Okay, so, this I literally don't own a thing in this story, the original characters aren't mine, the Greek gods and goddesses aren't mine, and the original idea isn't mine either, but a friend's. I just own the written work.

So, my friend and I were talking and he simply brought up the matter that Dionysius risked pretty much everything he valued to be with that nympgh, and he came up with the idea as to why Zeus wanted them separated, saying that Dionysius really did love that nymph. The idea was too cute not to write it.

And here it is at last! Hope you enjoy it!

Red Hair and Brown Eyes

Love story was not something commonly heard in Mount Olympus. Marriages lasted because a divorce was something impossible to get, and what held couples together was not love, but duty.

However, once every couple of hundreds of years, one of the Olympians actually fell in love. Sometimes it was with the person they were legally married, but most of times it was with someone from outside their marriage.

–*–*–

The first time Dionysius saw her, it was during one of the annual Summer Equinox meetings.

She was a peppermint nymph, and she had been serving drinks, with the brightest smile and most beautiful red-hair he'd ever seen. To go along with that, her brown eyes dazzled as she turned to face the light, changing from a dark brown to a light color.

Ariadna and he had fought the previous night over a simple nonsense, and being with her while faking his hands weren't turning into fists each time he heard Arianna's voice was simply driving him crazy.

Sigda –that was the nymph's name– on the other side, was a young nymph with a round and smiley face that maybe out of pure ingenuousness didn't seem intimidated by the gods, even when it was the first time she had actually stepped into Mount Olympus and was assisting them.

It was just a matter of time before both Dionysius and Sigda had left the dining room in search for one of those precious, private gardens Olympus hid. Curiously enough, one that had grape vines running down the walls instead of flowers.

–*–*–

Zeus wasn't one of those parents who kept himself constantly informed of what his children did or about their love affairs. Heck, he could hardly remember the order in which they'd been born.

This time, however, he did.

The night after Sigda and Dionysius had first met, Zeus called his son to his presence and strictly ordered him to stay away from that nymph.

Dionysius could not understand why was it that Zeus even bothered to intrude in his very personal life.

He knew it was not because of the fact that he was married to Ariadna. Zeus was married to Hera as well, and that didn't stop him from having affairs now and then with every woman he considered worth his time. Heck, he, Dionysius, was a product of one of those affairs himself.

When he left his father's place, Dionysius was fuming.

No, whatever Zeus said, it was not going to stop him from seen Sigda again. What was the worst that all man could do to him, anyways?

–*–*–

This time, however, Zeus did have a reason for his prohibition, and it was not fuelled by anything but concern for his son's wellness.

He had lied to Dionysius by telling him that the reason for his prohibition was that he, Zeus, was interested in Sigda, as if there were not a thousand other more nymphs and dryads that pleased his likes better than that peppermint nymph.

The truth was, though, that Apollo, another of his off-marriage sons, had given Zeus a prediction about Dionysius' affair with a nymph, one that would imminently end up in disaster.

Zeus had forbidden the gods to stay with their mortal children and lovers due to the fact that it was impossible for them to maintain their responsibilities as a god and at the same time carry on with a mortal life.

That was why every love affair that a god had with any creature that was not another god –and preferably the one god they were married to– was destined to fail and to go to waste after a couple of encounters.

Apollo's prophecy, as well, talked about the incapacity of Dionysius to have a stable relationship with Sigda and at the same time fulfill what was expected of him as a god.

If he allowed himself to fall in love with the red-headed nymph, in the end it would all come to a decision, and someone, a god, would not choose well. Dionysius' punishment could go from losing the immortality he had acquired thanks to Zeus after being born a demigod to completely disappearing.

So Zeus had done the only thing he knew: he had forbidden his son to see her again, not knowing the consequences that his actions would bring.

–*–*–

Zeus' prohibition proved itself useless when two months after that first encounter Dionysius was seen with Sigda again in Long Beach, New York.

This time, Zeus was not as patient and comprehensive as the previous one, though he didn't try being honest either.

For the first time in centuries, he felt the need of protecting one of his children. He wanted to tell Dionysius he was trying to guard him, but all that kept coming from his mouth were lies and threats in the form of screams and reprimands.

