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Sora felt some sort of change occurring in her body.
She consulted her friend Athena about it but the blue eyed, blonde haired goddess did not know what was the matter. She left her place, none the wiser of what was going on with her.
Not too long after the visit, Sora came again.
Still, her friend could not offer her a solution that she hadn't tried already. Sora was a little worried, but knowing that she was immortal helped, so she couldn't die from whatever ailed her.
It wasn't until the next banquet when she ran into Demeter, goddess of fertility; that Sora knew.
"I sense a growth in your womb," Demeter said next to her with a smile, "Your husband must be excited."
That statement quieted the talk around them.
"It's about time you planted your seed," Dionysus, otherwise known as Yuri, said with a grin to the blacksmith.
Ken pitched forward a little as another god slapped him on the back in congratulations. Demeter and some of the other goddesses cooed and fawned over Aphrodite's impending motherhood, but Sora did not pay attention to it. She was too busy sharing a look with Athena from across the table.
Who is the father? ran through both of their minds.
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After the meal, Sora went through the way she thought she saw Leon go.
Her sandals made a soft sound as she walked past the archway of the second hallway when two hands went around her and rested along her stomach. Feeling the cool touch of his armor at her back, she settled her nerves.
"You are with child," he murmured, his hands lightly drifting over her stomach even though she did not show yet.
She had wondered if he had heard Demeter's announcement from his end of the table. The fact that he did would make this talk smoother in the starting. She wasn't certain what either of the men will think when the baby was finally born.
"Yes," she softly said, "but I do not know who fathered the coming babe."
His hands stilled for a moment. After a few more moments, his hands resumed. "It is mine," he confidently proclaimed.
She turned her head to the side in order to see his face. She had not known how he would take the news, had not known what his thoughts were concerning children. Their situation was peculiar; there was the potential of discovery if the babe had his distinguishing features, yet she was not as frantic as she probably should be.
There was finally life in her womb.
Seeing as she was the goddess of procreation—among other things—the news filled her with more joy than worry. She placed a hand along his cheek as she looked at him with a soft smile on her lips.
"You are too hasty in your certainty," she teasingly admonished.
A silver brow rose. "It is not unfounded."
With a half smirk, he added, "There is no weakness in my being," his mouth whispered against her ear, "I cannot imagine Hephaestus overcoming my seed." His teeth dragged down along her throat. "The victory is mine," he crowed.
His words caused her to pull away.
She hadn't forgotten his nature, but she had hoped that he had remembered what she told him about her displeasure in being wooed as a prize or at least recalled her nature. He looked over at her figure, seeing the unfamiliar lines of tension. The slight frown on her face prevented him from approaching her.
"Do not bother coming tonight," she breezily said, "I will not be in an inviting mood."
He frowned as she pivoted away from him and walked out of his sight.
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Time passed without them seeing each other outside of the banquets.
Leon had felt slighted by her withdrawal from him so he was determined to not be the one to come. If she wanted his presence she would have to be the one to seek him out, not the other way around. He simply did not push his pride aside for anyone; it was not his nature.
Sora would not want him to think that he could go on seeing her as a thing to win. She was already disappointed that he was still of that mindset in regards to her, having thought that she had been clear on her stance. During their time together, she didn't mind submitting to him; rather, she enjoyed his attentions and so it was not an issue for her that he controlled the pacing or where they made love. As long as she was able to reciprocate it and participate, she was more than fine with their trysts.
But to be degraded to a prize, a mere notch on his spear marking the countless battles he has won...It made her feel cold inside at the thought.
It was not in her nature to continue with such an ache in her heart.
She also had her own pride in her position as a goddess. His behavior was not to be tolerated. She did not choose lovers blindly though she attracted many, especially before being Hephaestus' wife.
She was not to be toyed with.
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More time passed.
Sora slept in her chambers in Lemnos; Ken was a little surprised by how often he saw her around the place. Upon finding out her state, he was suddenly aware of her presence and had even noted when her belly began to swell. He wasn't sure how he felt about her presence being around so frequently, having been used to her being on Mount Olympus or elsewhere.
"I'm off to the forge in Olympus."
She looked up from admiring the vase with wild flowers from Persephone. She blinked at his already retreating figure, but she quickly got over it. He was not one for talking; she had grown accustomed to it, but did not necessarily like it.
She was reaching for a vivid blue flower when her hand halted in the air.
Her eyes were wide as she realized that she had felt the movement within her womb. A smile bloomed on her face, brighter than the flower she had been reaching for.
"Are you restless, little one?" she asked as her hand rubbed over her belly.
Over the days she came to the conclusion that, regardless of who fathered the babe, regardless of what was to come, the growing life inside was hers. She was to be a mother and that warded off most of the depression that came in the wake of Leon's continued absence and Ken's work in the forge.
