Fear me, Love me

Like Father, Like Son

The pub had been busy that evening with a rowdy crowd mostly congregated around the TV. Whenever the crowd erupted into loud cheering - the skittish bar tender would flinch. She looked up and saw one of the guys watching her and a blush crept into her cheeks. He was a giant, towering over his friends and she noticed how his t-shirt stretched taunt over his biceps. He finished his beer and sidled up to the bar. Chloe twisted a strand of hair nervously around her finger.

"Same again please," he placed the empty bottle on the bar. Chloe bit her lip. His voice was husky and so deep that she heard it clearly over the raucous. 

"Sure thing." She smiled and quickly got him a new bottle from the fridge. His eyes were honey brown – matching his short cropped hair. 

"What's your name?" He asked as he paid for his drink.

"Chloe Wilder. Yours?"

"Thorn Acciai."

Chloe grinned – even his name was sexy. 

"Nice to meet you, Thorn." 

He smiled back and her stomach did butterflies. 

"Are you new here? You seem nervous." 

Chloe pulled a face, "is it that obvious?" 

Thorn shrugged.

"You're doing well – relax a bit."

"You're pretty observant aren't you?" 

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. He watched people – studied them and often he noticed things - things others overlooked. Another patron called for Chloe's attention and she had to move to the other side of the bar. Thorn continued to watch her. She had a springy, bounce to her step with an added grace when she was turning. Gymnast perhaps? Dancer? Her arms were strong. Lugging crates of empty glasses hadn't troubled her at all. She worked out often then. But loud noises made her jumpy...

"Hey Thorn – come over here!" One of his friends called over. 

 That had been the evening Thorn and Ryder had met. The warlock was sat by the bar with Liam – a gorgon he'd recently rescued from the underworld. The instant Thorn had stood beside Liam, to talk softly with the bar tender, Liam had stiffened. Ryder waited until the guy had returned to his friends before asking Liam if he was ok. 

"He's a son of Hades." Liam had explained. His voice had been rougher back then – his English marred by the guttural underworld accent. "I can smell it on him." 

 Ryder appraised the man with fresh interest, looking for signs of divinity in his face. It was a pleasant face – warm olive skin, honey eyes, smooth full lips – but his nose looked to have been broken a number of times. He was a giant of a man but very self-possessed and still. He didn't join in shouting with his friends, or thump the table – he watched the game and listened to them with cheerful politeness. 

"Is he powerful?" 

Liam drummed his fingers against his glass, "he's inherited some of Hades command I reckon – which is interesting." Ryder's brows rose. "Hades has many offspring but I thought only the Dark Prince had inherited gifts from him. This man was kept secret from the underworld." 

Ryder's lips compressed as he thought about this. He needed power, if he was ever going to declare war on the unit. 

"What do you think? Worth recruiting?" He asked Liam, valuing his opinion. The gorgon nodded slowly.