Chapter 184: Family is Complicated

Third Person P.O.V.

Eidolon looks at Jeff, the Landshark, with slightly resentful eyes.

The creature appeared out of nowhere and derailed all his fun plans for the day, drawing his daughters' attention and causing them to lose focus on the treasure hunt.

It even used his "dog-like senses" to sniff around the air and direct the girls to the right path."

"..." Eidolon's eyes narrow while staring at the creature. 'How is this abomination cute? Its saliva is dripping everywhere… Rover is much more well-behaved.' And Rover is not that well-behaved at all.

"You are staring." Emma says on the side, eyes shining with amusement.

"...that thing is going. I hope you are not getting attached." Eidolon says a little coldly

"I thought you liked him…" Emma gives him a strange look.

"It is cool, and I also like black holes, but I prefer them away from me."

"Hmmm, are you jealous of little Jeff?" Emma teases him in a good-natured way.

"...I am not that petty." Eidolon shrugs

"It is what it looks like. Are you jealous that your daughters are giving more attention to cute Jeff over there?" She smirks, gesturing to where the girls are walking with the shark.

"..." Eidolon doesn't even deign to answer.

"Hahaha, you better get used to that… Look at those faces; what do you think will happen if they lose their new pet?" Emma points out

"..." Eidolon looks at the Stepford Cuckoos. The five look like they are having fun with the creature. "Can't do much when he already has an owner… Sometimes things don't go your way; better they learn that early."

"Ah, your monster." Emma jokes, acting shocked

"Stop that…" Eidolon rolls his eyes. "The best I can do is try to get the creature, or even clone it, but it will not be the same if they get attached to this particular one. That is what I am saying. It is better that you and them be prepared to say goodbye."

"Hmpf, that is not happening." Emma scoffs contemptuously. "I am gonna buy him from whoever is his owner."

"You know, the natural response of any pet owner is never selling them."

"Everyone has a price." Emma is not convinced.

Eidolon sighs, "Well, it will be a good lesson." He will stop thinking about it and do something when the time comes.

The girls, following Jeff, continue to advance. The creature is leading them to the finishing line, and Eidolon can't really do much about it.

Because of that, it doesn't take them long to reach the "treasure".

At this point, Eidolon can only sigh and follow the girls. He wouldn't try to take away their attention for something they are interested in; as the adult, he can only adapt and go at their own pace.

Jeff is like the new toy they are hyper-focused on now.

They emerge from a dark tunnel to a huge open space. The chamber has a high ceiling, filled with stalactites and stalagmites. In the center, there is an elevated platform of uneven rocks, and in the middle, a derelict old ship is held by huge stalagmites that penetrate its hull.

"A pirate ship, really?" Emma turns to Eidolon

"What? Are you expecting some complicated plot twist? They are children." Eidolon scoffs. "And you have to admit the visuals are great."

It really is; the crystals that seem to have their own light are all over the ceiling, shining on the ship to create an ethereal look. It feels like they are looking at the ghost of a ship from the past, the burial site of a piece of history, as if they were underwater, staring at a sunken ship.

Instead of getting afraid, the girls run to it with Jeff. Even the most timid, like Celeste, follow her sisters to the boarding plank of the ship that is conveniently lowered to the ground.

"By the way… You made that thing?" Emma looks at the ship and, in detail, sees how well done it is and is impressed. There are even some barnacles and algae stuck perfectly in the area one would expect.

"What? It is a real one." Eidolon reveals

"Are you serious?" Emma turns, eyes widening in disbelief

"100%. Recovered from the depths of the ocean, even the treasures inside are legit… Some nice things, some disappointment, and some very nice things. I only cleaned the skeletons and restored some parts."

"So you can just do that, huh? Go recover lost treasures under the sea. No wonder you're never worried about money and can't be bribed."

"Yeah, but it is very inefficient. If I want, I can simply create money."

"You can do that too?" Her head, which was just going back to look forward, turned quickly toward him.

"Don't get any ideas; I do not want to crash the economy." He eyed her suspiciously. "Most of my materials I got from space; this way I don't really need to pay any money, and it's untraceable. I just need to put a little more work… But it's harder in the beginning."

"Mining asteroids, huh? Pfft, hahaha. Can't believe you are so ahead of everyone else." She suddenly laughs at the funny thought.

"That is what happens when you waste time and resources fighting each other." He replies, "Our planet should already have colonized Mars at this point, or at least started, but here we are."

"Heh, and here I thought you would be with us, but you are moving forward on your own… Very smart."

"I am helping, but I will not hold back on my own. At this point, you can put the whole Solar System as my territory." He reveals

"Oho, sexy~" She smiles mischievously at him.

They finally arrive at the plank, following the girls who excitedly run at it.

At this moment, Hector has to intervene. "Okay, girls… come here." He stops them with his telekinesis, making them float toward him.

They all pout cutely, but he does not relent, only releasing them when they settle down.

