Heating Up in the Coop

What did I get us into?

Eurytion left no room for error. If we herded the cattle incorrectly, we would be trampled to death in a spooked stampede; if we weren't careful about cleaning out the phoenix's coop, we would wind up joining the ash on the floor. Remind me not to take up ranching if I ever get bored.

Reyna, Zoë, and Bianca took care of herding the cattle. With Reyna's experience handling crowds, Zoë's nimbleness, and Bianca's ability to spook the cows into any direction, they made the ideal herders. That left Thalia and I to meet the legendary phoenix.

"Now, he's not known to be too skittish; at least as far as phoenixes go. But I'd still be careful. Make sure he knows you're in there, and that you aren't a threat. When shoveling out the ash, don't hit the metal against the ground or the walls. Loud noises spook em."

"Anything else you'd like to add to the list?" Thalia asked in a sarcastic tone.

The cowherd put his finger to his lips. "Oh, yeah. Use these." He tossed us each a sack. "They never run out of space. We normally use them for animal feed, but they'll work just as well for your task."

"Do we really need something like this? How much ash is in there?"

He opened the door to the coop, and let us see inside. Both Thalia and I lost our ability to speak upon realizing how busy we were about to be.

"You two have fun, now," he said before leaving.

As far as coops go, I would argue this one was pretty big, about the size of two master bedrooms (bathrooms included). A single perch, roughly six feet in height, stood in the middle. The open ceiling let the noon sun beat down on the both of us. Ash carpeted the room, painting the bronze floor grey and white; sometimes piling up four feet or higher. It would take a group of people hours to complete this. And then of course, there was the phoenix itself.

I didn't know what to expect. With all of the fantasy games and movies showing phoenixes, I was half expecting a bird made entirely of fire or pure light. What I saw was arguably more realistic, but no less beautiful.

Upon the perch stood a bird maybe a single foot in height. Starting from its golden legs, bright orange feathers coated its belly, slowly gradiating into a deep red as it reached the neck.

A purple head with a full rainbow of feathers along the crest rested upon its shoulders, pure white eyes staring back at us. With wings to match its crest and a long tail of orange and purple, it radiated quiet power as we approached.

"Uh, hi there. We, uh… We come in peace."

Thalia scoffed. "I think he's figured that much out for himself. Look, he isn't even afraid of us."

To prove her point, the phoenix leapt from its perch and glided down to us. He inspected us curiously, preening his feathers every minute or so as he bobbed his head to see every angle. After deeming us as friends, he pressed his head into our palms, purring quietly as he grazed his beak against us. He was warm to the touch, but by no means coated in flames.

"We need a name for him," Thalia said.

The phoenix flew away, landing in a pile of ash.

"I don't think he likes that idea."

"Wait a second. Is he… playing?"

Much to my shock, he was digging and rolling around in the ash. For a few seconds, we couldn't help but watch as the majestic bird dirtied itself in the ash pile.

"He doesn't seem all that dangerous. Just… playful."

Right on cue, the phoenix ignited itself. A rainbow of flames danced along its feathers, heating the room by another thirty degrees.

"Okay," I said as my lips went dry, "I stand corrected."

The flames died down, revealing only the feathers from before. He looked at us with curious white eyes before scampering over to us both. When he reached us, he dropped a smoldering piece of wood at our feet; a cinder.

"Cinder," Thalia said, reading my mind. "Is that what you want to be called?"

He squawked excitedly, dancing around before taking flight to circle the room.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said as I watched him. I turned to Thalia. "I think we're clear to clean up now."

For a grueling three hours, Thalia and I labored away. Our hands burned from the shovels, rubbing and chafing against the rough wood. Occasionally, I would use our sweat to heal our raw digits, but the results never lasted. Minutes later we would find ourselves in need of healing, so we chose to simply muscle through it.

Cinder was no help. Though curious and friendly, he often made our work harder by splashing around in the ash piles and covering Thalia and myself in soot.

"I wonder how the others are doing," Thalia said. "I hope they haven't been trampled."

"If anything, I'm more concerned about the cows. Who knows what they will put those poor animals through?"

She snorted. "You do realize that the Hunters don't torture their prey, right?"

I shrugged. "I don't know anything about you guys. That's sort of the point."

"Right…" She rolled her eyes and buried her shovel into her pile.

We continued our work for a few more minutes, letting the thoughts simmer. During the passing seconds, my thoughts strayed towards a particular event.

"Hey, Thals… You said you would help me out, right? That I wouldn't have to tackle these things alone?"

