Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 05:33:39 EDT
From: LaelSt@aol.com
Subject: Near Collision Chapter 4

Usual disclaimers concerning who should read what and whether or not it is
legal for you to do so, so forth and so on. This is a work of fiction and
should be treated as such.

Well folks, my deepest apologies for how long it took me to get this chapter
to you. Too many changes in my work life, the tinyest case of writer's block
and general apathy makes for one hell of a long delay. Now for  the next
apology, though this one is in advance. I have played merry havock with Greek
mythology, slandered another well established religion and plan on going even
further with it after this chapter. Grant me creative license and see where
this takes us, ok? After all, this is only in my head and actually, not
necessarily really my opinion at all. Enough said, read on!


"Near Collision"

      By Lael Stalnaker


Chapter 4: Further Explanations


 Bryce and Skyler froze as the voice repeated its
demand,

"What the hell is going on Skyler? I think an
explanation is definitely in order." Ethan growled
from the open doorway. He had that definite pissed off
look that some people get when they think that someone
they care about has held out on them. Despite the
scowl on his face, Ethan couldn't help assessing the
body that was straddled over his twin' form. He was
certainly impressed with Skyler's choice of bed
partner, though not with his discretion.

 Skyler and Bryce disentangled themselves from each
other. Ethan continued to stand scowling in the
doorway. He did not seem to care about how
embarrassing this situation might be for the two on
the bed. It was blatantly obvious that he was about
ready to commit bodily harm on someone soon if not
satisfied with the answers given. Or extracted, as the
case may be.

 Skyler began to blush so deeply that his entire head
was turning dark red. His ears and neck burned. He
yanked the sheet off of the bed and wrapped it around
Bryce's waist. He did nothing for himself. They sat
side by side on the edge of the bed and faced Ethan's
furious glare. Bryce looked Ethan over as he was
getting the once over himself. There was absolutely no
doubt that Skyler and Ethan were identical in nearly
every way.

  Ethan's eyebrow rose as he realized that this
stranger was giving him the eye. He did take a small
amount of satisfaction in Skyler's brightly burning
blush. Served him right for not shutting the door to
the hall. Even more for not saying anything about this
guy. So much for no secrets! The thought made Ethan
even angrier about the situation. He began to rapidly
ask questions, in the twin speak they had always used
when they wanted to be private and couldn't.

"So, are ya jus' gonna sit there an' turn pretty
colors? What's going on Sky?" asked Ethan again.
Switching back to a more understandable English, Ethan
sliced into Bryce, "Could you excuse us please? I need
to talk with my brother for a moment. You can use my
room to get dressed or wait or whatever."

  Bryce turned to Skyler and looked into his eyes with
concern. Skyler gave a faint, pained smile and nodded
toward the bathroom door. After acknowledging with a
nod of his own, Bryce leaned over to kiss Skyler on
the lips. He was purposely slow about it too. Then he
rose from the edge of the bed and let the sheet drop
to the floor in a puddle of shiny red fabric. Ignoring
Ethan completely, he walked naked through the bathroom
and into Ethan's room. Once there, he turned and
firmly shut the door without slamming it. Ethan
continued to stand in the doorway, leaning against the
doorjamb as if it was the only thing that would hold
him up. He stared down at the satin sheet that lay in
a frothy pile of cloth.

   When Ethan finally looked up from the floor, Skyler
had regained his normal skin coloring. Ethan winced
though when he caught a good look at Skyler's
expression. Maybe he had been a little pushy, rude,
and just downright childish in how he had handled the
situation. He was just so tired. He also had been
caught completely off-guard by the sight that had
greeted him as he passed Skyler's room. They both had
always been so careful about letting each other know
about 'partners' in the house so that this exact type
of situation would not happen. The growing silence was
beginning to cut into Ethan. 'Damn it!' he thought to
himself.

"Look Sky, I'm sorry for being a prick. I'm tired,
surprised and hurt. Forgive?" asked Ethan.

