Mandatory Vacation {Adult}

[Kallisto Notara]

Kallisto looked out the window of the cab as she headed to a party. Hera had suggested going away and her boss had demanded it. She was on a mandatory vacation for a minimum of two weeks. New York was logical since she had a large loft near downtown. She'd barely been in town a few hours when she'd been invited to a party.

She was dressed to kill, not that she was looking for attention in particular, just a place to drown her sorrows. The loss of her fire partner Paul still hurt. He'd understood her better than anyone. What hurt more was he had died saving her. Sighing as the cab pulled up to the curb she paid the driver and exited.

Walking up to the door she was wearing a red dress that came down to mid thigh and red high heels to go with it. Her hair was styled in an updo that didn't require hairspray or goop. Hesistating a moment she finally walked in the front door as instructed by the man in passing who'd invited her. One look inside had her wondering how in the world she would make her way through the crowd.

Finally getting inside she went towards the kitchen grabbing a glass of wine, which had a tendency to go to her head much more quickly than other forms of alcohol did. Looking around she found a corner and moved to it watching everyone happily celebrating nothing in particular. Part of her wouldn't mind meeting someone, and another part of her just wanted to get smashed.

[Hades//Dionysus]

Dionysus was at yet another party, making a complete and utter nuisance of himself what with the mass amounts of wine and glee he was spreading around the area. Certainly there had to be someone in the world who found his antics absolutely barbaric and foolish. Of course his new age followers hadn't complained yet, unless you count the thing about being low on vodka, but that had been fixed when they decided to move onto wine. That he could keep flowing through out the party well until morning a few hundred years from now.

And he wasn't just bringing in abstract fun that everyone felt, no he was also serving himself up on a silver plater. He had walked in with a nice black outfit. Hat, button up shirt, slacks, and very expensive shoes. And he had offset it all with a red tie that just drew more attention to him. And because of that attention, his tie was long gone, the souvenir of some girl. His hat was on the head of some guy he had particularly liked. And his shirt was about halfway undone thanks to the girl he was dancing with. Certainly she had some very nice ideas, no that either of them would be trying them out too soon. He still had other business.

So he politely made his escape, letting her go on and dance with someone else. He had more things to do before he could sit back and enjoy his wonderful creation. Rubbing his hand against his jaw as he tried to think of something else to do, he frowned. A quick glance at his hand showed that he had been rubbing a the lipsticky remains of a good way to waste twenty minutes. Completing the job, he headed to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of wine, as though he didn't have enough filling him up.

Heading back out, he tried to find another shy duckling to bring into his world and he found her almost instantly. Making his way over to the the woman in the corner, he smiled. "Hi, I'm Dion. Welcome to my Bacchanal." He laughed, gesturing to the party. That's what he had been aiming for anyways. A small party with a few good friends. No more than thirty or forty. And at his parties there was no greater insult than to partake in it all and get thoroughly drunk and debauched alongside the rest.

[Kallisto Notara]

Kallisto smiled at the strikingly handsome man shyly, wondering why the name Dion sounded familiar to her, "I'm Kallisto." Her english while perfect had a very distinct Greek Accent to it when she spoke, showing she was most definitely not from New York. The term Bacchanal was sticking out in her mind also for some reason. She knew it was some form of a Greek Party, but couldn't remember what kind. Perhaps the two shots of Tequila she'd had before she'd left for the party hadn't been such a good idea after all. Seeing as her mind was a bit fuzzy at the moment.

It felt odd to feel shy around a man, she spent most of her days and nights surrounded by them for a good part of her weeks as a firefighter. But there was perhaps something about this man. Then again she rarely socialized with men that weren't firefighters leaving her somewhat sheltered and at the same time not. She was an odd combination of wild child and sweet and innocent rolled into one. Parties as a firefighter were inevitable, dating was something she hadn't made time for.

She looked around the home speaking over the music aware she was blushing slightly, "Your home is beautiful." She studied him curiously having noticed him dancing with the other woman before he'd gone to the kitchen and then found her. He was the type that struck her as a ladies man and wasn't often turned down, but then again could she really blame women for not turning him down.

