Author's Note: I was up until 4am finishing the read through of this chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! I am sorry it took me so long to update. I am rereading an awesome book and got distracted.
All the best to you!
Chapter 30
Training Day
Ariston woke me at daybreak and much to my delight, I did not have a hangover. Ariston told me it was because my body is healing more rapidly. We made breakfast in our new beautiful kitchen of French toast with honey, sausage, eggs and fresh squeezed orange juice.
After we ate, I went and dressed. I did up one boot then put my foot on the chest in front of our bed to lace up the other boot. Ariston was in front of me in the next moment. My hands stopped their work as he caressed them, then moved them away, laced up and tied the boot. He kissed my knee, his warm hands lingered on my thigh, my heart racing. I jumped him and he went flat on the bed. I kissed him as I sat on top of him. I sighed.
"Tease." I accused. He laughed and kissed me again, his hands on my sides. "Please my love, if we keep this up I will be late for my first day." I said.
He groaned but stopped. I got up, my heart still pounding as I tried to get my breathing back to normal. A part of me just wanted to say to hell with the training and stay here with Ariston, but it mattered to me far too much for that. Ariston took me into his arms and brought me to the training grounds.
I hated the thought of being away from him; the dream still lingered and caused a lump to form in my throat, which made it hard to breath when I thought of it.
"I will see you later." He said.
"Be safe. Return to me soon, my love." I said.
"Always." He promised.
He began to lean down and I brought my lips up to meet his half way for a long, sweet goodbye kiss.
"I love you, my Mera." He proclaimed breathlessly.
"I love you, my Ariston." I leaned up to kiss him once more.
We held each other close in one last embrace before he took a step back and teleported off. I took a deep breath and took in my surroundings. I stood in a field about an acre around; a few hills were in the distance and many units trained, all the Descendants wore the same uniform I did only with different UID's. On a high hill sat Alexander's office, its balcony covered with a dark blue awning and planted trees.
I looked around and saw Aaron a hundred feet from me talking to other Descendants from what I could only assume was our unit. I smiled and walked towards them, Aaron smiled and walked out to meet me.
"It is nice to see you again." I greeted.
"Last night was fun, we should do it again." He said.
"I could not agree more." I said with a smile as we began walking back towards the troops.
"Ariston really seems to be a good guy. It is getting harder to hate him, or even dislike him." Aaron admitted. I laughed.
"That is a good thing, seeing as how you are in love with his daughter." I said.
"I never said," He began.
"You did not have to, it is in the way you look at her and the way she watches you. You two are in love even if you do not realize it yourselves yet." I stated. He smiled.
"You think she loves me?" He asked.
"Do you really need to ask?" I asked. His smile grew and he seemed to stand taller, then he shook his head, clearing his thoughts as best he could.
"Come and meet our unit." He said.
I walked with him to where the others were standing. Everyone turned to me as I walked up to the gathering. I had seen them before when I came to talk with Aaron but I had not learned their names.
"Everyone, I would like you to meet my good friend Mera Vandenberg, Descendant of the Twelve and Pandora." He introduced me. I bowed my head briefly.
"I am Roger, Descendant of Ares." The tall, black haired, sky blue eyed man introduced himself with a nod and a friendly smile. He was built like a wrestler.
"It is nice to meet you." I shook his hand; my hand was almost lost in his.
"Hanna, Descendant of Artemis." She had soft brown eyes and short black hair that suited her delicate features perfectly. She was tall and lean like Artemis.
"Christopher, Descendant of Zeus." That was clear enough to see. He had the same laughing sky blue eyes as Zeus, he looked like a younger version of his ancestor.
"John, Descendant of Hermes." He and Aaron looked like they could be brothers, the only difference between them being that John's eyes were sky blue and he had a stronger jaw.
"Lilly, Descendant of Aphrodite." She had Aphrodite's hair, those pale blond curls, but their resemblance ended there. Lilly had a stronger jaw and her eyes were a soft crystal clear blue that was so pale they almost looked white.
"Omea, Descendant of Ares." The beautiful dark skinned, bright sky blue eyed woman introduced herself. Her black hair was pulled back in braid that hung over her shoulder.
"Paula, Descendant of Demeter." Her hair was the color of wheat, her eyes a spring green, she took greatly after Demeter only her smile was different and she was shorter.
