She laid the plane tickets on the counter with a heavy sigh and looked out into her living room. The overnight courier was on his hands and knees still searching for his second sock. She smirked and gave the room the once over, locating it easily. "So, did she expect a response?"

"No miss...I mean ma'am...miss. Uh...she said that the only response required was you."

She sashayed across the room, recapturing his attention. "Well, I guess you got that then..."

The man blushed crimson and stammered.

She flipped the switch on the wall and his errant sock fell from the ceiling fan to the floor in front of him. As he picked it up, the front door in the hallway behind her opened and in stepped a man carrying a paper grocery bag. She glanced unconcerned over her bare shoulder at him. He smiled "Oh sorry babe...didn't know you already had company. Want me to come back?"

She smiled back at him "Oh no, I think he was just leaving." The courier scrambled to his feet, apologizing as he frantically scrambled to collect the rest of his uniform. He headed to the door at nearly a run before she called him back. "Hey, I think you forgot your tie..."

He shuffled back to her, clutching his clothes and eyeing the other man. She slowly tugged at the knot of the half undone tie until it unraveled and she slid the silk tie from around her neck. Leaning over, she draped it over his shoulder with a smile. He smiled back at her, then took one look at the muscular man leaning against the counter and hightailed it out of her apartment.

John cracked up. "That was totally cruel, Sultry."

She grinned conspiritorially at him as she shut the door "I know...but my Mother sent him."

"Ah." He leaned over and tipped a chair back rightside up, surveying the room. "I see you were pretty upset about it."

She made a derisive grunt "Yeah. She hates it when I mess with her messengers' heads."

He laughed at her unintended entendre. "Bet they don't."

"Haven't had one complain yet." She gestured to the kitchen "Help yourself...I need to wash the minion off me."

"Take your time...delivery won't be for an hour"

She eyed the grocery bag as he grinned impishly and unpacked three bottles of wine and a pint of mint chip ice cream. She looked at him questioningly.

"I just had a feeling."

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Global: @Sultry Siren

((Nice but...uh...I think this is the wrong forum?))

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'You can call me many mean and nasty things, most of them true. 'Macho shithead' is one of those things...'- Henry Rollins

(bah, I was tired. Moving!)

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Global: @Sultry Siren

He was cooling his heels and entertaining himself planning parkour runs through the terminal when she finally re-emerged from the bathroom. John did a bit of a double take at the change in her appearance. Gone was the skin tight leather skirt and stiletto heels. In their place was a pair of tight jeans, simple tank top and cowboy boots. Her hair was pulled loosely back into two low pigtails and she had a set of keys in her hand.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, but I thought someone was gonna pick us up?"

She jingled the keys "They dropped off my baby."

"Huh? But I thought..."

Beaming at him, she walked toward the exit "My truck!"

Stepping out into the warm Kansas sun, they threaded their way through the people doing their best meerkat imitations while waiting for their rides. She beelined to the farthest corner of the parking garage. Despite the scant sunlight in the concrete monstrosity, the cherry colored '57 pickup shone in its lonesome parking spot. Climbing in, she adjusted her mirrors and fired up the engine as John tossed their carry ons in the back. He hopped up on the bench seat beside her and checked out the interior as she made her way to the exit and popped in the pre-paid ticket left on the dash. "I didn't know you drove."

"It's been awhile..."

"Why's that?"

She grinned and floored it, peeling out of the airport in a squeal of dust and rubber.

Once they'd hit the highway and the scattered houses gave way to field after field of growing foodstuffs, she'd slowed down a bit, seeming to enjoy herself and relax. They chatted about random stuff for a half hour when he spotted a lone billboard off in the distance.

Pointing it out to her, he commented "Hey leadfoot, how much you want to bet there's a cop behind that sign?"

She laughed and accelerated.

"Hey, you're gonna get yourself a ticket..." he warned.

The truck flew past the sign and sure enough, moments later there were flashing lights in the rearview.

"Told you." he smirked smugly.

Winking at him, she replied "I figured he was there." She pulled to the shoulder and stopped.

The officer strolled up to the car "Ma'am do you know how fast y-y-you...." He stuttered to a stop when he looked up at her. "Oh."

She smiled sweetly and absently twirled a piece of her hair between her fingers, her voice purring. "Hello Terry"

The man swallowed hard and licked his lips, but his voice betrayed him by cracking like a teenage boy's. "Uh, hi Si."

