waaaaaaaah

bouncebouncebounce

"Hush, lil baby, don't you cry," I sang. "Artemis chases her prey in tha sky. Unca Apollo is long since asleep, an' so is Posiedon, way down in tha deep."

whimper

rock rock rock

"Wood nymphs an' satyrs sleep in tha dale, undah tha stars an' tha moon, oh so pale. Greece an' Olympus sleep, mortals do, too. Tha world is asleep, baby, so why aren't you?"

yawn sigh

Cupid whispahed. "Is she asleep?"

I whispahed back. "Yah. Lemme try an' lay her down." shift settle tuck stroke sigh "There. All right, let's try ta tiptoe out."

Cupe an' I tiptoed outta tha little room we'd created right nexta our own an' eased tha door almost shut. We stood there, holdin our breath, listinin. When there was no sound we tiptoed ovah ta tha bed, crawled up on it, an' sorta fell on each othah.

I'da rathah taken my time with Cupe, since it had been so damn long, but hey, I like fast an' furious sometimes. We'd had nothin since Imp had been born 'cept fah a few quick handjobs (an' those were sometimes interupted by eithah Imp or Bliss, or some relative or othah droppin in ta see tha baby.) I love my kids, but gods!

Cupe flashed my clothes off, threw me back on tha bed an' swooped on me, takin my cock down his throat in one plunge. I couldn't help it--I whooped.

whaaaa

"Cupe..." I wanted ta cut my own throat. He grabbed my hips, holdin them down, an' sucked harder.

whaaaaaaaa!

"Cupe, wunna us hasta go."

Cupid pulled offa my cock an' buried his face against my thigh. I felt dampness on my skin, an' saw that his shouldahs were shakin. "Aw, Cupe."

I pulled him up inta my arms, an' he buried his face against my shouldah. "I'm sorry, babe," he whispahed. He wiped his face. "It's just that it's been so long, and I need you."

I rocked him. "I need ya, too, Cupie, but it's gonna be all right. Just make it ta tamarrah. Joxie will take Imp, Dite will take Bliss. We won't hafta worry about eithah of 'em till the 2 am feedin. We'll have plenty of time tagethah."

uh uh uh uhwaaaaaa!

"I'll go." He materialized a cloth an' blew his nose. "I feel so stupid. I love our daughter so much, but I miss us... together."

He slid out of bed an' went inta Imp's room. I heard him say, "Hey, little girl. Come to Dad."

uh uh uh ahhuhh

"Now, now, what's the problem, hmm?"

cooo

"Thaaat's better. That's my little sweetheart. Oh, honey, you have got to get used to sleeping longer. I love you, but I love your Daddy, too."

I thought on some pants, got up, an' went inta Imp's room. sigh There's just somethin about seein a big, strong man holdin a teeny baby. Imp was in just her diddy, layin against Cupe's bare chest. (Ace said that skin on skin contact calmed babies down, reminded 'em of when they were inside their mom--or in Imp's case, her daddy. It seemed ta work.) Her head was tucked just undah Cupe's chin, an' her green eyes were almost slits. She was already almost asleep again. Cupe had one hand cradlin tha back of her neck an' tha othah supportin her butt. In between his hands her little wings were wavin, slower an' slower. Finally her eyes closed, an' tha wings folded. Cupe stroked tha feathahs smooth, then carefully deposited Imp on her tummy in tha cradle, turning her head gently ta tha side. He kissed his fingahtips, then brushed 'em ovah her peachfuzz hair, turned around, an' saw me in tha door. He smiled.

I held out my arms an' he came inta them. I held him, strokin his hair, then his wings. "Tamarrah, Cupe. I'll make it up ta ya tamarrah."

Cupid slid his hands inta my hair, holdin my head back a little so he could look inta my eyes. "Strife, there's nothing to make up for. This is just part of being parents--it happens. I went through it with Psyche and Bliss. I will admit, though," he sighed, leanin his forehead against mine. "the abstinence was easier to handle with her."

I couldn't help smilin. "Yah?"

He grinned back at me, "Oooh, yah."

"Time to go, Bliss." Cupid held out his arms.

Bliss folded his arms, tucked his chin, an' scowled. Oo, damn, Ares couldn'ta denied that kid was his blood even if he'da wanted ta. "Wanna go with Imp."

"Not this time, kiddo," I said. "Arrangements have already been made fah you ta spend tha night with yer Grandma Dite an' Hephy. Maybe ya can talk Heph inta lettin ya help forge some of yer daddy's arrows."

