Hello! Figured I would keep going in case I hibernate for too long again. Let's hope not.

A few things I'd like to point out:

1) WARNING: This chapter contains light femslash/yuri/girl on girl action. It dawned on me that in almost every roman or greek themed game/show/story, the inhabitants use sex to accomplish almost anything, and had much less reservations about gender. So I figured, why not? I have never written a full on lemon for two females and was undecided as to how it would be received so I kept it somewhat vague. But if you'd like me to re-write it as a full, descriptive romp I am okay with trying, just say so in reviews!

2) Beast is NOT based upon Aphrodite, but rather the greek goddess of seduction, Peitho

3) Would anyone be interested in creating a cover for this? I didn't even know you could do that (I've been under a rock. Sue me). If any of you have godly drawing hands and wish to go for it, I would be so eternally honored!

That's all folks. Enjoy. Review. Thank you so much!

The confines of the room Red found herself occupying were decadent.

First came the scents: herbs she was certain she had never come across. Notes so rich and sensually musky that the goddess felt utterly relaxed as she attempted to guess what exactly they might be. Candles were littered throughout, each lit and seemingly strategically placed despite their sheer number.

Red lounged upon a finely carved seat of marble, its flat plane stacked with cushions and sheets of many dark colors- the décor bled from deep carmine into the dulled color of wine before becoming a purple that hung over navy as dark as a midnight sea. Very precise edges of the ornate resting place showed through the coverings, the mottled white and gray appearing all the brighter as a result.

Thus was the entirety of the room. A den of dark colors blending together, sheets and fabrics of all sorts artfully tossed about, tacked to hang in sweeping dips from high ceiling to every wall. It gave her the acute impression of invitation, as though one could simply lay anywhere and remain comfortable.

Amidst the whorl of color and splashes of marble Red noticed, placed just beside a rather large bed, a small bassinette a color so black that it appeared to be a carapace; even the wicker it had been crafted from was difficult to discern. A veil of an equally dark color hung over the hollow of it, concealing whatever it was that rested there.

"I hope that everything is to your liking my dear."

A uniquely feline voice- whisper and growl and purr- inquired of her guest as her white-robed form swept into the room.

"It is exquisite. However did you manage to make such a lovely dwelling? And within a mountain, no less."

"Ah, well," the hostess smiled, plump rouged lips stretching over pearl teeth, "I have a ways with blacksmiths. So to speak."

Red cocked her head and smirked as she accepted a flute of warm golden ambrosia. "Is that so?"

A rich laugh echoed throughout the room. Perfect ringlets of glossed ebony shook along with the sound. "But of course, dear. I can have any one I wish. Mortal or god. I could give that conceited little 'Aphrodite' a run for her coins… or coin purse."

"My, my," Red laughed openly, crossing one leg over the other beneath her trailing rose hued robes. "Such confidence."

"Would you like for me to prove it?"

At this the goddess found herself staring towards the bed and into the gleaming jade eyes of the woman before her.

"I do not think that necessary. I quite believe in your prowess, Beast. It has gotten us quite far already."

"That it has… but not far enough. Not yet."

"Rachael has disappeared in a fit. And the world outside," Red gestured upwards as if said world were the ceiling above them, "is in ruin. I sit happily upon my throne in Olympus, and you within your flame-lit dwellings, but the realm of mortals has begun to turn cold and bitter. That alone should be enough to force them out."

"If and only if Sebastian can control his power enough to manifest it. Although I have such faith in him," Beast replied as her tenor sunk into a fiery growl. "He will do anything his lover needs of him. Of this I have no doubt. And all goes according to plan… do you disagree, dear?"

Red swirled the ambrosia within her chalice gently and watched golden waves coat the inside of the glass as she absentmindedly nibbled upon her lower lip.

"Vincent… every now and then he seems to look worried. Worried for her," she hissed furiously. Beast rose from her bedding and made her way towards the distraught goddess. Her every step was a sway of hips that was both predatory and hypnotic. Long fingers tucked away strands of bright crimson as the opposing hand gently took hold of the glass of Red's ambrosia.

"Now, now. The mortal realm is in chaos. There is nothing for the humans to sacrifice and very soon war may erupt if nothing of done. Even if no other god were to show concern, your husband is the one that always must. It is simply the nature of things."

Beast held the glass to Red's lips and smiled serenely as they parted as easily as a rose in bloom to drink. Ambrosia poured down the goddess' throat- thick and heady and healing- as a sympathetic shadow loomed high above her. Beast's eyes were… brilliant. In a manner that made Red feel awed, exposed, and empowered all at once.

