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Aug. 28th, 2011 11:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sariagrayTitle: Sun Above Your Shoulders
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sariagray
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Tosh/Tommy, hints at Tosh/Owen, Andy, Suzie, John Hart.
Word Count: ~4500
Rating: NC17
Spoilers: Uh, well. Assume everything through season 2, but none, really.
Warnings: Language, mentions of noncon/dubcon (Jack is Zeus, okay?!), sex. AU!
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, its characters, or its environs, nor do I receive any monetary gain.
Author:
sariagray Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Tosh/Tommy, hints at Tosh/Owen, Andy, Suzie, John Hart.
Word Count: ~4500
Rating: NC17
Spoilers: Uh, well. Assume everything through season 2, but none, really.
Warnings: Language, mentions of noncon/dubcon (Jack is Zeus, okay?!), sex. AU!
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, its characters, or its environs, nor do I receive any monetary gain.
Beta: analineblue & usakiwigirl, who are wonderful. All mistakes are mine.
Summary: The one in which the Torchwood team are actually Greek gods.
analineblue & usakiwigirl, who are wonderful. All mistakes are mine.Summary: The one in which the Torchwood team are actually Greek gods.
Author's Note: Written for xrai_namere because she begged fandom at large for it, and it was just TOO GOOD to pass up. I am never writing AUs, porn, or lengthy things ever again, though. Greek myth timelines are all over the place. Title comes from “Greek Song” by Rufus Wainwright.
Characters
Jack – Zeus, the ruler of all Gods
Ianto – Ganymede, cupbearer to the gods and Zeus’s lover; also a “divine hero” and prince. Made immortal and given eternal youth by Zeus.
Gwen – Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Also presided also over the sanctity of marriage, the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death.
Rhys – Hymenaios, was considered the god of the marriage ceremonies, but he was, in fact, a mortal.
John – Ares, god of war, particularly violent war.
Owen – Dionysus, god of wine, vegetation, and the afterlife (life-death-rebirth).
Tosh – Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare. Suzie – Artemis, goddess of the hunt.
Andy – Hermes, messenger of the gods.
Tommy – Theseus, Greek hero and founder of Athens.
Myfanwy – Pegasus, a divine winged horse.
Weevils – Minotaur, creatures with the head of a bull on the body of a man.
Glossary
Amphora - a type of vase-shaped ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body.
Chiton – a sewn garment used by both men and women, in varying lengths.
Credence - a small table, usually of three legs, that held food and drink.
Curaiss - body armor for the torso.
Himation – usually worn over a chiton, this was made of heavier drape and played the role of a cloak.
Kline – a combination bed/sofa.
Klismos – a type of chair, made of wood and adorned with cushions, usually used by women.
Lebeti – a large, decorative vase used as a water jug or bowl.
Peplos – body-length Greek garment held together by pins or brooches, worn by women.
Pithos – a large storage jar of a characteristic shape.
Thyrsus - a staff of giant fennel, covered with ivy vines and leaves, topped with a pine cone.
xrai_namere because she begged fandom at large for it, and it was just TOO GOOD to pass up. I am never writing AUs, porn, or lengthy things ever again, though. Greek myth timelines are all over the place. Title comes from “Greek Song” by Rufus Wainwright.Characters
Jack – Zeus, the ruler of all Gods
Ianto – Ganymede, cupbearer to the gods and Zeus’s lover; also a “divine hero” and prince. Made immortal and given eternal youth by Zeus.
Gwen – Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Also presided also over the sanctity of marriage, the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death.
Rhys – Hymenaios, was considered the god of the marriage ceremonies, but he was, in fact, a mortal.
John – Ares, god of war, particularly violent war.
Owen – Dionysus, god of wine, vegetation, and the afterlife (life-death-rebirth).
Tosh – Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare. Suzie – Artemis, goddess of the hunt.
Andy – Hermes, messenger of the gods.
Tommy – Theseus, Greek hero and founder of Athens.
Myfanwy – Pegasus, a divine winged horse.
Weevils – Minotaur, creatures with the head of a bull on the body of a man.
Glossary
Amphora - a type of vase-shaped ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body.
Chiton – a sewn garment used by both men and women, in varying lengths.
Credence - a small table, usually of three legs, that held food and drink.
Curaiss - body armor for the torso.
Himation – usually worn over a chiton, this was made of heavier drape and played the role of a cloak.
Kline – a combination bed/sofa.
Klismos – a type of chair, made of wood and adorned with cushions, usually used by women.
Lebeti – a large, decorative vase used as a water jug or bowl.
Peplos – body-length Greek garment held together by pins or brooches, worn by women.
Pithos – a large storage jar of a characteristic shape.
Thyrsus - a staff of giant fennel, covered with ivy vines and leaves, topped with a pine cone.
Sun Above Your Shoulders
“They’re saying you turned into an eagle and kidnapped me,” Ianto said as he placed a cup in front of Jack. “And that you sent my father a flock of sheep as recompense.”
“Hmm,” Jack acquiesced with a small smile. He lifted the cup and sipped blissfully. “They’ll say what they’ll say. It sounds more romantic than you following me around, demanding work. I like it.”
Ianto sighed and settled on the kline to Jack’s right. Sure, it was more romantic and there was a bit of truth to the story, but it cast both of them in a poor light.
Myfanwy circled overhead, whinnying softly, and Ianto smiled to himself. He’d go to her later and feed her something sweet.
“Yes, well,” he said to Jack, “if you start turning into animals, I’m having none of it. Some fetishes should be kept to yourself.”
Jack laughed and raised a hand to Ianto’s face. He stroked a thumb just under his eye, tracing the angle of his cheekbone. Ianto loved him most when he was like this, happy and quiet and affectionate. It was rare during these uncertain days, when the existence of other divinities threatened to unseat them and the people who worshipped them were confused and wary. He rested his hand on Jack’s thigh and Jack dropped his own to cover Ianto’s. Ianto had opened his mouth to remind Jack that John was due back from Troy that evening when Gwen burst into the hall, a storm of rage burning behind her eyes.
“We need to deal with the minotaur population,” she seethed, her peplos streaming as she strode forward. Jack raised an eyebrow and
Ianto stood up, inclining his head slightly. “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked. She stopped dead in her tracks and smiled at him.
“No, love, thank you.” She turned to Jack. “The people are too terrified to leave their homes. Crops are failing for want of care.”
