The Immortal Heart

Chapter 28

Since Rhea had adapted so well to blending in with the earth itself, and thus was not bothered by the elements or required a “home” to be content, Hades wondered if she would assume the same applied to her children. He was grateful for her willingness to help, but the idea of spending an indefinite time out in the forest or on a field with naught but the sky over his head was more than just a little daunting.

He was about to ask Zeus what the leader felt about such when suddenly the titaness in front of them came to a halt, subsequently forcing the Olympians to stop as well. Hades stood on his tiptoes and craned his neck to see past her towering form and the forms of his taller siblings, but not until Rhea stepped aside was he allowed a view of what was beyond.

A house, old and dilapidated and almost completely covered in climbing vines stood a small distance away, and it did not take the Olympians long to figure out that it was to be their new temporary home.

“Is this to be where we live?” Hera asked, incredulous, and Zeus’ eyes widened. But to his surprise, Hera’s impertinence was not countered with anger from their mother.

“It does not look like much now,” Rhea said, “but your brother will find it most familiar.”

“I do,” Zeus murmured, staring at the structure. Indeed, he recognized every detail hidden under the vegetation, and he continued to walk towards the abode, mesmerized. “It is where I grew up. This was the first place I ever called home. It almost…”

“Zeus…?” Hades addressed him, uncertain at how his brother approached the place.

“It is almost as though I had forgotten it,” Zeus said with a smile.

“You became a man when you set off to free your siblings,” Rhea stated. “You began a new life from then on.”

“Has anyone lived here since he left?” Poseidon asked.

“It has remained empty for the most part,” the titaness replied, stepping forward and giving a twirl of the hand. Vines began to shrink and blacken until they fell off of the house, shriveled and dead. “But it has been inhabited on occasion to keep the place standing.”

“By whom?” Demeter inquired.

“A few of my servants, which by the way will assist you should you need anything at all.” Rhea began to turn and the gods realized she was leaving them.

“Rhea,” Zeus called out to her, snapping out of his reverie. “Mother.”

The titaness paused, turning her head to look down at him.

“What shall we do if we are to engage our father?” he asked.

Rhea considered, eyebrow raised, and finally spoke. “I will visit some old friends,” she replied cryptically. “Perhaps they will know of a way.” And she was off again, though she called over her shoulder that her children would do well to rest for now without worry.

A grin broke out upon Zeus’ face, and he felt almost giddy from the remembrance of his childhood home. “Come,” he said, arm around Hades’ shoulder as he spoke to his siblings. “I will show you the place of my childhood.”

The six Olympians entered the old building cautiously, almost as if they expected the construction to come crashing down upon them as a twisted sort of repeat of what happened to their previous home. The interior of the house had not suffered as much damage from the elements as the exterior, but there was no denying that their new home was insufficient to the gods’ needs.

Hera dropped her satchels to the dust-covered stone floor and began to explore the rooms with a growing sense of dread. Not only were they drafty with practically no furniture, but the amount of rooms the house had to offer was not big enough to accommodate all six of them.

Unless, of course, they were to share living quarters. Hera began to feel almost physically sick at the thought of sharing a bedchamber, let alone a bed with anyone except Zeus, and considering his recent attitude toward her, she did not find it likely that he would allow her to stay with him.

Poseidon could not help but notice the look on his sister’s face, which suggested she might have swallowed a whole lemon, and he approached her in order to ask what she found so troubling.

“I cannot believe we have to stay here!” Hera ground out, not even attempting to hide her displeasure. “The place is so drafty we might as well could have set camp out on the field!”

Before Poseidon could counter her statement with one of his own, Zeus shoved his brother aside and grabbed Hera harshly by the jaw. He did not regret cuffing her for her earlier insolence, and he would not hesitate to deal out further physical discipline should his sister continue her outrageous behavior.

“We are all alive, and we have been given a roof over our heads,” he said, snarling. “I will not listen to any more of this from you, Hera. Do you understand?”

The goddess nodded mutely. The left side of her face still hurt from the blow he had delivered hours ago, and she did not want a repeat of that, but on the inside, Hera was seething. Before she could mull further over the dreaded subject of shared living quarters, Zeus brought it to everyone’s attention.

