AN: The second half of the previous chapter. See, I didn't take too long. :P

LW

LW

LW

The wooden steps creaked a little as he went up.

Leon's guest room was on the ground floor where Ken's was; the women and the nursery were on the second floor. The separation of the women and men's rooms followed the custom of the traditional Greek house of the mortals, but with some modifications.

For the gods, entertaining and meals were not separated by gender, instead allowing the mixing of the men and women for these occasions. However, the setup of the houses, the laws of marriage and divorce; the shame and embarrassment that accompanied the breaking of a law were present. The main difference was that the gods sometimes were not as strict about certain laws as the mortals were.

A paradox, but true.

It only goes to show that being immortal didn't make life any less conflicted or chaotic. If anything, the lives of the immortals were even more chaotic especially since they have centuries to live and endure all of these situations.

Perhaps that is why some codes were more lax in the upholding.

Leon paused on the creaking step, making sure that there was no one else in the house besides the two goddesses and the baby. When the house remained still, he continued on his way. He did not have to wonder which door was her bed chambers as strings of shells hung from her doorway like in her sea sanctuary, although these shells were smaller and had some dried leaves and flowers hanging from them.

He knocked. Her lithe voice told him to come in.

A few thick candles were lit in her room, one sitting on the low table where she sat in front of. She was combing her hair for the night in a loose robe. He quietly closed her door and walked further into the room. Out of habit he spotted her bed, noting that unlike her other sleeping place this one did not have gossamer curtains, instead having a cloth canopy of a light color.

"Did the meal satisfy you?" he heard her ask.

He looked away from the bed to see her now facing him. She was done combing her hair and it lay over one shoulder, the ends of the red locks slightly curling appealingly. His mouth felt a little dry, but he wasn't about to reveal what she was doing to him by swallowing.

He had something to say first before other things could occur.

Though, by the way the candlelight's reflection flickered in her brown irises, he wasn't certain how long he could keep from touching her...

"It was good, but not enough," he lowly said.

Her eyes slanted a little, the light changing her irises to a dark amber color. He was tempted to come closer but he dared not. His hand fisted for a moment as the vision she made sent a rapid heat throughout his body. His hand relaxed once he steeled his initial emotions, thus cooling the heat to a lukewarm feeling.

"The meal was not what I wanted to discuss," he said.

She blinked at the sudden change of tone and the shift in his eyes as desire was held back by a layer of solemnity. She had not known him to restrain himself when he was aroused. She could understand the control during a banquet or a war meeting, but not in the private setting of her chambers.

It was unprecedented, which made her curious.

She entertained the idea that he wanted to speak to her about Harmonia, though she did not know what he would say exactly given that Hephaestus was the one that had the power to dissolve their union. Divorces during this time tended to be because of infertility or adultery on the woman's part, however, Ken could not claim the first since she has given birth and the second was a possibility should he find out who truly fathered Harmonia.

The second option would cause a scandal if the affair were to be brought to light.

She was well aware of that, but she saw no immediate danger of that occurring since Ken did not know of it to begin with. As far as she could tell Ken did not have a desire to divorce her or else he would have done so within the first months of their marriage. He had no particular love for her but he did have the respect of the other gods for having her as his wife. She supposed that could be a reason why he saw no need for a separation.

However, Hephaestus failed to realize that being in such a union was starving her.

Because of that fact, she did not want to stop the affair. She needed the emotional attention as well as the physical and Hephaestus only occasionally gave her the physical. While the presence of her friends and daughter helped keep her afloat, her nature was more of the sexual and romantic love.

Outside of those blessings, she was wilting inside.

LW

In the wild and some distance from the forge, the shadow of two figures moved.

A low groan and feminine moaning sounded as Hephaestus' figure stilled above the nymph, letting the rapture overcome him. He soon fell down upon her as his strength left him. He could smell the salt of the sea in her hair as well as some unknown exotic scent that was a cross between tangy and flowery.

"Stay the night," the sea nymph murmured.

He felt her bosom rub against him as her arms went around him. Cabeiro has been steadfast in her interest ever since he fell from Olympus and crashed onto Lemnos. He looked down at her stunning blue eyes, her milky white skin and her dark hair spilled over the greenery she had gathered.

Seeing that she held his attention, she easily flipped him over and straddled him.

