Sons of Sparta - A Story of the Spartans, Book 3
(inspired by the story 'Spartan' parts 1 through 4)
by argouru
Note: All credit for the creation of the Spartans and Amazons, as well as the Spartan mythos belongs to the author 'CF', to whom I owe special thanks for his allowing me to write about these incredible people.
WARNING: Portions of this installment of the series includes a section regarding mental illness.
After dinner, the Amazons and Rachel left. Ryan, Liam and their sons went to leave and John was shocked when their oldest son Jeffrey hugged John tightly. "You'll be okay John. We're all here for you." The human could only nod numbly at that before they left.
"Sorry I yelled at you," Jason said to him a few minutes later. "My hormones have my emotions all out of whack right now... It's just that I'm sick of living this way, you know? I was out of line and I apologize. You're... Really okay with me and Marcus being partners?"
John shrugged. "It's not really any of my business."
Jason looked at him with a pained expression. "John... You're family now. Of course it's your business... Thanks for letting us steal back our old bedroom for the night. We just want to go pray after closing so no one will make a fuss at seeing us both Emergent."
"It's fine," John said offhandedly. "The couch is nothing compared to a sleeping bag in a public park."
"What?" Jason asked, horrified at that.
"I..." John hesitated, embarrassed to say it, but forced out the words. "I was homeless a few times growing up. Once we lived in a public park for nine months. I had to sleep in a sleeping bag on picnic tables, or under the eaves of the maintenance shed whenever it rained."
Jason was lost for words and could only stare at the man sadly for several moments. "It sounds like you had a really rotten upbringing," he finally said.
"Yeah... I don't like to think about it much."
Jason felt pity for the man and leaned in awkwardly to kiss the human's cheek. "I'd hug you too, but it's a really bad idea what with the Emergence." He saw the human's look of confusion. "Emergence is very uncomfortable for us. Between the pain and the hormone surges I've been a real dick today. Sorry I was acting so crazy. Trust me, next time we come over, I'll be much more pleasant to be around."
Marcus came over then. "The dads and Henry are going to sit you down and explain it all. We'll see you later. Welcome to the family," he said, giving an awkward chest and arms hug to the human, who returned it nervously. He couldn't remember anyone hugging him like this before today... It felt kind of nice in a way, but strange at the same time.
They went upstairs to the bedroom and John walked into the kitchen for something to drink before bedtime. Matthew was there waiting for his partner David to finish in the bathroom. "Hi," he said nervously to the human.
"Hey," John answered awkwardly, wondering what the Spartan thought of him now that he knew the truth.
"So," Matthew pressed onwards. "I think you'll do okay here. Daniel and Sam are nice people and so are their boys. Don't let Fred make you too nervous. He's a real disturbing one, but smart. He won't do anything to hurt you."
"He does seem rather..." John trailed off, unable to find a tasteful word for the teenager even though he rather liked him as a person.
"Yeah," Matthew said, rolling out the word with an air of suffering. "Say, are your friends and family alright with you living here?"
"I don't have any friends. As for family... They don't know where I've gone to."
"What?" Matthew asked in shock. "You should tell them!"
"We don't really... Get along very well."
"Oh nonsense," the older man chided. "Come on," he added, moving to the phone and picking it up. "Give them a call to let them know you're alright. I know they must be very worried about you and are wondering where you are."
John walked to the phone slowly, feeling as though this was a horrible idea. He took the phone and dialed nervously. "Hello?" his mother answered.
"Hey mom. I-"
~"WHY ARE YOU CALLING HERE?!?" She screamed, making John yank the phone away from his ear. Matthew was shocked, then saddened at what the woman said next, screaming so loudly that he could make out every word from several feet away. "I TOLD YOU I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! YOU WANT TO PLAY GAMES TO GET ATTENTION ALL THE TIME, THEN DO IT SOMEWHERE ELSE! I'M TIRED OF ALL YOUR 'POOR PITTIFUL ME' BULLSHIT! YOU DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOU LITTLE BASTARD?!? YOU'RE NOT THE CENTER OF THE WHOLE FUCKING UNIVERSE! STAY AWAY FROM ME! AND IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT SHOWING UP HERE I'LL CALL THE COPS!!!"~
With that, the line went dead and John just stood there, staring at the receiver with his lower jaw twitching silently, his eyes misting up. Matthew stood there, mute with horror at how the woman had treated her own child. John hung up the phone with a trembling hand. Deep down inside, he had felt that maybe his mother would come around eventually, but had also feared that she would make good on her threat to disown him.
