be pretty energetic."

A house elf in a pillow case that had been modified into a cute little maid's outfit, popped in beside the table and bowed to the women.

"Foods ready, Mistresses."

"Thank you, Poppy. Serve it up, please." Jane ordered her servant with a smile.

The elf smiled back and snapped her fingers, teleporting in a half dozen dishes of various staples of an English breakfast. Her job done, she offered the women another bow before teleporting away with a pop.

"Mina! You can play with the gnomes later. Brunch is served!" Alkaid called out to her daughter, who was hanging a gnome by his foot with one hand while poking him curiously with her other.

"Aw, alright!" Mina pouted and dropped the gnome to the ground, who then started kissing the ground while bawling. Ignoring that, the goddess slunk over to them and took a seat, slouching as she did so.

Alkaid nudged her with a foot and Mina sat up straighter, but pouted.

"So? What did my three favorite girls do this week?" Jane asked while sipping some tea.

"We got Mina a part-time job," Alkaid said with a mischievous smile.

"It's super fun!" The silver haired girl confirmed with an enthusiastic nod. "I get to stabby stab all kinds of meanies! Hearing them scream is so much fun!"

"Ah, stabby stabbing huh?" Jane said with an confused nod, before shooting her daughter a look that demanded answers.

"We set up an arrangement with the U.S. government so that Mina will use her powers to impose death to kill some pesky immortal things they have locked up on death row." Pyrrha explained as she reached over to scoop some bacon on to her plate.

"That's certainly an interesting deal." Jane said with uncertainty but didn't press further, even choosing to set aside whatever concerns she might have for now. Instead, she picked up a scone from the array of food and changed topics. "How are your classes going, Alkaid?"

"They are going well." Alkaid smiled, "I'm earning my credits and my GPA is holding steady. Though some of my absences are stacking against me and that's pulling my GPA down from a perfect four point zero."

The daughter of Hades pouted adorably at this, her inner perfectionist rattled. She took a muffin to ebb her building annoyance.

"You do important work for the gods, so I guess it can't be helped. And what about you Pyrrha? Found a proper job yet?"

"You know I'm not looking for a job, Mum. I'm perfectly happy as is." Pyrrha replied in a frustrated growl.

"Well, I guess a stay-at-home mum can be quite fulfilling." Jane said agreeably. "Perhaps more so than a career in its own way. So long as you can afford it and you're happy?"

"We can and I am." Pyrrha shot back curtly, not even bothering to dispute her mother's perception of her employment status.

"What about you Jane, anything interesting happen on your end?" Alkaid asked, helpfully moving the direction of the conversation away from the sensitive topic.

"Now that you mention it. I do have something I would like to ask a favour for," Jane said while looking at Pyrrha with a bright smile and a gleam in her eyes. "Pyrrha dear, I came up with a new gun design and I could use some help. Mind lending a hand?"

"Actually Mum, I'm not really interested right now. I'd rather have some more tea." The younger redhead confessed as she sipped from her cup.

Jane actually blinked in confusion at this for a moment before she eyed the skirt Pyrrha was sporting and a look of epiphany spread across her face.

"This has to do with what happened in the Fae Courts, doesn't it?" Jane asked carefully. "Are you trying to make up for going butch after finding out about your father?"

An uncomfortable look crossed the daughter of war's face.

Reaching over to grasp her hand, Alkaid gave her lover a comforting squeeze and an assuring smile.

Pyrrha returned it with a soft smile of her own.

The tense cloud was lifted by Mina who suddenly asked, "Grandma, Mum, Mama, can I go play now?"

Turning to the little goddess, the three adults saw that she'd seemingly inhaled a full half of all the food on the table in the short time that they had been chatting. All without them noticing at all.

The Branwen women shot each other looks of shock and amusement, and judging by the way their cheeks were twitching were suppressing a laugh. This left Alkaid the one to answer the girl.

"Go on then, you little glutton." Alkaid said with an indulgent wave of her hand and an accompanying resigned sigh.

