I'm going to be honest, dear readers. This one kind of got away from me. I'm not the same person who started this story years ago and the plan for the plot has always been in flux. Right now I'm trying to get up the courage to write a real romance… something that I commit to fully, putting all of my effort into knowing full well that it could be a massive failure. A story that I plot out and go back and edit and correct. But that's not going to be this story. I could go back and smooth over the rough edges but then it wouldn't be the story I started writing either and I think there's some value in keeping it the way it is. But I do think it deserves to be finished so I'm going to do my best to get us over that finish line. I hope you'll power through with me to the end.

As always, PLEASE REVIEW!

Much love, Cat

xxxxxx

They acted as one entity, their bodies moving in tandem, united in a common goal. Their breathing was similarly strained and harried but neither would surrender before cresting that final peak. As Athena stared down into her lover's deep brown eyes, she felt something course through her that seemed beyond common experience. She'd never felt so connected to another person before and so convinced of the rightness of that bond. She gasped, clutching his hands tightly as the tension broke, sending her sailing off into a familiar haze of pleasure.

Moments or hours later she opened bleary eyes to find her head pillowed against his chest, their limbs still entangled. She relaxed back into his embrace, letting his deep breathing coax her back into a state of semi-consciousness. Their affair was still a secret, if not from the servants, then from the other gods. But it never felt illicit or tawdry. Instead, somehow, it felt unaccountably right. As though somehow they had stumbled upon the way things were supposed to be. When they had embarked upon this course of action, it had seemed irresponsible and self-interested, a decision to cast aside the opinions of others. And yet, almost despite themselves their relationship had matured and blossomed.

She didn't feel like the same girl she'd been. It wasn't the loss of her virginity or this newfound partnership with Ares. Rather, it was as if opening herself up to him and the possibility of being intimate with another person had been a catalyst for a change she'd wanted to make all along. In the months since he'd come back, many had remarked that she seemed different somehow. But though it was often on the tip of her tongue, the impulse to share her happiness, she was still frightened. She sensed that what they had was precious and she wasn't quite ready to expose it to the judgment of others.

"What are you thinking about now?" Ares teased, his voice rough with sleep. She jolted up, startled to realize that he had awakened and he laughed at her expression, kissing the tip of her nose. It was a gesture of affectation between them given her propensity for daydreaming and constantly turning over problems in her mind.

"Us," she answered simply and honestly, reaching out to push back the lock of hair that had fallen over his eyes.

He pulled her back into his arms. "Are you still not ready to…"

"I know it's silly," she interrupted, "but I just–"

"No. It's not," he answered. "As much as I'd like to stake my claim, I understand that this is new for you and…"

"Lay claim?" she challenged, raising a dark eyebrow at his possessiveness.

"Forgive my barbaric male instincts?" he murmured, nuzzling his face against her neck. "I'm still learning."

Athena responded by turning in his arms to kiss him, threading her fingers through his hair, and tumbling back against the mattress. She wondered yet again what was holding her back, why she couldn't seem to take that leap to entrust him with her secrets. But as his hands began to wander, the moment passed and yet again she found herself staying silent.

xxxxxx

Ooooh. OK, yes. I know we didn't totally get into more plot this chapter but we're getting there. I promise that we're getting there. If you liked what you read, PLEASE REVIEW! I will try and get the next chapter up in less than a year. Haha. I'm so hilarious. And terrible. I know. I'm working on it. Thank you for sticking with me.

Much love, Cat