First Demonic Dragon

The wedding crests that run in Asmodeus' bloodline do many things for both wearers.

In addition to providing a level of intimacy that is scarcely untold, they also ensure that whoever wears them cannot use their powers to intentionally harm the other wearers.

But that only works for their powers.

There was absolutely nothing that the crests could do to stop Sif from pummeling Valerie into asphalt if she so felt like it.

And right now, the mood to do so seemed to have overtaken her.

"Valerieee!!!"

Growing larger and larger by the second, Sif lunged across the room at Valerie while roaring.

Abaddon reflexively leaped into the air to restrain her.

"Sif! Calm down!"

His pleas fell on near deaf ears as she glared at Valerie with tear-streaked eyes.

"You were planning to leave us!!? How could yo- Mmf!"

Abaddon covered his wife's mouth before she could say anything else to make the situation even more volatile.

"Calm down, my love. It's fine, she's not going anywhere. Our family will not be separated."

Sif was still trembling in Abaddon's grasp, but she didn't say anything.

She just stared at Valerie with an angered, hurt glare that was hard for everyone there to see.

Abaddon covered her eyes with his other hand.

Valerie stood up and walked towards Abaddon and Sif.

She crawled up Sif's larger body and straddled her with an apologetic look.

"…Can you give us a moment alone?" she suddenly asked.

Abaddon tried not to show that he was caught off guard. "Are you sure..?"

Valerie nodded with a small smile on her lips. "It's fine… I have a lot of apologizing to do."

-

Abaddon wasn't sure how much time Valerie actually needed to smooth things over with Sif.

He paced back and forth outside of the forge with a nervous look on his face.

Abaddon had yet to even get changed into some proper clothes. He was still only wearing the ratty garbs that barely covered his manhood.

Bits of planet were still stuck in his hair, and the distinctive scent of angel blood wafted off of him.

'I need a shower…' Abaddon hung his head low as he leaned against the wall.

Ideally, he would have liked to run off and clean the day's battle off right now, but he wanted to be around in case the girls started fighting again.

However as time went on, he was beginning to think that was less and less likely.

Despite not eavesdropping on the girls, he could feel both their moods showing some gradual improvement.

At least he was now certain that they were no longer going to kill each other.

"Is this some sort of new fashion thing..? Or do you just wear whatever the hell because you know everyone will think you look good anyway?"

Abaddon lifted his head from the wall.

Looking back, he found Absalom and Hajun standing back while chewing on peanuts and chips.

Hajun looked down at Abaddon's meager coverings and shook his head.

"By the gods, man. What are you teaching your children?"

Abaddon put on a smile that was not a smile as his brow twitched.

"You both seem extra crabby today… Is that why you're gorging yourselves on salt like it's a period craving?"

""Damn right."" Both men answered.

"There's finally something to do around here after who knows how many years and we don't see a piece of that action? That's unbearable." Hajun chewed on his peanuts angrily.

Abaddon crinkled his lips in a wry smile. "You honestly expect me to believe that the two of you want to spend your time training gods?"

Both Hajun and Absalom glanced at each other before making a decision.

""No.""

"Then-"

"It's the potential for greater opportunities that makes the allure feel so tantalizing." Absalom answered.

"My darling would not stop bragging to me about her opportunity to slay Kronos. Do you know what I would have paid for such an opportunity?" Hajun seemed heartbroken.

At times like this, it was really easy to see where Seras had gotten her 'charming' personality from.

"Well… there won't be any need for you all to fret." Abaddon sighed. "I think your wish may very well end up being granted soon enough."

Both muscular men immediately stopped chewing.

"I left the house a few hours ago to do some thinking. While I was out, I was ambushed by Lucifer and then Michael."

"What..?" Absalom was in shock. "How can that be when we were certain of his passing?"

"That's the funny part. Apparently, Percival has the ability to take dominion over those he kills. He can then resurrect them as ghostly soldiers who can be restored to flesh."

"Percival?" Hajun questioned.

"The name of Lucifer's son." Abaddon clarified.

Absalom and Hajun were both experienced generals with exceptional minds for war.

They understood immediately the implications of an enemy who could casually use the greatest warriors of heaven as foot soldiers.

