Son of the Love Goddess Chapter 12

A/N: Sorry in advance that Tyler acts a little weird throughout this chapter... In my own defense, Tyler's a little bit freaked out.

Eros-slash-Eric smirked at me. I was sitting in my room, trying not to panic. Would anyone like to guess how many hundreds of girls I've asked out on dates before? Well, I never had any problems asking them. I just smiled, flirted, and a bunch of other stuff that would not work with Renee.

"I can call up one of your sisters and ask her to help you out, if you like." Eros was causing more trouble than usual. I lunged towards him and grabbed the phone.

"Don't you dare do anything like that!" I snarled at him. Yeah, I might have been just a little bit stressed.

"You look like you need the help."

"I'm absolutely fine. I don't need anyone's help."

"Help with what?" Renee asked, pushing my bedroom door open with one foot.

"WAAGH!" I shouted. Stop looking at me like that! She was holding a five foot long sword and it was pointed towards me.

"I think Tyler has something he wants to ask you," Eros-slash-Eric said with a shrug, then slipped out the door.

"What was it you wanted to ask me, pretty boy?"

"Umm... right. Actually. I was just thinking that maybe, you don't have to say yes or anything, it was just like a passing thought I had, and I was talking to Ero- Eric and he said that I should and I thought I would, but I don't think so anymore. In fact I think it might be better if I just-"

Renee slapped her hand onto my mouth. "Tyler. Shut up."

I took a deep breath and said, when she moved her hand, "Thanks. I needed that."

"Now, tell me in one sentence or less exactly what you wanted to ask me."

"." The words came out of my mouth so fast they turned into one syllable.

"Say it one more time, slowly."

"I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me." This was nerve wracking. Was this how regular guys felt every time they asked a girl out? Nothing could possibly be worth this. I closed my eyes and then opened one of them when Renee let out a whoop.

She was bent double, hands on her knees, gasping for breath. No, she wasn't dying, she was laughing. "The reason you're acting so weird is you wanted to ask me out?"

"I knew it was a bad idea," I mumbled to the air.

Renee shook her head and straightened. "No. I'd love to go out with you..." She collapsed onto my bed, letting her head roll back onto my pillow as she burst into laughter once more.

"What is so funny?" I asked, a little irritated, but mostly ecstatic.

"You looked terrified... of me!"

I sat down on my bed and crossed my arms. I pretended to be irritated, but any anger I felt at her reaction drained away as I watched her. She was laying on my bed, clutching her belly, a look of utter happiness on her face. How was it possible for her to be so beautiful?

My own thought surprised me. I'd never thought of a girl as beautiful, except Renee. Pretty, sure, hot, definitely, but not beautiful. Not counting my sisters of course- some of them were truly stunning- but who counts family?

Renee's laughter slowed to a stop. I came out of my revery to see her staring at me just as I was staring at her. Renee glanced down at the bed and quickly stood up. "So. Umm."

"If you're not ready by five o'clock, then I'll just leave without you."

Renee snorted. "Of the two of us, which one spends more time on his appearance?"

"Hey!"

Renee smirked and reached up to ruffle my hair. Then she pressed her lips to my cheek and left.

I now had exactly four hours, twenty minutes, and two seconds until I was going on a date with Renee.

What had I gotten myself into?

I stared at myself in the mirror, vaguely wondering how painful it would be to bang my head against the wall. Eros-slash-Eric smirked at me, sniggering under his breath. What in Olympus could be so funny?

"What?" I demanded.

"I'm just wondering how you can possibly be a son of Aphrodite..."

"Not all of us are full of godly powers."

"You don't need godly powers, just courage."

I wanted to tell him to stuff it, but that would've been considered disrespectful and I actually did want to live longer than five minutes.

I blinked, shook my head, and repeated to myself the advice I'd given to my sisters dozens of times before. Have fun, don't do anything stupid, and smile.

Once again, I carefully regarded myself in the mirror. I was wearing my favorite pair of jeans; a tight fitting, bright green short sleeve; and a pair of skateboarding shoes. My shades were in my hand, waiting to be slipped on.

"Didn't Renee say she was going to leave without you if you weren't ready to go at five o'clock?"

"No, that's what I said to her... how did you hear that?"

"Oh, please, Tyler, I don't need to stoop to human tricks like eavesdropping to know what's going on around me."

"Well, pardon me."

"Just thought you'd like to know- it's four fifty-eight."

I grabbed my phone from the dresser, flipped it open and found that Eros-slash-Eric had actually been telling the truth. I raced towards my bedroom door, skidded to a stop, turned around, and grabbed my wallet. Then I darted out towards the door again, flying haphazardly through the door frame. I was moving a little too quickly and carelessly and I accidentally slammed my big toe into the side of my door. I winced and then tried to pretend I hadn't felt anything. It almost worked.

