The war around them had seemed to end leading the two entities to dissolve into golden flakes that carried into the heavens to reassemble in a courtyard of Olympus. As they regained their humanoid forms, the glamorous green sprawling gardens were being filled with gods and goddesses of all levels sharing looks of concern and shock from the state the warriors were in or what they witnessed. Ares swayed on his feet while Athena stumbled to stead him while calling out to Apollo and Hebe for medical assistance. The onlookers were frozen in place taking in the concern that Athena was showing towards a known foe, until she demanded the two gods' presence again to break their stupor. The two requested beings rushed up to the pair, Apollo on the other side of Ares while Hebe was supporting Athena from behind her.
Apollo examined the wound before explaining that they had to move him to his temple for better comfort and away from prying eyes, glancing up at the crowd of gossip-hungry immortals that surrounded them. Athena was still in shock and numb that it took the prompting of Hebe to get a reaction from the goddess. Between the two of them, being that Ares was all muscle and dying weight; they trekked to the large structure of columns and sconces that made the war god's home ominous. The servants quickly made a path while some ran off to fetch items required to heal for the two healers. The maze of hallways, open-concept courtyard and pathways lead to the grand space of his bedchambers.
Complete with attachment bathing room, armory, balcony, and large open space that lead to the raised dais that rested an enormous cloud of red and maroon silks with many pillows with furs and blankets covering it. The open space/ entertainment area was also covered and surrounded by reds and black cushions, pillows and a short long coffee table with a silver tray of wine, food and a water pitcher for guests or his use. Heaving his now unconscious body up the dais and situating him onto the enormous bed, Hebe trailing behind with the servants; started to lay out all the instruments needed to heal the blood-lustful god. Athena, being less versed in the healing practice, but still knowledgeable to the basics; helped the two healers whenever she could like lifting the brute and wiping the blood and sweat from the patient's skin periodically. After administering the last salve and wrapping his chest up, Apollo and Hebe packed up the left-over herbs to make their way out the door while Athena remained by the sleeping god's side.
When they reached the door, sensing a missing person; Apollo turned to address her yet fell silent when he watched he dab at his forehead with a cloth to remove some sweat. Sensing that she wasn't going to move anytime soon, led the other goddess out of the room and down the corridors towards the exit. Athena vaguely sensed their exiting presence while focusing entirely on the prone figure in front of her. Seeing Ares, her supposed opposite and archrival on the bed so lifeless and silent unnerved her as well as shock from the pain felt of causing his condition. Ares was believed to be an unstoppable force and to see him like this would shock anyone that even the mighty Ares can fall.
As she wiped his brow to rid it of sweat again, she thought of how this all happened (shouldn't have meddled Aphrodite) and their history of hostility. 'It would shock anyone to see how I acted today' the thought crossed her mind as everything replayed in her mind, analyzing every step and move made during that awful battle. Just thinking about it made a knot in her stomach and choked up to where tears formed, but she refused to let fall from her eyes. This wasn't like her but felt right as a throb of pain pulsed in her breast where her heart laid beneath the skin. It hurt her more because she couldn't come up with a rational, logical answer as to her predicament that didn't involve any mindless, useless emotional interference.
While she battled with her mind and emotions, the prone patient on the bed started to stir into consciousness. Sweat coated every part of his body and felt a heaviness in his limbs that was a foreign sensation to him. Ares has never felt this weak, this vulnerable, this mortal in all his existence that it irritated and unnerved him at the same time. Nothing on this plain or beyond scared Ares, but if what he felt now was anything close; then it surely put some fear into the war god for the first time as well as admiration for the person who inflicted his wound. Glancing at his surroundings, he found that he was taken and put in his chambers with the inflictor of said wound brooding at his bedside while caring for him.
'Must be divine humor' he thought since Athena was the cause of his injury and the look of distress on her face as she was unaware of his awareness. While observing his counterpart and offender, noticed that she was still in her battle gear, looked disheveled and conflicted about something only she could see as well as panicked when her eyes finally looked towards him. Athena jumped with a gasp as she took in the deep rust of his eyes as they stared back at her. 'Ares was awake and most likely going to try to kill me' she thought as she took in the less severe pale skin and the still sweat-soaked face that was her opposite. She leaned forward to wipe off his forehead again as he watched her, gaging her movements for possible threats and that made her even more nervous.
Yes I know that the historical tale states that Ares went to war because of Aphrodite and that it was Diomedes who stabbed him with Athena's help.
Comment to continue this into a story!