"Thank you" She breathed, blinking at the person in front of her.
There was something about him. Something about the way he was staring at her like she's the only one in the room. Or maybe it's just all in her head. Stepping back, the moon princess squirmed on her feet, nervous about others eyes on them.
"These parties can get a bit overcrowded sometimes" He flashed his pearly whites at her.
That's when she realised that he was still talking to her. Talia hummed under her breath, choosing not to elaborate on that. She hated these kinds of socialising activities, but he didn't need to know that.
"I see Goddess Hera has invited everyone in the Underworld. How are you enjoying this then?"
Talia grimaced and took another sip of her cocktail. "It's not all bad." She bristled, trying to look around and find a positive thing to say about it.
His lips twitched at that. Lukas arched his brow. "You mean you're enjoying so many people pressed against each other with their never-ending gossip?"
That's it. She couldn't hold it any longer. Talia let out a low laugh and glanced over to the large windows by her side. They've moved to a table along the other side of the room and look to be in deep conversation. "Oh, I'm sure they're talking about the difficulties being in the presence of so many higher gods and goddesses or the drabness of the decor." The moon princess glanced back at him. "Those are their most popular topics at the moment."
"You are very strange," Lukas said with a grin.
"You have no idea," She responded truthfully.
Lukas narrowed his eyes like she a jigsaw puzzle, but there's a noticeable quirk to his lips like he enjoyed the challenge of solving her. And then there's the ever-present unabashed hunger, sometimes revealed in a quick glance or a once-over. Talia was aware that she's looking at him the same way. At his lips that appear like fresh fruit. She wanted to taste them.
"How about I get you another drink?" Lukas suddenly asked.
Talia shouldn't. Something about the way the God of wine made his booze affected her. The most expensive, finely crafted spirits are the worst. Cheap and colourful wines was something she can drink like water. A quick glance across the shelves behind the wall says there's enough of both.
But she's spent too much time ruminating on this and Lukas was beginning to smile like he's gotten some upper hand, like he's pulled a rug from under her. Not a chance.
"Sure. Why not?" Talia blinked.
There's something cunning about his smile after she agreed to it. She narrowed her eyes a fraction, then inclined her glass to him. They tap them together, throw the sharp liquid back, and overturned their glasses on the bar top. Lukas licked a dash of salt from the top of his hand and stuck a lime into his mouth. The moon princess watched in fascination as he tilted his head back, screwing his eyes shut as the bitter liquid burned his throat.
Talia had the pleasure of watching plenty of people have their drinks, but she's never enjoyed it this much.
He turned towards her, his brows furrowed together like he was deep in thought. They always are.
Talia licked her lips. "You look like you have a lot of questions."
"You inspire a lot of intrigues" He grinned and then gestured widely behind himself, an open door leading to the exit. Talia caught the look on his face to know what he's trying to say. She nodded her head and followed him outside.
"Sit with me?"
The Greeks were the ones who gave meaning to the olive branch in the first place, and this certainly feels like one being extended right now. Talia shouldn't, she knew that; her step mother herself — who really is a perfectly well-behaved goddess for others but in reality just a jealous old thing — would roll right off her throne if she knew that Talia brought a Titan to her temple. If she was in a really bad mood, something like this might even start a war, and Talia would never hear the end of it from her father.
Then again, they are all indulged with something or other, and no one would bother to check up on her. When she didn't respond for a while, Lukas looked up, "Please?" and, for some reason, that worked.
Talia inclined her head, and the sun gods son once more grinned, wide and dimpled, his eyes alight. He gestured again, and she fell in step, the two of them weaving across the lonely roads outside of the gates.
They're outside the edge of the Olympian sanctuary, a sacred spot of land on top of a hill. The sanctuary was blocked in by thick walls, huge trees and ceiling with solid rocks.
The moon princess stared at the steep stairs she'd come to despise because they always messed with her dress. Lukas simply forwarded his hand towards her, and she didn't seem to complain, voluntarily following him to the other side. Her step mother's temple was the first building they came across, modest compared to the temple of her husband but no less powerful in her eyes, pulsing with the ancient sigils and seals meant to keep immortals away. They were invisible to the eyes of the humans or any devilish creatures for that matter.
