11. Caspian

M oon goddess, help us all. My social media was for networking saving people from the Coalition. Pax used his for Coalition stuff but he mostly used it to help people who were going blind find the resources he didn't have when he first lost his vision. He connected people with schools or places they could be paired with a service dog. Honestly, I loved that about him.

And then you had Benji.

Benji's social media was a hot mess of thirst traps, book reviews, anime, and social commentary…wrapped up in a big thirst trap. I wasn't a betting man, but I'd lay good odds on Dionysus's being the same. And honestly, Benji might be sitting there topless with that fucking fez on, but his social commentary was generally scathing with just enough Benji in it that it was perfection.

I queued the video up. Fuck me. They probably posted that video two minutes ago and already had two million likes. They had both apparently thought it prudent to take their shirts off for this and Benji had the fucking fez out again. He said it was his serious hat, which made no damned sense, but apparently his Jaminas got it.

Now that I'd found my sleuth, my pack, my people, I wanted them close to me all the time. I wasn't going to let the Coalition or the angels take them from me. I picked Medusa up and put her in my lap again, but I needed Pax and Benji close, too.

But it felt wrong. I wasn't expecting another male in our group. It had just been Pax, Benji and me for decades. I always told myself I'd be open to it if we met another man. I certainly wasn't expecting a fucking god, or that god for that matter.

It didn't feel wrong that Dionysus was one of us. It was that my bear had accepted him while I was still trying to figure his damned name out and I was fighting it. I hadn't scent marked him yet.

It was so fucked up. We were in the middle of all of this with the Coalition, Athena just dropped a bomb on Medusa, and I was about to travel to the Underworld and my bear was stressing about rubbing all over Dionysus so everyone knew he was mine before we could all officially claim each other.

Was that even appropriate right now?

He was much older than me and clearly used to shifters. Dionysus also wasn't pretentious because he came and plopped on the floor between my legs so we were touching. I appreciated that he acknowledged that I needed contact, but didn't make me ask or beg.

I started the video and wondered what Benji's Jaminas thought the truth was. Sometimes, he had his horns and tail out in his videos. Benji had worse happy tail than a Pitbull. I was sure some of his fans were supernatural and knew damned well he was a hybrid. Humans knew we were out there now and not all of them hated us. I was fairly certain at least a few of Benji's fans thought those horns were glued on and the tail had been digitally edited on.

"Friends, I have the social justice fez on, so this is going to be a serious post. I've brought my good friend and new co-mate in for commentary. I'm betting some of you know him and we share followers. Meet the original party god, Dionysus."

"Maenads, if you haven't met Benji, settle in. He's my mate's new mate and I'm his pack. I don't have a special hat because I'm not going to cover this hair, but we believe the Maenads and the Jaminas have the power to change the world."

They probably could. The men and women who followed them voted and tended to be passionate people. It didn't help that Benji and Dionysus were pretty as fuck. Ugh. The egos we'd be dealing with. Something told me I'd have to tell Dionysus he was pretty all the time, too.

"Listen, Jaminas. You know the Coalition is a cause dear to my heart. What you don't know is why. See these?" Benji said, stroking his horns. "I didn't glue these on. They are mine. They popped out when I was about five and grew to this fabulous level later. These people took me when I was just a kid. I grew up in one of their facilities.

"They didn't care that I hadn't graduated kindergarten yet. All they cared about was that I was a hybrid. They did terrible things to me when I was just a kid. They did awful things to my friends, too. They need to be stopped."

Oh, fuck. Benji had been using his platform to call out the Coalition, but he never outright said they took him and tortured him. I hadn't read them, but the likes and comments were exploding.

"Yes, and I wasn't lying about being Dionysus. I'm not cosplaying as a god. I really am," Dionysus said, swirling his hand above a glass of water and turning it to wine. He pinched his fingers, drew his hand upwards, and flowers sprouted from the wine.

Shit. They really outed themselves. I mean, they hadn't exactly been hiding, but it was really tongue in cheek until they proved it.

"Anyway, that's not why we've teamed up, Maenads. The leader of the Coalition has been identified. Hannibal Payne is their leader, and he's got Saul Wood in his pocket. Girl, did you see that shit show where they tried to gaslight us that dangerous supernatural broke out of one of their facilities and unalived everyone but him?"

"Girl, yes, and the damned facility doesn't even exist anywhere. It's a fucking vineyard that's managed by smart, powerful, and brutally hot women and it has been for a while. We aren't stupid. I think Saul and Hannibal were expecting a knee-jerk reaction where we all got violent without fact checking, but what do we say about losing our shit?

"Get all the facts before you get messy on or about someone because sometimes, they aren't worth it. Sometimes, they are starting shit to make a fool of you and my Jaminas and the Maenads are too smart for that. You might be human or you might be supernatural, but you all have your own kind of magic and can do anything you set your mind to. You don't need to be able to cast spells or shift into an animal to help bring a hate group down."

"He's right," Dionysus said. "I've been around thousands of years. Humans are insanely clever. If you're watching this and you're human, we love you. We know you aren't like Hannibal and his Coalition. We aren't asking you to put yourself in danger either. We'd never ask you to get hurt for us."

What exactly were they asking? Benji's idea of a plan was usually cobbled together in five seconds, bordered on insane, but was generally brilliant. Even I could admit there was an art to his fuckery with Sheriff Riddle, though I'd never tell him that and encourage him. Dionysus probably understood humans better than anyone here.