"Rules… You are about to enter an unknown place… it is both fragile and dangerous, so be careful with everything inside. For your own protection and to protect this piece of history, okay?" He asks in a fatherly voice while the Stepford Cuckoos stand in front of him.

"..." They slowly nod.

"Don't touch anything without calling your mother or me first. Look where you are going, especially where you're stepping and your surroundings." He starts giving them instructions on how to act in this sort of situation.

It is all really unnecessary; after all, he will always have them in his sights, and there is nothing that can harm them inside.

But he will not be on their side forever; it is better to instill a good sense in them from the beginning.

"Ghosts?" Esme asks with a tilt of her head

"Well… it is possible. I already checked with my powers, and there is none here, but you may find one in the future in similar situations." Eidolon admits

"Ghosts are real?" Emma suddenly asks.

"Why are you surprised by that?" Eidolon gestures to himself

"I don't know, man. Maybe for the sake of my mental health, I want to believe that just one thing that we thought was fiction is not actually real and the world is a little normal." She speaks sardonically.

"Then it is time to get over it… Everything is real. Maybe not here on this planet or even in this universe, but it is real somewhere else." Eidolon gives the bad news. "Now… will you come into contact with them? Statistically more than the average person, but not with all of them."

"Does my telepathy even work with ghosts?" Emma asks. If they are real, she'd better have the weapons to fight them.

"Surprisingly, yes. There is a high chance that it can work."

"Only a chance?"

"Depends on the source of the ghost… If it is a ghost made of some strange magic energy, or if its mind is too twisted for you to touch… But at its rawest essence, all Psychic energy can more or less affect each other." After explaining that, Eidolon gives the girls the green light to enter the ship.

Despite being a little dirty, the pirate ship is strangely well-maintained, something the girls didn't notice, but Emma did. They move around the ship deck, checking anything interesting they see: the cannons, the ropes, the helm, and the masts.

What is broken, they ask Eidolon to fix, and he does it.

He could have done it before, but he wants them to see how it is before. It is all about the experience after all.

The Stepford Cuckoos continue their exploration. Sophie and Phoebe are the ones always a little ahead, opening all the doors they can find. Mindee and Esme take their time, looking around with more awe.

Celeste is the one being careful, staying behind and keeping a safe distance from everything.

First, they go below the deck and find a huge assortment of belongings.

"Look at those; each tells a story that we can only guess at…" Eidolon says while crouching down to grab an old cutlass. He can obviously discover the story behind each item, but that takes away the magic in the girls' eyes. "To whom did it belong? A good person or a bad person? Probably a bad one… It is in a pirate ship after all. But maybe he stole it from someone good. Or this picture… a woman, very comely. What is she to the one who kept it? A lover? A sister? Or maybe someone he can only admire from afar… Maybe someone he never saw personally, stolen from another who considered it precious."

They go through clothes, trinkets, weapons, barrels of spoiled food, jars of wine and rum, portraits, letters… Hector makes sure to make it interesting as he restores them to a pristine state. Every item is another piece of a puzzle.

"Pirates tend to wear their wealth on their bodies… Gold chains, rings, bracelets, earrings, and even teeth… They have nowhere else reliable to put it, so they keep it with themselves all the time."

"Burying?" Esme asks

"Haha, yes… some pirates bury their treasures, but those are the important and big treasures, when they can't carry them on their bodies, and it is too risky to keep them on their ships." Eidolon chuckles, understanding the question. "Another reason is a little more morbid… It is that in the case of them… dying… whoever finds their bodies can take their wealth as a payment to give them a proper burial. Even pirates want and should be treated with a little dignity after they are out of the world."

The girls listen with attention.

"Isn't this a little bad to talk about with the girls?" Emma questions.

"Hm, don't think so… They know about death, just can't really feel its weight. It is not any horror story." Eidolon shrugs.

The group finally reaches the final objective: the captain's room.

"If we are lucky, maybe the captain didn't bury his treasure yet." Eidolon pauses with his hand on the door handle as he turns to the girls with a smile, creating some suspense.

Emma rolls her eyes, knowing very well he is not letting the girls leave disappointed.

Eidolon doesn't waste too much time, opening the door without any more fanfare.

The captain's room is both ordinary and impressive. It has a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, some barrels near the bed, and, finally, some chests just behind the desk.

"Oh, it seems we are a little lucky~" Eidolon smiles while pointing at the chest, but first they check the wardrobe, barrels, and drawers on the desk.

"Lucky, huh?" Emma almost laughs.

The girls giggle at the captain's funny clothes they found.

"Men liked to be flamboyant in the past… Using birds as an example, the male gender tends to be the colorful one." Hector defends the captain's choice of multi-colored plumes.

"Said the monochromatic hero." Emma deadpans.

"...I am giving a chance to women… If not, we would be too beautiful. That is why we don't use makeup."

"You always have an answer at the tip of your tongue, huh?" She puts her hands on her hips, but she gets distracted by Jeff. "Boy, don't eat that… you don't know how old it is!" She moves to pull the landshark away from the barrels.