"Daliea, Descendant of Dionysus." She had his golden blond hair, a heart shaped face, fair skin and a beauty mark below her left eye that gave her the look of an old fashioned movie star. She was the one whom asked me who Ariston was the day I first saw her.
"It is wonderful to meet you all." I said.
"It is an honor to have you in our unit, my lady." Daliea replied.
"Please, call me Mera. It is an honor to be in this unit." I said
"You might change your mind about that once you get to know us." Christopher warned. I laughed.
"So I take it you will not be living with us in the barracks then?" Paula asked.
"No, I am living with Ariston in his home on Olympus. We just renovated it, and it is absolutely beautiful." I told her with a wide grin.
"Squad, fall in!" A commanding female voice called.
Everyone began taking their places; I have watched enough military movies to partly know what to do. The Descendants of ΑΩΣΔΡmade two rows of five, I stood at the end of the second row. I stood like the others, hands at my side clasped in fist, heels together with feet at a 45 degree angle and head held high while eyes were forward. Attention, they call it.
"At ease." Helen said and the unit moved their right foot about a foot to the left and interlocked their hands behind their back. I did what I could to mimic them. "I hear we have a new addition. Come forward, Vandenberg." She called.
I walked around and stood in front of Helen Rogers. She was the kind of person whom did not need to raise her voice to command respect.
"Ma'am." I said.
"State your name and parentage." she said.
"Mera Anne Vandenberg, daughter of George and Anne Vandenberg, Descendant of the Twelve and of Pandora." I introduced myself in a clear voice.
"You are going to have to train harder than the others if you expect to survive longer than your predecessors." She stated. "Have you fought before?"
"Once. A mugger tried to attack my friend and I; I fought him off. Nothing more than that."
"How long have you known who you are?" She asked.
"Almost a month, Ma'am." I answered.
"Why were you not brought to us sooner?" She asked.
"Ariston, my protector, and I fell in love. He worried for me and kept me away as long as he could." I said. She nodded.
"I understand why he did." She said. "Return to your place." I went back to the squad.
"Roger, you will work with Mera. Teach her the basics." She commanded.
"Yes, Ma'am." He said.
"Fall out!" She called and everyone went to the table filled with weapons. Roger came up to me.
"We need our weapons." He said.
I walked with him. There was a wide range of weapons, from swords to daggers to axes and even more ornate weapons on the long table, all of them steel or wood, none held the glow of adamantine.
"What would you like to start with?" Roger asked.
"Swords." I said, going to reach for a blade.
"You should start with wood, it will take time for your training to come to you and steel is no toy." He instructed
"Alright." I agreed and picked up a wooden sword.
It was only wood but it was wonderfully balanced and held a good weight to it. It felt good in my grasp. Holding the practice weapon in my hand, my mind began to race with hundreds of ways to use it, different moves and so much knowledge filling my mind. I knew I would get more power using two hands on the blade, but better range using only one, that this was a one handed sword and so much other useful knowledge.
I spun the wood around my body and spun around with grace, ease, speed and precision as my face turned into a mask showing no emotion. I was made for this. The sword was an extension of my arm, a part of me and its use was as natural as flexing my fingers. I did various blocks and thrust in the thin air against an imaginary opponent. When I stopped, my breathing was quickened with excitement and I smiled, the mask melting off of my face. I turned to Roger to see him and several others watching me.
"Have you ever handled a sword in this life?" He asked.
"Only in my dreams." I told him with a smile.
He shook his head in amazement.
"I will still take you through the basics." He told me, and I nodded in my eagerness to learn.
He put up his sword and showed me the blocks and strikes slowly; it was as easy as breathing, instinct, I knew each one without even having to think about it.
"Are you up for a little free style?" He asked.
"Most definitely." I said with a smile.
He stepped back and our masks fell into place as we raised our swords. He raised his wooden sword overhead and came down, I blocked it with ease and he came at me again with a cut to my legs, which I again blocked. The next strike I was not quick enough to block. He hit me in the arm with the flat of his sword. It stung lightly.
"You are overthinking it. Let it come naturally." Roger said.
I nodded and we prepared again. He came straight at me with the sword and I blocked it. It was easier this time, and each time he came at me I blocked his strike and even put in a counter strike, each of which he parried. A few minutes into the fight I saw my opening and got the sword away from him with ease.
He smiled and nodded.
