His walk back to the table was full of swagger, much like the gangsters sitting around the speakeasy.
“You are amazing.” It was all I could say. He stunned me with his skills.
“I spent a lot of time playing the clubs during the Twenties. It soothed me.” He held out his hand for mine, and there was no hesitation in moving mine into his.
“We have to get a piano so you can play for us at home.” He chuckled.
“Whatever you want, love.”
We listened to another song, before he said we had one more place to go before it was time to wake up. I may have pouted a little that our fun would be over, but he promised that we would do this as much as we could. We had two thousand years to recover; I was looking forward to it very much.
Closing my eyes like I had before, I felt Tristan take us somewhere else. There was no sound, so I figured we weren’t at a party. I bit my lip before opening my eyes to see our last destination for the evening.
Tristan wasn’t holding my hand anymore, but was standing behind and old camera. Strange. I looked around, and we were just in a large studio apartment, with a cityscape outside the window. Hmm, I wonder what this moment was to him? Then I looked at myself.
“Tristan!” I was in heels, thigh-high stockings, high-waisted panties, and a vintage, full-coverage bra. I was a pin-up girl!
“I always imagined you would be a sexy pin-up girl. But for my eyes only.” He clicked the old camera, officially capturing my shocked face.
“Model for me, love.” His finger pointed towards the stool and a box of props that was to the right of me. I shook my head, but would do what he wanted. I would have done this for him in reality if I had known he had thought of me in this gear. It was hot. So using that knowledge that he used to think of me during this time as a pin-up, I worked it like one: Sticking my ass out, balancing in the chair with one leg up high, just having fun as most of the pin-ups seemed to do. But it wasn’t until I started to unclasp my bra that the air started to change. I turned my back to him and looked over my shoulder.
Click.
He had been snapping away at that camera, but his finger seemed to be stuck on the button now. I moved like I was dancing to a sexy slow song in my head, seducing him from afar.
“I dreamed of you so many times, but nothing I could have imagined would ever come close to right now.” His voice was gruff, and low. Continuing my little sway, I gently took off my bra, holding it up high before dropping it to the ground. My hands went to my breasts, palming them as I turned around and faced him completely. His eyes were glued to my hands, and what they were doing.
“Did you think of me like this?” I leaned back against the stool and let my hands drop to help me balance on the small piece of furniture. His eyes grew darker and his position straightened as I pushed my breasts further.
Click.
“Am I doing all right, photographer?” I put a little innocence into my voice, playing the game.
“Try licking your finger and wetting your nipples.” He was playing along. I licked one finger teasingly and played with each nipple until both were wet, and hardening even more from the chilled air.
“Like that?” I cocked my head to the side and looked at him. He was on the move, walking towards me, a man on a mission. I was beyond excited for what he was going to do once he reached me.
But then I felt something wrap around my stomach, and I was pulled away from him and out of the dream world.
Chapter Sixteen
Tristan
“Where the fuck is she?” The rage in my voice shook the house. I searched everywhere for her in this palace and she was nowhere to be found. One minute things were going great in her dream, and then I watched as she was ripped out of my life by some powerful force. Her body, that was lying next to mine, was gone.
I was barely keeping myself under control, trying to figure out what happened. I sensed power, but it was being masked by something else. Someone was here, and left with her. My roar of rage brought everyone out from their rooms and asking me what happened. I told them through clenched teeth, and was ten seconds away from leveling the home of the gods and looking for her myself.
Then a mist started to descend from all the openings in my home.
“What the fuck?” I looked at everyone and saw the look of confusion in their eyes. Something was happening right now. Something not good.
“Grab something to cover your nose and mouth!” Orion spoke up and they all ran to grab whatever they could. Which was mostly dish towels.
“What is it?” Lacey’s voice went up an octave. I moved my hand through the mist and felt a little sting but nothing that could harm me permanently. I wish I knew what was happening right now, with long strides I moved to the window and opened it. But then more mist just came in.
It filled my lungs, and I tasted a hint of Raspberry Leaf and Arsenic.
Motherfucker!
Someone is trying to poison Thalia, and make her go into labor early. Arsenic wouldn’t kill her, being a demigod, but combine that with Raspberry leaf, a common herb to help induce labor, and her insides would be spasming violently.
“It’s got Arsenic and Raspberry Leaf in it. They’re trying to induce Thalia into labor.” I warned them as I tried to use my power to round up all the mist and push it out the door. But it wouldn’t budge.
“We’re going to have to wait it out.” Leander said as he tried to use his coin to escape, but couldn’t. That was strange. I attempted to shift out of the house but couldn’t. I was grounded until the mist vanished.
“Fuck!” I cursed. We were stuck in this house, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before the arsenic would start to get to the demigods. They were in for a long day of feeling like shit. And I still didn’t know where Thalia was. I was torn between relief and anger that she wasn’t here with me now—while she wasn’t here being poisoned, she could be anywhere.
The only true solace in this moment was that I could tell she was still living; I could still feel her soul. Healthy, but stressed, and alive.
