YAY! Me back! From another long pause...i waited for some more reviews but i can take whatever i can gets. cough, cough.
and many thanks to all of those who reviewed, i know as much as any writer than getting kudos from others makes you feel all warm and sunshiney on the inside. (or maybe that's just me)
anywho enough of me stalling i'll give you what you want...
wait! i do not own yu yu hakusho only the idea of this story and Zeth the satyr, yes sadly i only own one character out of like so many that i have used.
enjoy!
"My angel are you hurt?" Kuwabara posed grabbing one of Ocypete's wings to check for any injuries.
"That's my girl!" Yusuke cheered from his spot on the ground as Hiei only glared intensely at Kuwabara's back for daring to touch 'his' woman.
"Servant be a dear and fetch my girdle" Aphrodite imposed with a wave of her delicate hand. The nymph obeyed scurrying over to Ocypete's back and unhooking a latch that kept the girdle onto her bust.
"Here you are my goddess!" The servant nymph bowed laying the golden girdle before her feet.
"Let go of me you idiot!" the harpy shouted smacking Kuwabara on his head with the talon she retrieved from him.
"Ow! Hey what the heck was that for Ocypete I didn't do anything to ya." He argued while rubbing his cranium, "hey wait just where the heck are we? Oh man and why do I feel like I just ran for three days straight?" he breathed the energy loss now becoming apparent.
"Yea I feel like I just went up with Toguro again…and lost" Yusuke commented as he leaned back taking in much needed breaths of air.
"Yusuke" Keiko quietly called as she took a seat next to him, "how are you feeling?"
"Keiko!" Yusuke gasped at seeing she was unharmed, "your okay! Did that bitch hurt you?" Keiko couldn't help but giggle at Yusuke's antics, especially after what she just witnessed today. "What's so funny?" Yusuke asked with a hint of annoyance.
"Nothing Yusuke I'm just glad to see your back to your normal self" she snickered covering her mouth to keep the laughter down. Yusuke pondered at what she meant by 'normal self', wasn't he normal before?
Two emerald eyes opened looking into watery mauve ones,
"Botan?" Kurama inquired in a tired tone, he stifled a yawn while wondering why he was so exhausted.
"I gave you some energy so you could get back on your feet" Botan explained as she helped him sit up, "how are you feeling?"
"More exhausted than I should be," he closed his eyes for a minute reopening saying, "are we in Aphrodite's temple?" Botan gave a nod wiping tears from her eyes, "how in the world did we get here?"
"You don't remember anything?" Botan prodded with a small smirk because it made the fact she knew all the funnier. Kurama was about to answer but we interrupted with Kuwabara's explanation.
"Everything up until now is a big blur, I don't exactly know what happened to me but all I can remember is what I felt" he informed rubbing his head in slight bewilderment "I felt jealousy, anger, every emotion a guy can get but the only one that stuck out was love. I had an intense love for someone, a love so strong that I would do anything for that someone. Kinda like my unyielding love for my beloved ice maiden." He sighed dreamily, oh yea Kuwabara was defiantly back to normal.
"Yea what Kuwabara is saying is kinda like how I felt too," Yusuke agreed "wish I knew who that babe was she probably had a fine ass." Smack! "Ow Keiko I was just joking!"
"You still shouldn't talk like that!" Keiko fumed her hand still stinging from the attack on Yusuke's face.
"Well I'm sure this woman you fell in love with was a real princess" Cherion commented glancing towards Ocypete. She retaliated with a dark glare and mouthing the words 'I will kill you'. "Though I am not surprised that the only thing you remembered was an intense emotions, you were dealing with the goddess of love after all."
"Yea and as being a goddess I am bounded by my word, you brought my golden girdle back within the time limit so your friends are yours to keep" Aphrodite motioned Botan breathed a sigh of relief happy that the ordeal was over.
"Did you forget the other part of our arrangement?" Hiei scoffed making his presence known, "you also are now working for us."
"Damn I was hoping you forgot darn imp" the deity joked as her sapphire eyes sparkled. "Whenever you need my assistance I will be there, but don't call me every time you get lost!" she warned with a wave of her finger; she sighed leaning back into her throne.
"Brilliant idea Ocypete" Botan chided as she made her way over to the disheveled harpy; Ocypete gave her a look of confusion in return. "Don't be so modest, using the spell of the girdle to your advantage was quick thinking!" she added quietly. Finally the gears turned and clicked as Botan's words echoed in her head.
