The next morning, Ardonis stretched as he woke up next to his still-sleeping girlfriend. Even if they didn’t need to, sleep was still quite refreshing, and he couldn’t deny the joy of waking up next to Lucy. Their clothes were still scattered all over the room, but a simple wave of the hand dealt with the mess. Of course, even gods had their limits and mana reserves, however, such a small thing couldn’t even make a scratch in his ocean.

  He looked over at Lucy peacefully sleeping with the blanket just barely showing the top of her shoulder. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the picturesque image before him. His gaze moved to the rest of the room, her bed-chamber wasn’t quite as large as his. As their manor was a bit smaller than his, however, he liked it just as much. There were a few posters on the walls, a dresser, a large mirror, and a window that, similar to his, overlooked the city.

  On the desk to the right, however, there were two pictures on either side. One of him making a pose, and one of the two of them together. In between them, on a slightly raised shelf, was a small dark blue and purple box. The one he chose out and held the ring he proposed to her with. The fact that she kept it, and so close to the other things, warmed his heart.

  He was perfectly content with just the two of them, but his lady wanted to be part of a harem. He wasn’t sure if he could pull it off, but if he fell for another as hard as her, he’d certainly do his best. Where and when that would be, he didn’t have a clue. But that was a small detail, for now, a bridge that would be crossed once they got there.

  For now, he woke Lucy with a kiss, having made his decision to tell his parents about them before they left. “Lucy, there are things I need to grab from home, mind coming with me?”

  Her eyes widened, “Are you-” she smiled, “Of course, nothing would make me happier.”

  They ate breakfast first, though not much by choice, Lucy’s mother wouldn’t let them leave until Ardonis cooked some up. She was a woman slightly more on the plump side, but she still had a figure befit of a goddess. Even his own mother had complimented her in the past. The two had known each other for a good deal of time. However, unlike his mother, Lucy’s was far better at keeping secrets.

  However, his relationship wasn’t going to stay so much longer. After they ate, they headed for his house, he could have very easily simply teleported them. Either of them could have, however they decided a nice morning walk would be more romantic. He also wanted to spend as much time as possible with Lucy before talking to his parents about her. It took them an additional hour to get back to his place, but neither of them complained about that.

  Though the closer they got, the more nervous Lucy got, which he couldn’t keep himself from smiling at. “Not so great when the shoe is on the other foot huh?” he teased. He had been even more nervous than her when meeting her parents for the first time as her boyfriend. There was no need to worry, as he had known her parents beforehand, and it was the same case here with her. However, that didn’t stop emotions from making each of them nervous when the time came.

  After all, introducing yourself, or being introduced as the significant other in front of your loved one’s parents was quite nerve-wracking. Whether one knew the parents before or not. “This is payback for when I teased you about this, isn’t it? Listen, I’m sorry okay? Can we maybe turn back now?” she pleaded, her eyes glistening as she looked up at him.

  He just smirked, “Nope, too late now, no getting cold feet, we’ve delayed this long enough as it is. Besides, no matter how embarrassing or nerve-wracking it is. You and I both know we’ll feel better after they know and we get their blessings.”

  She puffed her cheeks up into a cute pout, but all he did was poke one, forcing her to let the air out. as it deflated. “Come on, you know I’m right. Isn’t this the exact speech you gave me when the situation was reversed?”

  She sighed, then giggled, “I suppose so, still, this is more nerve-wracking than I thought it would be. I really am sorry for making light of your own nervousness back then.”

  She gripped his hand tighter and he chuckled, “Don’t worry about it. Everything worked out, just like it will work out this time. Now come on, let’s get inside and get this over with, we do have somewhere else to be before we leave the city and Celestial.”

  She nodded and they entered the manor gate together, going into his home and stopping the first servant who happened past. “Gwent, please inform my parents that I have returned and that I have someone to introduce them to. Or if you know where they are, escort us there. I would like it if Mother Anny and Mother Theresa were there as well.”

  “You are in luck young master,” the man said, “your family just so happens to have gathered in the dining hall to eat breakfast. Would you still like me to escort you there?”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “If they are all simply in the dining room, then no, I think your other duties take precedence over that. I know being essentially a janitor is not the best job in terms of what you have to do. But I certainly appreciate everything that it is you do, without you and people like you working the hard jobs, to say we’d live in filth is an understatement. I know this isn’t said enough, and we gods often overlook it, but thank you for your services Gwent.”

  Gwent smiled, “You always were such a good boy Young Master Ardonis. I am so glad to see you turn into such a fine young man as well. You do your family, and your household proud sir.”

