Chapter 2.
A/N: I had fun writing this chapter. Hopefully I'm getting better as I go. Remember to read and review. Thanks guys.
With all the alcohol Terry had poured into Zander he was surprised to see the guy was still a wallflower. Terry had on numerous occasions physically pried him from the wall. Guess he'd just have to let him do him this time around. Looking back to check on him Terry didn't find him on the wall. Hopefully he had gotten the hang of the scene and went to enjoy himself.
Zander in reality had gone in search of a quieter area. Somewhere away from all the madness. He settled on a bedroom off the east of the building. Making sure to knock this time before he entered. The last couple of rooms had been occupied and he had been tremendously embarrassed to walk in on 'intimate situations'. This was a little too much for him for his first party. And the alcohol was starting to get to him. He'd have to wait it out somewhere in peace. Luckily this room was empty.
Max was busy trying to find Dana when she happened to come upon Jason. She caught him in the corner next to the cellar making out with some girl dressed as Aphrodite. Her boobs practically hanging out of costume. Jason's hand groping one of them. The other pulling her forward by the bottom. Palming it as if it was a basketball.
"I see you've made a miraculous recovery from the flu you told me you had today. Isn't that what you told me when I asked you to come on a date with me today?" Max put her hand on the girls shoulder separating the two love birds.
"Who are you?" Aphrodite asked putting her hands on his chest.
"I'm his girlfriend. Didn't you catch on?"
"Get out of here." The mystery girl looked embarrassed and shot a glare at Jason before she disappeared quickly. Max doesn't know what she would have done if things had escalated.
"Max I know what it looks like." Jason stated to say before he was hushed by a hand over his mouth.
"We're over. You can save your lies for someone else." Max removed her hand.
"Max wait let me explain. I love you."
"I told you we were over. Can you get that through your thick skull?!" Max emphasized by poking her newly ex-boyfriend Jason in the forehead.
"Just give me another chance. It's just a misunderstanding" Jason was a brunette football player for their school. He had seemed cool at first because he was actually decent at math but he was way to 'Casanova' for her. Plus she'd found his stash of roids and other illegal drugs one day at his house. But still she didn't expect for him to be cheating on her at the party.
"No thank you." Max gave him the finger and turned away.
"Max wait baby let's leave and talk it out." Jason grabbed her arm tightly.
"I said no thanks. So can you let me go now?" Max said threateningly.
"I said we were leaving." Pulling Max forcefully toward him he was about to turn them towards the door. Max put all her weight into the best FIFA soccer kick she could and kicked him in the gonads. He released her and crumpled to the floor.
"You little bitch! Just wait till I catch up to you!" Jason drunkenly stood up seconds later still holding his junk.
Max quickly ducked through the crowd taking advantage of a particularly rowdy moment in the crowd to get away. She'd have to find somewhere to hide for a minute. She tried every door on the hall till she came on to one that wasn't locked. She quickly locks the door listening to it to make sure nobody was trying to get in after her. Catching her breath she sighed in relief.
"Oppps didn't know this room was also taken." Max was in too big of a hurry to get in to actually check the room. There was a guy half turned in her direction dressed in black and ashe gray. His dark shoulder length wavy hair was loose kept into place by a crown of black thorns. A black velvety looking mask hid his upper face and nose.
"It's fine." Zander wore a black chocker and matching bracers, greaves, and black slacks. Looking all the part of a dark warrior. His cuirass was discarded against the bed. Leaving his chest exposed to the light from the moon.
"Let me guess you're supposed to be hades?" Max leaned against the bedroom door rubbing her arm where Jason had manhandled her.
Gloomily looking her way he only nodded an affirmation.
"When I was younger me and my sis used to stare at the constellations," Max waltzed over to his side at the balcony and joined him in his sky gazing.
Hades didn't respond this time he just continued his silence as if she wasn't there. This only attracted her more. Tall, dark, and mysterious could take her mind off of things for now. After a few minutes of silence she slide closer to him.
"I'm still pretty good at finding constellations. If you look over there you can see two of the brightest stars Rigel and Betelgeuse. They help form Orion's Belt." Getting closer she points out the stars tracing them as if they were a map.
"Orion was the massive son of Poseidon. It was said he regularly hunted with Artemis on the island of Crete. And that he was killed either by her bow, or by the sting of the great scorpion" Tracing out the scorpion just as she had done earlier. "Scorpios". They continued on like this until they had mapped almost all of the constellations. Sharing stories and what they thought each story meant.
"So you're a mythology fan also?" Max was beginning to enjoy his company.
"I have always been fascinate by such things yes." Artemis was very charming he had to admit. Zander wondered a little why he felt so comfortable with her. The fact that they were complete strangers behind masks might have been the reason. And he was a little drunk.
There was a loud crash in the hallway. Someone must have knocked over a statue head. Not long after the crash there was a shattering sound and then loud footsteps running away.
"Wild party huh?" Max could only assume he wasn't totally a recluse no matter how quiet he seemed.
"I'm not used to being in such large crowds." He seemed to pick up on the hint that she was interested in him.
"Alone and aloof in this bedroom you play that part well." Zander gave her a look of confusion.
"What part?" She imagined Hades giving her a puzzled look under that mask.
"The quiet mysterious Dark Lord", Max propped her chin on her hands as she gave him a side glance.
"Excuse me?"
"When I first came out here you were as cold as ice. Do you get nervous around people?"