She was doing her best since her arrival to change her mood and bring her spirits up, enjoying watching others dance and socialize, the the sadness and pain could still be felt and a hint of that would show in her eyes if someone observant were to look close enough. Reminding herself it was her vacation and she was at a party drinking the best wine she'd ever tasted helped a little, but not enough. To be honest she was grateful for the attention, perhaps if she focused on someone else she could forget her pain at least temporarily for the night.

[Hades//Dionysus]

Bowing like a proper gentleman and because liked making a show of himself, he laughed. Once he was upright again, he was giving her his best smile. "It's as much of a pleasure to have you here as it is to meet you." And both were always quite the pleasure. There was very little he liked better than to have anyone and everyone come to his parties. It gave him a reason to throw them, not that he had ever really thrown a bad party. His purpose was that of saving people from such a terrible and awful thing.

It was damn near impossible not to notice her shyness, or at least it was for him. And because of that she stood out so terribly. One of a handful of untainted souls, waiting to broken of the terrible curse and released into a world of drink and devious pleasures. To be shown the light of unrestrained partying, traipsing about. Losing and gaining people into a never ending party , for his home was never empty. When they all rose in the morning, there were already people there playing games and talking. Not yet ready for that of heavy liquor, but simple things like grape juice.

He looked around the place he had taken over quite some time ago. It was rather nice if he did say so himself. Not many neighbors because of his reputation. Only those who actually like being around the party god. Everything was sleek, modern, and very sophisticated for a guy who had made a wine rack out of his linen closet since that was so much more important than actually having a place to put his clean sheets. "Thanks. I try my best."

Looking her over with an appraising eye, he frowned a bit. She was upset and that made her a priority in the party. She would be his project for the night if need be since everyone else was a regular and his unknowing followers would probably help the shy ones out of their shells. Crossing his arms over his chest, he smile albeit a bit warily. "Care to share why you seem so down?" He asked, hoping his wasn't treading too far into her personal life. People could be strangely finicky about that.

[Kallisto Notara]

Her blush brightened at the compliment and there was a stiffled giggle at his bow unused to seeing the bow of a gentleman. She took another sip of wine a bit nervously in the hopes of calming her nerves. Feeling shy made her feel odd at best. It was an emotion she was unused to. She felt like she was the only one there unused to the setting of the party and most likely she probably was.

In her own personal tastes Kallisto appreciated art and interior decorating from most periods, but particularly Ancient Greek and modern times. Most men couldn't pull off modern decorating in there homes, it often made the house feel cold and impersonal. However, Dion had managed to pull off the interior design theme rather nicely.

Her smile faded as he questioned why she felt down, sighing heavily she took another drink, "There was a nasty fire, my partner and I went in to rescue a woman. The outside walls caved in without any warning. Paul threw himself on top of me and never woke up again. I got word the day before yesterday that he died and I lost two patients at the same time. Not to mention almost put my fist in Hades ja..." she stopped herself immediately, "Some guy's jaw who unwisely commented on the man's impending death in front of his wife who was in shock and not ready to accept his death." she quickly corrected the slip of tongue, knowing she was one of the few mortals that believed in the Greek Gods and most laughed when they found out she did.

[Hades//Dionysus]

"Now you that, that's what I like." He said, gesturing to her. Well his work wasn't going to be as hard as he thought it would be. He had gotten her to laugh which was the biggest step in his master plan. She already had some of his finest wine, something he had made himself quite some time ago. It was only a matter of moments in his eyes that before she was dancing about and laughing at stupid things just like the rest of them.

He listened intently, a look of contemplation appearing slowly. Well that might bring him down as well. Losing a good friend like that. Thankfully the worse that could happen to Morpheus was that he might fall asleep at a bad moment. Which led to a whole different train of thought concerning his friend and different type of moment to fall asleep during. Oh, but Kallisto's friend had died. And her patients as well. And for that she needed to be cheered up.

The slip wasn't corrected nearly fast enough for him to miss it. Dion was laughing at the whole idea. A part of him almost wished she had done it so that he would have something to tease the other about. Getting hit but some mortal, priceless. Sighing, he shook his head. " I'm sure if you would have hit good ol' Hades he would have made sure that you meet up with you partner and those two patients." In fact, he was positive that that would have been the end result to the situation which meant he would have never met her. Oh well, some times you must give to receive and all that righteous crap.

