There was a rap at the door. I slid off the bar stool and went to answer it, hoping it was Zeus' son with our coffee and not Zeus' wife with a baseball bat. Hate for it to be a repeat of last time.

I opened the door a crack, waiting a moment to peek around it just in case Hera tried to do anything.

"Delivery for one boytoy and his sugardaddy," a surly voice called from outside the door.

I opened it further and took the coffee from Hermes, thanking him.

"What, no tip?" he sneered.

I smiled at him. "Oh, sorry, almost forgot." I rummaged through my pocket, pretending to look for something. "Here you go." I pulled my hand out, flipped him my middle finger and closed the door before he could react.

"Coffee?" Zeus called from the bed, cracking one eye open.

I smirked. "Yup. Got your favorite." I placed it on the desk and hopped back up onto the stool. I was halfway through the first page of my story and didn't want to lose my momentum.

I heard him slide out of the bed and walk over, yawning. He picked up his sugar-loaded, poor-excuse-for-coffee and started sipping, his eyes on the screen. I squirmed to have it under his scrutiny, repressing the urge to cover the screen with my hands. It was the rough draft, nowhere near presentable.

"What'cha writin'?" he asked. "Smut?"

"Sorry, no."

"You should write some smut."

I snorted. "Yes, really put my abilities to the test."

"Hey," he said. "Smut writers are talented too. They're just misunderstood."

"Okay, Your Grace." I clicked out of the tab, knowing I'd never be able to come up with anything while he was standing there. I glanced up at him, seeing him watching me back, sucking up his iced latte through the straw. "So," I said. "Should I be expecting the Queen of Heaven to come knocking?"

He made a face. "Not this time," he muttered. "Well, hopefully not anyway." He swirled the straw around in his drink, shifting the ice cubes.

"Zeus, what happened?" I recognized the vulnerable look in his eyes. It was one he only wore when we were alone.

He glanced up at me through his eyelashes, making my head spin just like it always had. He put his drink down and took a step toward me, the space between us vanishing. He took my face in his hands and kissed me, desperation marked in every movement.

I knew this routine, knew it like the back of my hand. I kissed him back, my arms going around his middle, trying to comfort him as best as I could. He clung to me, kissing me like it was the only thing keeping him alive. It hurt me to see him like this.

"Do you want to go to the bed?" I whispered in a brief moment when my lips were free.

"Yes."

The eagle soared high above the earth. I clung to Zeus, my arms wrapped around his neck, the cold wind blowing back my hair. The tops of my arms and legs were cold, but every part of me that was pressed against the eagle's back was warm, half buried in his soft feathers. My shepherd's cap had blown off a while ago and when I'd mentioned it, the eagle had screamed in glee.

The earth spread out beneath us like an over-sized map. At first I'd been afraid to look down, my face pressed into Zeus' neck, but once I realized that I wasn't about to die, I dared peek out at the world. My fear fell away, replaced by such joy I could barely stand it. Half the world was green and the other half blue. Zeus flew along the coast line, allowing me to see both sides. Trees and houses and people looked like ants from this height. I saw men and women walking around doing their evening chores, not noticing the giant eagle with the boy on his back. I laughed, my heart too full of happiness to contain it. Zeus glanced back at me, his eagle face unreadable.

"It's so beautiful," I shouted to him over the wind.

His only response was a sudden swoop downward that made my stomach fly into my mouth. I clutched his neck so tightly I probably choked him. He spread his wings out again and flew higher, screeching when he saw my expression. I glared at him, suspicious that he was laughing.

Troy flew by beneath us faster than I would have thought possible. I couldn't recognize any of the people from this height, but I was pretty sure a couple of them were pointing up at the eagle. I waved at them, giggling like a madman. Then the city was gone, vanishing behind us like it had never even existed. We passed over other cities and towns and great fleets of ships. I wondered if Aristomache was on any of them. I felt sorry for her. Once she reached Troy there would be no prince for her to marry.