"Yeah, no prob. I can see your point," replied Skyler.
He thumped the bed next to him with the palm of his
hand. Ethan pulled himself upright from the doorjamb
and walk/staggered over to the bed. He plopped himself
next to his brother and then fell flat on the bed. He
covered his eyes with the crook of his elbow and
exhaled explosively. Skyler turned toward his brother
from the edge of the bed. He pulled his knees up to
his chin and wrapped his arms around his shins. He
looked carefully at his brother. He could see stress
lines across Ethan's forehead and how taunt his
muscles were in his shoulders and neck. Skyler then
realized that there was more going on than just this
outburst.

"What's really wrong Ether? This isn't like you at
all. Under normal circumstances, you would have waited
until we were alone to ask what was up? So, what is
it?"

"Everything that could go wrong today, did. This was
just the final straw; that's all. Actually, I guess
yesterday is the correct word. I haven't had any sleep
for 24 hours. The entire computer system I spent the
last 9 months putting together crashed and burned last
night. Some kind of virus got into the BIOS and ate
everything. All the data, gone! I was just lucky that
it didn't jump onto the campus' system and destroy
that too! Then I get the brush off from William when I
called him to cancel a date and tried to reschedule. I
haven't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday, my
head is splitting down the middle and I get home to
you fucking the brains out of someone I don't know."

  Skyler cringed in sympathy at the litany of woes and
then put his hand on Ethan's arm. Ethan burst into
tears. Skyler unfurled himself and pulled Ethan into
his arms. Ethan adjusted himself unconsciously to
Skyler's form and continued to cry. They had done this
frequently while growing up; whoever was hurting would
just hang onto the other and let it all out. There was
nothing self-conscious about it at all. They were just
too close to let it bother them. Ethan finally began
to pull himself back together again. Once he stopped
crying, he just lay there. Skyler brushed the hair out
of Ethan's eyes and kissed his forehead.

"Better? At least a little?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, a little. Look, we'll talk later. I'll
apologize to... what's his name? You can give me that
much before I go eat crow," said Ethan sheepishly. He
brushed the tears from his eyes with the backs of his
knuckles and pushed himself up off of Skyler's chest.

"All right, his name is Bryce Jackson and we'll talk
about the rest of it later. I am warning you now,
Ether, Bryce is going to be around for a while. Please
try and accept him. I'll tell you as much as I can
later, OK?" asked Skyler.

  Ethan just nodded and sat back up completely. He
laughed kind of hoarsely as he looked down at Skyler's
lap. Skyler glanced down himself and then his face
flamed back into shades of crimson that were as yet
unnamed within the living memory of mankind. Skyler
was rock hard again. Just saying Bryce's name set him
off sexually. Ethan made a swipe at the erect pole as
he pulled himself off the bed. Skyler blocked him and
grasped the hand as it went by. Ethan found himself
flat on the bed again as Skyler whirled the trapped
hand in a tight circle and pulled Ethan onto his
stomach. Skyler pounced and landed square on Ethan's
back. He pressed him into the mattress and began to
attack Ethan's sides with the tips of his fingers.

  This was a comforting and familiar ritual that the
twins had been using ever since their first fight in
the playpen. They just couldn't stay angry at each
other for long. So, once all the words had been said
that mattered, the two always roughhoused to take the
edge off of the dispute. Ethan finally got some
leverage and tossed Skyler from his back. He then
lunged sideways and glommed over Skyler before he
recovered from being thrown off balance. Their giggles
and laughter became louder and louder. Both liked to
fight as dirty as possible, no blow being too low for
this game as long as no one was physically hurt.

  Thud! Thud! Two bodies slid right off the silk
mattress sheet and landed on the floor in a tangle.
They collapsed in hysterical laughter at this point.
Ethan looked like an entire gang had mugged him. His
clothes hung off him (barely) in tatters that wouldn't
cover a toddler adequately. Skyler had decided that
Ethan had an unfair advantage in being clothed while
he was stark-ass naked. So, in the interest of
fairness and good sportsmanship, he took care of that
during their tussle.

  As they lay there recovering, they both clearly
heard Ethan's bathroom door open. Bryce came through
the door and stood in Skyler's doorway. He had an
entirely too smug amused look on his face. He parodied
Ethan's earlier stance and leaned into the doorjamb.
He then exaggerated a leer at both of them. Ethan and
Skyler looked at each other and then back at Bryce.
They collapsed back into manic laughter again.