"Humans and supernaturals used to exist peacefully together. I watched this change and couldn't do much to change people's opinions. I lived through the witch burning hysteria and let me tell you something. A lot of innocent humans died, too.

"Now, there are going to be people riled up about what Hannibal and Saul are spinning. You can't tell humans and supernaturals apart unless supernaturals use magic in public and that only happens in extreme situations in his country.

"People are going to want to see enemies where there isn't one and they might start accusing their neighbors. I hope I'm wrong, but I saw this with witches and then again with the Red Scare. So, we just want you to keep an eye out. If you are in danger or you see someone in danger, we want you to DM one of us and drop us a pin. We can get there in an instant and help. We also want you to spread the word that New Eden Asylum never existed and that they are trying to incite violence. That's it."

It was a good plan and probably needed. But I was guessing Dionysus's Maenads were similar to Benji's Jaminas. Some of them were going to take this mission deadly serious and save a few lives. Some of them were going to engineer a situation where Benji or Dionysus swooped in to save them for social media clout.

Apparently, Benji thought of that.

"This is serious. These people stole my childhood. I haven't seen my parents since I was seven-years-old and I don't even know if they are still alive. These people have blinded or starved people I love. If you call either of us to save you and you aren't in danger or it's fake, we will utterly destroy you. We won't touch a single hair on your head, but trust me, when the entire world finds out you used a situation where we can potentially stop a hate group to fake getting rescued by hot guys for social media clout, you won't even want to be seen in public putting gas in your car. Don't do that shit."

"Seriously, don't. That's just gross. Kisses Maenads and Jaminas. Spread the word and if someone needs help, you have it."

It was gross. Did everyone understand that, though? Benji was the kind of crazy who kept breaking into the sheriff's house and stuffing shrimp in his curtain rods but he also thought wasting law enforcement resources because someone was just existing outside was morally reprehensible. Benji had made a few people internet famous for that. His followers were there when he did that, so they had to know he was serious about doing it to them because this was important to him.

Yeah, basically, I went straight to the comments.

Pinguismymaster: Poor Benji. Do you need me to kiss your trauma and make it all better? I'll be your eyes and ears here. No one will hurt a human or supernatural under my watch.

Witchinheels: I've always known those horns were real, big boy. And I've always known that was the real Dionysus. You can guess why. If I drop a pin, I'm not faking. I'll fight with you.

Shannon Foxtail: I'll be so stealthy. There's a Coalition facility across town. The older generation is the only thing keeping it open. You give the word and my friends will raze it to the ground. Also, how many of us want to be thrown around by a god right now?

Fking_autocorrect: Now that we know the horns are real, I'm pretty sure a lot of us want to get railed while holding onto those horns for dear life.

Babspuff: #hornyforthehorn

LaSolita: You can't use that hashtag. You stole it from one of Benji's books and it's not even about a demon. God, you are so unoriginal. This is why I unfollowed you.

Didge88: Why are y'all thirsty about his horns and trying to make fetch happen with a hashtag? He's had them this entire time, and this is serious. Honestly, some of us are here for the social commentary, not the thirst traps. We have the chance to do something great and y'all are thinking with your pussies.

Squishedfairy: Excuse you, some of us can multitask. I can sexually objectify two beautiful men and appreciate what they have to say.

Lunarwitch: Some of you need to focus because this affects some of us more than it affects you. A lot of you aren't in any danger of ending up in one of those places, but they took my parents. Benji and Dionysus will just embarrass you on social media, but I've got some super fucked-up hexes I can throw in a jar if I hear you called them out for social media clout.

LiliLaly: She means it and she's a petty little asshole.

CrazyWitchLady: Maybe you shouldn't try to get a witch's boyfriend to cheat with you. He's loyal to her, bitch.

Aradia-NightRaven: Maenads, can we focus? We've been given a job to team up with the Jaminas. This is an important job. We need to make a covenant.

AlleyKaty: The Jaminas are down but some of us aren't supernatural. We don't know what that is.

Berni: It's something the Maenads do. It's not a supernatural thing. One of us starts a roster. Everyone adds their name and promises to do or not do something. If someone breaks the covenant, the Maenads come for them. Trust me, you don't want to break the covenant.

Ericot : The Jaminas are in. Who is writing it?

Amelia: The Jaminas need to adopt this even when we aren't working with the Maenads because some of you don't know how to behave. Let's do this.

I exited out of the comments and turned to Benji and Dionysus.

"Do you trust your followers?"

" I don't trust some of them," Pax said. "Remember that guy who stalked you all the way to town and was asking around?"

"He was so cute," Benji giggled.

"He was not. He could have exposed us all!" I growled.

"There's probably going to be a few of them on both sides, but the majority of our followers are good people. When we're in the Underworld, it's going to have to be me that responds. The living have to take the ferry but gods can portal in and out."

"Speaking of, you should probably go," Jezebel said. "My bestie needs answers. We'll hold down the fort."

I leaned in to Dionysus.

"Do you trust Hephaestus and Athena to stay behind?"

Because I trusted Hephaestus. He practically adopted my mate and tried to help get her out. It was Athena I didn't quite trust yet.

"Hephaestus adores her like a daughter. Athena is a decent person. I know what she did and I'm not making excuses for her. She's still my half-sister, and she's trying to make it right."

I just grunted. We would see about that. I guess we were going to the Underworld.