My dear friends,
At long last, here is another chapter of Beauty In Itself. I apologize for dropping off the face of the planet for so long; life has been quite an adventure here in Florida. I cannot promise, but do hope to be making far more updates as soon as I can!
I love you all, and wish you all the best!
Enjoy! 3
Chapter Twenty-two
Determination
Those sweet lingering moments, those are the ones I treasure the most. And now, thanks to Ariston, my days are filled with them. Filled with seemingly endless lingering moments and with such passions and love. Ariston and I cannot seem to keep our hands off each other.
I lay there on his chest, playing with his curly hair and looking into his eyes. His hands rested on my waist. It feels surreal, being with him like this. The moment was so beautiful, I wished I could freeze it in time, to come back to it whenever I wished. I got an idea.
"My love, will you get me my iPhone?" I asked, knowing that he could get it without getting up.
His hand glowed and in the next moment, the phone was there. I smiled and took it as I turned on the camera and held it out to take a photo of us, then a few more. I sat up on his lap and took a few photos of him, click, click, click. He smiled and laughed, his hands still on my hips. He looked so glorious, I could not stop smiling.
In one swift motion he rolled so that he was on top of me and took the camera from me with the greatest of ease. He hovered over me, propped up by one arm. His smile grew as he began taking photos of me. Click, click, click.
"Be careful what kind of photos you take of me, you never know who might see them." I warned him.
Laughing, he laid down on top of me and kissed me as he took photos. Click, click, click. As if I have any hope of resisting him.
"Just pray my father does not see these." I said breathlessly against his lips.
"These? Oh Mera, I can do far worse." He said with that devilish smile as he began kissing down my neck and continued down my torso.
Click, click, click. He kissed between my breasts, leaving his face there to nuzzle as something between a gasp and a giggle left my lips. His mouth continued down my abdomen and I began a fit of giggles as it tickled. He looked up at me with that devilish smile, his mouth so close to my skin.
"Don't you dare." I warned him, completely serious.
Click, click, click. I gasped for air, convulsing with laughter as he kissing my belly.
"Stop it! Stop it!" I yelled though my giggles. "Ariston! I am… going to get you… for this. Now stop!"
Finely he stopped and moved so that his body was once again hovering directly over mine. That look still in place, and try as I might, I could not deny how much it turned me on; the worst part was that he knew it too.
"Get me will you?" He queried. "I would like to see how you are going to do that, seeing as how immortals are not ticklish." He smiled devilishly and I decided that we could both play this game, a win-win.
"Oh don't worry; I will find a way." I said, my voice soft. I touched him lightly on his chest with both hands and his eyes became soft. I knew I had him then.
In one burst of strength, I pushed him up and to the side. Lifting him off of me and catching my IPhone, just in time to take a photo of the look of shock on his face as he flew a few feet into the air and landed three feet from me on his back on our bed. A moment later I was sitting on his lap, smiling to him as he looked at me in shock. I could not help snapping one more photo. Click. I do love my growing strength and speed.
A moment later his shock wore off and he began laughing, a deep hearty laugh. Click, click, click. He put his hands behind his head and looked up at me.
"You really are something, do you know that?" He asked.
"Fun having a play mate who is as strong as you, isn't it?" I smiled and he laughed once again.
A moment later he had me pinned on my back with him on top of me, his hands pinning my arms down beside my head as he smiled down to me. His grip was solid, unmovable, but not nearly firm enough to cause me discomfort. I sighed after struggling against his grip, realizing it was futile, and just looked up at him.
"You are not as strong as me just yet, my Mera." He said, leaning down and torturously slowly kissing my neck right in a spot he knew drove me crazy. "Do you yield?" He asked against my neck, his hot breath turning my blood to a raging fire within my veins.
"Yes." I breathlessly said.
He let go of his grip upon my forearms, moving his hands to caress my skin in all the right places. I surrendered to him, completely. Instead of playfully pushing him away, I now could not seem to get him close enough. He was everywhere at once, and still focused, overwhelming my every sense as he used his unending knowledge of physical, sexual, spiritual union as we went on discovering what we enjoyed the most in each other…
Seven mind numbing hours, and eight ambrosia later, we bathed. Ariston wrapped his arms around my waist as he stood behind me, his muscled form flush against my body. That incredible bond which exists between all that we are, made us melt into each other as we basked in our afterglow. My entire form merged with his own as I leaned back against him and he tenderly kissed my hair, before leaning down as his lips ended up next to my ear.
"Would you like to stay in for dinner, or go out?" Ariston asked. I smiled, knowing that he could feel I was hungry.