"I take it you two have worked things out? I was just
checking to make sure we didn't need an ambulance or
immediate emergency surgery or something else equally
dire. I see that is most certainly not the case. If
you are done mauling each other like bull terriers,
may I have my clothes now?" requested Bryce.

"Sorry about my rudeness earlier Bryce. I had a really
bad 24 hours and lost my temper over something I
shouldn't have even paid any attention to. Forgive me,
please?" apologized Ethan with a touch of
embarrassment.

"Of course you are forgiven. We were in the wrong as
well. We should have made sure that the door was
closed when we came in here. My fault actually."

  Ethan hauled himself off of the floor and looked
down at his tattered clothing. The simple motion of
getting off the floor had caused them to give up the
ghost and fall away from him. Skyler had been
absolutely thorough in his destruction. Ethan blushed
to the roots of his blond hair. It was one thing to go
bare with Skyler. It was something else entirely to be
naked in front of a complete stranger. Especially one
that had just had sex with his brother! Skyler giggled
and held up a hand to Ethan. Ethan grabbed Skyler's
wrist and pulled him up from the floor. On the way up,
Skyler gracefully grabbed Bryce's clothes. He tossed
the bundle to Bryce with a warm smile.

 Catching the bundled clothing, Bryce turned and went
into the bathroom, high on his dignity. He calmly shut
the door on the two brothers. As the door clicked
shut, Ethan groaned and scooped up his destroyed
clothes. He punched Skyler in the arm, hard, and went
the long way around into his own room. The door shut
behind him and Skyler was alone to put his room back
into a semblance of order. He got things reasonably
straightened out and then collapsed on his bed. That
is, after shutting his door!

 Bryce came out of the bathroom and shut the door
behind him as he came into Skyler's room. Skyler was
now stretched out on his bed. His head was thrown back
and his breathing was very shallow. He had passed out.
After all, he too had not had any sleep in nearly 24
hours either. Bryce studied the sleeping form for
nearly an hour. Then he shrugged and climbed onto the
bed with Skyler. Skyler rolled onto his side, even in
his sleep accommodating the other body on his bed.
Bryce kept his clothes on and curled up to Skyler's
backside. He gave a hopeful nudge with his hips but
Skyler remained oblivious to the world. Bryce vented a
faint sigh of disappointment and gave up. Within
moments, he too was sleeping.

*******

  Skyler stretched as his eyes opened. He turned his
head slightly to catch a glimpse of the clock. It said
6:34pm. He groaned and turned his face into the
pillow. The whole day? He had slept the entire day
away. Abruptly, he became aware of the body, other
than his own, that occupied the bed with him. He could
feel the slick smoothness of rayon cloth against his
bare backside. There was also a very rigid hardness
pressed firmly against him too. Full recollection of
the day and night before flooded through Skyler's
mind. He smiled to himself and ground his hips against
the warm body behind him. Bryce's arm immediately
snaked its way under Skyler's arm and over his chest.
Bryce cupped the firm muscles of Skyler's chest as he
nibbled on the only accessible ear.

"Hold on a second there, studly. Tempting though this
really is, we should hold off a bit. There are some
questions I want to ask, before I loose track of them
with this voluntary mutual molestation we seem to be
heading for right now," explained Skyler as he pried
Bryce off of his ear. He then gripped Bryce's hand and
lifted it up. While he had the hand, he flipped his
body around so that they were now face to face.

  Slowly, the lust faded from Bryce's eyes and he
nodded acquiescence to Skyler's determination that
they hold off. Then he grinned fiendishly. The light
of lust returned to his eyes and he moved in closer to
Skyler. His hands roamed over Skyler's body in clear
challenge.

"Ask your questions. While you speak, I explore! I am
perfectly capable of doing more than one thing at a
time," snickered Bryce in triumph. His hands began to
get more aggressive now.

"Hey, how am I supposed to be able to think right with
you doing this to me?" gasped Skyler as Bryce proved
that he had Skyler's complete attention. Bryce was now
stroking Skyler's raging hard-on. Skyler gritted his
teeth, shut his eyes and tried to block out all
thoughts other than the questions that he felt needed
answers. Through his tightly clenched teeth he asked,

"All right, as long as you answer the questions... I
guess you win both ways, you twerp!"

