Page 91 of Lovesick Gods

“No, let me say this.” He seemed about to stand taller but deflated as he looked at Danny mournfully. “There’s one thing I haven’t brought up yet. And I don’t want to push, but damn it, I have to on this one.” There were few things that chipped away at Danny’s armor more than seeing his father cry, and right now his eyes glistened. “Don’t you ever say something like what you said that night. That you wish you could erase yourself from our lives. Don’t…don’t ever say that.”

“Dad, I…” Danny felt a chill shudder through him as he processed what John must be thinking. “I didn’tmean—”

“I sure as hell hope not, but you still said it, and that…that scared me, son.Thatscared me, not your powers, not how angry you were. We don’t blame you for what happened with Thanatos, and I wouldn’t trade you for anything. Not a damn thing. No—not even to have never had Zeus in our lives. Because even though I wish your mother was still with us,” a sad, sympathetic smile strained across his face, “I have two sons now instead of one. And I love them both.”

Blinking back the tears flooding his eyes, Danny nodded and laughed shakily, because of course he knew that was the truth, not merely kind words to appease him, but at his lowest it wasas if there were separate versions of him, conflicted and arguing inside his head.

“I love you too, Dad. So much. And I’m sorry. You said I don’t have anything to make up for, but I do. Not just to you, but to Joey too. I’ll talk to him again, I promise. I never meant for him to find out about my powers like that.”

“I know, kiddo,” John said, standing and gripping Danny’s shoulder with that familiar, firm almost-hug that often felt more comforting than a full one. “Honestly, I think Joey’s a little starstruck learning that you’re Zeus.”

“The novelty will wear off eventually,” Danny muttered. “Can’t be easy finding out your hero is a basket case.”

“Hey,” John squeezed his shoulder tighter, “I think you’d be surprised how he sees you now that he understands a bit better what’s been going on. Not even heroes are meant to be perfect.” At last he let Danny go, and they turned together to head toward the door. “You going to be around to help us move his things upstairs to the new room? Plan was for this week. Almost got it ready.”

“Of course,” Danny said. “I really am glad you’re making it official, Dad. That wasn’t what upset me. Joey’s a good kid. I know I need to try harder with him. Assuming I can look him in the eyes the next time we talk…”

“Don’t push yourself. Whatever you can manage. One day at a time, right?”

“Yeah.” Danny wondered if maybe, now, he could actually do that. “One day at a time.”

He wasn’t oblivious to how things always seemed easier after he had a few good days in a row. He’d even gone all of Monday so far without feeling the need for a pill. What he feared was the next trigger that sent him off the rails, whether it be Ludgate, some other miss with a criminal, or something unexpected.

Which may have been why Danny was more anxious than excited when less than half an hour into patrol, after a pleasant, laughter-filled dinner with his father, he got a call from Andre over the comms. Someone had noticed strange flashes of light coming from the history museum, even though no alarms had been tripped.

“Could be nothing,” Andre said, “but given Ludgate’s MO and what you said about seeing flickers when he used his powers…”

Given Cho’s MO too, Danny thought. Ludgate wasn’t the only thief who didn’t trip alarms unless he wanted to. “I’ll swing by to get the dark Zeus suit just in case.”

He and Cho had discussed encountering each other with Danny in that suit again, and Cho had assured him that if he had a heist planned—not that he’d admitted he did—and Danny showed up in the invisible suit, he’d be prepared. Cho always expected a fight when he was on a job, and if it was Cho tonight…

This was what everything had been leading up to since he and Danny first began their tryst, a return to normal, to Cho’s thieving ways, which Danny had assumed would signal the end, but now he wanted just a little longer to enjoy the thrills and unexpected peace Cho gave him.

“Dark Zeus?” Andre complained. “It’sThe Invisible Man, dude. Stop raining on my name parade!”

Danny chuckled. “Be there in a sec.”

It was indeed only seconds later that he jumped into the morgue and replaced his normal Zeus suit with the black one. He was about to turn invisible and head out, when Lynn stopped him, her smile guarded as she gently took his arm.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“It’s nothing, Danny, I just wanted to say, if it is Ludgate…even if it isn’t, remember we’re here with you, no matter what happens. It’s okay if you don’t catch him.”

No, it isn’t, Danny thought, because people could get hurt—people always got hurt when he failed. So far Ludgate hadn’t hurt anyone, but Danny couldn’t take that chance, not with someone so powerful. Still, he understood what she meant. He had to keep his frustration from leaking out and controlling his actions. He couldn’t exactly stop mid-fight to take one of his pills. Maybe he should take one now…

“I’ll be fine,” he said as he dismissed the idea. “The worst he can do, if it is him, is get one over on me again, which as frustrated as that’ll make me, I can handle. Just keep talking me down if I seem like I’m faltering. You guys always pull me back.” He smiled a little brighter because it was true. So far it had always been his friends’ voices that calmed him if nothing else could—and Cho.

Pulling the mask down over his mouth, Danny tapped the side of his goggle-like eyes to turn on the comms.

“Ready when you are, guys,” he said, and after a swift salute from Andre, Danny shifted the suit into stealth mode and took off.

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This was what everything had been leading up to since Hades first targeted Zeus and then discovered how poetic it would be to bring Prometheus down with him—a mighty clash of powers and personas where he could make his true entrance onto the stage and reveal the name that would make this city quake in ways it hadn’t known in six long months.

The spectacle was going to be glorious; however simple, however subtle, however ruthless in execution, and Zeus and Prometheus had no idea.

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