"I, uh... Should go shower before bed," John said.
"John..." Matthew said, seeing the human burying his hurt deep inside of himself. He walked over quickly and before John could object, the Spartan took his grandson-in-law into his arms. "John, I'm so sorry. I didn't think your mother was like that." He continued to hold the human, who began to cry silently...
The grandparents compared notes later with Daniel and Sam and volunteered to take Fred, Ash and Will home with them to spend the night. Giorgos and Steven went to stay the night at the human's home with his parents' permission and the twins retired early to give Henry and his partner some quiet time with their parents. The four sat down in the living room and talked for a long time, each of them telling John their past. The human was rather shocked to learn that Sam had originally been human. What with everything that had happened, he had entirely forgotten what the bearded man had told him about his past.
"I thought someone had slit your throat during a mugging, or something," John said nervously, staring at the long scar which ran lengthwise across the priest's throat.
"Oh please," Sam said dismissively. "I'd rather kill myself than go through something like that!"
Henry looked revolted while Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sam..." he groaned.
John looked half disgusted and half amused at that.
"What?" the priest asked. "I already did it once."
Daniel sighed with disgust. Sam turned to John, sobering as he did so. "But seriously John, we owe you an apology. I, at least, should've known better. For Spartans, the partner bond is pretty much the primary goal we have in life."
"He's right, John," Daniel added. "From the moment we hit puberty, the day we find our partner is the single most important thing in life for us. We look forward to it, but for humans like you, we often forget that the bond hits you by surprise. For us, the bond ensures that you both will be very happy together, but that's not a concept that humans can often accept easily. I guess from your point of view it might seem like a shotgun wedding, but it's nothing like that."
"We can appreciate what all you've been through, John," Sam added. "It's okay with us if you're having a hard time adjusting. I mean you lost everything you had, even your family. If you'll let us, we'll be here for you. I know that it can be unnerving to be suddenly surrounded by strangers who treat you like family."
"John," Daniel added. "It's only natural to feel lost and confused. Everything you had to ground you is gone and your entire life is completely different from what it was before the... Accident."
John shook his head sadly. "Since my suicide attempt, you mean. Let's not play games with it... I tried to kill myself. There's no point pretending otherwise."
"Well... That's true," Sam said gently. "Matthew told us about the phone call earlier. We're sorry your family disowned you like that, but you have a new family now. One that will treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve. We're here for you whenever you need us."
Daniel nodded and smiled gently while Henry hugged John and kissed the side of his head.
"It's just..." John said with difficulty. "I keep waiting for people to start screaming at each other and begin breaking things until the cops show up. All of this is completely different from what I'm used to. To me, family just means having people around who will only hurt you. I don't know how to feel, how to act... In the days since I moved in here, the only time things seemed normal was when Jason went psychotic!"
"It was the Emergence talking, John," Daniel said gently. "When we Spartans become Emergent, it's painful for us because the filaments are made of raw nerve endings. Also, entering our reproductive cycle causes our hormones to increase, which affects our emotions. I guess you could somewhat compare it to women who are suffering from PMS. It's only the hormones talking, John. Jason is normally a very pleasant person to be around, so try not to hold it against him."
"He already apologized for it a while ago," the human said.
"But John," Henry said, "He'd never hurt you. I wouldn't hurt you either, at least not intentionally. When I eventually become Emergent, I hope you'll remember that."
"I'll try," John said.
"Well Emergence for Henry is a good year off, so you'll have tons of time to get used to the idea," Sam said gently.
"Why?" John asked in confusion.
"Well," Sam said slowly. "It takes many months of continuous contact with their partner for a Spartan to become Emergent. Touching and sexual contact over a prolonged period of time is what eventually triggers it."
"John," Henry said, turning to him. "Even when it comes, if you don't want to go through with it, I'll understand. I won't force you to become a dad against your will."
"To be honest, I don't think I'd make a good parent," John said sadly. "I don't know the first thing about a healthy family."
"You'll learn in time John," Sam said sympathetically. "At first, I thought I'd make a lousy father too, but everything worked out and I've helped my partner to raise some great kids. I don't regret becoming a parent."
They talked some more before the parents said good night and headed off to bed. "Can I stay the night with you?" Henry asked nervously. "... I missed you."