After going through the deceased captain's personal belongings, it is time to open the chests.

"Wow! Five chests! One to each of your girls! How lucky you are!" Emma exclaims with a faux surprise while Eidolon stares dead at her.

But the girls do not notice or do not care, happily choosing one chest each and waiting.

"Okay, I checked, and there are no traps; you girls can open it."

In a synchronized fashion that only a hive mind can achieve, the five simultaneously open the chests, and a yellow light suddenly illuminates the damp captain's room.

The chest is full of gold in the most diverse forms: gold coins, gold cups, gold jewelry, and things one would find at home like a chandelier. Beyond that, there are precious gems and other items that look like they belong in a museum.

"Is that a Fabergé Egg?" Emma's eyes are drawn to a particular item, a football-sized blue egg with gold details.

"Yes." Eidolon doesn't deny it.

"The real thing? One of the lost ones? I thought you forged this treasure…" She whispers the last part to him.

"No, it is all legit. I mean, it did not come from this pirate ship… I scavenged through all the oceans and just lumped it all together." He reveals.

"So you just recover lost relics constantly?" Emma asks, not hiding her surprise. Every time he finds something else to surprise.

"Nah, I just casually look around sometimes. One day maybe I will really make a search, when I map the ocean, but those are just things I found casually." He explains, "You see, that is not much even when I put it all together… not gonna lie, some of those gold coins are mine, to make volume, but the relics are legit."

With that, Emma goes to take a better look at the chest. She notices that some of those pieces of jewelry look very well made: a pocket watch with a name written on it, two crowns, a cup encrusted with jewels, three scepters…

"Those are the Crown Jewels of Ireland…" She raises her hand, holding a star and a badge. "And some of those surnames are very important…" She reads the objects that have names written on them. "And isn't this that sword of the Japanese? I thought they said they had it."

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe the things you can find in the ocean… Everyone loses something on it; some lose very important things." Eidolon chuckles

He plans to do a big worldwide search one day to recover lost artifacts, but he is pretty sure most of them are in the coffers of some rich dude or even some ancient monster like Selene Galio.

Maybe when he defeats them and takes them as loot, he can create a museum.

But for now, the most important thing is his daughters having fun.

The five giggle as they put on the jewels like cartoonish thieves who just pulled off a heist.

Sophie tries to wear an ancient chestplate, but it is too big for her. A crown passes over Phoebe's head, becoming a collar. Mindee stacks bracelets on her arms. Esme plays with a sword, and Celeste starts taking the treasures she likes the most.

"Don't worry, we are taking everything back with us," Eidolon says to them. "But your mother will keep it safe till you are older."

"Aaaah…" They all pout

"What? Why do you guys even want money now?" He crosses his arms, challenging.

They don't have an answer.

"You can keep some trinkets to remember your first exploration, small things; don't be greedy." He instructs them.

While stopping Jeff from eating some treasures, the girls choose what they like, like the crowns, rings, or even a cool gold coin. Just enough for them to carry in their hands. Eidolon then puts the chests away in his inventory. "I will drop it off at your mansion later." He says to Emma.

"Even the ones of historical value?" She asks

"I know that you will take care of them… And if you wanna get a reputation as a nice woman, you can give it back."

"That is not a bad idea… I can say that it was discovered by some 'treasure hunters' that I sponsored." She admits, "But I think those things will look better in my collection." She says, acting greedy to see what he is gonna say.

"Suit yourself." He doesn't care for now. And if he wants them later, he can just take them back. "Let's go back… The hunt was a little messed up because of someone." Eidolon looks specifically at Jeff.

The land shark is just breathing with his tongue out, not understanding that he is being scolded; he is just happy to be there.

"Ooh~, don't be like that. He is just a baby." Emma coos while kneeling to pat Jeff on the head. "You didn't take into consideration his arrival, and the hunt got a little easier, but it was fun all the same. Right, girls?"

"""""Yes.""""" They all nod while surrounding Jeff.

"..." Eidolon looks down on the creature. His presence alone disrupted his plans and his family outing. 'Am I the only one who is seeing that he is a punchable face? I bet somewhere, there are people who don't like this shark.'

............….

Eidolon says that, but he brought Jeff back to their private island with him.

He doesn't really have any feud with the creature, but he predicts tears in the future because of it… Someone has to harden their heart around here, and the role always falls into the lap of the patriarch of the family.

"You will end up being like those fathers that don't want the pet, but when the family gets one, it becomes best buddies." Emma teases him as they settle back on the beach. The two are watching the Stepford Cuckoos play with Jeff.

"Hmpf, I have pets." Eidolon scoffs.

Then he creates a frisbee and throws it at Jeff; the shark notices the object approaching and jumps to catch it in his mouth.

"Bring it back." Eidolon extends his hand in an imperative tone. Someone has to train the creature.

Jeff is reasonably smart and does as he is told, tail swinging side to side as he spits the frisbee onto Hector's feet and sits down on the sand, waiting for it to be thrown again.

