Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Title: Blind Love 1/?
Author: Jade
Contact: jade_standish@yahoo.com
Series: Xena/Hercules
Rating: R to NC-17
Pairing: C/S, A/J
Archive: sure thing
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, and I'm sure not making any
money. But then, I think you knew that. *g* More's the pity.
Feedback: Please do.
Author's Note: Well, the plot bunnies did indeed start breeding.
Hopefully, I'll be able to update this on a fairly regular basis.
*************
"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I, sc. 1
The party was in full swing by the time Strife arrived. He couldn't
even remember what this particular party was being thrown for or who
was throwing it. He just wanted to stay long enough to be seen by
whoever it was and then leave. He had planned on meeting up with
the triplets and he knew they'd worry if he didn't show up.
He glanced across the room and froze when he saw Cupid with his arm
around the waist of his wife. The love god had been married to
Psyche for over a year, but it still hurt Strife to see them
together. He'd never really believed that Cupid could ever love
him, but as long as he was single Strife could still hope. But with
the two of them looking so happy with their baby Bliss, all of his
hopes had died.
Strife snapped back to reality when he realized that not only was he
still staring at Cupid, but the winged god was staring back with an
odd expression on his face. Strife turned away as he started to
blush, grabbing the first goblet he saw and downing the contents in
one gulp. He immediately began choking, the small part of his brain
not occupied with trying to breathe absently wondering who had
spiked the wine. After a moment of furious coughing and an unknown
person smacking him on the back, he managed to get himself under
control.
Two warm hands settled on his shoulders and Strife turned around,
expecting to see his uncle Ares. Instead, he found himself face to
face with a concerned, and somewhat drunk, Cupid. The smaller god
sighed, shrugging in an attempt to loosen Cupid's grip on his
shoulders so that he could move away from his far too tempting
cousin.
The attempt failed miserably as the intoxicated love god slid an arm
around Strife's neck and began pulling him along, snagging another
goblet with his free hand. Cupid swallowed a mouthful of the wine
then pressed the cup into Strife's hands, licking his lips when some
of the liquid spilled on the smaller god's fingers.
Strife jumped when Cupid suddenly reached for his hand, blue eyes
impossibly wide as the love god began to slowly lick the wine from
his fingers. His breath grew short as Cupid's tongue curled around
his fingers seeking every trace of the sweet wine. And his
breathing completely stopped when Cupid slid his fingers into his
mouth. Strife looked up at his cousin's face and was caught by the
heat he could see in Cupid's eyes. He couldn't look away even when
Cupid released his now-clean fingers and began licking the palm of
his hand.
It was only when Cupid moved his mouth slightly lower and began to
trace patterns with his tongue on the sensitive skin of Strife's
wrist that the younger god was able to pull his eyes away. However,
between the heat that was beginning to spread through him from the
wine and the heat of Cupid's body so close, Strife couldn't quite
find the will to pull his hand away.
He suddenly remembered the goblet of wine is his free hand and
quickly took a drink, hoping the wine would help him find the
courage to stop his cousin before he did something he'd regret
later. Unfortunately, the wine went straight to his head and his
knees began to buckle. Before he could hit the floor, an arm
wrapped around his waist and pulled him up against Cupid's bare
chest. The goblet dropped from Strife's suddenly numb fingers as
the love god released his hand and leaned forward to run his tongue
around the shell of Strife's ear.
Strife shivered and had a moment to absently wonder what had
happened to Psyche before warm lips were pressed against his. Then
he gave up any pretense of resistance and wound his arms around
Cupid's neck, allowing the other god to lift him off of his feet and
carry him to one of the small rooms off to the side of the main
hall. Before he lost the capacity for rational thought completely,
Strife breathed an almost silent prayer that he wasn't making a huge
mistake. And then he could no longer think, only feel.
* * *
Strife groaned as he woke up, his head pounding and his stomach
lurching. He cautiously opened one eye and frowned when he realized
that he had no idea where he was. All he could remember of the
night before was showing up at some god or goddess's party and then
nothing. He started to push himself off the bed when an arm snaked
around his waist and pulled him backwards. He froze in fear as a
vague memory of kissing Cupid rose to the surface.
