The hivemind is conquering for me?

After Orchid and I enjoyed a nice steamy shower together, an activity I had sorely missed, I got dressed and made my way downstairs.

I made my way into the kitchen with Orchid. No one else was up and about by the looks of things. That was until I looked into the adjoining garden.

Hank was out there pruning a bush so I went to say hello.

”Morning Hank.” I said jovially towards the older man. Hank turned from his handiwork and squinted his eyes at me. A few seconds later he smiled and replied,

”Ah, Mr Apollo. Good morning. Where did you get off to last night? I brought your food back, but no one was around to eat.”

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. ”Yeah, sorry about that. I think I had a bit too much to drink and ended up passing out upstairs.”

Hank then turned his attention to Orchid for a moment before looking back at me and asking. ”Which room did you stay in? I assume it requires a good cleaning?”

I coughed awkwardly. ”Um, maybe, yeah. It’s the room on the left just after reaching the top of the stairs.”

”Don’t be embarrassed young Apollo. The things I’ve had to clean over the years... A bit of bodily fluids is nothing. I’ll get right on it after I’ve done my gardening. I always do my gardening first.”

”Do you enjoy gardening, Hank?” I asked. ”I noticed you have nicknames for all the Hyllus women that have to do with flowers.”

”Do I enjoy gardening? Heh, Well I have been doing it almost every day for over a century. If I didn’t like it, that would be torture. It is quiet, it is calm. It is peaceful. Yes, I do enjoy it. And as for the nicknames? Well I have been fortunate to raise three generations of Hyllus’ I love them very much. Not giving them cute little nicknames would be shameful. Now, I can hear your belly rumbling even with my bad ears. The lasagne from last night is in the fridge. If you want, place it in the fast oven. Thirty seconds and it will be done. Or if you want something lighter, I can-”

”-No, lasagne sounds great. I need calories. I’ll see you later Hank.”

Hank just gave me a weak wave after that and returned to his plants.

Walking to the fridge I pulled out one massive tray of lasagne. It was monstrous, I understood originally why Serena wanted to only get one.

Serena...

I suddenly frowned, recalling some events from last night. ’Did we kiss?’

Whatever the Psionic stuff last night was, it did truly make me drunk. I wasn’t high like whatever the goofy juice Ness and Rhapso gave me, but It did make me black out.

I did have a feeling that we did in fact kiss. But I wasn’t sure of the context behind it. Did I initiate it? Did she? Was I horny? ’I hope I didn’t try to press my luck... I’ll apologise when she wakes up.’

As I put the lasagne in what looked like a ’fast oven’ I suddenly exclaimed in surprise as I felt someone return to my Origin.

”Apollo?” Orchid said, noticing my surprise.

”Sol.” I spoke and pointed to my head, Orchid just nodded her head in understanding before suddenly sniffing and looking towards the door.

Into the kitchen came a blue woman with the lower body of a snake. It was yawning and rubbing its eyes as it moved. Orchid just looked at the creature, recalling its name from her link with Apollo.

”Sithrik...” She spoke, prompting the female to suddenly open her eyes in surprise.

A staring contest ensued for a moment before I stepped in.

”Sithrik, this is Orchid. Orchid, Sithrik. Be nice.”

Orchid walked forward without a word and began to inspect the creature before her. She could smell Apollo’s Psionics. They were a fundamental part of the creature’s existence, just like Sapphire.

”Lady Orchid.” Sithrik spoke, lowering her body as a sign of submission. ”Apollo has told me a great many things about you. His love for you is without question.”

Orchid proceeded to say nothing for a few moments. Sithrik looked worried, she knew what Orchid actually was after all. She had time to adjust to Onyx, but this was a new predator.

”You sacrificed yourself to save Apollo-love, correct?” Orchid finally spoke.

Sithrik raised her head slightly to look at Orchid and nodded her head. ”Yes. And I would do so again. It is my duty as his concubine.”

Orchid nodded her head hearing that. ”Good. Your form is much more appealing than human. Orchid can tolerate your presence near Apollo-love. Just remember your place.”

