A Heavenly Love
written by Atlantis
? 2002

Okay, here's my third fic and this time it's a Serena/Darien
romance. This'll be (hopefully) quite different from any story
you've read on these two before since it's set in Greek times. I
think that you'll figure it out as you read on. Anyhow, there is
a warning for this story. It deals a bit with attempted rape and
some psychological abuse, so, that's just to give you all a
heads-up. 

Insert standard disclaimer *right here*

Rating: Very strong PG-13

*****************************************************************
Bless the Lord, who is my rock.
He gives me strength for war and skill for battle. 
He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my
     deliverer.
He stands before me as a shield, and I take refuge in him. 
He subdues the nations under me. 
                                        Psalm 143:1-2 
*****************************************************************

                             Part 1

     When time had begun, only Zeus had existed. Now, as people
had begun to populate the Earth and conquer all of life's
adventures, there were more who dwelled in the Heaven's and on
Olympus. 
     There was Zeus; his queen, Hera; Hephaestus, the god of the
hammer and forge; Ares, god of war; Diana, the beautiful goddess
of the moon; her brother, the god of the sun, Apollo; the
incomparable Athena, goddess of wisdom; and Aphrodite, the
seductress, the goddess of love. There were also many others.
Among them, there was Aphrodite's son, Cupid, or Eros, as he was
called by the people of Earth. His real name was Endymion, named
for the one whom he had been sired by, one of the lesser gods of
Earth. 
     Even though he was not, it was in fact as if he was the
Prince of Olympus. For who he was, he was loved, but for the
incredible power he wielded, he was feared... even by the gods.
He was aware that he could have anyone he desired, seduce any
woman he lusted for, but none ever appealed to him. There was
something missing in his life, and he couldn't, for the immortal
life of him, figure out what it was. 
     Endymion was beautiful, handsome. More so than even some of
the more powerful gods such as Apollo (who was also known as
Adonis) and Ares, the incredibly built god of war. 
     He was tall, his well-built frame reaching nearly six
feet-two inches. Shining charcoal black hair fell into bottomless
indigo eyes that could see through people's souls and judge the
love that lay within, were the features always noticed first. A
sharply defined masculine face that could be described only as
gentle and soft, could hold a person's attention for more than a
lifetime and the smile, always resting on full lips always made
the women, even goddesses, wilt. His strong neck flowed into
broad shoulders down into muscular arms and a carved back and
chest, hidden beneath a white tunic slung over one shoulder and
tied at the waist. From the bottom of his tunic, which stopped
just above his knees, one's gaze traveled down past hardened
calves into simple sandals that wrapped around his feet. 
     But by far, his most beautiful features were the large wings
that came from his back, like the wings of a white eagle. They
were immense: the tops, when folded at his sides, topped his
shoulders by nearly five inches and then gracefully fell all the
way to the floor where they rested just above the ground. Large,
petal soft feathers brushed against his bare skin and dominated
his incredible wings. When opened, his wingspan was twice as wide
as he was tall, stretching from almost wall-to-wall inside
Olympus's palace halls. 
     Unfortunately for Endymion, though his looks always brought
him attention, he was not happy. At long last, he discovered the
reason for his unhappiness. There was no love in his life. It was
ironic how he brought love to everyone on the Earth and even to
those in the Heaven's, including his mother from time to time, and
yet he himself had no one to care for. But who would really love
him, for who he really was and not as a god?

