Open Your Heart

by Aspen Winters

  I nodded, biting my lip. I understood why this was happening. I didn't like it one bit, but this could be a good thing. I would be able to talk to other people who were in the same position as me or have been in the same position. I could talk to people about the bonds they have with gods, and how they fully accepted it. Something I was still having difficulty doing.

  "What is going to happen then? Am I under lock and key here in Olympus?" I really didn't want to be locked away again. That didn't end well last time either. I really hated being told I couldn't do something, it made me want to do the opposite.

  Zeus shook his head, a small chuckle leaving him. "No. No one is going to be guarding you, though you do have your own extra security." His eyes flashed down to Ace who was laying down under my chair.

  "You can get to know the library more and you can go see the Pegasus." His lip twitched at the mention of the winged horses. "I heard you liked them, even if they were...a bit vocal."

  Amusement was clear on his face, and I rolled my eyes, a slow smile coming to my lips. He really hadn't been acting like the arrogant god I first met. It was interesting to see this side of him. This side of him, I could learn to really like.

  "I wasn't expecting them to talk." I shook my head, crossing my arms over my chest, "I never heard any stories of them talking. I thought they would be almost like regular horses, just with wings!" I didn't think I would live down my first meeting with the Pegasus any time soon.

  "That is why I made sure they could talk. It is unexpected. That and they can be good company when no one else is around."

  He gave a laugh, but I detected some truth to the last part of what he said. It sounded like he might talk to them regularly. Was he lonely? I didn't say anything, just tilted my head to the side.

  "They can talk your ear off and they do have a unique look at life." His eyes flashed to mine, "If you go back to the stable, just talk to them like you would a human. You may be surprised by the answers they may give you."

  I nodded.

  "Do you have an idea how to find Fate?" I asked. I hadn't even gotten to talk to Fate about some things I wanted to. It would have to wait now.

  The god shook his head. "As of right now we don't have a lead on where she could have been taken. There are going to be searches for her, but we have to be careful with that even." Zeus gave me a grave look. "One wrong move and things could end badly if anyone with a bond started or formed is in contact with Cronus or his Titans."

  I could understand that. Only gods who didn't have a bond would be of more use than the gods with them. I didn't know how many gods were left without a bond.

  "I take it I won't be able to go home any time soon then?" If things were going to be that tight with security, I couldn't see them letting me go back to my apartment for extended periods of time.

  "No. The other gods who have Bonded Ones and I have talked about this. We may take them back to Earth to do check-ins with their families, but that is still going to be hard. We’d rather you all stay here and be safe." Zeus sighed, probably from seeing the look on my face.

  I wasn't happy about this, but I’d rather stay alive, so I would follow what was going on. "I will follow your rules since I’d rather not end up meeting Cronus or any of the other Titan," I told him, a frown on my face. I didn't want to have another meeting like the last one with Cronus. I would be good and do as I was told...until this was all taken care of. Once everything was done with the Titans I was not going to be following all of their orders. I would follow orders and rules they have put in place until this was all over. I just had to try to get through this.

  "I know you don't want to, and I hope that everything goes smoothly and we can find the Titans quickly. They had been in hiding and only coming out for quick kills, for them to be so active is worrying for us gods." He glanced at me, a concerned look flashing through his eyes before a big sigh left his lips. He shifted in his chair, and I could tell he was becoming uncomfortable with this talk.

  "I am going to be confined to Olympus then...what am I supposed to do with my time?" I didn't want to feel like a bird stuck in a cage, but I knew I could wander around this place for a few days without getting bored. I already had plans of going back to see the Pegasus. They had been interesting, if not a bit intimidating when I first saw them. They being able to talk was different, and maybe they could tell me some things the gods wouldn't. I shifted in my seat clasping my hands together in my lap as I waited for Zeus to respond.

  "You will be confined to Olympus, but in the next day or two there will be more and more humans and gods arriving."

  I could tell he wasn't happy about having all the new gods and their Bonded Ones coming to Olympus, but it was the safest option for everyone.

  "How long do you think it will take to find Fate..." I just had a feeling it would take a while to find her. If the Titans had her, they would make sure they put her somewhere that it would be hard for the gods to get to her.

  "It could take longer than any of us would like." The god sighed.

  I could see the dark look on his face, as his shoulders sagged. He was tired, and I could see that. How much sleep has he been getting? He may be a god, but that doesn't mean he didn't need to rest like everyone else in the world.

  "Have you been sleeping?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. I think I surprised him by my question as he snapped his eyes to my own. He frowned for a minute before a slow smirk came to his face.

  "Are you worried, Clara?"

  I glared at him. There was the attitude again…and that damn smirk I want to smack off his face. His ego was one reason he pissed me off so easily.

  "Not a chance. I just want to know if you end up passing out, it isn't because of something serious." I looked away from him, even when he started to chuckle. Of course he would find my comments amusing.

  "To answer your question, yes I have been sleeping. I just haven't been sleeping a lot. I have a lot of things to plan and make sure lodging for the humans and gods that are going to be arriving are ready." He gave a sigh, blue eyes darkening as he looked away from me.