He looked interested fah about two seconds, then tha scowl came back. "Wanna go with Imp!" He gave me tha most defiant look he evah had, but there was a worried look in his eyes. "Imp needs me!"

I felt my insides gettin gooey. "Sure she does, Blissy. Yer her big bro, an' she'll always need ya."

He rubbed his eyes, tryin not ta let a tear escape. "I take care of her."

I hugged him. "Ya sure do, big guy. But no one can take care of someone else every single second. We gotta have help sometimes."

"Okay, but why can't I go with Imp?"

Cupid said, "Because an infant and a yearling and a...," Bliss looked at him, and Cupid ammended what he was going to say, "Well, you're a big boy now, Bliss, and you don't need to be taken care of as much as they do."

He sighed. "You sure Imp's gonna be all right? You sure they can take care of her?"

I managed ta keep tha snickers down. An almost six year old, questionin tha kid care abilities of two of Olympus's finest. "Yah, I'm sure. Ain't they doin a good job with Accord?"

His brow wrinkled, "Yeah, Daddy Stwife, but this is Imp we're talking about."

"Don't worry, Curly. She'll be fine. Now, run ta yer dad an' he'll take ya ta Dite's place while I run Imp ta the Halls of War."

Bliss gave me a big kiss, then brushed a smaller one on Imp's pink cheek. He whispahed. "Don't worry, Imp. Gran'pa Rees and Gran'pa Joxie is really, really cool, and they take good care of you. But 'member, if you plays with Mjau, don't pull his tail or ears. He don't like that, and he scratches." He trotted ovah ta Cupe, who gathered him up inta his arms.

"See you in a few, doll," Cupe said, an' flashed out.

I studied tha bags I had packed fah Imp, wonderin if I had everythin. Then I hadda flash of Ares bringin Accord ta stay ovah night with us, an' how I'd shaken my head ovah all tha stuff he brought, thinkin that Joxer had ovah done it a little. Right now I was wonderin how he'd managed with such meagah supplies. There was only one way ta do this. I picked up Imp an' zapped tha pile of baby stuff ovah ta Ares's temple. I wrapped Imp carefully in her blanket (pink--a gift from her Grandma Dite, surprise, surprise. That woman was gonna turn my kid inta a girlie-girl if I didn't watch out.), an' transported us both.

We appeahed in Unc an' Joxer's private room. Joxer was starin at tha pile of baby stuff with an amused look. "Strife, did you leave any of Imp's stuff at home?"

"I may have missed a pair of booties or somethin."

"Between what you brought and the stuff I have from when Accord was little I think we'll have it covered. Why don't you settle Imp in the cradle? Ares and Cord are in the reception hall." He grinned. "There's something I'd like to show you, if Cord is in the mood." I was anxious ta get back ta Cupe, but I had a soft spot fah Accord. I was watchin him as a primer fah what ta expect from Imp. I could spare a coupla minutes.

Ares and Accord were out in the center of the hall. Accord was standin nexta his daddy, with his arms wrapped around one leathah clad leg, gabblin up at him in that 'not quite a language' baby talk. I had to wondah what mosta tha world woulda thought if they'd seen tha look on Unc's face right then. It was... (ah, gods, don't let him know I'm sayin this, 'kay?) sweet. He wiped it real quick when he saw I was there, but his expression didn't close up completely.

Joxer stopped a little more than a yard away from them, squattin down ta be on a level with Cord. Cord was a good lookin kid. He was a sturdy lil guy, with that melon belly most babies get. He had Ares dark hair an' Joxer's chocolate brown eyes, pale skin, an' smile. When he saw Jox he gave him that smile full force, jabberin at him. He let go of Ares with one arm an' waved at Joxer.

"Hi, baby. Have you been having fun with Papa?"

Accord hugged Ares again. "Pa pa pa pa!"

"He's been getting some good exercise. He loves this room. Besides the fact that it echos when he raises his voice, he has all this smooth, marble floor."

"Yah. It's gotta be easiah on tha knees than tile or wood," I said.

Joxer an' Ares exchanged looks. "Oh, we can do better than that," said Joxer. He held out his arms toward Accord. Accord let go with one arm again an' waved it at Joxer. Now I could tell that he was askin Daddy ta get him. "No, that's too far for me to go. You come over here."

Tha arm waved more frantically. "Da da." Joxer just crooked his fingahs. Cord flapped his arm hardah than Bliss flaps his wings when he takes off. "Da da!" Cord was bouncin now. "Da da!"

