The Adonis of Weho (14 page)

“All of them!”

“No. No more sacrifices to your jealousy!”

“I am the goddess of women and marriage. A god as beautiful as Adonis needs to spread his seed to the mortal women. You know this as much as I do.”

“If you turn this man into an animal, Adonis will only seek out another.”

“Then I shall turn this mortal man into a woman!”

“Haven’t you done enough? The young man has wings!”

Zeus waved her off. “Enough!”

Hera sneered at him and looked down at Adonis with disdain.

~

“Adonis?” Reese gasped, leaning against the wall of the house. “Did…did someone up there call you…Adonis?”

Smith waited but heard nothing more. “Yes.”

“So…Smith Gold?”

“I made it up.” Adonis felt the sunshine returning and knew his father had interfered but Zeus could not watch him or Hera for long. He sat back down by the pool and gulped the wine from his glass.

“
The
Adonis?”

Adonis sighed and didn’t answer, refilling the wine glass.

“No.” Reese shook his head. “Not possible. Adonis is a myth. You can’t be him.” He didn’t get a reaction, not even a glance. Reese felt disoriented and confused. He stood and wondered if one glass of wine could make him feel this dizzy. It never had before. “I have to go.”

Smith didn’t move, looking forlorn, dipping his toe into the Jacuzzi.

Reese reached for the sliding door and staggered through the house to his SUV. He sat behind the wheel, starting the engine and hoping he was sober enough to make it home alive.

~

Adonis drank the rest of the bottle himself. He laid back on the marble patio, staring at the sky. Night was coming finally as the late summer evening drew a cloak over the daylight.

“Are you hungry, Adonis?” Maria asked.

“No. Leave me alone.”

He heard the sliding door slam shut loudly.

Adonis stared at the first stars as they began to shine and tears ran down the sides of his face.

~

Reese managed to make it home. The further the distance between him and Smith, the better he felt. By the time he was entering the lobby to the elevator and his unit, he was stone cold sober and pissed off.

Adonis? Yeah, right. You’re Adonis
.

“And I’m Hercules.” He impaled his lock with his key.

“Reese!”

He looked up and spotted Harper approaching him from down the hall.

“Have you been waiting for me?” Reese checked the time. It was after ten. He opened the door of his unit and stepped in, Harper right behind him.

“Not that long. Just an hour.” He held up a joint.

“Yeah, why not? What more can they do to me?”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.” He kicked off his shoes and headed to the bathroom to wash his face and relieve himself. As he stared into the mirror he tried to decide if this crazy man with wings was telling him the truth. It seemed as if the entire story was based on lies. An actor? No. Fake awards? Photoshopped images of Smith with celebs? What an elaborate charade. And why?

He finished what he was doing and found Harper on his sofa, sprawled out, shoes off, beer in hand, unlit joint in his mouth.

“Sheesh.” He put his hands on his hips. “My place becoming your den of iniquity?”

“Sort of. Sorry. Cybil is such a hawk.” He lit the joint and took a toke on it before handing it off.

Reese dropped heavily beside him and received it. After a long inhale and blowing it out, he said, “You sure you don’t believe in the supernatural?”

Harper cracked up. “Okay, try me.” He inhaled the joint and passed it back.

Before Reese took another puff he said, “I met a guy.”

“Damn. That sucks for me. I was hoping you’d wait for a few months…”

Reese didn’t even reply to that comment. He sucked in the smoke, held it and coughed it out, focusing on his beer. “That’s it. I already can’t think straight.”

Harper took one more hit and put it out.

“Man,” Reese ran his hands through his hair as he spoke, “I don’t even know what I’m going to tell you.”

“Tell me you’re in love with me and you love twinks.”

Reese gave him a tilt of the head and a smile. “I need your comic relief, believe me.”

“Comic relief? I’m dead serious.”

“Oh, just shoot me.” Reese sank into the overstuffed cushions and closed his eyes.

“Can I suck your dick?”

“No.”

~

Adonis paced.

If he couldn’t marry a man, why was he even here?

