You completely deprived him of his basic human rights." The dining room went dead silent. Maks adjusted his posture, his dark eyes locking onto his grandfather, while Harley held her breath, watching her two fathers face the cold, harsh reality of their past. Ares didn't flinch. He didn't shift in his seat or take off his shades. He just leaned back, his youthful, imposing jaw tightening slightly as he spoke with absolute, unapologetic honesty. "I did what I thought was best," Ares said smoothly, his voice devoid of any mock or sarcasm for the first time all evening. "A cosmic monster was wearing his flesh, threatening to tear this world apart. To a mortal, yes, it’s messed up. It looks like cruelty. But I did what had to be done to contain the threat and keep Harley safe." The weight of their shared trauma hung in the air—two men deeply broken by wicked forces, bound together by a decade of dark isolation, trying to survive the wreckage left behind. Suzanne placed a gentle but f

"Maks! Oh, I can't believe it!" Without a single second of hesitation, the black haired guardian lunged forward. He threw his arms around Maks’s neck, hugging him with the fierce, bone-crushing strength of an apex protector. Elvis burst into messy, heavy tears, sobbing right into Maks's shoulder. He began aggressively snuggling his face against Maks's cheek out of pure, unadulterated habit, his sharp jawline digging in so hard that Maks’s cheek literally caved in under the affectionate pressure. "You're here... and you're alive... you're alive?!" Elvis cried out, his voice shaking with pure joy and confusion as he pulled back just enough to grip Maks’s shoulders. "Why would you come back to a place like this for me?" Maks just stood there in his dark clothes and heavy boots, completely ignoring the fact that his former pet was now a fully grown, chiseled human man hugging him in the middle of Hell. He raised his hands, gripping Elvis’s arms as he stared at his face, taking in

"Nothing," the entire room chorused back instantly, their voices perfectly synchronized. Rex groaned loudly, rubbing his face with both hands in sheer exhaustion. "Man... maybe I should have skipped the booze last night." While the family stayed behind to argue in the living room, Elvis stepped out into the wider wings of the estate. Keisha walked right alongside him, acting as his guide through the towering corridors of the billionaire's home. Elvis adjusted the high collar of his utilitarian trench coat, his eyes scanning the grand hallways. "So, Ares has ghost workers running the estate," he noted, his smooth human voice echoing slightly. "I'm impressed. But... we have met before." Keisha’s frizzly hair bounced as she glanced up at the stranger. "You did?" "Yes," Elvis said, his expression completely stoic. "In my days as a... stone guardian... as a real lion, and now." Keisha adjusted her tote bag, her yellow dress tassels swaying as she turned a corner. "Did Maks and Ares r

Before Ares could answer, the heavy bedroom door burst open. Maks rushed into the space, skidding against the wood, his dark eyes darting between the two of them as he took in the standoff. Ares didn't shift his stance. His amber eyes remained locked onto his adoptive daughter. "I knew this would happen," he murmured smoothly, a faint, tired smirk pulling at his jaw. Ares held up the elixir, the golden fluid pulsing against his palm. "With this, you won't have to worry about the farm animals."Artemis stepped fully into the room, her brow furrowing deeply into a frown. "You can't protect us all, Ares. Admit it. You just did it as a vanity project." She turned her sharp gaze toward Maks, her voice dropping into a cold, heavy register. "And Maks... I'm so disappointed in you."Elvis glanced at Artemis, his striking golden-amber eyes instantly filling with a deep, visible hurt. He adjusted the collar of his trench coat, looking away as if he had just been called a bad dog.Artemis clea

"Artemis, shrink!" Keisha’s voice boomed through the dark void. "I'll catch you!"In a flash of blinding cosmic heat, Keisha completely transformed, her human body dissolving into the massive, magnificent form of a giant, glowing Phoenix. Her fiery wings unfurled, illuminating the entire pocket realm. Artemis instantly shrank back down to her normal size, and the trio dropped hard but safely onto the legendary bird's feathered, flaming back.Keisha angled her wings, gliding down toward a flat obsidian ridge. The second her talons touched the stone, she instantly shrank back into her yellow dress, causing the others to lose their balance and roll heavily onto the hard ground.Sam groaned loudly, pulling himself up by his elbows and rubbing his aching head. He looked over at her in absolute awe. "Keisha, that was amazing! You didn't tell me you could turn into a giant bird?!"Keisha stared at Sam, her breathing ragged as her flame energy flickered out. "I can't hold that form for long,"