 Bryce just nodded and gave his attention to Skyler's
body. Not that he wasn't listening. Most certainly he
was, just not exactly with his ears. His hands found
their way to every part of Skyler's body. Skyler was
beginning to shiver violently from the sheer pleasure
that trailed along Bryce's touch. Then, he mentally
shook his head and began to fight to keep his own
purpose in front of his body's fiercely rising
demands. Skyler then decided to try a different
approach to the current problem. He visualized his
body as a switchboard and then located the switch for
his sense of touch. He mentally flicked it off. Then
he flicked off his sexuality. It seemed to work. He
was able to fight against Bryce's 'god given'
expertise and keep his mind on what he wanted to ask.

"Well, nice try bud, but let's make with the answers
now. You can keep playing if you want, but I know how
to avoid this game until I am ready to play. So, let's
get going, shall we?" murmured Skyler through his
tightly clenched teeth.

  Bryce sighed but kept on with his current objective.
After all, Skyler had issued the challenge. How could
he not take it up? Besides he had a reputation that
must be upheld, even only to him self. Bryce really
wasn't in the mood to answer awkward questions.
However, this could prove to be very interesting. He
wondered how long it would take for Skyler to crack
under the physical pressure he intended to put him
through.

"OK, here's a good one to start with... how did you
loose track of everyone? Why did you all split up?"

"Good place to start indeed. Well, I suppose that the
true beginning of the end, so to speak, was the fall
of Greece to the Romans. They took everything of use,
including our sacred tales and twisted them to their
own use. They went so far as to Romanize our names,
further distancing us from our true people. Not long
after this, at least to our perception, the Christ
cult came to Rome.

"This cult swept through like a plague. We were able
to recognize the further twisting and changing of
certain stories into this new cult. Within a few
generations, a mere blink in time to us, the cult had
primacy throughout the empire. Many of us turned our
backs on mankind at this point, some out of disgust
and others out of grief. This cult took much of the
joy out of the world. Our own worshippers embraced the
cult as feverishly as most of the world.

"In part, this was our own doing and fault. We had
turned our backs on our followers too often out of
absurdity and vanity. This one or that one found our
displeasure in some hideous and cruel manner. We,
ourselves, had set up the perfect environment for the
cult of Christ to take root. Our worshippers dwindled
away to near nothing and then were gone entirely.

"We all gathered together one last time. It was a
general mess. Most of us were grieving for the passing
of our time. Many feared that without our worshippers,
we would fade away to nothing, returning to the Chaos
that spawned the Eldest. Some wanted supreme revenge
on the mortals that had dared to turn from us. The
arguments raged for decades. Then, Athena pointed out
a very simple fact. 'We were free!'

"We all were stunned. It was so simple. Athena
continued, 'We are no longer bound to mortal
worshippers! They have passed on and away, yet we are
still here. We are all that we have ever been and yet
we do not fade away. We retain our powers, but we are
not fueled by mortal worship! We the embodiment of
their concepts and while those concepts yet exist, we
endure. While mortals still enact our concepts, we may
be as we have always been. Better yet, we no longer
have to pander to mortal need and whim. Therefore, we
are free to act, as we like!'

"Perhaps I should better explain what I mean by
embodiment of concept rather than embodiment of
worship. I will use myself as the example. All of the
Olympians evolved from certain concepts and ideas.
These concepts are important to the well being of
mortal kind. I came into existence with the first act
of love. Over the eons, I have evolved into a self-
aware entity that is fueled by each act of physical
love. Rape does nothing for me, as it is the willing
participation of both parties that generates the
emotions and energies that form my being." Bryce
paused for a moment and then grinned at Skyler.

  Bryce passed his fingertips in front of Skyler's
eyes. He waited a moment and then trailed his
forefinger down Skyler's side. Skyler shivered with
pleasure and then gasped. He could see energy
radiating in the wake of the moving finger, barely
there, faint. That energy leapt from his body with the
motion of the shivers. Then it spiraled up and into
Bryce. It just spread out as it approached him and
then settled onto his skin. Once there, it slowly
melted into him.