The last of the sunlight bled out of the sky. I thought Zeus would have to stop for the night, but the eagle kept on. Soon it was too dark to see anything below me, but the stars were out. I snuggled down into his feathers and turned my head to the side. I watched the eagle's wing flap up and down, making the stars vanish and reappear with every stroke.

I woke up in a bed that was not my own. I blinked a couple times, trying to figure out where I was. I remembered the eagle and the stars, but everything after that was nothing but shadows and incomplete thoughts. The room I was in was splendid. It was bright and airy, with gauze curtains strung between the pillars. I heard birds and the sound of rushing water.

Something brushed down my arm, making me jump. I twisted around to see Zeus lying behind me, an arm pillowed under his head. "'Morning, beautiful," he said.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position and looked around the room. The bed sat on a raised platform, the bedposts made of ivory. It was the biggest bed I'd ever seen, and by far the softest. The room had no walls, just pale marble pillars on all sides with sheer gossamer sheets hanging between them. The floors were light-colored wood with colorful rugs scattered across it. The place was filled with priceless objects, ornate couches and beautiful carved tables. A harp sat in one corner and a table full of scrolls in another. I stepped out of the bed, glancing down at myself in surprise. I was only wearing my perizoma, the white undergarment still wrapped securely around my middle. I glanced over my shoulder as Zeus.

"Where are my clothes?"

He nodded toward the corner of the room. "I put them over there. Didn't figure you wanted to sleep in them."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't worry, I just undressed you." He smirked. "I want you awake when I start doing other things. And I left this on," He reached over and caught the bottom edge of my perizoma, rubbing it between his fingers before I scooted away. He sighed. "I really should be rewarded for such restraint."

I laughed and moved away, walking across the room. I'd never seen anything so lavish. The furniture was all ivory and gold, the carpets crimson and woven into fantastic patterns. The ceiling was painted to look like a landscape as seen from a great height, just like I'd witnessed last night from the eagle's back. The sound of rushing water permeated the room as a waterfall cascaded off one side of the roof, creating a translucent wall—the only wall in the room. I could feel Zeus' eyes on me as I walked around, but I didn't look at him. I was strangely shy this morning. Zeus had always been a little other-worldly, even in his Olympia disguise, but after riding through the sky on the back of an eagle and waking up here, on the mountain of the gods, I felt more than a little trepidation. I didn't know how to behave around somebody like him.

"Ganymede," he called from behind me. "Come here."

I had to obey, though I still couldn't look directly at him. He patted the coverlet beside him. I climbed up into the bed.

"You have a beautiful home, sir." I said, fixing my eyes on the coverlet.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He caught my chin in his hand and made me look up at him. "Are you unhappy?"

"No!" I blushed, hating myself for making him think I was ungrateful. "No, it's not that at all, it's just . . . it's just a lot to take in. Really."

He looked unconvinced. His hand moved from my chin to cup the side of my face, his fingers winding into my hair. "I want you to be happy here," he said.

I smiled a little. "I am. Thank you, for what you did. Your Grace."

He noticed how I tacked on the title. "You've never called me that before."

I blushed again. "I should have. I haven't been very respectful to you. I'm sorry."

He leaned toward me, unleashing the full effect of his eyes. "I didn't bring you here to be respectful." He kissed me, his hand curling around the back of my head, his tongue skimming along my lips. I parted them for him, moaning as his tongue stole into my mouth, entwining with my own. My arms wrapped around his neck and I rose up on my knees, pressing myself against his bare chest, my embarrassment momentarily forgotten. He kissed me hungrily, his free hand finding my hip and tugging me closer to him.

At last he drew back, both of us gasping for air. He studied me, his pupils dilated. He turned me, laying me back on the bed. I obeyed, the look in his eyes leaving me breathless. There was no doubt in my mind; I would not be leaving this room a virgin. The idea excited me and made me a little nervous.