In the end, and before he could even second-think what he was about to say he warned Dionysius about what would eventually become his next movement: if he dared see Sigda again, he would be disobeying direct, strict orders from him, the king of gods, and he would face the consequences of it.

–*–*–

That threat also proved as useless as if it hadn't even left Zeus' mouth after two months or so, and the king of gods had to make his warning valid, forbidding Dionysius to ingest any kid of alcoholic beverage for the first number he could think of, which came out to be a hundred years.

He thought that it would be enough. Dionysius was the god of wine, he wouldn't have risked that only for a woman, Zeus thought, sure of his victory.

In the end, almighty Zeus appeared to be wrong.

Dionysius did. Dionysius was willing to leave wine, his source of power in favor of staying with Sigda. It was only then that Zeus finally could grasp and make out the whole reach of this seemingly simple love affair.

But now, Zeus thought, Dionysius would have to understand he'd gone too far: the king of gods had taken away what Dionysius loved the most, he wouldn't disobey him again… Would he?

–*–*–

No, it didn't stop, Zeus realized when four months later Athena informed him that she'd seen Dionysius with Sigda again.

As a fact, Athena, had been the first one to suggest that the best Zeus could do was to obligate Dionysius to cut his relationship with that nymph from root, strategy that didn't really seem to be currently working from what Zeus could see.

And then Zeus had another of his light-bulbs brightening ideas: he decided to charge an attack from the other front by talking to Sigda and explaining what was the real reason for his arbitrary prohibition. If that nymph really did love his son, he thought, then she would understand that the only way of protecting Dionysius was to keep them apart from each other.

As soon as Zeus had let out Apollo's prophecy, Sigda had started crying almost hysterically, assuring the king of gods that she had had no idea, and asking him for his forgiveness just before she promised Zeus the one and only thing the god really wanted to hear: she would maintain herself away from the god of wine.

After that, Zeus sent Dionysius to Camp Half-Blood to direct the place for as long as his punishment concerning alcoholic beverage had been extended.

–*–*–

When he received his father's orders, Dionysius became far from just mad or upset, but he knew there was nothing he could do to change them or stand up against them.

For a couple of years, he contemplated the possibility of calling Sigda to the camp, and asking her to live there, with him, but he never again could contact the nymph, and every single satyr he asked of her whereabouts, answered with a negative response and a pity look.

He didn't want their pity; he wanted answers.

Little did Dionysius know, however, that he was simply looking in the wrong place.

Sigda was living at Camp Half-Blood, away from and unnoticed by Dionysius, or by pretty much anyone else, as she had promised Zeus, but close enough to sporadically steel a look from her beloved wine god.

–*–*–

Years later, Dionysius met another woman, this time a mortal. A beautiful red-head with green eyes and elfish features that instantly called his attention.

Her name was June, and his affair with her was short for a love story, as expected from a god and a mortal, but long enough to procreate two children: Castor and Pollux. Yes, she indeed had a sense of humor, Dionysius thought as she smiled down at his sons, which was probably the reason he had felt attracted to June in the first place.

However, Dionysius realized, June's eyes were green, and not that gorgeous shade of browns he was looking for, even if he hadn't even noticed he was doing such a thing. June's laugh was cheerily and sounded warm like the wind in summer, not like the discreet falling leaves from autumn that he wanted so badly to listen to.

Plainly and simply, not the laugh, not the hair, not the eyes he was looking for. Plainly and simply, not Sigda's, he thought bitterly as he turned around and left, never to see June again.

–*–*–

Years went by, and soon, Dionysius had to keep his mind away from the beautiful red-head nymph by having his mind occupied with the upcoming and imminent war against Kronos.

–*–*–

Dionysius was allowed to see Sigda once more, years later, though not thanks to the grace of his father.

It was after the Battle of Manhattan, when he finally encountered her.

Castor had died the year before, and he knew that the only thing he wouldn't be able to bear was the death of his other son, Pollux. The fall of Olympus seemed to come second in his list of priorities compared to losing his only living son.

He had asked Perry Johnson-or-whatever it was to keep an eye on and make sure that his son survived the battle, but there was no way he could rest assured and be comfortable with that. He'd been forced to entrust the wellness of his son to a disrespectful and imprudent demigod just because his need of protecting Castor was even bigger than his pride.

