XXX A special thanks to my sweet reviewer "midnight-camilla"- your comment there gave me quite an idea. Consequently, this chapter is dedicated to you:) XXX
"Well don't just stand there like a frozen Caveman! Give her the ambrosia already! " Aphrodite's voice echoed through the room, while her fragile hand extended, offering her big Brother the reddish jelly.
Almost unable to believe that things were actually starting too look bright for him, Ares took the ambrosia and, heading hesitantly towards his Princess' limp form, he took a sit on the soft edge of the bed right next to her, kissing tenderly her purple ice cold lips before asking the Love Goddess a question that pretty much sounded as dumb as it was...
"How...how much should I give her?"
His ditsy Sister just gawked at him in amazement for a couple of seconds, while her brain struggled with decoding the secret meaning behind what sounded to be the trickiest question ever...When it found none, she just responded, on a note that had "thunder stricken" written all over it:
"You really haven't been paying attention to any of aunt Demetra's classes about magic items and godly stuff, have you?"
"Are you kidding me?!" came the War God's brash reply..."That was a few millennia ago...And plus, I was too busy staring at your boobs back then to even think about anything else..."
"Ares!" she exclaimed, as if offended by her Brother's obnoxious statement.
"What?! It's true! They were a delicious sight to see...still are, by the way..." he continued, winking at her implyingly.
Instead of a firm protest, Aphrodite just giggled playfully in return, casting a brief glance at her indubitably, tempting chest.
" Anyway...the rule says that the first morsel can bring one to life, the second has the power to turn them immortal, while the third one bestows them with godlike qualities...I guess it's up to you..." she finished, almost whispering the last part of the phrase...
"Up to me, huh?" he repeated, his mind seemingly plunging in some faraway flashes of time, while his fiery eyes narrowed a bit under the impact of the still very much vivid memories.
Almost absently, the corners of his lips stretched in the form of a fading smile while placing a small quantity of ambrosia on his Chosen's lips.
"Come back to me, Baby..." he murmured, caressing the pale skin of her face with the back of his hand.
Under the gentleness of his touch, the washed out color of the Warrior Princess' cheeks started to change, gradually acquiring brighter and more natural tones until it reached a dusty rose nuance...the proper moment to place another tiny reddish morsel in between her lips.
"...Forever..." the words came tumbling from his mouth, making the Love Goddess involuntarily turn her head to the other side, as if unable to watch the extremely romantic moment...
Before she knew it, two shining, transparent tears rolled down her porcelain like visage, and her heart almost jumped out of her chest when she felt the tip of Ares's fingers, brushing them away the very next second.
"I'm sorry Bro'...You know me...I've always been a sucker for honey like scenes..." she said, her voice ragged and insecure.
"Look at me..." the War God's line soon followed, but the Goddess found it impossible, silently cursing herself for having allowed that weakness to actually prevail for once. Instead, another two bitter, unchecked tears made way towards her satin pink lips...
This time, the handsome Olympian made the salty liquid vanish by languidly kissing it away ...One tear glided smoothly on Aphrodite's left shoulder...the other one insisted on washing over her lower lip...And still, it was more than obvious that the hot trace of her Brother's overly sensual portal was burning at least a thousand times worse than the hidden pain falling from her cerulean eyes like glistening diamonds...When their mouths finally crushed and his muscular arms wrapped around her waist in the form of un unbreakable circle, forcing the air out of her lungs, the beautiful Love Goddess was unable o suppress a loud gasp...Volcanic passion, affection, friendship, the old scratches of a broken heart and an undisputable amount of unrevealable concern- they were all present, mixing up under the domino effect of that long, so much needed kiss...
For a couple of seconds though, it all ended, ground between the explosive hunger of their twisting tongues and the ceaseless whirling of their souls.
"I know we were just two crazy kids fooling around back then Dite, but I want you to know that I meant it..." he murmured against her ear when they finally broke apart, their breaths still irregular and the blood still racing madly through their veins. " You are the most important person in the world for me, no one will ever change that, ok? My crazy little Butterfly... "
In return, the Love Goddess just hugged him real tight, resting her head on his shoulder, as if afraid that the moment she would let go of him, things would never be the same...
"I love you, Sweetheart..." Ares continued on a mild tone while lovingly caressing his Sister's golden, curly tresses.
"I know Stud'..." came the somehow sad reply as their gazes finally connected. "I love you too..."
"Xena..." he began-in the vain attempt of offering some kind of extra clarification - but he was cut off by Aphrodite's low, grave voice.
"...You don't need to explain...I hooked you up in the first place, remember? It was written...The Fates did half the job anyway..."
"She's special, Dite...I can't really describe it..."
"No need too...I'm Love, ain't I?"
"Then you know what I'm talking about..."
"I just might" she replied squeezing his hand, as she took another good look at the God's sexy lips, unconsciously biting her own in the process.
This time, Ares just chuckled softly and placed a protective kiss on her forehead...
Lost in the magic of the moment, it was no surprise that he was completely oblivious about the fact that a certain raven Warrior Princess was watching them for awhile now. He only realized it when his eardrums pulsed at the sound of his ditsy Sister's genuinely ecstatic, childlike voice:
"...Babe! You're up!"
In less than a blink the God was by her side of course, but, taken by the sheer joy of seeing her alive and well again, he most certainly missed that deep shade of pain darkening her amazingly blue moons, a detail that Aphrodite did notice the instant their eyes met, forcing her to guiltily shift her gaze towards her Brother instead.
"Well hi there Sleeping Beauty! You certainly took your sweet time in finding the way back..." Ares uttered, while gently cupping her chin. "You' re gonna be the death of me one of these days, did you know that?"
"I'm counting on it" came Xena's short and almost convincing reply while clumsily trying to stand up.
"Ok...so I guess I'll leave you two Love Birds to talk and...stuff...I'd better get going...I'll just catch you guys later, ok? " Aphrodite said, ready to dematerialize from the room.
"Yeah, sure thing Sis"
"Good to have you back, Xe." the Goddess added, allowing the bright light of a smile to accompany her line.
"Thanks Dite" – the Warrior Princess' answer came soon after.
In a shower of coral glitter, the Love Goddess left the premises, transporting herself to her favorite temple in Lesbos instead, and she was quite in a hurry- as an attentive observer would have unmistakably noticed.
"It's about time you showed up, Love Goddess" Alecto's harsh voice burst out from the fluffy pinkish sofa, placed straight in the center of the spectacularly decorated chamber. ..."I was starting to loose my patience..."
"Stop frowning Ale or you're gonna be all wrinkly and ugly before you turn ten millennia old! I always tell that to everybody, I have no idea why do people refuse to listen..."
The Fury touched lightly the corner of her left eye, as if trying to wipe away some invisible line trenching her skin before adding:
"I'm here to conclude our little transaction..."