Love aint what it used to be {Darius}

[Zoe Harris]

Love was in the air... NOT.. At least that was the thought that Zoe Harris had as she entered the front door of her french quarter store and headed for the back room. Something was in the air but it looked more like a simple case of animal lust to her. The place was jam packed full of middle aged hopeful husbands looking for something to spice up the sex lives at home, giddy college aged women who needed a new energetic companion, and three time losers who's only hope of getting any was one of the many forms self pleasure that her shop specialized in. Snorting under her breath, the pretty young woman strolled through the masses to reach the back counter and waved at the woman ringing in purchases behind the register.

Dressed in supple black leather pants, a black corset covered by a biker jacket, Zoe looked nothing like what the owner of an adult store was rumored to be. Her long brunette hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail on top of her head and knee high shit kickers gave her an extra couple inchs of height that she liked to say came in handy for kicking the crap out of any one stupid enough to cross her in her perpetually bad mood. As Candy finished bagging a nervous looking mid life crisis's items, Zoe plopped her black backpack on the floor behind the counter and arched a brow at the smirk the girl sent her. When the man started to walk away, the blond crossed her arms and gave her what Zoe was coming to determine as "THE LOOK"

"You didn't get laid last night did ya? Your still wearing that same doom and gloom look that you left her LAST night with. Whats up with you, boss lady? I keep telling you that its the cure for what ails you... and the rest of us too since maybe you'll quit busten our asses."

Rolling her eyes, Zoe popped her bubble gum and then toed her bag out of the way.

"I'm quite happy with my little blue friend. It does a better job than most men anyways and I don't have to worry about the eight second mark." she shot back dryly.

Arching a brow, the blond didn't look impressed.

"Yeah well... every once in awhile... it does a body good to get hte real thing and you don't have me fooled, girl.... Your due for a session of hot and heavy therapy with that attitude of yours."

Opening her mouth to shot a reply back, the shop was suddenly disturbed by a long thud in the back movie rooms. Blinking, she was on the move and through the doors before anyone else had a chance to react. Three doors back, she found a poor, elderly fool gasping for breath on the floor and she swore.

"OHHHH NO!! NOT ONLY NO BUT HELL NO!!! NO DIEING IN MY STORE!!! THATS ALL I NEED."

However, the dude didn't seem to be listening as his eyes suddenly went wide and then his breathe ceased to come at all. Panic set into her brain as she leaned down and quickly began CPR. In between breaths she shouted for someone to all an ambulance and continued to work over him.

"DON'T YOU DARE DIE HERE!! NOT IN MY PLACE!! I WOULDN"T COME INTO YOUR PLACE OF BUSINESS AND DARE TO CROAK!!! "

[Darius 'Aronus' Tiberian]

If there was one thing that a man such as himself hated, it was his unparalleled ability to wake up in the morning. Just one little blink of oblivion; ONE moment of peace…was that too much to ask?

Oh yeah, and add that to the ‘I’d like to wake up and not be emo’ to the mix, and he’d be a happy man. Slave. Moron…whatever.

Just as it had been for the last millennium, the pull of the dead shoved him out of his restless sleep. It had gotten weaker and less demanding, as the Gods slowly took a back seat to the deities thriving in the current world, but every once in a while, Hades took to demanding a soul. The Underworld was full of ex-gladiators, egotistical politicians, fools of all ages who dared turn to other Powers for favors…but was the old asshole happy? Of course not. He needed a new soul to play with, because his tiny brain couldn’t focus on the real world for more than five minutes, and Aronus was his bitch-boy.

Lovely. As if losing everyone he’d ever loved wasn’t enough, right? There was only so much angst that a guy could take. Good thing that he’d gotten over the suicidal portion of his enslavement during the fall of Rome, or he’d be tacking himself to the wall on an hourly basis.

’Get up, Son of Athena,’

Oh, joy to his life, it was the Boss talking right in his head. Oh, wait, was that TALKING? Did one’s ears bleed when they were talked at? Didn’t think so.

With a groan, Aronus covered his ears, half bent over. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, having tried to get some rest in the dingy apartment near Toulane he’d rented. Just because a guy was immortal didn’t mean that they were rich, after all.