"Come on."

"Ah!" Cord let go of Ares. I squinched my eyes almost shut, waitin fah him ta drop on his butt. He wavered, but when he started ta lean he swung his foot forward an' stayed upright. He wobbled a second, then swung tha othah leg. His bare foot made a little slappin sound when it came down. He wobbled. He was leadin with that watermelon belly, an' his elbows were bent, hands up around his shouldahs. Cord swung tha opposite leg again, then sorta lunged. Joxer caught him, floppin down on his butt, huggin Cord as they both giggled.

"I'll be damned!" I said. I reached down an' slid my hands unda Cord's arms, liftin him up. He squealed happily, throwin his arms around my neck. "Yer walkin, kid! Ya joined tha upright!" I grinned at Ares. "Can I still call him a rug rat?"

Ares scowled, but his eyes were proud. "He's still going to be going on all fours most of the time for awhile yet. Just be sure you smile when you say it."

"Don't I always? Um..." I handed Accord ta Ares as Joxer stood up. Joxie moved next ta Ares, an' hugged him an' Cord. "I, uh, wanna thank you two fah takin Imp fah tha night. Ya may very well have saved me an' Cupe's sanity."

Ares smirked. "I thought it was too late for you, Strife."

I giggled. "May very well be, but I'm havin way too much fun."

Joxer laid his head on Ares's shouldah, strokin his chest. "Believe me, Strife, we understand how it is. I was ready to go make a thank you offering on everyone's altar when Cord started sleeping through the night." Accord reached ovah an' patted Joxer on tha cheek. Joxer grinned an' kissed his son's hand, then pretended ta nibble his fingahs, makin Cord giggle. "Why don't you get home to your husband? Two o'clock is going to come more quickly than you expect."

"Shit! Yeah! Thanksagaingottago."

Flash!

I appeahed in our bedroom. It was dark, except fah tha hundred or so candles on every flat surface. That is every flat surface 'cept tha bed. That had black sheets softah an' smoothah than Imp's butt, an' it was scattahed with rose petals. Ooo. Cupe had been busy.

"Where ya at, lover? Daddy's home, an' he's randy as a flock of satyrs!"

Flap!

I felt a rush of wind an' turned just in time ta see Cupid, nekkid as tha day 'Dite let loose of him, eyes flashin about a dozen different colahs, swoopin down on me from a perch ovah tha door where he'd been layin in wait, tha sexy booger. I had time ta yell before he grabbed me an' I was half dragged, half carried ovah onta tha bed, landin with him on toppa me.

sigh Gods, I love a good ambush!

When we landed tha wrestlin commenced. It had been a long time since we'd had tha place ta ourselves. Shall I just say that neitha wunna us was less than vocal? Feathahs flew. So did scraps of leathah. He had me as nekkid as he was in a coupla minutes. Someone uninformed who saw that mighta thought there was a little coersion goin on, but believe me, it was mutual. Tha only coersion was of tha 'what tha fuck is takin ya so long?' kind. When skin hit skin it really got hot.

We hadn't drawn up any kinda schedule as ta what tha agenda would be. We just knew that we both wanted ta have as much sex as was physically possible. We ain't perpetual motion machines, but bein a god does give ya a certain amount of stamina beyond that of mere mortals, and yeah, I'm tryin ta make ya jealous. smirk Is it workin?

Anyway, it was sorta 'whoevah gets ta tha ass first', an' I won tha sweepstakes. Cupe may have me on bulk, but I can usually beat him on slippery. I managed ta flip him ovah on his belly. I had my fingahs oiled an' was partin those sweet cheeks before he even had time ta fold his wings. I found a surprise. Tha cute lil pucker I'd been expectin was sportin a wide butt plug. I was immediately as hard as a rock. "Cupe! What tha Tartarus?"

He looked back ovah his shouldah, grinnin at me. "I know how worried you always are about being sure I'm properly stretched, and I love it when you finger fuck me, babe, but I wanted to be good to go for you."

I chuckled. "That explains why ya been walkin like ya had a stick up yer butt tha last coupla hours."

"Strife? Less talk, more dick."

"Yer wish is my, an' all that." I eased out tha plug. His asshole stayed a little spread, glistenin at me. I couldn't resist. I leaned down an' planted a big kiss, with a little tongue thrown in.

Cupe groaned an' squirmed. "Strife! Get that cock in me right now!"