"No, please tell me I didn't. I couldn't have." Strife gingerly
turned his head, just barely biting back a scream when he saw that
he actually had done it. He slowly eased out from under Cupid's
arm, tears welling in his eyes. He quickly dressed himself, never
taking his eyes off the winged love god sprawled naked on the bed.
He knelt next to the bed, not touching but only looking.
"Sorry, Cupe. I didn't mean ta." Strife's voice was only a hoarse
whisper, not loud enough to wake the sleeping love god. "I know ya
didn't mean ta either, so this never happened. 'Kay?" Then as a
single tear slid down his cheek, Strife flashed out of the room.
Blind Love 2/?
Jade
for disclaimer, see part 1
***************
When Strife reappeared he was in the middle of a campsite and was
immediately surrounded by three extremely concerned triplets. All
three had opened their mouths to speak but when they saw the
expression on his face, they simply led him to a bedroll and gently
pushed him down. They they all sat close around him, trying to
offer comfort until Strife was ready to talk.
After several minutes of sitting in silence, Joxer finally
spoke. "What happened, Dad?"
Strife sighed, propping his elbows on his knees and hiding his face
in his hands. "I screwed up, boys. I got drunk at that party last
night and made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. And that's
sayin' something."
The triplets glanced at each other, then Jett leaned forward. "You
don't need us to kill anyone for you? Do you, Dad?"
The question had the desired effect as Strife giggled
quietly. "Nope. Sorry, Jett. Killin' ain't gonna fix this
problem."
When Strife didn't say anything else, Jace decided that it was his
turn to try. "How can we help if you don't tell us what's wrong,
Dad?"
Just when it looked like Strife was finally going to answer, Ares
flashed into the campsite. He glanced at the triplets, his gaze
resting on Joxer for an extra moment before turning to
Strife. "Have you by any chance seen Cupid since last night,
Strife? Psyche's driving everyone crazy looking for him." The god
of War sneered. "She just keeps going on about how she only left
him for a minute and he just disappeared."
Strife gulped silently, looked Ares straight in the eye, and
lied. "Sorry, Unc. I haven't seen him. Maybe he gotta hold of
some of that spiked wine and passed out ina corner somewhere."
Ares groaned. "Don't remind me about that. When I find out who did
it, they will wish they had never been born." He looked over at
Strife with narrowed eyes. "It wasn't you, was it?"
Strife shook his head, letting loose with one of his trademark
giggles. "Nope, Unc. Wasn't me. Why are ya after the guy that did
it anyway?" The god of Mischief smirked, his own problems
temporarily taking a backseat. "What did ya do, Unc?"
A lesser god than Ares would have blushed, and as it was the god of
War came perilously close. "I don't actually remember, but
according to Eris I was standing on a table... singing."
There was utter silence in the campsite for a moment before Joxer
began snickering quietly. The other four turned to him in shock as
the snickers quickly escalated into a full-on laughing fit. And the
harder Ares glared at him, the more Joxer laughed. When he finally
got himself under control he wiped the tears from his eyes and
shrugged at Ares unrepentantly. "Sorry, but it was a really funny
image."
Ares shook his head. "Well, now that I've humiliated myself for
your amusement I'll be going." His voice was a deep growl, but the
corner of his mouth was twitching up into a small smile as he looked
at Joxer. The war god prepared to flash out, but suddenly turned
back to Strife. "You might want to shield yourself if you don't
want any of the others to find the boys, Strife. Once they get over
their hangovers, they're gonna come looking for you, whether you're
responsible or not." And without another word Ares disappeared,
leaving Strife and the triplets alone again.
The silence only lasted for a brief moment before Jett faced Strife,
one eyebrow arched. "You never did tell us what was wrong, Dad.
Let us help you."
Strife sighed. "Ya can't help me with this one, Jett. Any of ya."
He lowered his head, his voice only a bare whisper that the triplets
could only just hear. "I wasn't the only one ta get a hold of the
spiked wine last night. Cupe did too, and I slept with him."