With Athena, Persephone, and Artemis, she had been going over some names for the child. She finally settled on one girl's name and one boy's, since she did not know what the gender would be. Demeter could probably tell her, but she didn't want to spoil the surprise.
"Do you want some food?" she cooed, already walking over to the table with the bowl of freshly picked fruit.
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In the forest on earth, Leon was crouched in the bushes, his spear poised for the creature to appear.
Some rustling overhead threw off his concentration.
The deer appeared, but another rustling had made it skittish. Quickly, Leon threw the spear in an attempt to get it.
He missed. He cursed at the throw.
"That," piped a feminine voice, "was the worst throw I have ever seen."
Leon, having already walked out of the bushes to get his spear, scoffed aloud. "Seeing as you disturbed my hunt, it is not surprising." He pulled the spear out of the ground and when he turned around, he was not shocked to see a form there. "You are supposed to be the goddess of the hunt," he wiry said, "one would think you would know how to be silent during a chase."
The goddess shook her head, the tendrils of loose pale, teal hair moving with the motion.
"And I would think," she none too gently prodded his shoulder with the end of her bow, "that you would know better than to hunt deer, especially in my presence."
He easily pushed her bow aside. "What do you want, Sophie?"
She blinked at his use of her chosen name. He normally called her Artemis, so she didn't know he knew of her preferred name. Teal eyes scrutinized his face, noting the tense lines along his eyes and the firm line of his mouth. She turned her head away and walked over to the bush with berries.
"Aphrodite's due soon."
He flinched, but she had not seen it. His grey eyes narrowed at her back as she calmly picked some berries. He was aware that she was also the goddess of expectant mothers as well as the young, so the fact that she knew of the progress Sora's pregnancy wasn't surprising.
"And why tell me this?"
She turned her head to him, a knowing look in her pale eyes. He had his answer; he hadn't realized that she knew of the affair. Her head turned back to the bush.
"What will you do," Sophie calmly asked, "if the child is Hephaestus'?"
He was silent.
She plucked another berry. "And if it is yours?"
He did not respond.
Sophie put the berries into a pouch and tied it off. "I suggest you think about that." She tossed the bag to him and then walked off. "She likes fruit," she called out without looking back.
"…I know," came his strangely quiet response.
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Days later, Sora was visiting Artemis on Mount Olympus when Hermes came in a flurry.
"Ares has been wounded!"
Despite the resentment Sora had for him, the news stirred her. Her friend saw the concern in her eyes; Artemis withheld a smile and instead placed her hands on Sora's shoulders to keep her sitting down.
"You should not be up. I will inquire about it."
Her brown eyes showed her gratitude.
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Leon panted as blood spilled from the deep wound in his side.
He was humiliated by the turn of events of his fight, especially having to come to Mount Olympus in order to heal. Immortal they may be, but they could be injured with the right weapons or if another god was aiding the attacker. The politics of Olympus were heavily tangled, what with the many years they have lived thus far; he no longer tried to reason out the motives of his fellow gods for the things that they did.
Sometimes it was only a whim, lust, pettiness, or if the asker for aid seemed to be righteous enough for help did a god intervene within the mortal world.
They were a quarrelling family: sibling against sibling, parent against parent, or even sibling against parent.
After all, Hephaestus had been exiled by Hera, his own mother, for having a deformed foot. His fall had made the foot even worse. In response, he had built a trap in the guise of a gift for Hera, the beautiful golden throne having prevented Hera from rising up from her seat. Eventually, he had released her on the understanding that he could return and with Aphrodite as his bride.
However, when Dionysus had come to Lemnos to bring Ken home, the blacksmith had changed his mind. But a deal was a deal and so the god of wine intoxicated Hephaestus and brought him home on the back of a beast of burden.
The family of the gods was complicated.
Ares sat by an enclosed pool for washing. He labored in removing his gauntlets and the shin guards, sneering when he recalled hearing some of the gods chortling over his failed battle as he stumbled down the hallways.
"The famed god of war lost against a half god?!"
"Don't be too harsh on him; it was Heracles, after all." The statement was soon followed by a slap of the knee and more laughing. "That club of his can be pretty lethal!"
He angrily growled as his wound stung from his attempt to undo his broken breastplate. "Pathetic," he nearly snarled at himself.
"You're agitating it," came her soft voice from behind.
He stilled, not having expected her presence.
The soft swishing of her robes and the padded steps of her sandaled feet let him know that she was coming closer. He noted that her pace was slower and he turned his head, not wanting to twist his torso and aggravate his injury even more. She did not wear a sash around her waist and so the robe hung looser except for the protruding area of her belly where the babe grew.
When she made to kneel beside him, he spoke up.
"Don't trouble yourself," he said in an unstrained voice as possible.
She looked over his face and then she traveled down to the side with the broken armor. "There is a piece of metal in your side." She continued to kneel, her hands lightly resting on his shoulder to go slowly. His hands came up to help steady her, despite the throbbing of his wound.
