Housepets! Always Save the Day
Chapter 5: Heaven Help Us
A "Housepets! Comics" Fan Fiction
Based on the characters by Rick Griffin
By: Fenrir Black
A Message from Fox
Things have gotten crazy lately. I mean more insane than usual. We all thought after the incident with Drasil that things would calm down, but instead, they got worse. Ever since Lisa came back from the white space, things have gotten weirder. First, a wolf appears in Babylon Gardens who was apparently a human before and is also an author. He and a few others brought Lisa back from the white space. Then Rowan appeared in the middle of the neighborhood and started destroying everything. We haven't seen him since he disappeared after we all returned from Tartarus. He changed somehow. He used this dark energy to corrupt Bino, who was already messed up and turned him into a feral monster dog. We all know that this is just the beginning. So now Lisa, Kistune, Breel, Keene, and I are heading to heaven to talk to Mr. Milton and find out some answers about what is going on. Honestly, I don't know how much more of this I can take. I somehow keep getting dragged into these messes. I guess I just a good friend.
Lisa thought she was ready to see heaven. She always wondered what it was like after seeing the pictures of it in the comics. She imagined it would be this glorious place that no piece of comic art could ever capture. She was so excited to see it for herself. Then they began to climb the stairs.
No one said anything as they walked, but Lisa found that she was increasingly growing exhausted and wondered if everyone else was feeling like their legs were about to fall off. Step by step the moved through the sky. No matter how long they walked, it felt like it would never end. Occasionally, she would glance at her companions. For this mission, she and Kitsune decided that they would need a small group of "experts." That meant those who had been to heaven before. Fox and Breel were the obvious choices. Of course, they needed Keene since Lisa believed that he was a part of the prophecy.
The prophecy was the reason she was even doing this. To help distract herself from the growing agony coursing through her legs, she kept reciting it in her head. She wished Kitsune was there with them. Since he was a god, there was no need to take the staircase himself. After he summoned it or asked Cerberus to summon it, Lisa was not sure how that worked, she asked him why he couldn't snap his fingers and whisk them up there.
"I can't just send mortals to heaven whenever I want. I'm not one of the Reapers, and that goes against the rules," he told her before disappearing himself.
Rules. One day she wanted to see this list of rules. An all-powerful god limited by rules, it sounded so ridiculous. Of course, that was one of the problems they were facing with Rowan. Lisa's heart ached with the thought of him. Their last meeting was not significant. He destroyed several houses and sent Bino into a maniacal rage. Kitsune told her that he had been corrupted by dark magic, but she felt that there was something more to it than that. She just was not sure what. Now he called himself Revenant and wanted to collect enough mana to become a divine being but one that was not confined by these "rules."
"Ughh!" Lisa groaned loudly. "How much longer is it. I feel like I'm about to collapse right here and now."
The others looked at her like she was crazy. She was sweating despite the cold air of the upper atmosphere. The others seemed perfectly fine. They looked like they were just taking a leisurely stroll through the park instead climbing a seemingly infinite staircase through the sky.
"How are you guys not tired?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know," Fox said glancing to the other two. "Maybe because we've all been there before, so we're used to it."
"Actually, I know what is going on," Breel said. "It's harder for humans to reach heaven than animals."
Lisa stared at him with her mouth hanging open. "You mean that is literal instead of some kind of moral metaphor about humanity. It is literally physically harder for humans to get there." Breel nodded. "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"What is stupid is how long this is taking," Keene said stomping his foot on the golden stair he was standing on. "When I came before it was like I just popped there. Why is this taking so long?"
"You almost drowned before, remember," Breel said lightly nudging Keene's shoulder. The ferret blushed and pretended not to notice.
"Now that you mention it, when King and I came it took a while. He was pretty exhausted to until he changed back into a corgi," Fox said looking at Lisa. "Maybe you can do that. We should be close enough for you to decide to change your appearance."
"No thanks. Like King, I like my body to remain consistent," she said gesturing at her body.
"Enough talking and more walking. I would like to get there before we die and this becomes a one-way trip."
They continued their way up the staircase with Lisa struggling to keep up. She was still out of shape from being trapped for months in the White Space. She kept telling herself that after this she would start working out. She was sure the ferrets had a gym of some kind in their mansion. It was like a rich person cliché to have a mansion that was never used for its intended purpose.
"There it is," Breel shouted and pointed at something hovering above them.
Lisa looked up and saw that the stairs ended at a large cloud bank with a golden wall made of pure light rising above it. The Gates of Heaven. She flashed back to the comic. It was true, she realized. There was no way to capture what it honestly looked like in such a simple format. Feeling new energy, Lisa charged ahead of the others. She needed to see it for herself.