The triplets glanced at each other and as one they moved forward to
embrace their father. Strife had been right when he said that they
couldn't fix this, but they would be there for him until he got the
pieces put back together again.
Strife spent several hours with the triplets who grew more worried
about him as the day wore on. For the most part the mischief god
seemed fine, but his moods would quickly swing from a deep
melancholy to a sharp anger. After snapping at Jett for the third
time in an hour, Strife closed his eyes and leaned back against a
tree, running his hands through his spiky black hair. After a
minute he looked back up at his eldest son and smiled slightly in
apology.
"Sorry, Jett. I don't know what's the matter with me. I didn't
mean ta yell at ya."
Jett sighed as he shook his head. "It's not your fault, Dad.
You've had a really bad day." He suddenly perked up. "Are you
absolutely sure that I can't kill someone for you? Anybody? Or
maybe a little torture if you didn't want anything permanent?
Please?"
The first genuine smile in hours finally twisted Strife's lips as he
giggled. "Ya sound like an eager puppy there, Jett. Not exactly
the most fear-inspirin' thing for the King of Assassins ta be
doing."
The assassin smirked. "Anybody else who heard me wouldn't live long
enough to tell anybody. And anyway, you didn't answer my question.
Are you sure no one needs killing or maiming, or anything?"
"Yep, I'm sure, Jett. Thanks for askin', though." Strife yawned as
he pulled himself to his feet, using the tree at his back for
leverage. "Guess last night's startin' ta catch up with me. I'm
gonna head back up ta Olympus and try ta get some shut eye."
The triplets smiled and all three moved in for a good-bye hug. Just
as Strife was about to flash away, Joxer moved a little closer and
spoke quietly into his father's ear. "We'll still be here for a few
days. If you need to talk or anything, just stop by. After that
I'll be meeting back up with Xena, but Jace should still be
available." His smile widened just a fraction. "At least, until he
gets to Thrace for that show he's doing."
Strife forced a smile at his youngest's words, but he could feel
tears beginning to well. "Thanks, Jox. I may just take ya up on
that offer." He pulled Joxer into another quick hug and flashed
away before the tears could fall.
The god of Mischief appeared in the Halls of War, and he breathed a
sigh of relief when he didn't see anyone lurking around. His
somewhat fragile emotional state would be almost impossible to
explain without admitting to what had happened the night before.
Strife started to make his way towards his rooms, getting about half-
way there when he noticed an arrow lying on the floor in a corner.
While it didn't belong to the love god, it still pushed Cupid to the
front of Strife's mind where the image of the blond god sent him
into a rage.
It only lasted for a moment, but when Strife finally regained
control of himself several spots on both the floor and the walls
were scorched and blackened where fireballs had smashed into the
stone. An urn that had once stood on a pedestal by the doorway was
now lying broken on the floor and a stunned Eris was carefully
poking her head out from around the door frame.
When it seemed to her that the storm had passed, Eris slowly picked
her way through the wrecked hall toward Strife. She opened her
mouth to ask him what in Tartarus he was thinking, but the
expression on his face was so lost that she simply opened her arms
and let him fall into them. She stood silently while he sobbed,
ignoring the tears that were soaking her leathers. The tears passed
as quickly as the rage had and as soon as Strife quieted, Eris
transported them both to his room and gently pushed him onto the
bed.
Eris helped Strife to lay down and then sat next to him, holding his
head in her lap. She slowly stroked his hair as she waited for him
to fall asleep, humming quietly under her breath. As Strife's
breathing evened and slowed, her lips twisted in a sneer. Whoever
had done this to her baby boy had better watch out. Discord was
coming, and nothing would stand in her way.
Blind Love 4/?
Jade
for disclaimer, see part 1
***************
It was early the next morning when Strife woke up curled around
Discord like a lonely puppy. He blinked repeatedly, a confused
frown on his face, but the picture never changed. He tried to
slowly shift away from his still-sleeping mother, but even that
slight movement sent his stomach lurching. His eyes widened in
panic and he lunged off of the bed, making it half-way across the
room before dropping to his knees and creating a basin just as his
stomach emptied.