"Let's go out." I said in Greek, speaking the language with ease since we first made love, I have since shared his abilities. One of those just happens to be the skill of translation.
After we bathed in our amazing, steaming bathing pool, we dried one another off, and went to our enormous closet.
I looked though my new clothing. All mine, I thought with amazement. It amazes me how greatly my life has changed since I met Ariston a month and a half ago. I had no idea that I was the last Descendant of Pandora, the last hope for the gods and the worlds. I also had no idea just how dangerous the path before me was, until five days ago, when Ariston finally told me that truth.
Ariston and I decided to spend a week alone together and so for the past five days, I have not attended school and Ariston has not gone to Olympus to attend to his duties. He told me that one of his siblings was covering for him. We have spent most of our week so far in our mountaintop home in Blueridge, Maine.
My thoughts then turned back to the designer clothing before me. I have not had much time to look through the clothing Ariston bought me, since we have not had much need for clothing while we are alone together.
My reality has been unreal since the moment I met Ariston that day when I was dancing in the Stables, and each day it grows even more so. Life seems a dream, a beautiful, perfect dream of a dream, far too good to be true. But if there is one thing I know, it is that this, our love, is true and that Ariston is true. He is what I want, he is what I have always wanted. Destiny, fate, call it what you will, this is my life and he is my love and always will be.
I turned to look at him. Speaking of fate.
"What should I wear?" I asked.
"Where would you like to go?" He asked.
"Dancing." I said, as my smile widened.
He smiled and walked up to my clothing and went though it, then pulled out a sexy, fit and flair, navy blue, halter-top dress. I smiled to him, and placed a lingering kiss on his lips before stepping into the dress. I added diamond drop earrings, the top diamond being a swirling color of black and blue, and a matching bracelet went along with those works of art.
I decided to put my golden blond hair up; I did not do half so good a job as Margret does, but it looked descent. Ariston looked amazing in a black suit and bright blue button down shirt, the blue brought out the sky blue of his eyes. I still cannot get over his beauty; his very self, just the way he stands and moves is spellbinding, while those blue eyes took in the dress he picked out for me.
"You look stunning as always, my love." He said.
I returned the complement. He held me close as golden light surrounded us; and we arrived in an artful hallway a few moments later. I have become used to this form of travel, it is wonderfully convenient and it gives traveling the world at a moments notice a whole new meaning.
The walls were painted in bright, bold colors showing abstract designs of musicians playing different instruments. Loud Latin music played and I smiled.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"Cuba." Ariston answered with a smile, before speaking in Spanish. "You did say you wanted to dance."
He led me in and we ordered dinner. After we ate, we danced. How we danced was far different from the first time we danced in the Stables, we were much, much closer, already knowing each others bodies. We had no shame as we moved to the music and each other's bodies, and neither did any of the other couples, for there was nothing to be ashamed of.
For hours we danced in that club, lost in the beat and in each other. There was something so incredibly sensual and seductive about Latin dancing; it warmed my blood in the most wonderful of ways, and I knew that that mostly had to do with my partner and how his hands caressed my body as we moved together.
"Would you like to go for a walk on the beach?" Ariston asked over the music. I nodded.
We exited the club and walked down a street. I huddled closer to Ariston in the slight chill of the October air. Ariston stopped and took his coat off and placed it over my shoulders.
"Thank you." I said as I gazed into his ancient eyes.
He nodded, I kissed his lips and relished the storm that ran throughout my body. He laughed lightly when our lips parted and wrapped his arm around my shoulders once again, holding me close as we walked the short way to the beach. I took my shoes off and Ariston did the same. The cool sand felt wonderful in between my toes, and the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore brought a whole new quality to this night.
As I watched the moonlight reflect on the waves, my mind drifted to another place, to all the questions within me. Ariston and I had talked for hours upon hours about his family, our family, yet my curiosity was never fully quenched.
"Tell me about the Twelve?" I asked him, looking away from the water and up into his incredible, knowledge-filled eyes.
"What would you like to know about them?" He asked with a smile.
"As much as I can," I told him. "I want to know what to expect. You have said that much of mythology is wrong, I want to know the truth."
"Who would you like me to begin with tonight?" He asked. I thought for a moment.
"Ennina." I said, I always loved hearing about his sister; her life fascinated me.
"Her name means 'the light' in our language." Ariston began. "It is not 'light' as in a lamp, but as in hope, the light of a light house that guides ships to safety. She is hope, she is light, she represents everything that is good in the worlds. She is one of the kindest people you will ever meet, but when it comes to those she loves she is… ferocious in her protection of them. If someone harms or threatens her family, they just signed their own death certificate. She will make them pay, but she is fair. Many gods are like that, she gets it from our father. She is the eldest of her siblings and as a mother, she has a natural protective nature.
