#Psyche/Eros

[viscountessevie]

Intro To Dark Olympus by Katee Robert

Welcome to my little review series of Katee Robert' Dark Olympus series! This is in lead up to the latest instalment of the series, Cruel Seduction. I also just felt like taking a trip down the Greek mythology retellings lane.

A general summary of the series: It's set in a modern day city called Olympus with mortals versions of the Greek myth characters. Their power comes in the form of being rich, famous and powerful. It's fairly political in nature and each sector of the city is ruled by The Thirteen - the main thirteen Olympians we're familiar with in the original mythology.

I think what struck me about this series is that it was a hot romance take on myths I loved growing up so much. Katee also has pretty fresh interpretations of the characters and the stories themselves while still keeping true to the beats of the original myths.

So far there are 5 books in the series (including the prequel!) I have enjoyed the first three books in the series, can't wait to reread two of them for these reviews and start on the last two leading up to Cruel Seduction.

Here's an overview and the couples of each book [I'll update this list with links to my reviews here once I post them]:

Prequel: Stone Heart [Medusa & Calypso]

In the city of Olympus, people hardly dare to say Medusa's name aloud. She is Athena's agent, the one she sends when she wants someone to disappear. Medusa owes her life to Athena, and if staining her hands with blood is the only way to repay her debt, it's a small price to pay. Until Athena sends him to find Calypso, the mistress of wealthy politician Odysseus. Calypso has done nothing worthy of a death sentence, and her conflicting feelings only worsen when Medusa first sees the woman behind the name. Calypso is beautiful, cunning and above all ready to do anything to save her life, including seducing her potential assassin. But what begins as a ploy to escape quickly turns into a real attraction. Because Medusa is not the cold killer that rumours suggest, and Calypso is much more complex than it seems... Book 1: Neon Gods [Hades & Persephone]

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth... a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close… Book 2: Electric Idol [Psyche & Eros]

In the ultra-modern city of Olympus, there's always a price to pay. Psyche knew she'd have to face Aphrodite's ire eventually, but she never expected her literal heart to be at stake...or for Aphrodite's gorgeous son to be the one ordered to strike the killing blow.

Eros has no problem shedding blood. But when it comes time to take out his latest target, he can't do it. Confused by his reaction to Psyche, he does the only thing he can think of to keep her safe: he marries her. Psyche vows to make Eros's life a living hell until they find a way out of this mess. But as lines blur and loyalties shift, she realizes he might take her heart after all...and she's not sure she can survive the loss. Book 3: Wicked Beauty [Helen, Patroclus & Achilles]

In Olympus, you either have the power to rule...or you are ruled. Achilles Kallis may have been born with nothing, but as a child he vowed he would claw his way into the poisonous city's inner circle. Now that a coveted role has opened to anyone with the strength to claim it, he and his partner, Patroclus Fotos, plan to compete and double their odds of winning.

Neither expect infamous beauty Helen Kasios to be part of the prize...or for the complicated fire that burns the moment she looks their way.

Zeus may have decided Helen is his to give to away, but she has her own plans. She enters into the competition as a middle finger to the meddling Thirteen rulers, effectively vying for her own hand in marriage. Unfortunately, there are those who would rather see her dead than lead the city. The only people she can trust are the ones she can't keep her hands off—Achilles and Patroclus. But can she really believe they have her best interests at heart when every stolen kiss is a battlefield? Book 4: Radiant Sin [Cassandra & Apollo]

There's nowhere more dangerous than Olympus...and no one more captivating than its golden god: Apollo. Keeper of secrets, master of his shining realm...and the only man I am powerless to deny.

As a disgraced member of a fallen house, Cassandra Gataki has seen firsthand what comes from trusting the venomous Thirteen. But when the maddeningly gorgeous and kind Apollo asks her to go undercover as his plus-one at a week-long party hosted by a dangerous new power player…Cassandra reluctantly agrees to have his back.

On one condition: when it's all over, and Apollo has the ammunition he needs to protect Olympus, she and her sister will be allowed to leave. For good.

Apollo may be the city's official spymaster, but it's his ability to inspire others that keeps him at the top. Despite what the rest of Olympus says, there's no one he trusts more than Cassandra. Yet even as their fake relationship takes a wicked turn for the scaldingly hot, a very real danger surfaces… threatening not only Cassandra and Apollo, but the very heart of Olympus itself.

I can't wait to dig in and let you all know what I think and why yall should read this series if you love romance and Greek myths!

