HEY GUYS...WE'RE A STEP CLOSER TO FINDING OUT SOME PRETTY IMPORTANT TRUTHS , HERE...:)
Wearing a hint of false irritation on his lips- that only proved to be yet another way of making his sister feel at least slightly avenged given all the heartache and inner turmoil he had recklessly provoked - the War God's fascinatingly sexy lips, twisted into a grimace as the sweet pinkish liquid reached his tongue right before he finally swallowed it- an almost pained expression now firmly engraved on his features- much to the Love Goddess' unspoken but pretty visible delight.
A certain string of thoughts kept bothering him during the process though- in spite of the ridiculous situation he had gotten himself in – Why did the potion have to be pink? / Was Dite actually joking when she said it only worked if it was pink?/ Why couldn't it work if it were black ?/Did the colour really influenced its power in any way ….? And…. did that mean in any way that pink was more powerful than black?...
Despite himself, Ares shuddered at this newly emerging doubt, an inquisitive eyebrow slowly arching in the face of THE unavoidable question - Was he losing ground?! …to PINK ?!
"Aressssss!" Aphrodite repeated- louder this time, given that just a few seconds before, he had obviously failed to hear her- an unusually frequent event lately. Maybe he was getting old... - the bizarre, uncomfortable scenario crossed his mind, unwillingly sending a chill up his spine.
" Huh ?" he muttered, eyeing her suspiciously.
" Sooooo?"
He just stared at her as if waiting for some kind of a natural continuation.
" How do you feel, dummy ?! Are you feeling any different ?"
" Mmmm...let's see- two arms, two legs ….one head- make that two…." he just had to laugh, suddenly feeling more creative than rocket builders themselves.
" Oh come on Stud! Don't keep me hanging! You know what I mean ! The spell!" an exasperated Love Goddess explained, checking to see if his pupils were by any chance dilated. " Does it still affect you ?"
" How should I know, Dite?" he shrugged . " Tartarus, until five freaking minutes ago , I didn't even know that I was enchanted or whatever you want to call it …."
" You got a point there…" she sighed, exhaling abruptly. "Oh , I know! " she squealed a mere blink later, and her eyes instantly lit up at the incredibly smart idea that had just hit her, right out of nowhere.
In no time, a portal depicting an elegantly dressed Amytis- casually walking down a stone cobbled alley- flanked by splendid rose bushes- popped out before them...
...A living and breathing fantasy, that is what she looked like….
"What's the first thing that comes to your mind now, that you see her?" she asked, fairly certain that the magic potion had done the trick.
" That I'd fuck the shit out of her right there in the middle of the garden?" he shamelessly confessed, only to rephrase that unpardonably honest line once his Sister's outraged scream grazed his ear drums.
" Aresss! I swear you can be such a jackass sometimes!"
" Relax! I was just messing with ya! Where's your sense of humour, Sis?"
"Well just so you know, humour is the last thing on my mind right now! So don't push it! " she firmly pointed out, angrily closing the portal and putting some distance between them.
Indeed, those few steps in the direction of the altar, soon felt like a blessing from the Fates. She just couldn't stand being anywhere near him anymore. She felt like slapping him silly every time he opened his mouth and it was nerve racking.
With hasty moves- while making considerable efforts to calm that nasty pressure building in her temples again- the Goddess absently picked a grape and started to eat it- in the most compulsive way imaginable. Two more peaches and a golden apple followed closely. ….Quite a treat, huh?
" Anyway" the War God made sure to add the moment he realized he had actually managed to upset her again " The good news is that you might have nailed it….The gripping need to see her, to be with her, is gone…..So ….uh….Thank you….I guess…."
" I'm glad it worked" she simply answered, drilling him with her gaze as she saw him approaching her, bravely fighting back the tears that were mercilessly threatening to fall from her beautiful light blue moons.
" Sis…." he murmured lowly as he got even closer , dark sensuality reverberating from his every word- a tonality that Aphrodite was more then familiarised with when it came to him – " I do appreciate it….I owe you one…." he bluntly admitted, forcefully pulling her in his strong , muscular arms and placing an affectionate kiss on her forehead.
" You sure do…." she whispered back, reluctantly accepting his embrace and burying her face into the crook of his neck for a few seconds.
" I'm so sorry I hurt you, Honey, it was never my intention…..I would never deliberately …"
The words left his lips unconsciously, way before his brain was given the opportunity to filter their content. It was more than obvious that if such had been the case, those lines would have sounded waaaay different…..
"You mean the world to me….."
"I know…" she sadly answered- the futile attempt to break their long embrace, ending in the War God clasping his strong arms even tighter around her waist.