"Okay," John said softly. They retired to Fred's room for the night, as his bed was a queen size. John stared at it in confusion. "Why does a single guy have such a big bed?"
"Fred thrashes around a lot in his sleep," Henry explained. "We got tired of hearing him fall out of bed all the time, so me, the twins and the dads all chipped in together to get him a larger bed for his birthday a few years ago..." He trailed off as he saw the closet door was open to show Fred's collection of sex toys and leather gear with a sign taped to it reading 'ENJOY!' "Fred," he growled in annoyance, ripping down the sign, wadding it up and throwing it into the trashcan. "Sorry about that. We... Don't have to do anything, you know."
"I know," John said. "Let's just take things slowly and see if the mood hits us."
"Okay," Henry said, watching as John began stripping down.
"What are you doing?" Henry asked, stopping at his boxer shorts whereas John removed all his clothes.
"I sleep nude," the human explained. "I sweat in my sleep sometimes and it seems a waste to get clothes dirty when all I'm doing is just laying there in them for several hours."
They settled down, cuddled close together and were soon soundly asleep...
John awoke first the following morning and laid there in the bed, staring at Henry as the Spartan slept. The human had to admit that Henry was very handsome. Being a visually-oriented person, appearance was one of the main things that drew John to people. He still couldn't believe that someone as gorgeous as Henry actually loved him. He laid there, studying the Spartan's face which wore a serene expression, as though everything was right with the world. He knew that he and the Spartan were very much in love and as John thought back on everything that had happened since he met the man, his life had indeed turned upside down.
Everything I knew is gone now, but what did I actually have? A lousy home with a guy who didn't give a fuck about anything other than his music, a crappy job where everyone treated me like shit, a controlling mother who acted like every single thing about me was a direct attack on her and a homophobic boyfriend of hers who treated me horribly. Then there's my own sister who won't even acknowledge my existence. Plus, I didn't even have any friends. Everyone here is so nice to me... They deserve to be treated better than this. It's not their fault I don't know how to function as part of a healthy family. He sighed softly with regret as he studied Henry's face. This must be so hard on him... Having to deal with someone like me. We barely know each other, but we're going to be spending the rest of our lives together. Putting up with all of my problems must be so stressful on him. I can't keep putting him through all of that. He deserves better. It's not his fault I'm so messed up.
Henry sighed gently in his sleep, but remained unconscious and unmoving. I can't keep going on like this, John thought with a frown. Henry deserves better than that and I have to learn to live with my life being so completely opposite from what it was before. I mean what am I so fucking afraid of, anyways? What? Being treated with kindness and respect? And as for not knowing what to do with myself, then I'll just have to start figuring out what I want out of life. With the depression gone, I can actually devote my time to living, instead of just enduring life. It's time I started to live... For him as much as for myself. These are good people... They deserve a chance. They really do seem to care about me... Isn't that what I always wanted? For people to treat me like something other than a mistake or an inconvenience? He reached up to wipe away the tears forming in his eyes as gently as he could to avoid disturbing Henry... My partner. He feels more like a surprise husband than anything else. I never thought I'd be married, but I always did like the idea, truth be told. I wonder if he actually would be willing to marry me. I just hope he'll settle for a plastic toy ring... That's about all I can afford. How will we ever afford children, anyways? I just hope we have boys rather than girls. I don't have the vaguest idea on how to raise a daughter.
He mulled that over. Come to think of it, those Amazon women and Rachel were the only gals here yesterday and Henry and his parents said they were close friends, rather than blood relations. Come to think of it, there doesn't seem to be a single girl in the actual family. Are Spartans not capable of having female children? I guess I'm not really clear on their genetics and reproduction after all. Well, there's plenty of time to learn. Damn, he's hot! I'd kill to have a body like that, John thought enviously, taking in the well-defined muscles on Henry's body. He looked like a professional track star or an Olympic swimmer. He must work out every day to stay in that shape! John felt the stirrings of lust as he gazed at the Spartan's body, reaching slowly towards his chest, wanting to stroke the muscular pecs. He's so sexy! I just wanna... No, it's wrong to do that without permission. Feeling disappointed, he pulled his hand away.
"Don't," Henry said softly, opening his eyes. He reached out, took John's wrist in his hand and guided the human's hand to his chest. "It's okay John, you can touch me whenever you want to." John settled his hand against Henry's chest, feeling the smooth flesh and growing bold enough to stroke the right nipple with his thumb. "Umm... That feels good."
