Page 7 of Midlife Demigod Unexpected

“I don’t give a shit what its motives were,” I said. “He burnt down my pub.” I turned around and looked at the burning ruins of what had been my home for the last twenty-five years.

I wasn’t going to lie to myself. I wanted to cry. One of the walls was still standing, charred and blackened. The remnants of the bar were there, but the fire had pretty much demolished everything else. Even the roof was actually gone, as if it had burned up into cinders before it even collapsed in on the building. I started walking toward the ruins of the pub. My mom and her friends followed close behind.

“Helen, you can’t go in there,” the fire chief moved toward me and stopped.

“I never stopped you from going into my pub a day in my life,” I said. “You going to try to stop me now, David?”

“No need to get testy with me, Helen,” David said. "It’s not a safe place for you to be walking around. Your shoes could be burnt if the ground’s still hot.”

“I don’t think the ground’s too hot,” Mae said, stepping around the firemen and walking out into the ruins of my smoldering pub. I glanced down at her feet. She was using magic to make sure we had a safe path. Everywhere she stepped the ground became cool without a hint of smoldering. Her magic spread out around her in each direction creating a pathway into the ruins.

I looked over at David. “After I get it rebuilt, the first round is on me.”

I followed Mae into the ruins. The space looked so much smaller once it was all burnt down; there was nothing to it.

“Is there something specific you’re looking for?” Mae asked.

“Everything,” I said dismally. “But now I guess anything. I mean, there was a sword over the fireplace but I’m sure it burnt.” The stones of the fireplace were still standing so we headed over to it.

Mae stood over by the hearth, looking at the stones and the ground.

“Look,” Kartika pointed toward the side of the fireplace. “I don’t know how it got there, but I think that’s your sword.”

The sword was in perfect condition, only it was pointed end down and stuck in a hearth stone.

Everybody looked at the sword and then over at me.

“It’s your sword,” Kartika said.

“Let’s hope it’s my sword,” I said with a smile, “and I’m able to get it out of the stone.”

I walked over to in the handle and gripped it with both my hands, flexing my arms and bending my legs. Once I had a firm grip, I gave a tug, and the sword was shockingly easy to get out of the stone. I stood victorious, holding the recovered sword above my head as the members of the Coven cheered me on.

Chapter 6

I turned to the ladies with a large smile on my face, holding the sword victoriously above my head and feeling suddenly incredibly empowered and enriched. Then I saw Jag. I pointed the sword at him. “Where the hell have you been?” I asked.

“I went after the cambion,” he said.

My eyes opened wide as the women of the coven exchanged a look and slipped into the background. I went straight up to Jag. “What do you know about cambions?” I asked.

“We’re not going to do this,” Jag said. “I’m going to tell you and you’re going to accept it. I am a demon.”

“Fuck you,” I said, turning away, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

“I know about cambions because they’re the spawn of my people,” he said. “I recognized him when he came into O’Halloran’s.”

“You’ve worked for me for how long and you didn’t bother to tell me you were a demon?” I snorted.

“I didn’t think it would matter to you.” Jag said.

“Well, it matters to me that you’ve been lying.”

“Did you find the cambion?” Hilda stepped in between Jag and I, interrupting the bickering match.

I took a deep breath. I had to quit taking it so personally Jag had disappeared. I also had to ignore the fact he was a fucking demon. I turned on my mother. “Did you plant him here?” I asked. “At O’Halloran’s?”

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