War's Love

War's Love
By Amazon Penny

Meg sat alone in the tavern. The patrons had left hours ago, and she had finished closing up not long after that. Right now however, she didn't feel like doing anything other than sitting on the only chair in the house that didn't rock back and forth when you shifted your weight slightly, and fiddle absent mindedly with the grotty rag that she'd been using all night to wipe down tables. She wasn't even drinking, she was just sitting and staring. Not much was working out for her at the moment. She couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was that made her feel this way, but the feelings were there and controlled her every move. She couldn't even enjoy the banter between a drunken patron anymore, and she knew her mood was affecting her business.

Meg attempted to hurl the rag across the room, in a dramatic gesture of frustration. The rag made it a few inches in front of her face, and fluttered almost gracefully to the floor.

"Can't even get that right" Meg mumbled as she stood up, disappointed and flat. She trudged towards the stairs, and blew out the lone candle that stood on the corner of the bar. As she began her ascent, she heard a fluttering from behind her. Assuming it was the stupid rag prancing about, Meg continued up the stairs.

"Where might you be going?"

The voice from behind her was rich and strong, and Meg fell back a few steps as she turned around.

"We're closed. Get out."

"Is that any way to speak to the God of War?"

Unamused, Meg fumbled as she tried to re-light the candle she had just extinguished.

"All the girls have gone home matey, and you're just gonna have to find another place to play out your little God of War fantasy, got it?"

As Meg lit the candle, she lost her breath. Standing inches away from her face, was Ares. THE God of War.

"How about here?" Ares asked, as he grabbed her just below the shoulders of both arms.

Meg looked into his eyes, which were blazing with a rawness she had never seen before in anyone. Her mouth went dry as she felt her thigh brush up against what she could only describe as his Godhood. Ares winked as he noticed her assessment of his assets, and a cunning smile spread across his face. Unable to utter a word, Meg allowed Ares to head her over to what could not be described as clean, but certainly the least dirty table in the tavern.

"What do you say we play out a little God of War fantasy?" Ares asked, his rough voice weaving its way through to even the smallest hairs on Meg's arms, causing them to stand on end.

Meg remained silent, but inched forward in an attempt to kiss the God.

Ares knew who she was - Meg the Tramp - but he didn't care. She looked enough like Xena, hell she looked exactly like Xena, right down to those baby blue eyes that shone in the candle light. He was betting on the fact that other little things would remind him of the Warrior Princess too, and figured as long as she kept her mouth shut (so far so good), he could keep up the pretense long enough to get what he wanted and get out. If she was stupid enough to believe that the God of War really could mistake her for the real Xena, she could for all he cared - which was nothing. The God didn't care one ounce for what the tramp thought or felt, looking only for the satisfaction of thrusting in and out of a woman who looked exactly like the strongest, hottest, sexiest woman alive.

Meg knew what he wanted. She had heard the stories, read the scrolls. Ares God of War was infatuated with Xena: Warrior Princess. Meg didn't care if he thought she was Xena - this was the God of War - he could think she was Miss Known World for all she cared - which was nothing. Two people coming together for a night of passion, each one of them taking what they wanted from the experience, thinking they were fooling the other.

The God returned the following night. No words were spoken, as he placed his hands around the back of Meg's head and kissed her deeply. Feeling the kiss between her legs, Meg moved to her knees, and began to please the God. As soon as he was finished, he disappeared.

Their time together continued like this for many moons, each encounter ending with Ares leaving as soon as he was satisfied. In an attempt to ensure the God stayed for more than just his own pleasure, Meg decided to play up to the whole 'Xena' charade. She went into the closet and dug out her old Warrior Princess outfit.

When Ares appeared that night, she was in a full set of leathers. She could tell right away that Ares was happy with her appearance, choosing to throw her over a table and enter her practically straight away. Ares did not last long before he reached his peak, and he leant on Meg's back for a moment while he regained his composure. Taking a chance, Meg asked in a husked voice,

"Is there anything else I could do? You know, to make you feel more... convinced?"

Ares' brow crinkled as he looked at the woman wearing the costume of the Warrior Princess. So she did understand that he knew she wasn't Xena. He mentally kicked himself - she was a tramp, not an idiot! Ares felt what could possibly described as something similar to guilt, but certainly not actual guilt, as Gods - especially the God of War - do not feel such emotions. He looked Meg up and down, and disappeared without a word. Meg kicked the table and smoothed down her leathers. Deciding that she needed a shower, and to be rid of the costume, Meg left the room with a scowl on her face.