"Good." Helen praised, I turned to her. "You are a fast learner, that is very good, you will need to be to stay alive. Again." She said.
We raised our blades and once again spared. We trained for the next few hours; I lost two fights and won five. Afterwards we had archery practice then later we practiced with pistols. Aaron and I were being trained in the basics of handgun uses while the others did a few drills with them. I hit the bull's eye on my first shot; Aaron was close on his first two and hit the bull's eye on his third.
"Lunch. Fall out!" Helen called out.
I was extremely hungry by then and glad for the break. We unloaded our rifles and put them away. I followed the others towards lunch.
"What is for lunch today?" I asked, curious.
"Almost everything." Aaron chuckled.
We walked over the ridge and before us were a huge area of tables and benches about half a mile away, where thousands upon thousands of Descendants were eating. In the middle was a huge table a few hundred feet long that was filled with every kind of food you can imagine. I could see it clearly with my advanced sight. I breathed in the scents, my mouth watered and my stomach rumbled in anticipation.
"Banana bread." I said and Aaron laughed.
"You can smell that?" Daliea asked.
"You cannot?" I asked. I noticed that everyone was looking at me. I remembered what Ariston warned me about, what he asked Aaron to promise.
"I am a Descendant of all of the Twelve; I suppose my senses are stronger than yours." I stated as I shrugged while we walked.
For The rest of the walk, I talked with the Descendants and got to know them. They were a friendly bunch. We got to the table and each picked up a tray, I was not the only one whom packed their tray full. I followed them back to a table and we all dug into our food. Aaron and I both got a slice of banana bread and smirked to each other.
"I am glad to see I am not the only one who eats three times more than what is considered normal." I told them.
"Our bodies burn through everything we eat quickly," Roger explained as he chewed his food. "We have to eat so much to keep our strength up." The food was delicious.
"How long have you been with the god?" Dalia asked. I smiled thinking of Ariston.
"Ariston and I have been together for almost a month and have been living together for the past two weeks."
"They created a years worth of gossip for our school." Aaron laughed. "Ariston posed as our history professor. He was not expecting to fall in love with her. One day, neither of them showed up to school and that was all it took to start the rumors."
"Nothing happened that night." I asserted. "We went riding in the rain and got soaked, so he brought me back to his house and gave me some dry clothing and hot food. We talked and watched a few movies and fell asleep in each others arms on his couch." I smiled, lost in the memory. "The next morning, he talked me into skipping school and spending the day with him."
"I can hardly blame you, I mean look at him." Omea said.
"You have no idea." I said, biting my lip as memories of what he is capable of came into my mind. I shook my head to bring myself back to the present, and ate a bite of the succulent eye of round. I glanced up and noticed Lilly looking between Aaron and I.
"What is the story between you two." Lilly asked, wagging her fork back and forth between us.
"We went to the same high school and were together for two years." I told them.
"What happened?" Lilly asked.
"She met Ariston." Aaron said. It was nice to see that he was no longer bitter about it.
"How many of the gods have you met?" John asked.
"All of the Twelve and many, many more. The Twelve threw me a welcome party and many of the gods came." I told them.
They listened intently as I spoke of the gods and what they are like. The rest of the day we were taught philosophy along with the history of the gods and other famous Descendants and demigods. There was no way to fit it all into one day so we were taught what there was time for.
I leapt into Ariston's arms when he arrived.
"You are well?" I had to ask.
"Not a scratch." He said with a smile. "Today was a good day."
"I am happy to hear that." I said.
"How was your day?" Ariston asked.
"It was wonderful; so much came back to me from my training that it was like second nature." I told him with pride in my voice.
"I am glad to hear it." He said. "You look tired."
"Very." I admitted. "But I want to ride Luna."
He brought me back to our home and listened to me intently as I told him about my day while we changed into riding clothing.
Luna was wonderful to ride; we worked on some basics and did some small jumping. Afterwards, Ariston and I went on a trail ride on our horses. As much fun as I had riding doubles with Ariston on Vrontos, it was even more thrilling to ride a horse of my very own. I can still hardly believe she is mine.
They let the Descendants go home early today and I was glad for it. All the training had me bone tired. I wondered what it will feel like when I no longer have bones, when I am an immortal, a goddess. A curious thought indeed.
