"Catch the last weekend of the last week,

Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced.

Another sun-soaked season fades away…"

Zeus hummed along to the song playing softly from the car stereo, lost in thought. He parked his truck at the edge of the woods and turned up the music, tapping his knee idly to the rhythm of the base. Grudgingly, with a sigh, he dragged himself out of the car, leaving the key in the ignition. This night had to be perfect; the final bonfire of the summer, maybe of their lives. Zeus shoved the thought out of his mind. Of course there would be more summers. They just would never be the same. As if to reassure himself, he slipped his hand into his pocket, letting his fingers brush against the velvet box. Yeah, this night was going to change everything.

The heat was blazing; Zeus' t-shirt clung to his skin. He longed for the cool AC of the truck, but the clearing wasn't going to set up itself. He put on his sunglasses and ran his hand along the hot blue metal of the truck bed, flinching from the burn. He pulled down the hatch and opened a bright cobalt cooler, rummaging through the ice for a beer. The cold liquid swam down his throat, chilling his body and giving Zeus the willpower to get started.

"Damn," he muttered. "It better not be this hot tonight."

In response, a cool breeze blew across his face, rustling his hair and calming his nerves. Zeus hefted the cooler into his arms and made his way to the clearing. His storm grey Vans scuffed against rocks, caught on tree roots, and slid across fallen leaves. So far, this day was not going as planned. He could sense the ice in the cooler melting along with his spirits. Warm beer, stale chips, and burnt hot dogs. That's all he'd have to offer if he didn't get this done quick.

Three trips to the car and a frantic search for firewood later, the clearing was almost ready. Dusk was settling, and people would start arriving soon. Zeus made a few final arrangements: he repositioned the four logs around the fire pit, steadied the wooden teepee in the center, and set up the cooler next to the tree stump where he'd placed the food supplies and stereo. He stood with his hands on his hips, surveying his handiwork. It looked pretty fucking good, if he said so himself. Zeus stretched and gulped down the last few drops of his beer, then threw it in a garbage bag and collapsed onto a log.

Zeus closed his eyes and tried to relax. He faintly heard a car passing the woods, but he couldn't bring himself to move. His muscles ached, and he was covered in sweat. It wasn't until he heard footsteps approaching that he opened his eyes.

"Hey, bro!" His brother, Poseidon, grinned down at him, his arm around his girlfriend Athena. She smiled at Zeus, smoothing her cream dress and leaning further into Sy.

"Hi, Zeus," she said, giving him a small wave. "Heph and Aphrodite are on their way."

"Great," Zeus said, jumping up to grab the matches. "Make yourselves at home."

Poseidon grabbed two beers from the cooler, and Athena spread a blanket covered in owls across a log. Zeus could hear more cars pulling up; their headlights shone faintly through the trees. Hermes and Hestia entered the clearing, laughing and weaving through the trees, hand in hand.

"Hey, guys," Hermes managed to gasp, while Hestia giggled in his arms. Everyone waved while Zeus struggled to get the fire going. The damn wood just wouldn't light…

He went through four matches before Hestia leaned forward. "Let me," she said, grabbing the matchbook. She lit a match and watched the flame dance in her fingertips, grinning. Zeus was beginning to regret giving her access to fire when suddenly, the fire blazed to life. Hermes cheered, and the twins, Artemis and Apollo, clapped as they entered the clearing. Hestia gave a bow, obviously pleased with herself. Zeus was still confused as to how a 17-year-old girl could light a fire better than him.

"My pyromaniac," Hermes chuckled, pulling Hestia back onto the log and tickling her ribs while she shrieked.

Hephaestus and Aphrodite arrived next, neither of them looking at each other. Aphrodite bit her lip and looked around, searching for someone. Heph, ignoring her, grabbed a beer and chugged down half of it before sitting down on the nearest log. Aphrodite took her place dutifully next to him, but the tension was obvious.

Zeus was still waiting for the person he needed. It was getting dark, and she still wasn't there. He was growing impatient, fiddling with his pocket again.

"You okay, bro?" Poseidon asked him, plopping down next to him with a bag of Fritos. He looked genuinely concerned, his blue eyes glinting through his hair.

"Yeah, fine," Zeus answered, trying for a smile.

Sy wasn't buying it, but he changed the subject anyway, starting a conversation about sailing. Suddenly, there was a crash in the woods, and everyone's heads turned toward it. Dionysus stumbled into the clearing, followed by Ares. They both reeked of alcohol, but Ares was grinning, proud, while D just looked lost. Zeus sighed; leave it to those two to show up drunk and stoned. He noticed Aphrodite tense, staring wide-eyed into the fire. Heph was cracking his knuckles, glaring at the ground. Zeus had heard about Ro and Ares, but he figured it wasn't his business.

