“Funny, those were the first words out of Adonis’ mouth as well. He’s hated me from that moment on. When Aphrodite refused to appear after he cried out for her as though his very soul ached from his desire, he threatened to cut my heart out in my sleep and sacrifice it at her alter.”
“Oh, honey.” She hugged him close.
Ariston hugged her back, cleared his throat, and then pulled away, appearing uncomfortable with his show of emotion.
“We were young, and he’d never been in love before, though the goddess had bewitched him despite his denial of such a thing. Then word of a different sacrifice being made to Dionysus spread through town not long afterward. In an attempt to help Adonis get over his infatuation with Aphrodite, I told him about it. Dionysus never held an event upon Mount Kithairon that didn’t end with an orgy. I didn’t really care to go, but I thought it would benefit Adonis to take his frustration out through a night of wild sex. Of course, that turned out to be a disaster of epic proportions and he blamed me for that too, as though I knew what would happen. He’s the one who made the actual decision to go, but I was the one who ‘forced’ him. Adonis stayed, willingly, with Dionysus after the curse, and I resigned myself to Arcadia with Pan. I hadn’t seen him again until two days ago.”
Lily nodded. That she had known, but he’d come back bloody with a haunted expression on his face.
“Before I left Greece,” he backtracked, and Lily wondered if he avoided the inevitable by changing the subject. “I went back to the farm. Our house had been destroyed by neglect and from being in the path of several different armies for multiple wars. I took a stone with me from the hearth’s foundation. Kept it from crumbling and had it protected in my safe. I’m not sure when, perhaps after Adonis freed you from your cuffs, he’d broken into the safe and stolen it. What baffles me though, is how he could see or hear you. He wouldn’t say.”
“I’m not sure how he can see me either. He had to have been disguised somehow, though. I met Dion Bach, Dionysus, but I spoke to a few other people at Bach Industries as well. The person at the front desk, the guy in human resources, and a few people in the elevator. None of them looked like you, and I would have remembered meeting you before, wouldn’t I?”
Ariston shrugged. “It’s the big mystery. I think he wanted me to believe something happened between you both, but when I wasn’t falling for it, he’d dropped the subject. He had no interest in putting bygones aside and starting over. He only wants Pan’s syrinx and for me to be as miserable as he is.”
“But you said you don’t have the syrinx,” Lily commented. Adonis had insinuated she’d been with him? Puh-lease. What a sneaky little lying… She concentrated on less irritable thoughts. It was difficult, learning someone she’d never met had tried to make Ariston doubt her. She really hoped he didn’t believe Adonis’ barbs.
“I don’t. But he’s crazed, Lily. It is almost like he’s been drugged or is becoming rabid. There is something really weird about his mannerisms. He kept grasping at his head, like it was about to explode or something. And his hands shook. They shook a lot.”
“How did you end up covered in blood?” she asked.
“We fought. He dropped his human glamour and used his horns to charge at me. He gouged my face. Then he destroyed the stone from our home in front of me, to show me how much he didn’t want to be reminded of our past. My brother is dead. He’s alive...but dead.”
A lone tear escaped down his cheek after the last comment, and Lily wiped it away, kissing him to take the hurt away. When he turned and his tongue dipped inside of her mouth, she leaned into him to keep the contact.
Ariston pulled away. “I failed my brother, Lily. He’s too far gone to help.”
“Sssh. It’s not your fault. Aphrodite did a number on him, and you tried to make it right. You can’t blame yourself.”
She found herself kissing him again, and he pressed her against the mattress, covering her with his body. His hand slid under her shirt.
Tap, tap, tap. A knock on the door preceded Kat’s curly red head peeking in. “Oh, sorry guys. But, um, lunch is ready.” She ducked back out and closed the door.
“I guess that means we’ll be putting up with these loons until night falls.” Ariston said, rolling to the side and laying his head on the pillow beside hers.
Lily wondered if he’d finally realized how an impromptu wedding would cut into his make-out time. “Thank you for telling me about your brother,” she said and kissed his cheek. “I know it’s difficult for you to think about it without hurting, but you aren’t alone anymore. You have me.” She smiled as brightly as she could muster and was rewarded with a reciprocated grin.