[liyrical]

(jjk266) confession

[cupidlovesastro]

𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔡 𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔰(433) 𝔬𝔟𝔰𝔢𝔯𝔳𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰

eros is the god of love and sex. i will be using @a-d-nox interpretation of this asteroid, as i find it accurate. to see her post click here

disclaimer: there will be mature and sexual themes in this post, so if you are under 18 dni

venusian eros/ eros aspecting venus can mean people are obsessed with your beauty

neptunian eros/ eros aspecting neptune can show that people fall blindly in love or lust with you

aries in eros can mean you obsess, lust, or fall in love over people fast. this can also mean people do this over you too

libra eros can represent that you love skin to skin contact

eros in 2h can mean you will or have been given an ultimatum about love and money

eros trine mercury can show that making romantic or sexual novels, poems, or fan fiction will be something your talented at

plutonian eros/ pluto aspecting eros can mean that people obsess over you deeply

eros in 11h shows you enjoy having sex with more than 1 person at a time, or you usually have more than 1 person to link with

taurus eros means that love interest will be very loyal to you, even if your not in a committed relationship

aquarius eros shows you will love/ lust over someone regardless of what others think or say

eros in 7h can mean you look for marriage when also looking into potential lovers

eros in 1h represents being openly sexual or that you are often lusted over because of your appearance

middle banner by @rookthornesartistry

[cvmcicle]

need Hera religiously, im just saying if Zeus doesn't want her i'd be happy to

[ariariari-freehounreal]

This is romance. This is brutality.

[valarinde]

Eros and Psyche, Gustav Vigeland (1908) Dirty Dancing, Emile Ardolino (1987)

[afterblossom]

Back and Front endpaper I did for Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara, featuring in ToBeeRead May book box.\

[helpolnix]

Only you know your relationship with your god. Don’t second guess it.

It saddens me to see posts on here and on other sites about how having a causal relationship with your god is disrespectful and you shouldn’t give them nicknames. That just makes me so upset every time I see it.

Because one of the things I know for a fact is if a god felt disrespected by your behavior towards them, you’d know.

If xyz didn’t want you to treat them like a sibling, best friend, mentor, parent, (or even a lover. Not my place to judge.), you’d know. Just because you have that type of relationship with them doesn’t mean you don’t respect them or don’t work with and/or worship them.

They’re gods, yes. But they also love you and want to help you. You felt how they appeared to you, I bet you knew very quickly what type of relationship you’d have with them. What type of role in your life they would fill. Or maybe you didn’t and it happened a lot more slowly. All of that is okay. What’s also okay is if you have a very strict relationship with them, that’s also fine.

But my goodness don’t try to police or judge how gods are with other people.

99.9% of the time it’s the gods setting that type of dynamic in the first place so please be respectful to other dynamics.

You’re not better than other worshipers because you don’t joke around or call a god your bestie.

[lady-whistledowns]

They do seem upset do they not? Eros & Psyche battling it out.

[sea-owl]

Philippa is a riot this season I love her. Her yelling for Varley to release the bugs aka the butterflies.

And we get even more Eros and Psyche parallels!

In the myth when Psyche ascended to godhood it is said she grew a pair of butterfly wings and became the goddess of the soul.

We can see that with Penelope at the Dankworth-Finch ball. She's stepping into the light and her full power. The butterflies being released then. Also with her holding up a mirror to the ton showing their true colors, their souls, sounds part of goddess Psyche's domain.

I do like that in the show revealing herself was Penelope's idea. Feels like giving her back some power. Also yes the team up between Penelope and Portia! Their screaming match which led them to understanding one another! I've been waiting for it!

I also do appreciate that even though they were fighting for a little bit polin still clearly loved one another. As with Penelope and Eloise.

Also called it, knew Penelope and Colin were going to have the first boy. I partially do think it's because they want to keep the Featherington House set. I know them sets be expensive. Though that baby looks rather close in age to his cousins. We sure that first time didn't conceive him?

[ivettaflowerblooom]

Eros and Psyche by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1889.

[akiacia]

the myth of eros and psyche

[devastatinglygreen]

it really was very heavy handedly eros and psyche the whole time

eros falls in love with psyche after being sent to find her a husband

eros leaves psyche alone after she betrays his trust even tho he still loves her

and, in some of the stories, psyche's trials are made worse by eros in his effort to help her

psyche intends to sacrifice herself at the last trial

psyche is depicted with butterfly wings after being made immortal and granted forgiveness.

so then she and eros can live on in a happy marriage of equals

[harmoonix]

🐚✨Mystique Astrology Observations 🐚✨

✨Mermaids Songcord✨

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❤️⚠️ Long Post + Some asteroid Observations ⚠️🐚

🐚 - Water in big 3 (Sun, Moon or Rising) indicates being a very intuitive and spiritual person. Someone who can be gifted spiritually and physically

🐚 - Asteroid Psyche (16) in water signs are ethereal, they are so romantic, sweet, kind and lovely. They can be extremely nurturing aswell and can possess healing powers (when it comes to they soul)

🐚 - Venus in water signs experience romance at a very deeply level. They want to connect and feel everything, they want to feel their partners 100% close to them, they need safety in them

🐚 - Lacking Water Element in your birth chart usually means someone who can be more logical than emotional, someone who might not be that spiritual or someone who is using their brain more than their heart in situations

🐚 - Sun in the 12th house or Sun at Pisces Degrees (12°, 24°) can be attracted to mysticism, magic, mistery since they were kids. The native is usually born with a curiosity in this side

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🐚 - Love it can always feel more intense for those who have Pluto - Venus aspects, they are also becoming clingy very fast and attached to their partners and vice versa

🐚 - North Node in a water sign usually indicates a life dedicated to spiritually and self growth, someone who can be a balance between spirituality and the real world