“Zeus’ BALLSACK…Hades, if you keep talking like that, my eardrums are gonna burst. Again. Remember how long it took to grow those back?” He gritted his teeth against the pain as his Master growled in his head, letting loose an audible sigh when the sound suddenly disappeared.

‘And you call yourself the son of my niece,’ Hades’ disembodied voice echoed in the little room. ‘Ugh, what a whiner-baby. I knew I should never have made you my slave. Oh, but the look on Atty’s face…priceless.

Gritting his teeth, Aronus shoved himself to his feet while the God rambled on. Oh, how he loved conversations with Hades, who would never let him live down the fact that he’d sold his soul for an insane wife’s eternal peace. Moving quickly, lest Hades get bored and start making the building shake to get him going, he shoved scarred legs through a pair of torn jeans and his head through a black Misfits shirt. Dark eyes flashed in the sunlight that peeked in through the window, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the ceiling. Hades had turned to his boredom again, and it didn’t take long for him to get to the point.

‘I want you to get a soul for me,’ The God’s petulant voice sounded again, sharper this time. Thank God, he was getting down to business. ‘There is a dead human in the Quarter, and I want you to bring him to me. He was some kind of famous singer in his time, and I grow tired of listening to Elvis. There is so much ‘blue oceans’ that a God can stand before he needs new entertainment. Now, go, slave. Or the consequences will be dire.’

And then, blessed silence. AH, much better. With a sigh, the demi-God ran a hand through his mussed hair. A quick swig of mouthwash later, he closed his eyes, tipped back his hair and faded into thin air.

As a slave to Hades, it was Aronus’ job to fetch souls for the Underworld. And, because it was common knowledge that the mortals of the future liked to run around screaming when seeing the Gods, instead of genuflecting like they should be, it was more convenient to fade from normal sight in order to get the job done. He moved through the fast paced reality like a blink, skirting bodies, trees and buildings, until he reached his quarry. As usual, Hades’ mark shone on the dead man’s soul; the little black dagger that only he, as a Soldier of Death, could see.

The spirit inside the still body writhed, and he could smell its fear, confusion, misery. It was such an easy feat to reach his ghostly hand out, to grasp the hand of the dead man.

Now, the real kicker? The fact that, as he reached for the spirit, his arm bumped against the woman currently screaming about the other man’s “not dying in her shop.” He was part God AND a slave to Hades. It was impossible to make physical contact with anyone while he was in this form, unless he wished it.

…That is, unless said person also had God-blood in their veins. Oh, fer crying out loud…

Surprise had him jerking to reality, his body becoming solid. It was a good thing that he had the common sense to make the mortals surrounding them turn into mental zombies, because the sudden appearance of a strange man crouching down in front of the dead guy would probably have started a panic. Much like the panic running through his chest, as he looked up into the shop owner’s face.

And what a face…familiar, but beautiful. Breathtaking. Redeeming. Gods, what in Elysian was this?

“It is too late, Goddess,” He said simply, closing his face to the shock that he knew was written there. “He is dead, and I am to bring him to Hades. Stand back. I do not wish to hurt you.”

[Zoe Harris]

Oh Happy Days. If it wasn't one thing it was another. One minute, Zoe was quite happily living her life without any interference from Olympus and the next damned thing she knew.. WHAM. Right in the kisser. Staring over the body of the man she was trying to save, she blinked once, then twice before breaking into a series of words that would have made a sailor blush. Oh Happy Happy Joy Joy. Just what she needed. Hades little fetch boy was gazing right back at her with an expression that said he was as off kilter as she was.


"WHOA! Back that thing up, buster. Your in MY territory now and if I say you aren't getting him.. You aren't getting him... at least, not while his body is in MY store and on MY property. Whatever happens to him after he leaves here is NOT my problem but there is no way in HELL, literally or figuratively that I'm allowing his death to be call on premises."

Pushing herself up into a crouch, she shifted cautiously into a position better prepared for an attack. Her gaze ran over her opponent and her female side immediately sat up and started doing the hooray dance while her other side took took stock of his ripped body and solid muscle. All in all, even she had to admit that the package was all that and a bag of chips to go along with it and Zoe wasn't easily impressed. After all, when you grew up the daughter of Cupid and the niece of people like Zeus and Aprodite, physical perfection became something of the every day.