The sand of the nearby lake's shore made for a comfortable bed and he felt inclined to do as she suggested. He hadn't thought it would be a good idea to stay away with two guests in the house, but as he looked up at her nude form in the moonlight with generous curves and breasts he found himself fixated on Cabeiro.

What he failed to notice was that in truth, she had the same curves as Aphrodite and her breasts were about the same size as the goddess of love. Ironically enough, both his wife and lover were associated with the sea, though he only saw that fact as alluring in regards to the sea nymph.

Both women were of the sea, alluring, and bold - especially in sexual situations.

What made Hephaestus go to Cabeiro instead of Aphrodite was the workings of the mysterious power of attraction; it worked in the same way in regards to Ares going to Aphrodite instead of finding the nymphs or any other woman - mortal or immortal - that was not already taken.

"Perhaps I shall," Ken half groaned as the nymph's hands ran along his chest.

She smiled that half smirk of hers, the corner of her lips brimming with confidence and self assurance.

LW

Back in the house in Aphrodite's room, her dark eyes took in Ares.

The mere sight of him roused her spirit from its previous state of negligence and gloom.

"Well then," she idly played with her hair as she spoke, "go on, for I know not what you would speak to me about."

Leon looked for somewhere to sit, however, when the bed seemed to be the only option, he decided to remain standing. From her seat by the dressing table he noticed her eyes shining with affection and longing underneath a strong curiosity. Entranced by her, he stepped in front of her despite his previous resolve and tilted her chin up a little more.

"I apologize," he rumbled out.

He kept her gaze, making sure she knew what he was apologizing for and she could see the sincerity on his face if she had not heard it in his voice.

Her lips parted a little in wonder though she quickly recovered. She was not completely certain if the apology was for the prolonged absence from when the news of her pregnancy first reached him and their following avoidance or if it was for the three months it took for him to see the baby.

It made a vast difference which situation he was apologizing for.

"Is that for the way we departed in the halls of Mount Olympus? " she asked.

He gave a slow nod to that.

"I am at a loss," he quietly confessed, allowing his pride to quiet long enough to say what needed to be said, "But I do know that you and Harmonia are not a part of some competition."

His silver brows furrowed a little, not knowing how to describe what they were to him. He is War, he's used to thinking in terms of 'conquering' and 'defeat'. But since he started his involvement with the goddess of love, he was feeling foreign things that did not seem to fit in his usual way of thinking.

Her surrendering to him led to her satisfaction; his conquering led to his fulfillment.

That did not seem like a victory, though he could hardly label it as a loss.

He once asked her if she was afraid of being his conquest. She nearly laughed at him, telling him that she doubt he could win her without her overwhelming him...

There was truth in her words that he had not considered before.

As he thought, she greedily soaked up her lover's form as the candles lit his hair in a golden sheen. His presence today gradually soothed the ache his long absence left as their time together increased. She had wanted him then, despite the happenings that led her to leaving him standing alone in the halls of Mount Olympus when he first knew of the pregnancy. She had vowed to herself that he would be the one to make the next move, not she.

How unresolved she had been when he was injured...

She couldn't bear the thought of him thinking she didn't care when he needed her the most.

But when he made the move to see her with the basket of foreign fruits and he tasted the mango from her lips, she had already started to forgive him.

From that moment, she knew she needed to be firm. She made a strong resolve to stay at home and make him be the one to visit her and Harmonia. She needed to know what he would do; she needed him to choose them and not side with his pride.

Now as he stood in front of her, speaking words that told her that he was trying to understand what she was to him in terms that she approved of, she felt her heart swell with her feelings and her lower stomach deliciously twist the longer she looked at him.

She wanted him.

She wanted him more than ever before.

"Come to me Leon," she whispered, lifting her hands to grasp his forearms.

His eyes refocused on hers as her slender fingers went up his arms. He leaned down to her, his hands resting on either side of her on the small seat as her hands went around his neck. Her eyes were liquid heat and her lush mouth burned his lips, reawakening the embers that her kiss left in the afternoon, and now her petal soft lips and warm tongue seduced him in a way she had not done before nor had he been aware of.

How could he have stayed away for so long?

Her hands touched what she could until that was inadequate. Her fingers untied the closest fastening they could find and she slipped under his toga to feel the contours of his abdominal muscles and then went up his chest to his shoulders. The lukewarm feeling simmering in his blood caught on fire as her nails trailed none too gently along his shoulders, making his insides clench with strong desire.