He hovered over me, pushing his hair behind his ear so he could see me better. His hand came up and touched my face before slowly trailing down my throat and over my chest, pausing at my nipple. He looked down at it, and brushed his thumb across it. I gasped, surprised at how sensitive it was.

"You were in love with another man," he murmured, not looking at me. "That's what you said."

I blinked at him, surprised by the sudden turn of the conversation.

"Tell me," he said, grazing his thumb across the nipple again. "How old was this man?" He caught the sensitive skin between his fingers and rubbed his thumb in a circle. I gasped.

"He, he was a year younger than me," I stammered, biting my lip as he continued toying with me.

Zeus made a sound in the back of his throat. "A boy, then. And you said he didn't love you back. Did he ever touch you?"

I felt a stab of pain when he talked about Isandros, but it vanished when Zeus leaned down and put his mouth where his hand had been. I cried out, feeling his tongue flick over the nipple. I'd never even imagined anything like this.

"No," I gasped. "We never did anything like that." I moaned, arching my back, trying to give him more of me. He released me, rubbing his hand over my chest to wipe away the wetness.

"So you've never been touched?" he asked, his nose drifting across the center of my chest before he latched onto my other nipple.

"N-no." I breathed, closing my eyes. "You're the only one who's ever, ah, done anything like this."

He groaned against my skin, grazing the sensitive nub with his teeth. He let me go, climbing up my body until we were eye to eye. His eyes were possessive as they looked down at me. My heart began to hammer. He leaned down suddenly, his mouth next to my ear. "I'm glad for that," he whispered, his voice soft and seductive. "I want to be the first one to fuck you, my little Trojan prince."

I shuddered, and my breathing sped. "Will it hurt?" I asked, only half caring if it did. I'd been fantasizing about sex since I'd discovered what it was. The fact that I was about to experience it was so surreal that I almost couldn't be afraid.

Zeus turned back to me and smiled a little. "Not too much, I don't think. Not when you're with me."

I wasn't sure I believed him, but before I could reply he kissed me again, his lips barely brushing against mine. "I'll be careful with you," he promised. I kissed him back, the kiss gradually increasing until our breathing became ragged, our mouths trying to possess each other. At last he broke away, burying his face in my neck, teasing the sensitive skin there. I sighed and tilted my head to allow him more access. He began sucking harder for a few seconds before pulling abruptly back, making a little pop sound as the suction broke. He smirked and touched my neck with his finger, like he had found something. Seeing me looking at him, he winked and leaned closer, pressing his lips to my ear again. "Mine," he whispered, sending another chill up my spine.

His body pushed mine into the mattress as he continued his journey down my body, touching me and kissing me. Sometimes he'd pause at a certain area and seem to examine it, just like he had the day before with my hand. Those moments frustrated me. I was more aroused than I'd ever been, my cock hurting from the need to release the pressure building inside me.

"What are you waiting for?" I challenged him the third time this happened. He was lying on my legs, pinning them down with his stomach, his own legs lazily kicking back and forth in the air behind him, like a daydreaming child. He'd laid his head on my lower stomach and was watching his thumb as it stroked back and forth over my hip bone. His breathing ruffled the edge of my perizoma, making me desperate. He glanced up at me in surprise.

"What?"

I huffed, my arousal making me impolite. "You said you were going to fuck me! Did you change your mind?"

A slow, evil grin spread across his features, his eyes turning to blue coals in his head. "Does this bother you?" he asked, slowly drumming his fingers on my hip.

I groaned. "Please," I said, tossing my arms across my face. "Please, I want you."

He was there before the last word was out of my mouth, his hand pushing my arms out of the way, his eyes scorching me. I shrank away from his expression. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you," he remarked, his voice deadly. "I wouldn't beg me for it. That might drive me over the edge, and then you'll be dreaming for this," he brushed the back of his hand down my ribcage, moving excruciatingly slow. His eyes never left mine. They left me addled. He smiled at me, showing just the edge of his teeth, reminding me of a knife blade. "I know what I said earlier, about fucking you. I was lying. You don't want to be fucked today, my little prince." He kissed me softly. "Someday you will. Someday you'll beg me for it, and I'll take you so hard that you won't be able to walk afterwards. But not today." He kissed me again. "No more begging," he whispered against my lips. "Today we go slow."