  Skyler nodded his understanding. A sudden thought
sprang up and he followed it. He narrowed his vision
focus and looked at Bryce with his eyes nearly closed.
They popped back all the way open almost at once with
his astonishment. When using soft vision, he could see
wave after wave of incredibly faint energy flowing
over and into Bryce. Skyler thought for a moment and
then laughed. 'That would be the millions that are
actively screwing, or rather, making love literally,
at this minute and the energy automatically comes to
him,' he thought to himself with awe.

"So, all of you gather energy this way? This is where
your power comes from?" asked Skyler, when he was able
to stop shivering from the wayward hand trailing over
his skin.

"Just so. We each are 'fed' by the concept we embody.
Some embody more than one concept. Those are the
stronger gods. Also, those that embody primal forces
like the sun or lightning also have much more strength
than those who only embody abstracts do. Anyway, back
to the answer you desired... unless you would rather
go back to that later?" Bryce whispered into Skyler's
ear suggestively. The slight movement of air against
his earlobe tingled hotly. Skyler froze for a moment
and then shook his head clear.

"No, continue your story. I really want to know what
happened." Replied Skyler regretfully and yet with
keen interest.

 Bryce sighed softly in disappointment, but then
continued.

"As you wish. Where was I? Oh yes, the realization
that we would go on. We all basically gawked for a
while as her words sank in. It had the profound impact
that Truth often does on the ignorant. It swept us
into a state let me tell you! We all reveled in the
understanding that while mortals had originally
empowered and endowed us with our various aspects,
they no longer bound us. Then came something
unexpected by many of us; mutiny.

"Zeus found that his authority had no meaning without
the structure of human worship. Many choose to
immediately head out into the mortal world to seek
whatever they desired, be it experiences, knowledge,
or even simple delight in interacting with mortals.
Zeus did try to keep control of us, but failed. Even I
soon left; bored with the petty bickering that was
still the main basis of immortal interplay. I left
before finding out what they had decided for the far
future.

"For centuries I simply went from place to place,
people to people. Then, near the end of the
Renaissance I think, I decided to partially disembody
myself. I choose to only reveal myself through the
dream world of mankind. It was easier and cost me
less, emotionally and physically. Despite my main
energy being from the physicality of love, I do have
the full range of mortal emotions. That too was
incorporated into us as we came into being. We
literally evolved at the whim of humanity in the
beginning. Later, due to organized religion, we became
bound into the structures that you modern mortals are
familiar with.

"Now, after so many long years, a longing has come
over me to see those other immortals. Very rarely did
I cross paths with one of my brethren. It did not
always go well either. We do not change easily now or
even back in the days of worship. I want to know how
many of us still walk the earth. I worry that some
might have perished, by what means, I know not. I want
to know if we have truly adapted with the ages and
with mankind. This fierce longing bites at me even
now.

"Then came you," Bryce said, kissing Skyler's cheek.

"I was in one of those rare moments that I actually
had decided to take physical form. You nearly crashed
into the back of me. I watched you in the mirror for
those too few blocks. I felt the ache radiating from
you as you turned onto the other street. You captured
my attention so completely that I immediately
disembodied to follow you. Then you dreamt of me. That
was your own doing not mine... well, not the first
time anyway.

"I do admit to tampering with the second dream. When
it started the same way, I entered into it with you.
For the space of that dream, we were one. Now we are
more. Does that satisfy the question, my Sky?"
inquired Bryce.

"Well, certainly the first one, but I have others. You
haven't won this game completely yet. You said that
the immortals embodied concepts. What about the
stories about mortals that became immortal? How does
that fit?" asked Sky out of sheer will. Bryce had
resumed the full frontal assault.

"Hades! You are stubborn! Very well. Yes, there were
mortals that became immortal. One way or another, each
of these mortals was permanently connected to a
concept through the aid of the immortals. Once the
connection was in place, the energy of the concept
kept them immortal and gave them their power. I do not
know if any of these created immortals survived any
better than the born ones." Bryce began to delicately
nibble on the inside of Sky's thigh. Chills ran down
Skyler's spine. He clenched his eyes shut and forced
his breathing into a more even keel. His thoughts were
definitely beginning to scatter again.

"What's going to happen when we find someone?" gasped
Skyler, nearly biting his tongue in the process. The
shivers were turning to shudders of purest erotic
pleasure. Bryce was now gently massaging the back of
Skyler's right knee with his tongue. Skyler's calf was
resting on Bryce's left shoulder. His hands were
spread wide on Skyler's stomach, oh so tenderly
dragging along the shape of the muscles there. It was
a double hit on the sensual circuits. It also exposed
Skyler for the next move.