The boundary line around the temple made by bleached stone columns, was Hera's defence to keep out anyone unwelcome. But Talia was a moon princess who's more powerful enough to sneak in and out without anyone noticing. Not that she would ever admit to doing that. Her father would unnecessarily grill her, so she kept it her secret.
"These are the famous Greek temples then huh," Lukas said as they took a seat on the bench near another fountain. The stone wasn't really comfortable, but its cold in the middle of the night. It's that or the dirty grass. They didn't have many options.
"Yeah" The moon princess slurred.
The harsh wind nipped at her skin, blowing her hair in the process.
Lukas wasn't anything like anyone but, again, that's not exactly something she can say. He dithered for a moment, watching a hawk dip overhead. It's quiet here, among the silent stone and trickling fountains, the statues not able to give away any of the Olympus secrets. From the corner of her eyes, Talia noticed a guard approaching them. He had a grim look on his face, and a knife clutched to his side. Most of them carried weapons around as if they were at war.
As soon as he noticed Talia, his eyes widened, but he simply greeted her. She worked her lips in between her teeth, worrying that the guard might snitch about them to someone. That's something Hera would enjoy.
"Prince" He whispered to Lukas, his head bowed down. "Son of Zeus is calling for you. He has been looking for a while now."
"I have to go," Lukas let out a sigh, his tone apologetic as he stood on his feet.
The guard flickered a curious glance between both of them but didn't say a word.
It was evident that he didn't want to leave without Lukas following him. That annoyed her. Still, meandering, somewhat meaningless conversations couldn't last forever. She had to wave her hand. "It's fine, Prince."
He pressed his lips together. "That's not my name."
Talia just grinned. He was very easy to tease. They stared a smile, the bemused one, like it's a private joke between them. The guard cleared his throat, so Lukas had to bow down and turn around.
He followed the guard, his feet dragging forcefully with each step he took towards the castle. The sanctuary seemed duller now, even the sigils on the temples pulsing less brightly than they were before; sound rushed back in now that the moon princess was all alone.
"Will you be here tomorrow?"
She suddenly jumped, startled at his tone and turned around. Lukas was there once more, watching her, his back leaned against a white pillar. Not quite pleadingly, not entirely hopeful. She just couldn't figure it out. Like he's already resigned to a no, and he's telling himself there's still hope.
There's something about him that made Talia want to say yes, that told her Lukas wanted it too.
But she's busy the entire day tomorrow. After what seemed like ages her sisters agreed to watch flowers blooming garden, just for her. And also her father wanted to have dinner with her as he rarely did that because of his busy schedule. Then again, Talia can do those things later. It's not like they would be disappointed in her. She'll put on her best smile to convince them so that they can forgive her for making another plan.
"Yes," She whispered. "I'll be here."
The smile on his face was worth the lies.
***
Talia was reading in her bedroom in her white cotton mid-thigh dress, legs sprawled on the bed. The usual. The moon princess was waiting for a response from her dear father after she abruptly cancelled their dinner plans. He would be disappointed as Zeus countless times reminded their dinner was his favourite thing of the week.
Once they sat inside, Talia looked around the intricate details carved on the walls of the chariot. Their seat was plush and had a handle to secure them inside. She had many questions going around in her mind, but Lukas seemed to focus on his horses. To not end up in a ditch, the moon princess kept quiet.The carriage landed on the Earth. Lukas wanted her to show the secret hide out he had been harbouring for years now. She couldn’t believe it. Talia heard about the place, the opportunities and the sights it held, but she never had the chance to stay back and soak in.As soon as they got out, the moon princess took in a deep breath. She loved the smell of wild grasses on Mount Olympus, but here on Earth, they smelled even better. Clear and warm. Bending down, she picked a stem of grass and twirled it between her fingers, smiling like a fool.