I knew what I wanted, a long hot soak in the bathing pool with the arms of the god I love wrapped around me, but I knew that Ariston would not be back for a while more from his duties. Kallisto picked me up today and sent me home. I invited her over but she and Aaron said they were too busy to come over. I had smiled and said, "Next time then."
I knew they just wanted some time alone, I know how that is. I remembered that I had not checked my phone since I came to Olympus. I turned it on and saw that I had missed four calls from Margret and as many from my mother, as well as six from my father.
I decided to call Margret first; I did not feel like making up stories to my mother about what I was doing. I bathed and changed into a simple blue gown and grabbed a bowl of fruit and nuts and went into the front meadow. I laid down in the soft grass and called Margret. We chatted for a time, and I filled her in on what I could about how things are in this new life, karate lessons, weapons training and a wide array of academic lessons. I also promised to send her photos of Ariston and I's home.
Finally, I knew I could put it off no longer. My parents had to be called and truth be told, I did truly miss them. I knew exactly what to expect; the last time I had been this neglectful, I had been up to my eyeballs in finals. Sure enough, I received the same question I did the first time.
"Where have you been?" My mother said as she answered.
"Hello, mom." I cheerily greeted, trying to lighten the mood.
"Your father and I have been worried sick!" She almost yelled. My mother rarely got upset. I knew I must have given them quite a scare for her to be talking like this.
"Forgive me." I apologized to her. "Things have been hectic where I am; I did not get the chance to check my phone until just now." She sighed.
"Please do not ever scare us like that again." My mother nearly begged. "We nearly called the police to report you missing. The only thing that stopped us was your father getting the idea to call Margret. She told us you were doing great but were out when we called."
Gods, bless Margret, I thought.
"I did not mean to worry you both." I told her. "I am perfectly safe and blissfully happy with Ariston. I will not let this happen again." She let out a sigh.
"Hold on, your father is here as well." She said.
"Hi, Mera." He greeted, I could tell from the sound he was on speakerphone.
"Hi, dad. How are you?" I asked.
"I am doing a lot better now that I know you are safe and sound." He said pointedly, I had missed his voice. "I cannot wait to see you this weekend."
"I cannot wait either." I told him. "I miss you both more than I can say, and I cannot wait for you to meet Ariston. As much as I love talking with you both, is there a specific reason you called? The first time, I mean." I specified.
"We never got the details of your flight." My mother said.
"Our flight?" I asked.
"Yes, we need to know what time to pick you two up from the airport." She said with a laugh, as if it were obvious.
"Ariston and I have that covered, we will drive to the farm from the airport." I told her.
"Are you sure?" She asked. "We do not mind picking you up. It means we get to see you sooner!"
"We are certain." I assured her.
"Alright. I was also hoping to say hello to Ariston." My mother said. I smiled. "Is he there?" She asked hopefully.
"I am sorry, he is not at the moment. He is working." I told them.
"Where does he work?" My father asked curiously.
What am I going to tell him? I wondered. Just then, Ariston teleported in. I sighed, thanking the Moirae.
"He just came home, hold on." I said.
"Home?" I heard my father's confused voice as I put the phone on mute and set it on the table as I went to greet Ariston.
I kissed him, feeling greatly relieved to be in his arms again.
"My parents are on the phone," I said in a low voice when I could think again. "My father wants to know where you work. I do not know what to tell him."
"Allow me." He said, kissing my lips once more. I sighed in relief.
"Thank you." I said to him then picked up the phone and put it on speakerphone, unmuting it at last. "Mom, dad, we are both here." I told them.
"Ariston?" My mother asked.
"I am here." He said.
"Oh hello! I am Mera's mother Anne. I have heard so much about you; we cannot wait to meet you this weekend. My husband George is here as well."
"I cannot wait to meet you either Anne, and you George. Mera speaks highly of you both." He said.
"Where do you work?" My father asked. I knew the tone in his voice; he used the same tone when he spoke to Aaron for the first time. It was protective, and obviously meaning to be intimidating at the same time. Though clearly it did not faze Ariston; he was ready for their questions with very logical responses.
"My father and stepmother run an organization that specializes in managing and consulting." Ariston told them. "It is based in Greece and I am honored enough to hold a position there." I smiled and shook my head. True enough.
"Do you make good money at that?" My father asked.
"Yes I do. My family and myself are very well off." Ariston told him.