  I nodded at his answer not knowing what else to say to him. Zeus was the hardest god to talk to, he had a tendency to piss me off more than anyone else too. He was harder to get to know out of all the gods, but sometimes I saw a different side of him that made me think there was something besides an arrogant jerk underneath it all. I had seen it when we were talking about the Pegasus.

  "You should sleep more. Aren't the other gods helping you?" I asked as I frowned. I hadn't seen much of the gods since I have been here either, I had assumed they were busy with things because of what happened with Cronus and now Fate.

  Zeus gave a low hum, as he stood up from his chair. "They are helping. There are many gods and goddesses that are doing preparations. There are just a lot of people arriving and it has to be done quickly."

  "The others are helping too. Is that why they haven't really been around much?" I inquired, curious on where the other four gods could be. I hadn't really had much time with them, especially Ra.

  "They are. Ra is in Egypt making preparations with the other Egyptian gods. Hades is in the Underworld making sure things are in order there. Poseidon is in Atlantis making sure everything is alright there, and Eros is helping his mother with making sure the homes that are going to be used are ready for people to live in," Zeus elaborated as he moved over to me, holding out a hand for me.

  I assumed he wanted me to get up.

  "Did you say Mother?" I took his hand and stood up, Ace up and standing at attention. I gave Zeus a confused look, as he put my arm in the crook of his arm.

  He just gave me a smirk. "Yes. You will probably end up meeting her soon too." The smirk on his face grew, making me scowl in return.

  Chuckling, Zeus led me out of the room. "I will take you to wherever you want to go before I have to get back to work." He stood still, looking down at me for a moment.

  "You aren't as arrogant as you w
ere when I first met you," I replied, a small smile on my lips as a booming laugh filled the hall. My heart fluttered at the sound, as I continued to look at him. He looked much younger when he laughed.

  "I was coming on strong when I first met you. I am still arrogant. I will not deny that." A hard look came over his face as he leaned closer to my level. "You aren't fighting as much, so that may be another reason." He stood back up, his grip on my arm strong as he led me down the hall.

  "Do you have an idea on where you would like to go? Maybe to see the Pegasus again? Or the library?" the lightning god asked, changing the subject. Which I didn't mind that he did, one bit.

  "The Pegasus. I would like to see them again. It was interesting to be around them," I agreed, ignoring the knowing look on his face. He must know that I didn't want to be totally alone, and I could at least make conversation with the winged horses.

  "I will lead you there then." He motioned me in their direction.

  I followed not saying anything after that. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to talk to him, but I didn't know what about, so I stayed silent and hoped the awkwardness between the two of us would disappear. We walked in silence, my eyes glancing anywhere but at Zeus. I felt awkward around him. He was turning out different than I first thought him to be, so it was throwing me off.

  "You usually aren't this silent, I have found," Zeus spoke up as he led me outside. His blue eyes glanced down at me as he helped me down the staircase.

  "I am trying to understand you, but every time I think I do, you do something to make me change my opinion of you," I told him, honestly. He was arrogant, but he had been kind and then controlling. It was starting to give me a bit of whiplash to keep track of his personality.

  His lip twitched. "I am trying to let you get to know me, but I am used to keeping everyone at an arm's length."

  I frowned at this information. What could have made him so wary of letting others know the real him? Did someone hurt him so bad he thought keeping others at an arm's length was the best option for him?

  "Don't overthink it, Clara." His deep voice resounded near me. There was a dark undertone that set me on edge as I looked at him in confusion.

  "I have many secrets, all of us gods do. We have lived for many years. We have seen war after war." He took a deep breath, eyes looking like a raging storm as he tightened his grip on my arm.

  "I have killed and done many things I am not proud of in my life. I don't want you to know all the horrors I have done yet." He stopped walking, letting my arm go so I could stand in front of him. "You have just come into my life and I don't need you to be scared of me before you accept our bond." He ran the back of one of his fingers on my cheek, making me look at him in wonder. He really was trying to show himself, but at the same time he was holding back.

  Why is he so frustrating!

  I took a deep breath in. "I don't think I would hold anything against you. I may not like you all the time, but I would like to really get to know you. The one hiding behind the mask." I gave him a small smile as his hand froze, and he moved away from me.

  "If we are going to be in a relationship. I want to try to be equal. I want to stand beside all of you. I may be human, but I have powers and could be of some use." I wanted to be useful. I may not be a god, but I did have a way to defend myself. I just didn't know how to use my powers yet. I needed learn how to control it.

  "You really are stubborn thing." The look on his face was almost wistful, as if he wasn't really looking at me. It felt like he was looking through me. Looking at a ghost from the past.

  "I may be stubborn, but so are you," I bit back at him, a frown lit on my face and I felt a twinge of hurt. I didn't want him to look at me like that. Like he was seeing someone else. I wanted him to see me.

  "I am and will never deny that fact," Zeus agreed, taking a step back from me, making me silently sigh in relief.

  "Oi, Lightning rod."

  Zeus frowned, sighing as he looked to where the voice came from.