As the violent waves of nausea finally eased Strife leaned back on
his heels, flashing the basin away as a pair of small, feminine
hands began to rub his back. He kept his eyes closed for a moment
before opening them and glancing over at Eris.
"Thanks, Ma. I feel better now."
Eris cocked an elegant eyebrow at him, gently running one hand
through his hair. "What's wrong, Strife? You can tell me."
Strife looked away, debating what to tell Eris. He breathed a sigh
of relief when Ares flashed into the room, arms crossed and a scowl
on his face. The god of War began pacing angrily around the room,
ignoring the looks that he was getting from both Strife and Eris.
"I've had it with that little bitch's whining. And I thought that
Xena's bard was annoying."
Strife sat up a little straighter and tried to ignore the nausea
that was once again spreading through his now-empty
stomach. "Psyche still ain't found Feathahs yet, Unc?"
Ares snorted, finally standing still long enough to glare at
Strife. "Oh, no. She found him, and that's the problem. She found
him asleep naked, in a bedroom that, in her words, absolutely reeked
of sex. So now she's on the warpath trying to figure out who slept
with her husband."
Discord smirked from where she was kneeling behind Strife. "Why
doesn't she just ask the flyboy who he was having fun with?"
The god of War sneered, never noticing the anxious expression on his
nephew's pale face. "She did. But my rather feather-brained son
was drunk and can't remember."
Strife's nausea vanished as a blind rage swept through him. All of
the candles in the room suddenly flared, the wax quickly melting in
the extreme heat of the flames. Urns and other various things in
the room shattered, the pieces clattering to the floor creating the
only noise in the otherwise silent room. And through it all Strife
simply knelt on the floor, his pale blue eyes unfocused.
Ares and Eris merely stared at Strife, watching silently as his eyes
focused and a single tear ran down his cheek. The goddess of
Discord was the first one to make the connection and she wrapped her
arms around Strife's shoulders, resting her cheek on his bent
head. "That's what you didn't want to tell me, isn't it, Strife?"
He nodded, glancing over at Ares when the older god crouched next to
him. "Yeah. Sorry for lyin' ta ya, Unc."
Ares sighed, then reached over to ruffle his nephew's spiky
hair. "It's all right, brat. Just don't do it again." He suddenly
moved back when he saw Strife's face taking on a green tinge,
flashing up another basin just as the god of Mischief began
heaving. A moment later the spell was over, and Ares absently got
rid of the basin as he leaned forward and placed a hand on Strife's
forehead. "Are you feeling all right, Strife?"
The younger god tried to glare up at Ares but there was no heat
behind it. "What do ya think, Unc, that I'm doin' this for fun?
Course I don't feel all right."
Eris and Ares both sent small tendrils of power into Strife, and
both reached the same conclusion. They looked at each other, then
as one turned to stare at the suddenly nervous Strife. After a
moment of silence, Eris finally gathered up the courage to speak.
"Strife, your uncle and I have something to tell you, and I don't
think you're gonna like it. Please don't blow anything else up,
okay?" When Strife hesitantly nodded, Eris continued. "Strife,
honey, we think you're pregnant."
For a moment the room was unnaturally silent as Ares and Eris waited
anxiously for Strife's reaction to the news. When it finally came,
it wasn't what either of them had expected. Instead of either
raging or crying, the god of Mischief began to giggle. At first
they were quiet, but they quickly escalated until tears began to
slide down Strife's pale cheeks. The giggling continued until Ares
put a comforting hand on the younger god's shoulder. At the small
gesture of sympathy, the giggles turned almost immediately into
sobs.
Strife only dimly felt his uncle's arms wrap around him and pull him
closer, his sobs muffled by Ares' leather vest. All of his
attention was focused on the two words echoing through his mind:
you're pregnant. There was no question of who the other father
was. He hadn't been with anyone except for Cupid in longer than he
cared to remember. And now he was going to be giving Cupid a son or
daughter, and he couldn't even tell the love god.
After a few minutes his tears began to slow and he pulled away from
Ares, offering the god of War a shaky smile. He wiped his eyes with
the back of his hand and took a deep breath before speaking in an
attempt to keep his voice from shaking. "What do I do now? I can't
keep this a secret long enough ta have a baby."