"Yes, sir," I said, my heart slamming into my ribs.

He smiled, his good humor rushing back. "You can call me by my name."

"Yes, sir."

He laughed and went back to his anatomical study, stroking the soft skin on the inside of my hip like nothing had happened. I closed my eyes and tried to enjoy it, biting my lip to keep in my impatience.

At last I felt his hand move down and dip into my perizoma. "Oh, " I breathed, adrenaline coursing through my veins. My cock was making an obvious tent in the white fabric and I blushed, a little embarrassed. I'd never felt comfortable being naked around other people, and I'd never been naked around a lover. I wiggled my toes and twisted a strand of hair around my finger, suddenly self-conscious.

Zeus tugged the fabric back, exposing me. He helped me out of the undergarment before tossing in the corner with the rest of my clothes. His eyes wandered down my body, completely bare beneath him before he caught my eye. He smiled at me. "You are the loveliest thing I've ever seen."

I smiled back at him, relieved. He laid beside me, kissing me again, his hand wrapping around my manhood. I gasped, my eyes rolling back in my head. He stroked me, his hand gripping me tightly and his thumb running over the tip with every pass. I moaned, bucking into his hand, all traces of embarrassment forgotten. This seemed to excite him, and his pace quickened.

"Ganymede," he rasped, kissing my neck again. My hand skimmed down his torso and touched him through his own undergarment, making his groan. Emboldened, I stuck my hand inside and wrapped it around his cock, stroking the smooth skin. He swore and pushed down his perizoma, giving me better access. I turned my head and kissed him, the hand not stroking him winding in his hair. We were both on our sides, sharing hot, passionate kisses as we jerked each other off. The tips of our penises would occasionally brush against each other, and every time that happened I went hot all over. I tried positioning myself so that it would happen as often as possible. All too soon I felt my climax approaching, the experience of being touched like that too much for me.

"Oh, you're, you're going to make me cum," I moaned, my head falling back as I felt it rising. Zeus immediately dropped his hand and all my hopes and dreams seemed to fall with it. I stared at him wildly, feeling utterly betrayed.

He chuckled at my outraged expression and took my face in his hands, leaning our foreheads together. "Not yet," he said, kissing the tip of my nose before pulling back. "We've got so much more to do."

I pouted, and I had to stop myself from pleading with him again. My hand was still around his cock, though I'd stopped pumping when I'd been about to climax. A sudden, bold thought entered my mind and I acted on it before my courage failed me. I wriggled lower on the bed and slid his cock into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it experimentally. Zeus made a sound in the back of his throat that nearly undid me. I felt his hands in my hair, gently coaxing me to take more of him into my mouth. I did, bobbing my head up and down his heavy cock. I really didn't know what I was doing, but Zeus seemed to be enjoying himself. He whispered my name, his chest heaving and eyes slipping closed. Seeing him so aroused made me feel powerful. It was so obvious that he wanted me. Finally, he pushed me away from him, a spiderweb of pre-cum and spit trailing from my lips, connecting us. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, glancing up at him in surprise.

"Did I do something wrong?"

He shook his head, his eyes wide and unfocused. "I think we've had enough foreplay. I want to be inside you now."

I nodded, excitement and nerves warring with each other. I rose up on my hands and knees beside him, waiting expectantly.

Zeus propped himself up on his elbow and looked over at me. He reached over and touched my backside, trailing his fingers downward.

I glanced over at him, wondering why he hesitated. "Zeus?"

"Lay on your back. I want to see your pretty face."

I did as I was told, curious. Zeus grabbed several pillows and stacked them under my back and hips, raising up my bottom half. "Comfortable?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Good." He slid off the bed and grabbed something off the table. It was a glass vial full of amber liquid. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it.