  A smirk came to my face at the name. It seemed Eros wasn't the only one to call him that.

  A man who was a bit shorter than Zeus with long, ebony hair held out of his face with a gold circlet crown approached us. He was only wearing a pair of black pants, his muscled chest had dark markings all over his shoulders and looked like they weaved around onto his back. The markings were a dark black and stood out on his tanned skin.

  "Dasra. You arrived earlier than expected." Zeus frowned, eyes hardening as he moved in front of me.

  And there is the possessiveness. I kept silent as Zeus blocked me from Desra's sight. I could tell Zeus was tense.

  "My brother and I brought our bonded here ahead of time." Dasra smirked, dark brown eyes glancing over Zeus's shoulder and giving me a small wave. I raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't return the gesture.

  Zeus grunted, moving so he was blocking my full view of the man. "Aren't there two more gods in your bond?"

  The man nodded. "They had to make sure loose ties in her life were fixed. She has not yet broken away from her family since she is still young. We need to make sure there isn't a panic if she goes missing for a bit."

  Zeus nodded, I could see he agreed with how they were handling things. "There are rooms available and ready. Aphrodite should be taking care of assigning people."

  Dasra gave a hum in reply, "I shall go see her next then. This is your Bonded, right?"

  I could hear something in his voice, something like fondness. I didn't understand why.

  "Yes. I am taking her somewhere. Go to Aphrodite and I will meet you there." Zeus ground out, narrowing his eyes at the man.

  Laughing, the god moved away from us, putting his hands behind his head and turning his back on us and walking in the direction he’d come from. He stopped and glanced back to me. "It was nice meeting you, Clara." He then walked off, leaving a tense silence between Zeus and myself.

  How did he know my name?

  I frowned not saying a word as I watched the god walk away. I didn't know what to say after this little meeting.

  "Let's get you to the Pegasus," Zeus spoke after a few seconds of silence. His tone was clipped and he didn't say anything the whole way to the stables.

  I wondered why this god made him so tense, but I didn't ask and kept my silence as we made our way down the long street. My mind went to the god we had just met, wondering who his bonded was. Maybe I would get along with them. It would be nice to talk to someone in the same position as myself.

  ~Zeus~

  Giving the stables one last look, I sighed. I really didn't want to leave her, but I had to go meet with the arriving gods to make sure the security measures were put in place and see how the other gods were faring across the globe.

  "You look like you could use a drink."

  I turned and saw Poseidon leaning against a tree close to me. There were trees scattered around the stables to give it a more forest feel for the Pegasus, along with the many wildflowers that only grew here in Olympus.

  "I need more than a drink to make me feel better." I glowered at the sea god, who seemed to only be amused by my reaction. I had been overworking myself trying to get everything in place for all the arrivals to come in the next day or two. I was running on fumes and my patients were little to nonexistent.

  A rich laugh filled the air, making my scowl deepen as I glared at my brother. He did love to see me suffer. Then again, I was the same way when it happened to me. Siblings were always that way.

  "The arrivals are giving everyone a hard time. I know I saw some Norse gods, and even some Japanese gods. It seems like some Bonded Ones got interesting combinations," Poseidon commented as he moved to stand next to me.

  I nodded in agreement. Some of the bonded pairs were interesting to see together. The combinations were something all right. Norse and Greek gods bonded to the same human, there was even one woman who had three different Pantheons in one bond. It was something to see for sure.

  "You know th
at once they all arrive things will calm down a bit," Poseidon said as he glanced at the stables. "Once it calms down you won't be so stressed and can spend more time with Clara."

  He knew me too well. I wanted to spend more time with our bonded, to get to know her and make her comfortable with us and her new living situation, for the time being.

  "You go spend time with her for the time being. I know the other three are busy right now. She doesn't seem too keen on being totally alone here." I could tell when we were talking she didn’t want to roam Olympus all on her own. This wasn't home to her, but maybe one day she would feel it would be.

  "I will... We all haven't gotten to spend lots of time just talking..." Poseidon paused, eyes softening as he talked, "I think she could use someone to talk to. Maybe not about what is going on...just talk."

  I understood. Clara was in a new place, and we kept leaving her on her own. The Pegasus would give her a little company, but they weren't the smartest creatures I had ever created.

  "Do you think she will ever fully accept the bond and us?" I asked Poseidon whose eyes flickered to my own. I could see the waves of emotion pass through him at my questions.

  Poseidon didn't say anything for a couple seconds, the silence almost deafening. He then sighed and looked up at the sky, as he ran a hand over his face. He was just as tired. Clara hadn't been fighting as much as she was at first, but none of us seemed to know how long it would last.

  "She is complicated, that is for sure." Poseidon finally said, a sigh leaving his lips as he continued, "She wants to be strong and not rely on anyone...and that means us. She thinks she needs to keep everyone at arm's length."

  I saw that. She smiled and talked to us, but sometimes I could see her withdraw from the conversation. I figured she didn’t even notice it.

  "I think we need to break down that wall that she keeps...and learn more about her past. We know her mother isn't the best and she has a sister...." As he spoke, a thoughtful look crossed his face.