"Jeez, looks like we missed a party," Poseidon joked, and everyone went back to their conversations. Ares grabbed another beer, winking at Ro, and sat down on the log across from her, next to D. Heph's eyes reflected the firelight menacingly, but Ares just shrugged and popped open his bottle.

To ease the tension, Zeus made his way over to the stump, turning up the stereo and opening a package of hot dogs. "Who's hungry?"

There were cheers of agreement and raised bottles, so he passed out sticks and attached an uncooked hot dog to each of them. Everyone jostled playfully for a spot in the fire. D lit a cigarette, and Aphrodite reached for it, taking a long drag. Heph frowned, but didn't say anything. Ares' grin widened.

"Sorry we're late!" Pan called, leading Demeter through the woods. Dem did a little dance behind him, spinning under his arm.

"Hey everybody," she gasped, rubbing her stomach. Pan rested his hands on top of hers and kissed her quickly, then they both made room for themselves on Ro and Heph's log. Zeus counted mentally; only three people to go… Where was she?

It was now completely dark, the only light coming from the blazing fire. It had cooled off considerably; blankets were draped over shoulders and arms were wrapped around significant others. Zeus was getting restless; he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms. He was about to call her when Hades appeared from the shadows, followed by Persephone. Hades had a cigarette on his lips and Seph's hand in his, but Persephone looked nervous. Zeus eyed his brother warily; his relationship with Seph still made him suspicious. She always looked so miserable around him. Demeter seemed to have the same idea, and she watched her sister with concern as Hades wrapped his arms around her protectively. Someone needed to say something.

Before he could even take a breath, there she was, stepping into the clearing regally. Hera. Zeus grinned, and everyone at the bonfire turned towards her. She looked gorgeous, like a queen surveying her subjects. Athena gasped, and shouted greetings rang through the forest. The party was complete. Now, he could relax. Zeus hopped off his log and pulled her into his embrace. She smiled against his chest, her soft breaths sending shivers down his spine.

"Sorry I'm late," she whispered, craning her neck to catch his kiss. Their lips met, and their smiles became one. The box in Zeus' pocket felt heavier, straining with anticipation. Zeus rubbed her back, fingering the lace of her dress. For a moment, their was only them in the forest that night; the crackle of the fire and Hera's breathing were the only sounds Zeus heard.

Then, the moment was broken. "Hey, pass me a hot dog bun! This puppy's ready to go!" Zeus laughed, pulling away from Hera reluctantly.

The bag of buns made it's way around the circle, and Zeus monitored it's progress with curious eyes. It started with Poseidon, who dropped it on the ground because he refused to remove his arm from Athena's shoulders. She laughed, picking it up and grabbing a fresh bun for each of them. Next, Athena passed it to Hephaestus, who snatched one from the bag and thrust it to Aphrodite. She took it reluctantly, tears filling her eyes as she willed Heph to look at her. Ares caught her eye from across the fire, and she gulped, guilt and regret covering her face. Demeter took the bag from her gently and handed it to Pan without taking one. He gave her a curious look, but she just shook her head slightly, rubbing her stomach absentmindedly. Pan kissed her neck softly, then handed the bag to Artemis before twisting a joint between his fingers.

Artemis took a bun and nibbled it without a dog, pausing to rub her wrists every so often. Every time she did, her twin brother Apollo would pull her hand away and whisper reassuringly, before he wrapped up his hot dog and the bag moved to Hermes. Hermes pulled his hot dog off its stick, popped it in the bun, and ripped off a huge chunk before pushing the rest into Hestia's laughing mouth. They both chewed obnoxiously for a few seconds, and Hades had to grab the bag from Hestia to keep it moving. He took a long pull from his cig, then ran his hand across Persephone's thigh. She shivered, folding into herself, and passed the bag to Ares. Without moving his gaze from Ro, he took a bun slowly and pushed the buns into Dionysus' hands, who looked started and jolted up from his seat. He looked around sleepily, rubbing his nose, before handing the bag over to Hera. Hera took it graciously and delicately picked the perfect bun. Zeus tightened his hold on her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

This night was perfect, he was sure of it. Sure, there were some problems, but as far as he was concerned, everything was exactly as it should be. No matter what happened before next summer, they would always have this night, when everyone was together, when everything was right. Whatever happened next, he knew they were ready. He had fifteen people on his side.

He touched the box in his pocket again, just to make sure it was still there. He sighed, and had just enough time to think that nothing could possibly spoil that moment, before it started raining.

**Beginning lyrics: Stolen by Dashboard Confessional.