Meg was polishing ale mugs when Ares appeared a few nights later. She was surprised to see him, worried that she had screwed up her chances of casual sex with the God of War after he didn't return the night she had dressed up as Xena. She had thought the costume would be exactly what he wanted, but his reaction had not been what she expected, and she was unsure whether he would come back after that. Her thoughts ended there, as Ares took her hand in his and kissed it. Unsettled by the gesture, Meg could do nothing but look into his dark eyes, receiving no indication of his intentions. Letting herself go, Meg allowed Ares to take her on the bar. Their lovemaking – and Meg recalled it as such, due to the tender ways in which Ares touched her – lasted for candlemarks and was completely different to the last few encounters. While it still involved no conversation, this time was different. She had never been treated in such a way, and found it strange that the God with the reputation of being a soul-less bastard was the first man in years to make her feel so special. Of course she knew it wasn't her he thought was special, but the feelings were still there, regardless of who they were really meant for, and she wasn't about to discard them.

Each night that followed managed to top the last, until moons had passed and the pair found themselves dancing to silent music. Their hearts played out the beat and their breathing set the rhythm as they moved together as one.

Ares sat at his throne, his mind plagued. The furies danced in front of him, but he paid them little attention, as he thought of the woman he had been with tonight. In the beginning, he had imagined he was romping around with Xena, trying to re-create the raw attraction that had existed a long time ago between himself and the Warrior. It suddenly dawned on him that it was no longer those feelings that he wanted. His night with Meg as 'Xena' was exciting, but when he left her, he felt nothing. Nothing for Xena, at least. Ares swallowed hard, as he began to realise the impossible.

"Hey Bro!"

Ares jumped out of his throne as his little sister, the Goddess of Love appeared in a shower of glowing hearts.

"Aphrodite!"

"Ares!"

"What do you want?"

Aphrodite looked at the Furies, who continued to dance.

"Beat it girls."

The Furies frowned, and looked to Ares for their orders. He gave them with a flick of his head.

"Leave us."

Scowling, the Furies disappeared. Ares turned to Aphrodite, bearing a similar scowl.

"And you are here because?"

"For the first time ever, I felt love coming from you." She said, her voice close to a whisper.

Ares looked around, his eyes wide. "Care to NEVER repeat that again?"

Aphrodite giggled.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." He said, shrugging, and moving his head far too animatedly, negating any attempts to appear calm and collected. He sat back in his throne, leaning his back against one arm and lifting his legs over the other. "You must have felt it from one of the furies, you know how they get around me".

Aphrodite nodded sarcastically. "Are, I'm sorry to tell you but they aint feelin' squat."

Ares looked at her, expressionless. "Well I'm sorry to tell you you're little love detector must be broken then sis. In case you have forgotten, I am the god of war!"

Aphrodite sighed. "So who is she?"

Ares shook his head. "Go away Aphrodite."

Aphrodite placed both hands on her hips, and delivered a perfectly formed pout. "I won't tell, promise."

Ares looked directly into her eyes, and picked up the crown that was hanging from a corner on the back of his throne. Putting it on solidly and pointedly, he waved at his sister.

"Goodnight!"

He closed his eyes and folded his arms, not giving Aphrodite a single second more of his attention.

Aphrodite tried one more time before leaving; "Seriously, I'm the Goddess of Love, Ares. You can fool yourself, but you can't fool me." And with that, she disappeared.

Ares had a very soft side to him, Meg thought, as he touched her tenderly in places that made her feel like nothing else she had ever felt before. The experience was almost overwhelming, as she felt him move inside her. A strand of black hair fell across her eyes, and Ares moved it out of the way as he pushed slowly with his hips. He continued to move at that slowly until Meg began to fasten the pace by bucking her hips towards him. Ares took note of her reactions and began to thrust harder and faster, until the pair reached their peak in unison. Meg lifted her head up to kiss him, and the feeling of her mouth on his became too much. A tear fell to the pillow and the God withdrew from her body and kissed the tear from her cheek.

"Why are you crying?"

It was the first words Ares had spoken to her since they began.

Meg knew he didn't want her to speak, to ruin the facade that he had carefully set in place. She knew he wanted Xena. She shook her head and smiled faintly at him. The God continued to look her in the eyes, waiting for her answer.