"Hmm, it seems your owner played with you… This frisbee is made of an elastic smart substance. Your teeth can't break it, and any deformities will be corrected eventually." Eidolon explains. "You girls can use it to play with him." He throws the frisbee again, this time much farther.

Jeff makes a sound that is half a bark and half a yelp before jumping and starts swimming in the sand, his fin being the only thing visible as he goes for the frisbee.

When he brings it back, Hector lets the frisbee to the girls, and they start throwing it to Jeff to catch. So he just lets them play and sits back down on a chair beside Emma; the two parents simply relaxing while watching their daughters.

"That is nice," Emma says as she leans back and fixes her wide-brimmed hat on her head.

"Yeah, it is." Eidolon agrees, using telekinesis to bring a tray of drinks between them.

"Such convenient power; sometimes I wonder if it would be better than telepathy." Emma speaks as she takes an alcoholic drink.

"Telepathy is an incredibly overpowered power, and with a broad range of uses if you have a loose moral compass." He gives her a glance

"Ouch." She says that, but she laughs. "You are right, I love telepathy."

"If you got telekinesis, you probably would get fat and sedentary."

"Hey, I know how to control myself. I can literally make others carry me around like Cleopatra, and here I am… with my incredible body." She runs a hand through her curves, trying to bait him to look

"I firmly believe you just don't do that because it would attract attention."

"I can make others see what I want them to see, but yeah… It sounds more tiring to do all that than just walking."

"Sometimes the best answer is the simple one. Even I, with so many powers, still do things properly most of the time."

"So you tell me that you take the horrible traffic when you can just fly around?" She doesn't believe him.

"Sometimes, yes, but with my powers it is easy to avoid traffic while still doing something as monotonous as driving," he explains. "It is all about balance… Not restricting myself too much to make life a chore and not abusing it too much to still enjoy the small things. Didn't you see me cooking? I could have done everything with telekinesis, but instead used my two hands and didn't even use super speed."

"Hm, so you got so bored of doing things easily and quickly that you went back to the default?"

"The highest level you can reach is coming back to the origin… It is something you only understand when you reach the top." He shrugs. "World-class athletes that are so competitive eventually become simple family men, very rich people retreating to live on a farm… It is the same principle."

"I guess that I still haven't reached this level yet, because I love luxury." She smirks

"I know you do." He rolls his eyes, making her laugh loudly, purposefully tuning her laughter to the stereotyped "rich people" laugh.

After basking in her unashamed admission of enjoying her privilege, Emma relaxes and goes back to watch the girls playing.

After the frisbee, Eidolon made a beach ball the girls can use with Jeff. The hero instructed the shark not to bite it, but to just poke it with its nose. Now they are playing by trying to keep the ball in the air for as long as they can.

Surprisingly, the shark has better coordination than the human girls.

"This is really nice," Emma comments.

"You already said that… Wanna go play with them?" Eidolon answers without taking his eyes off the girls.

"I am saying in general… having a functioning family."

"Hm, I see. Sorry if I can't relate to your trauma." He jokes, "If it makes you feel better, my cousins, aunts, and uncles are irredeemable cunts."

"Haha, indeed it makes me feel better." She laughs. "But are they really bad? It would make me feel really good to know that you suffered a little." She gives him a smile dripping with schadenfreude

Eidolon rolls his eyes. "The worst, I was even bullied by my cousins."

"You…? Bullied?" She narrows her eyes, trying to picture what he is saying in her mind's eye. "Sorry, can't imagine that. In truth, it is easier for me to imagine you already coming out full adult of your mother's vagina."

"Hey! First of all, let's not talk about my mother's genitalia… Second, my childhood was as normal as it can get. I got my powers a little later."

Emma narrows her eyes again for some time… Then she shakes her head. "Sorry, can't do. The best I can imagine is you coming as a baby but in full hero costume, flying around the delivery room, and shouting 'I am here' instead of crying."

That made Eidolon laugh loudly. "HAHAHAHA! It would be quite a scene."

...............…

Later, as the sun went down, Eidolon decided to do something different to prepare dinner… he was fishing.

And of course, it can't be a normal fishing act either.

"Check this out." Standing on the beach, the rest sitting on chairs and surrounding a fire, Eidolon holds a special fishing rod. It is silver, and even the line shines white. With one hand, he holds the fishing rod horizontally before spinning it so fast that the line forms a shiny white circle.

Whoosh Sssssssssssssss

His whole body makes a big motion as he throws the line so fast that it looks like it's burning as it leaves the rod, and it goes so far that it disappears on the horizon. The line is like a falling star on the darkening sky.

"Ooohhh." The girls exclaim in surprise; even now, the line keeps going and going.

They watch for some time, and when it finally stops, Eidolon pulls with his hero strength.

Voosh

The line starts coming back super fast, but it still takes some time. It shows how far it went when the line literally curves high enough to touch the clouds. At the end of the fishing line, it is possible to see something big that falls perfectly into Eidolon's other hand after his pull.

