Chapter Three
Steve Trevor stared at the warped glass in front of him. Through it, Steve could see what Ares was doing in his body. He could see the vigorous training Ares was putting his body through, as if he were preparing for some war. Ares really didn't seem to plan on messing around when it came to facing Diana again. Steve wanted to get out of this prison he found himself in, and reclaim his body. His only problem was that he didn't know how to go about doing that.
He had tried a variety of methods to try to escape, but every conceivable method had failed.
The latest method he had tried had left him with a sore knuckle. He looked down at the gnarled purple bruise that seemed to be highlighting his knuckle. He honestly didn't think a non-bodily form of himself could get injured, but he supposed he shouldn't have assumed that being trapped in a prison of Ares' design.
"I just want out," muttered Steve to himself. "I want out before…"
He looked back towards the glass then. He hadn't been able to see much of anything for the last several days for whatever reason, but now he was able to see a partial sliver of what was going on because Ares was, apparently, showing him off like some sort of trophy.
"He's in here," he heard Ares say.
His eyes widened when he saw who he was talking to. No. There just wasn't any possible way. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. His death couldn't be in vain. He had tried to be a hero in taking that plane sky high before it killed anyone, and right now, it felt like he died for nothing. He had given Ares the ability to control his body, and now Ares seemed to be in league with the woman that had made the dangerous weapon in the first place.
Steve's self pity soon morphed into rage. Steve felt as if his blood were boiling underneath his skin. Steve hated how Ares was using him for his own personal gain. He knew he needed to prove Ares wrong when it came to him, and especially when it came to Diana. Her care and concern for mortals was not misplaced. It was not a vulnerability that Ares could exploit. He had to do something.
Opening his eyes, he rose to his feet and walked towards the warped glass again. There was always a way to escape every prison. He was a spy. He knew that as truth because he had done so himself on multiple occasions. He just had to figure out the weakness. He placed his hands along the glass, flattening his hands so his palms could run over the surface. He was looking for some source of air; some possible fracture in the surface.
"This place is near impenetrable," he heard a voice say behind him just then.
Steve froze. He slowly retracted his palms from the surface of the glass, and brought his hands down to his side. He had thought that he was alone. Turning slowly to try to find the source of the voice, he noticed a haggard man step out of the shadows. It was a man that he recognized as…
"Sir Patrick?" Steve asked in shock and disbelief.
That remark generated a small, yet sad, smile from Sir Patrick.
"You didn't honestly believe that this," said Sir Patrick gesturing at his own body, "Was Ares' true form, did you?"
Steve should have suspected that he hadn't been the first body that Ares had found a home in. Another round of anger shot through Steve then, coursing through him in a wave. What Sir Patrick was saying made sense, but he supposed he hadn't allowed himself to truly think about things until now.
"It's okay. I had a hard time believing matters for a bit myself," admitted Sir Patrick.
Silence started to linger between them just then, but only for a brief minute or two.
"You said that the place is near impenetrable," said Steve, trying to figure out how to best start the conversation again.
"I was close to finding a way to escape," said Sir Patrick. "Ares let me out enough to play, but...well, there is no escaping now that my form is gone."
"You mean, since your body is…"
"Destroyed?" asked Sir Patrick, trying to helpfully suggest a word. He snickered a bit, shaking his head. "You don't have to treat me as if I were fragile. I may be old, but I can take it."
"I'm sorry," said Steve.
He moved a few feet closer to Sir Patrick, who had now taken a seat on the ground and was looking down.
"Ares used to like to torment me with the life I could no longer have. I had such a promising future, but Ares corrupted it. He turned me into a monster, and I was just left here to have a chance of escaping though. I mean, he probably won't let me out of my cage now that my body is gone. But you…" Sir Patrick looked up at Steve then, locking his eyes on his. "This is what you have to do. When he lets you out, you can't go back to your body. He's too strong. He won't let you in. Trust me. You'll just end up back in here faster than you realize. What you have to do is throw yourself into an object, but you can't let him know…"
"If I'm to throw myself into an object without him knowing...First off," Steve brought a hand up, rubbing it over his forehead, "how am I suppose to put myself in an object without him noticing if he's the one that let me out?"
"Wait for the man to be distracted. Either that or create the distraction yourself. For being a god of war, he certainly isn't very focused at times, especially when it comes to either people he's passionate about or…"
"Or what?" asked Steve.
"Well, romantically attracted to. I've heard him saying he wants heirs before."
"Well, that won't happen with my body. That's just...That's wrong! That's gross!"
Sir Patrick chuckled at Steve's disgust.
"Well then, you just need to do as I say. Try to throw yourself into an object that can be mobile though so that you're able to move about. I can help you along if need be. You just need to take this mirror with you."
"Alright...fine. Fine, I'll try. It's worth a shot. It's not like I have any better option at the moment."
Sir Patrick saw the despair Steve's face then, reaching out a hand to lay it comfortingly on a shoulder.
"Things will be alright. You're a young whipper snapper. You stand a better chance than me."
Steve honestly didn't know how to respond to what Sir Patrick had just said, so he just nodded his head. He had to do this for Diana. He wouldn't let Ares battle her alone. Not without a fighting chance.
