WOOT biggest chapter yet and i reached over 20,000 words! WOOT WOOT.
Sorry for any confusion in this chapter of any others, feel free to ask me about anything :)
Ciao, Review nad enjoy! :3
"Sorry for the short notice, but my mother gave me something that she said I must deliver right away." Serena bowed in respect of the higher god and made her way across the cold, marble floor towards Ares.
"Not an issue my dear, I just finished my meeting." He smiled, taking the scroll from Serena as she handed it to him.
"Oh." She exclaimed, awkwardly fiddling with the hem of her cloak not sure what she should do.
"Have a seat my dear." Ares chuckled, gesturing towards an open chair on the other side of the table.
Serena let out a nervous smile and made her way around to the seat as Ares unraveled the scroll and read the contents.
Serena studied the gods face as he read, to absorbed in the parchment to notice her stares. Though Serena has met Ares on several occasions she never really talked to the higher gods; they tended to stay within their own palaces, only meeting for important matters involving the immortal realm and some social affairs. The only other high god she had conversations with was Aphrodite, her mother's close friend, and then it was only during rather large social affairs. She almost grumbled at the realization that the next big event would be her own engagement party, and that was something she was not looking forward to.
Pushing the thoughts out of her head she glanced back up at Ares who was intently reading. Mortals believed him to be the god of war, most other gods not wanting to be around him on their own free time besides her mother and Aphrodite, who Serena knew they had a thing. He could be serious and Serena believed he had the right to, he had the security of the entire immortal realm on his shoulders and Serena admired him for that, even if sometimes his ways were harsh and brutal. But his cruel ways were hidden by his features, like all the gods he was undeniably beautiful, with pitch black hair and dark red eyes that showed the desire for blood in them. Serena's eyes stopped and loomed over his hair, something about it seemed familiar to her but she couldn't seem to place a finger on it.
Before she could go any deeper in her thoughts Ares cleared his throat, pulling her out of her mind.
"I hear that you have not been feeling well." Ares stated, tossing the scroll over to the side of the table.
"Oh, well a bit, but I am fine now." Serena tried to say with a smile, remaining still in her seat.
"You always have been strong-headed like your mother." Ares joked, making Serena let out uneasy laugh. "But in all seriousness we must prepare to do something. Has the General briefed you on everything?"
Serena's throat tightened at the mention of Darien and adverted her gaze from Ares hoping he did not notice the change in her. The insecurities from earlier flooded her mind but she shoved them back and tried to stop fidgeting with the hem of her cloak.
"Yes, he has been very thorough and professional." Serena began, almost smirking when she mentioned 'professional'. "He has already ordered Briareus and Leocadio to set up a base in the Northern division."
"I chose the right person for the job I see." Ares grinned at the thought but regained composure and plastered his usual serious expression back on.
"Yes, yes you did." Serena nodded in agreement but blushed, hoping he didn't notice another one of her slip ups.
"Well for now I must be off. If you walk down the hall and take a right on the second hall you should come to two doors, there you can teleport back home. I can trust you to see yourself out?" Ares asked, lowering his gaze.
"Yes, thank you." She smiled and pushed her chair away from the table and headed out the doors after a quick bow.
"Now where do I go?" Serena asked herself out loud, staring at the black walls that seemed to close in around her. She began to wander through the corridors, trying to find her way out, admiring the view out of the windows when she passed them. The planet's surface was a deep red, but thanks to Gaia and Poseidon it possessed water and vegetation in the towns and around the palace, the rest barren and stormy. She looked up into the sky that was constantly in overcast and grumbled beginning to become frustrated with this labyrinth she seemed to be trapped in. There were windows but she never found any doors, just flat marble walls that seemed to loom over her. She was used to the open aired corridors of her palace, and she began to feel suffocated in the cramped, closed in halls. She pulled her cloaks hood over her hair, tucking it back in and wrapped her arms around her chest, beginning to panic. Certainly no harm would come of her here but the feeling of getting lost scared her.
"Where is everyone?" She mused, taking another right and silently cursing herself. He gave her such simple directions, how did she mess them up so bad?