Just the same, they also knew Abaddon extremely well.

"You're thinking about lengthening the protective detail." Hajun guessed.

"As well as bolstering it." Abaddon nodded. "The margin for error is simply far too high. Percival is able to restore Lucifer so well that he's practically indistinguishable from how he was when he was alive. Can you imagine the potential security risk?"

Both deities shuddered at the implication. Percival could so easily worm his way into the gods like a virus and eat them from the inside.

When it was all said and done, he would have the combined power of every god under the sun and earth. Along with the demon army still at his back.

"How was he even able to find you so quickly?" Absalom asked while he licked the salt off his fingers.

Abaddon began to develop a small headache. "Well, that's the best part… apparently, he is working with Chaos."

Absalom and Hajun both choked on their salty snacks.

"…" Abaddon manifested two bottles of water and held them out.

The men took them eagerly and gulped them down.

"Pwah.." Hajun exhaled. "So… we're truly stuck in a hard place, aren't we?"

Abaddon nodded.

"Tehom is the only place where we can operate with total secrecy. As soon as we leave it, it is assumed that Chaos will know our location and relay it to Percival."

"That… certainly complicates things a bit." Hajun rubbed his jaw.

"Will our telepathy be safe?" Absalom questioned. "If we can limit our planning to only one method of communication then.."

Abaddon sighed and pushed aside his hair. "I'm honestly not sure, but given the fact that Chaos was able to interfere so freely in Izanami's mind, I'm inclined to believe that may not be the case."

"But your Gothic Barbie is a normal goddess. Not Nevi'im." Absalom reminded.

Unconsciously, Abaddon formed a small smile as he thought about Izanami.

His brain then put together exactly what Absalom had just said and he recoiled. "I'm sorry, my what?"

""Goth Barbie."" Both men answered.

"Where the hell did the two of you get that awful name from..?"

""Your daughter came up with it.""

"Which one?!"

""Mira.""

…Honestly? Abaddon completely believed that she had.

"Not to veer off into something too unserious, but… how is that situation going?"

Despite how Absalom looked, the big guy was a sucker for good gossip.

He knew at least one secret about every single person in the house by now.

"It's… slow." Abaddon admitted. "We're all trying to make sure we take our time and do this right. If we decide to do it at all."

Absalom didn't have a very expressive face, but Abaddon could tell when he was disappointed. He wanted far juicier gossip than this.

"Anyway…" Hajun was quick to steer them back on track. He didn't want to think too much about Abaddon's, and subsequently his daughter's, love life.

"Have you informed the gods that you will be sending us as extra defense?"

Abaddon shook his head. "Not yet, and I'm uncertain whether it would be wise to do so at all. Lest I bolster a panic."

"They would be right to panic though. This is a frightening situation for them."

"Their panicking would only make them harder to protect. And I am absolutely certain that there are certain troublemakers who would like nothing more than to hurt each other in the chaos. I plan to take a trip to the white city and ask Uriel and Azrael what they would like to be done."

Hajun nodded as he finally finished the last of his peanuts. He crushed the tin in his hand like it was less than nothing.

"Right then… when do we begin our babysitting detail?"

"Lailah plans to send the notice out within the next two hours. Your men should be getting ready to leave by tomorrow."

Both men knew Lailah was the meticulous sort. That notice would no doubt be coming to their inbox in exactly two hours.

"What's all this? Are you fruitcakes going somewhere?"

The men looked over their shoulders and found an unlikely duo approaching them.

Darius was pushing Gulban in a wheelchair in a surprising display of camaraderie.

"We're going to a tall people's convention. No surprise you haven't heard about it." Absalom dismissed.

"Eat shit you grey-skinned prick!"

Laughter filled the hallway as Darius' blood boiled.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up you jolly fucking beanstalks. I'll have you know that those gods find me to be quite imposing."

The men only laughed harder.

What Darius had just said wasn't far off from walking into a kindergarten and professing himself to be the smartest.

Suddenly, the doors to Valerie's forge opened once again.

Abaddon held his breath as Valerie and Sif emerged, hand in hand.

Luckily, no one seemed to have any bruises, bites, or scratches, so he was immediately relieved.

"Sorry for the wait, guys. I think we can get started now."