“I am truly the luckiest man on this planet.”
Chapter Seventeen
The rest of the day went by in a blur. Maybe because Lily was happier in those moments with Ariston than she’d been in years or maybe the impending eclipse on the horizon caused time to fly. Either way, she couldn’t have spent them in better company.
After lunch, Kat had helped Lily with her makeup—it was bare basics, for which she’d apologized for her lack of cosmetic skills—since Lily hadn’t packed any cosmetics for a camping trip. Lily’s dress had been a simple, eggshell-white, eyelet sundress with faux seed pearls woven in the trim at the bottom. Her shoes were white wedge sandals which increased her height without causing her heels to sink into the landscape. Kat even braided her hair on the sides to give her a half-up-half-down style when the two braids were joined together in one braid down the back, a style she claimed to have learned because her best friend, Cindy, had insisted.
The ceremony itself had been brief. Hermes had gone through the motions with the wording, changing only the phrase “You may now kiss the bride” into “May the satyr kiss the nymph so we may eat cake.” Pure cheesiness, but she expected nothing less from the god. About a hundred pictures were taken with Lily’s camera through the ordeal. Lily had shuffled through them several times since, needing to prove to herself it had really happened.
After cake, Pan and Kat left, wanting to make it back to the hotel before dark and give Ariston and her time to prepare for the evening. Pegasus made himself scarce, prompting Hermes and Ariston to take bets on whether or not the mare would have winged offspring. Hermes said yes to the wings, but Ariston thought, or more like hoped, there wouldn’t be any.
“Do you love-muffins want me to stick around until it’s time, or are you ready for me to leave?” Hermes glided in from doing a parameter sweep. Ariston hadn’t said anything about it, but Lily was certain he was checking for signs of Adonis. Since Hermes offered to vacate the area, she guessed he’d not seen him around, or maybe Melancton could keep the other Boeotian in check. She’d been shocked to see him at the wedding, but Melancton had made an appearance in order to extend his felicitations.
He’d actually used the term felicitations.
For the most part, Melancton hadn’t said much else. He’d watched the short ceremony quietly, but Lily could sense sadness in him while he’d observed the proceedings. When Lily searched for him after exchanging rings and then the kiss, Melancton was gone.
“I think we can handle the rest on our own. Thanks.” Ariston replied, though she could see the tension eating at him. He’d be on edge until they made it through night. Lily took a quick peek at the wall clock. Ten-forty. Only thirty-seven minutes left.
Hermes shrugged, but didn’t leave. “One more thing. I’m not sure how the ritual goes, but if the curse befell under the moon you’d want to be under it again to lift it, to be safe. Would hate for unknown stipulations to prevent it from working.” Finally, he floated off into the night.
“What the hell did that mean?” Lily asked.
“He said we needed to do the deed outside.”
They had discussed it before, but she’d not been completely convinced she’d actually be going through with it then. It was almost time though, and no longer an if or when in her mind. It was a now. “In the dirt
? With the bugs, bacteria, snakes, and icky stuff?” She was being dramatic, but last minute panicking and paranoia didn’t settle for anything less.
“I can bring a blanket if you like, princess.” He laughed. “You’re a nymph. Nature is your oxygen. You’re naturally immune to things like fungus and bacteria, as I am. Though, I can’t help you if a spider crawls on you. They aren’t natural. They don’t follow the rules.” He shuddered.
It was true; she’d never received abnormal results when going to her annual appointments, nor had she been sick before, that she could remember, but still. She didn’t want to think about dirt getting into places dirt should never go. “You know an awful lot about nymph immune systems for someone who hasn’t known a lot of nymphs.”
“Pan told me earlier. He suspected the ritual had to be outside as well.”
“Oh, well if Pan told you I guess it’s all accurate information then.” Lily pursed her lips. Hadn’t Ariston told her Pan didn’t even know what all his powers were? Sounded like the ultimate source of wisdom, that one.
