Page 70 of Total Lunar Eclipse
SATURN
CHRISTMAS
In all my years as a human, I’ve never participated in a Christmas celebration, even after moving to America. But Zahra’s mum insisted and you don’t say no to a Delsol. I see from where Zahra gets her stubborn tenacity, but I can’t complain. It’s one of the things I love the most about her.
After her hidden brilliance.
And her mouthy personality.
And her fabulous ass.
I grin, taking in that ass now, bent over. She rises back up and throws another handful of ‘snow’ around her parents’ condo living room.
“Dammit, Zahra, quit tossing that shit around my house! It’ll take your mom weeks to vacuum it all up!” her father shouts at her.
“No, Jorge, it won’t. It will takeyouweeks to vacuum up,” her mother rejoins and I grin.
Like mother, like daughter.
Ann catches my eye and winks; I wink back. My human mother-in-law is a saint for putting up with her husband’s and daughter’s antics, but I’ve come to really care for her. And Ann treats me like a son. In fact, she treats usalllike sons. Jorge and Ann Delsol are some of the most progressive humans I’ve ever met.
It takes a lot of understanding and courage to accept your daughter is fucking eight dicks at the same time, but accept us they did. And not just us, but Vesta and all the other Minors.
We’re all here together, now, except for Chiron.
I know Zahra invited him, offering him a small respite from Minnesota’s harsh winter.
“Is Edgar coming?” I ask Ann when she comes by offering me food off a tray.
It’s bread with garlic olive oil dip and I grin, thinking of Zahra throwing a platter full of garlic pasta at my face. I never have told her, but I hate the stuff. Garlic, that is. Probably why it’s part of the vampire lore, but I’m certainly not crippled by the nasty stuff.
“No,” Ann leans in to whisper. “I think he’s still heart-broken, you know. . . since Zahra’s with you all. I like Edgar, he’s such a sweet, intellectual boy, but I guess I always thought Zahra would end up with someone. . . I don’t know, more outgoing, more talkative, more active, luckier overall, more disciplined, more independent with a bigger imagination, and well, just more of a sex symbol-”
Her husband calls her attention and she doesn’t finish, but she doesn’t need to; Zahra’s mum just listed all the positive aspects of our godhood.
Ann goes off with Jorge to do something and Zahra rushes to the Christmas tree. She bends down and I grin when I see all my brothers’ eyes stray to her ass, no one else pays her attention, though. Vesta, in Mrs. Gerty form, is caught up in a conversation with Water, whose human form is that of a nineteen-year-old guy. I can’t tell if this is Zahra’s handiwork or the Universe’s; both seem to have a very perverse sense of humor.
But Vesta isn’t put off by Water’s humanness, and nor is he towards her.
The other Elements are more similarly paired in age to their Minor counterparts and it warms my heart to see them together, lost in conversation, because now I don’t have to kill them for touchingourgoddess.
Zahra clears her throat to get our attention.
“I have gifts for you all!” she announces giddily, pushing small, thin boxes wrapped in brightly colored Christmas paper into our hands. “Go ahead, you all, open them up!”
We start ripping through the wrapping paper. Jupiter is the first to get his open, but how he did it is a miracle. I make a mental note to cut off Zahra from the scotch tape next year.
“I know what I’m getting Venus for Christmas next year,” Merc teases.
Fuck me.
I’m busy trying to bust through the fourth layer of tape when Jupiter’s booming laugh distracts me. I look over and see him holding something green. Upon closer inspection, it looks like a crayon, a Crayola crayon. Jupiter must see my confused look, because he turns the crayon and I read the name-Yes, sirarmy green.
Oh god, she’s named crayon colors after us.
Merc gets his open next and we all crowd around him to read50 shades of Miogrey. With a bellow of frustration, Mars simply rips his box in two and out drops the crayon. Zahra is in stitches and Mars soon joins her. When I get his crayon, I understand why: she named itRoid ragered. Uranus getsYour Anusazure and his twin’s color isSeamencerulean.
Sunny finally gets his open and chuckles.