"It was that damn girdle!" She screamed her voice ricocheting across the throne room. All eyes connected to her form as fire burned in her golden amber eyes "and you knew!" she shirked at the ferry girl causing her to fall over from shock.
"Why yes, we saw everything from the reflecting pool" she shakily spoke pointing over to their sight of the recent events.
"What got up her feathery ass?" Yusuke grunted towards Kuwabara. Bam! Two small craters formed within the white marble tile as Ocypete's talons retracted from the floor. Sweat drops went down the two teens heads as the harpy's frustration and wrath was vented in that one swift movement.
Botan was hoisted up into the air only by centimeters, by the deadly talons, as a dark soul-piercing glare bore into her two mauve eyes.
"You or anyone else who saw that degrading spectacle every speak of it to anyone and I mean anyone death will only be a paradise compared to what I will do to you." The harpy breathed releasing the frozen blue haired girl.
"Great now I have to deal with Hiei and Ocypete threatening to murder me" Botan sighed her whole body trembling. The goddess of love interrupted by giving an around of applause.
She then picked up the golden girdle from her side giving it a longing look,
"I forgot how truly gorgeous this piece was" she sighed taking her sleeve to wipe the front of the shimmering golden bust. "Hephaestus will be most pleased tomorrow at our anniversary dinner"
"Anniversary dinner?" Cherion repeated as his gray eyes widened
"Yes the we shall celebrate the day Zeus forced us to wed. If it weren't for he was so lame I would have found him a bit more attractive." She added gazing over her girdle to see if there was any unnecessary speck of dirt upon it. "I mean I am a sex symbol after all and having a husband whose lame in bed is really…"
"My goddess please!" the centaur interrupted feeling a heavy embarrassment from hearing his idol talk about her intimate life. There was an awkward air after that incident only a small cough from Keiko and her request brought everyone back to life
"Yusuke we should be leaving" she prodded the spirit detective getting him to snap back to his senses.
"Why I wanted to hear the rest of Aphrodite's story," he innocently questioned. That resorted to Keiko pulling him by his right ear "Ow! Keiko come on I was kidding!"
"Joking or not Yusuke I am getting very tired of your perverted antics!" The brunette replied giving his ear another tug.
"Why not stay until the sun rises?" the love mistress imposed "I promise to be on my best behavior" she added with a smirk on her ruby lips "though I can't promise anything with the sexy little fox around" she seductively cooed wrapping her arms around Kurama's neck. Botan turned a shade of red quickly smacking the goddess's hands away from the redhead.
"I think we'd be better off in a forest filled with A-class demons than a night alone with you!" she fumed getting a playful look from the goddess herself.
"Someone's jealous," she sang just loud enough for only Botan to hear.
She took a few steps towards her reflecting pool "I've determined that I will watch your reality whenever I can. Why your behavior is so entertaining that you could even make a production out of it for everyone to see!" she giggled covering her lips with her hand, which made sweat drops go down everyone's heads.
"Right, I think it's time we leave" Yusuke replied as he rubbed the back of his head making his way toward the exit. Keiko nodded happy to finally have Yusuke listening to her for once,
"If you want to leave so badly then why didn't you just ask?" Aphrodite quipped snapping her fingers, once again in a mere blink of an eye the cluster was outside Genkai's temple. The sounds of crickets chirping and the winds rustling the leaves of trees filled the air with a serene silence.
"Well that's a hell of a whole lot better than walking the whole way" Yusuke retorted but then realized where the goddess had placed them, at the bottom of Genkai's elongated staircase. "Aw dammit! I don't want to walk all the way up there!"
"Quit complaining detective" Hiei sniped leaping into a tree, disappearing from view.
"Excuse me but we don't all have inhuman speed Hiei!" the raven-haired spirit detective shouted after the fire demon. But as soon as he shouted those words an idea hit him as he looked over to Cherion.
"Oh Zeus" Cherion sighed as his fears became real.
The faint sounds of hoofs rang in Shiziru and Genkai's ears as they sat waiting for Yusuke to return, hopefully with Keiko. The two walked outside nonchalantly as the stars sparkled and the moon gave a grave light to the solemn outside world. They saw the centaur carrying Kurama, Keiko, Botan, Kuwabara, and Yusuke as Ocypete choose to fly even with deluded energy.