She was softness and passion, delicate and fierce - the perfect mixture for him.

Her leg went around his waist, bringing him even closer to her. She moaned as his hand slid along her leg, his calloused hand getting underneath her robe as his lower lip was held captive in her heated mouth. Tongue and teeth tortured it and loved it. Unwillingly it was released when he lifted her up to press her hard against him, making her sharply gasp as he let her know what she was doing to him.

"Goddess of sultry nights," he groaned.

Her other leg went around his waist, pressing herself into him in order to feel that friction again.

"Lover most desired," she moaned, her arms tightly around his neck and shoulders as she repeatedly pressed herself against him, "is there a place beyond Olympus?" She placed wet kisses along his face, her mouth whispering against his ear to murmur in the lowest octave he ever heard from her.

"Send me there," she whispered, her teeth nipping his lobe.

He whirled around, finding the closest piece of wall and pinning her against it. His mouth attached to her neck as he worked on opening her robe. Her breath came out in soft puffs as her eyes were half closed, his nose easily pushing the top portion of her outfit open and tasting his way down.

Her body was awake and longing; she wanted this contact, she wanted him to make her body thrum and her heart to race. He had been away too long. She had thought that before, but this time truly has been the longest of them all.

She felt a slight chill when he finally untied her robe and his, though she did not think on that for even three full seconds before he entered her, causing her back to arch and her eyes to close. Their robes crumpled to the floor forgotten as he groaned against her neck and she breathed harder, trying to somehow keep her mind together.

She felt his teeth at her neck and her fingers dug into his hair.

His hips moved, pressing against her and then pulling away, not faltering in this cycle as he build up the pace. Her nails scratched his scalp and her other hand ran along his back in encouragement.

"Yes," she half moaned.

He was getting lost in her, his mind filled with the sounds of her shorter pants and the exquisite burn of her searing heat and her nails digging into his skin as she held on. He noticed that she did not move her hips as much, choosing instead to feel what he was doing. His face rose from her neck, taking in her head thrown back and her parted lips as she panted. Her red hair curled over her bosom, the source of milk for their babe heaving up and down as she took in air.

He kissed up her neck as he continued his rhythm, his tongue coming out to taste her sweet skin.

"Higher. Higher," she chanted with some desperation, her mind dancing along the edge of pleasurable insanity, "past the clouds and the stars..."

He thrust deeper and she gripped his hair hard, her hand bringing his mouth to hers for a kiss. She freely moaned in his mouth, knowing that he would take her sound for himself and not let it be heard beyond their temporary sanctuary.

He reveled in the way she clung to him, kissed him, and let him have her.

Though, by the way he was determined to do as she bid, he let her have him as well.

Hot heat surged throughout her body, making her grasp him with an almost painful hold. He leaned heavily into her as he thrust a few more times and he followed her to that place beyond the heavens, his eyes tightly closed as he braced himself against her, trying not to lose his strength to keep them from falling to the floor.

She loosened her tight hold, her fingers relaxing. He breathed heavily against her neck.

"Yes," she whispered out of breath, "that's the place."

LW

The wilderness was silent as Ken lay besides Cabeiro.

She had fallen asleep already, but he was still awake. Idly, he stroked her arm as he looked up at the stars through the overhead branches. He was at odds with himself and the situation he was in.

He had gotten involved with Cabeiro during his exile from Olympus, but when he found a way to return he took it, thinking that he could still come down to Lemnos to see her. However, things didn't go as planned. The throne he made for his mother worked, and she was stuck to it, making Zeus ask Ken to release her, promising that he could come back. But Zeus hadn't told him of his plan to give Aphrodite to him.

Ken had tried to refuse by staying on Lemnos but Dionysus secretly intoxicated him and brought him back against his will.

Once there, what could Ken do but go through with the wedding?

To refuse may insult Zeus and his exile will be still in place. Some time ago, he toyed with the idea of returning Aphrodite to Zeus, especially after he found out that Cabeiro bore him a son, however, the idea slowly dwindled when he noticed the way the gods were treating him.

There was some sort of envy and respect going on.

He had never been in that position before and he found that it boost his ego a bit. He felt elevated amongst the males for having the goddess of love and he was soon addicted to the feeling.

Instead of returning her, he kept her.

