Chapter Eighteen

The morning sun is bright, blaring through the windows and right into my eyes. With a groan, I stretch out and open my eyes. When my eyes adjust, I see Ares in his armor and sword strapped to his hip. He sees me awake and give me the slightest of smiles, it's something.

"Good morning, beautiful dove." He makes his way to me, sliding a hand over my bare leg and leans in to press a kiss to my lips.

"Morning." I take in his attire again. It's morning, we don't have to be in the God's realm for hours. "Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?"

He shakes is head. "No, no, of course not. Zeus wants me there early to talk about the war."

My brow furrows. "For what? You aren't fighting there."

He gives me a rueful look. "He wants me to get involved, choose a side, slaughter the other, put an end to everything."

I shoot up from the bed, clutching the blankets to my chest. "You can't do that, Ares. This is the humans doing, their business, you cannot meddle in their affairs in such a way."

"I know that, love." He smooths my hair from my face, stroking a thumb over my cheek. "He knows that, but he doesn't care. I'll do what I can."

"Leave Olympus, we can leave and we don't have to look back, you won't be his lackey any longer."

Ares sighs. "We can't do that."

"And why not?"

He draws me into his arms, tucking my head to his neck and stroking my back. "It's who we are. Trust me, I will find a way to talk him off the ledge."

I hook my fingers into his breast plate, breathing in his clean, fresh shaven smell. "I hope you can."

Pulling away, he kisses me again, squeezing my arms. "I will see you there. I called Persephone, she should be here any minute to help you get ready."

As the words leave his lips, the doorbell rings. "Be careful," I say, kissing him one last time before he heads to the other room where the portal is and gives me a playful wink and a smirk before disappearing.

With a sigh, I wrap the blanket around myself and rush to open the door for Persephone. She stands in front of me bubbly and excited. "While you do look beautiful, I don't think a plaid blanket is going to cut it for a trip to Olympus," she teases, stepping into the apartment, and shutting the door behind her.

"Ares is gone, Zeus wanted to talk war with him before the meeting."

Persephone nods, running a hand through her long, thick, dark brown hair. "Mmm, yeah he wanted Hades there early too, I suppose to think about the number of deaths or something. He left before I started on the way here." She pauses to pet Max, rubbing his head, the dog who I actually got from her when I first came to Earth.

She spins to face me and claps her hands together. "So what look are we going for?" She asks, throwing open the closet doors in my bedroom.

I walk after her, sitting on the bed. I think of my words yesterday and who I decided I want to be at the meeting today. "Enchantress," I say.

She smirks and starts setting about an outfit, while she rummages through my clothing I put on the least amount of makeup. One swipe of mascara on each eye to darken my already naturally long eyelashes and a slip of gloss over my lips. I curl my natural waves and take a small portion of my thick hair and wrap it into a bun while the rest of my hair falls freely down my back. I hold the bun in place with a golden hair latch, looking somewhat like fire.

Next I take matching anklets from my vanity and bend down, latching the ring to the top part of my second toe, letting the diamond shape rest on the top of my foot, clipping the anklet part to my ankle and repeat the process of the other foot. I will be going barefoot, showing my wild roots, letting the others see me as I truly am, free.

When I turn to see the ensemble Persephone has picked out a smirk curves my lips. "That's brilliant."

She helps my into the flimsy dress, careful of my hair and make up. In the mirror I see the dress is an open neckline, reaching my navel, covering my cleavage completely with two folds of fabric that are open all the way to my belly, becoming one at my hips and leaving the entirety of my legs bare, reaching to the floor, my legs easily concealed by the front and back folds if I stand, but as soon as I walk... perfect.

I smile at her in the mirror and she beams at the Goddess we have both created. "I am going to bring Olympus to its knees."

-~-

Once Persephone is gone, I step through the portal and think of the small room outside the party hall. There I wait, looking at my appearance again and again, each time feeling more and more confident, this time I am changing the game and no one is ready for it. No more is the goddess they thought they knew and loved. I am me. Wild, free and powerful.

Nothing is going to stop me.

Out in the party hall is the usual scene, each God in their throne, wife beside them in a smaller throne set up in a circle throughout the hall, giving each God their space. The crowd of immortals is already writhing and grinding, moving as one being in the middle of the hall. The music is pounding and erotic, meant to entice debauchery, infidelity, jealousy, pounding hearts and exciting our power with the rhythmic bom, bom, bom.

It's not all too different from the bar I met Ares at except then the air sparked with electricity, with emotion, with feeling alive and wild and no one can stop you. This crowd practically smells of lust and arousal, no other emotion unless it comes from the un-amused , uninterested, bored Gods. The occasional immortal catching the eye of a God and knowing that's who they will take home tonight, despite the wife mere inches from his side.

Disgusting.

Through the crowd I see Ares speaking to Hades. Ares face while I used to believe was unreadable is apparent to me. His shoulders squared and obviously tense, he's agitated. The meeting with Zeus couldn't have gone well. He rubs his face and the same hand through his hair as he speaks in hushed tones to Hades.

Now. It's my time.

Everyone is present, minus Hephaestus and I am going to own this hall.

I walk into the spacious party hall, chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceilings. Sin covering the dance floor, minor gods mingling with the immortals and other gods raptured in the synchronized bodies moving together.

My bare feet are cold against the granite floor. My eyes seek Ares once more and his is still in deep conversation with Hades, shaking his head in defeat.

Slowly, I walk towards the throne Ares occupies, swishing my hips, each step revealing the length of my legs. Finally, Ares looks away from Hades and his eyes fall on me. A smirk curves that sensuous mouth of his as I prowl my way towards Ares, God of War.