Suddenly all the tiredness and exhaustion dissipated as she moved toward the large white doors. Part of her expected Cerberus to be there or someone to be guarding it. She remembered those few times she went to church with her parents that Saint Peter was supposed to be guarding the gates. There was no one here. Lisa reached out and pressed her hand on the gates. They were warm like the sun. She could feel the divine energy humming through them. Holding her breath, she pushed them forward. She tensed as the light of heaven poured over her. At that moment, she remembered the comics again. It was Cerberus said, "The Gates swing outward never, but it's recommended to stand back on your first arrival!"
"Oops," she thought, but it was too late. She was instantly blinded by the light that exploded from the gates. She screamed and fell backward holding her hands over her eyes. In the comic King and Fox wore sunglasses. Now she realized that was not just for a joke but actually something that would have been helpful right then.
Wandering blindly, Lisa felt herself slip off the bank of clouds. Suddenly there was nothing but empty air beneath her feet. She could feel the air rush past her as her body was once again caught in gravity's nasty grip.
"Ahh!" Lisa screamed as she started to fall. She was glad she couldn't see what was happening. If she was going to die, then at least she did not have to watch it happen.
"Gotcha," someone said as a furry hand wrapped around Lisa's wrist. It was so warm and familiar. Lisa was lifted back onto the clouds just as her vision began to reappear. Standing in front of her was a familiar fox. Kitsune smiled at her, his eyes warm like the autumn sun. Lisa's heart began to beat faster the way it always did when he was near her. But there was more to it recently. Guilt clawed at her chest whenever they were together. She never told Kitsune about the dream she had the other night where she saw Rowan, and he said to her that he loved her. How she woke up in tears and confessed that she felt the same way. The truth was that she did have feelings for Rowan that she was unsure of. Losing him was like losing a limb. You never realize what you had until it was gone and then you would give anything to have it back by your side.
"Good thing I was waiting by the gates for you guys," Kitsune said letting go of Lisa's arm. She quickly hid her expression of disappointment that he stopped touching her with a look of excitement that he was there with them now. The others appeared from the staircase behind Kitsune. Each one wore a pair of sunglasses. Lisa fought the urge to roll her eyes.
Breel was the first to speak, "You shouldn't run ahead like that. This area can be dangerous for mortals.
"I realize that now," Lisa told him.
"Well, we're all here now. So who wants the grand tour?" Kitsune asked. They all moved towards the Gates again. This time the light was less blinding and almost normal.
They stepped through the gates, and Lisa was floored by the sheer majesty of it all. Everywhere she looked there were humans and animals of all kinds of races and species talking and walking side by side. The strangest part was the overall sense of tranquility that seemed to penetrate everything. It was something she never realized was in the moral world until it wasn't.
"A tour is all good and all, but we do not have time for silly distractions," Keene said crossing his arms against his chest. "We've all been here before except for one," he added noticing Lisa's annoyed expression.
"Keene's right," Fox said. "The last time I came it was six months. We don't have that kind of time if Rowan is out there causing chaos and growing stronger."
Lisa hated to admit it, but they were right. She looked around at the different buildings and shops. Everyone seemed so happy. It reminded her of the time she went to Disney World for spring break only a hundred times better and less expensive.
"True but there is a small problem," Kitsune said. "It seems that Henry Milton is quite a busy man right now so we won't be able to see him right away."
"What!?" They all shouted in unison.
"How can he be busy?" Lisa asked not bothering to hide the disgust in her voice. "It's heaven. There should be no such thing as busy."
"He can't be too busy for his son," Keene added.
Kitsune held his paws up to calm everyone down. "I'm sorry, but it's out of my hands. I cannot decide what anyone does or doesn't do here. This place was designed for perfect freedom and pleasure. As such Mr. Milton has a role here."
"A role? What kind of role?" Fox asked.
"He is in charge of human and animal relations." Kitsune's tone was casual like it was the most normal thing to say.
Lisa opened her mouth to speak but could not think of anything to say that would capture the sheer insanity of what Kitsune just said.
Thankfully Keene did not have such a problem. "What kind of human and animal relationships. This is heaven. Everyone is getting along already. That sounds like some kind of made up job to make someone feel important and boost their self-esteem."
Kitsune's eyes lit up like he was enjoying Keene's reaction. "Things in heaven are not perfect without work. You see there are those who are not thrilled to be in heaven and have to go through an adjustment period." Lisa glanced at Keene who looked suddenly embarrassed. "You see there are those whose life was not great and might not be comfortable around animals. Those who harbor a lot of resentment towards them for example." This time he glanced at Fox who nodded. Lisa knew Kitsune was referring to King. Back when he was still Joel, he loved animals, but they did not share the same feeling. That caused him to make some poor life choices that ended him up in jail more than once. It wasn't until Pete turned him into a dog that he came to have a better understanding.
"There are those who have had an even harder time. What are we to do with anyone who was killed by a wild animal and finds themselves surrounded by the very creatures that cut their life short."
"I never thought about that before," Breel said. Keene and the others nodded.