"How long have you been awake?" John asked.
"Just a minute or so. You were watching me sleep?" Henry asked softly with a sleepy smile.
Seeing someone smile at him in the way he had thought no one ever would, John felt his mood rise for the first time in weeks. He felt an emotional high the equivalent of one of his manic times. He hadn't always wallowed in despair. Sometimes he would experience an odd, giddy upswing that would be the opposite of his grief and self-hatred. While he had never truly loved himself in those times, he did feel better for awhile... Until the next wave of depression which would fall days or weeks later. The last fit he'd had, the one that had led him to walk out in front of the car, had been one of the worst one's he'd ever had.
Now though, he felt joyfulness without the fear that it wouldn't last. Feeling better than he had since weeks before the accident, He found his old sense of humor returning. "Yeah," he answered. "Sorry about the extra drool on your pillow."
Henry stared at him in shock for a moment, then snapped out of his surprise and chuckled. "O... Kay. Where's this coming from?" he asked.
John shrugged. "When I was in a good mood, from time to time, I tended to joke around a lot. I should warn you... I tend to have a really warped sense of humor."
Henry adopted a pained look. "Oh fuck... The saying's true!" he groaned, burying his face in his pillow.
"What saying?" John asked in confusion.
Henry sighed, turning to look at him. "There's a saying among Spartans that we often end up with partners like one of our dads. Why couldn't you have been like the sane one?" he asked painfully, then burst out laughing gently. "It's okay, John. I'm used to it, having grown up with Dad Sam." He leaned in close and kissed the human gently on the lips. "It's alright... It's good to see you happy."
"Thanks," John answered. "Sorry, but I tend to be -really- weird sometimes, so be warned."
"So noted," Henry said with a smile, leaning in to kiss him. The kissing became more passionate over the course of a few minutes and they became aroused. John reached down and put his fingers inside the waistband of Henry's boxers and tugged downward gently with emphasis. The Spartan rose up on his side and took them off awkwardly, then tossed them aside.
John stared at Henry's long erection in shock. "How big are you?" he asked in shock, examining the long shaft of uncircumcised maleness Henry sported.
"About nine and three-quarter inches," Henry replied casually.
"Uh, you're really Henry this time, right?" John asked nervously.
"Yes, it's me," Henry replied with an amused smile.
John's face fell. "Henry... I'm sorry I-"
Henry cut him off with a kiss. He continued to kiss his partner for several minutes until John relaxed and sighed into his mouth. Only then did Henry pull away slightly to look him in the eye. "John, Lord Joshua told me everything in advance. I knew you would end up having sex with Him and I also knew that it was the only way He could heal you. I'm not mad. If anyone should apologize, it's me. I knew He would trick you into thinking that He was me, because that was the only way you could express the love for Him He needed you to feel in order to heal you. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but you deserved to be well. It was hard to do, but I couldn't let you go on suffering just to make me happy. It was hard, but I endured it without regret. Please don't regret it yourself... Or hate Lord Joshua for doing what He had to in order to heal you."
"I don't hate Him," John said with a sigh. "But it was pretty rotten of Him to trick me like that... Making me think He was you."
"I know."
"Well, all that matters is that we can be together now... Without me being a burden to you." Henry went to protest, but John cut him off. "I'm sorry it's been so difficult for me to adjust to all of this. It must be rather hard on you to put up with all of this. I want to try to get past this, Henry. I want to be able to be happy, instead of just not being depressed and suicidal, or fighting not to be that way all the time. I let my mental illness eat up all of my life until there was nothing left of me but it and now I have a long and potentially happy future. I need to figure out who I am and what I want out of life. I want you there to share it with me, instead of being an emotional crutch for me to lean on. I need to be my own man so we can live as equals."
"Hey, I'm not worried. Relying on others isn't a weakness, John. I know that now. Feel free to lean on me as much as you need to until you can stand on your own. You've been through things I can't even imagine and feel that it's better that I can't. It must have been pretty awful for you to end up feeling like life wasn't worth living. I don't expect you to get over this instantly, or even quickly. It'll take as long as it takes. I'll be here for you all the way, John. I love you."
"I love you too," John answered softly and began kissing Henry again.
After awhile, they became for aroused and began to fondle each other. "Damn, you're big!" John said in a slightly worried tone.
"What's wrong?" Henry asked, seeing doubt on his partner's face.
