Ceres frowned as she spotted Delphine waiting at the grand staircase of the Empress Palace's main entrance. Strangely, she wasn't accompanied by Pixie.
"Your Highness," Delphine greeted with a knowing smile. "Someone is here to see you."
Ceres raised an eyebrow, expecting a noble or royal from one of the other kingdoms.
"Who?" she asked, voice calm but curious.
Tuf and his other siblings exchanged wary glances. None of them could sense any unfamiliar presence within the palace grounds, a stranger slipping in undetected was unthinkable.
Luna narrowed her eyes, quietly watching Delphine with suspicion.
"He's in the kitchen… with the little Regent," Delphine answered cryptically.
Confused by her strange tone, Ceres nonetheless made her way toward the kitchen. Whoever it was, they should've been received in the hall, not the royal kitchens.
As she neared the doorway, a small, delighted voice rang out.
"Papa, I want a cheeseburger," Pixie's sweet, sing-song voice echoed through the corridor.
"Papa?" the siblings exchanged stunned glances, barely able to whisper the word.
Ceres turned sharply to Delphine, who merely smiled.
With growing urgency, Ceres pushed open the kitchen doors, only to come to an abrupt halt at the threshold.
There he was.
Standing in front of the mana-infused oven, wearing black slacks, a crisp white shirt, and a kitchen apron. His back was turned, focused intently on the food he was preparing.
Tears sprang to Ceres's eyes before she could stop them.
"Mama! Look!" Pixie spotted her first, beaming. She sat atop the marble island, surrounded by fresh ingredients. "Papa's making you pasta!"
Zeus straightened and turned toward her.
A black and gold masquerade mask covered the top half of his face, but there was no mistaking him, not for Ceres.
"Love," he greeted softly, offering her a small smile.
"Can… can you see me?" Ceres asked, walking toward him slowly, as though in a dream.
"Yes. I can see you," Zeus answered, meeting her halfway. He gently brushed his fingers across her cheek, and she closed her eyes at his touch.
"Let's go, brat," Tuf said suddenly, appearing beside Pixie and scooping her into his arms.
"But Papa was going to make me a cheeseburger," she pouted.
"Pixs," Vivi interjected smoothly, her tone cheerful. "Didn't your new friends want to race bikes? Since Peanut's here, how about we go race with skates too? And instead of doing it here in the palace, we'll take over the street. Longer racetrack!"
"Oh! We can let them ride our Nyx!" Milo chimed in excitedly. "They're going to love it!"
Pixie's eyes sparkled. "Okay!!! Can we drive?!"
"Of course," Nugget replied immediately.
"Alright! Let's go!" Tuf declared, winking toward Zeus and Ceres before carrying Pixie out.
One by one, the others filed out, even Delphine. Seiryu lingered just long enough to ensure no one else would disturb them, then silently disappeared from sight.
And then, at last, they were alone.
Zeus didn't wait.
He pulled her into his arms and captured her lips in a kiss so intense, so desperate, it was as if he feared she might vanish if he didn't hold on tight enough. His eyes remained open, refusing to blink, afraid that if he did, she'd disappear.
His kiss was messy. Wet. Full of longing. His tongue explored her mouth with hunger, tasting every part of her like a man starved for her.
Ceres didn't pull away. She kissed him back with the same fire, the same pain, the same ache.
Even when they ran out of breath, they only parted for a heartbeat before diving in again, lips crashing, breaths mingling, moans caught between mouths that refused to let go.
Then, a loud sizzle snapped them out of it.
Both turned toward the oven, which was now pouring smoke, though, oddly, there were no flames.
At the doorway, Seiryu stood silently.
"I used magic to stop the fire just in case," Seiryu said calmly. "But… it seems I forgot to silence the sound."
And just like that, without another word, he vanished from sight, as if nothing had happened.
Ceres and Zeus burst into laughter.
"Well, there goes the pasta I was going to feed you," Zeus muttered with a helpless grin, glancing at the smoke drifting from the oven.
Ceres bit her lip, her cheeks coloring.
"Ahmm… I have sweets in my room," she said shyly, eyes flicking up to him.
Zeus stilled, watching her closely. Then a slow, wicked smile curved his lips as he understood what she meant.
He cupped her blushing cheeks, gently kissing her in response, a teasing brush of lips that hinted at far more.
"You have sweets?" he murmured against her mouth, eyes gleaming.
"Yeah…" Ceres whispered, holding his hands that still cradled her face.
"In your room?" Zeus's voice dropped.
"Yup…" She bit her lip again, then gave him a mischievous look. "You like sweets, right?"
Zeus didn't answer with words.
He lifted her in his arms, bridal style, drawing a surprised yelp from her. Her arms instinctively looped around his neck.
"Yes," he murmured. "Especially when they're waiting for me in your room."
His tone dripped with double meaning, and before she could respond, he was already kissing her again, walking out of the kitchen as if nothing else in the world existed.
They didn't notice that not a single soul lingered in the palace. The hallways were silent. Empty. As if the world had conspired to give them this moment alone.
