"No." I stated. She looked surprised. I was flustered, but she wasn't much better. I knew Demeter didn't let her out much, but seeing her all grown up, I now knew why. She was a rarity, she had eyes the truest green I'd ever witnessed. Her hair fell in curled waves down her back, bouncing and full of life, just like her personality. She was sweet and from her pert nose to her pure white toga.
She was small compared to most women, almost looked like a young girl, but her lips were pure woman. They were true red, pouty. Unlike most women she had some meat on her bones, and I wanted so bad to reach out and touch her I had to keep fisting my hands to keep them off her. Her legs were long, her feet tiny, and her lashes like Aphrodite's were black satin fluttering against her beautiful glowing skin. She kept flushing and my body hardened in response, with the thought how much of her body was actually heating up.
"I said I was sorry, is there something else I can do?" she was shy, not at all like her mother there. Her words softly spoken, her eyes carefully looking away from mine, she was a submissive little thing.
All I wanted to do was keep her there, thinking quickly, "Yes." She tilted her head to the side in question. "You can keep me company on my day off." Suave? No. Collected? No. Tempting? Hardly, but I had to try.
A smile softened her face, removing the latest trace of embarasment, "I hardly think I would be fitting company."
I smiled, she had some humility, good girl. "Nonsense, you knocked me down." She flushed again and I looked at the sky. Give me control, I begged. "You have other plans?" I might as well give her an out, let her run home from the demon who haunts men.
"No," she whispered, then more firmly. "No. I just have nothing worthwhile to talk about." I looked at her, she was a gorgeous little bit, refusing to talk? "I don't get out much." she stammered.
I took her hand putting it through my arm, I led her to the nearest mound of moss. Laying my cape across it, I helped her sit, then came down beside her. Stretching out, letting the sun touch my face as it hadn't in years, I put both hands behind my head and closed my eyes. I was trying to keep her comfortable, there was no use putting her on the spot, no matter how badly I wanted to stare, to memorize every curve.
She was stiff beside me, but she had willingly sit. "Did I mention I don't get out much either?" She giggled, and I could not remove the silly grin that kept warring my usual frown. No wonder Zeus refused, I could barely talk to women anymore. Apparently, I was an utter failure at talking to beautiful women, but hope still blossomed since she hadn't walked away yet. Was it in fear though? "Do you want to talk?"
She repositioned her legs beneath her, and I could feel her eyes studying me. I wouldn't look at her for fear my body would once again lose its precious control. "I guess, what would you like to discuss?" I shrugged. "So I'm supposed to pick a subject?" she sounded annoyed.
I opened my eyes to meet her delicious green stare, "I was told women liked to talk." She shrugged looking away from me, into the pool on the edge of the small clearing. "Was I told wrong?"
"I don't know. I don't talk to many people." she sounded like she was making last confession.
"Why not?"
"Why not?" she looked at me, biting that full bottom lip. I felt my body tighten in response.
"Yes. Why don't you talk to many people? Olympus is full of characters." It would do no good to mock her friends and family, but it was there, I couldn't erase the moment. I shut my eyes awaiting the hasty lie to exit.
Soft laughter met my shocked ears, "Yes it is." She was relaxing against my side, moving her legs back out from under her. "Mother doesn't let me out much." Neither would I.
"Why not?" Your too beautiful, she wants to protect her treasure, she doesn't want it corrupted. Pure innocence emanated from this little woman.
"She just doesn't."
"Your out now." Where was Demeter?
"Yes, Apollo is supposed to be watching me." I laughed, Apollo could care less, if it wasn't about him it wasn't deserving of his attention. Then as if she had read my mind. "Yeah, I know." She murmered her voice held a hint of humor. "What about you?"
I turned to my side propping up on one arm, "I stay busy." She nodded, looking at her feet.
"But how come your never at any of the dinners, the banquets, the festivals?"
"Think about that. If I left there is no one else to cover, I'd be behind for years as many times as your freinds chose to celibrate." She nodded.
"You say 'your friends', aren't they yours too?" she was so innocent.
"Zeus is my brother, Posidien- my brother, and Hera is my sister, there is that."
"But you never visit them?"
"They have just as much time to visit me." She nodded conceding the point. "Well?"
"What?" her tongue darted out tracing her lip.
"How come your here looking for a dog instead of celebrating the latest victory or kill or birth or whatever they plan to celebrate tonight?"
"I don't often go to the celebrations either." her whisper had me shuddering. I was a god not a man, this slip of a girl shouldn't affect me this much. "Do you get lonely?" she seemed to hesitate over her words.
"Not often." I hated to admit it, but it was the truth. "I'm not much of a. ." I searched for a word, but my mind had fled. "I don't care to talk to a lot of people, and I stay busy. It isn't often I have time to actually stop and feel anything for myself."
She smiled shyly, "I have lots of time, if I had something to keep me busy I might feel more like you."
I shrugged leaning back, "So your lonely?" She nodded, I laughed, and her eyes narrowed. "Your a beautiful young lady with many young bucks probably chasing you, I can not possibly imagine." Except Demeter cutting them off.
"You wouldn't understand." she huffed.
"Try me," I dared. Let's rile her, get her over this akwardness, see what she's really like.
"I'm either in my room or surrounded by people and none of them want to talk or do the things I do, I love my mother, but even she doesn't understand at times." she hit the ground.
I watched her carefully, "What is it, dear child, you want to talk about, to have someone understand?"
"I like to do things, I don't like to sit back and observe. I don't want to talk about who can run the fastest or who did this a hundred years ago or who's sleeping with who. I want to actually try things without someone constantly watching over my shoulder!" Her voice seemed to rise with every word, quickly after realizing it she put her hand to her mouth and looked at me. I just laughed, after a moment she giggled too. "And I am not a child." she smiled. No, no she really wasn't.
"I don't have a watcher." She gave me an expression that interpeted as its a given, "I do what I want, when I want. If I should decide to go swimming, I go." Her eyes brightened. "If I want to go running through fields, I go. If I want to chase a dog? I go." I laughed, at chasing a dog. Silly girl. "If I want to stop to relax in the sunlight with a beautiful young woman, I do." Her eyes met mine, and her cheeks were very much heated. "If she chose to go home with me, I would take her." I was more serious than ever now, and her eyes darted around. Her hands went to her lap.
"I couldn't." she stammered. I lay my hand against hers.
"It's fine. I didn't want to put you in a position to have to choose, so I wasn't asking, just telling you." I assured.
"Just telling me?" she was so young, so sheltered.
I nodded, "It's always an option."