"How old are you Ariston?" My father asked. I held my breath, this was the question I had been dreading.
"Twenty-five." Ariston answered easily. My father was silent for a time.
"Is that so." My father said, not sounding too happy about that. His voice took on a threatening tone. "You do realize that my daughter is seventeen years old and that to convince her to do what I know you want to do is against the law. Correct?" He asked. I blushed and Ariston almost laughed.
"Your daughter could not be convinced to tie her own shoe if she did not want to; you should know that better than anyone." Ariston said with a smile and kindness in his voice. He looked at me and a worried expression crossed his features. "Just a moment." He put the phone down. "Breathe." Ariston said to me quietly.
I let out a breath I did not realize I was still holding and began breathing. He kissed my forehead, then gave me a reassuring smile, one I returned.
"I am back." Ariston said to my parents. "I want you to know that I love your daughter with all my being. She is everything to me and I would do anything for her. I live for her and I would die for her without hesitation." The honesty in Ariston's voice took my breath away and somehow managed to fill my heart with even more love, though the fraise 'die for her' twanged within me after the dream.
"Dad?" I said when I realized he had not spoken.
"Twenty-five?" My father asked, clearly not happy about that.
I took a deep breath, wishing I could tell him the truth, that Ariston is so much older than that; that he ruled Thera long before it was destroyed by the Minoan's; that this god I love has walked and lived with legends, that he has fought in wars mortals only read tales of; that he has lived a truly incredible life and that it does not bother me in the least that just a few months ago, Ariston celebrated his five thousandth and sixty-third birthday. On the contrary, I felt honored that after all those years of life and all he has experienced, he would want someone as young as myself. Ariston has never seen me as anything less than an equal, and I remain grateful for that.
And yet, I was not at liberty to tell my father all of these wonderful, magnificent things. However, there were still so many traits I could tell him.
"He is a good man, dad." I told my father. " He is honorable, kind, handsome, noble and true and honest to his core. Even that does not even begin to describe the quality of the man he is. You could not ask for someone better for me. Would you rather I were with some teenage boy whom only wants me for one thing?" I asked.
"You think men are any different?" My father asked. I smiled.
"This one is." I told him. "I love him, I never knew I could love anyone the way I love him, and he loves me with the same passion. Dad, Ariston is everything you could ever want for me and more."
"Just be smart about this." My father pleaded.
"I am dad, I know what I am doing." I said with confidence. "I have never been more sure of anything than I am of him. You will see the kind of man he is in a few days, dad. For now, I need you to trust my judgment, trust that you raised me correctly." He was silent for a long moment.
"You really do know how to put me in a spot." My father said after a minute. I smiled.
"I only spoke the truth." I told him.
The horses, Ariston thought to me.
"Dad, do you have room for more horses?" I asked.
"We have a few open places, why do you ask?" He inquired.
"I have a horse of my very own!" I exclaimed.
"Did Margret?" He began. I laughed, it would be something she would do.
"No, it was Ariston's uncle." I told him. "He gave me the mare as a gift. Her name is Luna, and Ariston was hoping to bring his horse Vrontos as well."
"I am more than able to pay board for the horses while we are there." Ariston said.
"That won't be necessary." My father assured us. "How are you going to bring the horses?"
"My plane." Ariston said without missing a beat.
"Your plane?" My father asked.
"He did say he was well off." I added with a smile.
"Good for you." My father sounded impressed. "I look forward to meeting you, Ariston."
Perhaps this will not be as bad as I am expecting, I thought hopefully.
"And I you, George." Ariston replied.
"I love you, dad. I love you, mom." I said to them.
"We love you too, honey," My mother said. "We will see you in a few days."
"I love you too, Mera." My father said.
"Goodbye." I said and hung up, letting out another big breath.
"We got through that." Ariston said to me.
"Now comes the hard part." I told him. "I have been meaning to ask you… would it be possible for us to tell them the truth?"
"That was my plan all along." He told me. "They are your parents, you should not have to lie to them about who you are." My smile grew.
"Thank you, my love." I said. "If all goes well, then soon all you will have to do is get a ring." He laughed out loud.
"You have never obviously never planned a wedding before." He said with humor in his voice and eyes. "And besides, I already have a ring for you."
"You do?" I asked. He nodded.
