First Estate Bk 02 Destinys Child

This is the first chapter of "Destiny's Child." It is book two of the "First Estate" trilogy. This one is going to take me a while. If readers will not pester and rush, I will post chapters. This may take me a year to finish. I have been asked by many to post it, so here it is.

I must thank my editors, PapaKilo14, Hal, Olddave1951 GeorgeAnderson and Sbrooks103. Harddaysknight is my mentor and gives me peer review.

*****

Something was making Benson Stephens sleep uneasily. He felt that he should wake up for some reason, but he didn't want to. It had been an exhausting week and he always slept in on Saturday. The party the night before hadn't helped his awareness any, but try as he might to recapture that very nice dream he was having, he became more and more aware. There was a buzzing near the bed somewhere and he realized that it was his phone, vibrating on the table. He reached out his hand and squinted at the screen. It said "New text from Mom."

He groaned. She never made much of an attempt to keep the time difference straight. He made the screen go away and saw that it was six in the morning. It was eleven AM for her. No doubt, it was something trivial but he opened the text. It said, "Call home."

That wasn't a big surprise. If he didn't call every few days, she would remind him. Benson loved his mother, but she kept track of him way too closely. He was awake now, so he got up and spent half an hour becoming human. He called his mother's cell but it went straight to voicemail. He called the home number and a girl answered. He couldn't tell which one.

"Hey, sis," he said. "What's up?"

There was an excited squeal on the other end of the line and he could tell right away that it was Greyson. He could hear a male voice in the background and it sounded like one of his twin brothers. Regan had a little deeper voice than Reynolds but unless you heard them both speaking at the same time, it was hard to tell which was which. Greyson, he could tell. There was no one else in the world that was so excited to talk to him. She was excited to talk to any one of her siblings or parents for that matter. He hadn't ever met anyone she didn't love and it made him feel warm to talk to her.

"Greyson, it's too early in the morning for you. I love you, but let me talk to Regan or Reynolds, whichever one that is I hear talking.

He heard her call Regan and he instantly regretted saying what he had.

"Hey, sis; you still there?"

"Yes, when are you coming home, Benson."

"I'm sorry I said that, babe. I love to talk to you but I'm hung over, it's six o'clock in the morning and you've got way too much energy for me right now. I'll be home in three weeks."

"That's okay, Benson. I'm not mad."

"No, you never are; no matter how mean I am to you. You're the sweetest person I know."

He could almost hear her blushing. "Here's Regan. It's Benson, Regan."

That big booming voice hurt his head. The twins were nearly seven feet tall and they had lungs to match.

"Hey, Ben," Regan said. "What's my puny little brother doing up so early in the morning?"

"Feeling puny," Benson said. "Mom sent me a text and told me to call home. She didn't answer her phone though."

"She's on the phone with Aunt Boston. Can she call you back?"

"Yes, but what's going on?"

"I better let her tell you. I don't want to usurp her motherly prerogatives."

"Got it," Benson said. "I've got something to do at two, but anytime until then."

"Cancel it," Regan told him. "I think you're coming home."

It turned out that he wasn't going home at all. He was going to Clipperton Island and all his brothers and sisters were going there, too. He had no idea where Clipperton Island was, but his mom gave him GPS coordinates and told him to manifest there. She told him it was uninhabited, so he should pack gear.

Benson packed what was his camping gear and began to fade from sight. He never thought much about it. His father was half angel and his mother was a Siren. He had been able to do things humans couldn't since he was five, and becoming invisible was the smallest of those.

The GPS coordinates turned out to be a little wet. Benson was disoriented for a minute when he dropped into the ocean twenty yards from shore. He quickly adjusted and he was dripping on the bench.

Regan and Reynolds were twenty feet away laughing like hyenas.

"Very funny guys," he said. "Let me guess, you fed Mom the wrong coordinates?"

"We just thought you might be in the mood for a little swim," Reynolds chortled.

"It was very... invigorating," Benson said. "Are we the only ones that made it?"

"No, Greyson is over there," Regan indicated down the beach.

Benson looked and saw her lying face down on a towel. She had a bikini on and a bottle of water sat beside her. He left the two practical jokers to their amusement and walked down to Greyson. She turned to look as she felt his shadow cast over her. She jumped up when she saw him and threw herself on him.