She paused for a few seconds, studying my face. "Yeah… Why?"

I scooped up another pile of ash. "Well, it's just… You talk to the Hunters a lot more than me, and…"

"What is it?" she asked, her voice surprisingly gentle.

"Do you know how they feel about this? About… me?"

She turned away, digging her nails into the already splintery handle. "I can't tell you that, Percy. It's not my place to do it." She looked down, staring at the endless piles of grey soot. "All I can tell you is to be prepared."

I took in her words, processing them for the next few seconds. "You didn't have us come here just for the animals, did you?"

Her shoulders sagged. "No, I didn't. I wanted you to use this time to spend it with Reyna. Get some privacy with her so you guys could finally resolve things. Believe it or not, she isn't really upset with you about—" She slapped her hand over her mouth. "I can't say it. Again, it's not for me to say."

I shook my head with a slight smile.

"Regardless," she continued, "that plan went out the window. Especially after Zoë kissed you."

My cheeks heated up. "Any idea why she did?"

She turned red. "I can only guess one thing. But I'm pretty sure there's more to it."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're blushing."

"Am not!" She turned away.

I approached her, placing my hand on her shoulder. "Are you mad at her for doing that?"

A few seconds passed. "... No," she said in a hushed tone. "I'm upset with myself for not doing it first…"

"And there it is!" a new voice intruded.

Both Thalia and I snapped our attention to the eavesdropper. No sooner did we realize the goddess of love herself stood at the entrance. In a pink corseted dress with a three tiered hoop skirt, the ever shifting goddess looked ready to watch an opera from four hundred years ago.

"Aphrodite," Thalia spat. "What do you want?"

The love goddess clicked her tongue. "Now what did I do to deserve such aggression? I even went as far as to endure a horrific place like this just to see you."

Realizing there was no way of Thalia surviving if she pissed off Aphrodite too much, I decided to intervene.

"And we're grateful you made such efforts. How can we help you?"

Aphrodite beamed. "Now that is respect. For that, I'll clean you both up; along with your little mess here."

She snapped her fingers and let a breeze fly through the room. A second later, the ash in the room vanished, wasting the efforts made by both Thalia and myself from the past few hours. On the plus side, I felt refreshed, reenergized. Not to mention, my hands were cleared of the blisters, splinters, and scrapes from the grueling work.

"Thank you, Lady Aphrodite." I raised my palm to show the cleared skin.

"Of course, my loves. Love making is so much more enjoyable with soft hands."

Both Thalia and I went red at Aphrodite's remark. Thalia audibly gagged on the spot.

"Oh, come now. You both are going to get there eventually."

I looked to Thalia, who returned an embarrassed gaze.

"Yeah, but… We don't like to think about it."

"Oh," Aphrodite said with a pout, "such a shame."

"While I appreciate the help," Thalia said, "why exactly are you here? Olympians don't exactly make random appearances for demigods unless they want something."

The goddess chuckled. "You know us too well. There are two reasons I came here. For one thing, I wanted to check on you, Percy. How are things going with the harem?"

In a moment of panic, I considered telling her about the force controlling us. But given her Olympian status, she would probably wave it off as me trying to return the gift once again.

"Things are going fine."

"Fine? I'd say much more than fine! You've become quite the ladies' man, Percy. I have to admit, I felt a bit flustered during your night with Silena."

I buried my face in my hands to hide my scarlet cheeks. "Please don't talk about that."

"Aww, but it was beautiful love. Just imagine if—"

"Why else are you here, Aphrodite?"

The goddess's rosy cheeks flushed with Thalia's interruption. "Right. I do have a bit of a request. I'm currently trying to make a potion of youth. One of the ingredients I need is a phoenix feather. I was hoping you could help me with that."

My jaw hit the floor. "You want us to pluck a feather from Cinder?"

Even Cinder looked upset by this comment, squawking loudly before huddling on his perch.

"Why can't you do it yourself?" Thalia asked. "He's right there."

"Well, yes. But I'm afraid it won't work in my favor if I do that. You see, phoenixes don't exactly like gods. It's like introducing two… oh what's the word? Bombs? Yes. It's like introducing two bombs together. If I were to lay a finger on it, the phoenix would reduce everything within a two mile radius to ash. And I just can't allow it to ruin my dress and make up. I spent nearly two hours preparing myself for this meeting."

I decided not to state the obvious.

"So you just want a feather?"

She smiled. "Just a feather. Nothing more."