They continued to kiss, hot, hungry, breathless. Pausing only for air, only to crash back together with greater urgency. Lips tugging, tongues tasting, hands grasping. Each kiss more desperate than the last.
By the time they reached her chambers, the large double doors were already open, waiting.
"Love, wait!" Ceres gasped as Zeus stepped across the threshold.
"Why?" Zeus asked, pausing with genuine confusion.
Ceres glanced around the lavish room, expression cautious.
"Tofu… installed a privacy system in here," she admitted. "It won't let anyone through without my permission."
Zeus smirked.
"Did you forget what you asked him?" he said, referring to Lucifer. "No obstacles. That bastard takes everything literally."
He scanned the room, playful curiosity in his gaze. "Now… where is this sweet you mentioned?"
Ceres's face warmed instantly.
"In the bed," she said quietly, almost like a bashful teenager.
Zeus's eyes darkened at once. Even with the mask obscuring part of his face, the shift in him was palpable. A wave of lust and possessive hunger passed through him.
He strode toward the bed, carrying her still, and gently laid her down on the silk sheets.
Then he kissed her, deep and commanding.
"Love… what are you doing?" Ceres asked breathlessly as he began tugging at her dress.
"I want to tear it off," Zeus growled in frustration, his lips brushing her skin. "But damn it, why is it so hard to rip?"
Ceres laughed, amused by the irritation on his face.
"Nugget made this dress," she said between kisses.
Zeus groaned against her throat as if that answered everything.
"No wonder," he muttered. "It's arachnid silk. Stronger than steel."
"Shhh…" Ceres cupped his face. "Stop talking, and start kissing me."
He chuckled low in his chest, and obeyed.
Every kiss grew hotter, every touch more frantic. They kept fumbling with each other's clothes, cursing softly and laughing together at the sheer stubbornness of enchanted fabric.
And yet, nothing stopped them.
Their kisses were slow at times, rough at others. Hands explored, traced, claimed. They helped each other undress in half-laughter, half-desperation, skin against skin inch by inch.
"Ahhhh. Finally!" Zeus let out a triumphant sound when the last of their clothes hit the floor, everything gone except for the mask that still clung to his face.
Before he could even gloat, Ceres pushed him back onto the bed.
She straddled him, grabbing his face and kissing him hard.
"Are you just human now?" she whispered, her lips brushing his as she bit down on his lower lip.
"Yes," Zeus replied, brow arched as he kissed her back.
Ceres grinned. Her hands slid down to grip his wrists, and without warning, she raised them above his head, pinning them against the carved headboard.
"Chain," she whispered.
In an instant, silver celestial chains shimmered into existence, binding Zeus's wrists in place.
His eyes flared—surprise and arousal mingling in that look.
"Well," he said, grinning beneath her, "this sweet might kill me."
Ceres leaned down and kissed him, slow and deep, savoring every brush of his lips. Her breath danced against his skin as she whispered, "Blindfold."
In an instant, a dark silk strip manifested over Zeus's eyes, covering his mask.
"Ahmmm, Love…" Zeus groaned, voice laced with amused protest. "I haven't seen you, literally, for a thousand years. And now you're blindfolding me?" he pouted, though the hardness pressing against her betrayed how much his body disagreed.
"I know," Ceres teased, her voice thick with desire. She trailed soft kisses along the corner of his mouth, the edge of his jaw, the slope of his nose. "You waited that long… you can wait a few more hours. Besides…" Her lips hovered by his ear. "We've never done this before. Remember?"
She didn't wait for his reply.
Her kisses trailed down his throat, to the hard lines of his chest, her tongue painting each muscle with wet, open-mouthed reverence. And every time she suckled the sensitive spots, just enough to leave a mark, Zeus hissed her name.
"Fuck, Love," he cursed when her hand wrapped around his thick shaft, warm and firm. She stroked him slowly, torturously, then flicked her tongue against the slit, tasting the hint of his arousal.
"I think…" Ceres murmured. "I like this kind of sweet better."
Then she flattened her tongue and dragged it along his length, worshipping him like he was the rarest delicacy in the world, something she'd been starved of for far too long.
The chains rattled violently as Zeus instinctively tried to reach for her, but he couldn't. Bound and blindfolded, every other sense heightened until he could feel her every breath, every flick of her tongue as if the world had narrowed to just her mouth and his body.
"FUCK!" he roared when her lips enveloped him fully.
The warm, wet suction, tight and eager, sent him spiraling. The chains creaked under his raw strength, his hips twitching despite his restraint.
"Shit… Love!" He convulsed with a broken moan, unable to stop himself as his release hit him hard. Hot. Sudden. Desperate.
Ceres was momentarily surprised, but she took everything he gave her, swallowing every drop without flinching, her eyes half-lidded with satisfaction.
"Oh fuck, I'm sorry, Love, It's just, it's been a thousand years, "
"Shhh…" Ceres silenced him, sliding up his body until her lips brushed his ear. "I always take it as a compliment when you come quickly." Her voice dropped to a sultry whisper. "Besides… it's not like you go soft after. If anything, you get harder than before."