"Well... I don't think I can take you. At least not without a lot of working up towards it."
"You're a bottom?" Henry asked.
"Yeah, mostly," John answered.
"Well, uh... We can make that a goal, I suppose," Henry forced out, blushing. "John... I have a confession to make. I've never really been with anyone."
"You're a virgin?" John asked with shock. "For Real? But you're gorgeous! Guys must line up for a shot at you."
Henry smiled nervously at that. "Thanks. I just, never really felt comfortable with anyone before."
"Well there's nothing safer than a virgin," John said. "I'm not worried about catching anything from you."
"The hospital requires monthly blood screenings. My job can be hazardous. I just got mine done last month and everything's okay."
"I think I'm alright," John said slowly. "I haven't been with very many people, so the chances of having anything bad are pretty low."
"Actually," Henry said, "I know you're safe. It's standard procedure to do a blood screening on new patients who are unresponsive. I peeked at your chart. You're fine. No HIV, SRV or anything else."
"SRV?"
"It's a disease that's harmless to humans, but weakens our filaments so much that we become incapable of carrying children to term. It's incurable."
"You want kids?"
"Someday, yeah... I'd like to be a dad."
"Well, I'll try to be ready when the time comes."
"There's no rush. For now, let's just focus on us. I know you're nervous about sex, but we can just masturbate together for now if you want."
John kissed him, taking Henry's shaft into his hand in answer. Henry responded in kind and they kissed passionately as they stroked each other gently. John took their shafts and pressed them together, forced to use both hands to stroke them due to Henry's size. The Spartan laid there, feeling as though he were in the Elysian Fields, which was the Apolline paradise, and laid there, moaning and grinding against John's erection with his own, thrusting his hips. He had thought about it much over his eighteen years of celibacy and came to the conclusion after experimenting with dildos that he liked the idea of being a top more than a bottom. While he was willing to experiment with being penetrated, he was glad that John preferred to be the bottom. Since it would take time to help John work up to being able to take him, he settled for this, thrusting into John's hands and visualizing that it was his ass the Spartan was within instead of his hands. After awhile, he got close, but his pleasure was disrupted when John released his grip and began to move away.
"Wha-?" he began, then saw John slide down his body towards his groin. Henry felt a surge of new excitement as he realized what John was doing and shuddered as the human's mouth came into contact with his phallus. He laid back, moaning loudly with pleasure. He had never experienced anything like this, so had no idea just how incredibly talented a cocksucker John really was. John didn't hold anything back other than stopping from trying to take Henry into his throat. The human still had a gag reflex and there was no way he could take Henry all the way to the base of his shaft despite the fact that he wished he could. Instead, he settled for what he could do, loving Henry's shaft as best he could.
Henry began to feel guilty at being the only one being pleasured and pushed John off gently. He slid down the bed and turned over in order to take John into his mouth as he moved his shaft back to the human's face. John moaned in pleasure as Henry's tongue licked along his length and took Henry back into his mouth. They pleasured each other with their mouths, John playing with Henry's foreskin and receiving similar treatment. They moved in unison, pleasing each other for several long minutes before Henry began to moan urgently with need. John pushed his dick into Henry's mouth, riding it frantically, wanting them to cum together. Henry began to masturbate John rapidly, sensing his desire and wanting the same thing. John began to moan in anticipation, then groaned in satisfaction as he came, filling Henry's mouth with sperm. This proved too much for the Spartan, who came at that himself, flooding his partner's mouth with his seed and moaning loudly in satisfaction.
John's orgasm ended after a few moments, but Henry kept coming for several moments longer, the amount of semen overwhelming John, who had to pull off and let the Spartan finish his orgasm on the man's chest. "Fuck!" John exclaimed in shock as they came down from their orgasms. "Is it always like that with you?"
"Not usually..." Henry gasped. "But it's been awhile since I last got off." They sat up and Henry's eyes bulged as he saw the mess he had made on John. "Oh fuck," he chuckled. "I really hosed you down, didn't I?"
"I'm fine," John chuckled. "Just... Damp." He laughed at that, causing Henry to do the same.
"Well, Fred'll be happy we ruined his sheets," Henry said wryly. "Maybe we should go get cleaned up," he said, noting their condition.
"Good idea," John said, rising from the bed.
The pair then strode nude from the room and into the bathroom next door, where they showered together to save time as well as to enjoy doing so together as a couple...