“Good to see you, too, Gwen. And how’s Rhys?” Jack asked with a wry smile. Ianto sighed and sunk back down onto the couch.
Gwen frowned and adjusted the folds of her peplos. “Fine. He’d be better if you accepted him into the Pantheon, though. It’s not like he doesn’t know all about us.”
“We’ve discussed this. Marrying you isn’t enough qualification.”
“But the people worship him at every marriage ceremony! They praise him. There are garlands, Jack. Garlands.”
Jack waved his hand. “You were saying about the minotaur?”
“Right. Yes. Usually one or two are brave enough to roam the villages at night. We can deal with that just fine, but there are whole packs of them now. We need to do something, Jack.”
“You mean I need to do something.”
“Well,” she smiled sweetly.
“Who else?” Jack wiped a hand over his face.
“Andy!” Ianto blinked at Andy’s sudden entrance. He still hadn’t gotten used to his swiftness; it seemed as though he materialized out of thin air, appearing at Jack’s elbow almost instantaneously.
“You bellowed?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ianto always found the relationship between Jack and the other deities to be interesting and unexpected. He’d heard stories growing up of horrible tortures and unchecked tempers. He’d sat on his mother’s knee as she told him about all of the women Jack had taken, either complacently or against their will, and the children he’d sired. She spoke of the Titans and of the cruelty of the gods towards humanity, their hubris and vanity. His father would shush her, demanding that she keep quiet or else their wrath would fall on the family home. Sitting here with Jack, the stories just didn’t seem to hold any weight. In truth, the Pantheon seemed more like a normal, dysfunctional family that happened to wield great power and a desire to do good. And now he was a character in one of those ridiculous tales.
“I want you to find John,” Jack was saying. “He’s in the midst of a war in Troy. See if he has a champion in mind and have him brought here to defeat the alpha Minotaur of Crete. If he succeeds we’ll…well, we’ll give him some sort of token. A favour.”
Ianto cleared his throat. “John’s probably on his way back already. He’s due here this evening.”
“Right,” Jack sighed. “Try to intercept him anyway. I’ll speak to Toshiko, find out if she has anyone in mind. Send her to me before you leave.”
Andy nodded once and fled the hall. Jack watched the wake of displaced air that his exit had caused for a moment and then turned his attention back to Gwen.
“We’ll take care of it,” he promised, smiling benevolently.
She nodded and went to leave when Suzie marched in, a scowl set firmly on her face. Her footsteps echoed precisely in the marble hall. Where Gwen’s rage had been tempestuous, Suzie’s was cold and quiet.
“We have a problem,” she announced when she stood before them on the first step of the dais, her hands on her hips.
“Oh?” Jack took a sip of wine.
“The mortal has the jar.”
“Well, that’s cryptic and unhelpful,” Gwen muttered and sat down on one of the steps.
Suzie rolled her eyes. “Eugene Jones. He has the jar. The pithos. Containing all the evil in the world?”
Jack stood up abruptly. “How did he get it?”
“I don’t know. Ask Owen.”
As though summoned, Owen sauntered into the room with a wooden cup of wine to his lips. He took a long draught and then tossed it to the ground. It bounced a bit, spilling out a small spray of deep red wine that looked like blood against the clean white marble. Ianto flinched. Owen strode forward.
“What’s this about, then? It better be good. I was in the forest –”
“What did you do with the pithos?” Ianto had never seen Jack quite this angry before, all tense rage contracting his muscles and sharpening his features. Ianto reached out a hand and Jack took it, squeezed, and seemed to relax marginally.
Owen blinked and cocked his head slightly. “The…that old jar? There was some mortal kid hanging around, looking for favour from the gods, so I gave it to him. Seemed harmless, really.”
Suzie whirled around before Jack could even react. “That harmless jar contained all the world’s evils! You drunk idiot.”
“Now wait a minute!” Owen protested hotly. “Whose fucking brilliant idea was it to put all the evil of the world in a jar?”
“That would be mine, thanks, Owen.” Jack sunk into his seat and rested his head in his hands. “Owen and Suzie, you go try to retrieve the jar before the kid opens it. Gwen, go back to the populous and keep a watch on the minotaur activities. I’ll go talk to Tosh, find out if she’s updated her list of possible heroes.”
They all scurried out of the hall, grateful for the temporary reprieve from Jack’s ire. Ianto rose to leave, too, but Jack grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
“See to the preparations for John’s arrival tonight. We don’t need anything else going wrong.”
Ianto nodded. “Of course.” Again, he made to leave, but Jack stopped him and laughed.
“Why are you so eager to get away?” he mused and gently pressed his lips to Ianto’s. “Come to me tonight.”
They kissed again and Ianto left, picking up Owen’s stray cup on the way.
*****
Jack found Toshiko in the library, curled up on a cushion. She was studying a scroll, her head bent over it in an awkward position that was surely straining her neck. Jack knelt next to her and pressed a kiss to her temple.
She looked up, shocked, and then smiled. “Is there something you need here?” she asked.
“Can’t I just come to admire your beauty without an ulterior motive?”
Laughing, she threw a cushion at him. He grinned and settled back on his heels.
“The minotaur have been threatening the villages again. Gwen says there are droves of them. We can’t just smite them with our will. We need a champion.”
“Well, John’s in Troy, isn’t he? Can’t he just favour one, and then send them here on a mission of valour?”
“John’s on his way back. In fact, you’re due to go out there in the morning, aren’t you?”
Toshiko gave a decidedly unladylike snort. “Ah, yes. The changeability of mortals. First they appeal to the chaotic passion of war, and then they realize they need actual strategy and skill. Fools. Sometimes, I think we should just send Owen out every time there’s a threat of battle to get them all drunk and orgiastic.”
Jack laughed. “I just want to know if anyone good has made your list. Someone who isn’t being used, preferably untested.”
“Well,” she said thoughtfully, tapping her chin. “There’s Tommy, but the Fates have decreed that he isn’t to be used until they give us a sign.”
“Is he prepared to handle the Minotaur of Crete?”
“Well, yes, of course. He's already there, in fact. I wouldn’t have suggested him otherwise.”
Jack nodded. “Tonight, go down as the mortal Ariadne. Help him through the labyrinth and kill the alpha Minotaur. That should temper the rest; they only act on his bidding.”
“Minos’s daughter? Jack, are you sure? The last time we went undercover as mortals, Suzie –”
“I trust you,” Jack interrupted. “It’ll only be for the night. And then you can depart for Troy.”