Eris and Ares shared another worried glance. "I don't think you'll
have to, son. From what Ares and I can tell, you're already about
two months along, and somehow I don't think it's going to slow down
until after the baby's born."
"Babies." Ares arched an eyebrow when both Strife and Eris turned
to look at him in shock. "What, you couldn't tell? Strife's having
twins."
Strife's eyes grew almost impossibly wide and his breathing suddenly
became erratic. One baby would be hard enough to hide, but two? He
had managed fairly well with the triplets, but these children would
be full gods. Zeus would certainly find out about them eventually.
At that thought, the god of Mischief began to panic in earnest. He
glanced up at Ares, utter terror the only thing visible in his pale
blue eyes.
"What am I gonna do, Unc? The ol' goat's sure ta find out, and when
he does..."
The god of War clamped a hand over Strife's mouth gently and waited
until the younger god stopped trying to talk through his hand. Then
he reached up and ruffled the spiky black hair, keeping his gaze
locked with his nephew's. When Strife seemed a little calmed, Ares
spoke.
"Zeus is not going to find out about this, Strife. Eris and I are
not going to let that happen. Understand?" He waited for Strife to
nod and then continued. "If things are moving this fast, the
pregnancy will probably only last for a few more days. We'll hide
you until the babies are born and Zeus doesn't have to know a
thing."
Strife started to nod, then frowned and shook his head. "That's a
great start, Unc, but what happens ta my babies after that? I can't
keep 'em on Olympus 'cause someone'd find out."
Eris sighed. "He's right, you know. There's no way he can raise
them up here, or anywhere for that matter. The old goat would get
wind of it before any of us even had a clue. We've got to come up
with a better plan, Ares. For all our sakes."
After about a minute of silence, Ares suddenly snapped his fingers
in triumph. "I don't know why we didn't think of it before. How
about Joxer?"
Eris and Strife just looked at the war god for a moment before
slowly nodding. Discord frowned, tapping one finger against her
lower lip in thought. "That might work. He's family, he can
protect them, and as long as he's anywhere near Xena we'll have an
excuse to check up on them."
Strife sniffled, one hand resting protectively over his still-flat
stomach. "Jox said that if I needed anythin' ta stop by, but I
don't think this is what he meant." He fought back tears, sniffing
again as two managed to roll down his cheeks. "But Jox'll take good
care of my babies. I just wish that I could."
Eris pulled the younger god into her arms. "Someday, Strife, we'll
find a way to fix this. I promise you. We'll fix this, somehow."
Title: Blind Love 6/?
Author: Jade
Contact: jade_standish@yahoo.com
Series: Xena/Hercules
Rating: R
Pairing: C/S, A/J
Archive: sure thing
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, and I'm sure not making any
money. But then, I think you knew that. *g* More's the pity.
Feedback: Please do.
Author's Note: Boy, has it been a while. *embarrassed grin* Parts 1-
5 can be found in the list's archive and should be read, or re-read,
before reading this part. I wouldn't want anyone to get confoozled.
*g* Hopefully, it won't take nearly this long for part 7 to come
out. *crosses fingers*
* * *
Four days later, Strife was immensely grateful that his pregnancy
was almost over. Ares and Eris had kept him hidden in the Halls of
War the entire time, only letting him out the day before to talk to
Joxer. His son had been more than happy to take responsibility for
the still-unborn twins, and the four of them had come up with a
cover story to tell Xena and Gabrielle when Joxer met back up with
them. All Strife had to do now was give birth.
And when a sudden, sharp pain flared in his lower back, he realized
that it was time. "Ma, Unc! Get back here. I need ya!"
The two deities in question instantly flashed into the room, Ares
adding power to the shield he had around the Halls of War so that
the new godlings wouldn't be sensed by anyone once they were born.
Strife's labor was easier than it would have been for a mortal
woman, but harder than normal for a god since they couldn't call for
Apollo. The mischief god never actually screamed, though he did
come close once or twice and he was gripping his mother's hand so
tightly that he nearly broke her fingers.