"You owe me ten now" Genkai smirked as the light brunette glared down at her,
"Great to see your okay Keiko" Shiziru waved as Keiko rushed over to her side with Botan in tow.
"Oh it was awful! We were kidnapped by…"
"Aphrodite the love goddess" Genkai interrupted finishing her sentence leaving Botan utterly bewildered.
"Yes but how did you know about that?" the blue haired grim reaper questioned,
"I happened to catch sight of your dilemma while traveling my way through the forest" A familiar voice echoed from behind the shoji door, a huge sigh escaped Yusuke's lips as he knew who it was.
"Greetings my friends and Cherion as well!" Zeth bowed making his way towards the group. "I can see by your gazes that you are wondering about my presence at your resting area?" He got the same looks in return, "ahem, well after much deep meditation with my gorgeous nymphs I decided to rejoin you in your efforts to help ratify your world to it's proper glory!"
"The nymphs kicked you out right?" Yusuke corrected as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well I only had my faithful Hesperia to defend my rights, but sadly it was not enough." Zeth gave a furlong sigh before continuing with newfound vigor. "But that will soon all change when I receive lessons of capturing a female's heart from my new master Hiei!" Huge sweat drops went down everyone's heads as soon as those words escaped his lips. Not wanting to deal with the satyr the exhausted boys retreated into the temple. "Where is my new teacher of female arts?"
"You really might want to reconsider that little guy," Shiziru mentioned turning her head toward Zeth.
"Actually Zeth found us on accident, after a brief conversation he began to tell us all we wanted to know about the gods and goddesses" Genkai informed taking a seat on the porch as Shiziru went inside to retrieve the tea.
"If you knew what kind of peril I was in then why didn't you bother to help?" the harpy growled leaning down towards the satyr.
"Well obviously you must know the spell of the golden girdle I saw bounded at your bust. If I were to take a step closer I would be inflicted by its hex and as much as a use as those boys were." The half goat half man retorted as if it was common knowledge. Botan and Keiko couldn't help but snicker thinking back tothe recentevents. That earned them a glower from Ocypete and a flash of her razor teeth.
"Ocypete you should retreat inside and regain your strength as well" Cherion advised.
"I slept in a cave all my life I think I can handle sleeping outside" the harpy retorted crossing her feathery arms. Her amber eyes gazed up at the night sky as a notion struck her, "do you have any raw meat inside that temple?" she inquired pointing a talon towards the shoji door.
"We do have raw chicken in the kitchen," before Genkai could finish the sentence Ocypete had picked herself up and headed inside.
"A harpy eating a chicken, I would consider that to be an oxymoron" Zeth pondered rubbing a hand over his chin as Shiziru came out with a tray filled with steaming cups of hot tea.
Light shone dimly into a dark room as a body slowly entered closing the shoji door carefully, not to wake the person sleeping on the futon before them.
"Shuichi?" Shiori whispered slowly sitting up but was placed back down by a hand. "Oh my Shuichi" she sighed happily taking that hand in her own as she sat upright. "I've been so worried and terrified ever since I was attacked."
"Shush mother" 'Shuichi' quieted his mother placing a finger over his lips, "it was just a bad dream. You have been working too hard and I found you delirious in an alleyway. So I decided to take to an old friend of mine who specializes in herbal remedies."
"Was I really that out of it?" Shiori questioned out loud as she rubbed her head. She looked up to the glowing emerald eyes of her son "I'm very proud of you Shuichi. Making a decision like that about my health proves how much of an adult you have become."
"I would never allow anything to happen to you mother" 'Shuichi' assured as Shiori wrapped her arms around his neck embracing him; he returned it just as comforting. He then felt her body quake as her voice shivered when she began to speak again,
"That…dream, I had…it was so horrible…that terrifying monster staring at me…with those eyes…I thought I was going to die Shuichi." 'Shuichi' could tell that his mother was becoming frantic thinking back to when this whole mess started.
"Mother it was only a dream. That monster will not bother you again," He cooed rubbing circles on her back. He felt her body relax in his embrace but then stiffen and shake uncontrollably; Shiori's hands gripped the back of his shirt as hot salty tears streamed down her face. "Mother? Mother?"