She nodded.
*****
Gwen returned to her suite of rooms to find Rhys reclining on a kline. She swept over and kissed him.
“Well,” he said, sitting up. “Did he agree to help?”
She nodded distractedly. “Yes, of course. But I don’t get why he refuses to deify you.” She slumped onto the kline next to him and snuggled close when he put his arm around her. “He practically worships Owen’s dumb, crazed maenads.”
“Because I’m not a hero. I haven't done a thing. He didn’t deify any of his lovers, did he?”
Gwen frowned against his chest. “Ianto?”
“Ianto’s different and you know it. Besides, he’s not a deity,” he laughed and Gwen nodded.
“I know, love, but –”
“But nothing, sweetheart. You need me to be mortal. You need a connection to the people. The others lose sight of it, yeah? But you? You’re there with them. Jack isn’t stupid.”
Rhys held her close for a moment and then pulled away. “Now, wife, make me dinner.”
She chuckled and smacked his arm. “I’m the goddess of the harvest, you big idiot, not the hearth. You’re a much better cook.”
*****
“Help! Someone, please come!”
Tommy whirled around the empty dirt path looking for the source of the cries. Further down from where he had just come, on an out road of Crete, a woman was fleeing towards him. Her hair was pinned up and a diadem of gold rested on her forehead. She held up the front of a pale green peplos as she ran. She was beautiful.
“What’s the matter?” he asked when she finally approached.
“They’re taking the children of Athens to the Minotaur. This has to stop.”
Tommy frowned. “The Minotaur?”
“A great horned beast who feeds on the flesh of man,” the woman said, panic evident in her voice. “Every year, King Minos requires that seven Athenian youths and seven maidens, drawn by lots, be sent to be devoured by the Minotaur.”
“That’s horrible! Can it be killed?”
The woman nodded. “Yes, but no one has dared to try. It’s contained in a labyrinth that is almost impossible to escape.”
“Are you to be sent?” He placed a hand on the woman’s arm, gently, worried for her.
“No. I’m Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos.”
*****
When John arrived, the hall of Mt. Olympus was barren. Normally, the evening brought out the vast majority of the deities, usually in celebration. He adjusted his gold-and-leather cuirass and sauntered forward, swinging his spear. He knew Jack would be at the dais, waiting, at least. He was always there.
“John.”
John turned and grinned lecherously. “Eye Candy, come to welcome me back properly?” He eyed him up and down, completely understanding why Jack kept him around, but annoyed by his presence all the same.
“Would you like something to drink before seeing him?”
John raised both eyebrows. “Why? Do I need it?”
Ianto shrugged and John shook his head, continuing his long walk past column after column. He’d never seen the hall so completely deserted. Jack was sitting on the dais, leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest. Somehow, Ianto had managed to reappear, standing at his side.
“What was that in Sparta? What did you think you were doing?”
“What are you talking about?” John flinched. “I sparked the war.”
“You also slept with Helen. That was not in the plan. What if she gets pregnant?”
“She won’t,” John seethed. “She doesn’t even know it was me. I was disguised.”
“John,” Jack stood and began to pace, his voice low and dangerous. “Mankind hates us enough as it is without you going and raping their women. And stop blaming it on me.”
He yelled the last part and John flinched again, though he caught Ianto’s eyes as they widened almost comically. Ah, so the brat assumed the stories about Jack were true. Good to know. He’d have to keep that in mind for later.
“What are you going to do, exile me?”
“Not yet,” Jack sighed. “Though I’d like to. No, you’re going to go fix this mess and make sure nothing comes of it. After that, we’ll see. Go. I don’t even want to look at you.”
John huffed angrily and walked out in a fury.
*****
Toshiko thought that Tommy had very nice eyes. Kind and intelligent. He was noble, too, and polite. It was a refreshing change from the louts she usually had to back in battle, all smarmy and uncouth. No, Tommy was a rare find indeed.
He was also highly intelligent.
“No matter what,” he told her as they journeyed to the labyrinth, “it has to be possible for us to escape in the same way as we came in unless the passages change.”
Tosh beamed at him, pleased. “No, they don’t. We can use this thread. I’ll tie it where we start and unravel it as we go. When you kill the Minotaur, we can follow it back to the exit.”
“Ariadne,” Tommy said, his eyebrow creased in anxiety, “when we succeed, I want to take you away from here. It isn’t the place for you. We could go to Athens, and I’ll make you my wife.”
“Oh,” Tosh breathed. “I – I’d like that, very much, but –”
“Kiss me?” he asked, his hand on her cheek. He was so polite that she could only comply.
*****
"I really don’t understand why you’re making me carry it the whole way back,” Owen groused as he shifted the weight of the jar in his arms and Suzie sighed.
“Because you’re the idiot who lost it in the first place.”
When they arrived, Jack was pacing the hall.
“We’ve got the jar o’ evil!” Owen called out. “Nothing happened, so stop brooding.”
Suzie snorted.
“John’s back,” Jack said by way of explanation and they both nodded in understanding. “But the retrieval was successful?”
“Yes,” Suzie said. “He was so reverent, he didn’t dare open it. I suppose Owen could’ve given it to a greedier mortal. I was going to send a wild boar after him, but Owen wouldn’t let me.”
“The boy was harmless, Suzie. Your thirst for vengeance needs tempering. You should drink more wine. In any case, I thanked him for keeping watch and gave him my staff as a token of my favour.”
“Oh? You gave him your staff, did you?” Jack grinned and raised an eyebrow.
“You’re sick, Jack!” Owen grimaced, but his eyes twinkled with amusement.
*****
Tommy withdrew the bloodied sword from the Minotaur’s breast and the beast crumpled to the ground with a final roar. He looked shaken, which touched Toshiko’s heart. She was, admittedly, sick of the arrogant heroes who acted as if death was glorious and not heartbreaking.
She touched his shoulder gently and he turned to her. “We have to leave,” she said. “The deed is done.”
He nodded and they followed the thread back to the entrance. When they made it out, physically exhausted and emotionally drained, they made a camp on the coast beneath the stars and fell asleep next to each other.
*****
It was dark when Ianto entered the antechamber to Jack’s room, only one oil lamp burning low. He placed an amphora of wine and two cups on top of the polished marble credence, next to the plate of bread, olives, and cheese that already rested there. After his hands were free, he circumnavigated the room and lit two more lamps.
