Venus Rising Deleted/Altered Scenes and Snippets

Dreamwalking Take 5

I don't know how much time passed before Medea cleared her throat loud enough to get our attention.

Ares pulled away, gaze landing on Medea. "Sorry for breaking your dreamscape, Medea. I didn't know you could dreamwalk."

"I just taught her. In two days." I studied my nails like I hadn't just accomplished something epic. "She's amazing." I flashed Medea a grin and she blushed at my praise. "But we've only been in the dreamscape for what?" I glanced at Medea. "A minute?"

Ares wrapped an arm around me and squeezed my shoulders. "I was in a meeting with the others when we noticed an unfamiliar power signature, so they sent me to check it out. How's everything on the island? Are you two okay there? After moving it like that, it can't be..." he trailed off when he noticed Medea watching him, her head tilted, brows drawn in confusion. "Right." He held out a hand. "I'm Ares. We've met. Mostly."

"It's weird," Medea mused. "You don't look anything like him, but I swear I could still recognize you. Like, I've never seen you before, but the way you talked," she waved her hands. "All of that was familiar." She blinked, a thought occurring to her as she turned to me. "I've never seen the real you either. That's so weird."

"Not as weird as a demigod dreamwalking. You weren't kidding when you said you were what comes next. You learned fast, too. Great job." Ares held up one hand. His other hand he kept wrapped around me, and somehow I knew he was never going to let me go again if he could help it.

Medea stared at his hand in confusion.

"High-five," he explained.

"Oh!" Medea brightened and slapped his hand.

He grinned at her. "So what else have you learned to do?"

Medea launched into an answer, telling him all about her newfound shielding ability. She must have been nervous because she just kept babbling. Ares kept smiling at her, encouraging her to go on, then subtly manipulated the dreamscape so only I could hear him and spoke through smiling teeth. "I'm going to have to get the others. Poseidon found where the island moved to. That's why we were all meeting tonight, to strategize. They just sent me to check on this power signature and report right back. So before I go, is there anything you need to tell me before meeting with the rest of the Pantheon?"

"No."

He very nearly turned to look at me in surprise before he caught himself. "No?"

We both knew Poseidon was itching for an excuse to destroy the island, so we'd been strategic in our reports back to the Pantheon.

"No," I said again, voice firm. "It's bad, Ares. We can't afford to leave anything out."

"Are you okay?"

I thought of the way the demigods had cornered me last night and suppressed a shiver. "She's done."

Ares started in surprise and focused his attention back to Medea. "Sounds like it's been a hell of a week. I'm going to grab the others. You two just, stay here." He gave Medea a concerned look. "Can you manage that yet?"

Medea flushed. "I think so."

"I'll coach her through it," I assured him.

Ares vanished.

Medea blinked. "Wow. Now I know how people feel when I do that."

I laughed. "So, good news. We don't have to hunt them down after all, they're coming to us."

"Yeah," she said staring at the spot where Ares had vanished, her face pinking in a blush. "That's good news."

"Medea," I waved my hand in front of her face as the dreamscape wavered. "You gotta concentrate on keeping the dreamscape active."

She shook herself out of her reverie. "Sorry. It's just...I thought Adonis was hot. He's...wow." Her gaze turned speculative. "What do you look like in real life?"

"Hopefully we'll both live to see it," I said as the dreamscape shimmered. "Okay, they're coming. A few quick pointers. I can trust Persephone to say what she means, but when it comes to the others, let me do the talking. Poseidon's an ass, and um," I paused. "Be respectful but not a doormat."

"Good." Medea drew in a deep breath as if she were trying to quell my nerves. "Poseidon?" She tilted her head at me in confusion.

"Such an ass," I reiterated. "Seriously. Never be alone with him if you can help it. Oh," I felt the grip of foreign power wrap around me. "They're pulling us in. Ready?"

Medea nodded, trying and failing to suppress her obvious excitement. "Ready."