"But beyond that, there are few leaders that could come close to her. You see, the heir to a kingdom cannot expect to have the love and respect of the people passed down to them along with the crown. The love of the people must be won, not only in words but through deeds great and small. Ennina has earned that respect ten fold, the gods will be honored to have her as queen and her husband Cronus as king.
"She is unmatched in battle and strategy, if she has a peer it would be her husband Cronus. Her children are just as extraordinary as she is; they all have their gifts. She is incredibly wise; she does not only know, she understands. She not only is a warrior, a goddess and the crown princess, she is a loving and devoted wife and mother." His admiration for his sister was all too apparent.
"And her husband?" I asked.
"Ennina and Cronus, heaven and earth together again." He smiled; I gave him a questioning look. "All gods are born with an element or such. They have power over it and the element is part of them. Ennina shares her gifts with our father and her mother. All children of Zeus have the storm within us. When mythology says that 'Athena' was the only one of the gods who was allowed to use Zeus' bolt, what they meant was that she was at that time, she was the only one who also had control over lightning and thunder as well. She is also known as the Thunder Goddess.
"Her husband, is a nature god, and a powerful one at that. They were quite the scandal in their day." He laughed then shook his head.
"Cronus' parents were the heavens and the earth as well. Although it does not always work out that way, some gods can be so different, yet they end up being soul mates. Take Hades and Persephone for example, him of darkness, her of light, and still they fell in love."
"So the stories about them are wrong as well?" I asked.
"Very. If you read the stories, you will see that they are told from Demeter's perspective, not Persephone's, except to say that she ate the seeds and was there for bound to the Underworld and it's king. She loves him and he loves her, truly and deeply." I smiled.
"Who next?" He asked.
"Aphrodite. Are all the stories about her true?" I asked, Ariston laughed.
"No, thank goodness. My niece is the goddess of love and beauty, not vanity. The stories that are told of her are not done so in context. If a poet spoke of cruel Aphrodite, they speak of the ache love can cause the soul, or when they speak of her as teasing they are speaking of a beautiful woman who has beguiled them and therefor is the goddess of love in their eyes. Every mans love is the goddess of love and seduction in his eyes." He looked at me and I blushed.
"Your niece?" I asked, remembering what he had said.
There are many myths of her parentage. Some state she is the daughter of Zeus, some that she was born of sea foam and others far less pleasant.
"She is my sister Ennina's granddaughter. Aphrodite's father is Ennina and Cronus' eldest son together, Alexander; her mother is Dione, daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite. Aphrodite is technically my great niece, however we drop the 'greats', it can be a real headache when you are dealing with as many generations as we have. It could take hours to introduce someone if we were to say just how many generations stand between them and you." Ariston laughed and I giggled at the thought.
"Ennina herself was once hailed as a love goddess many thousands of years ago, and remains one to this day. She explained to me once that a goddess of love must understand all its aspects and depths if she is to help others in it, and in order to understand the depths of love you must also understand the depths of suffering that can come from it. Being a goddess of love is something you have to earn, the title is not given lightly. Both my sister and my niece have earned the title." Ariston explained.
"Through everything I have told and have yet to tell you," He took a deep breath. "You have to understand that many of us have made mistakes, and have atoned for them. Many would ask just why they should follow us, after the things my family has done, both to others and to each other. But it is not what we have done, but what we have come back from and how we are fighting not only for ourselves, but for them, that they should follow us." I took in his words, wondering the choices that had been made. I knew it is not what we go through, but what we come back from that defines people.
"Hermes?" I asked a moment later, wishing to know the next bit of information. He cracked a smile.
"Ah Hermes, we do love to tease him." Ariston laughed.
"He is the god of messengers and thieves?" I asked, Ariston laughed again.
"He is not exactly a god of thieves. The mortals made him into such because when he was a babe he stole our brother Apollo's cattle, and we have never let him forget it." I shook my head, brothers. "My brother has a joking nature, always quick of wit. He is the kind who can appreciate the skill in a theft, then punish the thieves a moment later if he sees fit. Sometimes if the victim is the kind who deserves it, he lets it slide. Among many other things, he is also my fathers messenger, and a good one at that."
"Hera." I named off another name.
"She is kind and loving, every bit a mother and wife. She has welcomed her husbands children into her home and her heart, there are few women like her. I cannot imagine it has been easy for her, my father was… careless for quite a long time in their marriage.