"Well, I can not be certain what will happen. I have a
deep feeling of unease. Something is going to happen
and soon. I also 'feel' that we will need to gather
together again to face some catastrophe. What that is,
I do not know. I also only 'know' that it will be
soon, with in a year. This is why I am becoming
desperate to find my kin. I truly do need your help,
my Sky. There is simply too much that I do not
understand about your modern world.

"I spent too long disembodied. I think that by only
interacting with mortals through dreams, I lost
connection with the waking world. It was terribly hard
to incorporate into this body. I have not maintained
one in nearly 500 years."

"Not that anyone could tell!" muttered Skyler under
his breath.

Bryce moved his tongue from under Skyler's knee and
trailed it up the thigh. He brought one hand down from
the six-pack he had been toying with and carefully
lifted Skyler's nuts. Cupping them in his hand, he
drew his tongue underneath them. He swirled around and
around the exposed nether region. Skyler gasped softly
as the warm and agile tongue entered him. His back
arched and then he moaned loudly.

"OK! You win. No more questions for now." Skyler
managed to gasp out. Bryce ignored him and kept at it.
Skyler's hands were now clenching into the smooth
silkiness of the sheets. His back was arched into a
near spasm. He tossed his head back and forth as the
sensations mounted within him. Finally, he could take
no more and yelled at the top of his lungs. Bryce
stopped and looked into Skyler's eyes.

"You want me to stop?" he asked with feigned concern
on his face, eyes twinkling with mirth.

"You do and I'll never speak to you again!"

*******

  Skyler woke the next morning with a start. A wave of
deja vu washed over him. He could have sworn that he
had just done this. He glanced over and saw Bryce's
sleeping form sprawled next to him. He studied Bryce
for a moment and then reluctantly slipped out of bed.
He desperately wanted to take a shower. He couldn't
believe that he had spent the entire day and night in
bed. It was just not something he would normally do.
Actually, he had never done anything like that in his
entire life before.

  He went into the bathroom and found a note taped to
the mirror. He ignored it for a moment and went about
his business. Once he had flushed the toilet, he
turned on the shower. Turning back to the mirror, he
yanked the note off and read it.

         Sky,

         Wow! You must have had some night. I'll be
         back this evening. Let's have that little
         talk that you promised me, hmmm? So, is he
         a keeper? I am totally jealous, you dog! He
         puts William to total shame!

                             Love ya bro!

                                  Ether

  Skyler grinned to himself and tossed the note onto
the counter. The mirror was now completely fogged
over. He stepped into the shower and let it pound onto
his neck and back. It felt wonderful. Thankfully, his
muscles weren't really knotted all that badly. Skyler
began to giggle to himself. It appeared that there
might be a drawback or two to having sex with the god
of love, especially on a regular basis. Who could deal
with such expert attentions, beyond the ability of any
normal man, without becoming entirely lost in it?

  Skyler finally had to get on with the shower. He
soaped down quickly and then rinsed. He paid special
attention to his blond hair. Bryce had managed to get
his essence from one end of Skyler's body to the
other. Making sure that he had gotten all of the dried
sticky stuff out, he ran his hands through to be
absolutely positive he hadn't missed any. The water
was noticeably cooling when Skyler finally shut off
the tap. He did his usual fingers down his skin to
remove excess water. Then he reached around the glass
door and snagged a towel from the hanger.

  Once he was satisfied with drying off, he stepped
out of the shower stall. Stepping over to the counter,
Skyler brushed at the fogged over mirror with the edge
of the towel. He stared into his face with a trace of
amazement. Despite the slight distortion from the
fogging still adhering to the mirror, he could see
himself well enough to note a particular but subtle
change.

  If Skyler squinted his eyes just a little bit, he
could see a faint glow coming from his skin. Without
the squinting, he just looked inordinately healthy. He
finger-combed his hair back from his face and smiled
at his reflection. For the first time in months, he
felt genuinely happy. Abruptly, a thought flashed
through his head. He should have no trouble at all
finishing his thesis now! He had a totally original
source for his theory now, Bryce! Skyler laughed to
himself. Talk about an end to damn near all of his
current problems!

