Chapter 3

Livia paced in the parlor. She's come back here to wait. Somehow she knew Ash had looked at the painting. No, she wasn't angry. She was afraid. Darn it! She knew she should have moved it! What would he think now? Would he hate her?

There was a bright flash of light as Eros popped into the room.

"Eros? Haven't I told you to stay the hell off of my half of the island?" she growled, irked by his presence here.

"Look Livi, I know you hate me, and I know I deserve it, but you need to listen. Artemis is not happy!"

"Good! Let the b*tc* suffer!"

"You aren't usually this morbid... But that's not my point. My point is that Apollo isn't happy about having to listen to Artemas complain.I'm not sure what he's planning but there's something."

"Thanks for the warning but I knew that. Don't you think I'm smart enough to keep an eye on them? Leave Cupid, I'll be fine."

He snarled at his nick-name, glowered at his sister, and popped back out. Livi was sad to see him go. She may act like she hated him, and in a way she did hate him for what he and her mother had done, but he was her brother, the one that had been there for her in the week between when Ash left and Archon found her. She loved him, Aphrodite.

She'd only met Julian once and she loved him. There was only one brother she would never love or trust again and she wouldn't allow herself to think of him. The truth was, life was nothing to her if she couldn't love someone. And several millennia earlier, she'd realized that, and been unable to paint anymore. After all, she could only paint people she loved, otherwise it turned out wrong.

Thunder was heard in the distance, a foreshadowing of troubles to come. I have to get Acho out of here somehow.

Acheron didn't hear the thunder outside. All he heard was the pounding of his heart as he stared at the painting of eerily familiar scene. A scene he could feel pounding at the boundaries of his memories.

Pictured in front of him was a very happy scene. A younger version of him, at 18 or 19 was pictured. The quality of the painting was amazing, sharp and clear, though he had the distinct feeling this was an old, old, painting. But that was not what had surprised him. What surprised him was the place and the person he was with.

He was on a beach, clearly in Atlantis, with Livia. She had an arm linked with his and they were laughing. He got the distinct feeling that he had said something, to make her laugh, something about his sister, Ryssa. But he couldn't recall what. In the background seagulls soared, waves crashed. He could almost feel and smell the cool ocean breeze. There were people, looking at the pair oddly. But Livia didn't seem to care. And it was her that held his attention.

He had thought she was beautiful this evening with her hair in a bun and her loose T-shirt and jeans. It was nothing compared to this. Her long blond hair curled lightly to the middle of her back shimmering in the sunlight. A blue dress draped over her slim but strong form, held at the seems by strings a shade darker than the dress that matched her sapphire eyes. The focal point of the picture was obviously him, dressed in white, but he could not drag his eyes from the delicate features of his female companion.

Finally he gingerly picked up the painting to see a label in feminine handwriting, in Atlantian. 'Livia and Acho At the beach. Now just a memory'

He became dizzy.

"We were friends..." he whispered hoarsely. "We were close..."

He couldn't remember details, but he remembered leaving.

"Livia, its my sister...She'll need me, I just know it. Please --"

"Acho, I told you. The moment my father died you were free to come and ...are you sure?"

He nodded resolutely.

"Okay just do one thing for me?"

"Yes?"

"Close your eyes for a minute?"

He did so without questioning her. He trusted her.

Moments later, soft hands gently cupped his cheeks and a body swayed against his. Lips very softly brushed his, and then more firmly. But as soon as it started they stopped. He opened his eyes just in time to see Livi's hair swish as she turned and quickly walked away.

Yes, that was right. He had left to live on Olympus with Ryssa. He'd never known why she kissed him. He'd never spoke to her again.

How had she felt? What had she been thinking? Was she glad he had left? And why couldn't he remember the rest? The questions buzzed in his head. He would have to ask her.

It was raining and so he was soaked by the time he made the treck to the castle.

Livi was waiting in the parlor.

He meant to speak to her. He meant to get answers, but when he saw her tear streaked face all that disappeared. He gasped her shoulders and pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers. She froze, but before he could pull away she had relaxed and started to kiss back. He pulled the tie from her hair and ran his hands through it. It felt like silk. It was then that he remembered he'd dreamt of this much longer than he had entertained any though of a woman in a romantic way in his entire life. He'd wanted this since he first saw her.

'Oh good lord' he thought, his hands going to her waist to press her against him. 'Shes so soft, so..so very Livi...'

He couldn't think of much of anything at that moment. But he did realize, somewhere deep in his lust clouded brain, he was going to f*ck her. No, he was going to love her all night long until neither of them could move. That was different.

But he knew, very clearly, that he was happy, and that she had been kind enough to wait all these years......