Jack’s dark wool himation was draped haphazardly over the klismos in the corner of the room. Ianto lifted it and smoothed the material of wrinkles. There was a hook on the wall upon which he hung the cloak properly. Jack was careless with his clothing.
The entrance to Jack’s bedchamber was still hidden by a panel of blue-and-gold cloth, much like the chiton Jack favoured. He wondered if Jack had already fallen asleep or if he had left to go brood on an outcropping of the mountain. Ianto had meant to arrive earlier, but the deities had demanded cup after cup of his restorative ambrosia to work through the night’s revels.
He looked around the antechamber for anything else out of place and, finding nothing, washed his hands and his face with the water from the lebeti. As he lifted his head, firm hands held his hips in place and the familiar hard line of Jack’s cock pressed against him from behind. Ianto allowed a soft groan to escape his parted lips and leaned back against Jack’s chest.
“I’ve been waiting,” Jack whispered against the flesh of Ianto’s neck and then licked the breath-warm spot. It sent a chill through Ianto and he shivered slightly.
He wiped his wet hands against the front of his tunic and turned around to face Jack. “Yes, well. You know how they get when they’re meddling.”
Jack smiled. “Hmmm,” he agreed and pulled Ianto close. Their lips met lazily despite the insistence of Jack’s erection against Ianto’s thigh. Jack’s hands rose to frame Ianto’s face as he clutched at Jack’s chiton. Pulling away slightly, Jack’s mouth traveled the curve of Ianto’s jaw, nipping along the way. He tilted his head back and moaned, and Jack, taking every opportunity that was given to him, attacked Ianto’s exposed throat with the sharp scrape of his teeth.
Ianto growled and thrust his hips against Jack’s, their cocks sliding together teasingly between the thin layers of fabric. He felt the heat of Jack, like fire, and wondered if it came from the blessed blood that ran through his veins. Jack groaned at the contact and tugged Ianto through the cloth partition into his chamber. They kissed messily, stumbling a path to the bed. The room smelled faintly of honey and apple and something that seemed to be completely unique to Jack. Underneath that was the mellow scent of the olive oil that was used in the flickering lamps.
Reaching behind him, Jack tore the rich coverings off of the cushions and lay back, pulling Ianto on top of him. Straddling Jack, Ianto moved to undress, inching the chiton up past his knees. Jack grabbed his wrists, stilling them, and shook his head.
“No,” he said, voice rough. “Leave it for now.”
Ianto nodded and Jack flipped him over. “You’re perfect like this,” he murmured against Ianto’s jaw. “Just like this.”
Ianto closed his eyes and could hear Jack rummaging beneath the raised couch for the pot of perfumed oil they preferred. Jack’s bare thigh pressed lightly against Ianto’s cock and he thrust against it eagerly. Jack laughed and returned to his position, trailing kisses down Ianto’s clothed torso until he reached the tented fabric just below the gold rope belt around Ianto’s waist. Jack breathed hotly over the bulge, mouthing at it needily, and then blew a stream of chilling air against it, causing Ianto to writhe and shiver beneath him.
Jack lifted the embellished hem of Ianto’s chiton and slowly, torturously, exposed his hard cock to the cool air of the room. He licked lightly along its length and Ianto gasped, feeling the shift of Jack’s weight against him as he dipped two fingers into the pot. Ianto craned his neck to watch. The flickering lamplight glinted off of Jack’s oil slicked fingers and the smooth polish of the marble walls, casting a warm glow on Jack’s skin. Ianto's mouth dried in anticipation and he moaned again.
“Shh,” Jack coaxed and Ianto was unfortunately reminded of the way Jack would coo at Myfanwy. He half expected Jack to rub a hand soothingly up his flank. Thankfully, he resisted.
Instead, he pressed a finger against Ianto’s entrance while wrapping his mouth around the tip of his cock. Ianto found it to be a much better outcome and bucked his hips in an attempt to sink deeper into the moist heat of Jack’s mouth. Failing that, Jack’s free hand holding him still, he thrust back on Jack’s fingers. Jack obliged and inserted another, crooking and then straightening them over and over until Ianto was panting breathlessly.
“Want to feel you,” Jack whispered as he pulled his lips off of Ianto’s cock. Ianto watched as Jack sat up and unwound the fabric from his body. He let it drop to the floor, a pool of blue and gold. He dipped his fingers into the pot once more and scooped out the oil. Ianto closed his eyes until he felt the blunt head of Jack’s cock press against him. It slid past the ring of muscle, filling him with an almost unpleasant, burning tightness. He shut his eyes again when Jack was fully seated inside. Jack pressed his open mouth to Ianto’s cheek in the vague pantomime of a kiss as he thrust into him. He alternated slow, deep strokes with quick and shallow, until Ianto was reduced to gasps and half-gasps of Jack’s name.
Ianto was close, so close, when Jack wrapped his arms around his torso and sat back on his knees. The new angle had Ianto upright with his legs wrapped around Jack’s hips, his cock trapped between their stomachs as Jack lifted him on and off. His face was contorted blissfully and Ianto could feel the strain of muscles in Jack’s arms.
Grateful for the generous length of the bed, Ianto pushed Jack until he was lying on his back and began to ride him. The change in position had Jack’s cock hitting all of the right places, and Ianto groaned, low and guttural.
“Fuck,” Jack breathed. “Yes.”
He ran his hands up Ianto’s chest, tweaking at the hard peaked nipples beneath the material. He ran his hands back down again, slowly, and over his thighs, before they came to rest on Ianto’s cock, which was pushing up the hem of the garment.
“Jack, so close.” Ianto bore down on him as Jack began to stroke in time with the pace Ianto was setting.
Jack wrapped both of his large hands around Ianto and twisted gently, his thumb swiping over the tip, and Ianto came hard, his body going rigid as his muscles clenched tightly against Jack.
“Oh, fuck.”
Jack followed soon after, his head tilted back and his eyes screwed closed. He took the weight of Ianto as he collapsed, and wrapped his arms around him loosely. They were quiet as their hearts stilled and their brains cleared themselves of the lust-filled haze, softly touching whatever bare patches of skin were readily available.
“Stay tonight?” Jack asked after a few moments and he felt Ianto’s smile stretch over his collarbone.
“Mhm,” he agreed and Jack pulled him closer.
“They got the jar back, then?” Ianto asked after another stretch of time, their breathing now evened out and steady.
