Monika props herself on my neck as soon as I walk out of the room, locking it behind me. She hangs off my neck and I smile.

"So...what's different about Nathaniel?" She whispered.

"Uh..." I set her down on the bed hanging up my armor. "He's my eldest and...my blood."

She raises her brows but doesn't inquire and I don't push the subject further. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes aren't back to normal.

"I don't look human anymore," she whispers. "Slade am I..." she paused.

I smile, making a rose, and tucking it behind her ear. "Ah, look it matches. You look so beautiful, Monika. Stunning."

She smiles touching the rose. "You're the perfect husband you know that?"

Oh? I smile looking away. "Monika..."

"I mean it," she leans back against my chest. "Every day of my life has been hell until I met you. You make everything better. So you can never leave me."

She looks up at me. "You're my happily ever after Slade. You're my fairytale. I need you."

Ah...she leans into my chest. "I love you so much, Slade." She whispered softly.

Yes. She loves me. No matter what I look like, or who I am. What I've done, what I will do. Even if I cast the whole world in hell she would look at me like this.

Because to her I am not Slade, God of War. I am...Slade; Monika's husband. I kiss her head softly.

"I love you too, Monika."

She nibbles on my ear, her small hands reaching up to my shoulders as she sits on my lap,

"You know," she whispered softly, licking her lips. Those plump lips. I'm immediately distracted from the dire situation we're in.

I want to know.

I shake my head softly. She smiles. "You can't leave because...no one can fill me up like you can and I need it now."

"Are you seducing me?"

My Monika just smiled with a shrug. "Is it working?"

As if she has to try. 100 years and every time I touch her I feel like I'm on fire. When I look at her, I'm filled with want.

I look at her for a moment. Take her in. When I see her I think of the perfect day. Warm but not too hot, and the sun is shining but not directly on you.

Or maybe, sipping ice cold water on a really warm day. I'm refreshed. Built up. She makes me stronger. She makes me happy.

I put my hand on her head. "Always," I grin.

Monika is a physical person, and after she became a full fledged goddess, even more so. Now that I know her more I think she was just waiting to make sure I wouldn't change.

Once she was sure I was who I said I was, she clung to me and hasn't let go, always in my lap, or on my shoulder, oh my back.

I smile. Pulling her down, onto the bed. My fang hovers over her face.

She reached up, touching my chest. "Don't let anyone take me from you. No matter what you have to do, who you have to destroy," she says, wrapping her legs around me, rubbing her warmth against the strangled erection.

"i will always forgive you." She cups my face. "No matter what, because I'm your goddess."

• • •

"Blood son huh? You never told us you had one of those. What did you say? You're not a father?"

I turn around. "And as you can see by his behavior, I'm not one."

"A good one, perhaps not. But you are a father. You just...chose not to be."

You know what? Raising children was one of the worst mistakes I've ever made. They're never satisfied. I say, I'm sorry for ducking you up.

And they say, well you fucked this one up more, or you fucked this one up less. You're all fucked up!

"It became clear," I clenched my jaw. "After I raised Nathaniel to the best of ability and he became obsessed with eugenics that I was not fit to care for children."

I throw my hands up. "And clearly I was right. You hate me, I killed Fallon's boyfriend by association and...Solice is willfully poor and I don't know why and I don't want to find out, because I'm sure the reason is, somehow, because I'm a terrible father!"

I sigh, looking down. "And I'm sorry. I tried my best. My best just wasn't...good enough."

Dion swallows. "Yeah, guess so."

I turn around, narrowing my eyes. Why can't things just be simple?

"But...I mean at least you loved us. And that's more than any of us can say about the parents we had before."