Later, he paid Cabeiro a visit - simply to see his son - but then that visit turned into two, and then the five, and soon, he was allowing her around the forge and into his house in the pretense of a serving hand.

He felt awkward at times, but he thought about the many trysts of Zeus and he somehow felt more at ease about it - though he sometimes felt worse when he recalled the extreme jealousy of Hera, consort to Zeus, for being put in that position.

He stopped going to Cabeiro for a while. He even made a golden girdle to help him focus on Aphrodite instead of the sea nymph.

That plan only worked for a few weeks. It didn't help that Aphrodite didn't wear it often enough.

When news of Aphrodite's pregnancy came, he felt that any thoughts of returning her to Zeus were gone now. She was fertile so he could not use the excuse that she wasn't bearing him any children as a justification for a divorce.

Things seemed to be going well, despite that hiccup.

He had respect, Cabeiro, two children (though from different mothers), and his work was sought after. He supposed he didn't have to look for a divorce at the moment.

Cabeiro shifted in her sleep.

He considered her, hoping that she would continue to be fine with this setup. A while back he thought she was getting upset about it, but she has been calmer than the previous times he's visited.

He shrugged to himself. There was no need to worry right now.

LW

They lay on her bed in a moment of calm seduction.

Sora's lips, soft and slow, brushed against his face as his restless hand went over her form. He followed the veins in her breasts, tracing what he could see under the candlelight. He took satisfaction in the way she shivered and her lips paused along his jaw. He continued for a while more and then moved on, following the curve of her waist and hip. He noted that there was more meat along this area, no doubt as a result of carrying Harmonia.

He sat up much to her disappointment since she could not kiss his face but she was soon mollified when he leaned down to her waist and began nipping along her side and hip. His fingers languidly trailed up and down her thigh as he bit her. She watched as the god of war paid homage to her, his love bites and fleeting touches the markings of a being affected by her.

Though his teeth were hardly gentle, reminding her whom was before her.

She liked that he didn't treat her as a porcelain vase. She will not break from his touches nor will she shy away from them. No, she doubted she would ever shy away...

When he kissed what he bit, she could not stand to lay still anymore, no longer feeling the tiredness of their last round of lovemaking. Her hand laid against the side of his face, catching his attention. Her lidded eyes spoke much and yet not enough. He placed himself above her and she complied with the unspoken request, letting herself roll onto her back instead of laying on her side.

"Do you wish to visit beyond the stars again?" he asked, his forehead on hers and his silver hair spilled beside her head.

She smiled coyly at him, her forefinger tickling his lips. "Do you ask for me or in a ploy for your own wish to fly?"

He smirked down at her and with a flash of his teeth her finger was caught between his teeth. He gave the digit a slow lick, paying close attention to her face as he did so. His eyes slanted as she shuddered, her face easily flushing in answer to his question.

"I recall your chanting," he murmured, releasing her finger, "or did you already forget that?"

She pouted, the action causing him to take her lush bottom lip as he was in a state of hunger for her. He sucked on her lip for a bit, her lip turning rosy as he continued. She let him do as he will, taking pleasure from the small action.

When he stopped, she murmured with a quirk of her lips, "Your enthusiasm to cause my chanting speaks louder."

He caught her mouth fully, not bothering to deny that fact. Her arms wrapped around him, kissing him back with renewed energy. They were writhing and moving, the sounds of their breaths loud in the dead of night. He rolled against her, inwardly preening when she was the one to break off the kiss to moan.

"Harder," she mewled, her neck arching when he did as she pleaded.

LW

The house was quiet and the dawn still some hours away.

Leon had been sound asleep for a mere three hours when he heard it.

It was faint, but the wails of someone sounded from outside her chambers. He stirred a little, wondering who it could be when she untangled herself from him with a sigh. She got out of bed and went over to the floor where their robes lay. Quickly slipping hers on, she murmured a "I will be back," and she was out the door.

The cries sounded young when the door opened and he realized that it was the babe.

LW

Leon fell asleep for some five to ten minutes when she returned.

Her soft cooing stirred him again and the sounds of baby mumbles had him opening his eyes. She came to the bed, balancing Harmonia on her hip as she moved some pillows to prop herself as she held her child. He shifted to lay on his side, watching as she uncovered a breast to feed Harmonia. Sora rocked on the bed and Harmonia went on with her suckling, getting her fill of milk.