“Yeah. The kid just kept it on the family altar, luckily. Owen gave him favour for keeping the vessel of the gods safe or some other load of nonsense.”
Ianto snickered and stretched. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“Well,” Jack leered. “Depends on what you’re offering.”
*****
As he slept, Tommy dreamt he was in a forest of swaying trees. The air smelled sweet and light, and he smiled.
A figure approached him slowly, a long chiton wrapped around him in disarray and a garland of grape leaves circling his head. He wielded a thyrsus in one hand and a wineskin in the other.
Tommy bowed his head and fell to his knees. “I’m honored.”
Owen laughed. “Stand up, man. I need you to witness. I claim Ariadne as my bride and call her up to Mt. Olympus.” “
But –” Tommy began to protest, when he was awoken by a soft sound.
Toshiko stood before the reclining Tommy in her true form, a sad look on her face.
“Tommy,” she whispered gently. “You must leave here, leave Ariadne. I call you to Athens, where you will do well and be my champion, a hero of Olympus.”
She handed him an olive branch and faded away. He couldn’t understand why she looked so alone.
*****
“If you’re going to dispense morals and wisdom, I’m leaving,” Owen said and glared.
Jack shook his head. “I just want to know how things are.”
“The minotaur packs have diminished, and the people are tending their fields again. The balance of life and death has been restored. The harvest should do well and the people are less wary of us,” Gwen reported, smiling.
“Good,” Jack nodded and turned his attention elsewhere. “John? Toshiko? The war?”
“The girl isn’t pregnant, and she’s claiming that she only ever slept with the prince, so that’s taken care of,” John stated, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.
“The war progresses. I visited Odysseus in his slumber.” Tosh looked pointedly at Owen, who had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “I implanted the idea of entering Troy under the guise of a gift. Troy will burn as planned.”
Jack nodded again and reached for the cup that Ianto handed him.
“Suzie and I were able to retrieve the jar from Eugene with no issues or injuries. It was highly successful.”
“Yes,” Toshiko muttered. “And in your spare time, you went dream-hopping and claimed fictional women for your marriage bed.”
Owen floundered a bit, his mouth opening and closing, before he spluttered, “You aren’t fictional!”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence before Jack laughed and shooed them from the hall.
“Go,” he said. “Go meddle or whatever it is I keep you all here to do.”
He waited until they left and then turned. “Ianto?”
“Yes?”
“Work to do,” he grinned.
The End
“Hmm,” Jack acquiesced with a small smile. He lifted the cup and sipped blissfully. “They’ll say what they’ll say. It sounds more romantic than you following me around, demanding work. I like it.”
Ianto sighed and settled on the kline to Jack’s right. Sure, it was more romantic and there was a bit of truth to the story, but it cast both of them in a poor light.
Myfanwy circled overhead, whinnying softly, and Ianto smiled to himself. He’d go to her later and feed her something sweet.
“Yes, well,” he said to Jack, “if you start turning into animals, I’m having none of it. Some fetishes should be kept to yourself.”
Jack laughed and raised a hand to Ianto’s face. He stroked a thumb just under his eye, tracing the angle of his cheekbone. Ianto loved him most when he was like this, happy and quiet and affectionate. It was rare during these uncertain days, when the existence of other divinities threatened to unseat them and the people who worshipped them were confused and wary. He rested his hand on Jack’s thigh and Jack dropped his own to cover Ianto’s. Ianto had opened his mouth to remind Jack that John was due back from Troy that evening when Gwen burst into the hall, a storm of rage burning behind her eyes.
“We need to deal with the minotaur population,” she seethed, her peplos streaming as she strode forward. Jack raised an eyebrow and
Ianto stood up, inclining his head slightly. “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked. She stopped dead in her tracks and smiled at him.
“No, love, thank you.” She turned to Jack. “The people are too terrified to leave their homes. Crops are failing for want of care.”
“Good to see you, too, Gwen. And how’s Rhys?” Jack asked with a wry smile. Ianto sighed and sunk back down onto the couch.
Gwen frowned and adjusted the folds of her peplos. “Fine. He’d be better if you accepted him into the Pantheon, though. It’s not like he doesn’t know all about us.”
“We’ve discussed this. Marrying you isn’t enough qualification.”
“But the people worship him at every marriage ceremony! They praise him. There are garlands, Jack. Garlands.”
Jack waved his hand. “You were saying about the minotaur?”
“Right. Yes. Usually one or two are brave enough to roam the villages at night. We can deal with that just fine, but there are whole packs of them now. We need to do something, Jack.”
“You mean I need to do something.”
“Well,” she smiled sweetly.
“Who else?” Jack wiped a hand over his face.
“Andy!” Ianto blinked at Andy’s sudden entrance. He still hadn’t gotten used to his swiftness; it seemed as though he materialized out of thin air, appearing at Jack’s elbow almost instantaneously.
“You bellowed?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ianto always found the relationship between Jack and the other deities to be interesting and unexpected. He’d heard stories growing up of horrible tortures and unchecked tempers. He’d sat on his mother’s knee as she told him about all of the women Jack had taken, either complacently or against their will, and the children he’d sired. She spoke of the Titans and of the cruelty of the gods towards humanity, their hubris and vanity. His father would shush her, demanding that she keep quiet or else their wrath would fall on the family home. Sitting here with Jack, the stories just didn’t seem to hold any weight. In truth, the Pantheon seemed more like a normal, dysfunctional family that happened to wield great power and a desire to do good. And now he was a character in one of those ridiculous tales.
“I want you to find John,” Jack was saying. “He’s in the midst of a war in Troy. See if he has a champion in mind and have him brought here to defeat the alpha Minotaur of Crete. If he succeeds we’ll…well, we’ll give him some sort of token. A favour.”
Ianto cleared his throat. “John’s probably on his way back already. He’s due here this evening.”
“Right,” Jack sighed. “Try to intercept him anyway. I’ll speak to Toshiko, find out if she has anyone in mind. Send her to me before you leave.”
Andy nodded once and fled the hall. Jack watched the wake of displaced air that his exit had caused for a moment and then turned his attention back to Gwen.
“We’ll take care of it,” he promised, smiling benevolently.
She nodded and went to leave when Suzie marched in, a scowl set firmly on her face. Her footsteps echoed precisely in the marble hall. Where Gwen’s rage had been tempestuous, Suzie’s was cold and quiet.
“We have a problem,” she announced when she stood before them on the first step of the dais, her hands on her hips.