“We have three bedchambers for our disposal, and as everyone knows, there are six of us. Before we move on to settle anything else, we should settle this.”

Oh dear, Hades almost said aloud. In fact most of the family shared his worry that no arrangement would satisfy anyone, and that no one would be able to get any rest. Hera stated she would absolutely under no circumstances share a bedroom with anyone short of Zeus. The rather venomous look she gave Poseidon felt very deliberate, but the god simply gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Though Hestia and Demeter had not shared any time alone with one another since before the assault on the fortress, they both chose diplomacy over personal needs and said they would share a room with anyone – though Hades had a feeling neither of them were excited at the prospect of sleeping with Hera. Meanwhile Hades announced that he did not mind sharing space with Zeus or Demeter, and he knew they would feel the same way. Unfortunately, the only one of the group who insisted on being difficult was Hera.

“Enough,” Zeus finally said, sounding slightly annoyed. “I will decide who shares living space with whom. Poseidon and I need to know where each other are in case of emergency. Therefore, we shall sleep in one room.”

Hera’s thin lips disappeared and her jaw visibly tightened. Hades was tempted to laugh, but he did not want to give his eldest sister anymore of an incentive to beat his face in.

“Hera, you will sleep with Hestia,” Zeus ordered, “and that leaves you, Hades, who will be sharing a room with Demeter.”

Hades felt Demeter, who stood right beside him, take his hand in hers, and he gave it a squeeze to show he was just as pleased with the arrangement as she was.

“As far as these servants our mother speaks of, she will likely send them to us within the next day or so, so I suggest we retire and get as much rest as possible now before we decide to do anything else.”

Zeus smiled and entered the nearest bedroom, Poseidon following behind. Hera grumbled something thankfully inaudible and left the hallway in a huff, searching for a room, likely the one with the least amount of dust. Demeter and Hades looked at their surroundings and sighed as one.

“I am sorry you won’t have a moment of privacy with Hestia,” Hades quietly apologized.

“We can wait, it won’t kill us,” Demeter said with a shrug.

The eldest god offered his sister support to walk when it was time to find a bedchamber, but they were the last pair to claim a room, which left them with a space hardly any bigger than their old pantry at the fortress. A crudely made contraption posing as a bed took up most of the space, and the two Olympians wondered if it would even hold their combined weight.

“I never thought I would be pleased to have lost weight due to my injuries,” Demeter said as a weak attempt at jesting. She would not follow Hera’s example and complain about their situation; she had already been healed from her injuries and been given a second chance at life, for which she was deeply grateful. Sleeping uncomfortably was a price she was more than willing to pay for being alive.

Night was upon them, and none of the Olympians felt it was the right time to begin a renovation of their new home. They were all fatigued from the previous week’s various ordeals and craved only a night of uninterrupted sleep. The war against Cronos could wait, and so could their other concerns.

Hades and Demeter used their robes and blankets as makeshift bedclothes and regretted not having anything to use as a pillow, but nonetheless they lay down on the bed, saying nothing about the limited supplies and space. Hades would have preferred to curl up next to his youngest brother, who on top of intimacy always provided him with warmth. His sister, so small and lean, did not have the same possibilities, but Hades took it upon himself to at least keep her as warm and comfortable as possible.

Wrapping an arm gently around Demeter’s waist, Hades made sure they were both covered by a sheet, and then allowed his naked skin to touch hers. Unsure of where to place his hand, he let it drift downward until suddenly the goddess flinched as if she’d been burned again.

“I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” Hades asked, pulling his hand back immediately.

“No, not at all, I just… I just wish you wouldn’t touch me there… where I’m scarred.”

Had Hades more energy in his body to argue, he would have persevered that his sister’s scars were nothing to be ashamed of. Demeter had nothing to hide, and the fact that she had survived the burns to her body made the scars even less upsetting. However, both gods were thoroughly worn out from the events of so many days, and Demeter did not need to be sent into any greater state of distress.

“As you wish, sister,” he said, and he rested his arm over the curve of the goddess’ waist.

Demeter made some sort of agreeable noise to show approval, but she was fading as she spoke. Hades smiled, feeling the body beneath his touch relaxing until his sister was fully asleep.