“I said we could take a blanket.”
“No. I’m just not used to this weird nymph and nature thing. I was raised human, you know. Raised to fear germs and cooties.”
“What in the name of Hades is a cootie?” Ariston’s upper lip curled, twitching slightly. How had he never heard that term, but he’d been able to decipher several slang phrases she’d thrown at him. He even used some modern lingo himself. He must have picked some of it up from the other rangers and from being in town. Or from the women campers he…
Ugh. Snap out of it, Anders! He’s never touching anyone else but you now. “Cooties crawl into warm, moist parts of the body when they’re dirty, that’s what.” She smiled as a devious thought struck her. She shouldn’t... “I’d imagine they would look like spiders, only you can’t see them with the naked eye.”
“Eh...I’m going to grab the blanket.” Ariston sprinted to the bedroom. Satyrs with arachnophobia. Who knew?
***
The tip of the Earth’s shadow hovered at the edge of the moon. Lunar eclipses varied depending on the angles of the Earth, moon, and sun. Some took less than ten minutes, and others took several hours. Which was all very well, because he could too. While a longer eclipse would’ve been best, he would only have twenty-three minutes to not mess things up. Seemed like a good amount of time to get things going, but he became aware of the fact that, when he became mortal, the satyr stamina would be lost. Ariston would be human, and wouldn’t be able to pick right back up and go. He’d still be a damned good lover—he’d learned some things—but he would actually miss having the superhuman stamina at his disposal. The rest of the curse could go straight to Tartarus and rot there.
Lily hadn’t changed out of her dress, but she ditched the shoes before following him outside. He’d changed into jeans hours ago and forgone a shirt. His hooves seemed weighted as he took each step off the porch, carrying a red fleece blanket in his arms to hide the trembling in his hands. So close.
Ahead of him, wind blew Lily’s hair into his face as she tilted her head toward the moon. She’d used his shampoo, but it hadn’t disguised the wildflower scent of her hair in the least. “Where should we do this?” she asked, nervously glancing around. He shared her concerns since they’d be open to view by anyone who happened to come across them. Hermes hadn’t mentioned seeing Adonis nearby, so he really hoped they’d be safe.
As though answering the spoken question, the ground shifted and groaned. In the spot where the moonlight illuminated the grass brightest, the soil crumbled away as a formation began cracking the earth apart and to rise up into a shelf of rock and dirt. About five feet long on the surface, maybe two across, it was high enough for him to stand at the end if Lily lay atop.
“It’s an altar.” Lily took a step back, bumping against Ariston’s chest. He placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuringly. “Did you know about this?”
“It’s not like another satyr ever made it this far to describe the details.” Green moss covered the altar, and he remembered Syrinx was to be taken on a limestone rock by Dionysus. “It’s the ritual.” Ariston told her. “History repeating.”
“Are you sure I’m not going to die from this?” Lily asked, recalling what happened to Syrinx. He grimaced. A dozen witty retorts entered his mind but didn’t seem appropriate. She was unsettled, and they could only make it through the next twenty minutes or so if they took it seriously.
The soft pit pat of raindrops distracted him. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
“Lily...”
“I didn’t mean to.” She turned and faced him with wide eyes, pupils as dark and round as the shadow moving across the moon. “I can’t control it.”
Her emotions were in chaos, and he couldn’t blame her. His own stomach knotted itself into tangles. Ariston had waited so long and he had his own doubts plaguing him. What if they started too early or too late? There was no basis of comparison.
“I know you can’t control it. Give it time and you will learn.”
“Do you think Zeus was right? That it’s in our nature for nymphs and satyrs to come together like this?”
Ariston agreed there was some merit to it. He wanted to believe nature had drawn her to him. “When you responded to my song, you revealed yourself to me. I’d never have realized what you were if not for the way your emotions coincided with the rain. We likely would have burned the forest down as we came together, but neither of us would have known, and we’d have parted.” He ran a finger down the side of her cheek as the revelation punched him in the gut. “Gods, Lily...I would’ve gone on never knowing you were everything I had ever wanted—everything I needed—to make me whole again. And not because of the curse.” He put his hand over his heart.
