Chapter 68 – A Night at the Bar
It was already night when Dante opened a portal to MacLaren's bar, stepping out into a quiet, little-trafficked alley behind the building. The cool evening air hit him immediately, carrying the faint scent of rain from earlier in the day and the distant hum of New York traffic. He stretched his arms high above his head, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck with a satisfied groan as the portal shimmered closed behind him.
"Well," he muttered to himself, "let's go see the gang. It's been about two weeks since we last saw each other we've only talked on the phone. Seems like Ted failed miserably and only managed to become friends so far. But if I'm not mistaken, it took him a long time and a ton of effort before he finally started dating her. Poor Ted, so much effort."
Dante shook out his arms one last time, adjusted the collar of his dark jacket, and walked the short distance to the bar's entrance. The familiar neon sign glowed warmly above the door, and the muffled sound of laughter and music leaked out every time someone entered or left. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The bar was comfortably busy not packed, but lively enough that the energy felt right. Almost immediately, he spotted the group at their usual booth near the back. Lily was mid-sentence, gesturing animatedly while talking to Marshall. Robin sat across from them, nursing a drink and half-listening. Barney lounged next to Ted, probably in the middle of one of his signature stories, and Ted looked mildly exasperated but amused.
Lily noticed Dante first. Her face lit up, and she waved enthusiastically over the noise. "Hey, Dante! We're over here!"
Dante smiled genuine and relaxed and made his way through the scattered tables toward them. Robin, who had been staring into her glass, looked up at Lily's call. Her eyes landed on Dante, and for a split second her expression froze. Tall, tanned, dark blue-black hair falling just right, muscular frame filling out his jacket perfectly, and those unmistakable golden eyes that seemed to catch every light in the room.
Robin said in shock, almost under her breath: "Who is he?"
Barney, catching the reaction instantly, leaned toward Ted with a wicked grin and teased: "Looks like your mission just got a lot harder, buddy."
Ted rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Barney I only see Robin as a friend now."
Barney grinned wider. "Yes, that's as true as me saying I'm going to stop wearing suits.
By then Dante had reached the table. He pulled up a spare chair from a nearby empty spot, sat down casually at the edge of their booth, and smiled at everyone. "So, guys, how's everyone doing?"
Lily beamed. "We're great. And you? Did you sort everything out?"
Marshall nodded. "Yeah, you mentioned you had some family stuff to take care of."
Dante leaned back slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Everything's resolved. It took a little work okay, a lot of work but it's all good now."
Ted said warmly: "That's great to hear, man. Good to have you back. We missed you around here."
Dante smiled. "Thanks for the concern." He then turned his attention to Robin, meeting her eyes directly. "So you're the famous Robin." He extended his hand across the table. "Nice to meet you. Ted talks about you a lot."
Robin, finally snapping out of her momentary shock, reached over and shook his hand firmly. "Nice to meet you too."
Dante looked around the group again and asked: "So, guys, anything new happen with you all?"
Barney jumped in immediately. "Well, our great friend Ted here went out with a porn actress."
Ted groaned. "It wasn't really dating. It was just one date. We just went to dinner."
Lily said with a smirk: "Say what you want about porn actresses, but it's an industry that works hard."
Dante raised an eyebrow and looked at Ted. "But Ted, so you hooked up with her? Because if you did, I can recommend a good hospital for some tests to make sure you didn't catch anything sexually transmitted."
Ted laughed, shaking his head. "You're exaggerating, man. It wasn't that big a deal. And nothing happened anyway."
Barney looked genuinely horrified. "Ted, you turned down a porn actress? Have you lost your mind? Friendship over."
Dante watched Barney's dramatic reaction and asked, genuinely confused: "Wait, why do you guys think it's so amazing to hook up with a porn actress?"
Barney stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "My friend, get ready because I'm about to teach you the legendary advantages of sleeping with a porn star."
Lily cut in immediately. "No, you're not teaching him anything, Barney. You already corrupted Ted you're not doing the same to Dante."
Ted, offended, protested: "What? I wasn't corrupted. I was—"
He turned to Marshall for backup. Marshall shrugged. "Well, buddy, I can't exactly disagree that you've been affected by Barney."
Ted looked shocked.
Barney leaned in with a grin. "Teddy, accept it. Now you're my wingman brother, and we're going to live legendary adventures together."
Dante chuckled softly. "Well, it's nice to see you guys have so much fun."
Lily smiled at him. "And you, Dante? How are things with your girlfriend?"
Dante leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, everything's fine. Margaret's been pretty focused on her career lately, so we haven't had much time for dates. Otherwise I would've introduced her to you guys."
Lily said: "That's too bad. I'm really looking forward to meeting her. Right, Marshall? Finally we have a friend we can invite for a couples' dinner."
Marshall nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice."
Robin, overhearing the exchange, felt a strange pang in her chest. She thought: So he's dating. Then I lost before I even started. But of course he'd be in a relationship. With that appearance, it's hard to imagine he doesn't have a girlfriend. I was still betting he had no commitments.
Barney, never one to let a moment pass without mischief, leaned forward. "You guys are all so normal. We've got to enjoy life and not just settle down with dating. So, Robin, why don't we make a bet? I give you a hundred bucks if you say 'nipples' live on air. You in?"
Dante watched Barney's antics with amusement, a small smile tugging at his lips as he thought: It's nice to have time for fun after getting involved with supernatural stuff like Zeus, the lightning thief mission, and the whole Bella situation. It's good to just relax and have fun once in a while.
The group laughed, the conversation flowing easily back into their usual rhythm of teasing, stories, and inside jokes. Dante leaned back in his chair, letting the warmth of the bar and the company wash over him. For the first time in weeks, everything felt... normal. And for a dragon who had just ripped out his own heart to save his sister and stared down gods, normal was exactly what he needed.