"Tadah!" He shows it to them

"Is that a bluefin tuna?" Emma raises an eyebrow while the girls clap, and Jeff comes to sniff at the fish that is even bigger than him.

"Yep, and a pretty big one… 2,24 meters, or 7'4" in length." He raises it over his head

"What- How?" Emma is speechless. "There is even tuna around here? How far did you throw the line?"

"Far enough." He says mysteriously

"..." She deadpans, fully believing he threw it at another ocean or something. And by how fast he pulled it back, the line seemed to hook the fish instead of waiting for it to bite. "Wouldn't it be easy for you to catch it by hand?"

"And what would be the fun of that?" He smiles and lets the girls touch the fish's smooth surface, admiring it.

"""""Giant.""""" They say in unison.

"And expensive…" Emma adds, "How much does it weigh?"

Eidolon can measure that by hand. "164,2 kilos… or 362 pounds."

"I am starting to think you are not American." Emam gives him a suspicious glance after noticing the measurement units he says first, but doesn't think much about it for now. "I am not a specialist, but this thing should be more than a million dollars." She appraises.

"Crazy, huh? Let's roast it on fire." Eidolon carries the big fish to a stone table he conjures and prepares. "Look away, girls." He says before expertly killing the fish instantly with a precise attack on the brain, a jab of his finger. No pain to the animal; it even activated some good hormones to make its last second in life pleasant. "We should always respect the lives we take to eat." He teaches before starting work.

"Excuse me, did you say roast it on fire? Like, on that fire? Like, is it a normal fish? Like, we are camping or something?" Emma asks incredulously

"Yes. Exactly. Yep. And we are kinda camping." Eidolon nods to every answer without even looking at her.

Despite his warnings, the girls don't take their eyes off his work.

He is good enough to cover the most disgusting part of pulling off the entrails with his body and minimize blood being spilled, but he lets them look at his hands working.

They take it very well; maybe they don't really associate it with anything bad.

'I remember when I watched my grandma kill a chicken… I also just stared curiously. Kids really are something else.' He reminisces.

"That fish could make some very good and expensive dishes." Emma continues

"Emma…" Eidolon turns to her. "It is just a fish."

"..." Seeing his eyes, she turns to the girls and sighs while massaging her forehead. "Alright, I really should already be used to this. My common sense appears in the strangest hours." She laughs, and he follows her.

"Right? The vacation ends tomorrow, so let's eat well today. And what we couldn't eat will be for that creature there." He gestures to the shark that is salivating beside him.

Eidolon rolls his eyes at the creature and grabs the head of the tuna to throw at Jeff, who chomps it eagerly.

"Heh, I knew you liked him." Emma smiles

"Hmpf, I will not treat him badly while he is under our custody."

"He will be with us forever." She reminds him.

"..." Eidolon doesn't argue. "Again, don't get your hopes up with something that is completely outside your power." He advises.

His instincts are telling him this creature is more problematic than it looks… And Jeff is literally a quadruped shark that can swim on land.

............…..

After a small time, Eidolon prepared the fish, and everyone is around the fire like they are camping. Pieces of the tuna are impaled on sticks and are being slowly cooked. And that is the second round, because everyone is already eating their fill, even Jeff.

Eidolon even prepared some sushi for Emma, and the girls tried some, but preferred it when the fish is cooked.

"Can't believe my own daughters don't have my taste buds." Emma jokes

"They are still young, but they are right… All meat is better prepared in my way than raw." Eidolon replies, taking a stick from the fire and handing it to Jeff.

The way they eat is rough and unrefined, but in some ways it seems more homely; it creates a certain closeness to the family. Just them enjoying the night beach, a fire in front of them, framed by the dark ocean and the night sky.

After eating, they discard the chairs and sit on the sand, all huddled together, Eidolon and Emma shoulder to shoulder and the girls around them. Jeff is on the side, belly up after eating too much.

Eidolon even pulls out a guitar to play and teach Mindee, creating a nice memory of their last night here.

"That is Johnny Cash, right?" Emma asks after recognizing the song Hector is playing.

"No, it is of a male cow." Eidolon smiles, holding back a laugh.

"???? You mean a bull…"

"No, he is a male cow." He laughs as he continues to play "I Won't Back Down". Then he has to teach the girls "Take Me Home, Country Roads" as part of their education as American citizens.

Unfortunately, he needs to hold back on teaching some Brazilian songs; otherwise, it would become obvious that he has dual citizenship.

..............

Once again, a day full of activities is the best sleep medicine, so the girls started showing that they needed to go to bed.

Eidolon ignores their cute protests, eyelids barely hanging on, and carries them home. He is even kind enough to clean them with his powers rather than force them to bathe, reminding them that this is an exception and that he will not repeat it.

"Can" "We" "Sleep" "With" "You?" They ask, four of them on Eidolon's arms and one being carried by Emma. The question is to Emma.

"I don't mind… It is a vacation, so it is okay. Don't get used to it, though. Big girls know how to sleep on their own beds." Emma agrees, and they change directions to her room.