It was maybe another thirty minutes of exposure to the mist before one of the demigods started having stomach cramps, then puking. Then another joined them. I sat on the couch, trying to find Thalia’s soul in the world, while all three of our crew were curled up around buckets, puking their brains out.
She wasn’t anywhere in the underworld. Continuing to focus, I scoured the souls of earth, and hadn’t found her there either. So that only left two places: on Olympus with the Greeks, or she with one of my kind in their own particular palace. Neither was good, considering what both sides wanted with her. We only had a week left. That’s it. Once the babes were born, things would settle out. They would see they were harmless beings, and wouldn’t be frightened anymore.
Or at least I hoped.
It was hard to sit there, unable to do anything but wait. Thank fuck, after about five hours the mist started to recede from the house. The demigods were still sick as hell, but were starting to get some color in their faces. Feeling my power starting to become mine once again, I cracked my neck, and was about to go search for my woman.
Until someone knocked down my door, and a mob of people rushed inside to attack us.
“Wrong god to fuck with,” I said with an evil smile. I was angry, and they were the perfect objects to excise my vengeance.
I changed myself into my full godliness, and went to town on these assholes. Biting heads off in one chomp, turning others to ash with the flick of my wrist, and those lucky ones who yelled out, “find the woman and baby?” Well let’s just say they were ripped apart, but still alive while I ate their hearts.
Orion had gained enough strength to start stabbing some of the mob, not taking it lightly in making sure they suffered. Leander managed to twist one neck before falling back to the ground. He was done for now. Another surge of satisfaction hit me when I realized they were just as angry as I was. Good. We could use that anger, and channel it towards winning
this battle.
It was time that showed these gods, and anyone else who wanted to fuck up my life, just how powerful a god I could be.
I was done holding back. I wouldn’t stop until this was over, and I had my family safe in my arms. It was time to take care of business and become the fearsome god I once was. Thalia changed that in me, but he has always been there. The Beast was ready to protect her, no matter the cost.
The fight had come to my door too many times. I was going to find my woman, and end this once and for all.
Chapter Seventeen
Thalia
My toe rubbed against the hot water handle of the faucet to the elaborate tub I was sitting in. I knew the water and bubbles were supposed to help me loosen up, but they weren’t really helping to ease my nerves.
“It’ll be all right. You’ll be able to go to him soon.” My mother’s voice came from the door, where she leaned against the door jamb. She had a different look today, black hair and green eyes, with freckles covering her face. Aphrodite was stunning, no matter what appearance she took.
“I know; I just don’t like being away from him right now. I know he is going out of his mind, and there isn’t anything I can do about it.” She looked at me with a frown, knowing I was hurting.
She had taken me from the underworld at great cost to her, but she did it because she knew they were going to attack us and there would have been no escape for me.
So she whisked me away to her home on Olympus. I freaked out at first, because I was now closer to the enemy, but she said no one would think I would be so close. So I’d been here for hours, waiting until I was able to go back to Tristan and my friends.
“Will you be punished for helping me? You’re kinda choosing sides by bringing me here.” I felt bad, but I knew the gods, and even though she loved me, she would look out for herself.
“I’ll be fine. I am older than them, you know.” I did know that. Aphrodite came from Uranus himself. When Cronos, his son, castrated him, his sperm fell to the ocean and created her. She was technically a Titan. She could hold her own in a fight. But she never craved the power as they did. She had her own agenda, usually playing with their love lives.
“True.” I sat there for a moment, and then had to speak again.
“Thank you for helping us.” I rubbed my belly and then grinned.
“We came up with names for the babies. Wanna hear them?” She grinned and sat near the edge of the large tub, nodding.
“The girl’s name is Callista, and the boy’s name is Ren.”
“Lovely names.” She reached out to caress my stomach, and then pulled her hand back with a smile still plastered on her face.
“They are coming soon. Such a joy it will be to have young ones around after all this mess is over.” While I couldn’t really see Aphrodite being like a grandmother to our babes, she could play with them whenever she wanted. She had been a fair mother to me for the past few months. It was odd to be honest.
“You’re my favorite.” Then she looked around and her voice quieted.
“But don’t tell the others.” She winked as she stood to go.
“Enjoy your bath. I will take you home in an hour. The mist should have cleared, and any threat that attacked would be dead by then. All will be safe.” She turned and walked out of the bathroom.
I was so ready to see Tristan again. Just as I was starting to finally attempt to clear my mind and relax, those damn Braxton Hicks hit me. I grunted and waited for them to pass. Technically I had about 5 days left, but really they could come at any moment. I was huge! The twins had taken over my body completely in such a short time!
The contractions melted away, and I sat in the water trying to calm myself again. Meditation would be a good thing to try when I was in labor. When I started to think of the whole labor process, panic welled within me. It was going to hurt, unless the good doctor had drugs for me, or some other god trick. I was scared, and nervous, things that hadn’t really changed since I found out I was pregnant.
Feeling a bit pruney, I decided to get out of the bath and dry off. Aphrodite had left me a beautiful Grecian dress that fit over my belly perfectly. I twirled like a princess, and made a mental note to get more dresses like this to walk around in.