“Oh?” Jack took a sip of wine.
“The mortal has the jar.”
“Well, that’s cryptic and unhelpful,” Gwen muttered and sat down on one of the steps.
Suzie rolled her eyes. “Eugene Jones. He has the jar. The pithos. Containing all the evil in the world?”
Jack stood up abruptly. “How did he get it?”
“I don’t know. Ask Owen.”
As though summoned, Owen sauntered into the room with a wooden cup of wine to his lips. He took a long draught and then tossed it to the ground. It bounced a bit, spilling out a small spray of deep red wine that looked like blood against the clean white marble. Ianto flinched. Owen strode forward.
“What’s this about, then? It better be good. I was in the forest –”
“What did you do with the pithos?” Ianto had never seen Jack quite this angry before, all tense rage contracting his muscles and sharpening his features. Ianto reached out a hand and Jack took it, squeezed, and seemed to relax marginally.
Owen blinked and cocked his head slightly. “The…that old jar? There was some mortal kid hanging around, looking for favour from the gods, so I gave it to him. Seemed harmless, really.”
Suzie whirled around before Jack could even react. “That harmless jar contained all the world’s evils! You drunk idiot.”
“Now wait a minute!” Owen protested hotly. “Whose fucking brilliant idea was it to put all the evil of the world in a jar?”
“That would be mine, thanks, Owen.” Jack sunk into his seat and rested his head in his hands. “Owen and Suzie, you go try to retrieve the jar before the kid opens it. Gwen, go back to the populous and keep a watch on the minotaur activities. I’ll go talk to Tosh, find out if she’s updated her list of possible heroes.”
They all scurried out of the hall, grateful for the temporary reprieve from Jack’s ire. Ianto rose to leave, too, but Jack grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
“See to the preparations for John’s arrival tonight. We don’t need anything else going wrong.”
Ianto nodded. “Of course.” Again, he made to leave, but Jack stopped him and laughed.
“Why are you so eager to get away?” he mused and gently pressed his lips to Ianto’s. “Come to me tonight.”
They kissed again and Ianto left, picking up Owen’s stray cup on the way.
*****
Jack found Toshiko in the library, curled up on a cushion. She was studying a scroll, her head bent over it in an awkward position that was surely straining her neck. Jack knelt next to her and pressed a kiss to her temple.
She looked up, shocked, and then smiled. “Is there something you need here?” she asked.
“Can’t I just come to admire your beauty without an ulterior motive?”
Laughing, she threw a cushion at him. He grinned and settled back on his heels.
“The minotaur have been threatening the villages again. Gwen says there are droves of them. We can’t just smite them with our will. We need a champion.”
“Well, John’s in Troy, isn’t he? Can’t he just favour one, and then send them here on a mission of valour?”
“John’s on his way back. In fact, you’re due to go out there in the morning, aren’t you?”
Toshiko gave a decidedly unladylike snort. “Ah, yes. The changeability of mortals. First they appeal to the chaotic passion of war, and then they realize they need actual strategy and skill. Fools. Sometimes, I think we should just send Owen out every time there’s a threat of battle to get them all drunk and orgiastic.”
Jack laughed. “I just want to know if anyone good has made your list. Someone who isn’t being used, preferably untested.”
“Well,” she said thoughtfully, tapping her chin. “There’s Tommy, but the Fates have decreed that he isn’t to be used until they give us a sign.”
“Is he prepared to handle the Minotaur of Crete?”
“Well, yes, of course. He's already there, in fact. I wouldn’t have suggested him otherwise.”
Jack nodded. “Tonight, go down as the mortal Ariadne. Help him through the labyrinth and kill the alpha Minotaur. That should temper the rest; they only act on his bidding.”
“Minos’s daughter? Jack, are you sure? The last time we went undercover as mortals, Suzie –”
“I trust you,” Jack interrupted. “It’ll only be for the night. And then you can depart for Troy.”
She nodded.
*****
Gwen returned to her suite of rooms to find Rhys reclining on a kline. She swept over and kissed him.
“Well,” he said, sitting up. “Did he agree to help?”
She nodded distractedly. “Yes, of course. But I don’t get why he refuses to deify you.” She slumped onto the kline next to him and snuggled close when he put his arm around her. “He practically worships Owen’s dumb, crazed maenads.”
“Because I’m not a hero. I haven't done a thing. He didn’t deify any of his lovers, did he?”
Gwen frowned against his chest. “Ianto?”
“Ianto’s different and you know it. Besides, he’s not a deity,” he laughed and Gwen nodded.
“I know, love, but –”
“But nothing, sweetheart. You need me to be mortal. You need a connection to the people. The others lose sight of it, yeah? But you? You’re there with them. Jack isn’t stupid.”
Rhys held her close for a moment and then pulled away. “Now, wife, make me dinner.”
She chuckled and smacked his arm. “I’m the goddess of the harvest, you big idiot, not the hearth. You’re a much better cook.”
*****
“Help! Someone, please come!”
Tommy whirled around the empty dirt path looking for the source of the cries. Further down from where he had just come, on an out road of Crete, a woman was fleeing towards him. Her hair was pinned up and a diadem of gold rested on her forehead. She held up the front of a pale green peplos as she ran. She was beautiful.
“What’s the matter?” he asked when she finally approached.
“They’re taking the children of Athens to the Minotaur. This has to stop.”
Tommy frowned. “The Minotaur?”
“A great horned beast who feeds on the flesh of man,” the woman said, panic evident in her voice. “Every year, King Minos requires that seven Athenian youths and seven maidens, drawn by lots, be sent to be devoured by the Minotaur.”
“That’s horrible! Can it be killed?”
The woman nodded. “Yes, but no one has dared to try. It’s contained in a labyrinth that is almost impossible to escape.”
“Are you to be sent?” He placed a hand on the woman’s arm, gently, worried for her.
“No. I’m Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos.”
*****
When John arrived, the hall of Mt. Olympus was barren. Normally, the evening brought out the vast majority of the deities, usually in celebration. He adjusted his gold-and-leather cuirass and sauntered forward, swinging his spear. He knew Jack would be at the dais, waiting, at least. He was always there.
“John.”
John turned and grinned lecherously. “Eye Candy, come to welcome me back properly?” He eyed him up and down, completely understanding why Jack kept him around, but annoyed by his presence all the same.
“Would you like something to drink before seeing him?”
