Chapter Twenty

Zeus called the party off early, yanking Hera by her arm towards their residence, scaring off the shocked immortals. Since Ares doesn't own a residence on Olympus we go to mine, and he sheds off his armor, leaning his sword against the wall and scrubs his face.

"The meeting with Zeus didn't go well?" I ask, kneading the tense knots in his back.

He shakes his head, defeated. "Hades and I couldn't talk him off the ledge, we spun the death toll and we argued that Gods weren't meant to meddle in human lives and affairs in this way and he didn't care. He told me to do it, or else."

"Or else?" I ask.

"He didn't specify and I would rather not find out what it is, especially after what he saw today. He might put it together that we are more than we say."

I turn him to face me and wrap my arms around his neck, smoothing my hands over his shoulders. "It's not too late to run away," I suggest gently.

"There's no telling what he will do, he will find us and it will end badly."

With a sigh, I take off my jewelry, release my hair from his half bun and wipe off the make up, slipping the dress from my body and looking for a nightgown.

"I am sorry, Aphrodite."

"You tried," I say, unable to find anything to say to ease his mind.

Ares makes his way to my window and looks out over the yard, my small residence is by the edge of the mountain, right beside a waterfall. He sits on the ledge jutting out from the window and once the nightgown is slipped over my eyes, I crawl onto the sill and slide into his lap.

"It's quite beautiful here," he says, wrapping his arms around my waist, rubbing my belly, resting his chin on my shoulder. Time passes differently here and it's pitch black, the moon high in the sky.

I run my hands over his arms, leaning into him deeply, the dark green grass glowing under the light of the moon, the flowers luminescent from within. "Let's go outside and dance. We didn't get to dance at the party." I slip out of the window, and tug on his hand.

He chuckles, his now bare feet on the grass. "There's no music." He protests weakly.

I smile, pulling him into a patch of flowers, the grass tickling the bottoms of my feet. "You are music, my warrior."

Ares slips his arms around my waist, drawing me against him. The moon casts his face in a soft light and I rest my hands on his biceps, pressing my cheek against his bare chest, he hums into my hair, fingers playing with the ends of my hair and circle the dimples in my lower back.

His warmth seeps into me and I listen to his heart beneath my ear. Despite being mad at Zeus and disappointed that there's nothing we can do or nothing I can do to help Ares get away from Zeus, I press against him, my nightgown swishing against my legs.

The rumbling of his voice vibrates through me and the melody soothes my eyes close and his arms tighten around me, palms caressing over my back and up and down my sides and hips. Contentment fills me and exhaustion from the day makes my legs weak and my eyes tired.

I must have dozed a bit because Ares sweeps me into his arms, carrying me back into the house and laying me out on the bed. He folds me to his chest, pressing his palm against my belly, chest pressing against my back, his face tucked into my neck.

"Good night, my little dove," he murmurs, pressing soft kisses along the back of my shoulder and neck.

Exhaustion seeps into me deeper and my eyes droop quickly and I fall into deep deep sleep.

-~-

The water is freezing cold, but the sight of Ares in nothing but his flesh warms my body and I swim out closer to the waterfall and I hear a splash and quickly Ares arms come around me as I squeal and attempt to get away.

Ares and I decide it would be nice and stay in my lodgings to get away from everything and Persephone is dog sitting for us while we stay in Olympus. "You look like a little nymph swimming." His breath tickles my ear and I twist from his arms, laying on my back as I swim away, my hair covering my breasts.

"Hmmm, God of War, what are you doing here in my lake?" I ask seductively, peering at him under watery eyelashes.

He raises a brow as if shocked by the turn of events. "I am home from war little nymph. I needed a nice little glen to rest my head and a body of water to wash the blood from my skin."

I huff, swimming around him expertly. "Cleaning blood in my lake? That is unacceptable."

He feigns regret, eyes tracking me as I swim closer to the waterfall. "If you would like I could make it up to you."

"Follow me, God of War." I whisper in a seductive voice, swimming beneath the fall and into the small pool behind the falls.

The water parts for him and droplets cling to his sun kissed skin and he runs a hand through his hair. When he stands before me, I slither up his body, pressing my lips against the center of his throat, my hair clinging to my skin, covering my breasts. He runs his hands over my sides and to my hips, pulling me against him.

"How do you plan to make it up to me?" I keep my voice breathy and drag my lips along the contour of his jaw.

"Allow me to show you..." and he devours me whole.