Luckily, Emma's bed is pretty big, so it can easily accommodate the six, and even Jeff, who jumped to the bed too.

"No… Down, boy. You are gonna sleep on this bed." Eidolon commands Jeff while pulling a big, comfy bed to the creature.

"Ah, I don't mind him… He even settled on the edge." Emma says with a cooing smile at the shark.

"Boundaries. When he comes soaked in the blood of his prey and jumps on your expensive white bedsheets made of some fancy silk, you are gonna wonder why you didn't teach him better… That future is not gonna happen, because I am educating him." Eidolon explains, "And see? At least he is smart enough to do as he is told." He gestures at the shark that is already settling on his new bed.

Emma doesn't argue; she will have her daughters to hug, so she will not need Jeff to be a plushie.

That is when something unexpected happens; Celeste holds Eidolon's wrist.

"Papa, sleep."

"..." Eidolon pauses, understanding what she is asking for. "Eeehh… I… can't… I have my own room…"

All the girls look at him with pleading eyes, making him wince. Emma raises an amused eyebrow. "You can stay, you know?"

"..." He looks at her

"I mean… just sleeping… a sleepover." She says innocently

"..." Eidolon is not really convinced, but then he makes the mistake of looking at his daughters again.

"Please" "Papa" "Please". The puppy eyes are too much.

"Uggghhhh…"

............…

"..." And that is how he finds himself sharing the same bed with Emma Frost. 'Congratulations, White Queen. You are the first Marvel girl to get Eidolon on your bed. Mary Jane only got Hector.'

Many tried to get the hero to fold; none succeeded… till now.

Of course, there is no sexual objective, but it is a pretty impressive feat nonetheless.

He is lying completely straight, Sophie hugging his side while Mindee sleeps on his chest. Esme is between him and Emma, and the woman has Celeste and Phoebe clinging to her too.

"Okay… goodnight," he says, using a bit of power to make the girls sleep. When he is sure they are dreaming, Eidolon starts moving. "I am gonna leave now."

"Really? And betray their trust like that?" Emma asks, trying to hide a smirk

"..." Eidolon freezes. "I will come back before morning." He continues to stand up after saying that.

"And what if they woke up before and see that you are not here?"

"..." He pauses again

"Or are you gonna dope them with your powers?" She challenges

"..." What can he do beyond slowly falling back on the bed? "You are still a manipulative bitch, you know that?"

"Certain things never change~" She smiles, fully satisfied. "But is that so bad?" She suddenly asks in a different tone, a more serious and contemplative tone.

"What?"

"Playing the family? Or… being one?" Emma gives him a glance before looking at the ceiling, not really brave enough to see his reaction to her very direct answer. "What is stopping us from turning this into a real thing? To give the girls a proper family?"

"..." Eidolon maintains his silence for exactly four long seconds. "It would not be bad at all…" He admits, to her surprise, "But unfortunately, it is not possible."

"?"

"You don't know what you are asking for, Emma."

"What I am asking for then?" She presses

He sighs. "At this point, I guess you also deserve a more honest answer… Damn, I am starting to have this conversation a lot lately, and I bet more will come." He says the last part under his breath, "But not now; let's talk again tomorrow."

It is Emma's turn to stand up while gently pushing the girls aside. "If you think I could sleep after that, you're very wrong. Let's talk outside." She says before walking out of the room. She is not the type to simply wait.

"..." Eidolon sighs and also stands up. "See, Jeff? Always prepare for the worst." He tells the shark after stepping over him.

............…

Eidolon follows Emma to the same place they had that talk yesterday; the front porch looks the same, and the mood is strangely similar… a little heavy and with some apprehension.

Emma is looking at the beach, hugging herself, probably from the cold, as she is wearing pajamas. Very revealing ones, in the form of a tight shirt and booty shorts. If the mood were different, maybe Eidolon would admire her figure.

But now, he simply pulls out a white robe and puts it around her shoulders.

"Thank you…" She says, turning around as she puts it on.

"..."

"..."

The silence is awkward, but Emma breaks it. "So… starting to be honest." She urges him

He sighs again. "Emma… being very direct… I am not single." He rips off the band-aid.

Emma's eyes widen to comical proportions. "You… but you… Why didn't you…"

"I understand your confusion. Normally you would expect me to just say that when a woman starts flirting instead of keeping it secret. The answer goes beyond the fact that I want privacy and to protect my loved ones… It is complicated, because… I am in a relationship with multiple women."

If Emma's eyes widened before, now it looks like they are gonna fall out.

Eidolon gives her a wry smile and walks by her side to look at the ocean.

"Very recently, some women that had feelings for me… accepted that I am a little too careful when it comes to romance, and that I was prepared to just spend the next decades focusing on hero work, and they decided to compromise."

"Compromise? By sharing you?" It is not hard for Emma to see where this is going.