"So now you know why Henry Milton's job is so important. As someone who devoted his life to peace between animals and humans, he is the perfect candidate to handle such a task. And that keeps him busy. But don't worry I set up an appointment so it shouldn't take too long before we see him."
"I guess we'll take that tour after all," Lisa said.
Kitsune smiled at her. "Great, there are several places I want to show you. It can be our first…" Suddenly he was cut off by someone screaming his name at the top of their lungs.
"There you are. I have been looking for you everywhere. I am so tired of you running off to do whatever you want. Don't you realize how much work it is having to clean up after you and your antics."
A tall woman wearing a long white dress stepped up to Kitsune. She towered over him with a face that reminded Lisa of an angry mother. She had jet black hair tied in in a bun that resembled a knot. Below that she wore silver owl earrings that hung from her ears. As Lisa stared at them, she swore that the owl's eyes were staring back at her.
"Minerva, what can I do for you?" Kitsune asked nervously.
"Wait. Minerva like the goddess of wisdom?" Lisa asked.
Minerva looked down at her, and her gray eyes darkened. "That is correct. I see that you brought your mortal friends here." She pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed them. "What have I told you about interfering in the lives of mortals?"
"Keep them out of trouble and never interfere with their fates," Kitsune said calmly.
"That is true but not what I told you. I said that interfering with mortals is unwise and will only cause problems. Look at what happened to Veðrfölnir and Níðhöggr."
"Pete and Dragon?" Lisa asked. She remembered Kitsune mentioning that they were known as the bird and dragon that sat at the top on Yggdrasil in legends, but she never heard anyone use those names before.
"Yes, those too," Minerva said not bothering to look at Lisa. "That Game of their caused nothing but trouble and who had to clean it up. Me. Who had to deal with the Fates after they were made mortal because of that ridiculous deal they made. Me. Now here are you again causing me nothing by trouble by once again interfering in the lives of mortals. And now I see that you are dating one too."
"Like you don't occasionally fall for a mortal down on Earth. There are legends and books filled with the stories of your children," Kitsune said in a harsh voice.
"That is different. You are not human and a different type of god than most. That means that the rules are different for you."
Kitsune took a deep breath and slowly spoke. "What do you want, Minerva. I can't imagine you came down from your silver throne to scold me about Pete and Dragon or my love life."
Minerva's eyes darkened so much that they were almost black. But they instantly changed back to gray as she spoke. "I need you to come with me to the address the nature gods. Demeter is stalling, but the other gods are getting restless. We all can sense the disturbance in the universes. Yggdrasil is starting to be affected by what is happening back on that little world you are so fond of. Not to mention the…" She stopped and looked at Lisa the others who were not bothering to hide the fact they were ease dropping. Minvera started whispering, but it was still loud enough for everyone to hear. "You were the last one to see it, so you have to reassure everyone that it is not a threat."
Lisa noticed Kitsune's fur starting to stand on end. Whatever this 'it' they were referring to was it was not good.
"Sorry, Lisa but our date will have to wait. This is important. I'll see you guys when it's time to meet Henry Milton."
Date? That is what he was referring too. Lisa blushed and tried to hide it from the others. She could feel their glares piercing her back. They watched at Kitsune walked away with Minerva until they both vanished in the crowds.
"What do we do now?" Fox asked.
"I don't know about you two, but Breel and I have a date with a massage," Keene said talking Breel's hand. Before the marten could respond, he was being dragged off towards one of the more extravagant buildings on the block.
"I guess you probably want to go find Summer and Spring and see what they are up too," Lisa asked turning towards Fox. He blushed and avoided eye contact.
"Kind of." It was no secret that the only reason that Fox volunteered to join the group was to visit his sort of girlfriends. He had not seen them since the end of his adventure in Pete's Temple. "Oh dog, don't look now."
Lisa looked anyway at what Fox was staring at. Across the street from where they were standing was a small café. It seemed out of place surrounded by so many different types of exotic buildings. It looked like a simple café someone would go to if they were too good for Starbucks. It had peppermint striped owning and two white tables with umbrellas with the same peppermint design. The place seemed deserted except for one middle-aged woman sipping coffee and reading.
"That woman? What's the big deal?"
Fox looked at her and shook his head. "That's King's mom."
Lisa said nothing. It was like someone had stolen her ability to speak. Only on very rare had King mentioned his mother and the only time anyone had seen her was in the minuscule scene where they talked and even that small moment was full of awkwardness?
"King's mom. How do you know?" Lisa asked not taking her eyes off the woman.
"Well, I saw them talking when we came here a few years ago. It was not pretty."
Lisa frowned. "What happened? The comic was not very clear. They only said two things to each other."
"I shouldn't say. It's not my place," he said rubbing the back of his head nervously. "He never talks about his parents and for a good reason."