Standing in the door right before her was the being from her nightmare. Her golden eyes burning into her toffee ones, upon realizing the situation the beast lifted up the squirming body of a brown rabbit within her right talon and in one swift movement bit the rabbit's head off. The crunching of bones, the ripping of muscles, and the rich ruby blood dripping from the rabbit's headless body and the monster's mouth was too much for the human to bare.
"It…it's…her-" Shiori couldn't finish her sentence as she went limp in Kurama's arms.
"Mother!" Kurama gasped feeling her forehead for a fever, Ocypete swallowed the rabbit's head as she watched Kurama gently lay his mother back into the futon completely puzzled about what could have frightened her into pure shock and then make her pass out?
"Your mother needs to gain a backbone Kitsune" the harpy stated as she chomped roughly onto the rabbit's hind leg ripping it right off and swallowing it in one movement. Kurama turned his head toward the woman his glare piercing through the darkness.
"Humph don't glare at me, I wanted to eat the wench." Ocypete finished walking off. Kurama took a deep calming breath, he did not want to lose this temper and release his Yoko form like he did last time. Although it was quite tempting,
"Your compassion for those humans is very amusing." A seductive voice swam around in Ocypete's head as she gave a look of disgust.
"I thought we were rid of you." The harpy replied as she continued her walk through the wood paneled hallways. "And I do not have any compassion for those dumbass mortals."
"I was watching you the whole time from when we began our bout to right now, and from what my eyes witnessed you are beginning to become…"
"Finish that sentence and I'll gladly dry you of Ichor." Ocypete snarled mentally interrupting the goddess before she could finish her sentence.
"Then why did you save Kurama? The harpy I know would have let him fall and have devoured his carcass before the buzzards." Aphrodite informed with a bit of sarcasm.
"Your making me sound like I'm a devil from Hades himself, which I am not. The day I become loyal to him is the day I turn my meal into my best companion…-" The Greek creature grunted as she realized her mistake; Aphrodite gave a small snicker that echoed throughout her mind. "This conversation is over my goddess" Ocypete sniped the last word like acid on her tongue. "Even when miles away your influence still tends to vex me."
"You should keep yourself focused." Aphrodite teased breaking her connection with the temperamental harpy. Ocypete didn't have time to let the words sink in as she bumped right into Hiei.
"Watch it Yama spit!" She cursed getting a glare in return from the fire demon. "Are you going to stare at me or move your sorry ass?"
"Hand over the arrows, you second rate excuse for a demon" Hiei ordered; Ocypete's eyes landed on the silver bow and arrows she still had in her possession.
"Your gonna have to make me half pint" She grinned deviously as she leaned down to tempt him. In less than a second Ocypete was on the floor and her weapon had been relinquished. "You damn gnat!" she shouted getting back on her feet as Hiei walked outside, the weapons in hand. "If I wasn't so exhausted then you would be eating my fist!"
"Hn," Was Hiei's only reply as he faded from her view.
Morning came, wrapping it's illuminating glow around the forest floor as the first peaks of light entered the temple. Yusuke grunted rolling over in his green futon provided by Genkai, along with the room to stay in. Kuwabara had a small string of drool overlapping his lips as the rest of his body was tangled within the sheets of his blue futon in the same room he shared with Yusuke. Obviously Genkai wasn't that generous to the fatigued heroes.
Small puffs of white steam emitted from the teacups as Genkai took a seat outside sipping on her cup as Shiziru handed one over to the centaur.
"My thanks maiden" he bowed taking a whiff of the green tea.
"The name is Shiziru horse boy," she corrected taking a seat on the steps.
"How are the young mortals this morning?" Cherion posed as he finished taking a gulp of his drink.
"Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama are asleep in futons I provided. The two dimwits are sharing a room while Kurama is staying with his mother. Hiei, I have no idea where he is," Genkai informed finishing her cup; setting it down, she could sense some dismay within the half man half horse. "Botan and Keiko are taking a walk in the woods."
"Thank Zeus" Cherion sighed putting a hand over his heart "I feared for their constitutions after the dreadful incident they faced. I want to forgive my goddess's behavior now, normally she isn't so…forceful."
"No need to apologize for something someone else did," Shiziru waved it off taking a seat next to Genkai. "So what are your plans after the boys get some sleep."
"Gaining another godly ally I suppose, so far we have two. That leaves eight gods to deal with and those odds are not in our favor."
"Don't you mean nine?" Shiziru implied,
"No Hermes, messenger of the gods, has and always will be neutral," Cherion explained.