"Many gods will lay with mortal women not only for the pleasure, but for the child that will come of that union. Some of the greatest people in history were descended from the gods. My father however, would also lay with goddesses and nymphs, that was what Hera did not like, but she said nothing because of the love she bares him and allowed him to do as he pleased. That changed after Persephone was born."
"What made him change?" I asked Ariston.
"He fathered a child with Hera's sister, Demeter. That was too much for Hera to take. My father loves Hera, he always has, and he knew he could not lose her and realized that no conquest would mean as much as she does to him. From then on, he has not fathered another immortal child outside of their marriage." He looked at me. "I want you to know that I will never do that to you. You are all the woman I desire, you are everything to me and I will never hurt you like that." He swore to me.
I smiled and placed my hand on his cheek and looked into those ancient eyes of his.
"I know that, my love. I trust you." I assured him.
"I swear to never betray that trust, I will always tell you the truth. And I want you to be completely honest with me and never spare my feelings. I do not want us to keep secrets from each other in any way, shape or form." He said with warmth in his voice and in his soul.
"I promise." I said and leaned up to seal it with a kiss.
"Who next?" He asked.
"Ares?"
"He is a good man, not as ruthless as most make him out to be, he is disciplined. He loves his wife Aphrodite; they too have been through a lot to be together. He can be rash and impulsive at times, his wife balances him out perfectly."
"Poseidon?" I asked.
"He is a great god, much like my father in that way. He is the king of the seas. He has a warm and genuine personality but he is not someone to be tangled with. In a contest with my sister Ennina he created the first horse, he would have won if she had not created the olive tree. He was proud of his niece for winning and has not held it against her as it is said in myths."
"Demeter?" I asked.
"She is very down to earth, quite literally." Ariston laughed. "She prefers to live on earth; that is where she raised her daughter, my sister Persephone. Demeter is a powerful goddess, she does beautiful work with the earth."
"Apollo and Artemis?" I asked about the twins.
"They are very different even though they are twins. Artemis is wild in many ways, a free spirit who wants nothing more than to run though the woods. She loves nature and the forest and hunting with her bow. She has a daughter, Callisto, with her husband Orion. Elianna and I named our daughter after her. Even though they are cousins, my Kallisto and Artemis' Callisto look enough alike to be sisters.
"Apollo is a good and pure soul. He is fittingly the god light; he has a bright personality and looks to match. He is always smiling and humming or singing, and is the self-proclaimed life of the party." Ariston laughed. "He is very wise in the ways of medicine; his son Asclepius was one of the first doctors the mortals ever knew."
"Hephaestus?"
"He is another god whom has a calm and down to earth nature. He is the god of the forge and of technology. You have seen the jewels he and his apprentices create, his work on weaponry and armor is of as great a quality. He forged my swords for me. He was first married to Aphrodite, he truly loved her but it was his second wife Aglaea, one of the graces, whom is his soul mate."
"He is the one who added the improvements to your car." I realized, Ariston smiled to me.
"Yes he is." He smiled. "Dionysus?" He asked I smiled and nodded. He is the last of the twelve.
"He creates the most wonderful wine, he has a real gift with it. His personality is as rich as his wine. Laughter and good cheer always come from his presence, and a touch of madness as well. Let me warn you now against his parties. They tend to get… very out of control."
"Good to know." I said, he laughed.
"Another goddess you should know of, is Chaos." Ariston said.
"The void from which life sprang? It is a goddess?" I asked, he nodded.
"If a god or goddess is old enough and powerful enough, they can create their own planets. It is not pure coincidence that the earth is just the right distance from the sun. If it were any closer it would be to hot and if it were any further it would be too cold for life as you know it to exist. All gods in worlds of this planet trace their heritage back to her.
"Chaos created the three realms of this world and the mortals. She is also Hera, Demeter and Hestia's mother. I nearly forgot; Hestia is two fold. One is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, another a daughter of Chaos" He said.
"She created the race of man?" I asked in amazement.
"It is said the goddess created so much more than that." He said as those thoughts of his became far away. "I have met her but once, and the rest I know from others. She had a consort a long time ago… how much was created is beyond the knowledge I possess. No matter who I have asked, none seem willing to share that knowledge."
We walked in silence for a few minutes as I absorbed the truth I had just been told. It was minutes more before I spoke and chose to ask a far more personal question of my love, since answers to what he had recently spoken of are beyond my grasp.
"Do you have grandchildren?" I wondered. He smiled and nodded.
"Elianna and I's descendants still exist. I keep an eye on them, and check in on them from time to time. One of them, Ethan, looks so much like my son Elijah it still shocks me to look at him." he shook his head.