[Kallisto Notara]

Kallisto winced slightly, "I didn't recognize him right off, thankfully I did just before my fist went flying or I would have had some very uncomfortable explaining to do. Besides, I don't think the Goddess's with him would have let him..." she stopped in midsentence, "How do you? Mortals don't believe in the... Dion... Dionysus... God of wine." Her face turned bright red, what was it lately with her and running into the Gods? It did remind her to be much more careful what she said to whom.

She shook her head and smiled, "Why do I feel like the fates are enjoying this?" she sighed, "What are the chances of me meeting so many of the Gods in such a short time frame? You are number five so far. Though I can't think of anyone better to try cheering up with than the ultimate party God."

[Hades//Dionysus]

He was shocked to hear that his Uncle had been with more than one goddess. But he didn't get to dwell on it for too long since she interrupted his thoughts with her realization. "Yep. Dionysus, god of wine and parties. And don't mind my uncle, he had no people skills. He spends all his time with a dog and dead people and occasionally his wife." He said, hoping that it might get her to forgive his foolish uncle. He knew the other God couldn't exactly be the easiest to handle all of the time. Or any of the time, unless he was drunk. Or getting Hades drunk was a remarkable thing.

He gave her a rather sympathetic hug, not bothering to give one thought about how she might feel about being hugged by a god. "Why thank you. I'll be sure to brag about that to everyone else. I'm the best god to spend time with. Although, I think the fates may be just as bored as the rest of us gods." Because not everyone got to have fun since it had been decided that they would all take a break.

[Kallisto Notara]

Kallisto nodded, "I was only upset because of the time frame. I no more than got on scene for the patient and recieved a call about Paul. That's a lot to take in at once. I actually came to this party in an attempt to get a break from my thoughts for at least a little while. And if that didn't work I had full intentions of drowning my sorrows." she smiled sadly, glad that he was being kind enough to listen and seemingly sympathize with her.

She was shocked when he hugged her and was stiff as a board at first, but relaxed after a few moments giving in to the hug and resting her head on his shoulder, "Thank you, for listening. Her smile grew from sad to comfortable, "I think I read somewhere once that Achilles had made some sort of reference to the idea of the Gods getting bored." she knew she should pull away, she wasn't going to be much fun and was afraid of dragging the party down, but for some reason she stayed. She felt a tear threaten to fall and forced it back. She hadn't cried in front of anyone in so long and she wasn't about to start again now. Even if he was a God. She drew back slightly without breaking his grip, just enough so she could look at him, "I should go. I"m not going to be very much fun tonight Dion."

[Hades//Dionysus]

Unlike most who would have said that it was wrong and a terrible way out a problem, he only smiled more a little excited that someone was taking his way out of feeling any type of pain or sorrow. "And then you had to meet that stick in the mud. I can only hope Perse was there to keep him in line. You, he's rather whipped when it comes to his wife. It's actually rather cute." He didn't have a single problem with divulging another's secrets with someone, even in the someone was mortal. She would find out just how totally whipped the man way eventually.

He held back the urge to give a manly squeal of joy when he was hugged back, instead opting to simply smile even more. Oh it was all so wonderful. Nice music, nice people, and a nice hug. Of course, he worried a little when she pulled back, fearing at it might all come to an end. Unfortunately he was rather close to being right, looking at her with a rather blank expression. Though, soon enough, his brows were furrowed in something close to disappointment. He wasn't going to stand for her simply leaving. "Don't. I swear, I will make this the best night of you life, alright? Just trust me like you would...someone trust worthy." He said since he couldn't think of anyone the woman might trust and bringing up the dead was a tacky thing to do.

[Kallisto Notara]

The idea of the God of the Underworld being whipped led Kallisto into sudden giggles as she looked at Dionysus, "Oh I will have so much fun with that the next time I see your uncle. Well maybe I'd better wait till the afterlife for that." What made it worse was the sudden image of Hades wife carrying a whip turning giggles into an outright laugh, "I can't picture a Goddess like her with a whip." Giggles continued till her eyes were watering then slowly trickled back down to a smile, "I needed that."