     "Endy! Come to me my son!" a furious Aphrodite screamed. She
turned away from her Sight Pool to a mirror, touching her hair
softly and smiling then letting a hard frown mar her perfect
immortal features. How dare they! How dare SHE! No one crossed
the gods and lived to tell about it... at least not in human
form!
     Aphrodite began pacing, her golden eyes moving about as she
thought of how to deal with the problem. There had to be some way
to stop all of this. Perhaps one of the other gods could help?
No. 
     "I have it!" Aphrodite exclaimed. "Oh, that will fix
everything." There was a large gust of wind and the goddess of
love brought up her arms to shield her hair and face. A loud
flapping of wings was heard and then silence. Lowering her arms
slowly, Aphrodite opened her eyes and then smiled at her son. 
     "What will fix everything?" Endymion asked, dusting off his
tunic and straightening the quiver strapped to his back. As he 
watched his mother prepare toanswer, his grip unconsciously 
tightened around his bow.
     "Oh my dear Endy! Something dreadful has happened and it
must be corrected immediately!" Aphrodite sobbed as she wrapped
her arms around her son. Endymion nodded into the air. 
     "What's wrong mother? Show me," he said looking at her. She 
nodded and pulled him toward her Sight Pool before she waved 
her hand over the surface. It rippled and the sound of chimes rang 
through the air before an image appeared in the crystal clear water. 
     "Look," Aphrodite said with anger on the edge of her voice.
"My temples are completely forsaken and empty! There are no
longer sacrifices in my honor or feasts. Even some of my
priestesses have deserted my altars. And why? Because they have
found a mortal, the princess of their kingdom, whom they dare to
proclaim is more beautiful than I! Endy my son, I must be avenged
and the people must return to me," the goddess said, waving away
the image until the Sight Pool only showed the bottom of the
fountain it rested in. 
     "How would you have me do that?" Endy asked, folding his
arms across his chest. Aphrodite smiled a malicious smile and the
young god nearly stumbled backwards. Never had he seen his mother
so set on vengeance before!
     "I want you to destroy the young princess's heart," came the
simple answer. Endymion staggered and nearly fell, grabbing onto
a pillar just before he toppled to the ground. His dark blue eyes
widened and his mouth opened but no words would come. "If her
heart is destroyed, the people will fall out of love with her and
come back to their senses... and to my temples."
     "Mother! You do not know what you ask of me!" Endymion
protested, forcing himself to stand straight, yet not letting go
of the pillar for support. "To destroy a heart is to end life!"
     "I know," Aphrodite replied sharply. "And that is why I want
you to do it. The princess doesn't draw the crowds on purpose,
but they go to her and not to my temples, however accidental it
may be and she MUST be dealt with. There is no other way."
     "I cannot do what you ask me, mother. I will not take away a
life. My job may be to steal hearts, but I never hurt them.
People are the ones who break hearts and I have seen what that
simple action has done to so many. I refuse to do something
worse!" Endymion shouted. 
     "Then I will not ask you," Aphrodite said quietly. Endymion
was about to breathe a sigh of relief when his mother said, "I
command you!"
     The blood rushed out of Endymion's face and he took in a
stabbing breath. His heart refused to beat, his body refused to
move. He had no choice now. His mother was more powerful than he,
and because it was a command and not a request, he was forced to
obey. Closing his eyes painfully, he let a small tear fall from
his eyes before walking to the balcony and leaping off into the
air, spreading his wings. 
     "I shall never forgive you for this, mother," he whispered
as his wings carried him down to Earth. The air shook with his
promise and all of the Heaven's heard the vow of the young god. 

     Serenity ran through the halls, trying to outrun another
suitor. Her father was in the throne room discussing treaties, and
was not to be disturbed. The servants would not interfere, her
sisters despised her and delighted in her suffering, and her
mother thought it was rather funny so she had nowhere to turn.
Except left. 
     Rounding the corner sharply, Serenity ducked into a small
alcove in the wall and slid in farther until she found the tiny
door and quickly entered, shutting it tightly behind her. She
leaned up against it, breathing heavily as she began to regain
the oxygen that her lungs had been lacking for the last half
hour. Stilling, Serenity stopped breathing once again as heavy
boots cracked against the stone flooring of the palace and
continued on past her hiding spot. 
     "Why can't they leave me alone?" the young princess sobbed
as she slid down the door and laid her head in the safety of her
arms. The question was pointless. Serenity knew why *they* never
left her alone. 
     She was perfect, or so they said. Blessed with a beauty
comparable even to the gods and golden hair like the sunshine,
Serenity would never have a moment to herself. Her clear blue
eyes assured attention wherever she went and her young, shapely
body could not hide even under her royal robes. Having matured so
quickly, Serenity was cursed. 
     At the young age of seventeen, she should not have to deal
with things such as marriage and hiding from suitors who wished
to ravage her and leave her. She should be enjoying her time at
the streams with her hand-maidens and laughing and smiling at
feasts to celebrate the prosperity of her kingdom. But instead,
she hardly ever went outside for fear of being captured and raped
or even lusted after with only the eyes. As it was, her own
guards even had to be castrated because in the beginning, even
they had tried to make her their own. 
     Her sisters did not make it easier on her, either. Instead,
they strived to make life a living hell for her. Their looks did
not exceed even the normal standard and they were married to
older, unattractive men who had only wed them for their dowries
and status as a king's daughter. It was already bad enough for
them to put up with the kingdom's worship of their sister, but
their husbands also wanted her. So to create an unliveable life
for Serenity, they began to search for suitors for Serenity who
were known as abusers and womanizers. Suitors who would have no
problem stealing from Serenity the innocence she so treasured and
then impregnating her so as to marry her. 
     Serenity shook her head. She did not want to think badly of
her family at all, didn't believe that they would be so cruel to
her. 
     Her head jerked up as the loud crack of boots on the palace
floor once again rang through the halls. They slowed and then
moved away again, not moving as quickly as Serenity would have
liked. How many did that make this morning already? Eight? 
     As soon as she had stepped out of her chambers that morning,
she had been assaulted immediately by three men and was saved
only by her chambermaid who proclaimed that the king had ordered
her to eat breakfast with him. Of course it had been a lie, and
Serenity hated lies, but it was the only way to escape. There
were so many tales that she had made up about herself that she
cringed. 
     The lie that she hated the most was the one concerning her
name, but it was absolutely crucial that none but the royal
family knew what it really was. Her name was one of her most
special treasures and she did not want it to be soiled by lustful
subjects and suitors. She hated the name she was given when in
the public eye. Psyche. It was beautiful but it did not- would
never- fit her the way that Serenity did. Her mother had once
told her that her name was like a shaft of light breaking through
a black thunderstorm and sounded like small silver bells.
Serenity sighed. That was when her mother had taken time for her
and had cared for her. Nowadays, all she cared about was finding 
a suitable match for, and marrying Serenity off. A shiver ran
through the princess's body. The man who was chasing her now was
one of the suitors that her mother had chosen.
     He had already cornered Serenity several times that day, and
she had been saved the first two times by a servant interrupting
to give her a message. The third time she had not been so lucky. 