His hands clasped behind him, over his tucked wings, he wore a path in the carpet walking from one end of the living room, through the dining room and kitchen and back. Reese’s scent washed over him. The taste of his lips, the intelligence of his expression.

Adonis paused to shiver as it passed through him like a lapping Mediterranean tide.

“What am I doing here?” He balled his fists and shouted out loudly, “
What am I doing here?
”

He continued his pacing. “Find a mate. They said find a partner and marry. Well? I am. I did! I found a wonderful mate. Yet, I still have yet to ‘mate’ with him.” He sneered at the ceiling. “Not every form of sex needs to be for procreation! Do you even watch what goes on down here? Aside from the religious zealots who think we gods and goddesses are of the pagan belief, the creatures down here have sex for pleasure.” He waited. “Hello? Oh, now you go away! Now you ignore Adonis!

Of course. Why would Hera want to see me alone and fretting?

No. The voyeur watches me kiss and make love to my man!” He shook his fist at the ceiling. “Jealous Hera! Jealous of my loves, jealous of my looks! Zeus gave me beauty and desire! I am not from your sterile loins!”

“Adonis!” Maria rushed him. “Bad enough she has turned you half-bird. Who do you think you are dealing with?”

“Do you want me to say what I really think?” He felt a stream of profanity welling inside him.

“Haven’t you already?” Maria looked over his head and clamped onto his arm to whisper. “I have heard gossip.”

“Gossip does not interest me.”

“This will!” She looked around the room as if someone would appear. “If you continue to see this man, Hera has a mind to turn him into a woman.”

Adonis spun around to stare at her in shock.

“Slowly.” She cringed. “Like giving birth, one piece of him at a time.”

“No!”

She nodded and bit her lip. “Find a woman!”

He shook out of her hold, grabbed his leather pouch, and left the house.

~

“I’m stoned, dude.” Harper closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the sofa.

Reese was not high. He was furious. He just didn’t know with whom. It was nearing eleven and he knew he wouldn’t sleep. Not without heavy pharmaceuticals. And he had none of those handy.

Harper rolled over and put his hand on Reese’s thigh. Reese peeked at him, seeing his sly smile. “No.” He pushed Harper’s hand off his leg.

“Please? Come on.”

“No.” Reese stood off the couch and walked to the balcony. He opened the glass doors and stood on it, feeling the mild evening breeze. The pool closed at ten, so no one was down below in the courtyard. He glanced up at the sky and could barely make out the constellations through the ambient city glow.

“Reese?”

“Yeah, Harper.” He didn’t turn around, leaning on his elbows on the ledge.

“I guess I’ll go.”

“I’m sorry, babe. I feel like I keep disappointing everyone lately.”

“Yeah. Oh well, right? I’ll hit you up again when I’m eighteen. If I’m lucky, you’ll be single.”

Reese turned to look at him. “I won’t be your lover, but I will always be your friend.”

“Ow. You sure know how to hurt a guy.” Harper touched his own chest.

“I meant that—” He sighed in frustration. “I meant that in a good way.”

“Yeah. I gotcha. See ya.”

“See ya.” Reese turned back to look at the sky, hearing his unit door close.

He rested his chin on his hands and stared at the water in the pool below. “I still think this is some weird dream and I’ll wake up and find everything that happened was fantasy.” He blew out a breath. “I’m living fiction. That’s just too ironic for words.”

“Reese?”

“Yeah?” He spun around and looked into his unit, expecting Harper. No one was there.

“Reese.”

Reese whipped his head around to see Smith sitting on the edge of his balcony, naked, his wings spread wide.

“Aaak!” Reese backed up and hit the glass door behind him. Seeing Smith that way made Reese tremble from his lips to his ankles.

Smith rolled his eyes tiredly. “Aren’t you the one constantly asking me if I can fly?”

“Holy shit!” Reese gripped his chest as his heart pounded behind his ribs like a drum.

“Well. Seems I can. I just have to put an effort into it.”

“I’m dreaming. I’m not awake.” Reese backed up, reaching for the opening of his slider behind him, his eyes never leaving Smith’s.