"I designed it with my brother Hephaestus, I have had it since our first date." That shocked me. "You have no idea how many times I have wanted to ask you. I had been planning to ask your fathers permission when we visited them, and then ask you."
"That is why you were so insistent on meeting my family." I understood then. I shook my head and smiled, amazed by this god.
"That was one of the reasons," He admitted then his smile grew. "Soon you will need to look for a dress, among other things. I was thinking that we could bring your parents up here to help with the selection." He said. I blushed.
"I already have a dress." I admitted, and it was his turn to be surprised.
"When did this happen?" He asked.
"The day I told you I want to marry you." I told him. "Earlier, when I was shopping with Kallisto I found this one dress and knew I had to try it on. When I saw myself in the mirror I just… knew that I am ready to marry you. Kallisto said that I had to buy the dress, and she has been keeping it in her closet for me since then." He laughed and shook his head.
"It seems I owe this dress a lot." He said. My smile widened.
"Can I be with you when you ask my father for my hand?" I asked.
"I think it would be best if I were to talk to him alone, man to man." He said.
"I understand." I told him with a smile then bit my lip. "Can I see the ring?" I asked with excitement.
"Only if I can see the dress." He said. I sighed and shook my head.
"I want the first time you see me in it, to be when I am walking down the isle to you." I told him.
"Alright then." He agreed with a bit of disappointment coloring his tone. "And besides, if I show you the ring, then I am going to have to put it on your finger, and once it is there I am not going to be able to take it off again." He said, I laughed and knew it was true. "What about bridesmaids?" He asked.
"Margret and Kallisto." I said without even having to think about it. "And I would love for my little cousin Henry to be the ring barer."
"Agreed." Ariston said.
"What about your groomsmen?" I asked.
"Cronus for the best man, then Apollo and perhaps Aaron if things get serious between him and my daughter." Ariston said.
"It looks like I am going to have to choose some more bridesmaids." I said and we laughed. "I can hardly wait."
"We could go and surprise your parents right now." He offered with a huge smile. "I will bet you that I can have the engagement ring on your finger by sundown."
I shook my head as I caressed his chest.
"As tempting as that is… I have other plans for you." I told him.
His smile grew I leaned up and kissed him…
"Let's go out for dinner. I know a place in the palace we can use for a candlelit feast if I ask." Ariston said as he held me in his arms.
"I was thinking we could stay in and…" I trailed off and smiled as I kissed him.
"As much as I would love to have you again, I want to take you our for dinner tonight. Must I beg?" He asked.
"No, you win." I told him, though I did kiss him once more.
We got out of bed and showered in the waterfall in our bathroom, then separated to dress.
I wore a strapless gown of dark red velvet embellished with onyx and sapphires. The trumpet silhouette of the gown hugged my hips, and from there the velvet simply billowed to the floor with a sexy slit that went up to my mid thigh. I choose an armband of white diamonds and rubies set in gold to off set the darkness of the gown. I wore matching chandelier earrings, choker necklace and headpiece. Tianna twisted my hair up and pinned it with a mix of ruby, sapphire and diamond pins. The effect, set next to my golden blond hair, was quite stunning I had to admit.
Ariston wore a black suit with some gold scrollwork on the sleeves, a dark red shirt that matched my dress and a white tie. For jewelry he wore a simple gold ring on his little finger and a beautiful gold watch. To finish out the outfit, a dark red silk handkerchief was folded in his pocket. He looked spectacular as always.
We walked arm in arm through the hallways of Olympus, which were lit by torches. I laid my head on Ariston's shoulder, admiring the splendors that surrounded me. The palace seemed rather empty, but I supposed it was normal for this time of night.
In a moment of spontaneity, Ariston stopped, pulled me to him and kissed me, I laughed and held onto him as I kissed him back. He very abruptly stopped kissing me and I looked up at him curiously; he rarely ever breaks off our kissing now that we have had each other. There was something in his eyes, a kind of triumph. He was almost bursting with joy as he looked into my eyes.
"SUPRISE!" A hundred voices shouted behind me.
I jumped in Ariston's arms and turned around to see that the doors behind me were opened, and in the brightened hall were hundreds of gods and goddesses. I then understood that Ariston kissed me as a distraction. I was not expecting that.
Ariston walked me into the room. It was decorated with hanging fabric in raspberry, white and blue and candles burned in glass orb holders that were suspended a few feet above everyone's heads from the celling, some of which were stained glass and threw beautiful colors about as they flickered. It was stunning, truly stunning.