A night bird cried out as it flew past Zeus’ childhood abode, and Hades listened to its eerie call. He was surprised with himself that he could listen to it without wishing he had Zeus’ arms to hold him. Perhaps it had been the fortuitous circumstances the Olympian’s had come upon, or perhaps Hades was becoming quite used to the unusual sights and sounds around him every day. Whatever the reason, the god found himself content to listen to the sounds of the night despite being in such a strange and unfamiliar place.

Demeter was alive and well beside him, and his family had survived the journey to Crete. Who knew what tomorrow would bring?

*

Stress had a peculiar way of affecting Zeus’ body and mind. He was fortunate on that night when he and Hades made love on the deck of the fishing boat. Only the blissful feeling of his organ pumping into his lover and giving its devastating release supplied him with any comfort, any sense of security. In times of tension that need of the release strained even harder.

Now that he knew his family was safe, and that a possible chance might arrive for the defeat of their enemies, Zeus hardly believed he could achieve sleep whatsoever. Even in joy he did not find relief, and as he slept, he dreamt of making love.

Demeter appeared in his dream first, fully healed by their mother and presenting herself naked before him, eager to be taken to bed. Once he’d had his way with her, he turned to find Hades in a similar state of undress. Moaning deliriously, he took his brother in his arms and proceeded to ravish him.

Suddenly, however, the body in his arms began to evaporate like mist despite Zeus’ attempts to hold on to his pleasure. He called out his brother’s name, wanting to ask Hades what was happening, but before he got the chance, the sound of insistent, high-pitched bird song reached his ears, and Zeus realized he had been dreaming before even opening his eyes.

It was morning outside. The god lay on his back and lifted one arm to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight spilling into the room through the large window. The memories of the previous day’s events gradually returned to him, and he knew that he was back in his childhood home with all five of his siblings. Demeter had been healed, and…

Zeus figured that he should rise and face the new day as soon as possible, but the pulsating, straining sensation in his groin made him groan out loud. He had dreamt of relieving his needs, but such had not occurred in the real world and thus left him with a stiff and engorged member demanding immediate attention.

Pushing back the sheet, Zeus glanced at his erection. It had already left a small trail of clear fluid against his stomach and twitched when he reached down to touch it. While any of his siblings would do to sate his needs, Zeus found himself lusting for his eldest brother. There was a body next to him in the bed, and his desire urged him to reach out and touch the form in question, but the Olympian leader had to stop himself from groaning out his disappointment upon discovering who it was.

“Poseidon…” he sighed, regarding his still sleeping brother. While they had a lot in common and found each other’s company most agreeable, Zeus hardly felt any sexual attraction to the other god, and the thought of using him to find release was not very satisfying at all.

“Zeus…?” Poseidon asked drowsily, lifting his head from his makeshift pillow. He took in his younger brother’s flushed visage and look of frustration, and the source of it soon became obvious to him. “Have you been awake long…?”

“I have not…” Zeus murmured, pulling the sheet back up to cover his member. His predicament was awkward enough as it was. “I should rise and occupy myself…”

“I can see what woke you up,” Poseidon carefully remarked. “Do you want me to help you with that…?”

“No,” Zeus replied abruptly, almost too much so.

Poseidon’s expression remained placid, but he could not help feeling a little hurt at his brother’s response. He and Zeus were physically the most powerful members of the Olympian family, trusted one another with their lives, and did everything together. Everything… except of course lovemaking. The true irony of that exception was that Zeus had taken every sibling to bed countless times, and not even once the brother he shared every moment with otherwise. Poseidon found such a concept both confusing and mildly exasperating. If they did everything else with each other, why not do this as well?

“Well…” he said slowly. “I apologize for being so forward.”

“Apology accepted,” Zeus muttered. The youngest god was completely oblivious to his brother’s own reaction, and he stood up from the bed, briskly walking to the doorway. “Go back to sleep, brother,” he advised, and he indicated his erect member. “I have… other things to preoccupy my time with, so I will leave you in peace. Resume your rest until Rhea’s servants arrive.”

Nodding, his older brother was quick to put the thoughts of lovemaking aside in favor of more sleep, and Zeus closed the door behind him as he left down the hall.

