Jared stood under the shower, letting the cool water wash away the dust, and trying to cool his blood. He didn't know what the hell was wrong with him. He closed his eyes, picturing Colin standing under a shower, water coursing down his muscular body…Good grief! What am I doing? He looked down and realized he had gotten hard. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed.

Ignoring his treacherous body, he dressed quickly in a pair of low slung jeans and a black tank top. He had gotten food for the both of them and laid it out on his small table. He had a tray of fresh fruit, a veggie omelet for himself, and a steak hoagie for Colin. He had also gotten a couple of beers, which he thought Colin would appreciate. He would stick to fruit juice and water.

He sat back on his couch, puttering away on his laptop while waiting for Colin to show up. He had gotten quite interested in ancient Greece and Greek mythology since starting this movie, and was doing some more reading on the subject.

He heard a soft tapping on his door. "Come on in, Colin." When Colin came through the door, Jared nearly choked on his water. Geez…the man looked amazing. He was wearing soft khaki pants and a silky black t-shirt that hugged his lean body. And bare feet. God help him. The man looked good enough to eat. Eat? Where the hell did that come from?

Colin smiled almost shyly. "Hey, Jared. I feel much better now, don't you?" He dropped down on the couch beside Jared. "What are you reading?"

"I found something interesting! Did you know that there was a goddess named Leto? Seriously! And her son is Apollo! Do you know that he is the god of music, among other things? Isn't that great? My name, and my other love, music. How cool is that?" His eyes sparkled with excitement.

Colin smiled at him. Jared looked like a kid with a new toy. He leaned over to look at the computer screen, his chin resting on Jared's shoulder. "Yeah, that is really something" he said softly. "Seems the gods themselves have guided your career." He breathed in the clean, soapy smell of Jared's skin, and could not suppress a shiver. Embarrassed, he sat up quickly.

Jared turned and looked into dark eyes which, at the moment, looked nearly black. The man had serious bedroom eyes. And that expressive mouth…he almost groaned out loud. Christ, he even smelled amazing, like soap and cedarwood. He caught himself leaning his face towards Colin's, and stood up quickly. "Why don't we have some lunch?"

Colin smiled. He knew that Jared was feeling the same way he was. He had no idea why, or what started it, but it was there. Perhaps, he thought, instead of fighting it, he should have some fun with it.

He opened a beer, offering one to Jared, who shook his head no. They ate their lunch, talking about various parts of the movie they were working on. Finishing their meal, they sat back, nibbling on their dessert of fresh strawberries and cream. Colin decided to tease Jared a little, just to see how he reacted. He picked up a strawberry and dipped it in the thick cream.

Jared watch intently as Colin lifted the strawberry to his lips and slowly licked the cream off the end, then sucked the berry into his mouth, biting into it. Jared swallowed hard. And speaking of hard…other parts of him were beginning to get that way as well. A tiny bit of juice from the berry slid down Colin's chin. He couldn't stop himself. Without really thinking about it, Jared leaned forward and licked the drop from his chin. Realizing what he had just done, he backed up quickly. He looked completely terrified.

Colin chuckled softly. "Jared? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Oh God, Colin…I am SO sorry! I have no idea why I did that. You must think I'm a freak." He buried his face in his hands. "I am so embarrassed, I just want to die."

"Jared.." Colin said softly, "look at me."

Jared slowly raised his head. Blue eyes filled with unshed tears met dark, seductive ones.

Colin placed his hand on Jared's cheek, cupping his face gently. "It's okay. Really." He put his other arm around Jared's waist and hugged him. "Don't be embarrassed. Besides", he whispered, "I have wanted to do this all day." At that, he leaned in and brushed his lips lightly over Jared's.

Jared nearly jumped out of his skin, drawing a sharp breath. He pulled away, scrambling to his feet and backing away from Colin. His face was red and flushed. "I…I have to go" he choked out.

Colin laughed aloud at that. "Jared, this is YOUR trailer. Where do you need to go?"

"I don't know…I just need to go. I'll see you later." He stumbled backward, turned, and nearly ran out the door.

Colin took a swig of his beer, and laughed some more. Poor Jared. This was fun!

Alexander and Hephaestion watched that little scene with great amusement. Aphrodite smiled, and Eros just winked at them and grinned.

Alexander laughed. "Well, Hephaestion, Jared has much to learn if he wishes to be like you. I don't remember you ever running away from me. If I remember correctly, you were the one who kissed me the first time. And you were certainly never shy about it. I used to feel like you wanted to devour me whole!"

Hephaestion grinned. "I still do, Alexander." He pressed his hips against Alexander's, letting him feel that he was hard…again.

"Gods, Phai! Again?" he laughed.

Hephaestion laughed with him. "What can I say, Alexander? There is nothing here to stop us from doing what we want, no prying eyes, no battles, no pain-in-the-ass generals bugging the hell out of us. I get plenty of sleep and plenty to eat, so I can't help it if I want plenty of sex, too. It's your fault! You make me horny!"

"Phai, breathing makes you horny."

"And that is a bad thing…why?"

Alexander squeezed his hand. "It is not a bad thing at all, Phai. I just like to tease you." He smiled. "Come on, let's go watch them. They are doing a scene in the palace tonight according to that Oliver fellow. He said it is just the two of us, and I think it is supposed to be romantic or something. If you are good, I may let you have your way with me later tonight."

"Sounds like a plan, Alexander."