Today is the day we announce the twins’ genders to the rest of the family, and my anxiety is nibbling at me. The babies squirm in my stomach as I pace the Gardens of Olympus, putting the final touches on our Halloween event. The Amor Baby Shower, one of the banners above a white-clothed table reads. Cute pink and blue cartoon ghosts decorate the corners of the banner.
On the table, there are a ton of sweets. There are cookies that say Boo, milk in cups with donuts around the straw, gummy worms, and more. Balloons in pastels of purple, orange, and green are pinned to the corners of the walls. There are multiple tables set up for everyone to sit at. Bouquets of pastel orange, green, purple, and black roses decorate the middle of the settings. I trail my fingers over the table, holding the thank you gifts. Love Potions. It was my husband’s idea. He wants to see how many people will dare take a love potion from him. Whether they are real or fake, I do not know. When I asked, he said, “Let’s find out.”
Good thing I love him.
Turning around, I take another glance at the setup. Multiple games have been arranged for the day, including Bad Baby Advice, Baby Stroller Olympics, Making a Baby Quilt, Balloon Baby Twister, Diaper Change Relay Race, and one called Because I Said So! All the game ideas came from Pinterest, which has been my main inspiration for the party. Bless the mortals who created that marvelous app.
I let out a long sigh, placing a hand on my stomach as the twins shift. I want everything to be perfect. It’s not every day a baby is born on Olympus, let alone two.
Here comes the anxiety.
I make my way to the table for the game, Bad Baby Advice. It was Eros’s idea. The deities have to write down a question I would have about babies. Then they pass that question to the next god, who will answer the question in an obscure way. Light-hearted, fun, and hilarious, the game is supposed to help calm my anxieties. Yet, here I am, folding and unfolding the same piece of paper and chewing at my bottom lip. Will today go well? Should we have picked a different theme? Different games?
“What are you trying to decide?” Eros asks, coming up behind me. His lips press against my neck as his hands cover mine.
“You are going to get blue on me.” I move away from him slightly, knowing full well his costume involves blue makeup all over him. He decided to dress up as a woodland fairy, which includes a ton of blue powder. His hair has blue spray in it, as well as multiple twigs. The only thing he is wearing are dark-blue linen pants. He is shirtless again. It is obvious which gender he wants our babies to be. Is it odd to call the God of Love cute?
“You don’t like my outfit?” he asks.
I turn around, standing on my tiptoes. I move to kiss him but stop only a few inches away. No way am I getting blue makeup on my face and pink dress. “Hm, I do, but I wish you wore a shirt.”
“Why?” Eros asks, his brow raised.
Because I’m a jealous muse.
“I don’t want others looking at you,” I admit, turning away from him. I start folding and unfolding the papers again as my stomach twists.
He covers my hands. “Oh yeah? Don’t like me being ogled?”
“No. I don’t.” I look up at him, scrunching my nose.
Eros smiles, taking the paper from my hand and gently brushing my hair over my shoulder. “You look very beautiful.”
“Well, thank you,” I say, standing on my tiptoes as I attempt to grab my paper back from him.
He lifts the paper higher, puckering his lips. “Kiss?”
I lower, shaking my head as I stare at his bright blue lips. “Oh, no way.”
“Too late.” Eros wraps his arm around me, rubbing his cheek on mine.
“You scoundrel!” I giggle, squirming in his grip.
“Don’t worry. It’s non-transferable.” He laughs. “So you can kiss me all you want tonight and show everyone I’m a taken man.”
I bite my bottom lip at the thought. “Now that you mention it, that does sound like a good idea.”
Eros raises a brow. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me convince you to be inappropriate in a bush, will you?”
“Eros!” I say, my face burning bright red.
He leans over, whispering in my ear. “You know, I read that sex is supposed to induce labor.”
“You want me to go into labor? At the party?”
Eros snickers. “Anything to get inside of you.”
“You know we can’t,” I say, biting my bottom lip and placing my hands on his chest. I am seven months pregnant, and my belly is large. After all, I am having twins. It is starting to become a little uncomfortable, so I haven’t been in the mood for much affection.
“If I knew you were going to insist on forgoing sex, I would have never knocked you up,” he says with a groan of pain.
I poke his chest, giggling. “Consequences.”
Eros pulls away from me, crossing his arms over his chest. “I hate this. We make up after weeks of sleeping apart, and I can’t even fuck you? This is some high scale torture.”
“Are you pouting?” I giggle.
“Maybe.” He pouts more, his bottom lip sticking out.
I kiss his bottom lip, smiling. “Poor baby.”
Behind Eros, I hear a retching sound. I move away from him to see who it is. Hedone comes up, arm in arm with Margaux. Both girls are wearing long fairy dresses. Hedone is sporting her wings, which are a blend of my husband’s and mine. Her wings are as big and sturdy as Eros’s while appearing delicate and colorful like mine. Margaux is wearing fake pixie wings, which are bright pink and sparkly. They are classic Halloween costume wings. Hedone’s dress is baby-blue, while Margaux’s dress is pink, representing what they each think the gender is. Both girls look beautiful. I know they will end up getting into trouble when Margaux takes our daughter to a Halloween party tonight. A party Eros doesn’t know about.
“Are you guys finally banging again?” Hedone asks.
Eros frowns at Hedone. “No, your miteras is rude.”
Our daughter leans into Margaux, whispering, “My mom isn’t letting him touch her.”
My face burns once more. “Hedone Amor!”
She only shrugs. “Really thin walls.”
Eros covers his mouth. A laugh escapes his lips while I stare at our daughter, warningly. Oh, Hedone. If you keep talking back, I will tell your father about your plans for the night.
I jab my husband. “Kori, would you mind going to check on the snacks?”
She rolls her eyes. “They always tell me that when they want to talk about something serious.”
Margaux whispers something to Hedone. They laugh loudly before walking away toward the snack table. I blink a few times, astonished. How has our daughter turned into a teenager within just a few months? Where did the time go?
I sigh. “Our daughter is officially a teenager.”
Eros looks over at me, pressing his hands on the side of my stomach. “I know. It’s making me rethink my mission to knock you up with fifteen kids.”
I giggle to myself. “Your mission?”
“Yup, I need more of you in the world.” He nods, pressing his ear against my stomach.
I run my fingers through his currently blue hair, smiling to myself. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he says, looking up at me. His brow furrows. “They’re much more active than usual.”
I close my eyes, placing my hand on my stomach to focus on them. One of the twins squirms, while the other presses their hand against my stomach. “I guess so.”
“I’ll ask Eileithyia when she gets here.”
I gently caress his cheek before leaning in to kiss him. “I’m sure they are fine, Lykos. They are excited to have a day about them. They take after you that way.”
“Are you saying I’m a drama queen?” He gasps, placing a hand on his chest.
I turn away from him, nodding. “You are actually the Queen of Drama.”
He scoffs. “Have you been talking to Dinlas?”
I bite my bottom lip, giggling. “Mayyybeee.”
“Traitor,” he hisses, narrowing his eyes.
I giggle once more, taking his hand in mine. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” He nods. “The sooner we begin, the sooner I can have you all to myself.”
Clio is portrayed by Alice Callisto. Alice Callisto is a pen-name she goes by to share her fiction writing with the world. Callisto is also a streamer who loves to play games like Skyrim to Call of Duty. She is a big fan of ancient history and enjoys learning new things. Callisto has been writing since the age of sixteen on various different platforms, but only started taking it seriously recently. She is currently working on a project for #NaNoWriMo which involves dragons. Follow her on Twitch and Twitter to make her day.
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