Cupid Painted Blind - A Collection of Paranormal Romance Stories
Page 13
Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms and let out sarcastic huff before entertaining his question. “You want the details, old man. Well, here it is.”
“I was minding my own business, on the shore of Flower Island, when Aphrodite invited me for a visit. Apparently she and Hephaestus were having issues, as usual, and she needed a favor. It seems her lover was making himself scarce during her time of need and Hephaestus was quick to poke fun at that fact, which didn’t sit very well with her, being the Goddess of Love and all.”
I paced in front of Zeus, who was already all ears, and continued, “Now, I suppose you would like to know why Aphrodite would want a siren to do her dirty work for her. I mean, she is the Goddess of Love for Pete’s sake... A notion we sirens do not subscribe to. How hard can it be to keep one’s lover enamored?” Pausing, I looked at Zeus and cocked my head to the side, almost as if the question required an answer. He silently looked down on me, unwilling to entertain my question.
“She sent me to find Ares, which is like sending a fox to fetch a chicken out of the coup. I guess it was her way of testing his loyalty,” I laughed. Really, would you send a siren to fetch your boyfriend? At this point I guess Zeus realized it was going to be a long story. He got up from his chair and waved for me to follow him. We walked to an open room with brightly colored fabric draped from ceiling to floor, giving the illusion of walls. The room was sparse. A table with wine and cups on it sat on one side of the room. The other side of the room opened to a terrace that provided light.
I made myself comfortable on the cushions that littered the floor and Zeus stretched out near me. He may be an old man, but that term is more of metaphor than physical description of the God... And I do mean God! I ogled his well-formed body, watching him get comfortable. Damn you Zeus! I thought, fighting the urge to run my fingers through his dark, curly locks.
He cleared his voice, breaking my trance from the perfection of his cut abs and shot me a self-satisfying grin. “Can’t blame a girl for looking,” I replied with a shrug.
“Now, where was I? Yes, my mission to find Ares. It didn’t take me long to track him. I mean, even you know most of his hangouts,” I pointed out. “And since I knew he wasn’t in Aphrodite’s bed, it could only mean he was in Sparta.”
Ahhh.... Sparta. Despite my aversion to human men, Spartans are the exception. Muscular, strong, and always randy before and after battle, they are a siren’s dream. That is, as far as humans are concerned. They are also the exception to the threesome and orgy rule. I guess to make up for their less than God-like qualities...or should I say, ‘skills’. It always took more than one to finish the job. I was looking forward to my little trip to Sparta. Ares may be off limits, but the men in his camp would be fair game.
“Unlike you Gods, we Demi-Gods can’t appear where ever we want to go at will. We have to get to where we are going on foot, something Aphrodite seemed to have a problem with. So, Aphrodite employed the services of Apollo, insisting that he must transport me to Sparta. She was fuming at this point, how dare her lover abandon her,” I snorted sarcastically. “He dropped me off at the border of Sparta and then went on his merry way. I didn’t think it would take me long to find Ares, but it took me two days, and a tryst or two, to find him. It appears he really was hiding from Aphrodite and had no desire to return to Olympus with me. Now, you know me. I love a good challenge and Ares’ reluctance to return to Olympus certainly qualified. I had to give him credit for his sheer will power. What man, god or human, could stand up to Aphrodite when she calls?”
My eyes began to wander around, attempting not to make eye contact with Zeus. As soon as I glanced towards him I knew it would be a lost battle. His eyes were always getting me in trouble and he knew it. It’s like looking into a tidal pool in the moonlight with glints of blue and green in a sea of darkness. His mouth curled up at the side in a sideways grin, before he let out a laugh.
“Sarina, my lovely, if you do not stop undressing me with your eyes, my ego will surely feel the need to accommodate,” he chuckled.
Okay, he’d busted me again for my indiscretion, but I still was not going to relax. Zeus could be laughing with you one minute, then sentence you to eternity with his brother Hades the next. I still needed to proceed with caution. Rolling onto my back, I gazed up at the ceiling and sighed, trying to get Zeus out of my head so I could continue my story.