With a deep sigh, I turned to Thalia. Though she didn't look happy about it, she nodded her head. We turned and approached Cinder, taking care not to startle him with any sudden movements.

Indeed, his intelligence surpassed my expectations. He watched on for only a few seconds before cooing in defeat. He hopped down from his perch and wobbled over to both Thalia and myself. When he reached us, we found ourselves with his wings wrapped around us, in a type of embrace. For a few seconds he held the position. After he finished his moment of hugging, he buried his head in Thalia's palm, purring and cooing as he raised his left wing to me.

I realized he was offering me a feather. With a look of shock coating my face, I turned to Thalia. She returned my gaze with a surprised look of her own. Pangs of regret ran through me. It didn't feel right to remove anything from this magnificent bird. But at the same time, winding up on the wrong side of Aphrodite's wrath seemed bad for my health, especially with me already on bad terms with Artemis.

My hand crept forward, brushing along his feathers with soft strokes. He trembled beneath my touch, no doubt muttering to himself that I needed to hurry up. Still, the last thing I wanted to do was scare him… or hurt him. A part of me prayed for a loose feather to pop up. Have it fall from his back as I brushed my hand across. No such luck. He only held out his wing further, making his point clear.

I reached for a feather, choosing to pick from an area where several bundled together. If I was lucky, I would pluck a feather he didn't need. Or at least one with the lowest impact.

SKREE!

He cried out as I plucked a green feather from his auroresque wings. A mere second later, another feather, identical to the one I plucked, fell from his other wing. With his head buried in Thalia's palm, he chirped and muttered to himself, pressing himself to the daughter of Zeus for comfort.

My heart dropped with guilt. Even though it was by the request of a god, I defaced a phoenix. Such a crime against nature, and yet I couldn't begin to consider the things I felt like doing to myself.

Both Thalia and I comforted Cinder for a few minutes more. He pulled away when his breathing steadied. With another squawk, he flapped his wings and flew through the ceiling, taking to the skies as he left behind the demigods he allowed to wound him.

I picked up the feathers with a solemn expression. Thalia followed me as I approached Aphrodite, holding out the feathers as I did.

"Oh, how lovely!" Aphrodite said. She danced with a slight giddiness as she took the two feathers. "Not just one, but two! These are perfect for the potion. You've done a great service, the both of you."

"I don't know," Thalia said. "I don't feel too great."

"Come now. Don't be such a spoilsport. Not to mention you two work great together. I can only imagine how things will play out when you share a bed together."

Thalia balled her fists. "Great. Remind me not to get in bed with you, Percy."

"Oh, Thalia," Aphrodite said. "Don't try and hide your feelings. I know of what you desire. The things you want Percy to do to you."

She stepped forward, grabbing Thalia by the cheeks. Small sparks flew from Thalia's body, but not a single one seemed to faze the love goddess.

"Now why don't we show Percy how you really feel."

"Let go of me." Thalia said through gritted teeth.

"Come now, be more honest."

The love goddess leaned forward, whispering into Thalia's ear. Thalia went red in the face, her eyes wider than dinner plates. She spluttered, trying with all of her willpower to say something, anything, but failed to enunciate herself.

"I didn't… but… no… I wasn't…"

"Well, I believe my time here is done." Aphrodite turned to me. "Don't hesitate to give me a call, Perseus. I owe you for this little favor."

Following the utterance of her words, she vanished in a cloud of pink mist. The smell of pomegranate, rose, and apple filled the room.

While watching on at Thalia's conflicted expression, I packed up the shovels, tossing them into the neverending sacks. For a whole two minutes, Thalia refrained from moving, only shivering with balled fists. When she didn't respond to me calling her name or waving at her, I stepped in front of her and gave her shoulder a gentle shake.

"Thals?"

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I DO!"

She flinched on contact, screaming and punching forward… right where my face was. I flew back a few feet, muscles spasming from the electrified punch. With my hand covering my left eye, I shivered, blinded and throbbing as my face started to swell.

"Oh, shit! Percy!" Thalia rushed to my side, kneeled down, and pried my hand away from my face. "No no no no no. I'm so sorry, Percy. I didn't mean to—"

"We'll get to that later," I grumbled, half blind as my eye continued to swell. "You have any water on you?"

She rummaged through her belongings, searching a satchel for a few seconds before pulling out a canteen. She dribbled water on me in a slow stream, allowing me to heal without completely dousing me. For a few minutes more, I felt the water halt and reverse the swelling. My head stopped spinning and my muscles stopped throbbing.