She could change from lover to mother so easily; he could not decide which title suited her better.

As he looked at Harmonia's head of red, curly hair, he thought about Sophie's questions months ago in regards to the babe. He had thought about it frequently and felt that Sora should know the answer.

"I would have continued to come," he murmured as he ran a finger along Harmonia's squishy arm, "had she not been mine, and you still wished for my presence."

She stole a glance at him. "And if I hadn't wished it, you would have stopped pursuing me?"

He caught the twitch of a red brow, even in this poor lighting. The slight incredulous tone told him that she was in disbelief of that statement.

After having made love several times tonight he could understand her disbelief. Sora had not been the only one to feel the affects of their long absence from each other. He tiredly sighed, going onto his back and placing his hands along his closed eyes. He rubbed them, thinking over the idea of not touching her again if she had asked it of him.

"Realistically," he lowly started, his hands still covering his eyes, "I would still seek you out for a while." He paused as he gauged his next words, repeating them in his mind and he found them to be true, however incredulous it was. "But I would not touch you, if that was your wish."

She paused in her rocking, looking him over.

"I would not try to woo you with words either," he wiry added, as if he caught her thoughts.

She shook her head at how he was able to guess her thoughts, but the amusement soon died as she thought about him coming to see her, still and silent like a marble statue, quietly hoping for her to let him approach.

How dreary a sight it would have been.

"...Thank you," she murmured.

He removed his hands from his face in order to see her. A small smile was on her lips, though it was tainted with some bitterness. He stared at the smile, the sad sight burning into his mind and he felt frustrated.

Their current situation wasn't really any better, yet she still thanked him.

"I have not done anything worth gratitude," he grimly stated.

He was aware that he was only making things more complicated, especially with having fathered Harmonia and the fact that he's still having intercourse with a married woman. By the gods, he was in bed with Hephaestus's wife under the man's own roof. Hospitality is important for the Greeks, but Leon doubted that Sora's 'special care' was part of the duties of a proper hostess...

He turned away from Sora and Harmonia. He heard her softly huff and felt her hand along his shoulder.

"Your papa's eyesight is worse than I thought," Sora cooed to the babe.

He turned his head a little to give her a dubious expression, topped with a raised brow. Her smile grew and the bitterness from earlier was not present.

"He has given me more than I had imagined," she softly said as if to Harmonia, but her face was towards him.

His brow smoothed over and his eyes darted about her face, looking for a trace of the sadness he had seen earlier, but he could not find it.

Her hand reached to touch his face and he did not stop her.

LW

Cabeiro slept soundly for a reason Hephaestus didn't know.

She had seen that complaining was getting her nowhere with him, so she decided to act. She paid a visit to a lesser goddess and it seemed like the immortal was eager to cause trouble.

Eris, goddess of discord and strife, was always eager and ready.

Cabeiro really didn't have to do anything except point her finger at a potential hotbed waiting for chaos. Though, the goddess must have sensed it herself and the reminder of the trouble she could cause probably further excited her. The sea nymph had seen Eris' tree bearing fruit. It won't be long now until Eris unleashed her plans.

So she rested at ease, waiting for change.

At this point, Cabeiro was desperate for anything, ill or not.

LW

LW

LW

AN: Well now, what trouble comes?

I thought it was interesting that in multiple sources Hephaestus is described as "unfaltering" and "steadfast" in his marriage with Aphrodite and she's the cheating hussy, but some of the things he did makes me wonder why they paint him as a blameless victim of circumstances, especially within his marriage.

Another interesting, kind of "aww" note, I've read that Aphrodite was most likely the only person to truly love Ares. Doesn't that make you all fuzzy inside? :P

Oh, and just to clarify, I am using Greek mythology, but the portrayal of Aphrodite is more along the lines of the Roman version (Venus) who is more concerned about romantic love rather than the Greek version (Aphrodite) who is more about having sex with every good looking male and is quick to jealousy. I hadn't realized the differences of the Greek and Roman portrayals until further in this story. Sora fits the Roman version more than the Greek. Sorry about that!

Side note: It's hard for me to know the timeline of events that happen in Greek mythology, such as when Hephaestus was involved with Cabeiro or other such events. Some are easier to figure out than others, some I have no clue. XP I'm claiming creative license for those cases!