Walking out into the very lavish living room, Aphrodite was sitting there watching a TV that had humans going about their daily life on it.
“Watching people?”
“Sometimes they do interesting things,” she said, then she winked at me and a woman fell to the ground right in front of a guy. She was frantic to pick up the items that fell from her purse while tons of people walked by on the busy sidewalk. The man bent down to help her, and once their eyes met, it was over. You could see the love connection.
“You did that?” She was the bomb, spreading love everywhere. I would wish that type of love on everyone. The world would be a much happier place if we just loved instead of fought.
“It was just a little fun; that woman has had a string of bad luck when it comes to men lately. She needed a break.” I watched for the next thirty minutes as she made a few more love matches. I could see how that power would become addicting; it made me glad that was not one of my specialties. I was mostly about emotions. My mind started to turn towards my own internal emotions, and I felt like I wanted to talk it out a little.
“I wasn’t ever a good mother. I’ll be the first to admit that. But I have been around a long time; I’ll try to ease your worries.” She smiled at me and turned off the TV.
“I don’t even know where to begin. I’m afraid of the labor part. I mean, twins, for Christ’s sake! It’s going to hurt. Right? I have no clue what I’m doing. I hope Tristan and I can find time for ourselves once the babies are born. I’ve heard of how relationships can be strained from having kids. All the attention they need. What if I lose myself in becoming a parent?” It all just came out in one breath. Once I got my worries out, I had to take a few breaths to calm myself. She just giggled, and then started with my first stresses.
“Labor sucks. No matter if you have drugs or not. Twins, sucks even more. But once you see those beautiful babes you will forget all about it. You are already a great mother, fierce and protective. I have no doubt things will come naturally for you. As for you and Tristan, I doubt anything in the world could make you two lose yourselves. Sometimes being around your love for him is quite intoxicating, because of its intensity. Plus those quickies before the babes wake up, or during naps, are pretty fun. You will also have a supportive group to watch them for you, should the need arise.”
I felt a little better at her words. I started to think about all the fun times we were going to have as a family, and then for Tristan and I, during our alone times. It made me smile, then blush.
“All right, my dear. It’s time to get you back to your man before he storms Olympus. I fear he is getting very close to doing so.” She rose and held out her hand for me.
Together we traveled to the underworld. I asked her how she could come here, and she said he had invited her more than a thousand years ago, to talk about me, because he missed me so much. She had consoled him. When we entered the door to the palace, she was right about him having defeated anyone who attacked them. There were dismembered and bleeding bodies everywhere. My hand covered my mouth, while my stomach started stirring.
“Yes, quite disturbing, my dear.” Her nose scrunched up from the smell.
“Anubis, you need to clean this up before your wife barfs all over the floor,” she directed, and suddenly Tristan was there, in all his godly Anubis glory. Head of a wolf-like creature, and body of one sexy warrior. He growled at Aphrodite, and when his eyes landed on me, his big eyes widened and suddenly all the dead bodies were gone. It was like the carnage had never existed. He started to shift from his giant ten feet tall Anubis, to my still-beautiful Tristan.
“Gods, Thalia!” He had his arms wrapped around me in an instant.
“You took her?” he asked Aphrodite
, which she simply nodded in reply, perhaps feeling that intoxication from our love right now, by the look on her face.
“You knew we were going to be attacked.” He made it as a statement. There was no question now.
“I had to get her out of here.” Aphrodite stood tall, proud of what she did. Heck, I felt proud of her being my mother right now. She saved me and my babies. Tristan’s hold on me didn’t falter, he only scooped me up and set me on the couch. I looked around for our friends, but didn’t see them.
“They are sleeping things off. They fell sick with the mist, but will recover completely in a few hours.” His voice was gruff, like the beast in him was still lingering close to the surface.
“I love you.” I told him, resting my head against his chest. I never wanted to live in a world without him, even for a short period of time.
“Forever yours, love.” He kissed my head and held me. Aphrodite hung around for about thirty minutes, and listened to our plan. She vowed to assist us, knowing that things will sway more in our favor with her around. She would be there personally with me to help with labor, alongside the doctor. It helped know our support system was growing. We just had to wait. I hoped that the time moved quickly because I was tired of so many things happening. I was ready to just relax more with my family… Have a bbq or something.
Chapter Eighteen
Tristan
Even though Thalia was here in my arms, safe, I still felt like I was on the verge of losing myself and going after those who have been trying to hurt her. She was lying against me while we watched a movie. Our friends had slowly trickled out to see if she was okay, before going back to their rooms to finish sleeping off the sickness. I am forever indebted to Aphrodite for rescuing Thalia before she could get sick.
When Thalia started to drift off, I set her down on the cushion of the couch and stood. I needed to expend some of the energy that was stuck inside me. I felt volatile.
Thalia made a little whimper in her sleep. I worried she was suffering in her dream, but after a quick peek inside, I saw that she wasn’t dreaming anything. She was simply missing my body against hers.
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