Title: News
Author: JoeyRZ
Email: joey_amazonbard@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.angelfire.com/pq/joeyrz/index.html
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Xena/Herc
Pairing: A/J
Status: Complete
Sequel/Series: Part 11 in the "Righting Wrongs" universe. Follows "Final
Battle"
Archive: To Joxerotica, AJCS and my site; anywhere else, ask permission
first.
Summary: Aphrodite has some news to share.
Notes: This is for the Joxerotica 2005 Challenge. This is November's entry
- ruling goddess: Aphrodite.
Notes the Second: The final JE2005 Challenge story!!! Wow. I made it. All
the thanks go to Amy, who was so awesome to post this challenge that stirred
my muse.
Notes the Third: I'm not sure if this series will continue past this point.
I'm happy where I ended it, and could very well stay there. But I love this
universe, and I might come back and play with it again. Soooo. no promises.
Notes the Fourth: This whole series might get beta'ed sometime next year.
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine except the idea and the words.
News
By JoeyRZ
"How's Father feeling?"
"He's still a little bit weak," Hera confessed to her son, as they sat down
in her garden for a late breakfast. "But with every little burst of energy
that almost every god and goddess in Olympus is sending him, he's starting
to regain his strength back fast. And the thunderstorm Poseidon says is
starting to brew out west in the sea will give enough of a boost to get him
back on his feet in no time."
"And Athena?"
Hera's hold on the teapot wavered slightly and it was taken gently out of
her hands. Her soft sigh gave her weariness away as she settled back into
the high backed chair. "The nightmares have lessened, but she can't
remember them in the morning. They're taking their toll on her, though. she
isn't recuperating at the speed Apollo had hoped."
"She'll get better soon, Mother. It's not even been a week, she needs time
to deal with this. Not only what Dahok put her through, but what she
allowed to happen in her anger."
"I know. Artemis has barely left her side, though, which seems to be
helping. But enough about that. What did you want to see me for?"
Before he could answer, Aphrodite appeared in the garden in a shower of rose
colored sparkles. 'Dite looked tired, her hair was a little frayed around
the edges, and her pink silk clothing, which was normally translucent to
reveal the beaded underwear, was now rather opaque, covering her body just a
tad more than usual. Hephaestus rose quickly to pull a chair out for his
lover. They'd only just gotten back together again a week ago; the end of
the terror that had gripped Olympus for such a short time became the
cataclysm for their renewed passion.
"Oh! I'm sorry I'm so late, Mother Hera - thanks, Hephie," she said all in
a rush, leaning back to peck Hephaestus cheek. She sighed and cuddled up to
him as he pulled a chair closer to hers and sat down. "I just overslept."
"Overslept? But you look like you haven't slept for a week, child - I don't
want to know," Hera held up a hand to forestall the comment that was on the
tip of Aphrodite's tongue. The quick grin the lovers shared told her all
she needed to know. "But even when present circumstances have occurred in
the past, you've never looked this tired before."
Sitting up straight in horror, Aphrodite conjured up a mirror and looked
herself critically in it. Trying to pat down her curls, she asked, "Is it
that bad, Hephie?"
"You looked gorgeous, as always." He hadn't spent centuries in and out of a
relationship with the goddess without learning the appropriate answer for
these questions.
"You look fine, just tired. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're just
pr-" Hera stopped talking abruptly as she looked at her daughter in law
closer. "You... but it's... wasn't it... impossible?" She looked at
Hephaestus for confirmation.
"She is, and you're right. It is impossible... for us. It's not mine. But
I hope," he continued, looking at Aphrodite, "that I can raise it if it
were?"
Her smile could have lit the whole of Olympus. "Of course, Hephie! I want
that so much!" She almost knocked them both over, as she threw her hands
around him, practically climbing into Hephaestus' lap.
Hera continued to drink her tea, composed but not at ease. She waited
patiently for the pair of them to shift back into their seats. "So who is
the father?"
