First Demonic Dragon

Within a dark staircase, three individuals were slowly making their climb towards the top.

The repetitive thumping of a wildly out of control heartbeat was the only other sound that could be heard within the corridor.

Belloc suddenly stopped just shy of reaching his destination and turned towards the source of the repetition.

Sandwiched between him and Stheno was a young woman around nineteen years of age.

She had short, black hair that framed her face cutely and gave her a relatively innocent appearance.

She seemed to be quite timid by nature, or perhaps it was just because she was wearing unusually fine clothes that made her feel self conscious.

"Are you nervous?" Belloc asked.

She blushed at the sight of his unaltered face and it took all that she could manage to stop herself from drooling.

"M-Maybe just a little bit…It's all a lot to take in, you know?"

"If you aren't ready, we can always go back to the room so that you can rest. Or maybe we can do a bit of sightseeing too."

The human girl seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking her head.

"I-It wouldn't be right of me to stay here without introducing myself to your parents and the rest of your family… I can't run from them too."

Belloc and Stheno smiled at their new lover sadly.

"Melanie… perhaps we should return you home if you still are having misgivings about being here." Stheno had miraculously developed an ability to speak less robotically in her time away.

It was the only way a human girl like Melanie could be so comfortable speaking to a literal demon from hell.

"You're going to say that after we've already come this far..?" Melanie looked down at her exposed stomach and the black symbol sitting beneath her belly button.

It matched the one Stheno already bore too a tee.

"We're going to go back one day, I promise. But for now I want to experience the home that you guys come from, and make our own memories. I'm kind of in need of some good ones.."

Belloc knew what the past few years of Melanie's life had been like, so he didn't question her desires for even a moment.

If she said that she wanted to make good memories, he would do his best to fulfill that wish.

Smiling, he took both girls' hands and resumed their path up the stairs.

"Then we'll make as many memories as you want, babe… before my sister kills me that is."

"Eh?"

-

When the trio arrived on Eris' prized garden, three things immediately caught her by surprise.

One was the overall beauty of the garden and it's inhabitants that was like nothing she had ever seen before on earth.

Another was the rich smell of grilled food in the air; more bold and flavorful than anything she had ever known.

But the third, and possibly the most important was the three very large, shirtless men who were flexing their muscles in front of a small crowd.

Darius: "Alright, alright, you see this here! Cobra back, baby!"

Hajun: "Feeble man with a feeble physique! That's got nothing on these arms of steel!!"

Helios: "I die for a short time and you two begin to get overconfident. It falls upon me to show you what REAL gains look like!!"

The three men let out their own distinctive war cries before flexing their muscles to the point of vein explosion.

"…We're going back to my room." Belloc instantly decided.

Once Stheno saw her brothers on the sidelines looking like they were about to join the contest, she too was ready to leave.

"I will just order take out."

"Good idea, babe."

The two gently turned Melanie back towards the stairs and began leading her to safety.

"Wait a second!"

Before the throuple reached freedom, Audrina appeared in front of them faster than they could run.

'T-Tall..! P-Purple! H-Hot! Unbelievably hot!' Melanie realized.

"Where are my darlings going, hm? Not going to introduce me to this new friend?"

Audrina's glowing eyes shimmered as she noted the tattoo on Melanie's exposed stomach.

"Or perhaps this one is more than a friend…"

"Ma, this is-" Belloc began.

Melanie's body broke into a full jitter and she dropped her head in a perfect 90 degree bow.

"M-My name is Melanie, and I am very grateful to you f-f-f-for allowing me into your home!"

To really top off this embarrassing moment, Melanie tried to replicate a courtesy that she'd seen on 'Game of Thrones' and failed miserably in her endeavor.

Audrina laughed musically as she helped the human girl stand upright.

"You certainly are a spirited one, aren't you? How very adorable."

Melanie thought her heart may have been about to stop at any moment if this extremely colorful and beautiful woman praised her again.

Now more than ever did she understand where Belloc got his looks from.

"Come with me, darling. I'll introduce you to everyone."

Audrina moved like a ghost and slipped her arm around Melanie casually- stealing her away before she even knew what was happening.

"Hey everyone! Come and meet my new cute little daughter-in-law! Grandpas cover up first or you'll frighten her!"

'Too late..' Melanie thought with a wry smile.

From that point on, Melanie was swarmed by not just one beautiful dragon, but several.

Perhaps she should have been more prepared for a scene like this after getting to meet Apophis and Thea already, but this truly was quite the jarring spectacle.

From the moment she was introduced to everyone, she was locked within a whirlwind of beautiful faces, eye-catching physiques and bold personalities.

Enjoy tales from m-vl _emp _yr.

A few of the older men from before quickly made jokes about her failed attempt at a courtesy and attempted to replicate it mockingly.

Belloc reprimanded the old bastards, but Mel actually didn't mind since she found them to be quite amusing.

Thirty minutes after arriving, various picnic tables appeared out of nowhere and the meal was about to be served.

