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I don’t know how, or how long, but somehow we get back to the funeral.
No matter what Paris did in his last few weeks on earth, he was a brother to them and deserves a proper goodbye.
After the funeral, my brothers agree to get a sobbing Ellen back to her room at the care facility but not before giving Eros and Perseus death stares. Heph they just give a nod of respect. It is kind of funny watching my brothers go from dark and scary to giant teddy bear when dealing with Ellen. It’s clear to see that they feel awful for the poor woman. I most certainly do and have made a commitment to have her cared for for the rest of her life. I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose a son.
The rest of the guests follow them out. All but the lawyer.
“I have the papers you asked for.” He drums his fingers on his briefcase. “Did you want to go talk somewhere private or—”
“Here is fine,” I say, sitting on one of the couches mostly because the others need to hear this, but also because the idea of getting up and spending more time on this leg is excruciating.
“Did you get what I needed handled?” Perseus takes a seat next to me. Eros sits on the other side and pulls me into his lap so Heph can sit between all of us.
“I did,” The lawyer answers. “I admit I wasn’t coming up with a way to do that until Ms. Godwin called me with a proposal. You have both violated the will. As such, you both forfeit sole ownership of this house. Ms. Godwin’s expose on polyamory may not have been true tabloid fodder but did cause quite a stir on some of the more… traditional media tracks. And Perseus, you and your friends were tasked with protecting Athena. That clearly went awry as well.”
Perseus puts his head in his hands. The guilt must be killing him, but it isn’t his fault.
“So neither of you can have sole ownership of the estate and the money. At Ms. Godwin’s suggestion, I have placed all of it into a trust. You are both listed as trustees. The terms are simple. You cannot sell the house unless both trustees agree. The money in the trust is to be used to pay for the upkeep of the home and the rest invested or donated. Neither of you can personally gain from the trust, at least not without the other’s signature. I have all the paperwork here. I just need you both to sign.”
“This isn’t what I asked for.” Perseus stands up and starts pacing again, always with the pacing.
“No, I couldn’t find a legal way to just drop you from the will, and frankly it was against Freya’s wishes. Ms. Godwin wanted to give it all up as well, and this was the best compromise I could find.”
“You wanted to give it up? Why?” I ask.
Perseus sighs and sits back on the couch. “Because it’s yours.”
“No.” I shake my head. “This house belongs to all of you, not to me.”
“Beautiful, you are one of us now. Do you think I would throw my ass into a burning building for someone who wasn’t a part of this?” Heph grabs my hand and laces our fingers together.
“You are part of our family,” Eros agrees. “Listen to Heph. Listen to everyone.”
“Okay.” I can’t say no to those big brown eyes, not after everything that happened. I lean forward and sign the papers with my right hand, not letting go of Heph with my left.
“No,” Perseus says. “This house, everything it isn’t ours, it’s hers.”
“Shut the fuck up and sign the damn papers then drive me back to the hospital before I collapse on the floor.”
Eros and I both snicker as Heph bosses Perseus around.
The papers are signed, the lawyer will file them, and in a week it will be official.
No more forced parties. I can leave if I choose to, and I can get back to work.
Or…
I can stay and be part of the family.
A family of four.
Chapter
Forty-Nine
Athena
Another week passes before Heph is home and Eros and Perseus start to slowly come to terms with Paris’s betrayal and death. There are still many feelings of anger and guilt, but we are healing. I have more energy, and the pain is easier to deal with. Heph starts looking like himself again and is less grouchy. Am I finally seeing the real Heph, and not the asshole who was trying to make me leave? I liked the real Heph… a lot.
Each night, the four of us all climb into my bed. There isn’t any sex. It isn’t about that. It is about being close to each other, knowing we are all safe. It is sweet and intimate, but if I don’t get some soon, I am going to lose my shit.