🐚 - Asteroid Sirene [1009] in water signs can use their emotions to be more fatale, seductive, attractive to others. You can also manipulate people with the emotions you have

🐚 - Moon - Mercury aspects have such lovely voices, very cute and very childish - like, also their voices might sound younger or lighter

🐚 - Vesta [4] in water signs cannot help but just trying to find their own soul purpose in this life, this placement indicates someone creative, artistic, spiritual and with a deep desire for finding true love

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🐚 - Neptune aspecting Moon can give mermaid vibes, is their aura and energy, someone very empathic and kind, someone pure

🐚 - Moon prominent in your chart (Moon aspecting Sun, Rising, Venus, Mercury, Mars) makes the native to be sensitive, emotional, fragile, just like a little deer baby. Which is perfectly fine to be like that, is your soul nature

🐚 - Moon in Water Signs can feel more connected to water sources, river, sea, ocean, lakes etc, can be a therapy for them and used as healing

🐚 - Neptune - Ascendant/Neptune - Sun aspects can often be with their head in clouds, somehow the natives are always thinking to something

🐚 - Sun in Sagittarius/Sun at Sagittarius Degrees (9°, 21°) are honestly the best people to hang out with, they have a good humour, good stories to tell about, can be very supportive and extremely friendly or social

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🐚 - Scorpio Risings are very intense and challenging, those natives can be really loyal and good friends to keep around. They don't like to hurt people so they can be extremely protective of their loved ones

🐚 - Libra Risings are so beautiful, it makes sense because their ruler planet is Venus but they are really born with an unique beauty in them

🐚 - Capricorn Risings are extremely kind people. They love to share and to be around those who have a good mood/vibe. Someone very peaceful and who prefers to stay out of drama and focusing on themselves

🐚 - Aries Risings are natural born leaders. They love to rule, to be dominant, fierce, on top and they like competition pretty much. I swear is always ride or die with them

🐚 - Moon in the 9th house or Moon in the 9th house degrees (9°. 21°) have a deep respect for other cultures, traditions and people. They love to learn about new things everyday because that's what it gives them adrenaline + Is a very powerful house to have the moon here

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🐚 - Moon in the 2nd house or Moon at 2nd house degrees (2°, 14°,26°) can have a certain aesthetic and beauty in them, they can have a very gorgeous body and light like to wear a lot of jewels

🐚 - Moon in the 3rd house or Moon at 3rd house degrees (3°, 15°,27°) are having gorgeous pretty voices, someone with a very good voice. These people might be good at voice acting because their voice might be pretty unique

🐚 - Aphrodite Asteroid [1388] in Venusian degrees (2°, 7°, 14°, 19°, 26°) Aphrodite feels like home here and loves it, the native can be blessed with talents and beauty. Someone who can be aslo extremely appealing

🐚 - Aphrodite Asteroid [1388] in the 5th house loves having fun, going out, partying, i feel like Lady Aphrodite would love this house so much. Is also the house of sex and the native can be pretty hypersexual

🐚 - Aphrodite Asteroid [1388] in the 6th house can have really gorgeous bodies, extremely talented, perfectionist, always positive and moody sometimes with their own feelings. The people around you can find you pretty and attractive

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🐚 - Aphrodite [1388] - Pluto aspects can possess an threatening vibe, (not dangerous) just someone with a very intense energy and who can easily find people being jealous on them

🐚 - Libra and Taurus Moons have gorgeous eyes. They are sooo pretty for sure with this Venus charm who makes them attractive

🐚 - Lilith - Moon aspects are classified as one of the most intense aspects to have in a birth chart. This energy can often be felt as Lilith herself trying to help the native to get their own power

🐚 - Vesta [4] in harsh aspects with Venus makes the native to be distracted for pleasure. This aspects are meant to create harmony and beauty but are often distracted by their lust or pleasure (Your soul mission is to find true love)

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🐚 - Asteroid Psyche [16] prominent in a chart symbolizes the capacity for psychic sensitivity to the mind and feelings of another person

Psyche in Air Signs - Psyche feels like home when she is in an air sign,here the native can be gifted with spiritual gifts

Psyche in Water Signs - Psyche feels a good sensation for her, something that will bring empathy and harmony

Psyche in Fire signs - Psyche has control over everything and feels fierce and confident, strong with a good sense of living the life

Psyche in Earth Signs - Psyche is good at manifesting here. She can manifest and achieve with her mind and goals

🐚 - Psyche [16] - aspecting Chiron indicates abilities in psychic healing and emotions/soul

🐚 - Psyche [16] - in synastry with Eros [433] brings an soulmate connection with that type of person

🐚 - Psyche [16] - aspecting Uranus can be see in the future. Having prophetic dreams and often manifesting deja-vu

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🐚❤️ Love the aesthetics I made with this post 😍🤌🏼 + making new observations about one of my new fav asteroids Psyche 🤌🏼❤️ Last 2 photos are from a different universe 🤭🤭🤭❤️

❤️🐚 Love y'all, hope you have a good day and be blessed with a light and warm energy ❤️🐚

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Harmoonix 🐚❤️

[boundinparchment]

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP - PART I

“You must never look upon his face,” the Dreammaster implored. “For he has looked upon Xipe’s true form. Trust in the Harmony to reveal order upon your union and on Penacony.” No one has ever looked upon the face of the head of the Oak Family. Not even you, his future wife. A promise must be kept. But you were never one to settle. [An attempt at a (loose) Eros and Psyche re-telling in three parts. Will converge with canon. Current wordcount: 5,381 Can be found on AO3 here. Rating is Explicit; MINORS DNI] Reblogs, comments, and kudos appreciated.

