39. Medusa

I should have known if I left Dionysus alone for five minutes, he was going to go straight to the Filipino restaurant I saw when I was walking through the village. We'd traveled the entire world and sampled countless cuisines. Filipino and Ethiopian were his favorite.

The food was amazing, and I almost forgot I'd just escaped the Coalition and that we had a big battle ahead of us. I even forgot I was mad at Athena for five minutes. Benji insisted on playing Charades and mixed up the teams so there were no mates or friends together.

I was paired up with Kat and she was vicious at Charades. Athena was with Jezebel, who wasn't taking the whole thing serious at all. Benji decided he was going to play with Hades and I was pretty sure Hades wanted to murder him. Oddly, it was Calamity and Pax who ended up winning.

"Okay, so now you have to do a sexy dance," Benji said.

"I don't remember agreeing to those rules," Pax said, crossing his arms. "Why are we dancing if the rest of you lost?"

"Because it pleases me when you shake that ass," Benji said.

"Why don't you dance?"

"Why don't you make me?"

Cas picked up Benji and threw him over his shoulder.

"I've got a brat to handle. You coming, Pax?"

I would have thought they were leaving Dionysus and me out, but Cas shot me a pointed look that they might have thought it was Dionysus that was feeling left out, so they were leaving us alone for some one-on-one.

"Gross," Kat said.

"I agree," Hephaestus said.

"That's our cue," Hades said.

"Mine, too," Dionysus said, scooping me up.

He carried me to the bedroom he claimed and placed me gently on the bed. We had some things we needed to discuss. I was happy here. I needed to know he would be, too. He laid on his side so I could do the same and we could look each other in the eye. This was how we had all our serious discussions.

"So, this place is perfect for you," Dionysus said.

It was. I'd never be without power because of all the greenery and they'd practically made this a haven for green witches. I could portal anywhere I wanted if I needed to do a fury thing. Also, I was safe here. It was only supernaturals and Cas vetted everyone who lived in this village.

"Yes, but is it perfect for you?"

That was the big question. I knew Dionysus better than anyone on this Earth aside from Persephone. On the surface, this seemed like the perfect place for him but Dionysus was a complicated man. Hera hadn't bothered him in a very long time, but she was his Athena.

He was always looking over his shoulder for his stepmother. Dionysus always thought if his life got too perfect, she'd show up and curse him again. She hadn't in the entire time I'd known him, but it was just a trauma response because of what she'd already done to him.

Sometimes, he'd sabotage things if they were getting too good. Never with me, but sometimes, we'd have to move even if there wasn't a mishap with my glasses. He'd profusely apologize, and I'd try not to get mad at him because that could have been me.

This could be perfect now, but if it got too perfect, he could do something to ruin it. He knew what I was asking.

"I think this is it. This is peace. Athena is really the only one of us that has any kind of relationship with the people back on Olympus. You know why Hades and Persephone can't stand them. Zeus physically abused Hephaestus and then forced him to marry Aphrodite. Even if they invited me back, I'd refuse to go.

"Athena sees them for what they are, but she keeps it close to her chest just in case she needs to use them for anything. She's a strategist. Athena is never going to let anyone know what she thinks of them unless she's one hundred percent sure she can burn that bridge.

"I know you're mad at her and you have every right to be, but she pulled me aside after we toured the village to tell me something. Hera isn't thinking about Zeus's offspring that are still alive anymore. She's not plotting against us. Athena said she had this epiphany a while ago.

"We're all creations of people's beliefs, but we're still sentient beings and we can choose how we want to live that. Hera finally realized she's also the god of women and childbirth and not just a god of marriage. She also realized the women she was going after instead of protecting weren't the problem—her husband was.

"It finally hit her lizard brain that she was attacking the wrong person to protect the sanctity of marriage. But she knew when she brought it up with Zeus, he got violent with her. Hera left him. I didn't think she ever would, but even she admitted he was hurting women.

"Athena said she did a complete one eighty, and she's currently living here running a nonprofit that helps women get out of dangerous situations and has a free health clinic that has gynecologists and mental health professionals. I could say something really nasty about that because of how she cursed me but honestly, good for her."

Maybe I could forgive Athena a little. Dionysus needed that. We all did if we wanted to settle here.

"Do you forgive her?"

"Well, she hasn't asked me, but I don't want to talk about my stepmother right now. I have you to myself right now."