Zeus groaned in response.
"Unchain me," he whispered, lips blindly reaching for her. "Let me worship you now."
Ceres only smirked, evading his kiss.
"Later," she said, straddling him again, lining herself up over his still-throbbing length. "I'm so wet for you already."
Then she sank down onto him, inch by glorious inch.
"Ahhh, LOVE!" she gasped sharply when he thrust upward, burying himself deep in a single stroke. Her orgasm crashed over her instantly, catching her off-guard, her body trembling as she convulsed around him.
"Are we… are we teenagers again?!" she managed to gasp through the shudders. "Oh gods… you're so big, fuck, I don't remember you being this big!"
Zeus's jaw clenched, breath ragged. "Love… I may be without magic now, but physically, I'm still a Demon Lord."
He drove up into her again, harder this time.
"ZEUS, wait, ahhh! I'm cumming too much, " Ceres screamed, her body glowing faintly, radiant with celestial light. Her skin shimmered with gold and silver undertones, a sign she was reaching the peak of divine pleasure.
"Unchain me," Zeus said again, voice tight, near desperate.
Ceres wanted to stay in control, to worship him longer… but her limbs were trembling, her mind dissolving in the haze of overstimulation.
She willed the chains away.
As soon as they vanished, Zeus tore off the blindfold with a sharp breath, and then stilled.
"Oh fuck…" he growled. "You're glowing."
Her light was so bright, it almost lit the whole room.
His pupils dilated, lust sharpening into something primal. His already-hard cock pulsed inside her.
"Why are you gr…"
Ceres didn't get to finish her sentence.
In one swift motion, Zeus flipped their positions, never slipping out of her, and pinned her beneath him.
Then he claimed her mouth.
And moved inside her with all the power, hunger, and devotion of a man who had waited a thousand years to be home.
Zeus kissed and marked every inch of her skin, hungry, reverent, and maddened with desire. He latched onto her breasts as if he'd wandered through a thousand-year desert and had finally found the only water that could quench his soul.
And when he realized that every time she reached her peak, her body began to glow, his passion grew more untamed.
As if her light fed him.
As if every flicker of her orgasmic radiance was a divine charge surging through his veins.
He took her in every position, every angle, claiming her thoroughly, relentlessly. His lips roamed her skin between each thrust, sometimes slow and worshipful, sometimes fast and desperate. He filled her over and over again, never tiring, never sated.
And all Ceres could do was moan, groan, and scream his name in wave after wave of pleasure.
"Love, are you sure you're human now?! Ahhhhhh!!!" Ceres cried out breathlessly, her arms trembling as she held herself up on all fours. Zeus was behind her, driving into her with the savage passion of a man long deprived, and perhaps, he was.
He had waited over a thousand years for this. For her.
"Yes, Love. Very human," he growled through gritted teeth, sweat dripping from his jaw as he gripped her hips harder.
"Then what would become of me if you're not?!" she gasped, voice hitching. Her eyes nearly rolled back, her vision swimming as another climax began to rise. "Love! I think I'm seeing stars… I'm going to faint!"
"Almost there, Love… Just a little more…" Zeus's pace grew wilder, desperate, as he chased his own release.
"I can't… I-It's coming… Z-Zeussss!!" Ceres screamed, her body arching as she clenched around him again. That final squeeze was too much.
With a feral groan, Zeus followed her over the edge, releasing inside her one last time.
And as her body trembled and glowed in the aftermath, Ceres collapsed forward, finally pushed beyond her limit, and fainted.
"Love?" Zeus's eyes widened in panic. He pulled out carefully, hands immediately cradling her as he turned her onto her back. "Shit…"
Her hair was damp and tangled, draped over her flushed, ethereal face. He gently brushed it away, scanning for any signs of pain.
And then she murmured, in a sleep-dazed voice, "Time out…"
Zeus couldn't help the deep laugh that burst from his chest. He leaned down and kissed her softly.
"Okay. Time out," he whispered, grinning.
She smiled faintly in her sleep.
He adjusted her position, pulling the covers over her bare body, then curled beside her, one arm wrapped securely around her waist, the other resting across her heart. He closed his eyes and exhaled, a long, shaky breath as he pressed his face to her neck.
"I love you," he whispered against her skin.
Again.
And again.
Each time softer, more reverent.
She instinctively shifted closer, curling against his chest, as if even air had no right to exist between them.
And for the first time in more than a thousand years, Zeus Falcon fell asleep with peace in his soul and a smile on his lips.
Yes… obstacles still waited for them.
Their moment, this blissful union, was still a stolen one. Borrowed time held together by the magic of a mask granted by Lucifer. It wouldn't last forever. It couldn't.
They would have to find a more permanent solution, one that defied realms, laws, and fate itself.
But for now?
For now, this was enough.
Zeus held her closer, anchoring himself to the only woman he would ever love, in this life or any other.
And in the afterglow of a thousand years of yearning, he finally allowed himself to rest.