He spread his legs, an' I knelt in tha space... Okay, I can't help it. I've spent way too much time in tha Hall of Time, an' way too much of that time listenin ta future generations's music. "I'm comin home I done my tiiiime. Now I gotta know what is an' isn't miiiine..."

"Strife!"

"Yessir!" I shoved, an' we both yelped. I know it had ta have ached a little, even as open as he was, but I also know that it was exactly what we both wanted.

Oh. Ohohohohooooo. Please don't think I'm any kinkier than I am when I say bliss! I can't help it if tha kid's name fits tha situation perfectly. Rapture. Ecstacy. Uh... Shit. I don't have a thesaurus available right now, but ya get my drift.

Cupe mighta loosened himself up, but when I got inside it felt as tight as a fist. It was hotter than tha fire pits of Tartarus, wettah an' softah than a peeled peach, an' twice as sweet. I went even crazier than I usually am. 'Thrust' is too gentle a word. I lunged, I pounded, I made like a pile drivah. Oo, mmm, uh...

I can't describe it!

pause

Frustrates tha hell outta ya, doesn't it? smirk I'll try. Fah tha first bit Cupe just moaned an' squirmed. I had enough presence of mind ta tilt his hips so I could hit his sweet spot, ovah an' ovah. That really sparked it. Hoo, he started buckin harder'n a veteran rodeo bronco. If I hadn't been so determined he'da pitched me off, but I wasn't goin anywhere fah a long time.

Oh, an' he said tha sweetest things. Can't remembah it all, but 'fuck me!' figured inta it a good deal. It's a good thing we sleep onna platform bed, 'cause we sure as Tartarus woulda broke that sucker. I held off longah than I woulda expected, but I'll admit that it wasn't any marathon. Pretty soon my balls seized up an' I didn't even have time ta try an' hold back before I was gushin. Just as I did Cupe bore down inside, squeezin me. I thought tha toppa my head blew off, but I checked latah, an' there wasn't any brains on tha ceilin, so I guess it didn't.

I dropped on him, but then I rolled ovah, still inside 'im an' pullin 'im with me, grabbed his cock, an' stroked, hard an' fast. He squirmed, tha feathahs rubbin all ovah me, then he thrashed hard, cryin my name. I felt that beautiful cock jerk in my hands, an' then my fingahs were slidin even easiah in Cupe's spunk.

We both lay there pantin. I let my hands slide up ta rest on Cupid's heavin belly, croonin, "Baby, baby, baby."

He turned his head an' managed ta kiss me, then licked a rose petal offa my arm an' ate it. "That was reeeeal good. For starters."

I found enough strength ta laugh.

Look, I know ya want details, but I sweah, I can't remembah all of it. Honest. Just lotsa nice flashes. Cupe workin that second fingah inta my ass while he bit me on tha shouldah. Suckin a purple patch on tha inside of his thigh while he swore at me (but gently) ta get my mouth on his cock where it belonged. Tha way he tenderly wiped me clean aftah he accidentally jerked out durin sixty-nine an' gave me tha sorta facial Dite doesn't mention.

We didn't so much fall asleep as lapse inta unconsciousness. I dunno how long I slept, but I woke up right around 2 am. Imp had me trained already. I tried ta get ta her before tha whimpahs woke up Cupe. I figured that when she went on tha milk skin he'd get his share.

I kinda half sleepwalked inta Imp's room. Bangin inta tha doorframe didn't really do much ta wake me up. I nevah really felt fully rested, with tha feedin schedule, an' I'd just gotten through almost drainin my batteries with Cupe. I was so groggy that it didn't even occur ta me that I'd bettah wake up before I tried ta handle my kid. I mighta even dropped her, but it didn't come ta that. I reached inta tha cradle. My hands didn't hit baby right away, an' I felt around fah a couple seconds till it hit me. No Imp. I went from snooze ta hyper in a flash.

"Cupid!"

That tone of voice an' his full name? He hit tha floor before he was awake. I think he made it inta tha room before he got his eyes open. "Strife, what is it?"

I grabbed him. "Imp's gone! Somebody snatched Imp! Who do I kill?"

He grabbed me back. "Strife, honey, calm down!"

"But Imp..."

"Imp is with Ares and Joxer, remember?"

Sanity (or somethin like it) returned. "Oh, shit." I dropped my head on his shouldah. "Check with Hades ta see if I just arrived. I'm pretty sure my heart stopped."

He hugged me. "It's okay, lover. It's okay."

I wiped my eyes. "No, it ain't. I'm late fah Imp's feedin. She's gonna be pissed with me."