"Do you visit them?" I asked. He shook his head.
"No, they do not even believe the gods exist. I would not want to trouble them with my presence." He said.
"You presence does not bring trouble, my love. Believe me, they would be honored to know you, to know where they came from. I know I am honored to have you in my life." He looked at me with such unconditional love in his eyes, I smiled softly and placed my hand on his cheek and looked into those eyes. "Will you consider being in their lives? They come from you, from your wife and your son. They are a part of you, they are your family, they should be in your life."
"I will consider it." He said, after a moment of smiling into my eyes. He leaned down and kissed my lips. "I love you, my Mera." He whispered to me.
"I love you, my Ariston." I replied before kissing him again.
Ariston and I laid in bed in each others arms. We talked more about my joining the army, he was still not happy with the idea but he is open to it since it is my decision.
"This is truly what you want?" He asked, I nodded and he sighed.
He turned on his back and stared up at the celling, unseeing. I could feel how badly he wanted me to change my mind, how badly he needed it.
"Is this life truly all horrors?" I asked him.
"No, it is not." Ariston admitted. "Helping people, guiding them, it holds great meaning and when it is done correctly, there is a great sense of accomplishment that comes with it. There is so much beauty in my world, I want to share it all with you. I just fear for you. The thought of losing you… is..." He sighed, not being able to find a word that would fit.
I sat up and sat on his abs and looked down at the beautiful god beneath me. Ariston looked into my eyes, still pained.
"'There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.'" I quoted the Greek philosopher Epictetus. "I hate seeing you worry so much, I hate you being miserable. Your pain is my pain, my love. Whatever is to come is beyond our control, what we have is now." He sat up and put his arms around me so that we were somewhat at eye level.
"But you do have control over this, you can say no. You can become my wife and lead a somewhat normal life with me. I would give up my duties for you, I would give up anything for you, to keep you safe." Ariston said. I place my hand on his warm cheek.
"I would never ask that of you." I told him. "You are needed, and so am I. I cannot let this go, I cannot neglect my duty."
"It is not your duty yet, there may well be another." He said.
"And who would this other be?" I asked, Ariston looked away. My mother may still be young, but she is past her childbearing years. If there was ever going to be another Descendant of Pandora, she or he would be my child. Ariston and I both knew that we would not risk our own child. "It is my duty, my love. I was born for this, deep within me I have always known that." I told him softly. "I want you, always. I want to marry you and lead a beautiful life with you but I also want this. I have to do this. As tempting as your offer is…I will never forgive myself if I were to do as you ask." He sighed then shook his head and smiled.
"What?" I asked, relieved to see him smile.
"You have too much of the gods within you; you are too selfless." He told me.
"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.
"Selflessness is both a blessing and a curse. By giving so much you can lose your balance, you can lose yourself." He told me. "That is why love is so important to the gods. When you give everything, it is wonderful to have someone who will give their all to you without your asking." Ariston said as he caressed a few stray hairs behind my ear. "I have already said I will stand by you in this, just do not expect me to like it." I kissed him then held him close, my hand in his warm curls as we sat there.
"If you are going to truly devote yourself to this, there is going to be no time for high school." Ariston said.
"I already knew that." I told him, pulling back to look into his eyes. "I will still be able to live with you though?" I asked.
"Yes, you will." Ariston said. "It would be best if we were to live on Olympus, I have a home on the mountain side. It is beautiful there, you will love it." I nodded. "We will need to get Vrontos." He said.
"Could you not simply spirit him away?" I asked with a smile.
"I could, but that would not be a good idea. The people here still see me as a mortal; for my horse to disappear in golden light would remove that elusion, and I may need this alias again someday." He told me.
"Alright. When should we?" I asked.
"In a few days, before we leave for Olympus." Ariston answered. "We should go and ride him tomorrow though. He will be cross with us for leaving him unattended for so long." I smiled a little at that. I needed to say goodbye to the girls anyway.
"What am I going to tell everyone?" I asked him. I knew full well that there would be questions. Where are you going? Are you coming back? What will you be doing? Those kinds of questions, things I could not answer truthfully.
"You can tell them that we are running off together, or that you are transferring to a new school, or anything else you like. However, due to the magnitude of this truth, it is not something that can be told to everyone. Not yet." Ariston said.
"I understand that." I assured him.
He held me close, burying his face in my curls at the nape of my neck. I hated this feeling within him, that we only had so much time left together. He began kissing my neck and things quickly progressed from there, I was glad for the distraction, we both were…