“The sun was setting as I entered the Spartan camp. Ares was sitting on a log, near the fire, playing with the embers when I approached. The moment he noticed me, doom washed over his face and the word ‘Fuck’ left his lips. Ironically, I was thinking the same thing, but certainly not in the same context. Honestly, I didn’t know if he was saying that because Aphrodite sent me to get him or if he remembered the chaos that ensued the last time I visited his Spartan camp. It really didn’t matter which, each were likely to be a source of discomfort for him.” I rolled over to my side and leaned back on to my elbow, causing my ample breasts to play peek-a-boo at the neckline of my gown.
Zeus sat up and snapped his fingers, calling for wine. A young man rushed into the room with a tray laden with two gold cups encrusted with jewels. Zeus handed me one of the cups and took the other for himself, then shooed the servant away.
“As you were saying,” he said, before taking a sip of his drink.
I took a deep breath then continued, “Ares greeted me most enthusiastically... ‘What the hell are you doing here, Sarina?’ I believe were his exact words. That is when I told him that his beloved Aphrodite sent me to retrieve him. After he expressed, loudly, several explicit inferences, he walked me to his tent. Now, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy talking Ares into abandoning the Spartans and returning to Olympus with me, but I had not expected an all-out refusal. I was getting nowhere with him. It seemed Hephaestus had already had words with him beforehand and Ares was growing tired of Aphrodite’s games. But none of this was my concern. I just needed for him to make his appearance, so the bitch would get off my back.”
Zeus raised his eyebrow to my choice of words. Not that he disagreed with my assessment, but the fact that I was referring to his daughter, a goddess, did not help my case any.
“Chastise me if you must, but she really was starting to get on my last nerve. I guess this was the point where I decided to do things my way. If Aphrodite wanted Ares she would have him, but as my sloppy leftovers. I didn’t care about her mind games with Ares and sending me to get him was her first mistake. After several minutes of talking with Ares I could tell his frustration with the situation matched mine. He also wanted me gone, which was understandable. I was too much of a distraction to his troops, who were only days away from battle. Literally, I would be the death of them if I stayed.” In my nervousness I downed my entire cup of wine and gazed back at Zeus. I could tell his attentions were more than just being an attentive listener, a fact I may need to exploit if I wanted to save my ass.
“So, I struck a deal with Ares. I would leave his camp and allow his troops to go into battle undistracted and he would meet me at Hera’s temple to discuss the remainder of the terms, one of which was to surrender his body to me for an hour for my personal pleasure. I guess in his excitement to have me gone, he didn’t contemplate the ramifications of his agreement,” I laughed. Yeah, the ramifications that have me explaining myself to Zeus. The ones Aphrodite did not see coming, Hera could not ignore, and Hephaestus would curse. It’s hard to imagine that a demi-god such as myself could cause more chaos then Eris crashing a banquet and all in the name of love. Ironic, since I don’t even believe in love.
My voice was beginning to get dry and raspy. Enjoying our seclusion, Zeus got up and refilled our glasses himself. “So, you intended to deceive Ares in his mother’s temple?” he asked, handing me back my glass. He lay back down on the cushions, only this time he was within arm’s reach of me.
“No, that was not my original intention at all. You see, we were just using the temple as a neutral place to discuss business
. I only intended on having unbridled sex with him at that point, nothing more, and certainly not in Hera’s temple,” I shivered at the thought. I knew Hera watched her temples like a hawk. The thought of her gazing down on us doing something so intimate still unnerved me. “I mean, would you want Hera’s mother watching you two do your thing? I didn’t think so.”
He cringed at my words before asking, “What happened to make you change your intent?” He reached out to touch my hand with his, his thumb lightly brushing the top of my hand in an intimate gesture.