She stopped by a window and looked out onto the lush lawns that covered the palaces front, admiring the contrast between the red soil and green grass not paying attention to the sound of footsteps that approached her.
"How did I mess up such simple directions?" She moaned, resting her hands on the window sill and leaned forward, bowing her head down in shame. "I am such a fool."
"I will be back with your tea your majesty, and your father has left the palace and will not be returning until next week so he has told me to tell you that you can return to base tomorrow."
Serena's head snapped up at the voice and ran towards the corner, following the voice that echoed off the smooth walls. She peaked around the corner and saw a woman clad in a maids uniform leaving a room and now heading down the hall and before she could stop her and ask for directions.
Serena sighed, stepping around the corner and towards the large doors that dominated the wall there.
She felt her throat tighten but she shrugged her shoulders and relaxed, raising her hand to the door and knocked. She waited but no one came to the door making her whine and turn away, tightening her grip on her cloak, wrapping it around herself so it covered all of her dress.
"Just my luck." She muttered rolling her eyes in frustration. She had walked a couple of steps down the hall until she heard the sound of the door open and felt a large hand on her shoulder, making Serena nearly yell in excitement that she finally found someone in this maze.
"Who are you?" She heard a voice that spoke rather harshly, sounding as if they had just be woken up and was annoyed.
"Oh, I am sorry, I just got lost and I couldn't find my way to a certain room." She turned around but kept her face down and hidden, not wanting to look up at the man in front of her, beginning to feel awkward.
"How did you get over here." The man asked, pulling Serena out of her thoughts instantly when she recognized the voice, but she kept her face hidden under her cloak, her eyes wide with shock.
"This wing is restricted to visitors, I will send someone to escort you to were you need to go."
This was all Serena needed to here before she looked up at the man in front of her, letting the shock fully display on her face.
"Darien?!" She almost shrieked, staring into his deep blue eyes, completely confused. Why was he called majesty?
"Ser-Serena?" Darien hesitated, dazed in his own right. He reached up and slowly removed the hood on her cloak, letting her blonde hair fan around her face and down her back.
"What are you doing here?" He whispered, glancing nervously over his shoulder, not even making eye contact with her.
"I had to drop off something to Ares and I became lost." She mumbled, flinging her arms around in confusion in an attempt to explain but stopped and fixed her eyes on his face, her expression hardening.
"What about you? I thought you had things you had to attend to?" She questioned, turning the spotlight on him, making him snap out of his own shock.
"Come here." He murmured, grabbing her hand gently and leading her into the open door, taking one last glance before he shut it.
He leaned against the door and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, avoiding the burning stare Serena was giving him.
"What is going on?" Serena asked in a bewildered tone, throwing her hands in the air, but her eyes couldn't help but display her need to touch him, be close to him.
"Why did my father let you wander around here?" He whispered to himself, not realizing that Serena was in front of him still.
"Father?" Serena's eyebrows shot straight up, her jaw now hanging open.
"For the love of Tartarus!" Darien moaned, resting his head in his hands, slowly shaking his head.
Serena was too stunned to move, she just stood there, her mouth hanging open in a dumb looking way, almost making Darien laugh, but the stress of the situation stopped him.
"Are you saying… you are a…god?" She stuttered out, her expression leveling out into one of calmness instead of outright confusion.
"Yes." Darien responded in a whisper, stepping away from the door and towards a silent Serena. "I was not allowed to tell anyone. I am undercover to see if there is a mole in our system that is conversing with Nalalia." He stated, placing his hand on her pale cheek, noticing she didn't respond to his touch the way she usually did.
"Do not be mad." He begged her, bending down to look into her still eyes.
"I am not mad, it was an order, and there was nothing you could have done." She mumbled, mostly to herself, not looking up to match his stare.
"Please tell me what you are thinking."
"I am thinking that we now both have something to hide from others." She smirked, finally meeting his gaze, immediately getting lost in his dark blue eyes.