"You have grown lonely."

It was not a question.

"I simply-"

The same hands that had whet her danced along her tresses. Her collarbone. Her waist.

"He has not touched you."

"No…" Red confessed. "Not in recent times. And when he does he seems lost. As though he is looking through me. Why?"

"I could not say, my dear. But I know your longing well. Your longing is the hunger that I live to satisfy. Although I have better means than you, as is my place in this world. Lust,"

Beast sighed, her breath fanning against Red's mouth, "is simply my area of expertise."

"Oh-!"

The crimson goddess stiffened as the dark haired one before her teasingly grazed the bottom of her breasts with her knuckles.

"Loneliness is terrible, is it not? That gnawing hole it burrows within ones' being. It is sickening."

Beast cupped one mound in her hand and kneaded it almost lovingly, grinning at her prey's moan- a fluttering whine of confusion and delight.

"Frightening."

Unoccupied fingers set about to prove their dexterity as the robe of Red's clothing came undone. The fabric swathed against her chest was suddenly absent, pushed aside, exposing tightened pink nipples to the unexpected chill of open air.

"Pitiful."

Peridot eyes peered up at Red's unmoving body as Beast knelt, her lips nibbling sweetly at the right breast, its twin generously cupped by her hand. The goddess of seduction relished in the rise of the goddess' pulse. Her rapid breath. The way in which her eyes closed and head rolled as another raw melody of unexpected pleasure escaped her.

Ambrosia was lovely, but this-

It was simply divine.

"I shall have to do my best to be an adequate substitute… if you agree, of course," she whispered into the flushed shell of Red's ear.

The goddess simply trembled and nodded her consent.

Beast grinned wickedly, as she did to any and every body that she had ever graced with her absolute magnificence. She quickly pinched at a rosy bud and ran a searing trail up and up, stopping only at Red's heated cheek.

"I am honored," she laughed lustily as their lips ghosted together before sealing shut in a coaxing meld of tongue and unprecedented relief.

It was not long until the sheets upon the bed were magnificently debauched.

Red slept peacefully with a swath of wine cloth clutched to her chest as the previous scents of the abode became heavily pierced by a uniquely feminine fragrance. So deep in sleep was she that the slumbering goddess never saw as Beast rose up and away from her side, gliding towards the bassinette in a glorious heap of curls and radiant nudity.

The goddess cooed at its contents very softly as the past clouded her manic eyes.

Never once did an infantile sound emerge to answer her.

All the land was lifeless before the pair of immortals that stood side by side upon the world above their own.

Trees withered into shadowy limbs that bore naught but wrinkled remains of their once verdant leaves. Grass receded into patches of dry straw-like stalks. Dirt failed to yield to footsteps, instead packing solidly into what felt like an expanse of frozen stone.

Animals also seemed to be both scarce and wildly uneasy- birds cooed low notes of warning as animals of prey peeked from within their places of hiding only to disappear as quickly as they had come.

Perhaps most curiously of all were the white flakes that fell from the heavens and slowly floated to the ground. It was accumulating in some places more than others, but blanketing everything all the same.

"This is the end of summer?" Ciel asked curiously as he walked, repeatedly lifting and pressing his foot into the miniature mountains of white. "Sebastian… just what is this? It is simply frigid!"

"This is snow, little one. Frozen water that rains from the heavens and down to the ground below. But I have never seen it anywhere other than the coldest of lands and the summits of mountains. It is indeed strange. And certainly not a good sign of things to come by any means."

"I can barely feel my feet anymore," the smaller god whined suddenly. "Oh, what should I do? How will we walk in this? I have never seen snow fall upon Olympus before."

"No, the immortals that dwell there enjoy paradise. This sort of weather would only be paradise to very few. And Ciel… you have abilities that you did not have before. Perhaps you can concentrate the heat of your flame towards your feet in order to warm them. I am able to do so with any part of my body when desired."

"I can certainly try," the younger male nodded. Ciel's expression became utterly concentrated as his fingers squeezed into fists from his effort. Sporadic flames were quite easy to conjure, but directing the energy of them into specific places took a great deal more focus, especially when evoking naught but heat rather than entire flame.

Sebastian laughed suddenly, taken aback as Ciel's body erupted into a deep amethyst fire. He looked very much like a frustrated candle wick, silly though it was.

"Easy now. We cannot arouse the mortals' suspicion of what we are. And that," he pointed at the ground around the god's vicinity, which had steamed around him and was completely devoid of snow, "is indeed quite obvious."