Thalia pulled me up, catching me as I stumbled. Though my vision was somewhat fuzzy, it returned to normal within a few minutes.

"You've got a mean right jab, you know that?"

Thalia looked down with her hands clasped together. "I'm so sorry, Percy. I don't know what came over me… I…"

I took a step back before closing in for a one armed hug. "Hey, it's alright. What are friends for if not to punch each other in the face?"

She wiped a tear away as she laughed. "Glad to know you think of me so highly."

I turned her around by her shoulders, looking her dead in the eye. "With everything we've been through, you're one of my best friends. By the way, what did Aphrodite say to you?"

Her face turned red as she looked away. "N— nothing…"

"Really? Must've been pretty bad to make you lock up."

Her fists tightened, releasing only as she let out a breath. "She told me… she told me you could…" She scrunched up her face, as if she were spewing acid from her mouth rather than words. "She told me you would touch me better than I did last night…"

I let those words sink in for a few seconds. "Well… I can honestly say I wasn't expecting that."

She looked away, her shoulders hunching up.

"Look, so you were… masterbating. So what? We all have needs."

"It's not just that, Percy. It's…"

She huffed before turning around and making her way to a wall. She slumped down it with her face buried in her hands.

I followed and sat next to her, taking extra care not to wind up on the receiving end of another punch. After listening to her sniffle to herself for a few minutes, I wrapped an arm around her. Though she tensed as I made contact, her posture relaxed into me mere moments later. She turned into me, burying her cheek into my chest.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really?" My shirt muffled her voice.

I rubbed her back. "Listen, Thals. To everyone else, you are the tough as nails badass daughter of Zeus with a love for all things punk. To me, you're one of my best friends. Sure, we have an eternity to spend together, and we'll likely drive each other crazy long before that, but… for now, why don't we open up? Keep it between us?"

She pulled up, looking at me as her eyes crackled with electricity. "Sometimes, I really do hate you. This is one of those times."

My lips took a turn south. "Why?"

She shifted in place, pulling my arm tighter around her. "Because you give me more and more reasons to despise joining the Hunt."

I straightened my neck. "Huh?"

She slithered an arm under mine, running across my lower back. "No dating. No romance. No guys. Listen, while I wanted to get out of the Great Prophesy's way, I didn't think about what the results would entail." She tightened her fist. "But there are times… times where you remind me of what I gave up; what I surrendered… All because I pushed the prophecy onto you."

I ran a hand through her dark pixie cut, earning a few tiny bolts through my fingertips as a result. "I try my best. But why be ashamed of that? You can't blame yourself for having wants."

"No," she said, her voice hoarse. "But I wish I could control who they were for."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are we sure this isn't Aphrodite influencing you?"

"Maybe." She sat up, straddling my lap. "But right now, I don't care." Her arms settled on my shoulders, her fingers barely touching around my neck. "Last night… I heard you and Silena. My room is right next to hers, so that should come as no surprise."

I went red in the face. "Oh… Crap… I'm sorry about that. I tried to—"

"I know. I heard everything. While I won't deny, at first, I wanted to bust down the door and give you both a taste of some electricity, as time went on… the way she moaned… the way she screamed for you—" her teeth gritted, as she stifled her own heavy breathing "— It started turning me on. I… I started rubbing myself, wishing I was in her place."

I rested my hand on her waist. "So that's what Aphrodite was getting at… She watched you."

She nodded. "Yeah… The worst part?—" she curled her fingers against my shoulder blades, dragging her nails against the fabric of my shirt "— I'm craving for her words to come true."

A few seconds passed as her words festered in my mind. Craving. I knew all too well what she meant… how it feels… Like a neverending throb burning at your core. Debilitating, yet so invigorating.

"Thals…"

"I suck at this sappy romance stuff, so do me a favor, Kelp Head."

I nodded.

"When the time comes for you to get with me, don't hold back. Give me everything you've got. If I'm bleeding by the end of it, at least I'll know it was genuine."

A cold sweat joined the many burning ones on my neck. "I don't think it will come to that, but are you sure?"

She nodded with a smile, her eyes cloudy. "But for now—" she leaned forward, pressing her forehead to mine "—give me a taste of the romance I've been craving."

When her lips reached mine, I don't think I registered it. For a brief moment, everything went numb. Perhaps it was the electricity. Perhaps it was the shock. Maybe, just maybe, it was the overwhelming sensation of having the princess of the skies kiss me.