"You are silly." Darien chuckled, finally embracing her into his arms, Serena more than willing to snuggle into his hug. He caught her chin in his hands and brought her lips to his own, sending a shiver is pleasure down both their spines. Serena snaked her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to deepen the kiss, surprising Darien but he eagerly wrapped his arms around her waist, now half holding her up. Serena slowly let her lips part, letting his tongue slip into her mouth, the new feeling making her let out a light giggle. Their tongues explored each other's mouths, both fighting for dominance over the other, neither succeeding. Darien pulled away but didn't go too far, hungrily kissing her jaw down her neck to the base of her collarbone making Serena giggle again causing Darien to smile.
"You are silly aren't you?" He asked, pulling away to look into her eyes that shone with desire.
"Be quiet." She laughed, throwing her head back almost taking both of them down.
"Be careful darling!" Darien murmured, his face now buried in her hair, inhaling the scent he enjoyed so much.
"Sorry." She blushed, removing her hands from around his neck and placing them on his face.
She stared deep into his eyes, desire turning to sadness as she realized the situation she was in.
"Things are getting so complicated Darien." She mumbled, resting her head on his chest, trying to relax.
"I know." He replied, tucking her head under his chin and wrapping his arms around her.
"I am sorry, If I was not so incompetent I would not have gotten lost and then your cover wouldn't have been blown and then you would not be in risk of getting in trouble and I woul-" She began to ramble but was cut off by Darien's lips.
"Do not fret about it. I probably would have ended up telling you either way." He smiled down at her, trying to get a happy response out of her.
"So your father is Ares…" She stated, letting confusion set back into her head as she pondered over what this all meant.
"And Aphrodite is my mother." He finished her thought, making her look up at him.
"How come I have never met you before then? Our mothers are close friends." She asked, shock plastered on her face.
"My parents did not take me too many social events when I was younger." He sighed, a grim smile on his face.
Before Serena could say anything a knock came from the door startling them both, causing Darien to lead Serena into his closet with an apologetic smile as he dashed back towards the main entrance.
"Here is your tea." The older looking maid smiled, walking into his bedroom and placing the tray of tea on his desk that sat in front of the doors to the balcony.
"Thank you Viola." Darien thanked warmly, but tried to lead her back to the exit when he noticed her slow descent towards the closet.
"Do you not want me to take your laundry away?" She asked, confused by the Mars princes sudden urgency on her leaving.
"Do not worrying about it, you can come back tomorrow when I leave and take everything." He mumbled, his eyes darting between the maid and the closets slightly opened door.
Before Viola could even agree Darien had already lead her out the door, closing it behind her with a small smile on his lips.
Darien nearly ran back into his bedroom making a beeline for his closet to apologize to Serena but he couldn't find her when he stuck his head in to look.
"Gotcha!" Serena whispered with a giggle in Darien's ear, jumping onto his back as she moved out from her hiding spot.
"Watch it dear." Darien laughed, tumbling onto the bed with Serena rolling over beside him.
Darien wrapped his arms around her, embracing her against his chest and kissing her forehead in a tender way.
"You are coming back to Earth tomorrow?" Serena asked; hope filling her eyes as she kissed along his jaw, up along his cheek to his nose.
"Yes." He chuckled at the way she got so excited over something so small, it made his heart swell with the thought the he had made someone feel like that. He eagerly placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her, getting lost in the taste and feeling of her lips on his own.
Serena nestled herself in the crook of his arm, sighing in content as he tightened his hold on her, making her feel safer than she had ever felt before.
"Serena?" Darien murmured in complete relaxation, just enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms, knowing no harm would ever come of her if he was around.
"Mmm?" Serena acknowledged, closing her eyes and inhaling the sweet scent of him.
"I love you." He said lovingly, brushing his lips against her neck, sending chills down her spine.
Serena's eyes widen with shock but they slowly began to well up with tears of hope and joy, but she hid them and let out a small laugh.
"I…" The realization setting into her as she let out a huge grin. "I love you too."
I used the L word! ugh i don't know if they're moving to fast, but for now, ehhh oh well.
Hope you enjoyed it, and new chapter in a few days!
Ciao Loves! :3