"Oil?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"With a special ingredient," he replied, climbing back into the bed. "Hopefully it'll make it hurt less."

I chewed my lip, my stomach twisting in knots.

He noticed my expression and leaned forward between my legs to kiss me. 'I'll be careful with you." he reassured me. "I promise."

I nodded my head, too nervous to say anything.

Zeus unstoppered the vial and poured a little of the oil into his hand. "Just try to relax, Ganymede."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down. I wanted this. I felt his hands settle between my thighs, parting me. Something warm brushed over my entrance, sending a jolt of pleasure through me. His finger swirled around my anus, warm and slick with the oil. I opened my eyes a little. Zeus was kneeling between my legs, his hand hidden from view. He seemed completely absorbed in his task, his eyes watching his fingers.

I melted under those fingers, my muscles turning to jelly. "That feels nice," I said.

"Good. I'm going to do a little more now." The finger poked at my entrance, fighting against the barrier there. It slid up inside me, filling me up. I moaned.

"Does that hurt?"

I shook my head. It was a strange sensation, but not a bad one. I felt a little more pressure and then another finger moved to join the first, stretching me out. This felt a little more invasive, but nothing like the pain I'd been expecting. The fingers slid in and out of me, very slowly at first and then a little faster, feeling me relax around them. Zeus trickled a little more oil over them as he went, getting me all slick inside. After a minute or so, I felt him add a third finger. The pressure built, but not the pain. After the initial shock, I was starting to enjoy being so full.

"How are you doing?" he asked me. He was watching me now, scrutinizing my expression.

I smiled, trying to reassure him. "I want you," I answered. It was so true. Zeus' fingers felt good, but they only teased me. I wanted more.

Zeus was quick to comply. He took his fingers out and slickened his manhood with the oil before moving to settle over me. He guided his cock into my entrance, going painfully slow. He was bigger around than his fingers had been, and he went gently, allowing me a chance to adjust. I felt him glide into me, and it was almost more than I could stand. I whimpered his name, clenching the sheets. This was like a dream. The sexiest dream I'd ever had.

"Ganymede?"

"You feel so good," I moaned. I heard him chuckle.

"So do you," he breathed, sounding short of breath. "You are the most fuckable thing alive." He pushed into me deeper, and kept going until he was completely sheathed in my body.

I laid there, gasping, my body spasming around the invasion of his. It hadn't hurt at all, but the pressure was driving me to distraction. Zeus began rolling his hips, slowly thrusting inside of me. I watched him, admiring the fine lines of his body as he moved in and out of me, my mind delirious with lust. His locked his eyes with mine and started thrusting a little faster, making me moan.

"You like that?"

I could only nod, lost in sensation. He had to pause every once in a while to trickle more of the oil along his cock, and those moments were the most desperate of my life, followed by the sweetest when he'd sheath himself in me once again.

We continued like that for several minutes, his movements gradually increasing in speed and me lying prone beneath him, feeling all the happiness in the world.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself," he said once in approval.

I smiled up at him. "This is the best day of my life."

He grinned, "It's about to get better."

Before I could ask him what he meant, he adjusted the angle of his strokes, leaning a little back on his knees so that his downstroke would brush against something inside me that softened my bones. I cried out, my back arching off the bed and my cock going rigid. Zeus found that place again and again, each time sending a bolt of pleasure through me that was almost beyond all comprehension. My moans grew louder, becoming almost frantic as he rubbed up against that hidden spot with every stroke.

"You sound like a whore," he growled. The words were an insult but the tone was not.

"Do you like it?" I asked, gazing up at him under my eyelashes. I angled myself upwards, allowing him deeper access. He groaned.

"Very much," he said. His skin was shiny with sweat, his eyes bright. He reached up and caught my cock in his hand, rubbing the tip.