"What did you do while you had Benji and Cas to yourself?"

Because I wanted all the details. The three of them were stunning together.

"Nothing near as kinky as what you got up to with Pax and then again with Cas and Benji. We mostly talked about you and everyone's trauma. Cas wasn't taken by the Coalition and he didn't have to deal with Zeus or Hera, but his dad was pretty awful.

"His mom and her friends ran him off before Cas was old enough to remember him, but it was a different time. Cas had a lot of pressure to be the man of the house when he was just a kid. Listen, he looks like a big strapping lad, but he's a hot mess inside if he thinks his people aren't being cared for. He just hides it. He'd never tell that to you now because you just got out of the Coalition, but I told him you're the same and he knew I was going to tell you. We're all fucked. Cas is the least fucked of us and he's fucked sometimes, too."

I wriggled closer and booped his nose with my finger.

"We're together now. You don't have to worry about Hera and Athena finally decided to tell me the truth. The furies are way better sisters than my birth sister was and Jezebel and I bonded in the basement. We've got this whole family here. We could finally start a family now that we aren't worried about Hera, Athena, or my glasses slipping and turning our kids to stone. We just have to stop the Coalition and probably some angels."

"You'd look beautiful with a little demigod, green-witch hybrid in your belly."

"I'm pretty sure you all want to knock me up."

"Let's pretend I'm trying to knock you up right now. It feels like forever since I've been inside you. I'd never even press this if I thought you weren't ready, but you've been like, super horny since you got around all this greenery. You're worse than a succubus at a rugby game."

"Are you making fun of Jezebel because of her thing with the Portuguese rugby team?"

"Nah, I worry about anyone who doesn't want to get thrown around by an entire rugby team."

"Are you complaining that I've been a little randy around all these gardens?"

"No. In fact, the green witches have a plant shop next to the restaurant run by the Diwata. I'm going to buy all their plants and put them all over the house so you stay naked."

"Did you know they have a system here if you want to fuck in a public park?"

Dionysus groaned.

"We're doing that later. It was a dark time when they started arresting people for fornicating in public."

"Stop talking and kiss me."

"I thought you were never going to ask."

Dionysus pounced and captured my mouth with his. Dionysus was a little like Benji in that he liked to take his time.

"Never get kidnapped again," he murmured. "I nearly lost my shit and destroyed the world. Hades had to threaten to put me in time out and Persephone said she would kick my ass. Hephaestus said he would build a cage that would hold me. Are you real? Are you really here?"

I rolled him over and pinned him on his back. Dionysus got like this sometimes. He usually needed a pep talk. I ground myself against his cock and he let out a soft moan.

"Hey, I'm here. You got me out. We're going to beat the Coalition and any angels that come for us. Then, we're going to get our happily ever after in this beautiful village."

Dionysus reached up and touched my face.

"This is it, isn't it? Our happily ever after."

"Yeah. Now, kiss me."

Dionysus gripped my hips.

"I want you on top this time," he said, disappearing our clothes.

I could do that. It was one of our favorite positions. I gripped his cock and guided it inside me. We'd done this dance over the millennia and we knew how the other liked it. We had our rhythm down perfectly.

I could ride him and grind my clit against that beautiful pubic piercing and he could slam up into me. We never lost a step. And what was more, now that we'd met our other mates, our connection was even deeper than it was before, so we could tell what the other needed.

I raked my nails down his chest and threw my head back. Being with Dionysus was always intense. His cock was long, but it was also really girthy and filled me up just right. The piercing always hit my clit in the perfect place. I usually didn't last long unless he wanted me to.

Tonight, neither of us were going to last long. We'd been companions and mates for a very long time. Longer than most people could comprehend. If we were ever separated, it was only for a night. I still didn't know how long the Coalition had me because the days ran together and they never turned the lights off, but I fucking missed him.

We needed to blend together. I needed to be as close to him as possible.

"Come for me, little one," Dionysus purred.

I couldn't come on demand like Benji could, but when Dionysus said that? Total vagina killer. It was an instant orgasm every time. Especially the way he said it. I flung back my head and rode out my orgasm. I should have been completely fucked out, but I wasn't.

My body was overly sensitive, but it was still intense. Dionysus growled as he came and then we collapsed in a heap on the bed. He nuzzled my hair with his cheek and squeezed me.

"Don't ever leave me again," he whispered.

If it was up to me, I'd never leave any of them again.