“Yes. Dreaming. If we were only.” Smith held one knee, balancing precariously on the ledge.

Reese’s focus was drawn to his soft cock which lay over his balls against the darkness of his pubic hair. “I have a nude manbird on my balcony.”

“Don’t push your luck calling me that.” Smith narrowed his eyes at him.

“Sorry. Wow. This is too surreal.” Reese held himself up in the aluminum frame of the sliding doors, halfway between outside and its disorienting sight, and inside, where he could pretend he was normal.

“I was warned if I kept seeing you, that you would be turned into a female. Slowly. And not in a pain-free way.”

“Huh? What?” Reese struggled to focus. Maybe he did smoke too much weed after all. He pinched himself again, hard.

“Ouch!”

Smith tilted his head and asked, “Why do you keep inflicting pain on yourself? Believe me, if you enjoy it, Hera will be happy to hang you from your thumbs and allow harpies to poke your eyes out.”

“Huh? Hera? No. Look. Whoever you are…I can’t play this game. I was already losing sleep even before this happened.” He held out his hand in a gesture of stop.

“A true heart. No. I have not found a true heart. Maybe I’m foolish wishing my mate was a mortal man.”

Reese’s head was spinning. “Let me get this straight.” His mouth felt dry and he would love another ice cold beer. “If we continue to be together, Hera will turn me into a woman.”

“That is unless I can find a way to stop her. But at the moment, my father is annoyed with me as well and can’t resist impregnating mortal women. So he’s not exactly a good watchdog.”

Reese was only more confused. He rubbed his forehead and seriously wondered if he should be seeing a shrink.

“And I only have eleven days to marry. So either way I’ll be put through Hera’s trials. She set me up to lose. She sets all of Pop’s offspring up to lose. Since she cannot procreate, this is how she gets her jollies.”

Reese felt dizzy. He squatted down and tried to wait it out. Closing his eyes, he did indeed think he smoked too much weed with Harper and promised himself he would not do it again. Slowly he opened his eyes. That fabulous cock and balls was directly in front of his face. He peeked up. Smith was looking down at him, his hair flowing over his muscular shoulders, his wings fluttering in the night breeze.

“I’m not worthy.” Reese bit his lip.

“I thought you were. Are you so weak you won’t battle this with me?”

“Battle how? I’m just a doofus from San Diego who writes gay porn.” He looked back at that cock, remembering the taste of Smith’s cum.

“Well. I won’t go to battle alone.” He folded his arms. “No use, is there? Without something to fight for.” He began backing up.

Reese’s eyes burned with his emotions. “Are you asking me if I love you?”

Smith paused, his light eyes penetrating Reese’s soul with their power.

“And if I do? I give up being a man? Lose my dick? What are you asking me to do?”

“I’m asking nothing.”

Reese gasped when Smith leapt off the balcony. He rushed to look down and then spotted his winged silhouette cross over the glowing face of the moon.

Reese tried to stop trembling, but he couldn’t. He covered his face and exhaled a long deep breath.

Chapter 11

The next morning, Reese attempted to maintain his routine. Monday morning—food shopping, get gas, work out, eat breakfast, sit down at his computer and work.

He thought he was doing well, keeping busy, pretending he was fine until he sat down to write. He stared at the words on the computer screen and couldn’t concentrate. Everything was distracting him from his work. And if he had slept two hours last night he was lucky.

Tapping his chin, Reese sipped his cup of coffee, which he set down on the desk beside his computer, and reread what he had written so far on his newest work.

He couldn’t seem to get back into the story, so he closed down the file and began a new one. On the heading he wrote,
The Adonis of WeHo
, and then just stared at those words. Picking up the strong coffee to sip, he hoped it kept him alert, because he was about to pour out his guts onto a .doc file.

~

“I’m surprised you’re back. It’s only been a few days.”

Adonis reclined on the mountainside and put his hands behind his head as he stared at passing clouds. “I needed to recharge. It’s very complicated down there among mortals.”

“I take it Hera and Zeus don’t know you’re here.”

“No. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell them.”

“I won’t. But they always seem to be able to find us.”