"Who the hell are you anyways and why the hell are you moving around like a ghost? Hasn't anyone told you that its impolite to sneak around like that? You could actually scare someone into an early grave."

Then, as if the light bulb went on, the pretty brunette groaned.

"Oh good god... Your Athena's kid, aren't you? The one she rants and raves about and threatens to kill Hades over... If it wasn't for bad luck.. I wouldn't have nay luck at all... Maybe I should just go shoot myself now.. Oh wait.. I'm immortal.. that would do any good..I swear to god.... Uncle Hades is going to hear about this...."

[Darius 'Aronus' Tiberian]

Gods, but the woman had the shrillest voice on the planet. And there he’d been, thinking that only Hades’ could make his eyelids twitch like they were. Lip curled in a very unhappy fashion, Aronus stayed silent, listening to her rant. Absently, something in the back of his mind warned him to be polite, that her face looked so familiar that he may regret being his usual, surely self.

But once she mentioned his mother’s name, all bets were off.

“Fine, you don’t want him to die inside?” He growled, snagging the body by its collar, standing and moving toward the front door. “I guess I’ll just drag him outside, if only to make you shut the hell up. You cannot bring him back. The man is dead, deceased, ten feet under, off to the Great Beyond…”

With Monty Python quotes pouring out of his mouth, the demi-God strolled purposefully toward the front door. Hades didn’t like to wait for his presents, and standing there, arguing with the fool woman who thought she was a necromancer…he just didn’t have the frikken time.

Though invisible to everyone save Hades himself, he could feel the manacles around his wrists, ankles and throat begin to grow hotter. Sometime in the late 17th century, the God of the Underworld had figured out that waiting for his servant to travel to the desired soul wasn’t exactly the most time effective route. So, to make things expedient, he’d given Aronus the ability to fade, traveling through time and space as quickly as a hot knife through butter.

He’d also cut the delivery time in half, and the consequence was ultimate pain and suffocation. Aronus had gone through THAT whole dog and pony show enough times to understand the meaning of ‘right now.’

“Yeah, go ahead and tell Hades about your feelings,” He muttered, almost sighing in relief as he caught sight of the front door. “No idea who the hell would want to die in a place like this, but…don’t worry, the both of us will be out of your hair in—FUCK!”

One hand came to his neck as the band tightened around the delicate bones and burned the fragile skin. The scent of burning flesh filled the room and, doggedly, he continued to drag the body toward the door. Fuck you, Hades, he thought with a snarl, dragging in as much air as he could. Did the God REALLY think that dragging a soul to the Underworld took five seconds? Obviously, the moron had been out of the business for too long.

Now, if only there weren’t so many goddamn toys lying around the goddamn store, and he’d have been in goddamn Eden. Tripping over a very…interesting looking display, he found himself on his knees, grasping at the burning metal of the band around his neck and cursing with what little breath he had.

“Can’t…wait…” He gasped, fading from view. As the bones in his neck began to collapse, he reached into the body’s chest, took the spirit out, mentally pictured the Underworld and threw the wailing soul into the hole that opened up beneath his knees. Hades had a thing about his setting foot into his domain, and only the most dangerous, conniving souls were personally escorted.

With his job done, the bands relaxed and Aronus reappeared, on his hands and knees, choking and gasping. Slowly, the bones in his neck began to heal, the burns along with it. Head hanging down, he took deep breaths of the beautiful air, closing now tearing eyes as he fought to regain his composure.

“If you…know who I am…” He wheezed, somehow knowing that the alluring shop owner was nearby. “Next time…don’t fuck with the job.”

[Zoe Harris]

Oh No He Had NOT! The dude had NOT just insulted her and basically told her to shut the hell up. Even the IDEA of someone insulting her like that had her spinning back on her heels if only for a few moment. Unfortunately, the silence was quickly followed by red hot fury and an audible click of her teeth as she gritted them and decided how to deal with the situation.