"Yes. It looks bad from the outside… heck, it looked bad when I was first presented with that choice. It was nothing new; I was aware it was an option, having learned about that with other planets and universes, but I wanted to be prepared to commit to this path and take it seriously if it happened. Buuut… they are not willing to wait. So I started… dating multiple people… and adding others that are 'on the line' eventually and… it is going surprisingly well." He releases another sigh

"..." Emma just stares in silence.

"Despite everything, I am able to fulfill my role as a boyfriend and take care of all of them. I liked them too from the beginning, and having to choose was a problem, so I am relieved that I don't need to choose anymore… Now the woman chooses… She chooses if she will enter into this strange relationship with me or not." He turns to Emma.

"..." The two lock eyes with each other. "So I am the one next in line?" She asks sarcastically

He shakes his head, disappointed. "I knew that this was gonna happen… Sometimes I hope the women who like me would give up before I need to reveal it."

"..." To be fair, she was the one not giving up even when Eidolon kept her at arm's length.

"But I am not gonna shy away and hide. That is my truth, Emma. Yes, I, Eidolon, have multiple girlfriends… They all love me, and I love them. They can leave at any time, but to enter, they need to accept what is already established. None have left till now, but I know for sure more will come." He admits

"..."

"We ended up tied together because of the girls, and you are right, some feelings are flourishing… I will be the first to admit that."

"..."

"I was softly rejecting you to both protect you and as some sort of test… I would not reveal this much about my life if you were the same from the beginning. Things started getting serious between us, and this is the second test…. You came for me, so I will be honest. Yes, I started to like you and would be very happy to make this a proper family."

"..." Emma's eyes tremble a little.

"But at the same time, I understand that it is not something fair to ask any woman…" He shakes his head with a sad smile. "Every woman deserves a partner wholeheartedly dedicated to them. And even with all my powers that make me do much more than the average man, I could never give any woman my whole heart at this point."

"..."

"Don't worry… I will not get angry, and I will not change. I will continue to love the girls unconditionally. I am just exposing the whole content of the room before you open the door and enter. It is your choice to leave, or even enter and leave afterward. But I'd rather you don't enter if you are 100% sure. Despite how it looks, I take this very seriously. It is not me collecting women left and right; I hope you can understand that after knowing my personality."

"Those are my options? Being one of your hussies?" That is as far as she can speak before the temperature drops considerably.

"Ms. Frost…" Eidolon speaks slowly

"!" It has been some time since he addressed her like that; his tone is cold and distant.

"I don't care what you think about my strange relationship… I can understand how it looks from your viewpoint. I also don't care how disappointed you are in me, and even if you think less of me now…" He stares at her with half-lidded dead eyes. "But I will not allow you to disrespect the women I love after they gave up so much to stay at my side."

"..."

He turns again to look at the ocean. "Hmpf, that is another reason I keep it a secret… it is not about my reputation; heavens knows that I would be treated like a stud or venerated like a god for pulling this off, but it would be different to them… The world will think they are easy, that they have no self-respect." After ranting a little, he turns back to her, less coldly now. "And that is why I can't ask anyone for that… it is why I don't chase."

"I see…" She manages to say after calming down a little. The bigger picture is forming in her mind of how he has acted up to now. At the same time, this relationship doesn't stop him from adding more women; he acts distant and aloof to screen the candidates.

Emma Frost is just the one who passed all the necessary tests to know the truth. She got him to like her and even acquire his trust… Now it depends on her.

Eidolon doesn't ask her to apologize for her previous words; he just stares at her a little more before turning back to the ocean. "You don't need to answer… I just told you the truth because I think you deserve it. To not waste your time."

After another drop of silence, it is Emma's turn to say something.

"My father was cheating on my mother constantly."

"..."

"And my mother accepted that… One day, after discovering this fact, I told her, thinking I had finally given her the last push she needed to leave that man… but she turned against me instead. She always knew… She just accepted that. After knowing how pathetic she was, I left that house." Emma speaks. "I swore not only to not become my father, but also to never become my mother…" Her face is stony, and light disappears from her eyes as she says those words.

"..." Eidolon understands, nodding slightly.

"Good night, Eidolon." She says with an emotionless tone and starts walking back inside.

"Good night, Ms. Frost."

And just like that, they are back at square one. Their tones are distant, and the result is obvious to both of them. This last truth made them incompatible.

Emma pauses at the door. "Thank you for being honest… You are better than my father, at least." She is smart enough to understand that if he wants to keep a hundred women in his roster and them completely unaware of each other, he could do that.

"It doesn't sound like a compliment when the bar is so low." He attempts to joke

Emma's answer is one corner of her lip moving upward, almost like her face wants to chuckle, but it is impossible because other emotions overcome her.

Without saying another word, she enters and slowly closes the door behind her. Ending this chapter of their lives.

Eidolon leans back on the guardrails of the porch and sighs. "And that is the response of a normal woman when faced with a harem." He chuckles morosely.

"You could have worded this whole conversation better, Master." Cortana finally opens her mouth

"Nah… this is not the moment to try to seduce anyone." He shakes his head. "Let her reject this whole thing… if it is her first instinct."