You met your husband precisely once before your wedding.

It was an otherwise rather uneventful day in the Dreamscape, one you spent weaving promise after promise, shifting a pathway here, pushing a set of stairs elsewhere.  Dawn always lurked over your shoulder as you pushed the edges of unknown memoria away and carved out something new.  You were good at it, a quick study.

But such was expected of you.  You came from a long lineage within the Nightingale Family and your parents did everything in their power to ensure you knew how to manipulate the Dreamscape as soon as you learned to walk.  You were a Level V on the Scale Degree and your peers considered you doomed; you were far too successful a Dreamweaver to remain among them forever and you would never be properly satisfied by those around you.  Some whispered daggers behind your back that you were nothing but leverage to your family, the subsidiary all but slaughtered into compliance when they did not agree to Gopher Wood’s offer.

After all, plenty of other branches tried and failed to make a connection, court you.  None met whatever arbitrary standards were set.

And as you stepped into Dewlight Pavilion, still dressed in your neat suit and finding your bearings after standing upside-down for several hours adjusting window frames, you finally understood why .

Your parents were already seated across from a figure you instantly knew as the Oak Family head, with a purple raven perched on the back of his sofa.  The young man’s face was entirely hidden by a beautiful veil the color of a starless night; it hung from his halo by an extra ring that moved only enough to allow access to his mouth as needed.

The fabric must have been translucent enough for him to see through, for he moved without issue, and always focused his attention right where it needed to be.  You could not make out the shape of his features.

Was he ugly, hideously deformed?  Did he lack a face entirely?  Rumors swirled about the Oak Family’s recent change due to Gopher Wood’s sacrifice that left him with only a metaphysical attachment to the world.  No one knew what Sunday of the Oak Family looked like, except for his hair and wing color.  His sister, Robin, once kept her visage a secret, too.  However, she renounced her official position as Chordmaster when she began her career as an interstellar singer; many speculated whether she and Sunday had the same eyes.  In fact, last you heard, there was good money in such debates.

The raven, you surmised, was Wood himself.  The one and only Dreammaster.  He spoke politely but it was Sunday who did most of the praise and admiration of your work, noting your potential for higher ranks, and your dedication to Xipe. After confirming your candidacy, Wood suggested leaving the two of you to speak privately, guiding your parents out towards the foyer lined with statues.  They were too enamored at the prospect of being with the Oak Family privately to care.

Around you, the silence seemed to only grow more deafening.   A knot formed in your sinking stomach as you realized this was not just a moment of recognition and appreciation.

As if sensing your unease, Sunday reached up and adjusted the contraption attached to his halo, revealing his lips and jaw to you.  You had never noticed the little bow in his upper lip before.  PIctures and videos of him speaking with his mouth showing never quite captured that detail.  His wings did not relax as much as they gave the appearance they were.

Neither of you expected this.

“I am glad for the progress at Dream’s Edge, and that it’s been stable thus far,” Sunday said, his voice soft.  “The Grand Theater’s renovations mean we must rely on other ways of providing new areas of the Dream to our visitors.  The amount of resources necessary, cognitively and otherwise, are not lost on me.”

Better to be scaling rooftops and shifting buildings than in a Dream Factory.  Nightingale and Iris members were relied upon for the structure and the small details of Penacony’s culture and arts, respectively.  So many of your coworkers began their career in the Factories and it showed, their imaginations simultaneously rigid and methodical and yet so uninspired.

“It is work I do gladly, sir,” you replied.  “But that’s not why I’m here, is it?”

Sunday conceded with a small chuckle and a nod, his smile easing a little as his wings shifted near the edge of his veil, attentive.  

“No, it is not.  Please, walk with me.”

He gestured to the rest of the grand hall, insignias of the five Branches emblazoned on the walls.  You descended without much thought earlier, wishing only to get this meeting over with, but now it was impossible to ignore just how the light trickled through, brilliant and well-positioned to highlight everything.  You rose and followed Sunday away from the sitting area and approached a model replica of Penacony.  At a glance, you guessed most of it was roughly eight hundred times smaller than the real Dreamscape, for it didn’t look all that dissimilar from the models used in planning committees and project teams.

You walked the perimeter of the sand pit model at a slow amble.

“I will be candid and admit the Dreammaster’s abrupt departure was not expected.  And judging from your general demeanor, you are unaware of your parents’ petition to put forward your hand for consideration as a marriage candidate.”

The idea of an arranged marriage was familiar, another expectation you balanced with everything else.  You had little time for love and romance on your own outside of the various suitors who dared come knocking.  But the startling realization that no one was good enough because no one else was the Bronze Melodia, Head of the Oak Family, the highest position one could achieve beneath the Dreammaster himself, felt like a slap in the face you should have seen coming from a mile away.