No matter how bad she wanted to smack the idiot down a few inches, she couldn't do it without drawing a hell of a lot of unwanted attention. Two people of god blood could very well bring a building down around them if it got out of hand and that would no doubt lead to some harsh punishments from the big guys. Punishments Zoe had no desire to be the recipient of. Neither Uncle Zeus nor Aunt Hera had much of a sense of humor. That didn't mean, however, she couldn't wait until the mortals were gone before kicking his ass seven ways to Sunday. That thought almost made holding her anger in worth it. ALMOST.

As the bastard started dragging the body through her main rooms, Zoe growled and realized she was going to have to do something quick or there was going to be mass panic sweeping through her store. It was a scandal she couldn't very well afford as a business owner and it pissed her off that she was going to have to clean up yet another mess that could have been avoided. Anymore, that seemed to be the story of her life.... Cleaning up other peoples mess's. Oh happy happy Joy Joy. One of these days, she sure as hell was going to have to ask for a raise. The pay for this day job sucked.

Moving quickly, the young goddess swept the memories clean of every mortal in the store before shoving them all through the door and out of her sight. Vaguely, she was aware of Darius's hissing in pain but her own fury was to great to allow herself to be swayed to sympathy so easily. She didn't know what his angle in this way for sure but if he thought she wouldn't be shooting off Hades an email about the whole damned thing, he had another thing coming.


Hades was one of the only of her relatives that got her anger at her father and she had an open invitation down to the Underworld whenever she felt the need to get away from the "Free Love" conditions at home. Really, being Eros's daughter was a real pain in the ass at times and a girl had to take drastic measures!! He might be the god of Love and Lust but DAMN.... Walking in on him and mom getting their groove on was more than awkward even after a few hundred years. The last sighting had damned near blinded her and had her thinking about joining the whole catholic movement for gods sake! Hades place was actually a bit of a relief when Persephone was there and he toned down his doom and gloom a bit.

Shaking her head, Zoe realized she was letting herself get distracted and turned her attention back to the dude just as he seemed to collapse and disappear from view. Blinking rapidly, she stared at the stop and then started to swear a blue streak. The body of the dead man glowed just briefly before it became just another corpse and she groaned.

Hell, now what was she going to do? She had a dead body in her store and the press was just going to LOVE that weren't they? She could just see the headlines now.. "MAN HAS CORONARY IN ADULT STORE WHILE GAZING AT NAKED LADIES!" That outta just make the good puritans of the city happy. If her suspicions were correct, the dead dude was also a preacher at one of the local baptist church's. That in itself would cause the scandal of the decade and Cupids would be right in the middle of it. Oh well, Zoe decided with a sigh, it wouldn't be the first time she'd been labeled as a wild woman or a Jezebel. It also wasn't like she went out of her way to sooth the good christian people of New Orleans. More often than not, she'd actually ENJOYED inflaming them. Stuck up prudes.

Just as she finished that thought, Aronus suddenly reappeared and seemed to be gasping for breath. She briefly thought about offering him a hand up but then decided it wasn't necessary as he hissed his words at her. Narrowing her own eyes, she glared and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I know who you are but I wasn't aware that Hades had you on a chain like a bad puppy. Maybe if you had told me that instead of being a jackass, my reaction might have been a bit different... but then .. your a man and I forget that your sort tends to forget that we come with something other than boobs.... Amazingly, we have BRAINS and can grasp important facts." she retorted with an exaggerated innocence at the end.

Then, striding forward, she grasped the body and shifted space quickly in order to drop it off in his church office and then shifted back so she was standing in the same spot she'd left. Now that the body was gone and the human's minds had been wiped, she could breath a bit easier and her anger was a bit diffused.

"A little advice... but the next time you want to grab a soul and run into someone like me?? Be a bit more polite.. Your lucky I'm not kicking the crap out of your butt."

[Darius 'Aronus' Tiberian]

Well, wasn’t she the delicate little peach? Be still his dead, shriveled heart; she was just SMOTHERING him with love.

“Oh yeah…take a year to tell you my life story. THAT would’ve made things go much faster. You sure you don’t only have boobs?” Came the dark reply, broken by some more gasping as his neck slowly began to heal.