He kissed me, an' when he pulled back we were both dressed. "Let's hurry, then."

"Cupe, you don't hafta."

"Yes, I do. She may need you, but I need both of you. Let's go."

We flashed inta Unc an' Joxer's bedroom. It was dim--there was only a single candle on a table by a chair across from tha bed. Unc was sleepin, tangled up in tha sheets, but Joxer was sittin in tha chair, holdin Imp. I went ovah ta him. "Geez, Jox, I'm sorry I'm late! Did Imp give ya too much grief?"

"No, not much. She squalled a little, but she quieted down as soon as I gave her the milk."

I blinked. "Joxie, ya wet nursin Imp?"

"Oh, no. My milk has just about dried up. Accord is on the skin now."

"What? Then how...?" Joxer pointed ta a flat milk skin layin on tha table. "Ya mean Imp took it?"

"Oh, she made a few faces at first, then she settled down and gobbled."

I blinked, then looked at Cupid. I dropped down on tha edge of tha bed, starin out inta space. Cupid came an' sat nexta me. "Babe?" He touched my shoulder. "Babe, are you crying?"

Joxer sighed. "Oh, dear."

I leaned on Cupe an' bawled. "My baby doesn't need me anymore!"

"Oh, for Zeus's sake," I heard Ares groan. "What now?"

"I been replaced by a fuckin animal hide fulla moo juice, that's what!"

He sat up, starin at me. "What?"

Cupid was pattin me on tha back. "Imp just had her first non-breast feeding, and Strife is feeling a little insecure."

Ares yawned, then ta my surprise he scooted ovah an' gave my hair a brief rub. "Stop it, you idiot. You were going to have to start supplimenting soon, anyway. Didn't Ace tell you how it was with Joxer? You just aren't built to produce milk like a woman, so you make less, and it's going to dry up sooner. Imp's eating more, isn't she?"

"You tellin me? Seems like I spend half tha day nursin her."

"There you go. It won't be long till she has a hard time getting enough milk, and you don't want her to go hungry, do you?"

"If I didn't think ya would slap my head off I'd ask if ya were stupid."

"There you go. Strife," he put an arm around my shouldah, "you're Imp's daddy. Now, granted that being your child she's bound to be an independent wench, she's still going to need you--always. There are going to be a lot of little advances that will seem to take her farther away but believe me, as long as you love each other," now he reached ovah an tousled Cupe's hair, "you'll never lose each other. And if you tell anyone I said that mushy stuff, you'll regret it."

I sighed. "Thanks, Unc."

"You're welcome. Now, get your asses back home, make love some more, and let me and my husband sleep."

I got up an' went ovah ta where Joxer had just put Imp down in tha cradle. She lay on her tummy, head turned away. I bent down an' stroked her little wings. They rustled undah my hand. I bent further an' brushed my lips ovah tha back of her head.

aaahhh?

"Sh, baby, go ta sleep. Daddy'll be back tamarrah ta bring ya home."

Joxer smiled. "She knows your voice."

"Ya think?" I bent down again, ticklin her undah tha wings. "Gootchie, gootchie, ya little booger."

uuuaaaah

Her head wobbled. I felt a stab of excitement. "Cupe! Get ovah here!"

He came ovah. "What is it?"

"Say somethin ta Imp." He shrugged. "Hello, sweet girl. You need to be good to your daddy when you get home. He's feeling a little rocky."

aaaaahhhhm

Cupe stood straighter. "Strife, her head's really wobbling!"

"Watch, watch! C'mon, Imp. Looka Daddy!"

Slowly, slowly Imp's head moved. Her chin barely cleared tha sheet fah a second, then her cheek flopped back down, but she was now facin toward us! I pumped my fist in the air. "Yeah! Didya see that?"

Joxer was grinnin, an' Ares had his hand ovah his mouth, an' was makin funny noises. I didn't care. I bent back inta tha cradle an' pressed my lips ta my daughtah's cheek, drinkin in that beautiful baby smell. "I love ya, Beautiful. Get some rest. Ya must be tired out by now."

I stood up, straightenin my shirt. "Tha child is obviously a buddin genius."

Cupid took me in his arms. "Obviously. Now, let's get back home." He snugged me up against him. "I got a supply of that chocolate from Mom. I have this idea about warming it just still it melts, then painting it all over you, paying particular attention to certain areas, and removing it..." he wiggled his tongue at me, "the natural way."

Invention is a wonderful thing.