To my immense surprise, Renee wasn't anywhere downstairs. Was she still in the guest bedroom? Or had she just chickened out? No, Renee would never chicken out of anything. So she was just taking her time. No reason to panic, just take a deep, deep breath. Control the ADD...

Oh. My. Gods.

"Shut your mouth, pretty boy, or you're going to collect flies."

I shut my mouth and looked down at my hands, pretending she hadn't just caught me staring at her.

Renee's normal outfit consisted of either a camo or blood-red t-shirt, well used, slightly baggy jeans or basketball shorts, and boots. Renee always left her hair to its own devices.

The beyond beautiful girl who walked down the stairs was wearing her hair in two long braids with a few strands left out to frame her face. She was wearing a red v-neck, jean shorts that revealed her long, muscled, and tanned legs, and flip-flops. Did I mention that it was a low-cut v-neck?

"Is there a reason you always wear a shirt that looks like it was died with blood."

"It scares off the boys." Renee's eyes were a little wider than normal and filled with fake innocence.

"Not me," I said, "I'm made of stronger stuff."

"Casey is stronger than you are."

"Are you comparing me to my little sister? And finding me lacking?"

"Of course I am."

"C'mon, let's go before you start comparing me to Mike."

"Where are we going?" Renee's hand moved to her belt- the place where she normally kept Fire-biter in it's gun form.

"The diner. They have the best food in the universe there."

Renee started to walk towards the front door, but I stopped her. I opened the garage door, unlocked my car, and pressed the remote that made the garage door slide up.

"You know how to drive?" Renee sounded extremely skeptical.

"Yes."

Renee got into the passenger seat, looking highly doubtful. "You driving a car sounds like a bad idea to me, but whatever."

I backed out of the driveway and turned onto the road. I drove to intersection and turned onto the road that lead into town.

"Turn signal, Tyler!"

"Turn what?" I asked.

Renee glared at me. "Please tell me you have your driver's liscense."

"Course not."

Renee punched my arm.

"Kidding!"

"Don't kid about stuff like that."

Renee's voice was so tight and hard that I turned to look at her. Her face was set and slightly pinched, her jaws were clenched, and her hands were holding the armrests so tightly I thought they might fall off.

"Are you-"

"Eyes on the road, please, Tyler."

I turned back to the road, my eyes as wide as saucers. "You're afraid of cars?"

"No. I'm afraid of getting in a car crash. A very reasonable fear since it's only happened five times before."

"You've been in a car crash five times?"

"You've never seen my mother drive. When I'm in the passenger seat, the right side of the car is always in the danger zone."

"Well, we're almost there and I promise I won't try to kill you."

Renee nodded and took a shaky breath. It was only a couple minutes later that we pulled into the parking lot, but it seemed like forever, most likely because Renee flinched every time another car approached us.

Renee's feet were on the concrete and the passenger door was shut before I even finished turning off the engine. I got out slowly, locking the car behind me. Renee was leaning against the trunk, looking completely composed. It was a facade, but it nearly convinced me.

"You okay?"

Renee took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Let's go eat," I suggested.

We walked up to the door and walked through, the dinging of electric bells gracing our arrival. We only had to wait for a minute before someone came to seat us.

"Tyler!" One of the waitresses rushed over to where Renee and I were standing. She enveloped me in a hug and then stood back, looking me over critically. "I haven't seen you in a long time!"

"Hey, Bea."
"And this enchanting young lady must be from your summer camp!" Bea turned her enthusiastic energy on Renee. Bea's about forty years old, but she has more energy than I could ever muster. She cares for everyone- she feeds stray cats, random kids, and mothers every living creature she deems in need of help.

"Yes. Bea, this is Renee. Renee, this is Bea."

"Lovely to meet you, dear." Bea turned to me, "And your sisters? How is Terri? And Casey? And your brother Mike?"

"All good. Casey's going to be staying with Terri and I some more this winter."

"You bring her by here and I'll give her one of her favorite shakes, on the house, you hear?"

"She'll be here as soon as camp ends," I promised Bea.

Bea eyed me, "Are you making sure she eats? That girl is nothing but skin and bone. Terri, too."

"Casey eats twice as much as I do, Bea. And Terri eats plenty of salad."

"Salad?" Bea rolled her eyes, "What girl in this world can survive on only salad? We all need a little sugar now and then."

I opened my mouth to say that Terri could give a professional lecture on the evils of sugar, but I was interrupted by another customer.

"Hey! You still haven't taken my order, woman!" A man who looked- and smelled- like a trucker yelled at Bea.

"If you think you can order me about, then you can think again, mister," Bea glared at the man and I winced. Sweet and lovable as she was, Bea was the kind of person who turns downright terrifying when you get on her bad side.