Lisa knew what that reason was. Even though it was never spoken of in the comic or by King himself, it was common knowledge that his parents were not the best. There were several opinions of them online and something Rowan liked to talk about sometimes.
"I'm going to go talk to her." Lisa started walking over to Mrs. Robinson who was still reading her book and oblivious to the fact she was being watched.
"What!?" Fox grabbed her arm. "You can't do that. What would be the point? You can't change what happened between them. She's dead, and King has moved on with his life."
"King is not here." Lisa pulled her arm out of his grip. "This has nothing to do with you either. Go find Spring and Summer. I'm sure they will be thrilled to see you."
"You don't know the whole story," Fox said. "I don't know it either, but when I saw them together, she ran off crying. I don't know what King told her and he would not tell me. It was not my business. I know it was not good."
"I had no idea," Lisa said shifting her gaze between Fox and Mrs. Robinson. She had already made up her mind, and there was not going back. There was something she wanted to say. "I'm still going. This is just something I have to do."
Fox sighed. "Fine. Do what you want."
He stormed off leaving Lisa alone. She couldn't worry about Fox's feelings right now. Her mind was a storm of emotion and anger that was about to erupt if she did not do something to stop it. Lisa marched over to where Mrs. Robinson was sitting. Not taking her eyes off the woman, Lisa remembered her own mother. How cruel and insensitive she could be.
"Um, excuse me, Mrs. Robinson." The woman looked up from her book and glanced at Lisa. An expression of annoyance passed over her face as she slowly closed her book. Lisa glanced at the cover. It was "Twilight" of all things. She was into those books as well back in high school but grew out of it once she went to college.
"Can I help you," Mrs. Robinson said. Her voice was sharp and cold. It made Lisa think of a storybook stepmother who comes into the child's life only to slowly ruin it.
"I'm a friend of your son's," Lisa said sitting down across the table without waiting for an invitation. "Can we talk?"
Mrs. Robinson's face hardened making it unreadable. But Lisa could tell mentioning Joel had set something off in the woman.
"Let me guess. You're here to scold me about how I'm a terrible mother, and everything that happened to Joel was my fault."
Lisa opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself. That was precisely the reason she was there.
"Your face says it all." A vague expression passed over her face as her voice shifted from cold to sad. "I know what my son must think of me and tells his friends about me. It is no secret of how he feels about me. He told me as much to my face."
"What did he say to you? I know you too spoke a few years ago, but I don't know what was said," Lisa asked.
Mrs. Robinson said nothing for a minute and only stared at Lisa like she was trying gage her intention from looking in her eyes. "The gist of it was that he didn't need me and that he was able to 'overcome the crap his father and I put him through.' He told me that he finally had a real family and was happy for the first time in his life."
Lisa could feel the sting in those words even though they had nothing to do with her. She looked at Mrs. Robinson's eyes and saw they were glistening with tears. She was on the verge of crying.
"What did you say to him?" Lisa asked.
"I told him that I was glad he finally found his place in the world and I was glad that it was not prison again. Not the best response I admit, but I was furious with him. He did not take it well. He can be so much like his father sometimes I swear it's like talking to the same person. He complained and cursed me and told me that it was my fault that he ended up in prison in the first place."
"I have no idea what he did to be arrested the first time," Lisa admitted.
"It's not my place to say," Mrs. Robinson said. "After that, I was beyond words. I couldn't even look at him. So I left, and that was the last time I saw him."
"I'm sorry." Never did Lisa think those words would come out of her mouth. "But I have to ask though why weren't you a better mother to him growing up."
Mrs. Robinson raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't have children do you?"
"No, but I do have a terrible mother who I hate so I know where King, I mean, Joel is coming from."
"Let me ask you this then," Mrs. Robinson said leaning on her hand. "If your mother is so terrible would you abandon her when she needed you most?"
Hearing those words brought back that day. The argument between her and her mother. The yelling and how Lisa stormed out of the house in tears. Coming back almost at midnight to find the house dark. Lisa standing in the kitchen over her mother's body collapsed on the floor. The empty bottles lying next to her. Lisa running over to the phone on the wall and dialing 9-1-1. Her finger hovering over the send button.
"I don't like to think about it," Lisa said solemnly.
"Being a mother is hard. You need to understand something about Joel. After the incident when he was a child, he was never the same."
"He said that it was because you mistreated his pets," Lisa pointed out.
"I never wanted pets. I never really like animals. They were always so much work. It was like having four children instead of one," Mrs. Robinson said leaning back in her chair.
If you think that is rough imagine having to deal with pets who can't talk or even open the door by themselves, Lisa thought to herself.
"My husband decided it would be good for Joel to learn some responsibility. He was always pushing him to be better. To be more like him. All the camping trips they dragged me on. All the late nights. It was exhausting. I will admit I struggled to keep up with raising Joel. He was the most important thing to me, so when it came to the pets, well they were less important."
"Why not just give them to another family or something?"