"Yay!" Mina cheered as she dashed off to return to terrorizing the gnomes.

"That girl is going to end up so spoiled it won't be funny." Jane commented after getting herself under control.

"Yeah. You're going to have to take your fair share of the blame for that too, Grandma."

"Guilty as charged." Jane shot back unrepentantly.

As the mother and daughter descended into a exchange of lighthearted barbs, Alkaid could only look on in amusement. She couldn't wait for winter. She missed spending quality time with her stepmother. She would visit Persephone now, but doing that would probably just engender a big row between her stepmother and Demeter which would do nobody any good.

Sighing at the thought, the daughter of Hades comforted herself that winter was only a few more weeks away. That and she took comfort at the warmth of having her lover and daughter at her side.

Omake: All Hail the Nerd

It was Anime Expo and Alkaid and Pyrrha had decided to attend, bringing Mina along with them. Alkaid had chosen to go all out and decided to cosplay for the event. She'd chosen to dress up as her original take on a magical girl and thus had put on an elaborate sailor fuku with plenty of pink, bows, frills and faux gems. An outfit that she had completed with a candy cane staff that was capped by a jeweled heart and by tying her hair into twintails with a pair of frilly, ribboned hair ties.

She'd not know it for years to come but her costume had inspired a number of aspiring members of the anime industry that had visited the Expo and thus would eventually lead them to create the character of Mamika Kirameki in the 2017 anime, Re:CREATORS.

In the present though, Pyrrha couldn't help but play the straight woman in the relationship even as she admired how the costume hugged the brunette in all the right places.

"Babe, I've longed accepted you're a nerd. Allbet an utterly hot nerd, but this is just ridiculous."

"Hm?" Alkaid cocked her head, looking confused as she held Mina's hand.

The young goddess was dressed in her usual sundress and was looking every which way with curiosity. Overall, the white haired murder angel seemed to be enjoying herself.

Annoyance built up in Pyrrha as this seemed to be yet another thing their daughter took after Alkaid.

"I'm all for getting a few comics or whatever, but did you have to deck yourself out like that?" Pyrrha said pointedly at her garb. She felt anger when she saw a few nerds eying her lover a bit longer then she liked.

"Of course! Melinoe would take me to these cons from time to time when I was a kid and we always cosplayed. Though I think it was just to pick up something for whatever fetish she was into at the time. I always had a lot of fun so I thought you and Mina would enjoy it too." Alkaid struck a pose, "Plus I make this look good, no?"

"Yeah, but..." Pyrrha trailed off, unable to bring herself to tell Alkaid that she didn't want anyone but her seeing her all dressed up like this.

"Mum looks totally hot!" Mina said sincerely.

"Aw, thank you Mina." Alkaid patted her head affectionately. "Mum tries her best!"

"And Mama, don't be jealous. Mum is too hot for you to keep all to yourself." Mina said, while rubbing her chin in imitation of a stereotypical wiseman's pose. "You need to share."

The emerald eyed sorceress eyed her now flushed lover, who stammered at Mina's observation.

"Don't you worry, Py." Alkaid winked, "I'll have a special set of cosplay just for your eyes only. And I'll be sure to wear it for you tonight."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Pyrrha answered, refusing to looking at the smoldering gaze of the daughter of Hades.

She'd see enough of it later, that was for sure.

Done and done! Thanks to the team of Nameless and Axios as always!

Man, while its a short arc, I think it was a nice fluff piece to set up the family and such. See how the dynamic is, and just cute moments. You all know I love cute moments. Oh, and demon fighting, that's always fun too.

Nameless: So Alkaid has a meeting with the U.S. feds this time and things went much better than her run in with MI-5. Hope you guys like that. Give us your opinion on that in a review. We would really like to see your opinions on this second take at this particular type of interaction for Alkaid.

Hm, not much else to add except to mention how much of an adordorkable nerd Al can be.

Nameless: Don't forget how adorifying Mina is as well.

Yesh, Pyrrha's got her hands full with these two, huh?

Well, you know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!