Surely, the distant relatives of the Nightingale Branch were rolling in their graves.  A great betrayal of all they fought and died for.

You brushed your fingers against the edge of the sandpit to ground yourself.  The room spun a little and you were more shocked that you were, in fact, surprised to begin with.  You were almost into your third decade by now; anyone else in your position would have been left to their work or pushed to settle as dreams collapsed.

“Forgive me for putting you in an awkward position,” you said.

Sunday held up a hand, palm facing you for the briefest of moments.  

“Actually, your lack of awareness of the matter is quite refreshing.  You are modest regarding your skills and achievements but it is a mark of true humility, not one burying themselves in an attempt to hide eagerness.  I do not want a spouse, my equal in all things, who seeks to put themselves above the Harmony in such a way.  You know what you are capable of and you have found your niche within the Family to put it to good use.”

Warmth crept up your neck and settled in your cheeks.  Most found it uncanny to talk to someone who kept their face and expressions hidden.  For you, it was no different than a mere voice call, where you could not see the other party.  He asked not about your other talents but about you and for lack of a better approach, you told a story from your childhood that made his laugh ring off of the walls, full and genuine, melodic in its joy. 

Your heart sang.

Sunday spoke again as you took what was likely your fifth turn around the table.  Maybe sixth.  Time in the Dream was difficult to gauge when you were not keeping your hands busy.

“It is important to me that my wife is capable of bearing the burden of the Oak Family.  We are shepherds in service of Xipe and the Dreammaster.  As the Bronze Melodia, it is my duty to listen and to guide.  I believe you are more than perfectly suited to the role and I…well, it has been a long time since I laughed wholeheartedly.”

He stopped, pausing in his musings to look entirely at the model.  You approximated where his eyeline might be but you had no idea what his focus truly was.  Hands behind his back, he was the picture of perfection that you knew too well.

“But how would you remain dedicated to the wellbeing of all of the souls under the Family’s care?” he asked.

A question no one ever posed to you before.  You had no way to gauge whether this was asked because you’d been doing well.  Regardless, you felt the room grow colder.  So many considered Sunday to merely be Wood’s mouthpiece rather than an individual in his own right.  Such ideations of the head of the Family were not further from the truth; even without seeing his full expression, his earnestness rolled off of him in waves and it was clear enough to you that he held his own ideals separate from those of his adopted father.

You felt a soft haziness, the kind that came with the sun on a warm spring day and what you were always enveloped in when Xipe watched over you.  Trust in the Harmony.

“Truthfully, I don’t have an answer that would not come off as contrived or as though I’m trying too hard,” you admitted.  “I can only say that I have dutifully served the Family with the hopes that I can pass on the generosity and kindness shown to me by my parents.  Xipe’s blessing is one full of grace and a sense of belonging.  I want others to know what it means to be loved and to belong.” You gestured with a wide arm to the sandpit. “That’s why I weave the Dreamscape.”

Sunday was quiet, your only indication that he heard you a series of slow nods.

“Then we are of the same mind.  I want the union I choose to reflect happiness in service to Xipe.”  Sunday turned to you, head first and then his body, giving you his full attention.  “And I think in time, we could make one another happy.”

Something loosened deep inside your chest as your hands trembled.  You smoothed your pants, attempting to ease the nerves that were suddenly very prevalent.  So many others were better equipped for the public presence such a union was expected to have.  Numerous women were undoubtedly more pious and selfless, wholeheartedly proselytizing that the Harmony was the way to salvation.

And yet…

The choice was yours.  Sunday was well within his right to leverage his position, convince you and assuage whatever dark clouds lingered.  Others might have.  

You would have been quite a fool to decline, of course.  And your parents would never forgive you for shattering their dreams.  All of your hard work, and for what?  Most wouldn’t have found it romantic in the slightest but it was practical, deliberate.  And that was a great deal better than fanciful ideas about a grand love like they showed in the cinemas.

 “I would be honored,” you replied, fighting the tiny quakes making their way up your arms.

Sunday extended his gloved hand, a silent request.  You placed your hand in his and you felt yourself grow warm from the touch.  You felt warmer still when soft lips met your knuckles and your lips tingled, stronger now with a faint itch inside your skull.  His halo gave off the slightest of auras.  You made a note to look further into Halovians and their qualities, for you wanted to be able to reciprocate.

The smile gracing his lips was like the rising sun, fresh and full of promise.

“As would I.  Xipe has blessed you with the qualities I wish to see continue on.  Together, we can balance the scales.”

Your wedding was a private affair, attended only by heads of the Five and their immediate families and leadership.  The Grand Theater would have been used for such an event but the Eventide achieved the same effect.  Most were enamored by the Blue Hour, where the Radiant Feldspar floated in the distance in the Sea of Dreams.

Your bridal party consisted only of Robin, who somehow managed to balance your comfort with her brother’s eye for detail in a way that sent a pang through you.  Siblings always had one another, even across systems and galaxies, across different life choices.  Something you never experienced except through the Harmony, through the partnerships and reciprocity of those around you.  Even then, you knew the sentiment to be different.

She never made you feel it, though.  For such a successful artist, an idol , she was incredibly in tune with the needs of others.  