"In my humble opinion, I feel like she wanted you to convince her more… She even closed the door real slowly. That is a clear sign she is not done."

Eidolon also noticed that but… "Haah~ Like Monika sang to me: 'Is it love if I take you, or is it love if I set you free?'" Eidolon shrugs. "I can be more assertive, but…"

"Yes, yes… giving them a chance before committing. It is also a sort of test, right?"

"Indeed…" He looks at the sky

"Master… I am literally in your body and can know when you are sad."

"A natural outcome. I didn't lie when I said I like Emma. If not, I would have immediately rejected her." He shrugs, "It is just that I accept the consequences of my choices… Not everything will go my way."

............…

Next Day, Noon

Hector's Residence

"...and that is what happened. All day after, we are pretty civil because of the girls, but distant. It was awkward enough that the girls noticed, but it did not get in the way of the vacation till we come back." Now, sitting on his usual chair, Hector counts what happened during the weekend.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You are rejected!" That is Shego, almost falling backward from laughing. She is sitting on Hector's lap, and his hand on her back prevents her from falling. "Wait…" She comes back up and sits up straight. "She rejected you? Who does that bitch think she is? She thinks she is better than you?" Suddenly, Shego is angry on his behalf

"Okay, girl… You really need to decide your stance on this already." Helena raises her hand at Shego

"Hmm, I think she has borderline personality disorder." Pamela points out

"She is just a girl~" Harley laughs

"You are the specialist here; be more serious," Pamela replies

"No need to get angry on my behalf or call her a bitch, we just agreed to not pursue any… evolution in this relationship," Hector explains, stopping Shego.

"At this point, you should just make your polygamous relationship public." Helena suggests, "It will keep women at bay without you needing to go through it every time."

"Are you crazy? It will be like open season to the majority of those sluts… As the untouchable bachelor, Eidolon at least has some peace." Harley protests, "The lower women will filter themselves by knowing they have no chance. But if they knew he takes multiple partners, at the same time it will exclude some top-grade women; it will attract too many low-grade ones… He will look more accessible."

"The secret will come out eventually; I am not really hiding at this point." Hector shrugs. Thor already knows, for example.

"When it comes out, it will be our job to keep the easy sluts away from you," Shego smirks dangerously.

"And what about the quintuplets?" Isabella suddenly asks

"We are gonna continue co-parenting… things are awkward now, but it will eventually go back to normal." Hector shrugs

"So you can be all super forward with us, but with any other woman that is not under your control, you fumble the bag." Pamela gives him a jab.

"I didn't even chase the bag." He rolls his eyes. "I prefer the problem to appear now than down the line."

Shego noticed he was a little down and caressed the back of his head, fingers moving through his hair. "Don't worry, babe… I bet that she will come back crawling to you."

Hector shakes his head. "That is not the point… I guess it is hard to explain how things are from my perspective."

Hector is the man who can have everything if he puts his mind to it. Initially, it looks like a dream, but nothing is without a price.

And the price is that if he lives this way, his life will lack that genuine feeling… Imagine if he controls every aspect of how he lives and what happens to him; actively doing everything in his power to get the girls, acquire certain powers, etc etc.

He would never feel the same as the person who once met the love of their life on a seemingly normal day.

It is why he doesn't constantly look into the future.

If he gets too deep into it, he will not even be living; he will be a puppet under his own will.

Going with the flow is not being passive; in his case, it is being more grounded. That is because he is standing on a completely different spot from the average person who barely has control over their own destiny.

"Anyway…" He stands up. He doesn't elaborate because no one could relate. "Harley, let's go visit Jinx."

"Ah yes, my own sidekick!" Harley claps happily. "This day finally came! Mama, I am a big shot now!" She jokingly wipes a tear from her eye.

"Okay, she is not your sidekick… only if she wants; I don't know. Don't get your expectations high. We are just gonna help her with her issues."

"Why don't you fuck her as you did with Harley?" Pamela suggests with an accusatory tone.

"Her trauma is more… 'I killed all my family and everything I touch dies' trauma instead of 'my previous boyfriend still has a hold on me'," Hector explains slowly.

"..." Pamela pauses. "That makes sense… I can see the difference." She has to nod and admit that his logic is sound.

"Right? And after we come back, I want your help with a tree." He says with a smile

"A tree?" Pamela frowns

"Yes, I want your help in completing our 'family tree'." He flirts roguishly.

As Harley guffaws, Pamela tries to hold back a smile, her lips trembling.

"You are an idiot… go try this shit with other women." She scoffs, trying not to laugh.

"Just checking if my charm still works." He comments narcissistically while caressing his jaw. "Yep, I still got it… The world should be glad that I am who I am, or my harem would be in the millions already."

............…..

A.N.: As if a harem in a modern setting is easy to acquire, lol.

No, he is "too much for us to handle" excuse here.

............

Here is the Link: (without spaces)

Till next time and stay good y'all.

Bye Bye~