The Primordials Book One - Olympus: A Pantheon Divided

Chapter Four - Stirrings and Pomegranate Seeds

"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."

-- George Orwell

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Above is obviously a picture of the absolutely perfect Eva Green. She's definitely on my list, especially after 300: Rise of An Empire. Never thought I'd love her more.

Next chapter, you'll finally get to meet our dashingly light-footed hero! Stay tuned, please! :D

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Athanasia Ambrose was not pleased in the slightest.

She stood by the window on the top floor of the high-rise office building, glaring down at the ant-sized people on the site below. They crawled about, rushing to avoid the rain. Like that was possible. The clouds hung low in the sky, thick and dark.

Since when had mortals become so damned lazy?

"Did you feel it?" asked her husband, Aaron, as though they weren't equally bound.

As soon as he entered the room, the air cracked and sizzled, filled with pressure and power. She shifted her stance, her body tensing as he came closer. She glanced at him, a hint of bitterness in her blue eyes. Of course, his dark blonde hair looked a perfect mess in the bun on top of his head. The frames on his face did nothing to hide the storm in eyes.

He was feeling volatile today, and volatile could mean anything. Today it tended to mean ornery, so she might have to be careful.

Not that she cared how he  felt.

"Of course I felt it, even from here. I'm certain we all did. It was only a matter of time. It's even as weak as you are. Pathetic."

Her gaze returned to the sky just as lightening flashed several dozen times, and the air around her sparked. The affect of simple words is plain as it continues; a grin surfaced on her face, but it died instantly as he reached for her. 

"Come now, darling," Aaron coaxed, but she pulls away.

"Go play with your whore."

Her response barely made him flinch; even now there was a flush to her cheeks. His expression was wry as he followed her, knowing that she couldn't resist for very long.

"Why can't I just play with you? You're so much fun, darling."

She walked to the mini-bar near the desk and reached into the refrigerator for a full pomegranate from the fresh bundle. He slid a china plate onto the desk just as she set it down, then offered her a knife while twirling a silver spoon in the other hand. 

"She's down there, isn't she."

It wasn't a question, but a statement. A demand.

"Who?" he asked innocently, ducking his head to press his mouth to the apex of her shoulder and neck. He settled in just behind her, his broad chest pressing against her back.

"You know who. Get off me," she huffed, nudging him with her shoulder.

Of course, it's no use. Aaron rolled his eyes and waited patiently, watching over her shoulder as she cut the pomegranate in half. As soon as the knife hit the plate, he used a hand on her shoulder to turn her, crowding her before she even dips the spoon into the fruit to carve out the seeds.

"Patience is a virtue," she reminded him.

"Patience isn't my thing," he corrected her.

For what it was worth, Athanasia glared up at him, furious that he was toying with her and getting away with it. It was the most terrible of days when the bastard realized just how charming he was. He always got what he wanted, so it was a wonder why she still bothered to resist when he wanted her for a change.

Her husband was a hound and always got his bone-- usually into someone other than her. 

But still she loved him, deep down.

Aaron backed a hair away, giving her leave to go for the seeds. She was so easy to read, it was a wonder no one had written a book about her. The woman was so damn jealous-- but then, when wasn't she?

"Won't you play with me, Wife?" he asked, leaning in to touch his forehead to hers. He only turned away as she offered him a spoonful of seeds.

Aaron gave her a nudge with his knee, opening her legs and settling in between them. His wife inhaled sharply, no doubt trying as hard as she could to avoid the surges of electricity flowing from his fingers. Her bare skin was already heating underneath his hands as he kneaded the soft flesh on her thighs.

She kept her composure and tried to ignore him even as he lifted her to sit on the edge of the desk. Her ankles locked at his back as a hand slipped underneath her dress. As it dipped in between her legs,  however, Athanasia all but dropped the pomegranate and spoon, startled into submission.

Luckily, he caught them before she made a mess, and lowered her to the desk with a kiss.

"I'm shocked this still works on you," he chuckled in triumph as she began to move her hips, the heel of his hand grinding against her as his fingers probed with pulses over her thin underwear. 

Aaron bursted another handful of seeds in his mouth before plunging his tongue into hers. She moaned again and opened immediately for him, kicking off her shoes to tease him with a stocking-clad foot down the back of his leg. He laughed even as their tongues battled, her anger briefly forgotten in the pleasure as her husband did what he does best.

She managed to wedge her arms in between them and shoved hard at his broad chest. Were he any other being, his heart would have been instantly crushed under the force of her power. Simply to humor her, he broke the kiss with a satisfied expression.

"Say her name, Husband. You know who," she repeated, breathless as he trudged on.

Her sharp nails dug into the fine fabric of his suit as she clutched at him, her will deteriorating. He could hear the tiny, priceless threads ripping, but it's no matter. There were plenty more where this one came from.

"No, actually, I don't," he continued to play the game, pressing a finger where she needed it most and watching her unravel.

Her cry nearly overshadowed the phone as it rang, and the god-king smiled ruefully. Switching hands, he covered her mouth and picked up the phone, answering on the first ring.

They'd been waiting for this call, and they knew what it was about.

"The first one is loose."

"Track it down and destroy it," he replied immediately as his wife settled down with a shudder. 

"We are not as merciful as we once were."

The hum of a dial tone was the only response as the line went dead on the other end.

His mood shot, Aaron straightened, pulling his flushing wife to her feet. He adjusted her dress and used a kerchief  to clean her mouth and then his. Gone was her fierce anger and potent sexuality, replaced by a solemnity only few could understand.

He used a finger to tilt her chin, almost apologetic for the interruption. It had been some time, and it would be more time still, before they could play gain. Staring into her blue eyes, Aaron silently begged her to understand.

"She is the only way. You know this," he reminded her, softened enough to press his mouth to her temple in a chaste kiss.

Athanasia said nothing else, her gaze faltering before she looked away. After a moment, she moved out of his reach and returned to the window as thunder rattled the panes, arms folding tightly around her. He joined her, a hand low on her back and a deep frown furrowing his brow as he stared at the mountain in the distance.

And just like that, the second Great Battle had finally begun.