"How've you been?"

"Uh...good. I've been good. Yeah."

She continued her syrupy tone "I heard you settled down..."

He shrugged noncommittally "Oh that. Yeah. I guess so."

"Tsk...I'm -sure- Vicky wouldn't want to hear you say that about her. Especially with the twins and everything."

The man blanched, leaning in slightly "Uh, you're not gonna tell her are you?" She shook her head, her long white hair framing her face. He looked relieved "Thanks Si...I wouldn't wanna hurt her ya know?" He swallowed again and lowered his voice a bit "I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to come back...I was just lonely ya know? And well...you never got...well..." He tugged at his collar a bit. "...figured I was shooting blanks...and then she said she was late. And well. Twins. I did the right thing, didn't I? I think?"

She chuckled and beckoned him closer. The nervous cop leaned toward her and she kissed him on the cheek. "You did a right good thing, Terry. Now, I'm going to go see my Mother for a couple of days. I suggest you spend all your off time for the next week home taking care of those babies and your wife rather than hanging out at my mailbox. Alright?"

"Yes'm, I will...have a good day, Si. A very good day."

As he strolled back to his cruiser, she fired the engine back up and pulled back onto the blacktop.

"I don't think he even noticed I was sitting here."

"He didn't."

"Not your usual MO to send em home to their wives rather than throwing them overboard on the rocks" he mused "Change of heart?"

She shook her head and smiled wickedly as she leaned over to turn on the radio "No...you've never met his wife."

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Global: @Sultry Siren

The truck turned off the highway and she stopped at the end of the driveway, letting the engine idle. It was idyllic, this little farm she grew up on. From the perfectly painted white rail fence, to the just-right-shade-of-brick-red barn, to the gentle hills swaying with the still green fall harvest. Still...

She let out a sigh.

"Something wrong?"

"Eh...I know I'm already in trouble with Mother. I'm expecting a dressing down about letting mortals traipse into the Underworld, but I'm not really looking forward to it." She considered it for a moment, then put the truck back in gear and trundled down the rutted dirt driveway.

Her mother was on the porch by the time they parked, drying her hands with a dishcloth. "Sweetheart! I'm so glad you came home." The earthy farm woman smiled and waited to collect her hug.

"Hi Mother...I brought someone along" she responded, trying to keep the petulance out of her voice.

She beamed at Siren and kissed her forehead "I knew you would...and one of my nephews it seems!" Whether her expression was surprise, relief or veiled irritation was hard to tell. "Come in, come in. I made a nice pie, but it still needs time to cool." The woman turned and opened the screen door, disappearing into the house.

He grabbed her arm momentarily. "Does she smell like bread?"

"Always."

"Huh. I'd heard that...didn't think it was true." He held the screen door open for her.

They followed the swirl of floral skirts and apron into the dimmer light of the farmhouse kitchen. In the moment it took her eyes to adjust, she found herself suddenly spun around and pinned by her neck against wall facing the door. The tips of her stilettos scraped at the floor seeking purchase as she gasped.

"HEY!" The man at the door shouted, but John found himself on the wrong side of some sort of barrier and was stopped suddenly in his tracks.

"This doesn't concern you loverboy...only her." the slick and oily voice oozed.

Siren continued to struggle against her attacker, her heels drumming the wall.

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Global: @Sultry Siren

(Thanks for the help, Lunar! )
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Her fingernails scraped against the hand crushing her windpipe, gasping as she fought for air.

The oily voiced man pressed harder against her neck and moved his face closer to hers, leering. "Why hello there...siren. Need a breath?"

Siren nodded desperately and he relented just enough to let her fill her lungs, but kept her pinned to the wall, the floor just out of reach of her toes.

He sneered "Better, you waterlogged bitch?"

She could only splutter in reply, rasping shallowly while across the room John pressed against the barrier, testing it.

"Good...now let's have a little chat, you and I, about the state of things shall we?" He examined his sharpened nails and the cuff of his well pressed shirt sleeve. "Now, you've had a little mission all these years my dear girl and you've been ignoring it."

She shook her head, choking out "No, I haven..."

He cut her off by tightening his grip on her throat angrily. "You -have-. Sure, you've sent a fair number of men to their doom which, make no mistake, I have greatly appreciated. Your selection and their quality has been absolutely superb and delectable. But." He paused and then punctuated his statement by tapping her in the center of her forehead with one of his sharp nails repeatedly, drawing blood. "You. Have. Failed at locating what you were tasked with finding."

