Minos had the two half-deities celled separately from the 12 mortal tributes. The cell was small and dark, but there were cots at least. Sirius wondered if the show he'd put on was to thank for that.

Marlene led him by the hand to sit down with her on one of the cots. He was certain that she hadn't touched him this much the day before. Part of him savored every little touch, but the overwhelming fear that he would cross a line he couldn't uncross was not particularly pleasant.

The whole painful experience was made more confusing by the fact that she'd started to act the way she had. He wasn't sure he could let himself believe she was flirting. Perhaps she was just affectionate with him because he didn't fear her, and she'd made it clear that wasn't something that she had encountered often. That didn't mean she had real feelings for him. It certainly didn't mean that she wasn't betrothed to another man.

He stopped himself in his thoughts when he started rationalizing that she didn't even know the man. It was pointless to go down that road. Besides. They had a job to do.

"So," he ran his thumb along the back of her hand, "as much fun as giving Minos a headache was, I don't think I can actually annoy the Minotaur to death."

"No? Do you think you might try getting it drunk? Flirting with it? Teaching it to dance?" He was almost sure she was toying with him. The way she bit down on her lower lip was incredibly distracting.

Focus.

"Charming." He rolled his eyes, though the mental image of an inebriated dancing Minotaur was undeniably amusing. "You know that I was earnestly trying to think of a way my abilities might be useful?"

"Did you have any ideas?" She took his other hand in hers. Then she scooted in closer to him, face to face. His breath caught in his chest. He had focus hard and concentrate on the task at hand. Under no circumstances could he look into her eyes. So he looked down at their intertwined hands. That was barely an improvement at all.

"So dogs are used to track beasts. That's something. I could use my dog nose to help."

"You know," he could hear the smile on her voice, "you could. That's clever."

"You sound shocked. So rude, honestly!" He smirked and made the mistake of looking up at her. But Fate had smiled upon him because she had thrown her head back to laugh at him.

"I'm not shocked that you're clever. I'm shocked that you intend to have a plan. I thought you were allergic."

"Desperate times."Sirius chuckled, "Don't rat me out to my father."

"If you don't tell my mother that I've never felt so unsure of my own destiny as right now." Her voice went hollow. This fear was sucking the light out of her and Sirius hated it. He had no idea what he could do to help but he didn't have it in himself to refrain from trying.

He reached out and brushed his hand over her cheek. "Marlene…I don't know your destiny any more than the guard outside, but I really hope it's something good. You deserve something good."

"You actually did inherit your father's better qualities you know." She ran her fingers along his and Sirius felt it like an electric shock to his heart. "You're kinder than I gave you credit for, at first."

"I can be annoying and childish if it'd be a comfort to you?" He made a stab at humor, it was the only distance he could bring himself to accept at this point.

"You're ridiculous." She laughed at him. "Tell me a story. That would be a comfort right now."

Marlene shifted her position on the little cot to lying down. A little tilt of her head and gentle pull on his fingers was all it took to convince Sirius to do the same. This was getting incredibly dangerous, but he couldn't bring himself to put distance between them. He wanted to be close to her, even if it hurt.

She settled in against his chest, just as she had slept the night before. And Sirius forced himself to talk, because if he didn't talk he was going to kiss her.

"Well do you know how Zeus ended up married to Hera?" He trailed gentle touches along her back while he spoke, keeping his eyes on her shoulder.

"I don't," her voice was quiet now. "Did someone trick Zeus into thinking he was attending a conception party?"

"No," Sirius chuckled, his voice matching hers, "but that does sound like a party he'd attend. Or rather, it sounds like a party he'd host."

"Who exactly would accept such an invitation?" Marlene laughed, sliding her hands along his chest, "Surely not Hera."

"Not at all. But he did actually pursue Hera. Zeus begged her to be his wife and queen for hundreds of years and she always said no."

Her hand found its way up to his hair. She ran her fingers carelessly through his dark waves. He felt like he was losing his mind and if he didn't know better he'd say she was enjoying having this effect upon him.

"That was very rational of her. What changed?" Her voice gave away nothing. He wondered how much of this building tension between them was a product of his imagination? All of it, perhaps? Was this a dream?

"Zeus. He changed himself into a bird," Marlene's giggles made his heart jump. He couldn't help but laugh along with her as he continued the story, "a very pathetic drowning bird, specifically. She fell in love with the sad little bird. Once Hera was smitten, he transformed back to his usual Zeus shape and she agreed to marry him."

"The overarching theme in the Zeus stories is that he's a more attractive romantic prospect when he appears to be some sort of animal." She laughed harder. "I don't know how to feel about this."

He let himself get distracted by the laughter they were sharing, and he made a fatal mistake. He found himself looking straight into her eyes. Her smile shined through in those incredible bright blue eyes. She was magnetic and he was weak. His lips came down to meet hers and his mind went blank for a moment. He was void of thoughts and overflowing with feeling. Her perfect soft lips were pliant under him at first, then she was kissing back with an almost desperate hunger.

Suddenly thought came pouring back into his mind like Poseidon's most wrathful storm. He pulled away and gasped in too much air all at once.

"I'm sorry. I'm… sorry... You're to be married to someone else and I… shouldn't have… done that...I'm sorry." He couldn't look at her. He really wished his father had taught him how to disappear.

She said nothing in response but reached up to his face, and pulled him back in, kissing him with a fervor that had to mean something. Perhaps it was doomed not to last but he had to have been destined to kiss this woman without reservation this once. They felt too right together for him to believe this moment was anything other than his fate.