"Is it that difficult a question, Mother Hera? Besides Hephie, there's only
one other god I've ever shared my bed with."
"Hence our current dilemma," Hephaestus stated.
"When?"
Aphrodite wondered how one single word could carry so many different
questions and could potentially contain so many unwelcome consequences.
"I'm three months along. I know I should have to you sooner, to check up on
it, but."
Hera shushed her, turning her chair and motioning Aphrodite to the same so
they could face each other with the table out of their way. Leaning
slightly forward and pressing her hands on the younger goddess' abdomen,
Hera concentrated. Moving her hands around, the goddess of childbirth
focused her powers on the tiny bundle of energy rapidly growing inside the
womb. She spent a few minutes at it, cataloguing the baby's development,
growth, energy levels and awareness before sitting back on her chair,
patting Aphrodite's stomach very lightly as she removed her hands.
"So?" Hephaestus asked anxiously. Aphrodite had assured him everything was
okay, but he needed to hear it from the expert.
"You have a very healthy baby there. Growing fast, which is usual for you,
Aphrodite. Can already tell you the sex if you wish."
Both gods nodded earnestly, Aphrodite holding her breath as Hephaestus
mentally crossed his fingers, hoping.
"It'll be one beautiful girl, I'm sure of it."
"Yes!" Hephaestus whooped in joy, standing an knocking over his chair,
wishing he had the mobility to do a cartwheel.
Aphrodite was looking down at her belly, softly cradling the bump that had
already started to show and with a beautiful smile, said her baby girl's
name.
"Harmonia."
~*~*~*~*~*~
"I didn't know Aphrodite could cook."
Ares shot his much used 'you are very weird' look at Joxer as his lover
reclined on their bed. He pulled a dark blue shirt from the mahogany
armoire, and hanged it on a hook on the door. He tugged off his black,
leather vest, and tossed it carelessly on the bed next to Joxer.
"Are you gonna wear a shirt?" Joxer asked incredulously, sitting up on the
bed.
Not saying a word, Ares, very pointedly, unbuttoned the shirt, took it off
the hanger and slipped it on. He smiled inwardly as he saw Joxer scramble
to his feet, moving quickly behind Ares and rubbing his pale hands up the
silk covered chest.
"You... you never wear shirts!"
"I wear shirts," Ares disputed simply.
"You don't! I've been with you for almost two months now, and I knew you in
the future for years, and you never once wore a shirt!"
"Just because you haven't seen me wear one before, doesn't mean I don't wear
them."
"Two months!"
"Are you objecting?" Ares asked, knowing by the roving hands that that
wasn't the case.
"Tartarus, no!" Joxer shimmied in between Ares and the armoire, his naked
chest sliding erotically against the silk of Ares' shirt. "You look good
enough to eat. But why the shirt?"
Ares dropped his head down to lick at Joxer's neck, murmuring against his
skin, "gotta keep you on your toes."
"Oh, please do," Joxer begged, pulling at the fastening's of Ares' leather
pants, before remembering he was a god. It took all of his concentration,
but a second later, both their pants disappeared to Gaia knows where.
Ares growled in appreciation and with one hard kiss to Joxer's lips, he
turned his lover around, smirking as his lover moaned at the feel of the
silk rubbing across his chest and back. He made no move to take the shirt
off... if Joxer wanted him to keep the shirt, he'd keep the shirt.
With a quick thought, Ares prepared Joxer, smirking as his lover jumped
slightly at the sudden slick feeling inside. It never failed to amuse him.
Pressing Joxer firmly against the dresser's door, Ares pushed his lover's
legs apart and moved in impossibly close. Grabbing himself, he guided his
cock into Joxer's tight ass, pushing firmly but slowly, as tight muscles
relaxed around him.
Joxer braced himself with one hand against, what he hoped was, a strong
piece of furniture, moving the other backwards to hold onto Ares' hip,
pulling his lover tighter against him.
"Come on... now, Ares..."