“Aphrodite is what happened!” I exclaimed before throwing myself back onto the pillows. His touch was making me lose my concentration. He knows what I am and yet he tempts me. “After a couple of days and still no Ares, Aphrodite decided to pay me a little visit. She was very agitated with me and, even though I promised her Ares after his battle, her impatience still reared its ugly head. She even threatened to turn me into fish at one point. Now, I don’t mind doing a deed for a god or goddess, but to threaten me because she could not control her man? That was uncalled for. So, I changed my intent out of self-preservation. I needed to protect myself from her! I didn’t do anything to warrant such a threat. It wasn’t my fault Ares didn’t rush to her side like a good little lover. He had his own reasons for avoiding her and even I couldn’t fault him for that.” I sat up quickly. Between the wine and my excitement my cheeks became flushed, which didn’t go unnoticed.
Zeus reached out; I closed my eyes and leaned into his hand as he caressed my cheek. I clasped his hand then pulled away. I had to keep my wits about me and he was certainly making it hard for me to control my own nature. “Calm yourself, Sarina. I just want to know the facts,” he smiled.
I cleared my throat and readjusted myself on the pillows, attempting to regain control. “Aphrodite may be the Goddess of Love, but she could learn a few things from Athena. It is never wise to threaten a being known for their cunning plots and deceptions. I may have cowered before her out of respect, but it was only a show for her ego. I was seething from her rant and she was about to find out what it was like to be on the receiving end of a siren’s anger. Once she was gone, I started making plans. First, a talk with the Stygian Witches. I needed to know how to even the playing field and they had the answers. Lucky for me, they were only a two days walk from Hera’s temple, where I had been waiting for Ares.”
“Didn’t the Witches scare you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No. You see, they have no desire to consume a siren... Apparently we leave a bad taste in their mouths. Not only that, I brought a gift for them. It was all too simple for me to lure a human male to their lair. It was no easy trip getting to their abode and halfway up the mountain I was tempted to give up. Then I remembered what Aphrodite had said about me being the scourge of the earth and so useless she should turn me into a mate for the Kraken. That is when I got my second wind and continued up the mountain.”
“Did she really say that? Surely it was only in jest,” he said, as if to defend Aphrodite.
“Aphrodite’s words were through gritted teeth, I have no doubt that she would follow through. In fact, I believed that she would turn me whether I delivered Ares to her or not. My decision was not made lightly or without justification. It really wasn’t my fault. I was just trying to defend myself from the Goddess.” Zeus was still attentive, which was a good sign. As long as he allowed me to tell my side of the story there was still hope that I wouldn’t be sent to Tartarus.
“After several hours with the Witches a plan was devised, but I needed to act on it swiftly. Ares originally wanted to meet up a few days after their battle. He knew his libido would be running high directly after a battle and I was the last person he wanted to see in that condition. There is nothing like a good battle to make the God of War randy enough to do something stupid and I needed to take advantage of that. So, I sent a message to the battle lines for him to meet me immediately after he wrapped things up, otherwise he would have to deal with Aphrodite directly. To him, meeting Aphrodite face to face, after he had dismissed her calls, was a fate worse than sex with a siren after a battle.” I knew I had Ares by the balls. He would meet me at the temple and comply with the first part of our terms, as long as it got him out of seeing Aphrodite.
“I waited in the temple for two days before he showed up. He did not look very happy to see me and I didn’t care. I had business to take care of. It wasn’t long before he noticed the shape of my body beneath the sheer linen dress I was wearing. His gait was hasty as he approached me, almost as if he thought I might escape. Before I had a chance to think, his lips were pressed hard against mine. The smell of sweat and blood wafted through the air, it was a scent he wore well as his tongue eagerly sparred with mine. There was nothing delicate about the way his hand caressed my breast, his other hand wrapped tightly around my waist, pulling me firmly against his body.” I could tell by the way Zeus settled himself on the pillows that my erotic adventure was beginning to get to him.
I grinned and raised my eyebrows. “Do you need a break?” I teased, running my fingers through his dark curls. “I can always skip these superfluous details and get straight to why he let me do it,” I proposed, trying to get a rise out of him, in more ways than one.
Just as Zeus leaned in to kiss me, I backed away then stood. “I can see that you are no longer paying attention to my plea for mercy. Maybe I should finish my story tomorrow.”