(An hour earlier)
     Serenity was walking down one of the numerous palace halls,
simply staring at the beauty of the construction around her. The
leaves and vines engraved into the columns, the silk draping
across the tops of doorways, the open air that blew in softly
from the garden, it was all so wonderful. Her dark blue robes
were wrapped around her body to emphasize her already noticeable
curves and a slightly lighter sash was tied around her waist. The 
light blue ribbon entwined in the two buns on each side of her head, 
flowing down through the hair that streamed down to her knees, 
contrasted beautifully. 
     The hallway was quiet except for the quiet whisper of her
robes and sandals against the floor and as she caught a glimpse
of the Royal Gardens, her fingers reached down to pick up her
skirts ever so lightly and she stepped up her pace to reach the
lovely flowers. However, as she passed by another hallway that
intersected her own, a large hand reached out and grabbed her
arm, yanking her into the shadows against a hardened body covered
in armor. A scream was not permitted to leave her lips as a hand
closed harshly over her mouth. 
     "Why Princess, you look like you could use some company," a
deep, mocking voice said from the shadows. "Prince Molgave to
serve you." Serenity's blue eyes widened and she struggled to get
out of the arms that were holding her captive. "Psyche, don't
play games. I know that you and I are meant to be just as you
know. Come with me and I will show you what real love is,"
whispered the voice so close to her ear. Serenity shivered. 
     One of the hands that had been holding now began roving her
body and she tried to scream, but the other hand still covered
her mouth. Terror shot into her body as the shadow began to pull
her into a secluded part of the palace and into a room. The
roving hand found the curve of her hips and tugged the robe up
before letting go and traveling to her breast. Serenity began
crying against the hand that kept her silent so forcefully and
almost got in a full breath when it moved away before a hard
mouth crushed against hers. They were in complete darkness now
and Serenity could see nothing of her attacker, but knew that she
had to get away soon before...
     She stilled as the other hand began moving around her body,
brushing against her breast before it started traveling down
farther and then moved to the inside of her legs. The lips still
crushed against her own, trying to force her into submission and
she found herself pressed between a wall and the large, stinking
body trying to take her. A sob escaped as the man pushed his
lower body against her hard and she pushed her hands against his
chest to make him go away. However her sob had opened her lips
and the attacker took advantage and pushed his tongue into her
mouth. Her head was pushed against the wall with such an
intensity that she was nearly knocked unconscious before she
realized that she needed to get away before her innocence was
taken. 
     Gathering all of her courage and strength together, she bit
down on the tongue invading her mouth and brought her knee up
quickly to the man's groin. He fell backwards and she took off
for the entrance, reaching it as a yell rang out after her and
bolting out the doorway into the hallway to try and outrun the
terror pursuing her. 

(Present time)
     Tears began pouring down Serenity's face as she remembered
the events from not even an hour before. Her head pounded from
the tears and the memories, all of them, flooding her mind. Not
only did the attention paid her disturb her, the abandonment of
some of the god's temples also worried her. Especially those of
Aphrodite. Serenity was aware that the goddess of love was
jealous and the fact that her temple and altars were being
unvisited by the people of her kingdom because of her was
weighing terribly on Serenity's shoulders. 
     What was worse was that temples were being built for *her*!
Serenity did not want temples, did not want suitors, or attention
or glory. All that she wanted was peace. She had never known
peace in all of her born days, being plagued with her looks as
well as the responsibility of being a princess, but she had heard
the stories and constantly dreamed of what it would be like to be
completely at ease. 
     Those calming thoughts wafted through Serenity's mind and
eased her into a comfortable position where she fell fast asleep,
not worrying of the dangers that awaited her outside of her
secret room.

***
That's it for Part 1. Let me know what you thought about it. If
you think it's alright, but needs some work or something needs
fixed, write me and let me know please. It's always better to
have people tell me *what* to fix instead of just saying that I
need to fix it. Oh, and go read works from Jade_Max who is SUCH
an awesome writer if you haven't already. If you have, go read it
all again!

Atlantis *^_^*

sailorphoenix15@sailormoon.com