John raised both eyebrows. “Why? Do I need it?”
Ianto shrugged and John shook his head, continuing his long walk past column after column. He’d never seen the hall so completely deserted. Jack was sitting on the dais, leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest. Somehow, Ianto had managed to reappear, standing at his side.
“What was that in Sparta? What did you think you were doing?”
“What are you talking about?” John flinched. “I sparked the war.”
“You also slept with Helen. That was not in the plan. What if she gets pregnant?”
“She won’t,” John seethed. “She doesn’t even know it was me. I was disguised.”
“John,” Jack stood and began to pace, his voice low and dangerous. “Mankind hates us enough as it is without you going and raping their women. And stop blaming it on me.”
He yelled the last part and John flinched again, though he caught Ianto’s eyes as they widened almost comically. Ah, so the brat assumed the stories about Jack were true. Good to know. He’d have to keep that in mind for later.
“What are you going to do, exile me?”
“Not yet,” Jack sighed. “Though I’d like to. No, you’re going to go fix this mess and make sure nothing comes of it. After that, we’ll see. Go. I don’t even want to look at you.”
John huffed angrily and walked out in a fury.
*****
Toshiko thought that Tommy had very nice eyes. Kind and intelligent. He was noble, too, and polite. It was a refreshing change from the louts she usually had to back in battle, all smarmy and uncouth. No, Tommy was a rare find indeed.
He was also highly intelligent.
“No matter what,” he told her as they journeyed to the labyrinth, “it has to be possible for us to escape in the same way as we came in unless the passages change.”
Tosh beamed at him, pleased. “No, they don’t. We can use this thread. I’ll tie it where we start and unravel it as we go. When you kill the Minotaur, we can follow it back to the exit.”
“Ariadne,” Tommy said, his eyebrow creased in anxiety, “when we succeed, I want to take you away from here. It isn’t the place for you. We could go to Athens, and I’ll make you my wife.”
“Oh,” Tosh breathed. “I – I’d like that, very much, but –”
“Kiss me?” he asked, his hand on her cheek. He was so polite that she could only comply.
*****
"I really don’t understand why you’re making me carry it the whole way back,” Owen groused as he shifted the weight of the jar in his arms and Suzie sighed.
“Because you’re the idiot who lost it in the first place.”
When they arrived, Jack was pacing the hall.
“We’ve got the jar o’ evil!” Owen called out. “Nothing happened, so stop brooding.”
Suzie snorted.
“John’s back,” Jack said by way of explanation and they both nodded in understanding. “But the retrieval was successful?”
“Yes,” Suzie said. “He was so reverent, he didn’t dare open it. I suppose Owen could’ve given it to a greedier mortal. I was going to send a wild boar after him, but Owen wouldn’t let me.”
“The boy was harmless, Suzie. Your thirst for vengeance needs tempering. You should drink more wine. In any case, I thanked him for keeping watch and gave him my staff as a token of my favour.”
“Oh? You gave him your staff, did you?” Jack grinned and raised an eyebrow.
“You’re sick, Jack!” Owen grimaced, but his eyes twinkled with amusement.
*****
Tommy withdrew the bloodied sword from the Minotaur’s breast and the beast crumpled to the ground with a final roar. He looked shaken, which touched Toshiko’s heart. She was, admittedly, sick of the arrogant heroes who acted as if death was glorious and not heartbreaking.
She touched his shoulder gently and he turned to her. “We have to leave,” she said. “The deed is done.”
He nodded and they followed the thread back to the entrance. When they made it out, physically exhausted and emotionally drained, they made a camp on the coast beneath the stars and fell asleep next to each other.
*****
It was dark when Ianto entered the antechamber to Jack’s room, only one oil lamp burning low. He placed an amphora of wine and two cups on top of the polished marble credence, next to the plate of bread, olives, and cheese that already rested there. After his hands were free, he circumnavigated the room and lit two more lamps.
Jack’s dark wool himation was draped haphazardly over the klismos in the corner of the room. Ianto lifted it and smoothed the material of wrinkles. There was a hook on the wall upon which he hung the cloak properly. Jack was careless with his clothing.
The entrance to Jack’s bedchamber was still hidden by a panel of blue-and-gold cloth, much like the chiton Jack favoured. He wondered if Jack had already fallen asleep or if he had left to go brood on an outcropping of the mountain. Ianto had meant to arrive earlier, but the deities had demanded cup after cup of his restorative ambrosia to work through the night’s revels.
He looked around the antechamber for anything else out of place and, finding nothing, washed his hands and his face with the water from the lebeti. As he lifted his head, firm hands held his hips in place and the familiar hard line of Jack’s cock pressed against him from behind. Ianto allowed a soft groan to escape his parted lips and leaned back against Jack’s chest.
“I’ve been waiting,” Jack whispered against the flesh of Ianto’s neck and then licked the breath-warm spot. It sent a chill through Ianto and he shivered slightly.
He wiped his wet hands against the front of his tunic and turned around to face Jack. “Yes, well. You know how they get when they’re meddling.”
Jack smiled. “Hmmm,” he agreed and pulled Ianto close. Their lips met lazily despite the insistence of Jack’s erection against Ianto’s thigh. Jack’s hands rose to frame Ianto’s face as he clutched at Jack’s chiton. Pulling away slightly, Jack’s mouth traveled the curve of Ianto’s jaw, nipping along the way. He tilted his head back and moaned, and Jack, taking every opportunity that was given to him, attacked Ianto’s exposed throat with the sharp scrape of his teeth.
Ianto growled and thrust his hips against Jack’s, their cocks sliding together teasingly between the thin layers of fabric. He felt the heat of Jack, like fire, and wondered if it came from the blessed blood that ran through his veins. Jack groaned at the contact and tugged Ianto through the cloth partition into his chamber. They kissed messily, stumbling a path to the bed. The room smelled faintly of honey and apple and something that seemed to be completely unique to Jack. Underneath that was the mellow scent of the olive oil that was used in the flickering lamps.
Reaching behind him, Jack tore the rich coverings off of the cushions and lay back, pulling Ianto on top of him. Straddling Jack, Ianto moved to undress, inching the chiton up past his knees. Jack grabbed his wrists, stilling them, and shook his head.
“No,” he said, voice rough. “Leave it for now.”
Ianto nodded and Jack flipped him over. “You’re perfect like this,” he murmured against Ianto’s jaw. “Just like this.”
