Chapter 4: This Isn't What it Looks Like… Yet.

(Flashback: The Invention of Wine)

Ven's first inclination was to think that her best friend had gone absolutely flying off the proverbial chariot. He was rosy cheeked and tripping over his own feet; actually, if he weren't completely incoherent it would've been very endearing.

The best part, for Ven anyway, was finding D passed out up a tree with nothing on but his underwear and strip of canvas tied around his head. And snoring. Loudly. Very, very, loudly.

"Good morning Sunshine!"

"*Snore* Ack!"

Out of nowhere (or rather out of the tree) a wild demigod appeared!

"Oh, gods… where? Why? Owwww…."

"All very good questions. I was kind of hoping you could answer them" Ven told him, covering her fallen friend with what would be something like a bed sheet. "You're damn lucky that no one else saw that".

"Ugh… drank juice and the rest is blurred" he tried to stand, Ven wrapped an arm around his shoulders to steady him. "Wait," he grinned, "I did it. Liquid madness! Ouch…"

D put his head in his hands and pressed his thumbs against his temples. "Come, you're going to dunk your head in the river"

"Aw… really? But it's cold" he whined.

"I suppose I could always tell Apollo and Chiron where I found you this morning"

"You wouldn't!"

"Eh, fair enough but you'll follow me anyway because I've never led you wrong before. Have I?"

"Yes master" he replied cheekily.

"Good to see you know your place" Ven chuckled and guided him over to a stream.

"And if I don't-?"

"Not an option" Ven told him, wrapping her arms around his middle, flipping the poor boy, and dropping head first into the water.

"Thas n-n-not fair!" Dionysus lunged forward and got Ven by the ankle. What followed was the most brutally comical instance of Ancient Greek mud wrestling past, present, or future.

Of course it was no sooner or later than the moment Ven pinned D on his back that a certain green-toga-wearing god of the sea jumped out of the river.

"I'm not explaining this to your fathers. Speaking of, what in the name of Apollo's ego are you two doing?"

-Awkward silence-

"It has a name?!"

"It's a figure of speech" he replied, "but really," he gestured to the general carnage. "Could you at least give me a heads up? People would pay to see you two battle to the death"

"It's not what it looks like"

"Mhmm," Poseidon raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure it's not. Show him who's boss Ven"

(End Flashback)

~Ven's POV

Some things don't change, Ven thought to herself. For instance D still snored (if not quite so loudly as he used to). What she really wanted to know was how in the blue bloody blazes they were going to explain to Chiron why they hadn't come back to the Big House last night and why they were covered in sand carrying only a blanket.

Ven sat up and put her arm in the sling Apollo was so insistent on. Words couldn't describe how sore she was.

"Is it what it looks like now?"

Some things really don't change. Ven sighed through her nose, removed her arms, and stood to face her uncle. "I'm not sure yet"

Poseidon smirked at her, "There've been enough centuries to figure it out. Should I be laughing at your parents or not?"

"Oh gods, dad'll pitch a fit if he finds out about this"

"Does he even know you're back yet?"

Ven cringed, "Er… yeah, about that. Styx… I knew I was forgetting something"

"On the bright side, if you tell him, he'll entirely disregard the fact that you entirely forgot about him and rage at you for fornicating with one of Zeus' kids instead."

"There was no fornicating"

"I'm sure there wasn't," he smirked, "that's why he's sleeping like a rock"

"He always does that."

"Oh, so you sleep together often?"

"I love you dearly, but you're an ass. You do know that, right?"

"I'm aware. I'm also aware that you didn't say hello to me either. I thought I was your favorite uncle." he crossed his arms and pouted at her in the most childish way he could muster.

"I'm sorry Uncle P, would it help if I gave you a hug?" she slapped on a grin and held out her good arm. He pondered a moment, then shrugged and gingerly returned the hug.

"Apollo warned me. You're off the hook for now, but I want to talk to you later. Specifically about where the blazes you've been and what you've been doing with thunder thighs over there" he gestured at D.

Ven punched him in the arm, "Hey, lay off him."

"I will when you do!" he chuckled and walked slowly back towards the sea, "Just answer me on thing, okay?"

Ven quirked an eyebrow at him, "Sure."

"He's on bottom isn't he?"

~Dionysus' POV

He woke up to someone kissing his cheek, making him blush crimson.

"Mmmmmm… Morning Ven."

"Oh, now you get up the first time"

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and leaned against her good shoulder, "Heh, that's what she said. So, what's up with the sling?"

"Heh, the kids are getting to you D. Ripped up my shoulder, nothing special."

He cringed a little, "It didn't hurt sleeping on the ground did it?"

"Not at all, don't worry yourself about it" she smiled at him and his heart skipped a beat. If this is dreaming, then I don't want to wake up, he thought. "Now then, how do we explain this to Chiron?"

He looked out at the rising sun, he'd have liked it better if it really were just a giant ball of hot gas. "I was sort of hoping you had a plan"

In the end she wound up throwing him over her shoulder (after stashing away the blanket of course) then walking nonchalantly up to the Big House. It worked quite well until Chiron looked up from his paper and bowl of Wheaties to fix them with the same stare they had received so often as kids. It was the I'd-rather-not-pull-your-ears-but-knowing-you-two-I'll-probably-have-to look.

Putting down her friend, Ven held up a hand, "Before you say anything, he's not dead."

The centaur raised an eyebrow at her before replying dryly, "And all this time I thought you were sent as a mercenary. Hmmm, pity." He chuckled.

"Am I that annoying?"

Ven and Chiron exchanged a glance that seemed to say Oh, so he only gets it in retrospect.

"Regardless, I should remind you two that you're big kids now. If you go off in the middle of the night, then the little ones will start to think that they can just run off as well" he looked at them both sternly, "Are we clear?"

There's nothing quite like Chiron to make you feel like you're 200 again. D thought to himself.

To his surprise, he beat Ven to the answer, "Surely you won't begrudge us a chance to catch up after so long."

Chiron's gaze softened, knowing the extent of how upset the young god had been only a week ago really took the edge off of any chastisement he had to offer.

"Alright, but only this once. Ven, I need to go over some lesson plans with you and Dionysus, before I forget, you've got a message from Demeter. I believe she wants a word with you sometime in the next week"

A realization over-took the wine god when he heard that. Ven was wrapped up in discussing how to synchronize what tactics they were going over so she failed to notice the look of fright on his face.

One wrong move and the two of them might be the talk of Olympus. Not in a good way.