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At the dinner table, the little orange cat, oblivious to the catastrophe it had just caused, happily devoured its share of the meat, eating just like any ordinary kitten.
Leo sat in a chair beside it, shirtless. Diana, now in a fresh set of home clothes, stood behind him and asked softly, "How do you feel now?"
"I feel like I want to eat everything," Leo said, his eyes fixed on the food in front of him.
"Then eat," Diana replied, stepping back.
Leo took a deep breath, and then—
The skin on his back suddenly split open, and from the hideous, bloody gash, eight tentacles writhed and grew. They shot forward, and in a single, terrifying motion, devoured everything on the table—the food, the plates, the silverware, even the tablecloth.
It was over in a second.
Leo retracted his tentacles, looking for all the world like a normal person again, except for the cold, soul-devouring cyan light that now shone in his pupils.
"And now?" Diana asked, running her slender, pale fingers across the skin of his back.
"Nothing at all," he said, touching his stomach. "I didn't feel any of the things the tentacles just swallowed."
"Then it must be what I thought it was," Diana said, nodding. She looked at the little orange cat, which was still happily eating. "It's a Flerken."
"A Flerken?" Leo blinked.
"Yes. It's a species from outer space. My mother mentioned them once, but I don't know much about them. Only that in their natural form, they look like the cats on this planet, but they possess a terrible ability. They can swallow enormous things into a pocket dimension unique to their race."
"This species is very dangerous," Diana said, her eyes narrowing in thought. "I don't know why one would be here on Earth."
"Really? I don't think Ginger is that dangerous," Leo said, thinking back. "If she was, she would have used her ability to swallow me when I first found her in the park. And just now in the bathroom, she just bit me like a normal cat. She didn't try to devour me."
"So, you've decided to keep her?"
Leo looked at the little orange cat. "Since she's an alien species, wouldn't it be more dangerous to leave her outside? If she stays with us, at least we can teach her."
"That's true," Diana agreed.
She had another thought as well. If the Flerken truly grew attached to Leo, it could serve as his protector, or as a medium to provide him with its abilities.
"So, what are you going to do tonight?" Diana asked. "Can you control the tentacles?"
"Probably… not," Leo said, spreading his hands. "As long as I'm near something, the tentacles instinctively want to swallow it. It's like breathing. An instinct that's not so easy to control."
It was just like when he had gotten her demigod abilities. The powers weren't his own, so he couldn't just turn them on and off at will.
"I don't know if this will be over in four hours," he said, a little uncertain. This time, it wasn't an indirect trigger. It was a direct exchange of fluids with the Flerken. If it lasted all night, he wouldn't be able to sleep. He'd lie down in bed, and the next second, the bed would be swallowed up and exiled to another dimension. Who could live like that?
"I have an idea," Diana said suddenly.
In the room next to Leo's, the air was filled with the unique scent of violets.
Leo lay on the ice-blue duvet, his naked upper body faintly glowing. The golden Lasso of Truth was wrapped around him, binding his arms to his sides.
Diana, wearing a silk nightgown, sat on the edge of the bed, reading a book on archaeology by the dim light of the bedside lamp.
"So, this is your idea?" Leo asked, his voice muffled by the fact that he couldn't move. He was speechless.
"Go to sleep," she said.
"Okay," he said, and closed his eyes. It had been a long time since he had slept in the same room as his aunt. It was warm—strangely so.
Under the dim, warm light, his aunt wore only a thin, silk nightgown. Her graceful, moving curves were all visible, her two slender, pale legs crossed at the ankle.
Who could possibly sleep?
"What's the matter?" Diana asked, still turning the pages of her book.
"Nothing," he started to say, but the words that came out of his mouth were different. "Auntie, you're so beautiful, I…"
The room fell silent. Diana's hand froze on the page, her stunning face stiffening slightly. Leo's mind went blank.
What did I just say?
"Don't worry," Diana said, a faint blush on her cheeks. "The Lasso of Truth is bound to you. Anyone bound by it must speak their truth when asked a question."
"Oh, right," he laughed, wishing he could crawl under the bed.
Don't worry? How can I not worry?
"How was school today?" Diana asked, deliberately changing the subject.
Bound by the lasso, he answered honestly. "It was okay. Nami was angry at me for some reason. And a younger girl named Kayla confessed to me in front of everyone."
A subtle silence filled the room. Diana was quiet for a moment, then asked softly, "And… do you like this girl?"
"I've only met her twice," he said, the truth pouring out of him. "I can't say if I like her or not. But my impression of her is pretty good."
"You are at that age, after all," Diana said, closing her book with a slight smile. "If you think a girl is nice, you should take the opportunity."
"I think my aunt is very nice," he said suddenly.
Diana's body trembled slightly. She put down her book, reached out, and turned off the bedside lamp. "Go to sleep," she said calmly in the darkness.
Leo didn't speak again. Was that last sentence forced out by the lasso, or was it something he would have said anyway, regardless of their relationship?
He didn't know. He only knew that it was the truth he most wanted to tell her.
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