As the rivulets of blood started to creep down her face, he leaned in closer, shouting "...and you let a band of -living- humans AND A DRAGON just traipse into MY DOMAIN without even so much as a 'by your leave' or anything! I deserve your RESPECT! I deserve your OBEDIENCE!"

Her mother leaned against the farmhouse counter languidly, unmoved by the raging man. "Y'know, if you kill her now, you'll just have to wait 'til she grows up to question her again."

The man nearly hissed at her, letting Siren draw a breath in his distraction "Maybe I don't care! I'm tired of her delay! Her excuses! I'm tired of waiting!"

Demeter laughed heartily, a note of derision in her voice. "Poor Hades, can't get his rocks off."

Siren watched John silently as the two Gods began arguing with each other. He hadn't wasted any time, silently slipping back out the door, out of their sight. The farmhouse was not the kind of building he was used to scaling, but frankly, that wasn't a problem - it had plenty of hand and footgrips. The only issue on his part being, well...the wood construction wasn't exactly good at muffling sounds. The ancient weathered wood threatened to creak and moan as he began carefully climbing his way up to the second floor of the house, on the outside. He was willing to bet Hades hadn't anticipated someone being able to get up there without stairs and a ladder and he'd never struck John as someone big on the traceur mindset.

So, easily enough he quickly and silently scaled his way out and cautiously eased the window open. Success. Hades hadn't put a ward up on the second floor...typical Dodekathon arrogance. Traceur quietly sped down the hall, hearing the argument get louder the closer he got.

"I blame you as much as this one, oh sister dearest" he sneered. "If you hadn't spent all your time mooning about and actually supported me, we wouldn't be in this mess."

The woman at the counter glared at him "How dare you. YOU kidnapped MY daughter. You're the psychopath here, not me."

His barking laughter filled the farmhouse. "Apparently you have a short term memory issue...or did you entirely forget about the mass genocide you nearly brought about? I didn't let the entire population of the earth almost starve to death."

She said nothing in return and he smirked at her "No matter." Turning his attention back to the woman against the wall, he pressed his face to hers, his foul breath cloying as his tail began to wrap itself up one of her legs. "Since I can't seem to get what is rightfully mine, then perhaps I'll take what want from this one." His tongue snaked its way from his lips to the blood trail oozing down her face.

The gun clicked sharply behind his left ear. "I wouldn't do that."

The look of surprise on Hades' face was just the instant Siren needed. Throwing every ounce of strength she could muster, she kneed him in the groin. In momentary shock, he released her and she fell to the floor at his feet gasping, her neck a livid purple.

Angry, Hades whirled to face the man he had ignored. "HOW DARE YOU MORTAL!"

John smirked from his position behind the faintly glowing golden gun "Try again, Great-Uncle."

Infuriated now, he turned and kicked the prostrate Siren violently in the ribs "You brought one of my NEPHEWS with you?"

The kick clearly came from behind Hades, but through some bizarre freak of flexibility and body mechanics, John's left shoe managed to connect with his forehead, HARD. Hades whirled once again to face his assailant, only to have the barrel of the gun shoved in his face again. John snarled, his voice hissing protectively between his teeth. "Do that again and I -will- kill you, you bastard, I don't care if it leaves your throne empty for all eternity."

Hades straightened up, adjusting his suit and sniffing offendedly "I, sir, am not a bastard. Despite the predilection of my siblings," he sneered looking at Demeter first, then giving John the once over as well, "I have no intention of having -my- legitimate children born out of wedlock."

John jerked a kitchen chair over with his foot "See. I KNOW that's a lie. I've met them." he gestured to the chair "Have a seat, asshole."

Hades gave him a dark look, but sat down as Siren dragged herself across the floor away from him, griping her side. Demeter remained unmoving at the counter.

"Now, let's have a little chat, you and I." John stated flatly at the man, using his own words. "What the fuck's your problem?"

Hades fished a handkerchief from his breast pocket and meticulously wiped Siren's blood from his fingernail. "My problem, nephew" he sneered, "is that -creature- is failing at her mission."

"And just what mission is that."

He smirked "What, has she kept it to herself this whole time?" He looked over preditorially at the woman huddled in the corner "Your delicious little toy has a sister."