"This way, you two," Bea said, scooping up two menus and showing us to a two person booth in the corner.

After Bea had gone to take the trucker's order, Renee said, "She seems sweet, except when he got her mad."

"Kinda like someone else I know."

Renee shook her head and flicked my hand with her fingernail. "She acted like she was your aunt..."

"No, Bea just likes to adopt people."

Renee raised her eyebrows, waiting to here the story. "Why would she want to adopt you and Terri?"

"My dad and I used to have lunch here all the time. The last time we came, he was suffering withdrawal. He'd lost his drugs-" I hesitated, the words tasting sour in my mouth. "He tried to hit me when I said something that upset him. Bea saw, gave him a thorough telling off, and decided I needed a responsible adult caretaker. During the school year, she comes to our house, cooks meals, cleans, and talks our ears off all the time. Bea and Terri don't get along perfectly, but they manage."

Renee watched me intently, "Just one question- what did you say to your dad to upset him so much?"

"I told him it was a wise decision to stop taking drugs."

"Tyler, you have a gift for saying exactly the wrong thing. Did you know that?"

I didn't answer because a waitress walked up to us just then. Instead I said, "Hey, Laurie, how are things?"

"Good, yourself?"

"Awesome."

"Can I get you two something to drink?" Laurie asked, though in reality she was asking Renee since she already knew and had written down my drink.

"I'll have a Coke," Renee decided.

"Okay, I'll be right back with that."

Renee looked over at me. "How often do you come here? You know all the waitresses, they know what you're going to order before you order it, and they know Casey and Mike."

"During the non-camp part of the year, I come here almost every other day."

"That's a healthy lifestyle."

"Do I look fat to you?" I protested.

Renee regarded my torso. "Yes, actually."

"You're looking at muscle, not body fat!"

Renee laughed, shaking her head at me, "Oh, Tyler, you are so easy to provoke."

"Here you go." Laurie slid Renee's Coke onto the table. "And one Tyler-special." She slid my drink onto the table in front of me. "Bea'll be round in just a minute to take your orders."

"What is a Tyler-special?" Renee asked suspiciously, peering at my drink as I started to suck it up.

"Basically, it's hot chocolate with mint chocolate chip ice cream and whip cream."

"That's not a drink- it's a desert."

"It's delicious!"

"You are so incredibly bizarre, pretty boy."

We talked for a few more minutes, then discussed the menu options.

Bea stopped by just as Renee had decided what she nodded. "You know what you want, Renee?"

"Yeah- I'll have the steak."

"How would you like that done?"

Renee ordered her steak medium rare and with french fries, glazed carrots, and a salad.

"Are you going to eat all that?" I asked when she had finished ordering.

"Are you implying something, buster?"

"Nope."

"Then, yes, I am going to eat all that. If you think I eat a lot, then never, ever, ever offer to pay for one of my brother's meals."

"Which usual are you going to have today, Tyler? We have everything you like except the Parmesan."

"I think today I'll have the buffalo."

"Sure thing." Bea jotted down a note on the slip of paper that contained our order and bounced away to serve the next person.

"She has to spend ten minutes going over the choices with everyone else, but with you, you don't even have to say the name of the dish."

"I'm special."

"Yes, you are."

"You make special sound like a bad thing," I complained.

Renee just grinned at me.

The food must have been just as delicious as usual because Renee loved it and praised it almost incessantly. Honestly, I tasted nothing of what went into my mouth.

My entire mind was concentrated on Renee. We talked and laughed and ate. It was the best date I'd ever been on, hands down.

When the time came for dessert, we agreed to get ice cream at the dairy bar across the road. I said goodbye to Bea and Laurie and everyone else and we left, bypassing the car without a glance in it's direction.

I ordered a large (four scoops) moosetracks on a waffle cone. Renee ordered a small (two scoops) raspberry on a sugar cone.

"Do you eat like this all the time?" She asked me, eyeing my towering ice cream cone.

"Yes, there's nothing wrong with the way I eat. Your brothers eat ten times what I eat! Your dinner was like three times bigger than mine!"

"I meant, do you always eat this much sugar and calories?"

I smiled guiltily.

Renee laughed. "I wonder how many people your sisters would kill to have your metabolism."

I snorted. "As many as necessary. Fatal flaw right there."

Renee leaned back against the table, straightening out her legs so the stretched in front of her. I couldn't stop my eyes from trailing down their muscled lengths.

"Mmm, this is the best ice cream ever. How come you know all the places for the best food?"

"I'm stomach savvy."

"If that was supposed to be a joke, then it was so lame it wasn't even funny."

"You're hurting my feelings."

"Aww, the poor little baby Tyler got his feelings hurt by the big, ugly, mean Renee."