Two hours after his labor began, Strife was holding his elder
daughter in his arms while Eris cradled the other baby girl. The
godling in Strife's arms was blue-eyed and had a tuft of blonde hair
on her small head, with a small pair of black wings on her back.
The edges of her feathers and the tips of her hair were a brilliant
red. Her sister was dark of hair and eye, while her wings were a
snowy white, except for the tips which were a deep blue that matched
the ends of her hair.
Ares looked at his nephew with pride, then focused on the twin
godlings. As he read their power signatures, he growled. "You
remember the reason that Zeus said you couldn't have children,
Strife?"
The mischief god looked up at Ares, pushing a damp lock of black
hair out of his eyes with his free hand. "Of course I do, Unc.
After all, it ain't every day the Fates tell ya that your kids will
somehow lead ta wrath falling on the ol' goat." His eyes
narrowed. "Why?"
The god of War gestured toward the blonde baby. "Because this
little darling is the new goddess of Wrath. Her sister is the
goddess of Grief and Sorrow."
Strife sighed and cuddled his daughter closer. "Well, that explains
the mood swings, I guess." After a moment of silence, he looked up
at Discord. "When do I gotta give 'em up, Ma?"
Eris looked at the twins, then over at Ares. "Once we put a glamour
on them to hide their wings, we need to take them to Joxer. The
longer they stay on Olympus, the better the chance that Zeus gets
wind of them."
"Yeah, I know." Strife kissed his blonde daughter on the forehead
before handing her to Ares. "Hold Melania for me, would ya, Unc?"
Ares smiled as he carefully took the baby. "Melania? It suits her,
Strife. And what about her sister?"
Strife gently took his younger daughter from Discord. "Desdemona.
Meli and Desi for short." He sniffled, one single tear sliding down
his pale cheek. "I'm gonna miss 'em, Unc."
The war god reached out and ruffled his nephew's still-damp
hair. "I know, brat. I'll keep an eye on them for you. And
eventually the prophecy'll come true and they won't need to hide
anymore."
Strife managed a quick giggle. "I nevah thought I'd see ya taking
those three seriously, Unc."
"This time I have to, Strife. I can't believe that this time
they're wrong."
* * *
About an hour later Ares flashed into the clearing where Joxer had
made camp, a godling in each arm. Before the glamour had been
placed, both babies had undergone another sudden growth spurt and
now appeared to be about a year old. Joxer's eyes widened when he
saw the twins, and he gasped as they suddenly aged once again right
in front of him. Now, both girls looked about three and they
virtually leaped out of the war god's arms to grab hold of their
older brother's legs.
"Joxie, are you gonna take care of us?" Meli looked up at him with
big blue eyes, her red-tipped blonde curls falling over her
forehead.
Desi tightened her little arms around his leg, gazing up at him just
like her sister. "Daddy said you were."
Joxer just looked at Ares for a moment before kneeling down next to
the girls, wrapping an arm around each of them. "Yes, I'm going to
be taking care of you. And I have two friends coming to meet me
that'll help. Now, how about the two of you sit right here while I
talk to Ares?" He gently loosened their grip on his legs and
stepped away, both he and Ares staying close while not close enough
for the girls to overhear anything.
"The little blonde angel is Melania, goddess of Wrath. Her younger
sister is Desdemona, goddess of Grief and Sorrow." Ares watched the
girls in silence for a moment, then looked back at Joxer. "Meli and
Desi's wings are hidden by a glamour until they reach their
majority, and we have no idea when that will be. Eris thinks
they're about to stop growing so fast, but we can't be sure." He
ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Strife hated having to
give them up so soon."
Joxer wrapped his arms around the war god and pressed a gentle kiss
to his lips. "You go and take care of Dad. The twins will be fine
here. Xena and Gabby should be here soon, and I know they'll just
fall in love with the girls. Especially once they hear the story."
His lips curled up in a slight smile. "Who knows? Maybe they'll
finally realize that not all of the gods are so bad."
Ares chuckled. "Somehow, I just don't see that happening. Thanks,
Joxer. We'll be around if you need us." He took one last look at
the girls, then flashed out.
tbc