"I wanted to do that many times. But Joel would have had a fit if we got rid of them. My husband would not hear of it. He was and still is such a stubborn man. He was the reason for what happened not me. Joel blames both of us. He told me so himself before I died. I should have stopped it. I should have done more." She sighed. "He was right of course. I should have done something. Anything to stop what happened. Of course, you must know already about that night. They ran away and took Joel with them. He was so young. He didn't know any better. The worse part was that it was not just the animals' fault."
"What happened," Lisa asked carefully.
"My husband and I were having problems. It was so bad that divorce lawyers were called. I had enough, and I was going to take Joel away from that man. Joel must have sensed it even though we never told him our plans. We both took our frustration out on both Joel and the pets."
Lisa remembered the scene when young Joel was shown comforting his cat. They were both looking at something out of the scene. She now realized what it was.
"After that, they all left. They took Joel and disappeared," Mrs. Robinson said.
"Why did it take a week?" Lisa asked.
Mrs. Robinson placed her elbow on the table and cradled her head in her hand. "It was hard. You have to understand that. We were both so angry at each other that we couldn't decide what to do. I wanted to call the police, but my husband did not want to involve anyone else. He said that the last thing we needed was to end up on the eleven o clock news. If word got out and our skeletons were revealed to the world, then they would take him away from us for good. We would lose custody. How do you imagine it would look if the headline "boy is kidnapped by neglected pet" spread around? We would be mud to everyone. So we tried to find them ourselves. It was useless. The longer we looked, the angrier we became. Finally, we broke down and called the police. Hours later they were found. The animals were taken by animal control, and we had our son back."
"But he wasn't the same," Lisa said. Rowan flashed through her mind. Everything he did for Dakota. People did desperate things for their family.
"He never forgave us." She shook her head. "We promised we would be better and we tried. We worked through most of our problems and promised to stay together for as long as Joel needed us. Things didn't help when we had to move. I thought moving away from that city would be better for us all. A fresh start away from those memories. Joel grew sour and cold over the next few years. When he left for college, I hoped he would find himself, but he dropped out. That was it. We had to do something drastic."
"You kicked him out," Lisa said remembering the comic Rowan showed her a few months ago."
"We thought it was for the best. Away from us and our problems, he could find himself. Only he got himself arrested, and after that, my husband cut off all ties with him. I tried to reason with him, but by that point, it was too late. My life was ending, and I died knowing my son and husband would never forgive each other."
"I don't understand. Why didn't you explain all this to Joel when he came here? The first thing you said to him was "It looks like your father won that bet after all."
She sighed. "It was not easy seeing him like that. I know he loved animals but to become a dog."
"That wasn't his fault. He was kidnapped by a demigod and forced that way!" Lisa screamed.
"I know. I heard about what happened after he left. But seeing him after all this time and knowing what I did to him and what I couldn't do for him. I didn't know what to say. By the end, he just unloaded years of hate on me. I let him." She gestured to the scenery around them before continuing. "You see; time here allows one to reflect on our lives. I realized that I failed him. It still hurt when he told me that he was happy with his new family but we couldn't give him the family he needed. If I could go back, I would make things different, but we can't turn back time. There is no way to make up for the things I did to him."
"I still think you should try," Lisa told her.
Amusement flickered across her face. "What about you? You said that your mother was a terrible person but shouldn't you try to make amends." Lisa opened her mouth to respond, but Mrs. Robinson continued. "Take it from someone who had to watch her son grow up feeling like the universe was against him. It's hard being a parent and we make mistakes. But forgiveness works both ways. I would give anything for Joel to forgive me for what I did to him. I sit here every day waiting for him to walk through those gates again just so I can tell me that I'm sorry and I love him."
Lisa thought about her mother but did not know if they could ever get along after so many years of conflict between them.
"He has kids now. Three puppies. Rook, Olive, and Ace," Lisa said.
"Grand-puppies. Well, it's better than nothing," Mrs. Robinosn said with a sly smile.
"It wasn't your fault you know. About what happened to him." Lisa was not sure she should tell this woman the truth about what really happened but hearing her story made Lisa feel sorry for her. "Joel and his pets were being manipulated by a fallen god named Drasil. He was the one who manipulated the pets to kidnap Joel just so he would grow up to become the key he needed to regain his freedom."
"Was it really just his fault though? If I did more to help, maybe none of this would have happened."
"You can't think like that. You can't keep waiting for him to come back. He will get here on his own time but waiting day after day…that isn't going to help anyone. I think Joel will forgive you one day. But only when he is ready."
"What about you? When do you think you'll be ready to forgive your own mother?"
"I don't know." Lisa's face turned somber as she thought about her mother. She had not spoken to her in months. Partly because he was lost in a realm of nothingness and because she simply did not want to. "I don't know if I can."
"It looks like your friend is back," Mrs. Robinson said nodding to something behind Lisa.