"Definitely not ugly," I murmured.

"Some would argue with you about that, you know."

"Only if they're legally blind."

I must've been going blind myself because I could swear Renee blushed. Blushed!

Ha! She was susceptible to my wiles! Mwahahahaha!

"-switch to a different topic, please," Renee was saying when I came out of my ADD trance.

"No problem," I said, then, for full impact, waited a moment before continuing, "So, when are you going to head back to camp?"

Renee's fist hit my belly.

"You-" gasp "-seriously-" gasp "-need to-" gasp "-stop-" gasp "-doing that!"

Renee gave me a look. It was one of those do-I-really-need-to-answer-that-dumb-as-Ares-question? looks.

"Jeesh, I was kidding. You can stay at my house as long as you like. But, fair warning, my sisters are going to come home eventually. There's only another three weeks of summer left and Terri always starts visiting her mortal friends before camp is over."

Renee said, "When are you going to learn to keep your mouth shut? It could save you millions of bruises and cuts."

"Self-control? What- are you kidding?"

Renee shook her head and the conversation turned to other, less sensitive matters. I managed to get through another two hours without a single bruise.

Later, long after our ice cream was gone, Renee and I were meandering back in the general direction of the car. Renee looked about ready to barf.

When we got to the car, Renee slid in reluctantly and buckled her seat belt. Her hands clenched so tightly around everything she touched, I was worried my car would fall apart any second. I got into the driver's seat and leaned over to kiss Renee's cheek.

I whispered in her ear, "Relax. It'll only take a few minutes to get back."

I started the car and eased out of the parking lot and onto the road. I drove at the exact speed limit for a couple miles before my phone started buzzing.

I took it out of my pocket and flipped the silver thing open.

One new message from Eros the Love Dude.

I rolled my eyes and pressed the 'read' button.

Mom needs me. Be back tomorrow. Have fun! ;)

This was either really good news or really bad news. I couldn't figure out which.

Renee grabbed the phone out of my hand. "Texting while driving. You're going to send us to Hades," she said through clenched teeth.

"Please don't look at that message!" I begged.

So, of course, Renee read the message. "Eric is really Eros in disguise?"

I nodded mutely, carefully keeping my eyes on the road even though Renee seemed to be thoroughly distracted.

"Your mom must have a lot of faith in you." Sarcasm alert.

"You're not mad?"

"Of course I'm mad. I hate it when the gods interfere with my life. It royally sucks."

"At me?"

"Not yet."

That was comforting.

I drove the rest of the way home without incident. By the time we got back, Renee had set my phone down and was again trying to break my poor car.

I got out quickly, but Renee still beat me out of the car by at least twenty seconds. She leaned against the front door, her eyes closed in a rare moment of weakness.

"Hey, it's okay." I smiled. "Both of us are still alive. My car is still in one piece despite your best efforts."

Her lips twitched and she muttered, "Always one to look on the bright side, pretty boy."

Once again, I noticed how the insult became less of an insult and more of a compliment when she spoke it now. It was almost as if she had to remind herself that she was a daughter of Ares.

I stepped closer to the door and thus closer to Renee. I was just unlocking the door, but when Renee opened her eyes, I'm guessing she didn't see it quite that way.

Her green eyes widened in surprise and then nearly started glowing in the dark. Renee tilted her head so she was closer (if that was even possible) to me. My senses went into hyperdrive, noticing everything from the short hairs tucked behind Renee's ear to the chirping of a cricket near my feet. Then her lips touched mine and my senses refocused. I moved until I was leaning against the door with one hand and holding her neck with the other.

Just as I was about to pull away to breath, the door slammed open causing both of us to tumble inside.

Renee stumbled once and fell against the wall with a slight thump while I tripped and hopped until I landed on the tiles with a bang. The pain exploded in my chest and I laid my head down on the floor. I opened my mouth to suck in air that would not come.

Renee's knees came into my line of sight as she knelt next to me.

"You still alive?"

"Ungh." My voice was barely louder than a whisper and croaky.

Renee slid her arms around me and lifted my deadweight up. Once I was standing, she put her shoulder under my arm and with her arm around my waist, helped me to the couch. I collapsed onto it. I still couldn't breath.

You know the expression 'had the wind knocked out of you'? I've experienced it many times and it never feels as trivial as it sounds. Having the 'wind knocked out of you' feels more like an elephant stepped on your chest.

I opened my eyes to look at Renee. Her body was shaking and she had put her hands up to her face.

"What. Now." I managed to say.

"You just can't keep yourself from getting hurt, can you?" Renee's voice was rich with amusement.

"Not. Funny." My breath was slowly coming back into my lungs.

Renee kept laughing as I turned on the TV and flicked through the channels to find something to watch.

A/N: So, what did everyone think?