Taking care of business.

"Yes, Mom, I promise work won't get in the way of me being there when Grandma visits," Tricia Chen, aka Athena, assured her mortal mother as she walked down the hallway with an earphone setup so she could talk and keep her hands free, which she currently needed as she perused over a set of documents.

"That's good to hear, dear. She misses you, and was sad she wasn't-"

"I know, I know. I told you I didn't mean to miss her visit last time. Something pressing happened at work and I couldn't leave," she said as she felt her mother about to try and bring about a fresh burst of guilt. Chinese mother guilt was very strong stuff. In the case pf work it was defusing a potentially volatile situation between police and a Cherokee demigod. She'd managed to defuse the situation, but her job as the president's unofficial expert on the new breed of "living gods" kept her very busy.

"Yes I know, your job is important," her mother said in a conciliatory tone.

Her mother neither knew what her main job was, nor that she was a reborn goddess herself. Her mother had lived in the United States long enough not to have a particularly pious view toward the gods of the Chinese pantheon. The fact that China had erupted into chaos with the emergence of several of said gods didn't help her mother's opinions toward the new breed of the divine. Granted she wasn't a Chinese god, but an ethnically Chinese woman, that didn't mean Athena was eager to share her secret with her mortal family.

"I just wished it didn't take up so much of your time," her mother spoke, jogging Athena from her stray thoughts. "Plus what it's done to your social life."

"Mom," Athena said quickly, trying to cut that line of discussion off.

"I know, I know, but I don't want you to be alone. That last girl you were seeing was so nice. I thought for sure that-"

"Mom!" Athena protested, but stopped, upset at herself for speaking so sternly. "Mom..it's alright. I knew what I was getting into with this job."

She could hear the sigh in her mother's voice. "Doesn't mean you don't deserve happiness, Tricia. You help so many."

Athena smiled at that. "No it doesn't. Who knows what the future will bring."

"True." Her mother dropped the subject. "See you next week?"

"I'll be there," Athena assured.

"Practicing your Cantonese?"

"Yes I have, Mother," Athena said proudly in well-spoken Cantonese.

"Don't be a smart-ass, dear." Athena could hear the chuckle in her mom's response. "Then I'll let your Grandma know you'll be there. I love you, Tricia."

"Love you too, Mom."

Athena turned off the connection after exchanging goodbyes, putting on her game face as she walked into her office. She noted that her visitor was already there.