He kissed her then, using the distraction as a means to urge her toward the monolith. The not-so-gentle tug of Lily’s fingers tangled in his hair. She held him close to her as he ravished her mouth. He groaned and pulled back. “Are you sure about this? I may not be able to control myself once we start, and I won’t force you to do something you don’t want to do.” He’d been such a fool to think he could make someone want to take part in this deed.
“If you keep asking me that, I’m gonna assume you want me to change my mind.” Her lip twitched at the corner.
“I don’t want that.”
“It’s a sacrifice,” she whispered, turning to face the monolith.
“What do you mean?”
“A freaking altar pushed its way out of the ground. I’m betting it resembles the one Dionysus used for Syrinx; isn’t that why you said it was history repeating?” At his nod, she continued, “A nymph is the way to break your curse because a nymph was to sacrifice her virginity to Dionysus under the eclipse.” She put her hand over his mouth when he thought to interrupt her.
“Nobody knew she was a nymph then, but she was a nymph. It’s about balance. It was never about any of the Satyroi, but about the nymphs. We wronged the gods by cheating Dionysus of his sick little pleasure. If I lay out on that rock and let you have me, I’ve restored that balance, and you’re free. I understand it now. It’s all so brutally simple underneath all the effort to get to this point.”
Ariston was speechless. Damned if it didn’t make sense. However, it didn’t make the reasons behind it okay. The night of the curse had been a depraved tragedy. Two nymphs had died because of Dionysus’ lust and greed, and from everyone else’s inaction. “It’s not your duty to pick up where Syrinx left off.” In truth, it was entirely unfair that Syrinx was considered the culprit, but the curse had originated from Dionysus’ wrath, altered by Pan’s attempt to dismantle it, and then solidified by Apollo’s fury as well. It was a jumbled mess in and of itself.
“I’m not.”
“You said—”
“While I’m sure there were many women willing to give themselves to a god, Dionysus would’ve had sex with her whether she wanted to or not. She was in a situation she didn�
��t want to be in. But I”—she reached behind her and unzipped her dress—”would not have stayed if I didn’t want you to make love to me. I choose you, Ariston, and you’ve chosen me. There’s nothing but reciprocated lust between us. Now take off your pants.” Lily let her dress drop to the ground and stepped out of the discarded garment.
Ariston wasted little time obeying her command. He allowed himself to enjoy the moment, watching her strip out of her undergarments. Lily unbraided her hair and raked her fingers through it, and Ariston had to control the urge not to take himself in his hand again.
She didn’t look frightened any longer as she crooked her finger at him and backed her way closer to the mossy platform. He quickly retrieved the fleece blanket where he’d dropped it and spread it upon the surface as to protect her from the shifty cootie bugs, and then he caged her between his arms. Lily’s warm breasts pressed against his chest, and the rain pelted his back, causing a strange sensation of heat and coolness that wasn’t at all unpleasant. Instead, the water made her body slicker, wetter, and reminded him instantly about another part of her with similar characteristics.
Their tongues tangoed once more, and all the patience he’d built up the past week washed away in the downpour. He didn’t even recall lifting her, but Ariston was dimly aware of placing her on top of the blanketed rock. Lily ran her hands down his chest.
“It’s actually not as uncomfortable as it looks.”
Ariston chuckled and focused on her breasts. He wanted to take his time tasting and teasing them, and there they were: staring at him. He licked the rosy tip of one, lapping up the raindrops which landed there. Her body practically crackled with sexual awareness, and while he wanted to take all the credit, the water was partially to blame. As a water nymph, the moisture running over her body charged it, amplifying her desire.
He pulled away, a thought occurring. “Say you’re right about the curse. Dionysus’ curse was out of anger at the nymphs but projected on Pan. Apollo hid the nymphs, he punished the satyrs. We’re all doomed, Lily. What if it doesn’t work?”
The Cursed Satyroi: Volume One Collection Page 49