Bringing her glass to her lips she finished the last of her wine as there wasn't much left and nodded, "I'll stay. I just didn't want to ruin the party. I think I shall need more wine, if I'm to stay. Just so you know, the Gods aren't half as bad as the Ancient Greeks made them out to be, given half a chance." Realising that contact with another was helping she moved to his right side wrapping her arm around his back leaning into him slightly and accepting the comfort that was so easily available just by touch.

[Hades//Dionysus]

Temporarily shocked by the thought it wasn't long before his own laughter followed in suit. Shaking his head and hands, he tried to regain some sort of control over himself. "No Perse isn't the whip kind of gal. Although, imagine Hera looking real mad and angry, shaking a stick at you. That always make me laugh." For that thought alone could change his mood. It was a timeless image in his mind that would never go away that was for sure. And he could only hope that Kallisto would have as much fun as he did with the simple idea.

Listening to her, he just rolled his eyes. Nothing could ruin his party aside from someone coming in and trying to kill them all, and even then he might be able to persuade them or flat out smite them. He watched her move to his side, and place an around around her shoulders. Leaning closer to he whispered, "Trust me, this party has been going on for a little more than a week. Sometimes without me here. It's not going to stop just because of you." And with that he started to lead them off to the kitchen.

[Kallisto Notara]

Kallisto's giggles started up back in full force, "I think I'll keep both images with me for those work shifts when everything seems to want to go wrong that day." She grinned, glad now that she had decided to show up to the party after all. Her eyes widened hearing how long the party had been going on, "A week? How does anyone manage to get a shower?" she acted like a lightbulb had come on in her brain, "That does explain the smell..." she grinned enjoying the chance to tease him.

Walking with him, she let him guide her into the kitchen and took in the room. It was a nice size, particularly compared to her kitchen in her New York loft. Her Athens home had a large kitchen, but the loft only had a small galley, "Wow, I could do some real cooking here. My loft here in New York has quite a small kitchen, especially compared to this." She continued to study the room quietly. If she had known who's home she was going to this definitely wouldn't have been what she expected. She would have expected more of a bachelor pad type of home.

[Hades//Dionysus]

He beamed happily, a little pleased that he could please her with such a ridiculous thought. Looking a bit hurt, despite his happiness, he placed his hands over his heart, tutting softly. "That's so mean. Ad we make time to get clean when we can. As for the smell, I've come to think of that as the smell of all my parties. I called Ode de Dion." He said with a slight shrug. Oh how he was starting to like her. She really was a lot of fun surprisingly enough.

"If you ever feel the need to cook, you can always come here and use my kitchen." Especially since he wasn't exactly the best cook in the world. It would be nice to have someone who could make more than cereal. He went over to the cabinets, getting himself another glass since his previous one had been stolen apparently. Perhaps having a party such as a this wasn't such a good idea. Looking off at some of the people in his home, he smirked. " What do you think of a fountain of wine?" It may seem horribly tacky in the current area, but it might work nicely in his home.

[Kallisto Notara]

She giggled lightly, "I was just teasing you. Besides I'm a firefighter, I can't be serious when it comes to showers, because if you happened to be around me right after a fire, you would have a whole lot of ammunition. Till I took a shower, which would be right away." she grinned, "At least you can give yours a cologne or perfume name. After fires, firefighters just plain stink." she chuckled.

She looked at the kitchen with a critical eye, "It would have to be crystal, stainless steel would interfer with the taste of the wine. If you put it in the west corner there, it would give your kitchen a focal point, be out of the way and beautfiul at the same time. Women would definitely love it. You would have to use red wine though, to add color and draw attention." she smiled, "I think you're going to have to do it now, because I can see it and it's a great idea."

The idea of cooking in this kitchen particularly because it was his was so tempting. "Well if I were here around breakfast time I could make crepes with fresh strawberrys for everyone if you would like. Or I could cook for you and let everyone else fend for themselves. Though the smell of real food would probably draw some attention, particularly with this crowd."