Lewd Dungeon, Book 40 Epilogue

Epilogue – Elsewhere

Catalina Zorita was enjoying a day off. Well, another day off. She’d been to Athens earlier in the week to attend ‘The Wedding’, as it was being called in the tabloids. Just that. Everyone knew which wedding people were referring to when they said that. After all, how often could you say that you witnessed the wedding of two gods?

She had brought little Lucia along, naturally, which meant bringing the dog, as well. Lucia was still thrilled to have a puppy, and didn’t care that the puppy was a full-fledged hellhound. Convincing her to give the puppy a name that could be cute to a four-year-old’s sensibilities, but wouldn’t be an embarrassment when she, and the pup, grew up was a bit of a challenge, but they’d managed, when the idea of nicknames came in. Severo was the dog’s real name, but Lucia just called him Sevvy.

Catalina smiled at the memory of Lucia going around the reception hall with Severo, and introducing herself to everyone. The little girl had the fearlessness of youth, so didn’t hesitate to introduce herself to ‘Uncle Hades’ and ‘Aunt Persephone’. Well, that’s what they were once she understood that Hades was Athena’s Uncle, and Athena was married to her Daddy. Fortunately, her exposure to all her ‘uncles’ and ‘aunties’ in the Guild had made it so she didn’t use blood ties to determine if someone was family or not. The biggest prize of the evening had to be when Persephone promised to bring Cerberus over for a play date with Sevvy.

Which brought her to today. Persephone wanted to come by, with her daughter, Melinoë, to introduce Cerberus and have a ‘day as mortals’. Naturally, she accepted, but the question was where to meet. She’d considered going to the beach, but Lucia was still learning how to care for Sevvy, and getting sand everywhere would be a problem. Instead, she picked Lincoln Park. Plenty of room for the dogs to run around, and places for the adults to sit and talk, as well.

Of course, that then had a few more people added to the guest list, out of necessity, but they decided to make it a ‘girls day’, and only brought women, and pets. Charity Price, the Shadowblade Assassin from her team, was there to help with security, just in case anyone got stupid, and Isobel Martinez, the Beastmaster Ranger, was there to ensure the dogs were taken care of properly. She was second-in-command to Billy Carter, their main Beast Tamer, when it came to handling wild animals and magical creatures for the LA Guild, so Sevvy and Cerberus were in good hands.

Looking over to the two goddesses, Catalina saw them smiling as they watched Cerberus (shrunk down to the size of a large, three-headed wolfhound) teaching young Sevvy to pounce, while Lucia giggled and ran around with them. Persephone turned to smile at Catalina. “Such a lively child. She’s going to grow up to do amazing things, I expect. I know she is still some years out from unlocking her System, but do you know what professions you hope to unlock for her?”

Catalina shook her head. “My Lord wouldn’t break the rules to tell me what her class would be, but suggested she learn dance or gymnastics, as well as some self-defense courses. I would have had her trained to defend herself anyways, but it sounds like she’ll be some kind of Dexterity-based combatant. I’m not sure what profession would be best for her, though.”

Melinoë nodded. “Well, some of it will depend on her interests, naturally. Taking up a crafting profession is a good balance for many, and can help a team be more resilient. But, considering her race and heritage? You might look into getting her some training as a Merchant, Entertainer, Diplomat, or Courtesan. All four would benefit from what is almost certain to be a very high Charisma attribute, but they each have different focuses.”

Catalina frowned. “I’m familiar with the differences between the Merchant class and the Merchant profession, and I know that Entertainer gets most of its power from popularity. The Diplomat profession is something that we’ve come across, as well, but what about Courtesan? I haven’t seen that one before.”

“Well, I’m not exactly surprised,” Persephone laughed. “The profession does not exactly get a lot of respect, in this day and age, since people mostly think of it as a term for a fancy prostitute, but the roots of it are more along the terms of an ‘adult entertainer’, less about money and more about influence. However, the profession’s base abilities dovetail nicely with a Succubus’s nature as a sexual being, and the [Too Pretty to Hit] ability from the Profession would add her Charisma to her defense.”

Catalina shook her head slowly. “That will have to be Lucia’s decision, when she’s old enough. Some of it will probably come down to what her class is, though. But why are you telling me this? Not that I’m not appreciative, but I can’t help but wonder why?”

Melinoë smiled sadly, and said, “Because you haven’t treated us like goddesses, Catalina. Most people, when they know who and what we are? Even a minor goddess like me? Their behavior changes. You, on the other hand, treat us like people. That’s a rare and precious thing for ‘born’ deities, as opposed to those who ascended to godhood.”

“Indeed,” Persephone nodded. “And besides, you’re family, now, in a way, and Lucia certainly is. The first child born of a god on Earth since the System was restored. That’s going to hang over her, when she gets a bit older. Thankfully, unlike some of Zeus’s spawn from various mortals, an upset Hera won’t be making her life miserable. But there will still be those who seek to get to you, or Kuronoth, through her. Whether it is by catching her ear or threatening her person, someone will make that attempt, eventually.”

Catalina sighed, and nodded. “Yeah, LA has enough celebrities, child stars, and celebrity kids that most people expect things like that with the rich and powerful. Several guild members have been giving her simple lessons, and explaining ‘facts of life’ to her, in ways she can understand. At least enough so that she knows there are bad people out there, so she should be careful about trusting strangers. We’re… still working on that,” she chuckled. “Lucia is a very outgoing person, and has already learned how to use her cuteness to her advantage. I’d be shocked if there was anyone in the LA Guild who hasn’t been wrapped around her little finger already.”

“Yes, and that is a start. As is having Severo as a protector. But you’re going to want to consider having a bodyguard who can protect her, when needed, and report on things she might not see. But, since you’re going to want her to have friends, it will likely need to be someone who can be inconspicuous. Or, even, disappear entirely.”

Catalina nodded. She’d been considering this, since next fall Lucia would be starting with a Pre-Kindergarten program at one of the private schools in the city which catered to the students of the rich and powerful. The school had guards on campus, but she wouldn’t be able to abuse her position as Guildmaster to get Adventurers to serve as her daughter’s guards outside of school. “My party and I have been looking through bodyguard services, vetting them, but we haven’t made a decision, yet.”

“Mortal bodyguards are a good step, but your daughter is the child of a god. Perhaps see if he can grant her one of his servants as another protector? The pup will grow into a fine guardian, but even the most faithful guard dog must sleep. Having a second guardian would be a great help. Depending on the type, it may even influence some of her options when the System unlocks for her. At least giving her new options in General Skills.”

Catalina considered that, and then nodded. “I’ll have a chat with him, the next time I’m in Florida. My party was actually heading back to his dungeon next week, so we can work on getting access to the ‘Raid’ floor. Getting access to the ‘upper city’ where we can join the battle is a bit of a grind, but we’re most of the way there, already.”