A short chapter this time. But sort of a turning-point in the story. I've also gone back a few chapters and corrected some spelling misstakes, nothing altered in the story though.
Thanks to Smiling Eyes and all other rewievers. Keep them coming!

The mistake

OK, I can of course blame what happened on too much wine. But that's a lousy excuse, I know it is. But it did happen, and there's no way to make it undone.

I slept with Zeus. Yeah, that's what this stupid girl did. In spite of all the high held moral I've been carrying around since my loss of Neario. But I guess I tired of being the mourning widow in the eyes of myself as well as others, and thus stepped over the line. But I could have chose someone of the others. Like Hyperion, Helios or Poseidon. Or even Iapetos. But no - I had to go for Zeus. Or, more accurate, to let him seduce me.

It was the Summer Solstice and as always with Summer Solstices a great reason to have a party. We were also celebrating the official forming of the New Pantheon. The new organisation to replace the old Order, which actually had been in a defunct status for more than a year now anyhow. And as usually with these events, there was a lot of food, beverages, music and all kind of stuff.

I don't know where I want to back the tape to, but guess it started with the indecent dancing Hyperion and I were doing. He was so much fun that old god. Always full of tricks and jokes. And we got along in a friendly kind of way. I guess that's why I dared to dance the way I did with him. He and I were no more than friends and content with that at the moment. And I knew that if he or I had wanted something more we would have made sure the other one wanted the same before trying ahead.

But soon I was stolen away from Hyperion by Zeus. And he wanted to do the same thing as Hyperion. And more than that. Before I knew it he was all over me. I started to push him away, cheeks burning and mind spinning. I felt that if I didn't stop this it could end anywhere (which it actually did). But Zeus wasn't taking no for an answer. Not on the dancefloor at least. He was doing things that not even Neario had done to me in public places.

- Please, Zeus, you're making a fool of yourself, I whispered to him while I was trying to get his hands out from under my top. And of me. And what's Themis going to say?
- Oh, don't worry about her, she's already too drunk to care.
- Zeeeus! I'm not that drunk. Please...

- Come on! Don't be such a... Neario's been gone for a year now, and you need to get a life, Cutie.
- But not on the expense of Themis. Don't...
- Oh, we can do it out here if that feels better. And before I knew it we were off the dancefloor and out on the very same terrace where I had cried in his arms that night for what felt like a million years ago. The night Neario died.

There he started to kiss me like no-one had kissed me before. Not even Neario to be true. He had always been careful, tender. Not hot, nearly violent like Zeus. And in spite of everything I found myself almost liking it. But I still resisted, trying to get away. But more and more half-hearted. And then he kissed again. Holding me close. Whispering things in my ear, where "Chaos knows I always wanted to do this with you" was the most printable thing. More, and deeper kisses. He tasted like cinnamon. Then he was kissing my neck and further down. We were alone out here with the ocean and the windchimes, and my defence melted away like an ice cube in the sun. I started to kiss back, started to caress him instead of pushing him away.

- That's more like it. His voice was husky/hoarse, his lips against my breasts, his hands somewhere along my equator. And I was burning with strange, tingling emotions all over my body. I started to whisper his name over and over again, and in response he lifted me up and carried me down the marble stairs and into the garden. He took me on a slope against the ocean, and I have a fuzzy memory of calling out Neario's name while I came. But I'm not really certain of anything until I snapped out of it and found Eagle lying beside of me, gazing at the stars with a satisfied look on his face.

I sat up.
- What did I just do?
- Had a good time. I can tell that, even if your ex is still on your mind. But I don't care. It will fade.
- Fade?
- I know human nature. More than you can ever guess, Cutie.
- I'm sorry, but I never intended this to happen.

Zeus sat up too.
- Don't be sorry, Hera! Rejoice instead! Rejoice in the fact that you are "cured"! That you can enjoy life once again. That you can partake in the wonderfulness that is available to us.
- Zeus, I... I...
- Hush, pretty one! He laid a finger on my lips, but I rose and started to run away, desperately trying to arrange my clothes to make them look at least a bit decent.

Behind me I could hear Zeus's laughter and I felt so ashamed. I had done the unthinkable. I had betrayed not only Neario's memory but also proven Themis right, that I was not in control of myself. And I had also betrayed Zeus in a way. And our friendship. At that moment I felt like nothing but a looser in the big game that was human interaction. And I realised that I must get away from New Pantheon before it became common knowledge that I had stepped over the line with our leader.