Meanwhile in the forest Zeth was having a truthful conversation with Botan and Keiko.
"You really helped defeat Artemis?" Keiko questioned in awe,
"Help? I'm the one who put that goddess in her place" Zeth corrected with a prideful false air. "If it wasn't for my knowledge of the forest and my quick thinking your boys would have been as good as dead."
"Well if you're that useful then why didn't you stay?" Botan posed as they continued their walk down the beaten path.
"I was needed elsewhere, and between you and me the harpy was being quite a ruse. I felt that the mortal males and her needed sometime to adjust to each other's company, as a matter of fact I'm the one who suggested to Aphrodite that they needed some bonding time." Zeth chuckled as his hoofs clacked along the dirt.
"Oh really?" A shrill irritated feminine voice inquired,
"Of course…" the satyr's voice trailed off meekly as Ocypete stood before him. Her eye twitched in exasperation her mouth fixated in a dark scowl. "My Ocypete were you around when we were having this conversation?" Zeth's voice shook with terror as the amber-eyed harpy flexed her talons.
"I'm gonna skin you alive and devour your remains satyr!" she bellowed sending the half goat half human male into a sprint. "Get back here you dammed coward!"
"ZEUS! HERA! SAVE ME!" Zeth screamed louder than his tiny lungs could manage as he ran through the forest. Ocypete was close behind taking swipes at him whenever she got close.
"What in the world is that noise?" Genkai asked looking out towards the entrance of her temple. Shiziru and Cherion gazed along with the aging psychic as an image formed past the fading morning fog.
"Zeth?" the centaur gasped as his old companion bolted into the temple grounds screeching his heart out. The bewilderment was soon solved as another form followed, shrieking as well.
"When I get my hands on you there won't be enough to feed the buzzards!" the harpy growled as Zeth ran into the temple. Two strong arms wrapped themselves around her form, "Cherion release me or you too will suffer!"
"Ocypete you must learn to control your temper!" the centaur advised as he struggled to contain her.
"That tiny bastard was bad mouthing me! And no one gets away with that!" she snarled trying to rip from his grasp.
"What's with all the shouting?" Yusuke posed opening the shoji doors as he stifled a yawn. "Can't a guy get a good day's sleep?"
"We had a disagreement," Cherion explained calmly.
"Oh is that why this little guy was hiding under my sheets?" Yusuke posed taking Zeth from behind and holding him up by his stump of a tail. From behind Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara emerged.
"Please keep your voices down, I gave my mother some pollen that will rid her of an unpleasant memory" Kurama whispered giving a sidelong glare in Ocypete's direction.
"Humph, stop giving me that look you ball-less momma's boy!" the harpy yelled, but was quickly silenced by a sword to her throat.
"I getting sick of you insulting Kurama" Hiei glowered his sword pressing down on her jugular.
"Well maybe he should stop giving me so much material to use" Ocypete smirked not effected by how close to death she was.
"Ocypete will you shut the hell up so that I can go back to sleep!" Yusuke yelled now severely pissed.
"Then hand over the satyr so I can wring his neck!" Ocypete barked back,
"Ocypete I'm not the one to go in and start a fight but your really being a serious pill lately!" Botan remarked as she and Keiko arrived from their walk.
"Shut it bitch!" the harpy snapped,
"Please stop yelling" Kurama begged as a whole argument raged out between everyone. From Ocypete losing her temper and Cherion trying to convince everyone to not kill her, to Zeth screaming to the gods to save his life. Just then the sound of a whistle halted their ranting.
"Geez I haven't seen this much dysfunction then when Hera found out Zeus was cheating on her with a mortal, at their anniversary" a nonchalant voice joked with a curt laugh. All heads turned to the sky above where a boy around his middle teens was hovering.
His cerulean hair bounced gently underneath his golden winged helmet. His charcoal eyes shined with hidden laughter as his chalk white toga fluttered in the light breeze. What was most odd about him was the tan sandals that actually had two small white bird wings flapping on either side.
"Hermes!" Cherion breathed his composure failing as his gray eyes took in the god before them.
yea i know, really harsh insults. i really wouldn't be surprised if one of my character's get flames from angry fangirls (coughOcypetecough)
please read and review my story if you would like to leave a comment or give some tibits about Greek mythology. I can always use new material.
and if you would like a response to one of your reviews please ask, i would be more than happy to reply back if you request it.