Ciel blushed visibly and huffed. "I apologize. I am still not accustomed to this newfound ability. There are times when I seem able to command it and others in which my efforts seem… insufficient."

"You will learn quickly, Ciel. Of that I have no doubt. There is yet much to learn about what this bonding has afforded you. All in due time. For now we should focus on garments that will keep us protected while warding doubt at the same time."

"Such as?"

"Sandals, or better yet foot garments crafted from fur, although those may be harder to come by given the circumstances. Even animals seem to be fleeing from this in any way that they can manage. For now, here," Sebastian gestured as he snatched a feathery cloak from the air.

"These robes are very long. They should keep you much warmer. But most importantly, it will hide your frivolously bare feet until we can locate a merchant who has stocked something to cover them with. No mortal could walk upon the earth in such a manner and last long without injury."

Ciel could not help but smirk as he donned the piece of clothing. "Do you fear that someone will see my frivolously bare feet and fall madly in love with them, Sebastian?"

"Little one, hush. Would that I could hide your face rather than those. Such a pampered thing you are, running barefoot for all of your life like a careless little nymph."

Ciel laughed as they continued to walk at a steady pace, all the while attempting to will warmth to the soles of his feet without accident. He steadied the flow of his power at a soft simmer that allowed them to remain comfortably warm without causing the snow to dissolve as quickly as it last had.

"I can feel that you have conquered the problem at hand already, Ciel. Well done. But expected of you nevertheless. You wield my element with inexperience but a strong will, as if it had always been a part of you. To be perfectly honest something about your manifestation is different from my own. I can feel it like a word sitting upon the tip of one's tongue, but I know not exactly what the difference may be."

"Perhaps it will make itself known when the time is right," the fledgling speculated aloud.

His lover agreed. "Indeed I hope so. I am curious as to how you will mold what I have given you."

"As am I."

Ciel continued to turn his gaze in all directions. He took in the sight of mountains over the horizon, of barren hills and naked trees. Clearly they were within a forest of some sort, though he would wager that it had seen much better days… the days in which his mother made life flourish. He had always admired her gift. It affected such a delicate balance as well as giving life to all manner of creature.

"Mother taught me that all that grows from the earth feeds the plant-eaters, who feed the flesh-eaters, all of which feed the mortals. Is that so?"

Sebastian nodded. "It is so Ciel. All mortal life depends upon the earth to thrive. That is why there is so much discord. There is little to eat. Nothing to sacrifice at the altars of the gods. And this drastic chill has never before reached these lands. We need your mother to make the earth flourish… before it is simply too late."

The young god nodded fiercely, looking up at the gray sky with deep resolve. The path they were walking was slowly becoming more defined. Off into the bleak distance the pair could spy a small village of closely built homes and winding streets.

"That it where the mortals dwell?"

"They dwell in many places. But yes, that is one. Mortals are all very different and have different customs. Some choose to live in groups based solely upon those. It is strange how they divide themselves although they are all share the same exterior, but such are their ways.

Are you perhaps excited to finally see so many new things up close, Ciel?"

Instead of speaking he radiated a quick pang of nervousness to Sebastian. It was a rapid set of heartbeats that sang through their bond and resonated in his skull.

"There is nothing to fear," Sebastian reassured him, holding onto one of Ciel's delicate hands to comfort him.

"As long as we are together there is not."

Upon arriving at the village Ciel noted the pained expressions of the faces of passerby. Children looked distraught while the adults yanking them by appeared to be downright disgusted. No one wanted to deal with the ominously cloaked strangers who had just arrived. They headed down a small alleyway, Ciel's cloak billowing in the icy wind as they made their way towards some place that Sebastian seemed to be seeking.

There were a few men fighting over a scrap of bread not far off, and the god heard shouts of "Mine!" "It belongs to me!" "Get your grubby hands off!"

He had never felt so much… pity.

Had never seen true hardship like this. Ciel held fast to Sebastian's sleeve as they passed the hungry mortals and stopped in front of a dwelling of an almost ancient appearance.

"Where are we?"

"This is a merchant's shop. Goods are not all that mortals spend precious gold upon."

"What else, then?"

"Information. Someone must have seen something unusual on the day in which your mother fled to the mortal realm. All manner of people from places near and far visit merchants for supplies. Which means there is a chance that we may learn something, even if we have to resort to petty mortal bribery."

Hand in hand they entered the dimly lit shop, the few and poorly lit candles leaving much to the imagination as a gravelly cackling welcomed them.

"What might the two of you be needing from the Undertaker?"

:)