“There’s one thing you need to be aware of with my brother,” Robin said, practiced hands opening a pin and pushing it into your hair as you held your veil in place.  “And it’s that he always takes on the responsibility around him.  It’s a reflex.  Whatever his reasoning behind this life change, please take care of him.  He needs a friend outside of Oak leadership.”

Robin finished fixing your veil and draped the front over your face.  It was nothing like Sunday’s, your face still partially visible through the mesh.  She gently brushed your skirt full of Charmony Dove feathers when you stood, nerves finally getting the better of you.

A knock on the door to your bridal suite startled you.  Robin’s security would have already cleared the visitor but the singer’s shoulders dropped a little upon the discovery of Gopher Wood himself, inhabiting the body of another.

“There is something important I must discuss with your brother’s betrothed,” he said, tone gentle.  “Would you please go check on him in the meantime, Robin?”

She hesitated a fraction of a second longer than you were used to from anyone else in his presence.  Everyone was quick to comply with the Dreammaster, one of the only surviving members who recalled the early days of Penacony’s founding.  Wordlessly, Robin took your hand, squeezed, and then left the dressing room.  The click of the door echoed in the depths of your mind.  

Through your own veil, you watched as Wood took a seat where Robin once perched.  He always unnerved you in a way you could not quite place.  Whatever happened to him that caused him to lose his corporeal form, it made your skin crawl.  It was difficult to feel at ease when you always felt like you were being watched.

You dared not let your voice betray you, ironing out every waver you could.  “Has something happened, Dreammaster?”

The smile you saw should have put you at ease but it only served to prod you, a shiver sitting at the bottom of your spine and never crawling.  Surely this wasn’t going to be some discussion regarding the wedding night?  Or the possibility that you were no longer going to be walking down the aisle?  Had you said something during confessionals that was thought to be unbefitting?  You swallowed and tried not to lick your lips so you didn’t mar Robin’s hard work.

“There is a condition that you must abide by from today forward, dear Dreamweaver.  It is imperative and you must understand that although you are to be Sunday’s wife , not even you are privy to them.”  He continued before you could ask, imploring you.  “You must never look upon his face, for he has gazed upon Xipe’s true form.  Trust in the Harmony to reveal order upon your union and on Penacony.”

You were thankful for your face covering but it did little hide you from one as in tune with the Harmony as Gopher Wood.  He sensed it, your desire to question, and he chuckled.

“My son carries a heavy burden but I chose him as my successor because he intrinsically understands THEIR will.  Betray this condition and the consequences will not just be yours to bear.  The future of Penacony relies on this balance and it must not be upended; I will know if it is.  Am I clear, Dreamweaver?”

The words were spoken with such gentleness that they almost passed for little more than a lecture.  It didn’t feel right, not because you sought entitlement to Sunday as a spouse, but because it did not quite make sense.  When has Xipe ever desired to encourage that kind of separation?  Other than Sunday, no other Family Head hid their face.  Then again, no others were in charge of all of the Branches, either.  But what else was there to say?  What other choice was there?

You would discuss this with Sunday directly, you decided.  Direct communication was often the best solution in private affairs.

“Of course.  I will honor these wishes, Dreammaster.”

He left with little more than Xipe’s blessing upon you; his words circled like carrion birds in your head all the way down the aisle.

Leaving the Asdana System, or even Penacony itself, was out of the question for a honeymoon.  You hadn’t actually anticipated one but how else were you going to truly have time alone together as a married couple?  Even after the few belongings you did have were moved into Dewlight Pavilion, the schedules of a Family Head did not just stop on a dime.  Work always continued for him.  But would it for you?  Could it?

Your hands idly went to your necklace, tugging the charm this way and that down the chain as you gazed out of the window, little more than stars to light the way.  The Moment of Midnight was an interesting Hour to be in for what was meant to be, well, romantic .  Here, the lights were kept low, if not entirely off, and you had to rely on your other senses to get an idea of your environment.  Wood’s words took on a whole new meaning.

A great many things needed to be ironed out while the two of you were alone, away from the eyes of the press and the ears of those with knives behind their backs.  

So far, things went well.  The ceremony and reception were exactly what you were prepared for.  Your hands were fastened during vows, rings exchanged over gloved fingers, and the kiss was gentle and chaste.  

Your first dance was not as awkward as you’d expected it to be.  You’d practiced, of course, but not with Sunday, for he’d been far too busy.  All you recalled was the warmth of Sunday’s arm beneath your hands as you greeted guests, their visages nothing but a blur despite your best attempts to match names to faces.  You knew of a great many of these individuals already, as most of the Family did, but meeting them in-person was a different matter.

Sunday was attentive, mindful that your water was never empty and that you had your fill of each course; you paid him the same respect in turn.  It was easy to, you found.  Perhaps Robin was wrong.

He ate only a single bite of your shared slice of cake, lips wrapping around your fork as you customarily fed one another.  When you asked if he disliked it, he shook his head.  His mouth was visible for most of the night and not just through meals; you wondered if that was for your benefit, given you were unaccustomed to a lack of visual cues.