" Please forgive me… " he uttered once her inquisitive gaze began holding his.
Needless to say, his line left her literally speechless, pure astonishment stopping even the drumming of her heart for a minute. Now that was something unheard of!
Heroically resisting the urge to release that little shriek of happiness that was already vibrating along her vocal cords, the Love Goddess did manage to contain herself…..She was smarter than that …
" Where's the Warrior Babe ?" she wisely chose to dismiss his plea, swiftly changing the subject.
In his turn, Ares let out a frustrated sigh, but replied nonetheless.
" A temple in Sparta... Sleeping. She was exhausted…."
" Maybe it would be a good idea for me to see her too once she wakes up….The bitch witch might have also gotten to her…."
"You might be on to something there…." Ares mused, finally freeing her tense body from his embrace. " She has been complaining about insomnia lately…"
" I wonder why ..." his sister snorted , her voice dripping sarcasm.
" So I guess I'll see you later then. " the War God stated, deliberately ignoring her reaction. At that point, almost anything could have pushed her over the edge and the last thing he wanted was for her to throw one of her legendary tantrums. He didn't have time for such nonsense…. "I'll tell her to call you once she's up and about…."
" See ya , Stud !"
The minute the War God was gone , a victorious smile curled Aphrodite's lips, making her entire visage glow with pure bliss …..He had actually apologized! For the first time in eons , he had told her he was sorry for something! Boy….Xena must have definitely caused hurricanes and tornadoes inside that tangled mind of his, probably damaging whatever else was left…..
"So let's see….." she started, as a neon pink , virtual list and a rosy pen appeared inches before her…."
1 Coming up with a devious plan to crush the evil witch, thus saving the day- CHECK-
2 Releasing the Stud Muffing – aka Dodo Bird – from the spell – CHECK-
3 Getting the Warrior Babe on board – NEXT
"This proved to be a very productive day after all !" she squealed, clapping her hands in childish amusement while contemplating her options . "Time for fun …."
XXX
With the speed of light, the War God materialized back at his gloomy temple, cautiously dropping the special effects, not wanting to wake up his Sleeping Beauty.
It took him only a meaningless glance to realise that everything was in order: the room was intact ,just like he had left it, the energetic shield protecting Xena was still in one piece, his precious Princess sound asleep, and the creamy white candle he had left burning on one of the nightstands was less than half of its original height – which meant that he hadn't been away for too long…..As a special bonus, the place was dark and manly, just like he preferred it- no plush rugs, no pink furniture, no fluffy sofas- only leather , satin and fur everywhere ….. And with his gorgeous Chosen lying close to naked in his bed, clutching his pillow in her arms- now that felt like home to him…What more could a God ask for ?!
…To think that he had almost thrown all that away for that two faced cunt! By all Gods, how he hated himself for that! …
Still cursing under his breath, with a wave of his hand, the War God replaced the uncomfortable leathers with a pair of silky pants- black, not pink-eager to join his ravishing brunette in bed. By Zeus himself, how he had missed her! The soft touch of her skin as he gently pulled her closer- that nearly imperceptible flinch of her muscles as she felt him hold her, the mind-blowing abandon in which she turned around in his arms , nestling her head on his perfectly chiselled chest….It was almost hilarious really– he couldn't stop himself from thinking….Aphrodite had been right, he silently concluded, as his sister's words started echoing again into each and every corner of his mind.
" Only one week with her and you're already whipped, Bro? Pffff…! Exqueeze me , but this sounds like cotton -candy romance from here to Ch'in! I'm telling ya' this calls for a celebration! "
Almost a year – a surreal year as a matter of fact, of unrestrained passion, of monumental victories, of lessons learned and of something new- which he still didn't like to name- had passed since she pledged herself to him….
As he deeply inhaled the flowery scent of her hair, the War God smiled bitterly ….She was supposed to bring him ultimate power, he was supposed to use her in every possible way – the unbeatable tool that was bound to lay the world at his feet, and yet, there he was , holding her as if tomorrow never existed, his heart on the brink of bursting like a bubble, every cell in his body paralyzed in stark terror at the idea that once she woke up, nothing would ever be the same after that episode with Amytis ….
…The memory of the witch's very name, generated for the thousandth time that day crushing waves of anger inside the War God's immortal form, agitating him beyond words. He should have ended her life then and there, mixing her treacherous blood with Nabucco's sinful one, thus putting it all behind him. His hands suddenly balled into fists at the thought and without realizing it, his gentle hold on Xena had genuinely turned his arms into a vice grip.
His Princess' low moan was definitely unable to get him out of that trance…It was only the sound of her voice, moments later, that finally did the trick…..
" Ares…? What's going on?"