Had he been able to, he would have been right in the Empire State, just so he'd be capable of keeping an eye himself on his son.

As soon as the battle with Typhon had finished, and he had been in a shape good enough to travel, he made sure to be back to New York, back to the Empire State, and most importantly, back to his son, reappearing directly in Olympus.

It was not hard for him to locate his red-headed son kneeling in the marble floor. The sight of Pollux, alive, was enough to instantly make him sigh with relief.

However, he soon enough went pale when he noticed the red stains around Pollux's knees.

It was not until he hurried to his side and was standing next to him that Dionysius noticed that the blood didn't belong to his son, but to a woman, same that laid in the white floor, bleeding, and yet smiling at him fondly, remembrance shining brightly in her eyes.

He instantly recognized her, as his heart-rate dropped and then fastened. How could he not do it when he had been waiting to and praying to see those beautiful brown eyes again for years?

He didn't even plan to kneel next to her or to take her hand into his, but he did as he vaguely heard Pollux mumble something about how he had been distracted for a second when an empousai had charged at him and then, just before her claws reached his body, this young nymph had appeared, saving him, but receiving the attack destined for him instead.

Dionysius distractedly noted how Pollux clutched his left arm. Probably broken, he thought as he brushed a couple of rebel bangs away from Sigda's forehead, unable to speak.

Words were unneeded, he realized when Sigda's gentle smile widened and her eyes sparkled like so many years before, even when her blood continued to stain the flawless white of the floor.

"You are going to be alright" Dionysius managed out hoarsely.

"I'm fine" she said softly. "I-I did it this time" she stuttered, just to continue when she noticed Dionysius' puzzled expression. "I couldn't save Castor" she explained weakly, as tears clouded her eyes. "I tried, but it was too late" she whispered.

Dionysius eyes widened with surprise, as he heard Pollux gasp in confusion next to him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was already having a hard time processing the fact that he had just seen again Sigda again, but that their reunion wasn't a happy one, but one that was filled with nostalgia and hurt to now think about the meaning that Sigda's just-said words carried. The nymph could only smile at him fondly.

"You… you were there?" he asked in confusion and amazement.

"All along, dear, all along" she replied gently.

Words continued to be useless when Dionysius looked down at Sigda's beautiful and now pale-looking features again, after so many years. They hadn't say anything, knowing that it was just pointless to try to save the nymph, given the blood already lost, and maybe even the fact that she didn't have anything to live up for now either.

When only ten minutes later her last warm breath left her pale lips, the sweet smell of peppermint filled Dionysius' senses and a white, sweet-smelling cloud exploded in front of their eyes, covering the lifeless body of the nymph.

When the air finally cleared again, Pollux and Dionysius now stared down at a small peppermint plant that seemed completely out of place in the destroyed building, but that was simply too beautiful to think of moving from its little spot on the floor, all blood vanished as if it had never obscured the place.

Dionysius sighed heavily as he felt the same intense, throbbing pain in his chest he had felt the year before when he had been informed of Castor's death.

He'd lost her, he thought, numbly circling Pollux's shoulders, trying to console himself with the fact that one of his children, one of his loved ones, was alright, was alive.

In the end, Dionysius hadn't lost his immortality, but the love of a wonderful woman.

Or maybe he had, Zeus thought sadly when he was notified of what had happened to the peppermint nymph. Dionysius had felt the loss and felt the grief in a way only mortals, whose life is short enough to not desire immortality but to spend their lived with the one they cherish, could. In the end he had lost part of his immortality, by allowing himself to feel more than gods usually did, returning to the original essence of love, a worshiped emotion for mortals, but a long-forgotten one for the Olympus' inhabitants.

In the end, the king of gods realized, Apollo's prophecy had become true. He, and not Dionysius, had made a wrong decision, unwisely choosing fear over love.

What do you think? Did they love each other or you never really gave it a second-thought?

By the way, Sigda is a Norse name, not a Greek one, and I'm not yet confused enough to mix that up, but I simply liked the ame too much and decided to use it because, what's the problem with having a Norse name among Greek ones?

Please review! ;)