John called over his shoulder to Siren "Si, s'that true?"

"Yes" she croaked before dissolving into a coughing fit. She spat the blood on the floor.

"Ok, so she has a sister. So what?"

"So, Siren's -job- is to find her and bring her back to me." he rolled his eyes. "Did I use small enough words for you, boy, or should I.."

John lowered the gun for a fraction of a second and shot the seat of the chair, millimeters from the tailored inseam of the man. Hades froze. "...and why is it that she needs to fork her sister over to you?"

"Because you dolt, she's my wife."

He chuckled "'Sephone, Siren? As in Persephone?"

She sagged against the wall, tentatively feeling her broken ribs "Yeah...how...how'd you know her name?"

"You talk in your sleep, babe."

Hades smirked "Apparently you two should talk more rather than waking the whole underworld with your.."

John pressed the barrel forward slightly "Enough. Now. Let's talk. You want your wife back. I get it. Siren's supposed to find her. Well apparently she's been doing that for a long time or we wouldn't be here talking. Correct?"

"And your watery tart isn't trying very hard either."

"Why would I want to turn my sister over to you anyway?"

Hades erupted in hatred towards Siren "I want my wife back, you bitch!"

"Go to hell. Oh wait, you live there."

He nearly leapt out of the chair at her, but was stayed by the muzzle of John's gun in his face. He growled "If I can't make you see reason enough to -do your job-, then perhaps I'll just have to find a better reason for you." He leaned back in the chair "If I recall correctly, you have a very killable former paramour...one Albert Romano, if I remember right, and his dear mother. I do believe that I've already got the rest of his family...and I know you still have a soft spot for the poor unlucky soul. Perhaps it's time to complete the matched set. Hmm?" He sneered.

"You leave Alby out of this. He knows nothing of you or what I did. I haven't even seen him for a year." she snarled through gritted teeth.

Hades leaned back, crossing his long legs in a businesslike fashion "But he knows your -real- name. That's enough really, don't you think?"

"No." she replied flatly. "It's not. Let him be."

He gestured openly with his hands, grinning savagely "Regretfully, I can't...so unless you can convince me otherwise, he won't live to see tomorrow morning."

"Fine. What do you want?"

"I want my wife back at her rightful place at my side. I don't want to wait another thousand years. You will do it by the end of this year, or I'll kill -everyone- you ever cared for."

John swore under his breath "Geez is she worth all that?"

The oily man's face was transformed as his imagination filled with images of the object of his affection "She shines like the moon...there is no one more beautiful that has ever existed in all the ages of the world. She is my queen and our children will rule for eternity!"

John arched a brow before letting out a slow "Ooook then..." at the crazed man.

Demeter finally piped up, snarkily "Provided of course, she lets you anywhere near her bed, you lecher."

Hades roared and lunged for the woman, only to crash to the floor as the bullet ripped through his knee.

"Shame to ruin your fine Armani suit there, Uncle." He trained the gun at the prone man's head as he moved slightly to put himself better between Hades and Siren. "Hope I don't have to ruin the coat too. Those are so much more expensive to replace."

Hades gritted his teeth and spat at Siren "...and for that, if you don't find her, not only will I kill everyone you care for, but you will take your sister's place." He cackled gleefully as she recoiled. "Not as my Queen, oh no, but as the harlot of my domain. Every man whose downfall you orchestrated will be your master, day in and day out, and you will be my footstool until the end of time. Our children will cower before me and feed the hungry mouths of Cerebus."

John and Demeter opened their mouths to protest, but they never had a chance.

"Done."

Thunder cracked in the room and Hades chortled gleefully. He suddenly vanished, leaving only the spreading bloodstain on the hardwood floor.

John looked at Siren horrified "Oh Si...what did you just do, babe?"

She looked up at him from where she lay slumped against the wall, angry fire dancing over her skin. "I'm going to find my sister and then we're going to kill him."

He paused before setting the safety on his gun. "Alrighty then. I'm remarkably ok with this plan." He leaned over and easily picked her up before setting her gently into a different kitchen chair. Kneeling beside her, he started checking her broken ribs, frowning deeply as his probing fingers caused her to sharply inhale.

Demeter set a roll of bandages and the fresh pie on the table beside him. "When you are finished, we should begin."

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Global: @Sultry Siren