For hours we make love behind the falls and carry it out back at the house. When I crawl into bed, Ares sliding in, I straddle his lap, running my hands over his still wet chest, licking droplets from his skin, tasting river water and sweat, his clean soapy smell filling my lungs. I roll my hips and the door clicks, causing the two of us to pause.

The door bursts open and there in the door way is Apollo, Dionysus, and Poseidon with Hephaestus in the middle of them all.

I freeze, my heart drops to the floor and the breath leaves my body, eyes widening at the sight before me. Embarrassment flushing my skin at all the eyes roving my naked flesh.

"Hello, traitorous whore."

-~-

Hephaestus limps into the room and glares at me with the fire of metal forger. I stiffen in Ares arms and his hands tighten around me. “You just faced down Zeus, no one can touch you, not even him. Especially not him. You are free, dove.” Ares voice brushes my ear, hand stroking over my back and gripping my hips.

I lean back in his lap, resting my head in the crook of his neck as he runs a hand over my side and my arm. This man will not shame me for something I was able to choose for myself. I refuse to be belittled by a man who gave no fucks if his bride wanted him. He is not a man. He is no better than Zeus.

The man stops in the middle of the room, blood rushing to his face, turning it a bright red, a vein bulging in his temple. “You disgraceful bitch. I give you space, time, give you your own house, two houses! And this is how you repay me?”

I raise an eyebrow, letting his insults wash past me, I look at my nails as if I have all the time in the world and take my time, running my fingers over the expanse of Ares bare chest. “You don’t let me do anything, Hephaestus. You do not own me.” My voice is foreign even to my own ears. The low tone I took on when confronting Zeus after all the years after his attempted rape. I can face Hephaestus too. "I bought my own houses myself as well, you aren't a wealthy God," I say with a smirk.

“You see for yourself,” he says to the other Gods, gesturing to where I lay sprawled in Ares lap. “She won’t lay honorably with a gimp, but she will whore herself to the God of War. How much does he pay you?”

I seethe with his words, making my relationship with Ares seem less than it actually is. With a deep breath, I plaster a catlike smirk on my lips. “He pays me considerably,” I purr, running my hand over Ares’s manhood through his boxer shorts, watching as the God’s snicker at the possessive touch and the meaning behind my words. I can feel Ares shock and pleasure, shock that I have confidence to taunt my tormentor and pleasure that I call his manhood considerable. Insufferable man.

Hephaestus seethes as I touch Ares and Ares pulls my hair to the side, brushing his lips along the sensitive space between my shoulder and neck.

“Slut.” He spits, making his way across the room to the bed which I sit with Ares.

Ares tenses beneath me, hands gripping my hips. “It’s okay, let him do what he wants.”

Hephaestus grabs a fistful of my hair and tosses me down off the four poster bed and he follows after me, raising his cane and slamming it down against my side with full force. The room goes silent.

Poseidon takes a step forward. “Hephaestus, this is enough.”

He doesn’t listen, he kicks me in the stomach, hitting me with his cane again and again. When I roll onto my back and he raises it again sure to bash my face in, I grab his cane inches from my face and yank it from his grasp, sending him sprawling. “I won't lay with you because you’re not a perfect specimen, I won’t lay with you because you do not hold my heart,” I say. I bend down and whisper in his ear. “And you just showed everyone here your true colors and you know how word spreads around here.” I toss the cane to the side and saunter back to the bed, my body sore and bloody.

With lighting fast speed, Ares whirls from his place and when I turn I see Hephaestus, cane raised, aiming at my head. Ares grabs Hephaestus by the throat. “You came here and thought to humiliate Aphrodite and me. I am the God of War. You showed what a coward you are. And I will tell you one thing about war. We hit from the front, fucker.” Ares slams his fist into the God of Metal Kraft's face, blood spurting from his nose, his other hand crushing his airways. Ares eyes glaring a fiery red.

Hephaestus gasps for breath, clawing at Ares hand but Ares, storms from the room and I hastily throw on the flimsy dress, rushing after him. The other Gods protest, yelling on behalf of Hephaestus, ordering Ares to stop, even Zeus appears, demanding that Ares leave Hephaestus. When I push my way through the gathering crowd of Gods and immortals I see Ares hold him at the side of the mountain.

“Please…” Hephaestus stammers, clawing at Ares hand on his throat.

Ares bends to whisper in his ear. “Another secret about war. No mercy.” With that he rips Hephaestus's head from his body and lets the small God fall from the sky and into blood, gore, and nothing more.