“I quite enjoy it but it brings me greater satisfaction for others to partake,” he explained.

Your reply was instant.  “You only get one wedding cake though.”

“And it makes me happier to see your eyes light up than indulge myself.  Those are the memories I’ll have and that is enough for me.”

Sunday had taken your left hand and you could just barely feel the warmth of his skin through both your gloves and his.  You did your best to control your facial expression, burying your disappointment.  This was his wedding, too, why shouldn’t he enjoy what had been so carefully planned for both of you?

Hours later, here you stood, the afternoon and evening washed away and dressed in the white silk and lace laid out by an Intellitron maid.  The selection was tasteful but left the material’s intention unmistakable.  The air here was cool, soothing, and made the silk feel as if it was melting into your skin and accentuating every curve.  Your skin was sensitive, goose bumps dotting your arms and your nipples hardening from the chill.  Soft footsteps made their way over to you and in the faint light coming in from the stars outside, you only barely made out the vague shape of your husband behind you.  His veil shimmered slightly.  He had not yet changed for bed but abandoned his jacket, tie, and waistcoat.

His sleeves were neatly rolled up and your mouth grew dry at the sight of his exposed forearms.  Hardly a man who did any kind of manual labor but you found yourself curious about tracing your fingers up and down a particularly prominent vein.  Were you even able to touch him?

“We don’t have to do this.”  His voice was barely more than a whisper.  “It doesn’t have to be tonight.  Today was eventful enough.”

“It’s inevitable,” you replied, feeling a shiver run through you.  “There’s little harm in trying.”

You turned to face him, tentatively reaching out to rest your hands on his chest in the darkened room.  Although your eyes adjusted, your sense of spatial awareness was off.  When you didn’t quite make the mark, he stepped forward, his gloved hands guiding yours.  Sunday brought your hands higher, over the collar of his shirt and your fingers skimmed the hem of the veil, stopping right at his jaw.

“You were warned, were you not?” he asked, voice tight.

“The Dreammaster forbid me from seeing your face.”

“He was right to.  Your hands will go no higher, for one’s touch is just vision in a different form.”

“And what of a kiss?  Am I allowed that?” the question poured from your lips, a mix of insatiable curiosity and a demand to know the boundaries.  “Or am I left with only the seal of our union?  I want to know you, Sunday, even if I can never gaze on your face.  I cannot fulfill the role expected of me without knowledge.”

“Your dedication means a great deal.  Compromises can be reached, within reason, dear wife.”

Sunday moved your hand to trace his lips, soft and supple, breath hot on the pads of your fingers.  You felt the heat creep up with your arm and crawl into your chest, your own breath catching.  The silken nightgown suddenly felt much colder against the rising flush of your skin.  Slowly, he pressed his lips to your fingers and then your palm, turning your hand over to brush his lips against your knuckles.  With your other hand, you brushed your middle finger against the curve of his jaw, beneath his ear, mindful of the wing joint.

His hands fell to encircle your waist.  You stepped closer, not daring to close the distance entirely, but enticed by the heat radiating from him.  Sunday’s lips followed the path of your arm, ghosting across your skin, until he reached the curve of your shoulder.  His veil was firmly in place, its hem teasing you with every kiss.

“Is this to your satisfaction?” He punctuated his question with your name and you shivered.

You nodded before you swallowed, tongue heavy in your mouth.  “Almost.”

An unspoken question hung in the air but before Sunday could voice it, you brushed your nose against the fabric and captured his lips with yours.  You felt him freeze, your free hand feeling the muscles cord in his neck as his wings tensed, curling inward.  Your pulse rushed in your ears as you pulled away slightly, fighting the urge to deepen the kiss.  Had you gone too far?

He didn’t move but the skin of his neck was scorching.  Daringly, you closed the distance between your bodies, breasts pressed against him and hips touching.  Something hard prodded against you.  Sunday’s breath hitched, a gasp stolen right from his lungs.  

You’d never shared yourself with anyone but the mechanics were ingrained in your mind from years of education.  There had been little point to exploring it when other priorities were necessary.  He was enjoying this and you pretended not to feel the tiny thrusts against you, as though he was hoping a little friction would alleviate his own need.

“Like I said, I want to know you,” you repeated.  “ All of you.  Or almost all of you.  If you’ll have me.”

You felt his wings flutter, one of them curling to cup his own cheek, the feathers brushing your fingers.

“I…forgive me, I have never…”

“Neither have I.  We can figure it out together.”

Tentatively, you leaned forward and kissed him again, full of reassurance.  You trailed your hands back towards him, searching for spots that made him sigh and relax.  When you neared his wing joint, he gave a choking moan that sent a twitch through your core.  Trembling, you extended your fingers to stroke the wing bone and the hold on your waist tightened.  

The tops of your thighs were damp, an ache sitting between them that throbbed in time with your pulse as both of you explored, shifting to eventually tangle yourselves into the sheets of the waiting bed.  Touching became a process to map out one another’s bodies, finding dips and divets and curves as you undressed.  He was methodical but you didn’t mind.  This was a learning moment for you both.