My senses returned, sharper than ever. The ever present smell of ozone permeated the air, filtering through my nostrils as the metallic scent energized me, pushing me forward until I found myself meeting Thalia's lips with gusto. The crackle of electricity rang in my ears as sparks shot from her body and into the bronze floor. Every few seconds, a small bolt would run through my lips, making the soft skin all the more sensitive to her actions.

She carried very little skill in kissing, settling for simple motions, easy to grasp and follow. I did my part, leading her through the motions; plucking her lips, nibbling them, sucking on them. The prince of the seas led the princess of the skies in a royal dance of oral osculation.

My tongue slid along her bottom lip, taking note of how she quivered beneath my touch. She tightened her mouth, puckering in an instant, only to let me slip in a few moments later. For such a dominant person, her actions showed a desire of the opposite. To be taken care of, to submit to the will of another. Her tongue offered no sanctuary from the electricity, crackling and sparking as our kiss grew in heat.

She panted, running her hands across my shoulders, gripping every loose piece of fabric until she held nothing but bundles of cloth where my sleeves once were. Her arms pulled me forward, hugging our bodies together as if trying to leave a permanent imprint on my torso. The sparks in her hands increased, popping against the floor and walls as my ears fell numb to their noise.

We pulled away for only a second, parting for a breath before allowing ourselves to breathe for the other once more. My hands roamed her lean body, her supple sides offering no yield as I gave them a tender squeeze. Seconds passed as I lifted my hands upward; resting one behind her head to pull her deeper, using the other take her clothed breast into my palm.

She gasped in response, a line of lightning running through her teeth as she bit my lip in surprise. I groaned from the sudden pain, pulling her in for a firmer kiss as my tongue subdued hers without a fight.

With my hand around the back of her neck, I rolled us over, pinning her to the floor as I hovered above her. She looked up at me with her sparkling electric blue eyes, fogged with unbridled lust. She dared not utter a word as I my lips fell upon her, roaming her face and neck with small pecks. Upon the far end of her jaw, her soft spot showed. Delicate and sweet, I nibbled in place earning joy for myself as she gasped and pulled at my shirt.

As one arm braced me up, the other roamed her body, slipping beneath her shirt to trail across her supple skin. Her lean abdomen, pulled tight from years of monster fighting, shivered beneath my fingers, trembling as my touch neared her swollen bosom. Without a single word, she arched her back, pressing herself forward until my hand reached the soft mound of flesh it spent so long seeking.

Electricity crackled as I touched her, sparks flying in every direction except my own. The occasional mini bolt passed through her lips, stunting my ability to taste the refreshing rain dancing within her palate. For sure, she was a quiet lover, letting her aura do the talking for her. She panted and gasped, but otherwise remained silent.

On occasion, her eyes opened, revealing a level of joy never before seen for her. During the few instances in which my finger would flick across her nipple or squeeze it between my now softened pads, she would let out a short whimper. Several arcs of electricity always followed, answering the pleasured cry of their mistress.

For minutes longer, we continued, trading kisses until our lips were numb and swollen. I panted above her, steadying myself only out of fear of falling into her embrace and not wanting to leave it. She rested beneath me, her face mirroring my own with sweat and traces of saliva. We both smiled and giggled at our moment together, so uncharacteristic, so unnecessary, yet with all of the tension finally released, we couldn't help ourselves.

"If you tell anyone about this, I swear—"

"This goes nowhere," I replied, ensuring she could take no oath out of fear she would regret it at a later time. "My lips are sealed."

She smiled with an evil twinkle in her eyes. "Let me make sure of that."

With her arms wrapped around my neck, she pulled me down for another kiss. A single spark passed between our parted lips before the delicate skins touched. For only a few seconds, we held the kiss, locked in a momentary bliss. But as all things, the kiss came to an end with the daughter of Zeus staring up with a mix of joy and anguish on her face.

Taking a moment to clear my head, I pulled Thalia up with me, ensuring we could both walk after our little session. When we verified we could pass for being relatively normal (as normal as two demigods can be), we left the coop with the sacks over our backs. Though not a word passed between us as we returned to the ranch house, Thalia would shoot me a flirty glance every couple of minutes, smiling to herself if I happened to catch her. I couldn't bring myself to complain. For one thing, I knew the giddiness she felt; all too familiar was it as every walk of shame was done with a new partner. But for the major reason, off in the distance, right where the farmhouse stood, I picked up a longtime favorite scent. Barbeque.