"Whoa there, cowgirl," he laughed. "It's great to see you. Let me look at you."

She held her hands up over her head and twirled for him. She was about five eight and she always seemed short around her siblings. Her red bikini hugged a body to die for. She was always a deep tan and her teeth flashed white in her dark complexion. She had her mother's blonde, nearly white hair and violet eyes.

"You're more beautiful every time I see you," he told her. "Let me kiss you."

She was always willing to be kissed, and she pulled him down on her towel. They caught up for a while. She was aware of nearly everything that he was doing and he was the same with her. She mind talked with him nearly every day. She had the strongest mental powers of any of her siblings.

"Are the other girls coming?" he asked her.

"Yes, they had finals this morning and they'll be here as soon as they finish."

They had another set of twin sisters that were also Benson's aunts, just older than he was and just younger than his brothers. Their brother Orion was only a year younger than they were. Greyson was the oldest and he had another half-sister that was the baby.

"What about Sloan? Is she coming?"

"I don't know," Greyson confessed. "She's in one of her bratty moods. 'I don't just jump when Sagan tells me to'."

I groaned. "She better jump when Lilith tells her to. If Sloan makes her mad she's likely to get nasty."

"Yes, I don't like to make Lilith angry."

"You never make anyone angry, Greyson. You're perfect. Anyone that's angry with you needs their head examined."

She blushed. She did that a lot. Benson loved making that happen. She had never really learned to take a compliment. It always confused her a little. Benson really did think she was perfect. He could never remember her being in trouble. He couldn't ever remember being angry with her either. She was too sweet to be mad at. She refused to go along with anything she didn't like, but she never ratted any of her siblings out, either. She never revealed a confidence, never scolded anyone or argued with anyone. She did her own thing and you never quite knew what she was thinking. She was completely honest and she was his best friend. She could even be fierce. When the twins went too far with the pranks, she always protected him when he was little. They were a little bit afraid of her.

Benson's family situation was very unusual, to say the least. His father, Parker, was a Nephilim, half angel, half-human. His mother, Sagan, was a Siren, a human with angel blood, immense powers and an ageless beauty. The twins, Regan and Reynolds were his full brothers. Greyson was something different. Her mother, Mariha was an angel, the original package. They didn't know her father, but they knew he was an ancient Nephilim. She viewed Parker as her father and he had been all her life. Her father had a double dose of angel blood on both sides and she was nearly full angel stock. The twin girls, Landreth and Lexington, were his aunts. Their mother, Lilith was also Benson's grandmother. She was one of the original Nephilim and a being of such complexity that Benson was in awe of her. She was the coolest person he'd ever met. Her youngest son, Orion, was not among Benson's favorite people. Orion had a nasty temper and seemed to almost enjoy being douche bag to everyone around him. He feared his older relatives, Greyson and the twin boys; and was deferential to his older sisters. Sloan and Benson were the objects of his derision.

Sloan was, again, his half-sister, their father being Parker, but her mother was Boston who was also his aunt and his mother's sister. She was his youngest sibling at 21. Her mother was a capricious little gypsy, and her daughter was doubly so. When she was in a social mood, she was the most fun to be around of all Benson's siblings. When she was feeling cantankerous, she was impossible. She didn't get along well with either set of twins and Benson and Greyson were her closest friends.

The idea that they were all going to be together on this island for an indeterminate amount of time didn't exactly thrill Benson. He loved his brothers, but they wore on a person after a while. He was thrilled to get to spend time with Greyson, Landreth and Lexington, and Sloan. Orion, he would just as soon be half a world away.

He walked on the beach with Greyson while the twins snorkeled and she held his hand.

"I've really been missing you, Benson," she told him. "I hate you being so far away."

"Come and stay with me," he said. "Your accent is getting atrocious anyway. Some time in America would be good for you."

"I'd love to, and I will. Thanks for inviting me. I have 17 trainees that we're trying to get through to right now. I have seven humans, Boston has five demons and Mom is dealing with five Watchers."

"How come you have so many? Give some of them to Lilith and Mom. It's so like you, Greyson. You take way too much responsibility. You let people impose on your good nature. Can't the twins help you?"

"They do help, but they don't take things very seriously, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, everything's a big joke to them."

"Yes, they're very funny, but sometimes I don't feel like funny."