As they continued exploring, Talia turned to him, a glint in her eyes. "Umm...This is embarrassing, but I am kind of hungry."The Prince sent a pointed look to Cruis, which was enough to make him alert. Lukas had almost forgotten that he should have taken her to the dining room after the tour of the first floor. His friend immediately turned around. "Alright," He said, shaking his hands over his head. "Sit tight, Talia, I'll set the table for both of you.""Thanks," The moon princess smiled at him to which he shrugged and waved as he walked off, leaving them still in the hall.She giggled, appreciative of the effort he was making to lighten the atmosphere on the way to the dining room. He noticed that she was beyond hungry at this point even to look around and appreciate the paintings in the room.
Talia held her breath as the Prince crowded her. He had a lazy smile on his face, clutching the toga in his hands. The thought of him in her space, touching her made her abdomen clench. She was hyper-aware of the elevated breathing, her heart thudding against her chest and palms getting clammy.Lukas breathed. "Lift your arms. I'll teach you." The smile that curved around his lips didn't help at all. Even though he's trying to reassure her, the moon princess shivered at their closeness.Talia did as he told her to do, and Lukas started helping by draping part of the long cloth over her left shoulder and moving to wrap the rest around her body. From up close she could see all the pores on his skin.The toga was secured in such a way that it was tight around her torso
Talia had another dream. Well, most of the Gods and Goddess dream. It's part of the whole legacy. Her dreams were usually ordinary or boring, or sometimes she woke up forgetting them altogether. But that's different tonight.The moon princess woke up in a cold sweat, out of breath and panting hard as she bolt upright in her bed. She's scared, terrified, absolutely hysterical over her dream. Talia didn't remember much, but what she did remember was fire. The colours of orange and yellow burning away and destroying something pure. Again no recollection whatsoever of the object it destroyed but its beautiful, sacred and angelic.If anything, she recalled those eyes. The eyes were full of sadness and despair, and the only thing she could tell before waking up was that they were directed at her. A chill shoot through her body as she shivered in her huge bed, all alone. Talia tried to go back to sleep after such a weird dream, but it
Lukas couldn’t stop thinking about the moon princess since their first meeting. And she spent an entire day with, that only got increasingly hard. He had a difficult time pretending fo focus on his everyday mundane tasks. Even more so after month of not seeing Talia.Its just he was thousands of miles away from her and in an entirely different place. The Earth.Shaking his head, he walked into the adjoining room, yet another wave of her scent surrounded him. This time it was much worse. Must be the toga he brought along with him—a reminder of her.Lukas groaned, not being able to stop himself from inhaling the intoxicating spicy smell that was surrounding every single part of him. Including his cock. His skin was boiling, and it felt electric all thanks to her scent. He felt as if Talia was in the same room as him.The so
Talia stared blankly at the fireplace, watching as the flames burned the wood chips she kept on throwing. Somehow she hoped that all her memories burned the same way and the daughter of Zeus could forget about everything. The disastrous breakfast with her father, meeting Lukas and running away to Earth. It would solve all of her problems.Just then, one of the maids entered the room to hand her the letter, declaring it was from Prince Lukas. After a month of radio silence, he had had the gall to reach out to her. How dare he? She stared at the white sheet for a while before jutting out the courage to read the content.Lukas wanted to meet her. She crushed the letter and threw it in the fireplace.After walking towards her en suite, Talia discarded her robe and stepped into the tub filled with hot water, rose-scented steam rising into the air. Her mind wandered as she held her nose and sank below the sur
"I think I want to kiss you again.""No one is stopping you" Talia licked her freshly kissed lips.That was all the encouragement he needed. Lukas leaned forward and crashed their lips together. Everything slowed, and Talia wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer. She moved forward and wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing the Prince to pick her up from the armchair."Lukas..." She whispered as her body was hoisted up and placed against a wall. He kissed down her neck, making the moon princess screw her eyes shut in pleasure. A whimper fell out of her lips as he sucked that one spot on her neck, which made her toes curl in. Burying her hand into the tendrils of his soft, smooth hair, she tugged on them.The Prince ran over the pad of his index finger against the smooth pink of her bottom lip. She panted as he dipped his fingertip inside her mouth. Her tongu