“Please, Sarina, sit back down and continue. I promise to behave myself,” he implored, frowning at me as he patted the cushion next to him, gesturing for me to sit.
“Very well, at least wait until I’m finished my story before seducing me,” I offered. The last thing I want to do is cut Zeus off from any fun he thinks he might have at my expense later. I need to keep his attention on my appeal. If he got too sidetracked I would never see the light of day again. He could be just in his convictions when he wanted to be, but not if he wasn’t listening to what I was saying. I sat back down next to him, smiling as he handed me my glass of wine.
“As I was saying, Ares arrived straight from battle. His uncontrollable urge to release the sexual desire building in him was clouding his judgment. The only thing on his mind was relieving the hardness between his legs and he wasn’t going to be gentle about it. Backing me into the altar, he ripped open the front of my dress, exposing my breasts to the cold night air. He pawed at them with his rough hands before taking a mouthful. He caressed it with his tongue until it became erect then clenched down on the nipple with his teeth. I moaned as he pulled the nipple taut then released it. But, sex was my game and I was not going to be outdone by the God of War. My hands grabbed his firm backside, squeezing his cheeks, before pulling him hard against me. Wrapping one leg around his waist to keep him close, I began to remove his black leather armor. I audibly gasped at the vision of his muscles rippling in the candlelight that surrounded the altar. He was the perfection that the Spartans attempted to emulate. His body grew ridged as I lightly ran my fingers down his chest to his waist while my fevered kiss ended with a nibble of his bottom lip. Running my tongue down his neck, the taste of salt and tin from his skin mingled in my mouth like a sexual confection. It was the taste of war, his sweat mixed with the blood of the enemy. I inhaled deeply, the smell of his leather armor still scenting his skin, causing moisture to wet the inside of my leg.” In a dramatic moment of committing to this scene, I stood up in front of Zeus. I closed my eyes and fisted a hand full of gown in each had, inhaling deeply as if to still take in the smell of Ares. Letting go of my breath, I gazed back at Zeus, again the God had shifted positions, but his attention was solely on me. I released the gown from my clinched hands and gave him a lopsided grin.
“Any control I might have had over the situation was gone. We would both be mindless until the beast could be sated. Things began to get a little fuzzy at this point. All I can remember is Ares clearing the altar with one maddened swipe of his arm, hurling the offerings across the room and
the hard coldness of the stone against my back as he pinned me to the top of the altar with his hard, massive body. Had I been a human maiden, he most likely would have killed me. Ares was too far out of his mind to care if he were splitting me in two as his body hammered against mine. I, on the other hand, took him all in, making his brutish love play my desire. My legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him hard against my spot of pleasure until in one last stroke his body went rigid with release, succumbing to utter ecstasy. His now relaxed body lay heavily on mine while his hot irregular breaths warmed my neck. Now was the time for me to get what I came for. I removed the small dagger from where it held my hair in place. As my unbound hair flowed across the altar, the flash of the blade glinted in Ares’ eyes. He clutched my hair in his hands then put his head on my chest and sighed, “Sarina, please don’t ask me to do this.” But, for survival’s sake I had too. So, I reminded him of our deal. His body belonged to me for at least another ten minutes and that included his blood. I took the small knife and ran it across the side of his neck then quickly drank the blood before the wound closed.”
“My body convulsed under his as his blood intermingled with mine. Gently, he wiped the tears from my face as my body wracked with pain. Wrapping his arms around me, he held me tight against his chest until my screams waned and the tensions in my body subsided. I could now feel the endless energy that my new found immortality brought. In an overwhelming fit of bliss I laughed, then pinned Ares to the ground. It was my turn to play the unfulfilled god and Ares was more than happy to comply.”
Zeus stood and strode to where I was standing. He placed his arm around my back, but as he began to draw me close, I reminded him of his promise to let me finish my tale. So I backed him into the edge of where the pillows began and pushed him onto the cushions. I straddled his waist before he could get up and continued my story from this more intimate position.