The answer was not vocal, but came in the form of hot lips pressed against him. Meg's tongue snaked out quickly and traced the edges of his own, causing the God to become aroused for the second time that evening. Feeling his need, Meg moved herself slowly down his body, placing tiny kisses along his chest as she went, before realising that Xena would probably not be so nice. She replaced her kisses with tiny bites, causing Ares to call out in delighted pain. She reached up to take his hands, threading her fingers into his. He gripped her hands tightly as she continued to nip at his well formed pelvic area. Moving her hands into her own hair, Meg pushed Ares hands through her raven tresses. The God understood her idea, and applied slight pressure to her head which was now moving down to between his legs. Her mouth wide open and ready to receive the God of War, Meg felt a pang of sadness. The God was groaning, and it was HER that was making him groan. It was HER who had him glowing every evening. It was HER who's hair was tangled by his fingers, as he guided her head up and down along his godhood. HER - NOT Xena.

She decided after that night, that if Ares wanted Xena, he could have her. These last few moons had distracted her, but the emptiness in her heart had knocked the sense back into her. She had noticed herself falling for the God and would not let her heart be crushed. Had she really been fooling herself to hope that maybe he was falling for her? He had hardly spoken to her, let alone say her name, and Meg was tired of the games.

The next time Ares appeared, Meg was mopping the floor. She had not yet noticed him, and he took a moment to watch her work. He admired her figure, which was not as built as Xena's, but was amazing in its own right. She was slender from the constant work she did all day, and when she moved into the light, Ares found himself smiling at the way she glowed. She was humming an old tavern song, and badly at that. Ares realised he liked the things that made her different to Xena.

He toyed with the idea of telling her how he felt, unsure of what her reaction might be. He had noticed the smaller moments between them, and was fairly certain she felt something for him. Pride took over for just a moment as he reminded himself that he was the God of War, and that there was probably no question in her mind as to her attraction to him. With that settled, Ares decided that he should be up front with her. What woman wouldn't want to be fed - nutritionally and sexually, and taken care of by the most powerful son of Zeus? He began to approach her from behind, pausing momentarily to rid himself of what he could only assume were nerves – given that he had never been nervous before in his entire life.

Meg placed the mop down and wiped the sweat from her forehead. It had been a long day, and she was exhausted. She was about to pour herself a hefty mug of ale when she felt two strong hands on her hips. She turned around to find the God of War smiling at her.

Meg curled her top lip into a scowl. She noticed his smile; ready for some more Warrior Princess action was he? She bent down and picked up the bucket of dirty mop water. Struggling for a moment as she got her grip, Meg turned to Ares and tipped the contents of the bucket over his head.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked him, before turning back to pour herself an ale.

Ares had no response, as he stood there dripping wet. He went to open his mouth, but Meg stopped him again.

"Look. I ain't stupid. I know you don't got a chance with Xena and that's why you're here all the time, but I'm done. I thought you were actually falling for me. What a dud joke! The God of War does not fall in love. If you want your jollies you're gonna have to get 'em from somewhere else, cause this tramp is CLOSED FOR BUSINESS!" With that, Meg threw her ale into Ares' face and stormed out of the room.

Ares stood alone in the bar for what seemed like candlemarks. He stared into the darkness and let the dirty water and ale drip off him onto the floor into one big dirty drunken puddle. He gave himself as long as he needed to regain all he had lost during his conversation with Meg, before standing up strong, and disappearing with a flash.

Meg stepped out of the darkness from the place she had been watching the God. Mopping up the puddle he left behind, her heart beat slowly. She walked up the stairs, unsure of what she had just witnessed.

Ares sat in his throne, the room silent and empty of seductive bodies. His eyes were closed and his breathing was light.

"Ew. What stinks?!"

Ares' eyes opened quickly as he saw his sister standing before him.

"Aphrodite, I stink. Okay? It's me. Now get lost."

Ares closed his eyes again.

"What happened? Tell me, I'm here for you." Concerned, Aphrodite attempted to approach Ares, but the stench kept her at a distance. "I mean, I'm here for you, but I'm OVER HERE for you. Way over here – where I can't smell you." She smiled, as she attempted to lighten the mood.

"Nothing has happened. I lost a war, okay?"

Aphrodite smiled. "Your kind of war, or my kind of war?"

"The God of War does not fall in love."

Raising an eyebrow, Aphrodite responded. "Anyone can fall in love Are."

Ares stood up, and with a silent and invisible force, he threw Aphrodite back a number of paces. His face was blood red, his eyes empty. Aphrodite stood up slowly, confused and hurt. Ares was fuming, and took a step towards her, daring her to speak another word. Aphrodite disappeared within an instant, and Ares threw a fierce flame to where she had stood, scorching the bricks.

"The God of War, does not fall in love."