A/N: Sorry for the three month delay. I finally know what to write and I hope you enjoy the second chapter. Thanks to all my faithful reviewers, you're my inspiration to continue.

Hands clutched unto the same balcony in which they had lived their short lived love, Athena swallowed tears and sobs. Ares wasn't worth the trouble much less the tears. He had done the unforgivable: lift her heart only to shatter it into a million irreparable pieces. She felt stupid. She should've known something like this would happen.

She heard light steps approaching her. They were too light to be a man's footsteps. She sighed in relief. She would never admit to a male figure that she was on the verge of undeserved tears.

"Athena," a small voice said. "Are you okay?"

Athena turned around and saw the owner of the voice. It was her faithful friend, Artemis."

Athena gave a hollow laugh. "That's an answer even I don't know."

"You're not fine," Artemis said. "I heard about what that awful cretin did to sour your life."

"W-what cretin?"

Artemis looked at her friend ruefully. "I know what Ares did to you. You don't need to lie to me about it. He broke your heart in the most distasteful manner."

Athena sighed. "I should've known better than to lie to you of all people. What now?"

Artemis smiled. "Apollo has been itching to fight against you. A good fight will do you some good. You might as well take it all on him; he won't care."

Athena grinned. "Ah, Apollo. He's such a dear friend of mine."

Artemis looked at her friend curiously. "Apollo has always held a special affection towards you. He truly loves you, Athena. He wouldn't do anything to hurt you. You know that."

Athena thought about this for a long moment. Apollo loved her! That sweet, poetic, tender-hearted god loved her! Oh how she wished she could love him the same way and not have fallen for that despicable war god, Ares.

Unfortunately, the Fates had decreed that she should forever be in love with Ares. Fate was cruel indeed.

The two friends walked in silence toward the training fields where Apollo would be waiting for them. Ever since Ares broke her heart she hadn't been in the mood to fight with anyone. It reminded her of him with his enchanting smile, deep bronze skin, scarlet eyes, and that way of looking at her. It was all a painful lie worthy of Tartarus.

Apollo was indeed waiting for them at the edge of the training fields.

Athena was instantly filled with nostalgia. This was the very place where she had begun to fall in love with Ares. She felt like she couldn't go on; that she couldn't enter this place without breaking apart again.

Sensing Athena's change in mind, Artemis said, "Weren't you the one who said love was a despicable feeling unworthy of the slightest consideration? The one who said that no man would leave you foolishly broken hearted like a blind cow?" Artemis' words were all extremely harsh but it was the only way she could think she could get Athena back to her warlike capacities. Anger was the only way.

Athena, however, just nodded with sadness. "Yes," she sobbed, "that was me. That was me before I fell into the clutches of love. Love is a deadly poison. It was the poison that took everything away from me: my life, my sanity, and my greatest treasure of all, my wisdom. Love isn't meant to be a pawn of wisdom. It's the pawn of insanity and utter foolishness."

Artemis sighed in pure exasperation. How would she get the true Athena out of that abyss if Athena herself wasn't cooperative?

With a golden sword in hand, Apollo spotted them. "Hey, Athena! Ready for a good fight?"

Athena gave a weak smile.

Artemis worried even more. Athena wasn't the type of person to give weak smiles. When she was fine, she usually gave broad confident smiles.

Athena walked over to where Apollo stood and unsheathed her sword.

Apollo eyed her sword strangely. Her sword was dull and rusty. It wasn't like Athena to let something like this happen to her precious sword.

When Apollo had a good look at Athena, he noticed several features in her that he'd never seen before. Her skin was pale, her eyes were sunken, and she looked thinner.

"What have you been doing to yourself, Athena?" Apollo inquired.

"Nothing," Athena said.

"Well, whatever you say," Apollo said slowly. He obviously didn't believe her.

They started to fight, sword against sword. Strategies were used. Many blocks as well. Suddenly Apollo found his sword at Athena's throat.

Apollo removed it dumbfounded. "Ok, Athena. I'm tired of you moping around. What is wrong with you? Don't be afraid to tell me!"

Athena started to sob uncontrollably. "It's nothing!"

That did nothing to fool Apollo. He was the god of prophecy after all. He knew everything and he certainly knew what was wrong with Athena.

"I have to go do…my godly duties," Apollo said. The thing was that he wasn't planning on completing his godly duties. He was determined to find Ares and give him a piece of his mind.

Well, Apollo had already a guess at where Ares was. The bar obviously.

Apollo walked angrily toward the bar. He was ready beat up Ares for what he did to the beloved Athena.

He walked through the door and Ares was there, drinking away like there was no tomorrow. Apollo was suddenly filled with unquenchable rage.

"You bastard!" Apollo yelled as he punched Ares straight in the jaw with a satisfying crunch. The bad thing was that the crunch didn't come from Ares' jaw; it came from Apollo's knuckles. Apollo winced in pain while Ares smiled.

Ares gave a cruel chuckle. "Oh, what is this? Attack of the weaklings?"

"You deserve to die!" Apollo said as he held his broken hand. "You broke Athena's heart without any mercy and you deserve death for it."

"Oh, really? And can you tell me who's going to kill me? You? A puny little god who breaks his hand every time he punches me? You have no chance."

Apollo drove another punch through Ares in vain. He knew there was an extremely slim possibility that he could defeat Ares. But he had to try, he had to.

Ares just smiled in satisfaction as he drove a blow into Apollo's abdomen, knocking the breath out of the poor sun god. "You still think you can defeat me?" Ares taunted. "You're so tiny."

Apollo gave a determined look before Ares hit the side of his face with the back of his sword. Apollo immediately crumpled to the ground, defeated, his pride broken.

Ares was about to punch him once more but Hermes yelled, "Stop it, Ares! You're going to kill him!"

Ares gave a cruel laugh. "He's an immortal, Hermes. I doubt he will die."

"You disgust me, Ares," Hera said as she walked in. "You may be my son, but you act like a total coward!"

Everyone just stared in shock. Someone calling Ares a coward wasn't common.

Aphrodite then pushed past Hera and laughed. "How is Ares a coward? He is the bravest god there is. Oh, my. Hera, I think you're turning into an old hag."

In a swift movement Ares struck Aphrodite across the face.

Aphrodite clutched her face where a red mark was starting to form, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Hera might have called me a coward but she's my mother! She's worth a whole lot more than you."

In that moment, Artemis ran in. "Ares I wouldn't ask for your help if we didn't share a city state but Sparta is being attacked.

Ares dismissed this. "Sparta has a strong military, Artemis. Nobody is capable of defeating it."

"You don't understand! Sparta is falling apart! The walls are already crumbling and Spartans are being killed."

Now Ares was `worried. "Who's attacking Sparta?"

Artemis looked grim. "Athens."

A/N: I'm finally done. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter that has taken me a month to write.

Special thanks to Risana for the wonderful idea. And to Xena whose idea is going to be used soon enough. I'm sorry to inform that my stories will be put on HIATUS due to my school work. I'm sorry.