"Ah," I said, tilting my head back, my mind going blank, just letting my body feel. I felt his thick cock prodding against my center, releasing wave after wave of indescribable pleasure. I'd never felt anything like it, not even with his hand around me. The tempo of his thrusts increased again, almost getting rough. It still didn't hurt, but I felt the force of it. The knowledge that he was enjoying taking his pleasure of me added fuel to my own ecstacy.

The wave of pleasure building inside me grew higher, threatening to crash over me at any moment. I yearned for it, my breathing ragged and my voice growing hoarse from all racket I was making. He was right, I did sound like a whore. And I didn't care one bit.

"Ah, fuck, you feel so good," Zeus growled, grabbing my hips to steady himself as his thrusts became erratic.

Oddly enough, it was his cursing that sent me over the edge, the husky sound of his voice adding that last tiny bit of stimulation I needed to come flying apart. "Ah! Oh, yes! Oh, Zeuuuuus! Ooooh," I jerked under him, my hips straining upwards as creamy, white ejaculate splattered across my stomach and chest, wave after crashing wave of pleasure washing over my entire body. This wasn't an orgasm. This was dying and going to heaven.

Seeing me finish sped Zeus' own climax and within a minute he was pulling out of me and spilling himself across my stomach, his seed mixing with my own. He groaned, his hand squeezing out the last of it before he collapsed next to me, panting. We both lay there, arms stretched out and breathing fast, too spent to move. My ears were ringing and the sea of ejaculate all over me was turning cold.

"Well," I said at last. "That was amazing."

"Yes, it was." Zeus was lying on his stomach, his arms raised above his head. He opened his eye to look at me over the top of his arm. "You look good covered in cum."

I blushed furiously. "I need a rag or something."

He glanced around, picked up his perizoma, and handed it to me.

I eyed the garment warily, the notion of cleaning off with someone else's used underclothes not very comforting. Zeus smirked when he noticed my reaction. "You know, if you're this concerned about my person cleanliness, you really shouldn't have let me stick my dick up your ass."

It was hard to argue with that logic. I took the garment and started wiping off globs of semen.

Zeus watched me as I did this. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"Fantastic," I answered.

"Did it hurt much?"

I shook my head. "No, not at all. It was strange, I'd expected it to hurt a lot."

"It usually does. I put some nectar in the oil, to see if it would help you any. I didn't know if it would work or not, but it helps with other kinds of pain so I figured it'd be worth a shot. You might feel sore later on, once the effects wear off."

I glanced up at him and smiled. "That was very kind of you."

He shrugged off my gratitude. "I want you to be happy here."

"Well you're doing a pretty good job so far," I said, propping myself up on my elbow to look at him. I raised a hand to brush back some of his hair that had fallen forward. "I've never felt so good in my life."

He caught my hand and kissed my palm. "You said you'd never been with anyone, but I almost wonder, have you ever actually peaked before?"

"Yes," I said, curious as to where the question arose from. "I mean, I've touched myself plenty of times."

He grinned. "I'm going to have to see that someday," he murmured. "But the reason I asked is because of your reaction when I made you come just now. You looked starstruck, like it was the first time you'd ever had an orgasm."

"Well," I muttered. "I've never experienced one like that before. I've never come close to anything that good."

"Interesting." He turned over, winding his arms behind his head. I wiggled closer to him, wanting to be pressed up against him, but not sure if he'd appreciate me invading his space. Luckily, he noticed what I was doing and pulled me closer, his arm wrapping around my back. I sighed and snuggled into the crook of his arm, my head on his chest. His chest was dusted with fair hair, tapering into a line that trailed down his stomach and eventually fanned out again, making a nest of light colored curls between his legs. Like his chest, Zeus' arms and legs were also hairier than my own, making him look very manly. I liked it.

His heart was beating under my ear. Hearing it surprised me, though it shouldn't have. It made sense that Zeus would have a heartbeat—he was alive wasn't he?—but it seemed almost odd that a god could have something so basic and human. My eyes grew heavy and I was beginning to nod off when he spoke again.

"We're going to have to be careful, my little prince."

I stirred against him, trying to shake off my stupor. "What?"

