Chapter 21

Freddy once again undressed me with his eyes as he called to let Frederick know I had arrived. I admit I was feeling curious, Nora was the best blowjob artist I’d ever experienced, but I’d often heard that gay men were even better. Angelina arrived at the entrance to guide me back to Fredericks office, she ushered me in, and closed the door.

A quick handshake, and Frederick sat, waiting for me to begin. “Blessing of the Sea God,” I said.

“The Sea God blesses everyone,” was his rote response.

I smiled. He smiled back. “There is an important event on the solstice. It will mark the beginning of my full tenure as Poseidon. Tradition dictates seven people to join me in the ceremony.”

“I’ll be happy to be there.”

“I’m glad but, I’d like to ask you about Angelina. I know she is considerably younger than you, but I sense a resonance between you two that I’ve not sensed in other couples. Do you think she can be trusted to join the group?”

“I don’t know if it means anything, but Angelina is my younger sister,” he said.

“How long have you had the relationship?”

He thought for a moment, “She seduced me when she was 18, so five years? No, 4 years.”

“You are nearly twice her age then?”

“I’m not that old, I’m 17 years senior. I’m the middle child, my brother is one year older. She had a different last name because she is from my father’s second wife.”

“He’s deceased right?”

“Yes, he was in his seventies when Angelina was born, his second wife was in her forties, neither expected a child. I treated her more like my own daughter after dad died. When her mom died of cancer when she was 16 I got custody, and she moved in with me.”

My power reached out to examine them both, that resonance finally resolved and I understood it now as the result of being siblings, but closely related. “Was her mother related to your father?” I asked.

His eyebrows raised, “Yes, she was a cousin.”

I shook my head, “I think she was much closer than that. Genetically you are very close. Nonetheless, the question remains, can Angelina be trusted?”

“Yes. The entirety of my company and my financial future relies on my trust of her. My trust in her.” he said, with firm conviction.

“If you wouldn’t mind stepping out for a few minutes, I’d like to offer her membership right now.”

“She’s just heading to lunch, perhaps at my house this evening instead? It would be more private.”

I nodded, “Tonight then. Shall I bring Nora and we make it a meal? I can bring takeout if it’s too much trouble.”

“I think that would be fine.”

We shook hands again, and he escorted me to the exit. My limo driver took me to my next destination. I hadn’t set a specific time, but I hoped to get thru the new members of the brotherhood all today so I could spend the rest of the week preparing the ritual site.

We pulled up in front of the familiar light colored house, and I walked around to the front door. Christian greeted me with a smile, and waved me in.

Doris set a plate of fresh cookies down, and gave me a big hug in greeting. We sat down at the kitchen table, as Doris left the plate of large chocolate chip cookies between Christian and I.

We both agreed her offer of coffee, and finally she sat, joining the two of us at the table. I dunked a cookie, enjoying the mixed flavors.

“She’s been baking since I told her you’d be coming today,” Christian said smiling.

“Can you stay for lunch? I made pot roast yesterday, and have the best bread, I was thinking of making sandwiches,” she said.

“Perhaps, first, let’s check your progress,” I told her, reaching out a hand across the table. She placed her delicate hand in mine, and my power surged happily into her body.

“All the cancer is completely gone, and you seem to be mending well. I have one just thing to do, if you trust me, do you remember our conversation the day I healed you?”

“She trusts you, Adam,” Christian said.

In turned to him, “This is a bit of tradition, Christian. I’ll need you to not interrupt. Traditionally you shouldn’t even be here, this should be a private conversation.”

“I’ll go upstairs then, it’s too important for me to break tradition,” he said smiling. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and then followed words with action, heading up the stairs.

“I trust you Adam. I trust you with my soul. I even trust you with my husband’s heart.”

I smiled, “Someone’s has been coaching you,” I told her, wrapping a cloaking field around us, cutting off all incoming light from around the table, and sealing us off from all sound. Only the chandelier above the dining table provided any light.

“Doris Hans, I offer you a gift, a secret, and ask a favor.”

“I accept,” she said firmly, despite a slight shiver as the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

“Blessings of the Sea God,” I said, “Already you have experienced the blessing of healing, so you understand that it is not just a simple phrase, but has meaning, depth, and reality. But it is more than that.”

I explained the four stanza verse, and it’s use to her, conjuring pen and paper so she could write it down. She picked a bright sun yellow gem to go with the gold band. I conjured and forged it, and when asked she performed her part. I etched her full name into the stone, Doris Marianna Hans, and she picked the collorary to Tammuz, the goddess Ishtar, as her secret name.