"Me either. I like serious little blonde girls that are only occasionally funny; gorgeous ones that hold my hand most of all."

She blushed again. "Why do you always try to embarrass me, Ben?"

"I don't. I really do think you're perfect, Greyson. Why don't you just say, 'Thank you, Ben,' and kiss me?"

She looked up at him shyly. "Thank you, Benson, you're very sweet." She pressed her lips to his briefly.

"Well, sweet wasn't exactly what I was going for," he laughed "More like, wickedly handsome or charmingly seductive."

"Yes, that, too," she said. "Landreth and Lexington just arrived. Let's go say hi."

"How could you tell?" he asked her.

"I feel their presence."

"You're amazing. I don't know anyone else that's as good as you are at that. Not even Aunt Mariha."

"I've been training longer than anyone else. I'm much older than you, Benson."

"You're not older than your mother or Dad or Mom or Boston. You're just better."

"I think it has something to do with being a Reaper," she said. "I don't know anyone else that's as good as you at manipulating the Presence. Landreth is better than anyone else is at fighting, Lexington can do things with electricity that no one else can. Reynolds can do more with fire than anyone else can, and Regan could destroy whole cities with earthquakes. Orion is better with air than anyone else and Sloan is better with signs and symbols. Every one of us is the best there is at what we do. You can do everything well, Ben. You are the Child of Destiny."

"Yeah, I keep telling myself that. I can't even get my favorite sister to come and spend a week with me."

She laughed and Landreth and Lexington popped in. They threw themselves on their siblings and Lexington picked Benson up. She held him like a baby and kissed him before repeating the process with Greyson. Landreth didn't pick them up but she gave them rib-cracking hugs.

They were Amazons. Tall and muscular, all long leg and bare brown flesh. They had on spandex workout shorts and cropped tops, leaving sculpted abs bare, but Lexington's was the mirror image of Landreth's in black and white. Their long, flaming red hair made you expect them to be pale gingers, but they didn't have freckles and they had naturally dark complexions.

"Orion is here," Greyson said.

"Well, shit," Lexington said. "Here we were just starting to have fun."

"I love Orion. He's very nice to me," Greyson said.

"Of course you do. You love everyone and they can't help being nice to you," Landreth said.

"That's not true," Greyson objected. "I quite dislike Barachiel."

Barachiel was an angel that they saw frequently, and her mother's brother.

"He's exactly like Orion," Benson told her.

Any further conversation was cut off by the arrival of the archangel, Michael. He manifested them all around their things in the grass at the edge of the beach. He looked them over.

"Where is the Reaper, Sloan?" he asked.

"Late or not coming," Reynolds said.

"This is unacceptable."

"Well, maybe you could just pull her in," Landreth suggested.

"Yes, I shall." The archangel was silent for a moment. "She seems to be warded. Does anyone know where she is?"

"Yes," Orion said. "She's on Dad's houseboat in Austin."

Michael went still and suddenly Sloan appeared.

"What the hell, Michael?" she was only half dressed. She had on a pair of shorts and a bra. "What's wrong with you? I was just getting in the shower. I told Mom I wasn't coming."

"This is unacceptable," he said.

"Well, put me back. I have a date tonight."

"I'm afraid it's been cancelled," he told her. "The young man in question is... indisposed."

"What does that mean? Did you make him sick or something?"

"No, he discovered that you were also dating his business rival and he doesn't want to see you again. Neither of them do."

"Damn you Michael, you told them, didn't you?"

"They received anonymous emails. The identity of the sender was not disclosed. There were pictures. You should present yourself when summoned."

"Well, put me back anyway. I'm not doing this now."

"I'm afraid you are," he told her. "If you don't, I will compel you to walk into your club and announce that you are having a breakdown and you are committing yourself to an institution. This will be the end of your little hobby."

Benson intervened. He stepped up to Sloan and pulled her up against him, her feet leaving the ground. He tangled one hand in the mane of black hair behind her head and crushed her lips with his. He kissed her fiercely for a minute and felt her hands go behind his own head.

He pulled his face back an inch but continued to hold her. "Hello, Sloan. I've missed you," he told her.

"Yeah, me too," she said. "If I had known I was going to get a greeting like that, I'd have shown up in Cambridge months ago."

Greyson walked to them and embraced her sister. "Hello, baby. I've missed you too. I'm so glad you're here."