Zeus glanced over at me, his pale eyes conflicted. "I'm going to make you my cupbearer. That will be your official role here. It'll be our excuse."

I raised an eyebrow, not following him. "What do you mean, our excuse?"

Zeus sighed. "You mentioned it yourself yesterday evening. I'm married. And Hera isn't the most understanding person."

I bit my lip, feeling stupid. I had known he was married, but in the whirlwind of emotion that this man stirred up in me, I'd barely even thought about it. "What will she do?" I whispered.

He clenched me closer to him, leaning his forehead against mine. "Oh, sweetling, you don't need to be frightened. I'm not going to let her hurt you. We just need to be careful."

"But how? Do you really think she won't suspect us of this?" I gestured at the two of us. "She probably already knows I'm in here."

Zeus chuckled, his tone humorless. "Oh, trust me, if she knew you were in here, we'd both be in a world of pain." He pulled my face back to his when I tried to turn away. "Ganymede, I'm not going to let her hurt you. I promise."

I bit my lip harder, wanting to believe him, but not sure I could. I'd heard stories about what Hera did to her husband's lovers. I'd been beyond stupid to come here. Then I looked into those pale blue eyes and felt the rest of the world fall away, just like always. I could never have said no to those eyes, nor the god they belonged to. With a sinking feeling, I realized I'd been lost the moment I'd seen him standing in the forest after he'd struck down the serpent.

The memory of the serpent brought something to my mind and I groaned.

"Ganymede?"

"The giant snake you killed. Your wife sent it after us, didn't she?"

Now it was Zeus' turn to look away.

I sighed, resigning myself. "I'll be your cupbearer, then, if that's what you think is best."

"She's got no reason to hurt my cupbearer, now does she? And for all she knows, that's all I ever wanted you for." His tone was a little desperate, his story thin as a spider's web. But it was still more than I could come up with.

"And there's one more thing, something to protect you." Zeus disentangled himself from me and slid out of the bed. I watched as he walked across the room and picked up a little dish off a table.

There was something on the dish that resembled a small cake, small enough to fit in the palm of my hand and the color of honey. "What is it?" I asked.

"Ambrosia. If you eat it, you'll be immortal. Never aging, never dying."

I stared at him, completely dumbfounded. "You aren't serious?"

He nodded. "I told you, I want you to be with me." He pushed the tray toward me. "Eat it."

I looked down at the tiny cake, my mind numb. I felt like I should take some time to decide. But why? When somebody offered you immortality, who would be stupid enough to refuse? Yet I hesitated. This was the most monumental moment of my entire life, and I'd had no time to prepare.

I glanced up at Zeus, looking at his lovely face. He was watching me expectantly, his hair disheveled from our romp, his eyes stunningly blue and endless. I imagined leaving him and returning to my father's house, and cringed away from the thought. How could I ever go back to the way things had been? It was impossible. Therefore, I would be staying here. And if I was staying here with Zeus, shouldn't I actually be able to stay? If I remained mortal, death would eventually take me away from here, if I wasn't cast out for being an old man beforehand.

No, the answer was simple and I was just delaying the inevitable. I picked up the little golden cake and popped the entire thing into my mouth slowly chewing in. It was incredible. The taste was unlike anything else in the world. It was sweet, it was rich and it seemed to carry with it every beautiful feeling in the world. The cake made me happy with a kind of joy that made every particle of my body glow from within. I laughed, the joy bubbling up out of me like a fountain. Zeus smiled and bent forward to kiss me, his hands winding in my hair. I kissed him back, all of my energy returning ten fold. I wanted to yell from the rooftops and dance through the streets and make love to him again and again. The world was bright and beautiful and I was beautiful too.

I wrestled the king of the gods back down into the sheets, kissing his throat and grinding against him, ready for another round. He laughed and let me caress him, his eyes never leaving me. "Congratulations," he said after a while, gasping when my mouth slipped around his awakening arousal. "Welcome to immortality, my prince."