You discovered that touching Sunday’s wings made him shiver, but that he instantly stiffened if you brushed his feathers; he’d pulled your hands away, mumbling pleas more to himself than to you.  He memorized the shape of your spine against his fingers and traced circles around your hardened nipples, kissing and sucking through the silken fabric until you hiked the nightgown up to encourage him to feel you, skin on skin.  His fingers grazed your folds and in turn, you took his shaft in your hand, his tip already leaking; he settled between your legs, uttering prayers into the curve of your neck, his veil cool against your burning skin.

Sunday inhaled sharply as you bucked your hips, obscene wet sounds filling the silence he left behind.  At least this was better than the alternative, you thought.  Your body’s cooperation and eagerness made it a little easier to push aside the dissonance at the notion that the man above you was both your husband and almost a complete stranger.

He started slow, for his benefit and for yours, you realized.  You’d felt him in your hand but without a comparison, without experience, you had no frame of reference.  He was bigger than you anticipated, stretching you slowly.  Your eagerness helped, of course.  Once buried, he stilled for a moment, allowing both of you to catch your breath and collect your thoughts.

“Does it hurt?” he asked, shifting slightly to hold himself up further.  “We can stop if you…”

The initial sting already ebbed away and you reached to rest your hand over his heart.

“I’m okay.  We can keep going.  I’d like to,” you replied.

Sunday’s rhythm was slow, his strokes long and gentle.  It reminded you of a song, soft and flowing, and briefly, you wondered if one day, you’d be able to resonate with the Harmony, and with him.  Properly, the way you’d heard Halovians could with one another.

Deep inside you, you felt a tug like a string being wound on a spool, amid a low-burning fire churning.  It felt as if you were floating among the stars themselves and you clung to Sunday, unsure of what your body needed but knowing he could provide—

He leaned down again, nestling his covered face in the curve of your neck as his movements became more erratic, hips almost snapping in their fervor.  Both of you were breathless, and the edges of your vision began to go white just as Sunday gave a shuddering final thrust, warmth spilling into you with a quaking moan of your name.  You brushed the backs of your fingers over Sunday’s upper arms before you reached around and held him, unsure of where, precisely, was safe to touch him.

You’d been on the precipice of something and it lingered in your mind, nagging.  Regardless, for a first time…

“That was messier than I expected, my apologies,” Sunday whispered.  “Allow me to help?”

You murmured an agreement and disentangled yourself, suddenly very cold in his absence.  You heard Sunday’s footsteps, soft against the plush carpet, and felt the bed dip when he returned, towel in hand.  He was gentle, attentive just like he had been earlier, if a little hesitant with the heat of the moment lost.

“I’ve been told it’s supposed to go…differently,” he said, brushing the towel against your sticky thighs.  

You stifled a giggle as his fingers found a sensitive spot.  “Ticklish there, sorry.  You were saying?”

He adjusted his approach and continued.  “Such moments are…intended to be a moment of convergence for two people.  They should…last longer, or at least not be as…one-sided…it’s selfish for me to have… finished when…”

Oh.

“Sunday.”

In the dark, it was difficult to make anything out but you felt his gaze on you, and you sat up, covering the hand on your leg with yours.

“Nothing is perfect the first time.  We can try again.  What’s important is that we communicate, right?”

You heard his swallow and imagined his Adam’s apple bobbing.  That was a spot you wondered if you could touch, could kiss if you promised to close your eyes and not peek.

“You’re very kind,” Sunday replied softly.  “I knew that, of course, but…thank you.”

“Like I said, we’ll figure it out together.”

A beat, and then as he finished drying your legs, you said, “I want to ask something but I don’t know if it’s…appropriate.”

“I will answer if I’m able to.”

“When you sleep…”

His answer was swift.  “I must remove my halo.  We won’t be sharing a bedroom.  Even here, I’ll be sleeping elsewhere.  I could not risk accidentally exposing you to Xipe’s wrath for such a transgression.”

It felt as if an icy wall had slammed against you.  You knew there would be hurdles in this new life you’d chosen, of course there would be.  You hadn’t gotten to where you were in life without a lot of them.  Shame snaked itself up your leg and you pulled away when he rose, tucking yourself under the covers.  In hindsight, it felt silly assuming you’d be able to fall asleep together.  All of that, and you would still be…

“Of course.  Forget I asked,” you replied, tone mild as if you’d asked about the weather.

You could still sense his presence in the dark as he silently gathered his things, the rustle of clothing somehow loud.  It felt like every pop of a button echoed in your skull.  You had no right to feel this way, you scolded yourself.  This wasn’t anything more than an arrangement, an agreement between two followers of the Harmony.  You’d entered this marriage knowing that it might never…

You heard the door handle and in the sliver of light trickling through, you caught Sunday’s silhouette, veil lowered and his figure clothed.  His wings were folded in, tucked behind the veil as if shielding himself.

“In time, perhaps a compromise can be reached.  We shall seek guidance on such matters when the time comes.  I shall see you in the morning.  Sweet dreams.”

Eyes stinging, and tongue thick, you pushed away your pride and your pain long enough to say, “Sleep well, Sunday.”

The door clicked shut and you pulled the covers over your head when you curled up onto your side.  You stifled your sobs with a pillow, wondering just what you’d gotten yourself into.