Forbidden Love

Chapter 16

Venus stood looking into her floor-length mirror, trying to straighten her tiara, but couldn't get it quite right. She huffed and was just about to toss it on the floor when she saw Juno behind her in the mirror.

"Here, let me help you," said Juno as she placed her hands on Venus's shoulders, turning her, so they now stood face to face. Juno straightened the tiara with ease and turned Venus back toward the mirror.

"Now you're perfect," said Juno, pretending to be envious of Venus's beauty. Venus smirked at her words.

"Thank you, My Lady, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Asked Venus, feigning gratefulness at Juno's presence in her temple.

"Let's not pretend you're happy to see me, Venus. I'm only here to warn you. Stay out of my husband's bed and be good to my son, or I promise you will regret it." Venus laughed out loud at Juno's ridiculous statement.

"Your husband is the one who keeps inviting me into his bed, Juno. I don't seek him out," lied Venus.

"Riiiigggghhht," replied Juno with a roll of her eyes. "How do you really feel about my son, Venus? Tell me truthfully." Venus put a finger to her lips as she thought for a moment.

"That flower nymph of his did a beautiful job. He's far more handsome than any of us ever thought he'd be. But I do not love him. Nor will I."

"You're not capable of love, Venus. You're far too selfish to know what it feels like to love someone. One would think the Goddess of Love would feel it more deeply than any of us, but that is the farthest thing from the truth."

Juno's words, while true, stung Venus more deeply than she would ever admit. She watched through the mirror as Juno turned on her heel and left.

******

As Juno stormed off, leaving Venus to fawn over herself in the mirror, rage grew inside of her. She felt awful knowing that she had sealed her son's fate. As she walked to Vulcan’s temple, her mind whirled with the various memories of how she'd done him wrong when he was young, and here she was doing him wrong all over again. All because Juno couldn't deal with Venus being in bed with her husband. Come to find out, Jupiter had lifted his ruling that banned Venus from having affairs with others. The way she heard it, it was at Vulcan's request Jupiter had done so. Juno didn't blame Vulcan. They both knew that, ruling or not, Venus wouldn't stay faithful to Vulcan, and even if she did, Vulcan didn't love her. Not anymore. He hadn't since they were young. As she approached the doors to Vulcan's temple, she realized she'd damned her son to a life of loneliness. How could he find love if he was tied to Venus for all eternity?

Juno entered Vulcan's temple to find him standing in his front room with Cupid. He looked incredibly handsome, standing there in robes made of gold silk and a matching headpiece. Upon seeing her, Cupid stepped away so Vulcan and Juno could talk amongst themselves.

"You look incredible, Vulcan," said Juno as she beamed with pride at the sight of him.

"Thank you, Madre. You look lovely as always."

"I'm so sorry, Vulcan. I shouldn't have done this to you," said Juno, her voice cracking with emotion. Vulcan sighed at the unexpected admission from his mother.

"You did what you felt you had to Madre, you believed that if you married Venus off to me, she wouldn't throw herself at Padre, and Padre thought if I married Venus, she'd be miserable without him because of how hideous I am or was until Layla helped change that. Which, of course, I only did to piss Padre off. That worked like a charm, and at least I've got Venus's attention to some degree I hope. That should steer her away from Padre, at least on occasion."

Juno looked at him with a pained expression. “But what about you figlio mio? How are you supposed to find love if you're trapped with Venus?" Asked Juno

"Padre lifted his ruling. I thought that since Venus is likely to roam free, I could do the same as well," Vulcan quizzically said.

Juno nodded slowly. Vulcan was hiding something, but what?

"What aren't you telling me, Vulcan?" She questioned. Vulcan froze, realizing he'd said too much.

"Nothing, Madre, forget I said anything. Let's go get this over with," he said as he silently pleaded for her to drop the subject.

Again Juno nodded. She took Vulcan's arm and let him lead her out of his temple. Cupid trailed behind them without a word.

******

Fifteen minutes later, Vulcan found himself standing in front of an altar waiting for Venus to join him. Soft music began to play, and she appeared at the entrance to the gardens on Jupiter's arm. They slowly made their way down the aisle toward him. Surprisingly, they were smiling as they moved closer and closer to him. Despite himself, Vulcan couldn't help but notice how beautiful Venus looked. Her golden locks had been curled and put up into a bun topped with a golden tiara. He recognized it as one of his mother's. He shot her a look of surprise when he saw it. Juno gave him a small smile and shrugged, letting him know she understood his silent question.

Vulcan continued to stare at Venus as she came forward. Her white gown clung to her lithe body, perfectly hugging every curve. The diamonds that covered the bodice shone perfectly in the sun, making her look as though she were glistening. The skirt of her dress was floor length and had a long train that trailed behind her as she walked. Golden sandals peeked out from her skirt with every step she took. One strand of hair fell on each cheek, perfectly framing her beautiful face. Her full pink lips held a smile seemingly for him. As Vulcan watched her, he couldn't help but picture the life he thought he wanted when he was young. He would have done anything to marry Venus and spend eternity with her back then. But now, the closer she came to him, the more dread he felt in his heart.

He wanted to marry and have a family, but not with someone he was forced to marry. He wanted Peitho, but that was a marriage that could never be. Their relationship had been damned from the minute they laid eyes on each other, but it didn't matter to him. Every second with her was worth his eternal damnation. After what seemed like forever, Venus finally stood in front of him. Jupiter kissed her knuckles just before placing her hand in Vulcan's. He then stepped away to take his seat next to Juno, who looked none too pleased by his actions.

******

Cupid stood at the very back of the garden, watching the ceremony. When he was sure no one was looking, he flashed himself out of the garden to a nearby apple tree where he knew Peitho was watching the day's events. When he approached her, she was staring down at the ground, unable to meet his gaze.

"Are you alright, Cara mia?" He asked even though he knew her answer already. Peitho shook her head in response as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks at the sight of Vulcan with Venus.

"He doesn't love her, Peitho. He loves you. It will always be you. But he wouldn't want you to suffer, so he will understand if you choose to let him go. It will be me he's angry at for offering, not you for accepting my offer."

Peitho smiled slightly, knowing that what Cupid was saying was the truth. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and allowed Cupid to place his hands on either side of her head. His fingers were hot to the touch. Cupid used his powers to replay every moment Peitho and Vulcan had ever shared in her mind. He wanted to be sure she knew what she would be giving up should she choose to walk away from him.

"STOP!" She shouted before he could finish showing her everything.

"I want to keep it. I want to keep it all." When Peitho opened her eyes again, she found Cupid standing there smiling.

"I knew you would, Cupid responded.

Cupid returned to the garden just in time to see Vulcan and Venus sealing their vows with a kiss. Vulcan put on a good show and dipped Venus as he kissed her with a passion Cupid knew he didn't feel. Then he manifested a goblet of wine just as Vulcan made his way down the aisle with Venus on his arm. Cupid raised the glass to him when their eyes met in mock celebration. Vulcan gave him a nod and a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.