  Skyler ran his hand over the two-day old stubble
along his jaw. It felt like sandpaper. 'This will
never do,' he thought to himself. He got out his
shaving stuff and got to it. Within minutes, he was
back to his usual clean-shaven self. He brushed his
teeth and then brushed his thick blond hair. Finally
satisfied with his overall appearance, Skyler cleaned
up the counter, putting away everything he had taken
out. Throwing the towel back onto the rack, he quietly
turned the doorknob to his bedroom. He slipped back
into his room as soundlessly as possible.

*******

  When he turned toward his bed, it was empty. It was
neatly made with the bedspread that Bryce had caused
to appear. The curtains were pulled wide, letting the
morning sun stream into the room. The usual darkness
had been vanquished thoroughly. Skyler glanced around
quickly to see if Bryce was anywhere around. The room
was completely empty, but not cheerless.

  Skyler threw on his silk robe and went out into the
hall. Ethan's door was shut and the hall was empty. He
walked down the hall to the living room. The vertical
blinds leading to the patio were drawn back. Brilliant
sunlight flooded the living room with light and
warmth. Skyler paused for a minute to watch the
sunbeams shifting across the carpet. Everything seemed
so different today. Then a wonderful odor wafted to
him. He continued on into the dining room.

  Here again the curtains were pulled back, letting in
the light. On the table was breakfast. Hot muffins,
grape juice, eggs sunny side up, bacon and hash with
red and green bell peppers. Skyler frowned as he
glanced at the table. It was set for one. There was no
sign of Bryce here. He looked into the kitchen briefly
and then headed back for his bedroom. Once there, he
finally noticed a note attached to his dresser mirror.

  Still frowning, he walked over and tugged it free.
It was written on a very thick looking paper in dark
ink. The strokes of the printing were broad and
strong. There was also a very angular quality to the
letters. Skyler laughed briefly as he figured out that
the letters had a definite Greek cast to them while
still being perfectly recognizable English. Done with
the cursory examination, he got to the actual reading,

         My Sky,

         I must go for a time. I do not know how long
         I will be. If you have need of me, simply
         think of me as I showed myself to you the
         night of the blade. That image is vivid in
         your mind and I will watch for it. I will
         explain upon my return.


  Bryce had signed it with a tiny bow and arrow
against a pair of wings. Skyler chewed on his lip for
a minute and then folded the note into quarters. He
tucked it into his robe pocket. He sighed a bit
wistfully and went back to the dining room. The
breakfast looked too good to just ignore and besides,
he was totally starving at this point. He hadn't eaten
at all yesterday. After making short work of the food,
Skyler got the dishes into the dishwasher. Once
everything was back to a semblance of order, Skyler
went down the hall and knocked on Ethan's door gently.
When he got no answer, he turned the knob and silently
cracked the door open. Ethan was also gone.

  Grumbling to himself about no one sticking around,
Skyler went back to his own room. He got dressed
quickly and grabbed his book bag off the floor by the
dresser. He went back to the living room with the sack
in tow. Once there, he stared out onto the patio for a
while, just drifting through his thoughts about the
last 4 days. So much had changed in the blink off an
eye. Shaking off his reverie, Skyler hauled the pile
of books out of the bag.

  He tugged out his notebook and flipped it open to where
he left off. Skyler figured he might as well get some
work done as long as no one else was around. He was
hopeful that the block he had been experiencing was
now over with. He grabbed one of the thick texts that
had been so much trouble less than two days ago and
opened it to the marked place. He glanced into his
notebook and then took a look at the page of the open
book. He nearly dropped everything in surprise.

  Here and there, scattered all over were tiny red
Greek letters. It puzzled Skyler for a moment and then
he went with a hunch, he grabbed another book and then
another. He spread the open books all over the living
room floor. Then he looked at his notebook again. The
red letters matched up to other books and his notes.
He began devouring the first notation. Naturally, it
started with Alpha. By the time he had gotten to Beta,
he understood exactly what was going on. Bryce had
somehow gone through and paired up everything for him.
Everything was right there in front of him, in Latin
and Greek. The differences between the Greek and Roman
versions of the stories had been noted with a red
letter at the beginning of each difference. Skyler
chortled with glee. He could finish his thesis without
any further headache.