  With that he gave a deep bow and continued on with his duties, Lucy giggled, “This is what I love about you Ardonis, you aren’t a stuck-up prick like most gods or our peers. I am just as proud to call myself your girlfriend and would even shout it for all of Celestial to hear.”

  He squeezed her hand, “Let’s worry about that after my parents all know about our relationship. Even I’m a bit nervous at this point, I’ve kept our relationship from them for so long… I just don’t want them to react badly because of that.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine, now come on, as nervous as I am, nothing will happen if we don’t move forward. I would like to have your family’s blessing too you know.”

  Ardonis took the lead and brought them to the dining room, just as Gwent had said, all of his parents were there. Including Mother Theresa, his third mom, who had short blue hair and sun-like warming yellow eyes. She was slightly shorter than Tharanos and was slightly more plump than the other two, though really not by much. If they stood side by side you’d hardly be able to tell upon first glance.

  Ardonis cleared his throat, gaining their attention, their eyes immediately going to Lucy and where their hands were locked together. “Father, mothers, I have someone I want to introduce you to,” he said, starting rather formal. Though his eyes were serious. “This is Lucy Nep, my girlfriend.”

  She took a slight step forward and bowed, “It is nice to meet you.”

  To say his parents were stunned would be an understatement, they were outright shocked. That was until Anny burst into cackling laughter, “Well, I can’t say I expected it to happen so suddenly, but it was about damn time you admitted it to us.”

  “You- you knew?” Ardonis asked.

  She quirked a brow, “Kid, I’m a Goddess of Love, I would be quite bad at being such if I didn’t know when my own child was dating. And you know that we don’t keep secrets from each other. Besides, I, as well as your father and other mothers, have spotted the two of you in the city on multiple occasions.”

  “We just let you have your privacy for a bit,” his father said. “We knew there was most likely a reason why you weren’t telling us. And I think we all know that reason.”

  Milina pouted, “You still could have told us though.”

  Theresa giggled, “That reason is you Mil, it took all we had to keep you from setting up a wedding. Let alone the effort it went into keeping you quiet about knowing the truth between these two.”

  Jake sighed, “It was far too much effort if you ask me, I almost just gave up and let her. But our son deserves his privacy, we knew you would tell us eventually, it was just a matter of when. Though I have to be honest, if you really did leave without saying anything, I would have been a bit disappointed in you for avoiding responsibility.”

  “To be honest,” Ardonis said, “I almost did. But after our date yesterday and last night, I decided it would be for the best in the end. I don’t want to leave without making sure my family knows, Lucy deserves better than that. Besides, it isn’t her I’m embarrassed about introducing.”

  Once again, Milina pouted, but she didn’t say anything, knowing her own personality. A moment later, however, the two found themselves in her embrace. “I’m happy for the both of you. The path you have chosen won’t be easy, but I know you can handle it. Please, stay safe out there you two. We may be gods, but even someone from the mortal realm can surprise us if we aren’t careful.”

  “I thought mortals couldn’t kill us because of their weapons and power not being enough to do so,” Lucy said.

  Milina nodded, stepping back a couple of feet, “Yes, that may be so, but death is not the only thing that can happen. There are fates worse than it should you be caught off guard. Besides, mortals aren’t the only ones in the mortal realm. There are other gods, some of which won’t be kind and will attack you on sight for entering their territory. Not to mention some former mortals who gained enough power to reach your level of power.”

  “In other words, it won’t be as easy as dealing with a few foolish mortals or even avoiding capture,” Ardonis said.

  She nodded again, “That is correct my son. I know it may sound a bit crazy to you, but that is the truth. So please, both of you, be careful on this journey. Reality is stranger than fiction and anything can happen. I’d rather not lose my only son and future daughter-in-law, also, don’t shy away from having little ones on this long journey. I would love to be a grandmother by the time you return in a few thousand years.”

  “Mother,” Ardonis said, feeling a bit of warmth in his cheeks.

  Lucy giggled, “Perhaps, a few thousand years is a long time after all. We may just have a family by then, and it certainly wouldn’t just be me with his children.”

  Milina smiled widely, “An ambitious one for a harem hmm? That idea makes me giddy with happiness.”

  I sighed, “Okay Mother, but we really should be going now, we just dropped by to grab my stuff and do introductions. We do have a final meeting with our teacher in class before we venture out. I would rather not be late for that, and don’t worry Mother Theresa, we already ate breakfast at Lucy’s.”

  Theresa giggled, “A meal prepared by you no doubt, that woman couldn’t cook to save her life. I gave up trying to teach that one long ago. Although she always did love what I made, at one point even offering to be my official taste tester for new things.”