Wisdom of a modern teenager

Millia followed his eyes to the bikini clad woman on the lawn, and Jack thought he might just have seen a blush spread over her smooth cheeks.

“Is that how females dress among you humans?”

“Only when they’re chasing a tan.”

“She’s a hunter?”

”Not yet. But we’ll turn her into one,” Jack answered. “I’m gonna go say hi. You come after a few minutes. Don’t be shy.”

“I don’t even know what that means,” Millia said, her eyes still following Haley as she got up from the beach chair and walked towards the pool, before sitting on the edge and putting her feet in the water. Jack walked out the open patio door, heading straight for his stepdaughter.

“Hey, Hales. How’s my favorite teenager doing?” He said, and was rewarded with a dismissive scoff and a glance filled with judgment. She didn’t bother to remove her earplugs, conveying no intention of talking with him.

He sat down on the edge of the pool next to her. She was a cute girl, he had to give her that. Shapely, round breasts and a tight butt. And her face was stunning, if you got past the perpetual scowl directed at Jack. It was like she’d been born to hate him.

Just a few hours earlier, that had been a source of pain and frustration for poor Jack. Now though... he'd met a genuine goddess, been chosen as her Champion and assigned his own ****-servant. It allowed him some perspective when it came to his stepdaughter's teenage anger issues. So he watched her, not even trying to say anything to the girl while she seemed determined to pretend he didn’t exist. He looked at her slender, toned legs as they dipped into the water and the way she'd bent forward slightly, her arms resting against her thighs. He let his gaze wander over her back, her long, chestnut hair hanging down over her shoulder blades, framing her spine.

He heard a door open and shut behind them.

"I have a friend's daughter coming over," Jack said, grabbing one of Haley's earplugs. "Her name is Millia, and she'll be staying here for a while."

"Uhm, what?" Haley's brow furrowed in confusion. "Since when? Why? Does mom know you’ve invited a strange girl to live with us?"

"I just decided. It's no big deal," he said, putting the plug in his ear. The sound of Beyonce was blasting, and Haley immediately grabbed the earplug back, frowning at him. "She's a bit shy, so you might have to try to get to know her."

Haley scoffed. "And why the fuck would I do that?"

"Because you’re a wonderful girl with a desire to be helpful and welcoming to insecure, freshly resettled hopefuls?"

"Yeah no," the girl said, rolling her eyes. "We're not running a fucking hostel, Jack. We can't just have random girls living with us."

Jack looked at her, and his expression was enough to make the girl hesitate. She opened her mouth to speak again, but the words died out beneath the unfamiliar gaze of her stepfather.

"Hey," a small voice sounded from behind them. "Hello?"

Haley glanced over her shoulder and blinked, clearly not having noticed the young woman walking up to them. Jack turned too, enjoying the look on his stepdaughter's face as she spotted the nymph. Millia's white chiton was a bit of a sight against Haley's pink bikini, her bare feet visible within the green grass of the lawn.

"H-hi…" Haley answered, clearly confused by the stranger's appearance. "What the... why are you wearing a white bed sheet? Are you going to a masquerade? I mean, Halloween is still months away, but I guess it must be different from where you're from? Like time difference or something?" She hesitated. "Where are you from?"

Millia looked at Jack, who smirked and winked. "Haley, meet Millia, our new house guest. And no sweetie, Halloween isn't a different month because of the time difference. It's on the same date everywhere in the world."

"I know that!" Haley growled, shooting a glare at Jack. "But she's dressed like she's going to a Halloween party!"

"I'm not," Millia said, sounding unsure of herself. "This is a conventional attire in my native realm. Though, I was told you have different customs in this world."

"Your native realm?" Haley asked, confused. "Are you from another country?"

"Kind of," Jack answered for her, still smiling. "Millia here is the daughter of an army buddy of mine, and I promised him to help her settle in as she's looking for work in the city. She's a bit of a country girl, so we'll have to help her understand some things."

"Like clothes?" Haley said, raising her eyebrows. "Because, like, I don't think you're allowed to just walk around in a bed sheet?"

"You aren't? Does your sovereign regulate appearance here?" Millia said.

Jack chuckled at Haley’s obvious dismay as she tried to translate Millia’s question into a teenage vernacular. He got up, walking towards the sun chairs a few feet away. "It’s not a matter of regulation," he said, laying down on one of the chairs and relaxing. "More of a social standard. But no worries, that's what we’re here for, to help you get acclimated."

Millia bowed. "I'm grateful for your hospitality. I hope you don't mind me staying here?"

"No, of course not," Haley said, blushing slightly. "It's not like I have a say in the matter anyway, right? Jack seemed to have made the call already."

Jack watched from the sun chair, enjoying the interaction. "How about you help Millia out, pumpkin? You must have some clothes that could fit her?"

"I, like, have a lot of clothes, but I don't know if they'll fit her. We don't really share style," she answered, looking Millia over. "But I guess I’ll have to give you something to save you from wearing a bed sheet. Though, it’s a kinda cute outfit. Where did you get it? Also, what's a sovereign?"

"A leader, like a king or something," Jack said.

Haley nodded, still looking a bit confused. "Okay… Well, you don't have to worry about a king here, we killed ours like a hundred years ago or something.”

"Always a pleasure knowing the time I spent getting shot at in the desert was so kids back home could grow up thinking we overthrew a king in 1920," he said dryly, letting his head fall back against the chair with a low chuckle.

Millia looked at him, lips parting slightly. "You battled for your realm's freedom?"

"Shut up, Jack," Haley sighed, getting up from her chair. "Come on, let's go find you something more 2025 to wear, Millia."

“Truly, I feel relieved knowing the future of our great democracy rests on the shoulders of you and your contemporaries, Hales,” Jack continued.

"Democracy? Your culture is of athenian origin?"

"Not really, but also yes," Jack answered, reaching for Haley's wrist as she passed him. As his fingers closed around her skin, he mustered his new powers, the process being as instinctual as wagging a finger, and activated the Breath of Aphrodite, allowing its effects to seep into the unknowing girl. "Be nice, Hales." He said, letting go of her wrist and smiling as he watched the subtle changes in his stepdaughter's expression.

"Of course," Haley said, looking down at her wrist, frowning as she rubbed her fingers against it. "I'll be an angel, don’t worry. You just enjoy your sunbathing, old man."

Jack grinned. "Will do."

He watched Haley drag Millia through the patio door and back inside the house, the nymph's bare feet padding lightly across the tile, leaving soft, damp impressions with each step. Her golden hair bounced with the motion, a glimmer of sunlight still clinging to her as if **** to let her go, her chiton flowing around her thighs, revealing glimpses of her fair, perfect skin.

She glanced back once, uncertain, her eyes meeting Jack’s. He gave her a slight nod before she disappeared into the house.

He wasn't a pervert, but he'd never claimed to be a saint either. And now he was backed by the literal Goddess of Lust and Desire. What authority did modern ethics hold compared to the divine originators of the entire concept? Jack had no intention of answering that. He wasn't doing this for a greater purpose, at least not one he was aware of. His motives, at this moment, were purely selfish.

It felt good.