Dear Diary,

There are times I forget how much sheer screaming Terror Conrad inspired in me when we first met. Okay, that's not exactly right. I don't think I had enough self-preservation or skin in the game when I met him to really get properly terrified. Oh, he set off all the alarms, but given where I grew up that was hardly the first time I'd dealt with somebody who might kill me out of hand for the lulz.

Of course, the moment I realized he knew I had a wife and kid, Terror grabbed me by the heart and did not let go until the moment that dagger plunged into his heart. I'd say 'Conrad's heart', but honestly, he wasn't even really Conrad then. Just the Weyland Smith, Terror of the Gods. Y'know, I don't think even he realized when he did it, but when I Revived him, when he stood back up, from that moment on I think his evolution into the Conrad I'm proud to call my son today was just about inevitable.

I mean, some of that pride is Mom Obligation, sure, but he's found ways to use his powers for good, and honestly most of the time it seems like he's using his powers mostly to troll my libido. But I can't even be mad at him, both with me hurting him by figuring out his Domain, then manhandling him pretty awfully that time I damn near did an X-rated step-mommy on him atop his Hole Spawn tank. Still vaguely surprised I haven't seen several new sets of stockings and boots from that. The boy may have turned over a new leaf, but it's a leaf from a branch of a tree with roots in 4chan and PornHub.

Speaking of trolling my libido, at sunset his workshop went as silent as it ever was, and he walked toward us with what looked to be a length of leather maybe a foot long. I wasn't sure how he'd be putting it on her with her neck still skinless, but I figured it wouldn't be super quick. Karen?

Yes, Goddess?

I'm running a little late, working on something at Conrad's place. Would you rather I show late or we reschedule for next week?

Karen sounded a little, I dunno, offended. Goddess. We Worship you. We will wait or not depending on which you prefer.

Yeah. Well. You and the Phileo crew want to see me, even if I'm late?

She sounded a little shy when she replied, yes.

Okay then. Go ahead and do some pre-gaming if you like. I have no idea how long this will take, but I'll give you a sixty second warning at least.

Thank you, Goddess.

No problem. See you later.

Then Conrad was there, nodding to me, then asking, "So, Lady Crow, are you ready?"

"I am."

"Again, please hold still." He moved around in front of her and lifted the collar up to her neck. I half expected him just to wrap it around, but he leaned to one side and very carefully examined the first point of contact for a bit. While he did, I got a look at the very much not a buckle that would lie over her throat. A crow, worked in some black metal that had the same iridescent sheen I remembered from a pair of titanium glasses one of my teachers had back in the day.

Then he seemed to find the alignment he wanted and pressed the choker against her neck, running one hand around her neck at the level of the wound, pressing it into place. I almost though I imagined the faint hiss from Tallulah as he did so, but her hand clamped down on mine. Conrad slipped the other end of the choker under the clasp, and I swear the fuckin' crow grabbed it and pulled it snug.

"Mother? If you'd like to handle the Healing?"

I nodded, then thought, Siobhan?

She reached out to me, saw what I needed, and helped me Shape that cosmetic Healing Spell she knew. As the Mana flowed into it, the choker flared, then settled seamlessly into place.

Well, not exactly seamlessly. Instead of Tallulah's pale pearlescent tracery around a mass of freckles, her neck now had those same freckles picked out in pearlescent black, with matte black skin tracing the edges of them. I reached up and ran my hand along the juncture.

Tallulah and I both gasped. Her, I guessed, from the sudden intimate contact. Me because I felt my own fingers touching her neck. "Son?"

"Yes, Mother?"

"Is this... Did you make this out of her skin?"

He nodded. "Hers and yours, bonded together."

I smiled, then slipped Tallulah's restraints off, nodding for him to help. He did, although I think we both surprised him when our arms went around him the moment Tallulah was free. "Thank you, son. It's beautiful."

He shrugged, although I noticed he didn't try to shrug off our embrace. "It's the least I could do for one who has made so many devoted connections to my Mother dearest."

Then Tallulah surprised both of us by saying, formal as fuck, "I thank you, Conrad the Weyland Smith."

Not nearly as much as Conrad surprised Tallulah and I when he blinked, smiled, and shook his head. "No, Lady Crow. There is no debt between us. We are family, after all."

Yeah, both of them were having all kinds of fun spinning my head like a top. She turned to me and said, "and so you have replaced the son your wife slew." She glanced at Conrad, looking him up and down, then back to me, a satisfied look on her face. "Much higher quality than I'd managed on my own, as well. A definite upgrade."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Conrad laughed at that, and I couldn't help but hug him again, laughing along with him. "Unless you needed something, I've got..." The black titanium crow on Tallulah's collar caught the light, and my brain jumped from titanium to Titans, from Titans to Saturn, and from him to Raymond. "Shit. Son?"

"Yes, Mother?"

I took a deep breath. "I remember back when I was amnesiac you mentioned something about being able to cut someone's bond with Clergy. Did I imagine that?"

He shook his head. "you did not. It can be done, although it is quite traumatic. Possibly lethally so for the Clergy. Why do you ask?"

I blew that breath out. "A friend. Raymond. High Priest of Cronos. Something has driven Cronos and at least one other Titan frothing at the mouth mad. Rabid, even."

He tilted his head. "Yes. Rabies could do that."

"The fuck? I thought Clergy were immune to disease? Deities too, now that I think about it."

Now Conrad looked ever so slightly surprised. "Disease? I'm not speaking of disease, or even a Deity thereof. I speak of Rabies. Also known as Furor or Ira, although her secret name, and in her case she has few enough followers it might well be secret, is Lyssa."

"What is she Goddess of?"