”Yes, Lady Orchid.” Sithrik bowed her body forward again just in time for the fast oven to ding and for me to cheer out in delight.

”Lasagne time!”

...

In the lounge, everyone else in the house was gathered, tired from a night of worry.

All were just sitting there, unsure of what to do when suddenly Janine began to sniff the air.

”Is- Is someone cooking?”

”It’s probably Hank.” Hecate spoke, eyes closed as she floated in the air.

Valerica checked the time and shook her head. ”No, this is Hank’s garden time. He won’t do anything else until his ninety minutes are up.”

As she said that, the two Praetorians swiftly left the room without saying a word. That caught the others’ attention as they hastily got up and followed suit.

...

”Oh hey guys, good morning. Where have you two been?” I asked Ness and Rhapso as they entered the room. I then took a big bite off my fork and then made sure Orchid got a piece.

A few seconds later, Valerica, Janine and Hecate entered the room. I was about to say good morning to all three, but-

”APOLLO HYLLUS-LAMBDASON! Where have you been!” Valerica roared my full legal name at me.

Almost choking on my food at the sudden yelling, I took a moment to reply, prompting Valerica to continue.

”We thought you were injured or worse! What possessed you to leave the house after drinking that much? I swear I should put you over my knee right now!”

Confusion overwhelmed me as I turned to Orchid. ”Did I go outside?”

Orchid shook her head. ”No Apollo, you were with me all night.”

As Orchid said that, it only just occurred to everyone present that Orchid had also disappeared. They were all too worried about Apollo to even notice.

”Wait, Orchid. You knew where he was all night and didn’t tell us? Why?” Janine asked, still gathering herself.

Orchid shrugged her shoulders. ”I didn’t know you were looking for him?”

”What are you talking about? You were there when we found Serena in the longue, when we couldn’t find Apollo.”

”Not true. While you were talking to the Praetorians outside. I went inside and found Apollo trying to go to the toilet. I helped him get there. Then we went upstairs. We saw you leave a room and go into another. I then carried Apollo into the room you just left, closed the door where we slept until this morning. If you were looking for him, I had no idea.”

”...”

The room was stunned into silence as a fact suddenly overcame them. They spent nearly ten hours outside looking for Apollo, but didn’t think to check the house a second time...

Feeling like the ice needed to be broken, I looked around and joked. ”So, after a long treasure hunt, the treasure was buried under your feet the whole time. Who is coming to claim it?”

”...”

It appeared my joke hadn’t landed. Or so I thought until I was sideswiped from my chair and tackled to the ground.

As I landed on my back, I felt a figure pressing up against me, holding me tight. ”Hailey?”

Hailey pulled her head away from my torso and looked into my eyes, there was effort on her end to hold back tears as she spoke. ”I found the treasure, what do I win?” Her lips curved into a genuinely loving smile and I smiled back at her.

”Well? What do you want?” I replied, but before I could hear her response, my head was suddenly grasped, pulled away from hers and a tongue began to try and block off my breathing.

After a few seconds, the figure pulled back and I said, ”Well, a very good morning to you as well, Janine.”

”Hehe. Ass. I missed you so much.” She spoke, stroking my face.

”I’ve missed you too. I’ve missed you all so much.”

”Um, Apollo?” Valerica suddenly asked.

Looking over to her as the three of us got off the floor, I replied. ”Yeah?”

Valerica proceeded to point over towards Nerissa and Rhapso, or rather in between them where a half woman, half snake being was.

”What the fuck is that? And why is it in my house?”

Janine and Hailey, both of whom had not let go of me, suddenly turned realising that an ’alien’ was in the room with them.

”Woah.” Janine murmured

”How did I not see that?” Hecate spoke up from the other side of the room

”What the-”

Hailey acted on reflex, reaching under her dress, she pulled out a handgun that was strapped to her waist and took a firing stance. As she did, both Nerissa and Rhapso moved, standing before Sithrik in a protective manner.

This shocked all the humans present in the room as well as Janine.

I just rolled my eyes and spoke.

”Right. Let’s go to the living room and sit down. I think we all need a good catch up, better than doing it one at a time over and over.”