  Skyler would still have to write out his own
observations, but a majority of the truly difficult
work was now in the past. Besides, the observations
and analysis were just as difficult as the research.
Still, months had been shaved off of the work. Skyler
definitely intended to thank Bryce soundly for the
help. By the time the sun was near setting, Skyler was
over two-thirds of the way through his first reading
with the notations.

  Skyler finally forced himself to take a break and
pushed the books away from him self. He twisted his
neck to the side and listened to the rapid pop of his
neck vertebrae as he turned his head. He repeated the
motion from the other direction with equal results. He
then leaned forward and bent himself nearly double as
he flattened his chest to the floor between his
outstretched legs. While in that position, he reached
up to his ankles and grabbed them. It kind of
surprised him that he was able to do it without
straining.

  Once he felt loosened up from his day of study, he
gathered the books up and stuffed them back into his
bag. It had been quite a while since he had felt so
good about the schoolwork. Skyler's stomach growled as
he put the book-bag on the coffee table. He got off
the floor and wandered into the kitchen. After
rummaging through the fridge, he basically snacked
away the hunger pangs. Skyler hated cooking, so this
solution didn't bother him in the least.

  Skyler flicked on the overhead lights as he came
back into the living room munching on celery stalks.
He sat himself on the sofa and grabbed the sci-fi book
he had started over the weekend. Throwing his legs up
onto the couch, he snuggled into the cushions to get
as comfortable as possible. He grinned at his book bag
and then opened to the place he had left off last.
Within moments he was completely absorbed in the story
once more.

*******

  Ethan closed and latched the front door quietly
behind him. He could see Skyler crashed out on the
couch again. 'Must mean Bryce isn't here,' thought
Ethan to himself. He set his laptop case down by the
door and went into the living room. He removed the
book from Skyler's limp grip, setting it on the table
again. Then he went over to the recliner and sat
cross-legged on it. He sat staring at Skyler for a
long while.

  Ethan was positive that there was something
different about his twin. Not just in how he looked,
but also the feel of him was changed. The two had
always been hyperaware of each other, nearly to the
point of telepathy, certainly to the point of total
empathy. They always knew exactly what the other was
feeling if not necessarily what the other was
thinking. But now... Ethan could feel a blank space
coming from Skyler. It was small, but glared out at
Ethan. He could sense the other normal goings on, but
Skyler was obviously blocking him out on something. It
made no sense, unless it had something to do with the
events of the last few days.

  Ethan nodded to himself. Yes, it had to be Bryce. As
Ethan watched Skyler sleep, he noticed some of the
physical differences too. Skyler looked more vibrant,
more there than before. He also looked a shade more
golden. 'Golden?' Ethan asked himself. He got off the
recliner and went over to his sleeping brother. He
looked more closely at his brother's face and arms. He
carefully placed his arm next to Skyler's to compare
them. They both originally had the same exact shade of
tan, a medium golden brown. Now Skyler's looked more
golden, more luminous. Ethan frowned to himself in
thought.

  Still puzzled, Ethan turned out the light and left
Skyler on the couch. It wouldn't hurt him any to spend
the night there again. Ethan walked down the hall
slowly and peeped into Skyler's room. He quickly noted
the small changes to the room. Shaking his head, Ethan
moved on to his own room. He definitely would have a
talk with Skyler in the morning. Hell or high water,
Ethan intended to get some logical answers.

------------------------------------------------------

That's it for Chapter 4 folks. Hope it satisfied. :)

  Any comments can be directed to me at LaelSt@aol.com
or ICQ #11938988. All communiques will be responded
to. At long last, a decision has been reached as to
whom Eros and Skyler find first. Or is it, who finds
them? But, the mystery god/dess doesn't come until
chapter 6 <Evil chortle>.

  My heartfelt thanks to those who wrote with ideas
and wonderful comments. I have absolutely loved some
of the conversations that have arisen from the
comments. It has fueled my imagination and also kept
me from making some minor mistakes. Every little bit
helps and encourages me to dredge my brain for the
right stuff. Goodness, look what turned up so far!
Chapter 5 is on the way now. Hope to have it up soon
and a lot faster than this last one!