Lisa turned around to see Kitsune walking over to them. His bright smile faded as he noticed who Lisa was sitting with. A knot of guilt wound itself up in Lisa's stomach. She was ashamed to be caught talking to King's mother especially given her history with her own mother. Kitsune would know what she was doing.
"I better go," Lisa said not making eye contact with Mrs. Robinson. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"Before you go," Mrs. Robinson said as she looked at Lisa. Lisa forced herself to look at the woman's face. Somehow she suddenly looked older, more damaged. "Here's some advice. If you want to understand someone you need to know where they come from."
Lisa furrowed her brows. Was she talking about King or herself? Standing up, Lisa rushed to Kitsune before he could reach the café and make things even more uncomfortable.
"What was that about?" Kitsune asked. There was no judgment in his voice, but Lisa could tell he wasn't asking out of pure curiosity.
"Just something I felt like I needed to do." Lisa quickly tried to change the subject. "How was the meeting with Minerva."
Kitsune's ears sank. "About as well as I imagined it would be. The other deities are riled up. I don't know what Minerva was expecting me to do. I can barely keep Pete and Dragon in line, and now I'm expected to corral everyone else."
"You sound like you could use a vacation," Lisa said grabbing his arm. "How about we go on that 'date.'"
He smiled at her, and she could feel the guilt that was building up inside her melt away. He was like a sun that could wash away all the dark thing that lurked in her mind. As they walked down the road, the conversation with Mrs. Robinson seemed like a bad dream or a distant memory that got locked away with all the others.
"How much longer is this going to take," Lisa asked. She tapped her fingers on her knees impatiently.
Fox, Keene, Breel, and Kitsune were sitting beside her as they waited outside the least heavenly hallway Lisa could imagine. It was like waiting to see the dentist. Hard metal chairs, cold AC blowing down from the vents, and blank walls with paintings that Lisa was sure were designed to provide comfort but instead made her question art in all its forms.
They were still waiting to see Henry Milton. Kitsune got an alert on his 'phone' although it looked more like a crystal slab that told him that it was almost time for their meeting with Mr. Milton. The worse part was that it interrupted what could only be described as the best date Lisa had ever had.
After her impromptu conversation with Mrs. Robinson, Lisa and Kitsune did a whirlwind tour of heaven. At one point they were literally riding a whirlwind that was one of the rides in one of the ten thousand amusement parks in that realm of heaven. When Lisa asked Kitsune about the different realms, he brushed away the question by saying that if he tried to explain it, her head would explode. Lisa was sure he was joking but did not want to take the chance. Instead, he took her to ten ice cream parlors, two water parks, five amusement parks, one haunted house because she was curious, and two picnics in the park.
"Why is this taking so long?" Lisa asked again. The others were biting their tongues to keep from snapping at her. They too were having good times before they got called here by Kitsune.
"I don't know," Keene said. "Dad is always busy it seems. It shouldn't take too much longer."
As if on cue, the door opened, and a female ocelot stepped out. Never before had Lisa seen such a cliché looking secretary in her life. It was like someone took every tv secretary cliché and slapped them on an anthropomorphic ocelot.
"Mr. Milton will see you know," she purred.
Lisa and the others stood up and followed the cat into the office. It was much different from the room Lisa remembered from the comic when Keene met with Henry Milton. When she asked Kitsune about it, he told her that room was designed specifically for Keene's sake, but this was Mr. Milton's actual office.
"Wait a minute, this looks exactly like the office back at the manor," Lisa shouted.
It was true. The office had the exact same red walls and carpet. The bookcases were in the exact same places, and there were even the same paintings on the wall. Even the desk was the same.
"Keene, my boy! There you are." Lisa turned to see who spoke. Sitting in the leather chair on the other side of the large mahogany desk was a small tan ferret wearing glasses. Lisa instantly recognized Mr. Milton from the comic. She had never seen what he looked like as a human which she thought was strange considering she was living in his house.
Mr. Milton jumped from the chair and walked to Keene. They threw their arms around each other. It warmed Lisa's heart to see them like that. It reminded her of her father still trapped somewhere waiting for her to rescue him. She looked away and wiped the tears from her eyes before anyone could see. When she turned around, she noticed Kitsune's left eye was looking at her, but it quickly looked away.
"Breel, good to see you," Mr. Milton said moving to Breel. They shook hands before embracing in a tight hug. "Taking care of my boy and keeping him out of trouble."
Breel rubbed the back of his head with his paw. "I'm trying, but you know who he can be."
"Hey, I heard that!" Keene shouted looking embarrassed.
"Don't I know it," Mr. Milton said moving away from the Marten.
"Dad! Breel!"
Mr. Milton ignored him and moved to Fox. "Ahh, you must be Bill's boy. I haven't seen you since you were a puppy." He extended his paw and Fox took it.
"It's nice to meet you," Fox said.