"You got me." I said, they laughed.
It was a smaller group than the one at my welcome party, only the Twelve and their immediate family, but that still numbered in the hundreds. I was very happy to see that my unit from the army was there as well, each decked out in finery befitting their heritage.
A chorus of happy birthday rang out as a five-decker cake of white, gold and red with designs of lace on the sides and fresh pink roses and candles adorning the tops of each tier, was rolled towards me. I gasped then laughed in delight.
I had no idea what to wish for; I already had everything I ever wanted and more. After a few moments of deliberation, the song began winding down and I decided to wish for someone else's joy. I closed my eyes.
I wish for Aaron and Kallisto to find true happiness with their soulmates even if that does not mean each other. I opened my eyes, blew out the candles and everyone cheered.
I turned to Ariston and kissed him.
"Thank you." I said with a huge smile. "I have always wanted a surprise party."
"I was so certain you would know about tonight." Ariston said.
"I honestly had no idea." I told him, then leaned up and whispered into his ear. "You did an excellent job of distracting me." I kissed his cheek and felt him hold me closer.
Kallisto came up when Ariston and I released each other. She gave me a hug and wished me a happy birthday. The Twelve came up next and after them it was my unit from the army, all nine of them.
A god and a goddess walked towards us. The god was a tall god, a few inches taller than Ariston and well built with jet-black hair. He wore all black, which made his pale skin, and black eyes stand out. He had a strong and handsome face, with a straight nose and a good jaw. His lips, which were neither thin nor full, held the slightest hint of a smile and upon his head was a diadem, an ancient form of a crown that was like a thick band around his head that dipped down at his brow and pointed once at the top. It was made of adamantine and inlaid with sapphires and diamonds. The god radiated power, confidence and leadership. He is a king.
On his arm was a stunning goddess with luminous pale skin and striking green eyes, the color of the first leafs of spring. Her face was the same oval shape as her mothers but she was far more beautiful. Her curly, wheat colored hair fell long and loose upon her shoulders and upon her head was an adamantine tiara, the metal swirled around diamonds and sapphires matching her husband's diadem. Her dark emerald green gown had halter top with an extremely low cut neckline. The skirt flowed softly down to the floor and was trimmed with black and had a slit like the one on my gown but up a few inches higher on her thigh. A black sash was gathered and tied around her thin waist. For jewelry she wore a necklace, bracelet and earrings of jade cut in the form of flowers and a spray of diamonds.
Their identity was obvious before Ariston introduced them.
"Mera, I would like to introduce to you King Hades and his wife Queen Persephone, Rulers of the Underworld." He introduced them to me, them me to them. "This is my bride to be, Mera Vandenberg, Descendant of the Twelve and of Pandora." I curtsied to them.
"It is an honor, your Majesty's." I said.
"Arise." Hades voice was cool but not unkind. I did as I was told.
"It is lovely to finely meet you, Mera," Persephone greeted, her voice kind and sweet. "My husband and I so wanted to meet you when you first arrived but our duties kept us occupied. And my congratulations on the impending wedding."
"Thank you." I said instead of getting into the long story about needing to get my fathers permission. The truth is that I am going to marry Ariston no matter what, and so I am his bride to be.
"Come, the gifts are over here." Ariston said.
He led me through the crowds and the gods said their happy birthdays to me as we walked past. My eyes went wide when I saw the gift table, or tables I should say. There were hundreds of gifts, perhaps even thousands. My unit stood nearby as I looked over the mass of gifts.
"Good gods, are those all for me?" I asked in amazement and heard the gods laugh.
"They are indeed." Ariston said. I shook my head, my jaw still unhinged.
"It will take me a month just to open them." I said.
"Never mind writing the thank you notes." Aaron chimed in
"I can almost read mine now." John said as he pretended to read a note in his hand. "Dear John, thank you for the carpal tunnel." I laughed.
"Well, that is what I have Ariston for." I said, kissing my loves cheek.
"To give you carpal tunnel?" John asked, feigning innocence.
I blushed scarlet at the innuendo and Ariston laughed along with the rest of the gods in the hall. Of course they knew I was speaking of Ariston writing the thank you notes for me, but I supposed it was funny all the same.
"Will you shut up?" I said to John as I tried not to laugh.
