Chapter 63 Rhea.

Chapter 63: 63 Rhea.

The drive out of the city and into the mountains took longer than I liked, especially given my abilities to fly. But I tried not to take to the skies too often.

Going by air got a lot of questions, and not just about flight clearance.

A lot of supers tended to patrol the skies looking for evil doing, and in my opinion, the less supers I met outside of work, the better.

There were those heroes who could be reasoned with, but the kind that spent their days floating above the city with hands on their hips, just looking to start something was not the sort willing to chat.

A car was just more convenient.

Soon though we’d wound our way up the road into the mountains, and ahead was the Sunset Oakland.

I couldn’t help but marvel at the changes in just a short time. When Captain Zero had handed it over to me, half the building was frosted over from our battle, which had gutted the ballroom, a gigantic hole in the front of the building and a dead non-vampire in the basement.

The latter had been my fault, but there had been utility in that dramatic entrance.

Nothing like ripping off a door to scatter some minions. And it had all worked out. Sort of.

As I drove up the gate opened with a creak, my little beautiful Toyota Crown gliding up the path and towards the lot.

Gabled roofs and two wings, it sat nestled in the mountainside, looming over the road like Frankenstein’s castle, remote from any prying eyes.

It had a distinctly grim, forbidding look to it that I had to respect.

The Captain had surely chosen his lair well, and now that it was mine, I did like the villainous flair of the place. Beat a one-bedroom apartment in the city, anyway.

As I drew nearer I automatically let my magnetic powers feel out the front of the building.

A bit paranoid, maybe, but it had kept me alive this far.

I could sense the reinforced metal inside the walls, one of Rhea’s many recent additions to what was now my abode.

Rhea was Patty’s former eccentric intern and a new addition to the group that was a constant pain in my ass.

Couldn’t kick her out though, Patty was practically family and as long as Rhea was hers then she might as well have been mine.

But I couldn’t say Rhea wasn’t difficult.

According to Patty, Rhea was just as smart as she was but just needed a push in the right direction, and apparently I was the right direction.

Needless to say, an odd request. And I’d hesitated for more than the obvious reasons.

See, having a mad scientist move into your house was never a smart move, no matter how good she looked in a lab coat.

Having to sleep with a Geiger counter just in case the basement started leaking radiation wasn’t exactly relaxing.

But more than that, I had a thing about moving in with people, and especially a woman.

It implied certain things, and as I’d worked alone for most of my career, I’d always been wary about dating inside the industry.

Breaking up with a woman who could crush boulders with her thighs was a risky proposition.

But I’d needed the work done, and that’s why I haven’t fooled with Rhea, two were enough, couldn’t have someone show any signs of being terribly clingy. Well, no more than usual.

And she had done damn good work, I had to admit that. The front was now fully repaired and looked better than before I stormed the place. Hell, even the side where ballroom was... was...

"What the fuck!?"

I stared at the large spherical object with metallic octopus legs currently hovering inches from the roof of my goddamn house.

Oh no. Oh no no no. That had better not be what I thought it was, because not only did it not fit the general imposing gothic manor vibe of the rest of the building, but I had a sneaking suspicion it was intended for no good. And I had a pretty damn good idea who had set it up.

"Something wrong, boss?" Psyren said.

"Yeah. Something," I said, parking with a screech of rubber.

I slammed the car door behind me as I got out, then almost ripped off the back door as I belatedly hauled Divina out with a magnetic pull on her bindings.

She floated in the air, giving me a look that would blister under normal circumstances, but I didn’t have time to deal with her right now.

I made my way up to the entrance with Psyren trotting close behind, the keypad at the front beeping as I jabbed in the code.

"Correct! Welcome back." Rhea’s pre-recorded voice chirped as the locks released. Hm. That was new, among other things, apparently.

I threw open the doors, making my way into the reception room, paying no attention to the lovely varnished wood panelling or the various stuffed animal heads looking down from above.

"Sir! You have returned."

I paused and looked up the stairs to the second floor.

Glacia stood there, clad in a soaked sports bra and shorts that could get her arrested for public indecency, with her hair pulled back—pretty sure she just finished a workout.

As she caught my eye she hastily ducked her head, a blush rouging her pale cheeks.

But as much as I’d love to soak in the sight of her, I had other things top of the mind right then. "Glacia?" I said. "Where’s Rhea?"

"The scientist dog girl?" Glacia said as she walked down the stairs towards me. "I believe she’s working in the ballroom..."

"Great. I need to have a word with her."

"What about this one?" Psyren said, poking Divina’s cheek, which only made the mythic fume further.

I glanced at the heroine impatiently. "I’ll..."

"Shall we put her in the dungeon, sir?" Glacia said.

"Dungeon? We have a dungeon?" I said.

"Of course, sir," Glacia said. "It was one of the first things father put in."

Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

What member of a globe spanning evil organization would go without a convenient place to store their captured victims?

Probably even used to have a customary sleepy guard with a massive keyring easily lifted from the belt. Ah, classics. Had to love them. It was one of the many reasons I respected the Captain so much.

And throwing Divina behind bars was tempting to be sure, but the last thing I needed was to reinforce the idea that I was a real villain. And sticking someone in the dungeon was pretty classic villain move.

"No. No dungeon. This is a whole... a whole thing. Stick her in the kitchen for now. And keep an eye on her! I need to have a word with Rhea."

"Yes, sir," Glacia said.

"And no torturing!" I threw over my shoulder as I made my way towards the ballroom.

"Aww," Psyren said.

Fuck. Just one thing after another. I never had to deal with this shit when I was a solo villain.

Of course, I also didn’t have a trio of drop-dead gorgeous villainesses hanging around either, so... ya know. Take the positives with the negatives.

And speaking of negatives, time to chat with my local mad scientist.

I threw open the doors of the ballroom and stopped dead, staring.