Mr. Milton passed Kitsune and walked directly in front of Lisa. "Who is thing fine young lady. I do not believe we have met before. Kitsune where have you been hiding this one, you sly fox."
Lisa bent down, so she was closer to eye level. She suddenly wished Mr. Milton would change to his human self so this would be less uncomfortable. "It's nice to meet you," Lisa said extending her hand. Mr. Milton grasped it in both paws and grinned at her. There was a sparkle in his eye that reminded her of her own father. That kind that said that this man could be trusted. "My name is Lisa. Lisa Smith."
Mr. Milton's smiled faded, and he abruptly let go of Lisa's hand. "Smith. You wouldn't happen to be Adrian Smith's daughter would you?"
Upon hearing her father's name, Lisa's blood turned to ice. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stared blankly at the ferret. "How…how do you know my father?"
Mr. Milton stepped back looking scared like he said something that he shouldn't have. He glanced up at Kitsune looking for help. From the corner of her eye, Lisa could see Kitsune looking equally uncomfortable.
"What aren't you telling me?" Lisa demanded. She looked from Kitsune to Mr. Milton. "If you know something then tell me. Where is he?"
Mr. Milton sighed and walked back to his chair. He leaned forward and placed both arms on the desk. "I can't tell you much. I made a promise to your father that I would not divulge his secrets to anyone."
"How do you even know him?" Lisa shouted. "He wasn't even from this world."
Mr. Milton shook his head. The charisma was gone. "I can tell you how I know him, but that's it. He once visited me at my manor asking for help with something. He was looking for something. This was several years before I died. He wanted information, not unlike you. I did what I could to help him. He stayed with me for several days before leaving. We actually became pretty good friends." He looked up at Lisa who was visibly shaking. "He gave me something that I think you should see."
He opened the top drawer of the desk and pulled out a small picture not much bigger a wallet size photo. He slid it to the edge of the desk. Lisa walked over and looked down at the image. It was her and her father during her eighth birthday. She was wearing the tiara that he gave her. She remembered having this taken. Suddenly she remembered what happened a few days later. Her father told her that he was going on one of his trips and would be gone for a week. She never told anyone how after he left she cried in her room knowing that her birthday wish did not come true. He left her again.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at the photo. He lied to her. He lied to her for her entire life. This was physical proof of his betrayal.
She could feel someone step up behind her. A warm paw gripped her shoulder as the scent of apples filled her nostrils.
"Lisa, are you alright? You can talk to me," Kitsune said trying to comfort her.
She did not want to be comforted. She wanted to be alone. Knocking away his paw, Lisa ran out of the room with her hand over her mouth to keep from opening sobbing in front of them. She slammed the door behind her before her cries echoed down the cold hallway.
Kitsune stared at the door unable to block out the sound of crying coming from the other side. His jaw was set tight as he turned back to Henry Milton. The ferret squirmed in his chair as he tucked the photo back in the draw. He wanted to blame the ferret for so plainly upsetting Lisa. But he couldn't have known what a sensitive subject her father was. Henry never had children aside from his pet ferrets. Humans were much more emotional and sensitive.
"Should we do something?" Fox asked gesturing to the door.
Kitsune let out a slow breath. As Lisa's boyfriend, he knew that he should do something. The problem was he did not know what to do. Even with nearly infinite knowledge, there were somethings that one did not know and could only be learned with experience. One of those things was how to react in a situation like this. He was not used to dating mortals or dating at all. Before Lisa dating, anyone seemed like a disturbed fantasy. How many times did he mock Dragon for her occasional crushes? Now he kind of wished there was another woman in the room besides Mr. Milton's secretary who was standing in the corner like a potted plant at the moment.
"I will see if she is alright in a minute. Right now I think she needs space," Kitsune said examining his paw. She already demonstrated that she did not want to be physically comforted, so that meant she needed time. He hoped he was right. "Anyway, we need to get back to the reason we are here."
Mr. Milton nodded. "This Revenant fellow you told me about. Nasty business indeed. I hoped after Drasil was dealt with that things would return to normal for my neighborhood. In these times, normalcy is more of a fantasy than anything else."
"He already has the power of Drasil's temple. We believe that he is looking for the other temples the stags left. That means three if he already hasn't found them," Kitsune explained.
"He stole one of your journals," Keene added. "Could the locations be in there?"
Kitsune hoped that the answer would be "No it was just a book full of recipes" instead Mr. Milton nodded and said, "Several notes could reveal the locations of the temples."
He grabbed his laptop and pulled it in front of him. After tapping on the keys, he turned it around to show them what was on the screen. It was a display of different ancient manuscripts, tablets, and writings. "I spent years studying the ancient gods and different forms of mana and magic. It was one of the reasons Adrian came to see me specifically. The journal does not have the exact locations because I couldn't figure them out myself. I do know that the secrets lie in the original legends. One for each direction. North, South, East, and West. I can't help you as much as I would like but thankfully I backed up all my notes and journals." He turned to Keene. "There on my old computer. You still have it don't you."