Poseidon had awoken once already in the light of the approaching dawn, peeking in through the window, but he turned over and resumed sleep when he realized this was the one time in his life he could rest as long as he wanted. The god was certain his siblings would be taking advantage of the morning hours just as he was.

*

He had not been asleep two hours more when he felt something against his face. At first he tried to brush it away, but seconds later the sensation came back, and he flinched, assuming some kind of multi-legged creature was crawling on him.

However, as he opened his eyes to inspect the thing which had so rudely awoken him, he found not legs but tiny fingertips reaching for him. Sitting straight up, he stared in confusion and surprise at the thing looking up at him from the floor hands gathered on the edge of the bed. The being resembled a goddess, but on a slightly smaller scale. Large eyes blinked, round and cool blue like the sky reflected on the surface of a pond.

Poseidon sat up, and for a few fleeting seconds his eyes remained locked with those of his new visitor. The being was no doubt a servant of their mother’s; a wood nymph judging from the looks of it, and the god could not help but wonder how it could have sneaked into his bedchamber and gotten all the way to his bed without awakening him.

“My name is Adamanthea,” the being spoke, its voice like the quiet whispering of the wind. “I was sent here by Rhea to assist you.”

“I see…” Poseidon scratched his head, wondering if he was the first one to encounter this being. “What can you tell us about our mother? Where has she gone?”

“Rhea cannot show herself very often, lest her activities attract the attention of Cronos,” Adamanthea explained, while her hands continued to touch and feel the god’s skin, as if she was mesmerized with the texture of it. Poseidon was not sure whether to find her touch agreeable or unsettling. While the nymph had the appearance of a nubile adolescent goddess, he could only guess that she had probably served their mother since before he was born.

“Where has she gone? Is she just going to leave us here?” he asked again, wondering if the being was even listening to him.

“You are a brother of Zeus, are you not?” Adamanthea asked instead of answering the question, and now there was a mischievous glitter in her bright blue eyes, followed by almost childish excitement. “You look like him. Your hair…”

Her hands moved from his face and chest to feel his hair instead, and Poseidon resisted the urge to swat them away. “Do you know Zeus?” he asked.

The wood nymph nodded. “I looked after him from time to time while he was growing up, when Rhea could not.” Now she was smiling, most likely reliving old memories. “It has been so long since I saw him… I have missed Zeus and his warm embrace.”

Poseidon frowned, knowing more than well what Adamanthea was referring to. Being raised by this creature, it was suddenly not so hard to comprehend why his youngest brother had such strong sexual urges.

“Is that a fact?” Poseidon said uncomfortably, trying to distract her. Not that his was so rude an awakening, but he hardly knew anything of nymphs. Most that he briefly saw whilst out hunting were gone the moment he thought he had seen them. And now here was one deliberately becoming very familiar with him.

“I can’t help but wonder…” she mused aloud.

“What’s that?” Poseidon inquired, not sure he liked the way the nymph was looking at her.

“… if you are just as impressive as your brother.” And with that revelation, she yanked at the blankets made up of the god’s robes. Eyes wide, Poseidon yanked the robes back, caught off guard by the nymph’s advances. He had no idea why, but he hardly wished to play games with this intrusive creature, but he was engaged in a game of tug of war in no time with her.

“What’s going on?” Hestia’s voice asked from the doorway. Both nymph and god looked up at her, surprise contorting their features, though Poseidon’s face was now also bright red.

“Uhh…” was all he could say.

“Are you a sister of Zeus?” Adamanthea asked abruptly. Hestia blinked at the sight of the nymph, still confused as to the reason of the sight before her.

“Well… yes, I—”

“Where is he?”

“I just saw him, he was going outside.”

What Poseidon remembered about nymphs he saw on his hunting outings was that they were quick. Adamanthea proved his memory correctly when she all but flew across the room. Like a wild animal he might have hunted, she was very nimble and quick on her feet, and she managed to pass the space between Hestia and the doorframe without touching either.

Both Olympians remained silent, trying to piece together what had just happened.

“Was that one of Rhea’s servants?” Hestia finally asked.

“I believe so,” Poseidon replied, getting dressed.


TBC...