That was one request Ares wasn't going to refuse. With one hand on Joxer's
hip and another across his chest, rubbing the cool silk over Joxer's
sensitive nipples, Ares began to thrust into him, quickly finding a
satisfying rhythm for both of them.
It was times like these that Joxer was grateful he was now a god too. He
could now keep up with Ares, stretching their lovemaking twice or three
times as long as it had been when he'd been a mortal.
The armoire was groaning under their weight by the time Joxer threw his head
back, screaming silently as he spilled over Ares' hand. Moving his head to
capture his lover's lips, he swallowed Ares' growl of completion, shuddering
with aftershocks as he felt the sudden wet heat inside him. Collapsing back
onto a strong muscled shirt, Joxer smiled.
"'Dite doesn't cook."
"Huh?"
"She doesn't cook, she gets her acolytes to prepare her meals," Ares
explained.
After a second, Joxer decided that non-sequitor deserved a laugh, so he did,
all the while it took Ares to dump him into the bed and smother the laughter
with an incendiary kiss.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Thanks for the dinner invitation, Aphrodite," Joxer said as he laid a
gentle kiss on the goddess' cheek.
She smiled as she ushered them across her temple's main room and into the
dining room. "It's not a big deal. The acolytes do most of the work, I
just have to play hostess."
"Told you," Ares murmured into Joxer's ear.
"Hello, Brother!" Hephaestus boomed out as he walked over to them, his limp
barely noticeable, giving his very restful week away. The harder he worked,
the worst the limp became.
"Heph!" Ares hugged his brother enthusiastically. "So now I know why we're
here. Celebrating another go at it?"
Joxer smiled hugely, hugging 'Dite and releasing her to hug Hephaestus.
"That's great!"
Dinner passed pleasantly, though all three gods were out-eaten by the
goddess. It was only when they moved from the dining room into the lounge
that Ares noticed that their hosts were silently debating something.
"Okay, out with it. It's not like I don't know you're keeping something
from us," Ares growled, slipping into War God mode, hoping to get whatever
it was out of them and fast.
Deciding to take the bull by the horns, 'Dite took a deep breath and said,
"I'm pregnant."
"Congratulations!" Joxer enthused. "That's... great?" Suddenly noticing the
tense silence, he finished lamely. "What? Is something wrong with the
baby?"
"No! It's not that, sweetie... it's... you see..."
"I'm sterile, Joxer. I can't have children. It's from the Fall,"
Hephaestus explained.
"So if it's not yours, then who's the fat..." Joxer trailed off as he stared
in horror at Ares. Ares, who seemed unable to meet his gaze. Ares, who was
grinding his teeth so hard he could hear it from where he stood.
He stared for what seemed ages, until he felt Aphrodite shaking him.
"Joxer, sweetie, listen. I'm three months along. That means it was way
before you came here, before we, Ares, knew you. It was a fling, nothing
more... well, now it's more, but it's not something that's gonna come
between you and Ares. Not something that has to or should. Don't let it.
You know we have other children - Cupid, Anteros, Phobos, Deimos. Now,
we're gonna have little Harmonia."
"A girl?" Ares asked, dumbfounded.
"A girl," Heph confirmed.
"Joxie... I love Ares, no doubt about it. But I'm in love with Hephie, just
like you guys are in love with one another. Little Harmonia won't come
between all of us. She's going to bring us all closer."
Joxer looked at Ares again, who was alternative watching him and 'Dite's
slightly protruding belly. When he caught Ares' gaze, he could see the love
burning there. Love for his child. Love for him.
It was amazing what being God of Friendship allowed him to feel and see. He
could feel, and in his mind's eye, see, the bonds of friendship and fealty
binding each of them to one another. Assurance hit him quickly, leaving him
feeling calm. He wondered briefly how Aphrodite saw their bonds of love,
but dismissed it, content in the knowledge that while he couldn't see those,
he felt them with every inch of his being.
"So, I'm gonna be a step dad?"
Aphrodite's smile blinded him, while Ares stole his breath with a kiss.
The end.