"Of course, I never could get rid of it."
Mr. Milton nodded affectionately. "Good boy. Everything you need should be there. This will be your task, Keene. You know more about the gods and temples than even I do. If anyone can figure it out, it will be you. And Kitsune you might have to help. You knew the stags personally. Maybe between you two and the prophecy you told me about, you might be able to find the temples before Revenant."
"If we can find them, then we can drain the mana and destroy any chance for Revenant to ascend to divinity," Kitsune said.
Lisa walked down the hallway of Milton Manor in a daze. Kitsune was by her side which she was thankful for. After her breakdown at Henry Milton's office, she wanted to be alone but not entirely alone. She felt embarrassed for reacting the way she did in front of everyone. Kitsune found her crying in one of the uncomfortable chairs and took her home. Once they arrived at the manor, he explained what was discussed after she left.
"I should have been there. It was my idea," Lisa said flatly.
"It was not your fault. Your father is a sensitive issue. I promise once we find a way to stop Rowan we can focus on saving him."
Lisa gave him a slight smile. If anyone could help her save her father, it was him. They passed by Rowan's or Nick's room when the door suddenly flew open.
"There you are!" Nick shouted. "I was starting to get worried you would never get back."
"What are you talking about?" Lisa asked. "I know we were gone longer than expected but it wasn't that long."
The wolf's jaw dropped as he stared at her like she grew a second head from her neck. "You were gone for over a month."
That snapped Lisa out of her stupor. "What!?" She turned to Kitsune who quickly looked down at his feet trying to avoid her gaze. She would deal with him later.
"What happened while we were gone?"
"A lot of things for starters," Nick gestured wildly with his paws. "I mean things got weird with the wolf cubs, but I'll tell you about that later. The real thing I wanted to tell you is that I know what Rowan is planning. Or at least I think I do."
He waved them inside the room. Lisa and Kitsune stood in the doorway as Nick walked to the closet. He opened it up and revealed all of Rowan's belongings. Seeing them again caused the familiar sting in Lisa's heart. Her drama with her father and Kitsune almost caused her to forget about Rowan completely. Now that guilt was back like a thorn she couldn't reach.
"I was looking for clues like you suggested when I found this." Nick pulled out a spiral notebook with poorly drawn doodles on the front. He laid it on the bed for Lisa and Kitsune to see.
They walked over, and Lisa read the title. "Tycoon"
"This is Rowan's comic idea," Lisa said opening the notebook to the first page.
The pages were covered with more doodles and notes and storylines. She had not laid eyes on it since freshman year when she first met Rowan. She thought he might have thrown it away after what happened. As she flipped through it, she noticed a change after the tenth page. The notes were more organized, and there were fewer doodles. Most importantly her name was written on almost every page.
"This must have been after we met," she whispered. She never realized how much of effect she had on his work. Just like everything else about him she was clueless.
"That is only the tip of the iceberg," Nick said flipping towards the middle of the notebook. "This is the big thing you need to see. It's one of the stories he came up with. According to the notes and synopsis, the hero is supposed to fight a villain named the Queen of Hearts."
"Rowan was never good at coming up with characters," Lisa said trying to defend Rowan.
"Names aside, it is what she does. Her master plan was to control the minds of all the animals in the world and turn them against the humans using a magic scepter. He called it "The Heartache but it is basically..."
Lisa's eyes widened, and she finished Nick's sentence. "The corruption. He's going to turn all the animals in this world against the humans." The thought of millions of anthropomorphic animals acting like Bino did make her sick. The humans and animals would fight until there was nothing left.
"He wanted to destroy this world as part of his vengeance for what it did so I think this would be the best way for him to do it," Nick said.
"If he got the full power of a god, it would be as easy for him," Kitsune growled between his teeth.
"The question is; how do we stop him?" Nick asked crossing his arms against his chest.
"Keene is looking and deciphering Henry Milton's notes as we speak," Kitsune told him. "I hope we still have time."
"Thankfully there have been no Revenant sightings since you left," Nick told them.
Lisa stared at the notebook. One question rang in her head. Why? What would cause Rowan to go so far? Kitsune said before that he was corrupted by the dark magic, but he had to be subjectable to it for this kind of effect.
"How do we stop him if we don't know where he is?" Nick asked, there was anger in his voice.
Lisa was only haft listening to the conversation. She was still raw about her father. As she thought about everything she had learned over the last month, something popped into her mind. Mrs. Robinson's final words. "To know someone, you need to know where they came from," Lisa said out loud.
"What are talking about?" Nick asked.
"I realize that I don't know as much about Rowan as I would like but that changes now. Two people know more about him than anyone else," Lisa said getting worked up. "We talked to Keene's father and King's mother. Now it's time to pay a visit to Rowan's parents."