I Am Zeus-Chapter 75: Demeter

Leto watched Zeus walk away, eyes trailing after him like a breeze that hadn’t made up its mind.

She didn’t even realize she was still standing there until a hand tapped her shoulder.

"Girl," Demeter said flatly, munching on a red fruit that looked like a cross between a plum and a pomegranate. "You’ve been staring for a full minute."

Leto blinked. "I was not."

"You were."

"I was... just thinking."

Demeter raised an eyebrow and took another lazy bite. "Thinking about his arms?"

Leto choked on her breath, cheeks flushing. "What? No!"

Demeter didn’t even blink. "His chest then. It’s fine. Most do. You’re not the first and won’t be the last."

Leto puffed her cheeks in quiet protest, then smiled like someone trying to hide a daydream. "He just looked... strong. That’s all. Like he could hold up the sky if it cracked."

"That’s because he probably could," Demeter said, licking juice off her fingers. "He’s Zeus."

Leto hesitated a second longer. "Does that bother you?"

Demeter glanced sideways. "What? Him being a walking jawline with lightning in his veins? No."

"You sound bored."

"I am." She tossed the fruit core into a marble bowl nearby. "I’ve seen women throw themselves at him. Mortal, divine, Titaness. Doesn’t matter. It’s all the same in the end."

Leto tilted her head, genuinely curious. "You’ve never felt anything?"

Demeter shrugged. "He’s my brother."

"Still... I mean, come on, we are gods, take a look at Hera, she did not care about that."

"That doesn’t mean I want to see him shirtless."

Leto laughed, soft and breathy. "Well, I wouldn’t mind."

A new voice chimed in—warm, teasing.

"That’s because you haven’t looked past the ’brother’ filter yet."

They both turned.

Maia stepped into the courtyard, sunlight catching in her braided hair. She wore a light white dress, flowy and sleeveless, like she just came from bathing in a stream. There was a glow to her, casual and calm, the kind that came with being one of the Pleiades—seven sisters born of Atlas and Pleione. Each of them carried a piece of sky, a myth threaded into starlight.

Maia was the eldest of the seven. Quiet, usually. But when she spoke, it came from somewhere real.

Demeter arched an eyebrow. "You eavesdropping now?"

"I was walking," Maia said. "You two talk loud."

Demeter rolled her eyes. Leto looked down, embarrassed.

Maia smiled gently and sat beside them. "It’s not shameful, you know. Admiring Zeus. Most of Olympus does. They just pretend not to."

Demeter snorted. "He’s just a man."

Maia gave her a look. "No. He’s not. That’s the problem."

Leto hugged her knees slightly, still pink in the cheeks. "So you’ve noticed it too?"

"I’ve lived long enough to know the difference between beauty and presence," Maia said. "Zeus has both. It’s not just his looks. It’s the weight. The way he walks like the world owes him nothing, but still follows."

Demeter clicked her tongue. "You all sound like priestesses drunk on incense."

"You’re just blind because you think being blood related and havinga relationshipis a taboo," Maia said calmly. "But look at him like a woman. Not a sister. Just once."

Demeter paused. That hit different.

The silence between them stretched a little longer.

Then, like someone poking herself just to prove she couldn’t be swayed, Demeter glanced back over her shoulder. Zeus was walking down the stairs now, cloak fluttering behind him, the soft light hitting his jawline in a way that felt sculpted.

His shoulders rolled like thunder sleeping under his skin.

Demeter looked away fast.

Leto didn’t.

Maia smirked. "See it now?"

Demeter said nothing. She just picked another fruit from the bowl and took a slow, sharp bite.

But her ears were pink.

"I don’t blame you," Maia added softly. "It’s not just the power. It’s the way he carries it. Like he didn’t ask for any of it, but he’ll still shoulder all of it."

"That sounds poetic," Leto said.

"It’s the truth."

Another breeze swept through the courtyard. The columns of Olympus shimmered in the gold evening light. A faint sound of temple bells rang in the far distance—gods arriving, leaving, murmurs of prayers spilling up from the mortal plane below.

Leto looked up at the sky. "You think he’ll notice me again?"

Demeter rolled her eyes. "He probably already did. He notices everything."

Maia chuckled. "He remembers things most gods forget. Names. Faces. Little things. If he locked eyes with you once, it’s already in his mind somewhere."

That made Leto smile.

Demeter sighed. "Well, good luck with that. Just don’t come crying if you end up like Hera, jealous and paranoid."

Maia arched a brow. "You mean adored? Worshipped? Mothers of gods?"

Demeter groaned. "I meant pregnant and regretting it."

They all laughed.

The kind of laugh that echoed softly in marble walls, like warmth trying to sneak into a place usually too grand for it.

Leto stood slowly. "I should go rest. I feel like today changed something... I just don’t know what yet."

Maia nodded. "It did. But that’s how it starts."

Demeter didn’t say anything—just tossed another seed into the bowl.

Before Leto turned to go, she looked at them both. "Thanks."

"For what?" Demeter asked.

"For talking like this. Like we’re just... us. Not roles. Not names. Just girls talking."

Demeter’s lips twitched. "Don’t get used to it."

Maia smiled wider. "You’ll come back. When the next girl starts fawning, you’ll want to see who it is."

Leto laughed again and walked away down the corridor, her steps light, her face still quietly blushing.

The moment she disappeared behind the column, Maia looked at Demeter again.

"You ever wonder if you missed your moment?"

Demeter was quiet.

Then finally, without looking up, she said, "All the time."

The breeze rustled again.

Not cold. Not warm.

Just real. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Just Olympus.

And far off, below the clouds, thunder rumbled faintly—like Zeus laughing to himself.

A/N

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