Ianto closed his eyes and could hear Jack rummaging beneath the raised couch for the pot of perfumed oil they preferred. Jack’s bare thigh pressed lightly against Ianto’s cock and he thrust against it eagerly. Jack laughed and returned to his position, trailing kisses down Ianto’s clothed torso until he reached the tented fabric just below the gold rope belt around Ianto’s waist. Jack breathed hotly over the bulge, mouthing at it needily, and then blew a stream of chilling air against it, causing Ianto to writhe and shiver beneath him.
Jack lifted the embellished hem of Ianto’s chiton and slowly, torturously, exposed his hard cock to the cool air of the room. He licked lightly along its length and Ianto gasped, feeling the shift of Jack’s weight against him as he dipped two fingers into the pot. Ianto craned his neck to watch. The flickering lamplight glinted off of Jack’s oil slicked fingers and the smooth polish of the marble walls, casting a warm glow on Jack’s skin. Ianto's mouth dried in anticipation and he moaned again.
“Shh,” Jack coaxed and Ianto was unfortunately reminded of the way Jack would coo at Myfanwy. He half expected Jack to rub a hand soothingly up his flank. Thankfully, he resisted.
Instead, he pressed a finger against Ianto’s entrance while wrapping his mouth around the tip of his cock. Ianto found it to be a much better outcome and bucked his hips in an attempt to sink deeper into the moist heat of Jack’s mouth. Failing that, Jack’s free hand holding him still, he thrust back on Jack’s fingers. Jack obliged and inserted another, crooking and then straightening them over and over until Ianto was panting breathlessly.
“Want to feel you,” Jack whispered as he pulled his lips off of Ianto’s cock. Ianto watched as Jack sat up and unwound the fabric from his body. He let it drop to the floor, a pool of blue and gold. He dipped his fingers into the pot once more and scooped out the oil. Ianto closed his eyes until he felt the blunt head of Jack’s cock press against him. It slid past the ring of muscle, filling him with an almost unpleasant, burning tightness. He shut his eyes again when Jack was fully seated inside. Jack pressed his open mouth to Ianto’s cheek in the vague pantomime of a kiss as he thrust into him. He alternated slow, deep strokes with quick and shallow, until Ianto was reduced to gasps and half-gasps of Jack’s name.
Ianto was close, so close, when Jack wrapped his arms around his torso and sat back on his knees. The new angle had Ianto upright with his legs wrapped around Jack’s hips, his cock trapped between their stomachs as Jack lifted him on and off. His face was contorted blissfully and Ianto could feel the strain of muscles in Jack’s arms.
Grateful for the generous length of the bed, Ianto pushed Jack until he was lying on his back and began to ride him. The change in position had Jack’s cock hitting all of the right places, and Ianto groaned, low and guttural.
“Fuck,” Jack breathed. “Yes.”
He ran his hands up Ianto’s chest, tweaking at the hard peaked nipples beneath the material. He ran his hands back down again, slowly, and over his thighs, before they came to rest on Ianto’s cock, which was pushing up the hem of the garment.
“Jack, so close.” Ianto bore down on him as Jack began to stroke in time with the pace Ianto was setting.
Jack wrapped both of his large hands around Ianto and twisted gently, his thumb swiping over the tip, and Ianto came hard, his body going rigid as his muscles clenched tightly against Jack.
“Oh, fuck.”
Jack followed soon after, his head tilted back and his eyes screwed closed. He took the weight of Ianto as he collapsed, and wrapped his arms around him loosely. They were quiet as their hearts stilled and their brains cleared themselves of the lust-filled haze, softly touching whatever bare patches of skin were readily available.
“Stay tonight?” Jack asked after a few moments and he felt Ianto’s smile stretch over his collarbone.
“Mhm,” he agreed and Jack pulled him closer.
“They got the jar back, then?” Ianto asked after another stretch of time, their breathing now evened out and steady.
“Yeah. The kid just kept it on the family altar, luckily. Owen gave him favour for keeping the vessel of the gods safe or some other load of nonsense.”
Ianto snickered and stretched. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“Well,” Jack leered. “Depends on what you’re offering.”
*****
As he slept, Tommy dreamt he was in a forest of swaying trees. The air smelled sweet and light, and he smiled.
A figure approached him slowly, a long chiton wrapped around him in disarray and a garland of grape leaves circling his head. He wielded a thyrsus in one hand and a wineskin in the other.
Tommy bowed his head and fell to his knees. “I’m honored.”
Owen laughed. “Stand up, man. I need you to witness. I claim Ariadne as my bride and call her up to Mt. Olympus.” “
But –” Tommy began to protest, when he was awoken by a soft sound.
Toshiko stood before the reclining Tommy in her true form, a sad look on her face.
“Tommy,” she whispered gently. “You must leave here, leave Ariadne. I call you to Athens, where you will do well and be my champion, a hero of Olympus.”
She handed him an olive branch and faded away. He couldn’t understand why she looked so alone.
*****
“If you’re going to dispense morals and wisdom, I’m leaving,” Owen said and glared.
Jack shook his head. “I just want to know how things are.”
“The minotaur packs have diminished, and the people are tending their fields again. The balance of life and death has been restored. The harvest should do well and the people are less wary of us,” Gwen reported, smiling.
“Good,” Jack nodded and turned his attention elsewhere. “John? Toshiko? The war?”
“The girl isn’t pregnant, and she’s claiming that she only ever slept with the prince, so that’s taken care of,” John stated, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.
“The war progresses. I visited Odysseus in his slumber.” Tosh looked pointedly at Owen, who had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “I implanted the idea of entering Troy under the guise of a gift. Troy will burn as planned.”
Jack nodded again and reached for the cup that Ianto handed him.
“Suzie and I were able to retrieve the jar from Eugene with no issues or injuries. It was highly successful.”
“Yes,” Toshiko muttered. “And in your spare time, you went dream-hopping and claimed fictional women for your marriage bed.”
Owen floundered a bit, his mouth opening and closing, before he spluttered, “You aren’t fictional!”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence before Jack laughed and shooed them from the hall.
“Go,” he said. “Go meddle or whatever it is I keep you all here to do.”
He waited until they left and then turned. “Ianto?”
“Yes?”
“Work to do,” he grinned.
The End
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Date: 2011-08-29 10:46 am (UTC)Evil inna jar does not seem like a good idea around this bunch, anyway, does it? I imagine it breaking pretty quickly.
Thank you! :D