My mom walked in with slumped shoulders until she smelled the food. Then she perked up immediately.
"Is that King's Palace hibachi I'm smelling?" She asked, walking into the dining room with a sudden bounce in her step.
"Nope, your nose is playing tricks on you," my dad said and met her in the doorway.
He pulled out a chair for her and finished filling a plate. Nix shot me a stunned glance. As if she had never seen someone do that before. I wondered if she had. When we sat down, I did the same for her. She hesitated before she sat, shooting me a suspicious glance.
"We're gentlemen in this house," I said, quoting my dad.
He looked over and gave me an approving nod before taking his seat next to my mom.
"So what's the occasion?" Nix asked as I took my seat beside her.
"We do this every other Friday. It's our payday treat to ourselves," my mom answered.
My dad nodded.
"It's our reward for handling our responsibilities. Some days, this is the only reason I go to work."
Nix looked at me confused as the three of us started laughing.
"The meal is cancelled if either of them calls off work during the two weeks."
She nodded her head slowly, now understanding what my dad meant.
"So, Phoenix, what prompted you to join us finally for dinner, and are you allergic to anything?" My mom asked as she started spooning fried rice onto her plate.
"I invited her to stay after I found her and Troy entangled on the couch, both of them fast asleep," my dad answered.
Nix's face turned tomato red, and I almost choked on the water I had started sipping.
"We weren't entangled," I said a little too loudly.
My dad laughed at my defensiveness.
"Oh really? I couldn't have pried you two apart with a crowbar. You looked peaceful though."
"No disrespect, Mr. Prince, but entangled is hyperbolic," Nix said.
My mom and dad looked at one another as if they were shocked.
"Did she just hit me with an SAT word?" my dad asked my mom.
She nodded.
"Yes, she did. Called you a liar in lawyer speak."
My dad folded his arms across his chest.
"Okay then, make your case. You tell me what I saw."
Nix nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. My eyes darted back and forth from Nix to my dad. This was the most fun I had had in weeks.
"You saw us sleeping, plain and simple. Also, I'm not allergic to anything," Nix said and sat back in her chair.
I scooped rice, veggies and chicken onto plates for me and Nix.
"So, are you two dating? I can't help but notice how close the two of you are. And that's before we get into the matter of the secret tattoo on my son's wrist," my mom said.
The spoon I was using clanged against the plate as I slapped my hand over my wrist. My dad gestured at me and broke into a laugh.
"It's too late to hide it. We noticed it days ago, silly."
I stared at him and my mom for a long, tense moment before slowly letting my arm go and picking the spoon back up. Nix nudged me. I looked at her.
"How do we answer that question?"
I shrugged my shoulders. I had no idea what the status of our relationship was. We were clearly more than just friends, but not quite exclusive. What did you call that?
"Uh oh, they're a social media status," my dad said, shaking his head.
"Let me guess, it's complicated," my mom said with a quiet chuckle.
That fit our situation perfectly. I opened my mouth to speak but thought better of it when I saw the flustered look on Nix's face.
"Well, I hope you two can figure it out in a way that preserves your friendship and makes you both happy," my mom said and started eating.
"Yes, and if that means falling in love and getting married, just know we support you," my dad said.
"No pressure though, right?" Nix said with a soft chuckle.
My dad waved her statement off.
"Absolutely none. No one was even talking about grandchildren."
Nix and I froze. My dad started eating his food as if he hadn't just said that out loud. My mom gave him a shove, and he spilled rice on his shirt.
"Don't listen to him. All we want is to know that everyone is okay and happy."
Her words fell heavy in my gut as if the last spoonful I ate was made of lead. Dinner went on in silence after that. I wanted to tell them what was going on with me, but I couldn't risk exposing Nix. Her secrets were hers to keep or share. As the night went on, however, I couldn't keep my silence. I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself to speak.
"I do have some news."
Nix looked at me through bugged eyes. I knew she was silently trying to tell me to shut up, but that wasn't how my family worked. We were open and honest.
"What do you need to tell us? She better not be pregnant," my mom said, narrowing her eyes at Nix.
Nix's hands shot up in surrender.
"No, it's nothing about her. I'm not like other people."
Under the table, I wiped my sweaty, trembling palms on my pant legs. I stared down at my plate, waiting for a response. Nix's hand crept into mine and gripped it tight. I looked over at her.
"Are you sure you wanna have this conversation?" she whispered.
I nodded. I wasn't really sure, but keeping something this important about myself felt wrong.
"Does this have anything to do with you having some kind of wind-based ability?" my mom asked.
I stared at her in shock. How did she always know things before I told her?
"How do you know about that?"
My mom swallowed hard.
"We...well, you kinda float in your sleep," she said as if she really didn't want to tell me.
Nix laughed and pointed at me.
"Ha, you sleep-float."
I ignored her and gave my attention back to my mom.
"When did I do that?"
I felt insulted. She may as well have said I eat my own boogers.
"Ever since you were little. It's not a big deal. Some kids wet the bed, you float while air shoots out of you," my dad said.
Nix doubled over laughing at his response.
"I love this conversation so much."
My parents' heads cocked to the side almost in unison.
"Young lady, why doesn't this surprise you?" my mom asked.
Nix choked on her laugh and sat up straight.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Now I was laughing. Let's see how she enjoyed having the spotlight on her.
"You heard her. Why doesn't any of this surprise you?" I said, pretending to hold a microphone up to her face.
"I'm umm, kinda the same way," Nix said, as if she was asking a question.
The room went silent again until my dad sat his fork down.
"What are the odds that she has wind powers too? Are we surrounded by people with powers? Do we have powers?" My dad asked and held his hands out to see if anything happened.
"Cut it out, Calvin. If you had powers, we would have known years ago," my mom said and pushed his hand down.
"Actually, you're off on both counts. I don't just have wind powers, and Nix doesn't have them at all," I said.
I explained everything that had happened since my birthday. I left out the part where Nix burned my wrist and gave me the tattoo to cover it up. Instead, I said the Spartan had scarred me, and she covered it up. They sat still and listened until I stopped talking.
"So you're saying you could melt this table right now if you felt like it?" My dad asked as soon as I was quiet for too long?
"My mom palmed her forehead.
"Your son tells you that the Olympian gods are not only real, but they are after him, and what you want to know is can he melt this table?"
My dad shrugged.
"He's clearly a man with his priorities in order," Nix said.
"Seriously though, what happens if you can't defeat one of the challengers they send after you?" my dad asked.
I looked at both of them with all the sincerity I could muster.
"In that case, being your son was the best gift anyone could've ever given me."