"I did warn you that you would not be so proud to join us once you got to know us." Christopher said.
I sighed and laughed. I looked over to see that Kallisto had a camera in her hands, and was recording the whole thing.
"Oh great, now this is going to be on film." I said and groaned. "Hello children, your father and family seem to greatly enjoy embarrassing me."
I shook my head and looked back to the presents.
"I am starting to worry what is inside the gifts." I said, to which everyone laughed.
"Then lets move on to dinner, but first dessert." Ariston said. I saw John go to say something and I raised my hand.
"If you say what I think you are about to say, then so help me, I will have you sent from this hall." I threatened him.
He pretended to pout, but was silent. Ariston, still nearly laughing, led me to our place and held my chair for me.
"What flavor would you like?" Ariston asked. I was confused by his question. "Each tier of the cake is a different flavor." He explained.
"I will have one of each then." I said.
"As you wish." He said and waved his hand. Five pieces of cake were brought to me first before anyone else got a piece, and I took a bite of each.
The first was devils food cake with mint chocolate icing; it was delicious. The second was marble cake with dulce de leche filling.
"Mmm, you have to try this, my love." I told him. I took a fork full and fed him.
"Mmm, that is delicious." He said then leaned in and kissed me. "Though it does not taste half so sweet as you." He said in a low voice. I giggled and blushed.
The third piece was orange cake with raspberry filling. The forth was red velvet cake with cream cheese icing and the fifth and final was with a cake that tasted of honey and had raspberry filling with clementine icing. Each different piece of cake was a different experience and made me even more excited to try the next one, and the one after that.
"We should do this for our wedding, have each tier of our cake be a different flavor." I said.
"I love that idea." He said and I laughed.
"My father has not even said yes yet and you already have a ring, I have a dress, I have chosen my bridesmaids and you your groomsmen and we have chosen our cake." I said and we laughed.
"As I said before, things will go smoothly with your parents." He said.
"No mind control, I want this to be their choice." I told him.
I have see Ariston use such a skill a few times; he is very responsible in the use of his abilities.
"Of course. I would not do that to them." He said. "And besides, I could not even if I wanted to. They have divine ichor within them, just as you do."
"Thank you." I said to him anyhow. "A toast." I said, standing.
"To great wine, marvelous food and amazing family. I thank you all for attending tonight; you do not know what it means to me. Cheers!" I toasted.
"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses, I clinked mine with Ariston's and took a sip of the sweet wine.
"Another toast." Ariston said as I sat and he rose to make a short speech.. "To this beautiful woman I plan to soon make my bride. Mera, I love you more than words can express. I cannot wait to spend the rest of forever by your side. Happy birthday, my love."
We smiled, clinked and sipped then I kissed him and thanked him. Our dinner came shortly after, sushi to my delight. It had been a long time since I had some.
"This is the best sushi I have ever tasted!" I said after I finished my plate and asked for seconds. My father always said that the true test of cooking is not what people say about it, it is in their silence, when the food is so delicious they do not want to stop eating to tell someone how wondrous it is.
"I am happy you like it." Ariston told me.
The music began playing and we all got up to dance. I danced with everyone, some of the dances were formal and some were just dancing with no routine. Apollo sang a song he wrote for Ariston and I called 'Loves Embrace' and we slow danced to it as we whispered sweet nothings to each other.
To my great surprise, Ariston got up and sang "You Make Me Feel So Young" by Frank Sinatra to me, using the incredible full range of his vocals and making me laugh as he did so. I then got up and sang for him, it was only fare since he did so for me. I sang "Breathe" by Faith Hill, my eyes never leaving Ariston's as I sang to him. When I finished, everyone clapped and I went to Ariston and kissed him.
"I love you." He said.
"I love you." I said and kissed him again and the cheers went on around us.
We laughed breathlessly when the kiss ended and looked around. We danced for a while more together, enjoying the night.
"Let's go home." I told him.
He nodded. We said our goodbyes and thanks, then disappeared in golden light and were in our bedroom a moment later.
Ariston looked at me with such tenderness in his eyes as he reaches up and took a pin out of my hair, letting it fall to the floor with a clink. I kissed him then went to work on his tie as he made quick work of my dress. His hands caressed me and adored me while his mouth explored every inch of my burning skin. He is mine, as I am his and that knowledge is beautiful…