Slowly, the Demi-God straightened, rubbing at his raw wrists as he glanced around the shop. Once upon a Freedom, he’d have taken to this shop like a fly to sugar…and to the pretty thing that watched it. As she proceeded to ramble and threaten him, he took a moment to give her a little once over, just managing to keep a straight face. Running into his many cousins were a rarity, now that modern society allowed such things as Caller ID and security cameras. So, the mere fact that the woman looked familiar, knew what and who he was with one glance, AND could hop from reality to the Underworld as easy as breathing?

Definitely not an everyday occurrence. To be afraid, or not to be afraid…he freaking SWORE that if those annoying Fates were playing with him, he was going to retaliate with force.

Brushing himself off, Aronus sighed and knelt down to straighten up the display he’d knocked over earlier. Various…interestingly shaped objects were tossed into ungainly piles, as he fought the urge to crack a smile. The woman sure had a tongue like a knife, he thought with a wry sigh. Of course, it would be aimed at his tough ass.

“Believe me when I say that you ‘kicking my butt’ would be like a vacation,” He said with a small quirk of his lips. With the display…as fixed as he was ever going to make it- sorry, but he just was NOT comfortable with touching latex penises for longer than he absolutely had to- and he was tired as hell.

Rubbing the back of his aching neck, he let loose a rough cough and turned to walk out of the store.
“Whatever. Sorry about the display. Maybe I’ll catch you around, Baby Cupid.”

Inwardly, he grinned. Hell if THAT wasn’t going to get a rise out of the pretty brunette. Call it masochism, but the urge to poke those fangs until it bit his fingers off was almost too much to bear.

[Zoe Harris]

Ok, so it wasn't often that someone came back with as much sarcasm as she herself usually dealt out. Her companions words made a smirk cross the goddess's lips but she quickly turned away so he couldn't see that he'd actually succeeded in amusing her. That just wouldn't do when he had the ability to get under her skin just as easily.

"Oh Babe.. I guarantee you that I have all the right female parts... No need to worry about that." she retorted, before moving to straighten a display of toys dedicated to the female enjoyment.

From the corner of her eye, she caught his expression as he looked around the store and then grinned. He was obviously trying to decide if he had landed in heaven or hell and when he eyed the objects he'd knocked down and then admitted defeat, she couldn't hold back her laughter. He was almost to the door when she finished putting the things back and leaned on the counter to gaze after him in curiosity. His parting shot made her roll her eyes and resist the impulse to toss something at the back of his head. Baby Cupid her ass.

"Hold up there, cowboy." she drawled out before reaching over the register and grabbing her leather jacket. "You look like you could use a drink... I was just getting ready to head over to Screamers... How about you let me buy you a round and then you can do whatever it you do with your free time. This has shaped up to be a crappy night anyways and I could used a bit of fun."

Strolling with a loose hipped pace, the young woman covered the distance between them and then locked up the place as they both stepped outside. Casting him an impish over her shoulder, she asked.

"You know how to drive a racing bike? That's all I've got here for transportation but it drives hard and fast. I've had a friend of mine do a few modifications on it and it will leave you with an adreniline high."

[Darius 'Aronus' Tiberian]

Damn. So close, so damn close to complete and utter freedom. Just three more steps, one little yank or the doorknob and he could have gone right back home, sat his scarred ass in front of a good football game and waited in comfort for another call of a departing soul.

This modern age definitely beat its predecessors. Nothing was better than reclining in his favorite bachelor chair, warm and comfortable while waiting for the job to bring him into the world. He’d used to have to wait things out in stables and little huts, as Hades used to like to amuse himself by playing with his slave’s funds. When the God chanced a trip up to Earth, gambling was always a favorite…and guess where he got the backing for his chips?

Yep, from him. It was safe to say that Aronus was very used to having nothing. Hell, it had been that way since he’d been hit with the Stupid Stick all those centuries ago.

“Cowboy?” He repeated, brow raised as he glanced at her over his shoulder. “Oh, joy, I get to be compared to a guy who walks like he’s got kicked in the nuts for most of his life. I can now be tortured throughout eternity with a sense of contentment.”

Rubbing the back of his quickly healing neck, the demi-God turned slightly as the little woman trotted up next to him.