Artemis soon came with a basket of supplies. She tutted as she saw what Sora did, and settled next to her. "I'll get the piece out and then it should be safe to take the breastplate off."
Sora nodded, her fingers going to the leather strap closest to her. Leon looked at her and she noticed, her eyes connecting with his. He had not allowed her to remove his armor before, having felt that it was something only he should do. She had not protested about it, sensing by the proud way he carried himself that it would be an insult if she did without his permission.
"May I?" she demurred, allowing her voice to be calm and soothing for now instead of resentful.
Grey eyes pierced hers, seeing and weighing what he saw in her.
His head turned to look the other way. "You may," he lowly said, allowing the fatigue to sound in his voice.
Sophie nodded in approval, but no one saw it. "Brace yourself," she warned before she gripped the metal in his side. "It looks to be deeply in there."
His other hand clenched as his teeth gritted.
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After cleaning the wound and stitching it up, Sophie left.
Sora relieved him of his tattered tunic and gingerly, he entered the pool, cleaning off the rest of the battle from him. Because of her belly, she was unable to lean over very much as she cleaned him, only able to get from his shoulders up, but it did not matter to him. He had not realized how much he missed her soothing touch until he felt it again.
His eyes closed as she massaged his scalp.
"I'm still upset with you," she murmured, her eyes taking in his more relaxed face as his head rested on her lap.
"I had not thought otherwise," he said with his eyes still closed.
They sat in silence once again. Her fingers went over the contours of his face, going over his silver brows and down his cheekbones. He felt her fingers hesitate over his lips; his eyes opened, catching the flickering of desire in her eyes. She caught herself leaning down a little, the sight of his own eyes revealing the presence of a fire that burned for her.
Her fingers moved away, settling her hands on his shoulders.
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Four days later, when Ares was well enough to leave Mount Olympus, Sora went back to Lemnos.
Two days after her return, Artemis came with a wide selection of fruit.
Sora stepped aside and let the goddess in. She smiled as she spotted her favorites, as well as a few foreign fruits that she had wanted to try. Her brown eyes saw the goddess of the hunt discretely looking around. Seeing as Sora hadn't told Sophie that she wanted to try mangos and who Sophie kept company with, she was aware of the true sender of the basket.
"Ken's not here," Sora said as she sat down in order to peel her mango.
Sophie turned with mischief in her teal eyes. "That is a shame. Do tell him I said hello, will you?"
"Of course," Sora nodded. "Does this mean you are leaving already?"
"Duty calls," Sophie said with an exaggerated sigh. "I'll return to help as your midwife, so do not worry on that account."
With that, she left. Sora stayed seated as she peeled her treat with a small knife. She was slicing the meat of the fruit when he appeared. She was taken aback by the lack of armor, but then attributed it to his healing wound. Before she could ask about his side, he spoke.
"How does it taste?"
"I have not tried it yet."
When he stayed standing, she gestured to a chair next to her. He sat and watched her take a bite of the orangey fruit. She giggled a little as the juice dribbled down her chin. Putting the knife down, she caught the juice before it went on her robe.
"It's good," she said. "Would you like to try it?"
He looked at the offered fruit and then the hand with the juice. With a short nod, he leaned forward and gently gripped her wrist. She shivered as he licked each finger free of the mango and swirled his tongue along her palm. He came forward again, this time licking up her throat; the action causing her head to tilt back as his wet tongue came up her underjaw and over her chin. He cleaned the mango from her lips in a slow brush from one corner of her mouth to the other.
The motion brought a mewl from her.
He leaned back a little, his tongue licking his own lips after having tasted her.
"It's very good," he rumbled.
She swallowed, the old feeling of longing running sluggish in her veins for now, but she knew from past experience that it could easily speed up. Her lips came to his, softly slipping her tongue between his lips and tasting the mango in his mouth. His hand was coming up to her face as the slow brush started to deepen when she gasped and pulled away from him.
He frowned in concern until she smiled up at him.
She grabbed his hand and placed it over her belly. "Can you feel her?"
His eyes widened slightly in marvel as the baby kicked beneath his hand. He moved his hand over her belly, feeling the motions of the child. A few moments later, her words repeated in his head.
"It is female?"
She gave a half shrug. "I would like her to be, but I would not be opposed to a male child."
A twitch of his lips let her know of his amusement.
"In that case, it is probably male."
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AN: You probably knew that a baby was on the way, what with Ken, Leon, and Sora's actions in the last chapter. :P
I'm sticking with Greek names and mythology. So Heracles (also Herakles) is the Greek name of Hercules, which is Roman.
I am tweaking some events in mythology in order to fit the story and the KS characters, but I am trying to make sure that it's not too butchered.
Side note: I've created a forum for Kaleido Star, "KS Think Tank!" to discuss story ideas or just the anime in general.