Sloan melted into Greyson's arms. "Hey, sis. I'm always glad to see you. I know what you're doing. It's working. I'm so glad to see you right now I can't stay mad. Okay, I'll stay. Michael, if you pull any shit like this again I'm going to make you think your wings are melting." She went over and threw her arms around the archangel. "I am glad to see you."

Benson got a t-shirt out of his pack and gave it to her.

"I am impervious to your mind tricks," Michael told her. "It is good to see you, too, little Reaper."

"Well, now that we've got the lovey-dovey on and we're all here, why don't you tell us why we're here?" Orion said.

Sloan looked at him. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. If I had known you were going to be here I'd have dressed nice." She sauntered over to him and reached out as if to caress his cheek. At the last minute, she flicked his nose with a sharp nail.

He yelped and stumbled back. She walked over to the two sets of twins and hugged them. Orion surged toward her but she was in Reynolds arms and a lifted eyebrow from his giant brother stopped him in his tracks.

"Today, we are going to fight," Michael said. "It is going to be a real fight. You are going to get hurt, maybe even killed. I will heal you or resurrect you as required. Tomorrow, we are going to fight again. We are going to do this until you survive every encounter I give you."

Everyone except Landreth groaned. She was smiling. "What will we be fighting?" she asked.

"We will begin with a demon. Your second opponent will be the seraphim, Azaih, and your third opponent will be the Archangel, Michael; the Prince of War. When you have dealt with these three opponents, you will face all three together. Who wants to begin?"

Oniah appeared. She was a demon convert; the first demon convert. "Hi, kids," she said. "Come and see me when you get back home."

"This isn't fair," Orion said. "Oniah isn't a demon. She's a Nephilim again. She has full powers."

"I suppose you imagine that fighting Nephilim is somehow easy?" Michael asked. "She retains demonic abilities as well as her natural abilities. She is an excellent fighter. Should you survive her, you will be well equipped to deal with other demons or Nephilim. Would you rather I summon Lilith?"

"Um, no, actually we're good," Orion decided.

"You have chosen wisely. She would destroy you all. Master Orion, I take it you are volunteering?"

"When did I say that? I volunteer Sloan."

A pearly glow surrounded Oniah and Orion. "You may begin," Michael said.

There was a flash and Orion was on fire. He screamed and the fire died, but Oniah was on him. Her mouth was filled with three-inch fangs and she had grown claws like Freddy from Nightmare on Elm Street. Orion's guts spilled onto the sand and she decapitated him.

"Well, that didn't go so well," Sloan said. "Do you have to put him back?"

"Yes, he is required," Michael said.

His head reattached and his wounds closed. He stood up and shook his head. "What was I supposed to do about that? She's too fast and she can morph."

"So can you," Michael said. "You control the air. Slap her around with it. Smother her; make it solid so she can't move. Do something or she's going to kill you again." He raised his hand. "Begin!"

She leaped toward him, but her momentum slowed half way there as he thickened the air. She went out of Presence and appeared behind him. Her claws sunk into his back and he screamed. She bit him and tore one arm nearly off. Another slash and his head rolled again. Michael put him back together.

"Hey, bro, I think you lost your head again," Reynolds taunted him.

"I've got this," Orion said. "Let's go again."

"Now you're talking," Benson told him. "Take her out, Orion. Sorry Oniah."

She smiled at him and disappeared. Orion did the same. Nothing visible happened for a while. The sand began to swirl and a miniature tornado formed inside the shield. The wind was obviously blowing hard in there. Orion became visible and Oniah dropped in behind him again. The wind slapped her away and she slammed against the shield and disappeared. He began to chant and the air shimmered. Heat waves rose from the sand and twigs and leaves combusted. She became visible again. He was slammed down as she materialized on top of him but it appeared that she was being choked by an invisible rope.

She made signs in the air and the rope released her. Orion rose and did a handstand. "I have him controlled," she told Michael. "What do you want me to do?"

"Make him beat the shit out of himself," Sloan cheered.

"No, release him," Benson said.

"He appears to be releasing himself," she said doubtfully. She was obviously struggling and her nose began to bleed. She vanished and he stood up. He disappeared too and nothing else happened for 20 minutes. Michael declared it a draw. The shield dropped and they both appeared. He healed them and everyone applauded.