He really was trying his best to stop the flow of sarcasm- Gods, he really hadn’t spoken this much to anyone in over a decade- but there was just something about the woman that made his tongue feel freer.
“Yeah, that’s me; making peoples’ nights crappy since 541 B.C. And…lady, do I look like a guy who’d want to go somewhere called ‘Screamers?’”

Giving her a droll look, he took a minute to appreciate the sight in front of him. Leather never looked so…appealing, than when seated on this woman. The rumors about Daddy Cupid’s little girl doing the rebellion-thing was obviously true, and his customary frown was momentarily replaced with an amused little smile.

Strange, her store seemed to echo Aunt Aphy rather than her Pops. But hell, anyone who went against the Gods was a friend of his. Crossing his arms over his chest, the God just shook his head.

“I don’t drive anything, after having most of my cars and/or bikes fall apart under me,” He said after a moment, opening the shop door for her. “Hades likes being an asshole that way.”

[Zoe Harris]

Oh boy... Wasn't there a wealth of sarcasm in those words. Zoe was half tempted to bet him that she could make him see screaming as a positive thing when the better part of valor intruded. It really wasn't sporting to poke fun at an already tortured soul.

Moving out of the shop, the young woman headed towards her bike with a look over her shoulder. His words, however, caused her to pull up short just as she picked up her helmet. Frowning, Zoe eyed him and then gave an exaggerated sighed. With twinkling eyes, she leaned on the bike before giving him a thorough once over that would have even done her father proud in the lust department.

"Well, I would say you could be my bitch boy but I don't think you'd exactly fit in that category.... So.. I guess we just poof on over? Surely you can do that one? If not, I'll be glad to give you ride..."


Wiggling her eyebrows in impish suggestion, she pushed way from the bike before looking around and then touching it with a spark of power. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared and she headed back to him.

"Don't worry... Stranger things have happened around here.. The mortals never notice anything disappearing... Now... About that drink?" Holding out her hand, she waited for him to take it. "I don't bite... Much..." she finished with a smirk.

[Darius 'Aronus' Tiberian]

It really was sad how long it took Darius to realize that he was getting ogled. At first, turning to eye her over his shoulder, a sarcastic comment climbing up his throat, he’d thought that she was glaring at him. But then, as her eyes wandered down his body, irritation turned into downright shock.

Being that he’d been Hades’ chew toy for the past thousand or so years, most of the Gods did their best to keep his ‘slave’ self out of their presence…and that of their handmaidens. And, as if that wasn’t enough, both Hades’ random, mostly fire-breathing visits and the ‘funk of death’ on his soul, humans and most other species kept their distance as well. So, call him a mime when he goggled back at the strange Goddess when she proceeded to look him over.

“I ain’t nobody’s bitch boy,” He replied automatically, as his brain did its best to get back into gear. “But I can manage a ‘poof.’ I got into your store without you knowing it, didn’t I?”

Pointedly ignoring the innuendo- not that he could make certain parts ignore, but he was doing his best, here- he just looked down at her hand and shook his head. Oh, joy, the complete stranger, and Goddess to boot, wanted to hold his hand. His shriveled up heart was going to burst!

“Not unless asked, huh? Never heard that one before.” With a wry snort, he merely raised a brow, flashed a quick smile and flickered out of sight. Unlike the Greeks, who could poof from place to place, he was limited to fading out of sight and running like the wind toward his destination.

Yeah, his ego was very happy that he’d passed Screamers a few times in the past. If he’d had to grab onto the Goddess’ hand, rely on another person for something? He’d probably spontaneously combust…and man, that hurt. He knew from personal experience.

Reforming in a back alley next to the nightclub, he looked around for the telltale presence of the familiar woman. He stood next to her bike, running a finger over the gleaming handlebar, then sighed and took a step back. Something told him that if he spent too much time around Cupid’s daughter, he’d be losing some of his protective sarcasm, and he really couldn’t have that.

But did that stop him from waiting there for her, and immediately tossing a question at her when she finally appeared? Of course not.

“You’re Zoe, Cupid and Psyche’s kid, aren’t you?” He asked, leaning sideways against the side of the building. “I remember how the guy would rave about you. How you were so clever for walking, for smiling, for throwing up on your mother…”

[Zoe Harris]

{Continued here It Is What It Is }