"Honestly…Not until recently." He leaned on his forearms. "When I realized how hard it is for me to connect with people. I usually stay quiet and they gave me my space." Zander gave her an accusing look. "That one might shock you."
"Uh oh I'm chiseling down the ice I see. Mr. Funny Man. Mr. Smart. Ass." Max slightly giggled. "I'll be more than happy to give you your space as soon as it's safe to go back in."
"Why did you choose Hades?"
"No one ever seems to call him anything else. You know they also call him Pluto. Clymenus, Eubuleus, the Wealthy One, the..."
"The Hospitable One, Polydegmon, Lord of Death, and Pluton." Max smiled. "Pluto is actually the Roman doppelganger for Greeks Hades."
Zander smiled and was a little bit speechless but continued. Remembering Terry berating him about his bad habits. He let this little challenge go. "In astrology, Pluto is the transformer who drags us – sometimes through a life-changing event - us into the psychic depths, and brings terrifying change. Pluto's force is a reminder that nothing lasts forever, as it ruthlessly takes away what we cling to the most." Zander peeks at Max. He thought back on his days of being sheltered. And how he had pushed the first girl he'd ever been infatuated with away. "But at the same time the gift from this stripping experience is we discover the soul essence. And grow wise to the fact that we can die to old ways of living, beliefs, relationships – be utterly disillusioned, "broken," or hit bottom – and rise like the mythical Phoenix from the flames… Or something like that." Zander smiled, but it disappeared after he noticed her demeanor had changed.
"Is there something wrong?" Zander thought for a second on rather to continue to press the issue. His curiosity on the matter grew more as the silence past. Moments later Artemis closed her eyes tight as she began to speak.
"I caught my scumbag boyfriend or rather used to be boyfriend making out with another girl." She reopened her eyes and continued looking out at the night's sky. "They were shamelessly getting hot and heavy in the corner by the cellar.
Zander stopped staring out into the stars. "I'm sorry to hear that. How are you taking it?" He asked her with something that sounded like to much sympathy.
"…" Max met his gaze and couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Turning around so that he couldn't see her tearing up. She silently sobbed. That's the real reason she had sought an empty room. To relieve herself of the overbearing pain and betrayal she was feeling.
Strong arms embraced her from behind. "May I?" Mentally slapping himself. He should have asked her before he went to comfort her in such a way. She relaxed into his embrace.
"You didn't see this." Max hiccupped a little. Now totally embarrassed that she had started crying in front of someone. She had never done that before.
"See what?"
"…", Max had to giggle at that one. Turning around in his arms she held him back. Snuggling her face into his chest. His warmth spread through her welcomingly. Her body relaxed in his embrace and he rested his chin on top of her head. She felt secure in his embrace and longed for affection. Lifting her head and tilting her head back their eyes met and she felt drawn to him. Their lips met in a long sweet kiss that mesmerized her. The kiss was gentle and hadn't been invasive. There wasn't any tongue at all in fact just lips pressed hotly together before she asked for entrance with her own. He welcomed her allowing her to taste to her satisfaction.
Hands hesitantly explored the skin on his chest then his waist as she pulled him closer. He was more hesitant about touching her choosing to keep his hands on her clothed hips. Until she moved his hands down lower to squeeze her bottom. Heat spread down her body as a primal need started to take over. She led them over towards the bed. Never discontinuing their kiss. Meanwhile Zander was starting to feel guilt. He didn't feel good about this whole situation.
"We shouldn't do this." Zander was beginning to come back to his senses. He stroked the sides of exposed chin.
"We should." Max pushed him down on to the mattress.
"We should end this." Zander rolled away from her on the bed. "We don't even know each other's names."
"Call me Max." Max started to crawl towards him on the bed.
"Max?" Zander froze.
"Well it's really Maxine." Max crawled closer to him in the bed. Taking a second to remove her wig and the mask. Zander's phone started to ring and he answered it immediately.
"You need a ride? Where are you? Okay I'm on my way now." He had never been so happy in his life. "I have to go." Zander quickly picked up his cuirass and hauled it out of there.
Immediately after Picking Terry up Zander drives them to a Big Belly Burger. This one was luckily open late. He was going to treat Terry, because he had just saved his life. Zander was sure there would have been blood if he hadn't gotten out of there. It would have been a complete massacre.
"I thought I was getting lucky. That my luck with women had changed, but then the unthinkable happened."
"I'm listening." Terry gives him he undivided attention as he puts the ketchup bottle down.
"I'm telling her we don't even know each other's names and then she says Max." Terry freezes at the name Zander mentioned.
"Oh my God." Terry drops the fry he was just about to eat.
"And then she proceeds to take her wig and mask off. At this point all I can think of is how she's going to murder me."
"Oh my God." Terry's eyes are bulging from his head.
"If you didn't call when you did she would have been the end of me."
"Oh my God."
"Terry!" Zander snapped Terry back into reality.
"She's going to freak if she finds out it was you." Terry is starting to smile. "You can never let her find out!" Astonishment and amusement are playing across his face.
"Man I don't know rather I should feel good for you or bad for you." Terry takes another bite of his burger.
"Good, because you've been holding a candle for her for forever. And bad, because she's totally going to kick your ass if she finds out that was you.
"Maybe I should tell her?" Zander's feelings of guilt hadn't diminished.
"Bro no! I keep telling you the right advice and you never listen!" Terry throws his hands into the air.
"Maybe your right." Zander gives in and picks up his half eaten burger.