Now he smirked, looking way more like himself. "I'm surprised you don't know, although there's no reason you should, really. Other than you sharing a very similar Domain. She is Goddess of Wrath, Rage, and Fury. Of anger to all consuming that it breaks all ties to sanity."

"Damn. But she doesn't have many followers?"

"They tend not to live long."

I nodded. "Fair point. But she'd be strong enough to do that to a Titan?"

He shrugged, then nodded to Tallulah. "In the right circumstances, with enough leverage, so to speak, her daughter was capable of binding you. The Heir to Olympus was strong enough, again in the right circumstances, to goad you to a Mad orgy of Bloodlust. Perhaps if she had similar leverage over the Titan." He shrugged, clearly not real concerned about a Demigoddess of mad fury. Not like he didn't have one of his own with her arm still around him.

I gave him a quick squeeze. "Thanks son. I'll let you know if we need help disconnecting Raymond, okay?"

He nodded. "Of course, Mother."

I took Tallulah by the hand, because I desperately wanted to feel if that crow was textured or not, and now was not the time. "Gotta go join my Worshippers at the Revel. Keep in touch, we've got to make Yule plans soon!"

"Have a nice Revel, Mother."

With that I stepped Tallulah back to the bedroom, where the other adults int the family had the kids playing. Tallulah sagged as Saffron rose to greet her. "If I may, Mistress, I think I'd like to rest a bit."

Saffron just smiled, shook her head, and scooped Tallulah into a princess carry. Looked a little silly, but adorably so. "Come along, Overlord. Your restful bed awaits, your daughters and partners have kept it warm for you." She turned to me. "Have fun at the Revel, love."

I smiled, nodded, and stepped to my Altar, dropping my Blend as I did.

Yeah, I forgot that whole 'soft Commandment to pre-game' and 'sixty second warning'. I learned something new today. Karen making a couple guys scream 'Goddess' at the top of their lungs while she would have been doing the same if her mouth was clear counts as Worship. At least for me, while they're on my Altar, it does. High powered Worship at that. Okay, I think the Altar may be kind of an amplifier or something, because I definitely got some additional Worship from similar outcries around the room not long after, but it didn't have the same impact. I'm pretty sure my eyes were glowing by the time Karen finally relaxed.

Then she looked over at me, scrambled vaguely upright, swallowed, and said, "Goddess! I'm sorry! I didn't hear you arrive!"

I shrugged. "No big. I forgot to warn you."

"How long have you been here?"

"Eh. Long enough. Didn't figure you'd mind, what with everybody else watching too?"

She shook her head. "No! Of course not! I just... I didn't want to make you wait."

I smiled, reached out a hand, and when she took it I pulled her to me, embracing her, then kissing her. I let her set the pace, and savored the flavor still on her tongue as she ramped it straight up to tonsil inspection via tongue. I couldn't help it, after a few moments I chuckled a little. When she pulled away, I held her close and looked into her eyes. "Really, it's fine, Karen. Fantastic show, awesome Worship, excellent taste. Ten of ten, would watch again."

She smirked at me. "So am I to assume you'll be visiting services incognito on future non-Freyday Revels?"

"Maybe." When she pouted a little, I whispered, "but you not knowing when is half the fun."

She rolled her eyes, smiled, and waved to the Altar. "We warmed it up for you."

"So you did!" I sat, and she waved my first partner of the night forward.

That was Jack, the restaurant manager and bartender, who turned out to be one of my only two partners of the night. Good thing, too, because while he'd apparently pre-gamed away any need for sex, if anybody in the world has more pent up frustration in need of venting than somebody working food service, I don't know who it is. So I stretched my Blend around us, just enough to mute the words if anything he said included names or situations somebody might feel some kinda way about. Funny thing, I'm not exactly prudish with my language, but once he relaxed and forgot exactly who he was talking to, or maybe realized that no amount of venting would make me reject him, my man got profane. Obscene. Vulgar. Often all at once. Holy fucking shit did he ever. Like, the most repeatable thing I remember him saying was something like 'horse cock sucking cum gargling thunder cunt'. I'm pretty sure he said some really nasty stuff about Karen, although all of it was just pure concentrated 'my boss expects me to work miracles' frustration.

Would have worried, had Karen not been laughing sheepishly in my head through most of it. You listening in?

He's... ah... shouting. Loud enough for me to hear through you.

Can anyone else hear?

Only that he's shouting, no details.

Okay. See if you can't give him some time to bleed this off now and then? Like you're doing for Amber?

Let it be so.

When he finally ran out of steam, then curled up with his head in my lap and fell asleep, I whispered, "come right back," when Karen picked him up to take him to a room to sleep it off.

When she returned, she asked, "you needed something?"

I stood, shifting to boy mode as she reached me. She blushed a little when I smiled and said, "thought maybe you wanted to take the last hour before sunrise, since I head down to Calverton next week."

She shook her head. "I've nothing to share with you the way the others have." She smiled at me. "My boss is remarkably undemanding."

I Grinned down at her, and pulled her to me. "You want I should make a few demands then?" I saw immediately that she definitely did. Never thought I'd be with somebody who thought hairy guys were hot, nor that I'd be the hairy hot guy, but here we were. "Say it, if you do."

"Command me, Demand of me, Take me as you will, Goddess."

Saffron, need you here please?

Karen tensed. "I feel a little like I'm being called in front of a tribunal."

Saffron dropped onto the floor behind Karen, and with a nod and wink, she picked up on my thought and shifted to boy mode her own self. I might have drooled a little at that point. He's so fuckin' hot. He's also hot when fucking. So I Co-Located to a seat with a good view, then said, "Nah. I just saw what you were doing when I got here and thought it looked like fun."

It was. Very fun. Couldn't get the smile off my face, even after a whole day of teaching math.

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