Melanie ended up being led to a seat by Belloc's stepmother, where she promptly took a picture of her before skipping away.

"What was that exactly..?"

"Who knows." Belloc shrugged.

Glancing to the right of her, Melanie found two more individuals there that she hadn't gotten around to meeting yet.

Coincidentally, they also seemed to be a couple, but the man was as pale as a sheet and sweating even though it was a little chilly outside.

'I'll just leave them alone for now…'

Melanie soon remembered that there was one person here who she hadn't met whom was perhaps the most important of all.

"Babe, is your dad not coming..? I don't think I heard anyone mention him."

Belloc opened his mouth to speak but paused when the winds began to pick up speed a bit.

"Speak of the devil… maybe you should put this on for a bit, love."

"O-Oh, okay…"

Belloc helped Melanie tie a bandana over her eyes as a large creature suddenly flew over the roof.

It was a large, black creature wrapped in a glossy exoskeleton and with eight living tails swaying around it's body.

As quickly as it appeared, it vanished.

In it's place was only a single man carrying a young woman on his back.

When Abaddon's bare feet landed upon the grass, he surveiled the members of his family with a blank gaze.

As his eyes settled on a particular group, his expression shifted to one of absurdity.

"…Why the hell are you three covered in baby oil..?"

Helios, Hajun, and Darius all stood up and resumed their flexing competition.

Darius: "Quickly, Abaddon! Tell these fools that my physique is unmatchable by-"

Helios: "Bastard, stop cheating!"

Hajun: "You've shapeshifted your legs, stop trying to fool us! You're much more top heavy than that!"

Abaddon and Nubia stared blankly at the arguing old dragons before tip-toeing away discreetly.

Once they were a safe distance away, Abaddon placed his daughter upright on the ground.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye like she was waiting to hear something from him.

Abaddon gave her a small nudge in the direction of her partners and she seemed to take the hint.

Before she left, she hugged her father tightly.

It was only for a moment, but she could faintly sense a feeling of shame lingering deep within him.

Abaddon walked away from her shortly after returning her hug; leaving her mildly confused and worried.

'Come over here.'

Suddenly hearing a voice in his head, Abaddon looked towards a particularly dense grove of trees where Erica was beckoning him forth with her finger.

She quickly hid behind the trees like a shy woodland creature and temporarily dashed away his negative thoughts.

Abaddon ventured into the grove; searching for his beautiful wife while continuously being lured in by her charming laughter.

"Gotcha!"

Erica dropped down out of a tree and brought both herself and her husband tumbling to the ground.

She emerged victorious as she claimed her place on top of him with a smile.

"Have I told you how much I love this garden?"

"Only in passing…" Abaddon smiled.

Erica rested her head atop Abaddon's bare chest and began tracing his tattoos with her fingertips.

"This is the place where you first admitted my interest in you was not so one sided… and where I got to enjoy the feeling of holding you in my arms for the first time."

Erica's warm and possessive personality soothed Abaddon's mind in more ways than one.

"Truthfully, I often have a lot of fantasies about that night and how magical it might have been if you took me right there…" she confessed.

Abaddon's hands slipped below Erica's soft waist. "Well we could always-"

"Butttt for now I would rather know what you said to our daughter when you left with her." Erica smiled evilly.

Abaddon suddenly felt like he'd been cornered by the worst brand of sneak attacks.

"You cheat…"

"Don't worry, darling, I'll still reward you after you talk to me, and I'll make sure to be extra thorough~"

Whether it was Erica's sultry tone, the warmth of her body against his, or the need to get his shame off his chest, Abaddon ended up spilling the beans with little provocation.

"I… didn't handle things as well as I should've. In fact, I could barely say anything at all to her."

Erica withheld all reactions as she listened to her husband's false heartbeat. "Okay… And why is that?"

"I dont trust Zheng to protect our daughter."

"…Might this have something to do with Sif?"

Abaddon nodded.

"I thought we were all over that dear."

"We are… but I can't help but harbor resentment when I think of an instance where he could fail to protect her as well. I just want her to be safe."

Erica paused momentarily before saying the words that would make this whole dilemma seem insignificant.

Abaddon was still thinking with human customs in mind, but if she could shift his perspective a little bit then maybe things would be different.

"If it makes you feel better, maybe you should think about it like this; Zheng and Adeline were the ones to submit to Nubia, so maybe you should reevaluate who's responsibility it is to protect who."

As if he was suddenly struck by lightning, Abaddon suddenly sat up with his eyes as big as the moon.

"…Holy shit, I think you just fixed me."

'You're so easy.' Erica giggled to herself.

Abaddon stood up with his red-haired wife in his arms and started walking back towards the rest of the group.

"Where are you going..?"

"To see our daughter." He answered firmly.

"O-Okay… but we're coming back here, right?"

The needy look in Erica's eyes made Abaddon wonder if he should take care of her first or go be a responsible parent.

Unfortunately, the decision would quickly be made for him when he sensed six different presences passing through the trees to meet him.