Forbidden Love

Chapter 9

Vulcan watched as Venus left his temple. His mind was racing a million miles a minute. Try as he might, Vulcan couldn't understand what it was about Peitho that had him so distracted. He barely knew her. She was nothing more than one of her mother's minions, and worst of all, she was a Greek Goddess. Jupiter would have his ass on a platter if he were stupid enough to test the waters with her, but the way Peitho looked at him…no one had ever looked at Vulcan like that before, and it's all he's ever wanted. Vulcan wondered whether Peitho would hear him calling if he tried to speak to her through telepathy. He wasn't sure anyone had tried to do so at such a distance, but with Venus gone, it may be wise for them to finish what they'd started this morning before they were interrupted by Venus's summons. Vulcan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pictured Peitho's beautiful face in his mind.

"Dolce, can you hear me?" Asked Vulcan, the silence as he waited for her response was deafening.

******

Peitho was lounging on a golden chaise in her temple. She was happy to be spending some much-needed time away from her mother. Aphrodite was none too pleased with her right now. She suspected that Peitho had a hand in Vulcan winning but didn't seem to be able to put her finger on how. Peitho knew that the how wasn't really what her mother was griping about. It was the why that was eating at her. Peitho sighed as she envisioned those honey-colored eyes looking into hers and Vulcan’s amazingly chiseled body. She blushed as these thoughts ran through her mind. Peitho had never noticed the Gods in her Pantheon, and now she was fantasizing about one who was part of the warring one. That's not the only reason they could never be. Aphrodite had deemed Peitho a virgin Goddess. She is never to have carnal knowledge. Peitho didn't want to know what would be in store for her should she break this vow.

Suddenly, Peitho's train of thought was broken when she heard a voice inside her head. It was the last voice she'd ever expected to hear in her head. How was it he could reach her from Capitoline?

"Dolce, can you hear me?" Asked Vulcan.

"I hear you, Vulcan," she answered.

"Are you with your Mitéra? I want to see you. Can you get away?" Peitho was surprised at the urgency she could hear in his voice.

"I'm not with Mitéra. I can come to you if you wish," she responded.

"Please, I think we must speak. Peitho nodded in agreement at his words as though she were already standing in front of him. She glanced around her quickly to ensure no one was in her temple to catch the exchange between her and Vulcan. When Peitho was sure there was no one around, she teleported from her temple to Vulcan's without another thought.

******

When he heard Peitho's response to his question, Vulcan's heart skipped a beat. He was even more thrilled that she'd agreed to meet him without much prompting. It was time to find out once and for all what exactly it was between them. He paced back and forth in the front room of his temple while he waited for her. While teleportation took mere seconds regardless of where a God was traveling, it seemed to take her forever to get to him. Then finally, he heard a small voice behind him.

"Hello, Vulcan," said Peitho softly. Vulcan turned around swiftly and let a smile spread across his face showing her just how happy he was to be in her presence.

"Peitho," he answered swiftly, trying to keep his voice as even as possible so she wouldn't notice the need to see her in Vulcan's voice.

"What can I do for you?" She asked. Vulcan stifled a little laugh at her blunt delivery and decided to return her tone in kind.

"You tell me, Peitho, what exactly was it that had you at my temple door this morning? My fiancé would be none too happy had she caught you here, and I imagine Aphrodite would feel the same, which would be an amazing feat because as similar as they may be, they've never been able to agree on anything.." Peitho bit her lip at his words. He was right. Both Venus and Aphrodite would most likely have her head just for standing in his temple, let alone feeling anything for him. Peitho stood there with a frown on her face trying to figure out the best way to respond to Vulcan's question.

"I don't know," she answered in earnest. Vulcan raised an eyebrow at her, not sure how he should respond. "There's just… there's something," she continued.

"Something?" Vulcan questioned. Peitho nodded. The innocent look on her face made him smile. He could tell by her actions that she was a little naive in the way of relationships despite being the Goddess of Seduction and Persuasion. Vulcan sat patiently, waiting for her to finish.

"Can't you feel it? This thing between us? You said you hadn't been able to stop thinking about me either when I spoke to you this morning." Vulcan nodded, an unreadable expression on his face. "Am I crazy? Do you not feel something too?" She asked. He could hear the plea in her voice.

"Yes, Dolce, I feel it too, but I don't see how this would work or what it is you expect to happen should we go through with our plan to meet in the mortal realm while I build Mount Vesuvius.

"I'm not sure what it is. I expect either Vulcan. I'm meant to remain chaste. I shudder to think what will be done to me if my mother finds out that I am not," she said. "But I think I'll regret it for all of eternity if I don't find out what this is," she continued.

Vulcan nodded; he felt the same way Peitho did. This could be the real thing. Vulcan had never felt anything like what he was feeling for Peitho right that very moment. " Is this what love feels like?" He wondered as he stood across from her, looking into her beautiful eyes. "Alright, Cara Mia, let's meet in the mortal realm tomorrow when I start construction and will see if we can decipher exactly what this is. Be warned, I will not lay my finger on you without your expressed permission, and even then, you should be aware that if we are caught, it will be my head. Not just because we, as warring Pantheon members, are forbidden to fraternize. But because Jupiter forbade Venus and me from taking other lovers, I promised him that it would be more of a problem for Venus than myself, seeing as no Goddess had looked at me twice before recent events.

"Looks aren't everything, Vulcan," said Peitho softly.

"Pfft," Vulcan scoffed. "when you're Venus, they are everything, Peitho. Most goddesses feel the same. It was my mother who literally tossed me away because she couldn't bear the sight of me," finished Vulcan. Peitho gasped at his words. She couldn't believe Juno would act so unjustly. Even the Greeks had heard tell of what a fair Queen she was. Vulcan nodded at the pain he saw on Peitho's face. Don't fret, love. My mother and I made amends many years ago. Though now that I'm engaged to Venus, there's a part of me that wishes I had stayed away from Capitoline," he said with a laugh. Peitho gave him a slight smile.

"Korí, where are you?" Peitho's face paled at the sound of Aphrodites' voice in her head. She had no idea how she should respond, so she stayed quiet and stared in Vulcan's direction, trying to decide what to say.

"I've got to go Vulcan, my Mitêra is calling me. He nodded

"Until tomorrow then, Dolce," Vulcan replied with a smile he watched as she faded away in front of him.

" It's a bad idea, Vulcan," Vulcan spun around at the sound of the voice behind him. Just then, Cupid stepped out of the shadows. How long he'd been standing there, Vulcan didn't know.

"How much did you hear?" He asked, trying to hide his nervousness. Being nervous was foreign to him. There had never been a reason for him to be nervous before now. With his newfound appearance and marriage arrangement, there were plenty of reasons for him to be worried.

"Enough," Cupid answered. Vulcan folded his arms across his chest.

"Seriously, Fratello, how long were you standing there?"

"About 10 minutes V, like I said, it's a bad idea, and you shouldn't explore it, but you will.

"How do you know for sure?" Vulcan questioned. He wasn't even sure, and it was his situation. Cupid stared at him blankly like Vulcan was the dumbest creature ever to walk the heavens.

"Hi, Remember me? Cupid, the Roman God of Love? It's kinda my JOB to know V." Vulcan continued to stare at Cupid with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He knew where Cupid was going with this, but he couldn't admit that. He couldn't bring himself to say the words out loud. Cupid, tired of waiting for Vulcan to speak, spoke for him.

"You love her," said Cupid.