>>“So.... what else did you tell her?... Yeah... but he isn’t supposed to share the information with anyone. Something I have to keep reminding him about.”

>>”Why would I lie to her? She had something you wanted. Money or information. Both are viable forms of compensation.”

"To be fair, I figured a lot of it out on my own. And it's not like I go around babbling about other people's powers. Would be bad for business" she shrugged. Mutant or otherwise.

>>”I’m whoever you need me to be.”

"I need you to be an actual person." Sveta deadpanned. It would be so much easier to know he was a delusional mutant, or a delusional mystic, or a delusional guy powered by a mystic. Anything but the one thing that opened the 'gods are real too' can of worms.

>>“He claims he at least. I don’t have any reason to doubt him nor could I prove he wasn’t. I just know when I woke up after the accident he was standing over me after pulling my parents from the accident.”

Right. Dead parents.

>>”They boy excels with magic! It has been centuries since I was last summoned! No one could hold my attention.... I was mortal once. My deeds and accomplishments, the ones that inspired your myths are more perverse than the actual events that occurred. Usually there was more people involved than just I. Your myths it seems are more interested in the deeds of one versus the deeds of many.”

"Alright. Alright." Sveta took a drink, then tried to pick up the thread. "So... he summons you from... where, exactly? Like, where do you go if you are not being summoned? And please don't say a magic lamp."

“..... yeah, it’s bad for business.” William said squinting across the table to Hercules who was busy checking the menu incase he wanted to add anything to his order of the usual. He didn’t. Not yet at least but the god was always hungry.

”Do I not bleed?” he asked raising an eyebrow smiling to the woman. “Not for long.” William chimed in fighting the urge to grab some crayons and start drawing up ideas for spells. The boy settled on spinning one of them on the table.

”Fair enough, I was mortal once. I can assure you everything is as it was before I became a god.” the god said boasting as he sipped from his malt before continuing, ”I do not know what it is called. Just that I am at peace there. Nor do I have a form.” Hercules said looking at the woman with confusion William offered a shrug as well not knowing anymore than the demi-god. ”I just am. I can hear the summons however, the cries for help, bargains to be struct. There are others there but they too have no form they just... are...” the god said still confused by his statement.

”The best guess is another plane of existence which one I couldn’t tell you. I remember little about the place when I return to this realm.” he said not too worried about it. He had ‘died’ before, lost form and still managed to come back. He always came back, it was clear mortals always needed him.

”and please don’t insult me. I’m not some simple Djinn forced into servitude when someone calls upon me. I can say no if they aren’t worthy of my blessing.” a paper straw wrapper flew across the table when William fired. The god dodge and grabbed a straw and returned fire. ”Much like the ‘stone of Cerberus’ I have a foci something that bonds me to this realm and those worthy of possessing it!”

William rolled his sleeve up showing off the bracer that was too large for his forearm so it sat on his bicep where it moved freely. Eventually the boy would grow into it.

"So what do you do then? No business here.” William smirked showing off the stone, after the bracer. “cause you said it’s paid for right?”

>>”Do I not bleed?”

>>“Not for long.”

The kid was definitely the most sarcastic of the two. Sveta knew she had underestimated William; he was far from helpless, and if what they were saying was true, he was actually in control, between the two of them. Go figure.

>>”Fair enough, I was mortal once. I can assure you everything is as it was before I became a god.”

Sveta arched an eyebrow. "Good... to know?..."

>>"I do not know what it is called. Just that I am at peace there. Nor do I have a form. I just am. I can hear the summons however, the cries for help, bargains to be struct. There are others there but they too have no form they just... are... The best guess is another plane of existence which one I couldn’t tell you. I remember little about the place when I return to this realm.”

So... like a pocket dimension? A pocket dimension filled with... pocket gods?... Sveta felt a headache coming on. Hercules used to be mortal, and now he had a mystics' powers, channeled through someone else, and he also sometimes disappeared into a formless alternate universe. That was a lot to handle on just one drink.

>>”and please don’t insult me. I’m not some simple Djinn forced into servitude when someone calls upon me. I can say no if they aren’t worthy of my blessing. Much like the ‘stone of Cerberus’ I have a foci something that bonds me to this realm and those worthy of possessing it!”

So, he didn't have a magic lamp, but he did have a magic bracelet. Sveta did not point that out. William showed her the thing, which looked way too bulky for him. "Uh-huh." It was his turn to ask.

>>"So what do you do then? No business here. cause you said it’s paid for right?”

"I'm the interim CEO of Haven. And oh I'm going to have more questions. For example, why do you want this stone so much? Is it magical?"

“Oh the big boss! Questions are fine. Not sure if I have to answer them though. I’m just a kid.” he said waving a straw around before jamming it into his malt and blowing a bubble to prove his point. Hercules found it comical the way his master acted like a kid when it suited him.

”I will answer those that he will not.” Hercules offered as he leaned back into the booth and stretch over the booth he was sitting on. It would be considered rude if they didn’t answer any questions. They had just confronted kidnappers. Meaning she was an ally, one he’d gladly help.

William looked to the woman then to Hercules then shrugged when Herc nodded his head, “I want it because there were some sigils similar on the stone to the big guy here. When I got closer I wanted it because I could tell there was something bound to the rock. Much like Herc is bound to the bracers.” he said casually picking up a crayon and starting to doodle on the menu.

”Someone bound the creature to the stone, the sigils he saw are similar to...” he looked down at his shirt that was too small and then poked at one of the glyphs that was slowly traveling up his arm. ”This one.” before looking back up to Sveta.

”So it’s not the stone that is magical more so the creature that is bound to it. If there was no one to channel magic for the creature it would remain slumbering till someone worthy of it’s power can summon it.” he clarified for the boy, ”So it would be useless to someone who didn’t know what they had.”


“And it wouldn't hurt having a companion that didn’t talk all the time.” he said raising an eyebrow at the god smirking. Hercules responded with a roar of laughter.