"Fascinating! I wonder if there's anything actually magical going on with all demigods then, or if the enhanced strength and whatnot are just the result of half their DNA being basically custom-designed."

"Some aspects of the demigod package—the perception through the Mist, the response to nectar and ambrosia—are unambiguously magical, but yeah, the genetics of the strength and constitution are a hot topic in medical research in our bases and at New Rome University.

One hypothesis is that, when a god impersonates a human and sleeps with one, whatever gametes they release are the best possible ones the human they're impersonating could've produced. Best in the sense of being most fit for the tasks demigods are meant for; our psychology is such that we're mostly diagnosed with ADHD or dyslexia, but that's because those are the natural costs of optimizing for warrior mindset."

"Is it antisemitic of me to wonder if a disproportionate amount of psychiatrists are secretly monsters?"

"Lol, insert that one Nixon quite here."

(She actually says "lol" with her flesh mouth.)

Will laughs and fist bumps her.

"A disproportionate number of child psychiatrists are. Same with teachers, youth pastors, juvenile detention guards, and so on. Any role with power over kids."

"Ugh, I know an adult psychiatrist who's a monster, though. A telkhine. Kinda my archnemesis, ever since I killed him and he pulled off a too-fast respawn when Gaea opened the Doors of Death."

Raven clears her throat.

"Lauren, care to show your weapon?"

"I'd rather save it for when I can actually fry some baddies."

"Check this out, tho," she says to Katie with a smirk as she pulls the strings of her hoodie and vanishes.

(She gives the distinct impression of having, in fact, specifically said "tho" without the "ugh".)

A few seconds later, a finger very gently pokes Katie in the belly, and a voice from nowhere says "hey".

"OHFUCK!" Katie flails around, then assumes a combat stance, then after she's had a second or two for her brain to process what just happened she relaxes slightly. "God damnit, don't do that again. I could've fallen and cracked my skull open on the pavement."

Lauren reappears.

"Awww, I'm sorry. Won't do it again."

"Good warrior instincts, though. I wonder what we could make of you with some performance enhancing drugs," she says, with a meaningful glance at Hope.

"Only if she's cool with it," Hope replies to Raven.

To Katie: "we do have lots of options on that front, if you're interested. Stuff mortals don't have, because magic is involved in the manufacturing process."

waow hot women complimenting her. "I mean like, the mortal ones tend to have unpleasant side effects, y'know, particularly for cis women. Doesn't look like you guys are suffering from them, but you're demigods so you presumably don't need the drugs."

"I use 'em, actually!" Lauren pipes up. "Just cause demigod women can reach peak human strength naturally doesn't mean I wanna spend all that time in the gym.

Side effects—everything has some side effects, it just depends which ones you personally don't mind. The one I use is has magic in its manufacturing; it promotes really easy muscle growth, but also encourages the accunulation of fat. Some people do go for T, if they don't think the side effects there are unpleasant, but it's rare.

Even with only mortal options, masculinization is avoidable if people just weren't woke moralists about it. Google 'SARMs' someday."

Raven rolls her eyes at "woke moralists", though an affectionate smile remains on her face.

Gwen makes air quotes at "if people just", also without any malice on her face.

"Yeah, mortal medical regulation is unfairly biased against 'enhancenent' rather than 'treatment'."

Accumulation of fat, you say? Katie doesn't comment on this though, still too much of a touchy subject and there's a new topic she wants to bring up. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. If you guys are like, the Illuminati of feminism, then we need to replace 'patriarchy' with a better term. I've been complaining about this for years. 'Patriarchy' is too technical-sounding, it brings to mind some secret council of 1950s sitcom dads meeting in a smoke-filled room to brainstorm new toxic beauty standards, which primes people to roll their eyes. The conservatives, by contrast, struck gold with 'woke'. Just the sound of it gets across the idea that it's not some organized institution, it's a vibe that lives in people's hearts."

"I just call 'em barbarians."

"Well, they are, but you shouldn't say it."

"Lauren's right. Katie, this would be fascinating to think about later, but for now can we finish the demonstrations so we can get inside and start signing papers? For my magic, I could... levitate you, or turn you into a toad or not, or demonstrate my hypnotic voice. Any of those sound good?"

"First one please. Just be careful." Even when it's a hot woman Katie would be stupid not to remain cautious about literal mind control.

Raven once again removes her gun from her purse and turns it into a wand. She starts swirling it around in little circles.

"While I warm up, there is one more weapon to show. Willie, if you would?"