Helen awoke from her dream gasping, her body veiled by sweat. Horrific images ran through her mind, like Marathon, of Paris, Troy, and Abaddon. She had not dreamed of them for many years now. Beside her, Menelaus stirred in his sleep then turned on his side away from her, removing his arm from around her waist. He had let himself go pudgy in later years since his 'rescue' of her from Troy.
Now he was half the man she once knew, if she ever knew him at all. Easing from the bed, too aware of her husband and fearful of his awakening, she slid into a modest chiton and let the skirt cascade onto her legs with her hands trembling. A scar, faint and white like snow, was on her face that was reflected in the washing water. She fingered it as she did each morning with bitterness and depression. She had not been fool enough to not prophesy his anger, but she had underestimated the heavy weight of his anger.
Menelaus ran into the birthing room with his drunken soldiers in tow with his face a light with pleasure. Helen couldn't stand looking at him. She was sore from her recent endeavor, sore and tired. She struggled to sit up in her bed and met him with a stony gaze.
"Where is he? Where is my son?"
Helen did not hesitate nor candy coat the truth.
"Your son is dead. He was blue, not breathing as he came out of me."
His eyes met hers in confusion then she slowly saw the color drain from his face along with his joy. Then, in his eyes she saw the sadness replaced with the hot steaming anger she had seen on his face when he had slain Deiphobus. Anxiety and fear rumbled around in her stomach. She struggled not to show it on his face.
"You lie you wretch," his spittle fell upon her cheeks as he ran up closer to her. "Where is my son? Where is he?!"
His arm reached out and the back of his hand slammed on Helen's cheek and she spilled to the floor. His soldiers, in their inebriated states gasped. She shivered on the floor and cupped her injured cheek. A cut had formed and began to bleed in small drops fell down her cheek. She was too shocked to cry.
His soldiers fumbled with their attempts to keep him from further violence and he shook them off effortlessly.
"Find that midwife and bring her to me. They will not get away with this." He ordered.
His soldiers bowed and hurried out the room, bumping into each other as they headed out. Menelaus looked back at her with disgust written clearly on his tanned features.
"You will pay dearly for this. I swear it."
He left, following his soldiers, and was replaced by Hermione who began to clean up the extra blood that had begun to escape from between Helen's legs.
"Mother is my little brother truly dead?" She asked, her voice laced with compassion.
Only then did Helen began to cry. Her salty tears mixed with her blood.
"Yes...yes!"
Hermione reached over and held her. It did not take long for the soldiers to find the poor midwife and she was brought in, dragged on her knees and sobbing. The guards of the gate had said she had been holding something, a bundle of some sort. They had not thought to check what the bundle was.
"Where is my son you witch?"
"Please," her chest heaved with her whimpers," do not kill me!"
"Where is he?!"
"In the river my king!" she cried out.
In silence, he looked at his guards and made a cutting motion about his neck. She screamed once more for mercy before her head was swiftly chopped and plunged to the floor. Helen saw it all as she leaned up against Hermione. She felt the tears begin again. Two more deaths to add to the pile. Two more souls to perish due to her selfishness.
The midwife's corpse was thrown into the river, as a sort of poetic justice in Menelaus's eyes. Helen was forced to watch and she kept her head up although, inside she wept of her fallen son and midwife.
She removed her hand from her scar as the memories faded and walked out of the bedroom. He had made her pay, he had made her pay dearly since then. She went to her weaving room and kneeled down upon the floor. Although, it not changed much since she had arrived back from Troy, she added one thing since the midwife's and her son's death. A shrine, dedicated to the goddesses Athena and Hera, stood at the food of the room with two figurines representing the goddesses and a bowl which held unburnt incense.
She lit it then and prayed to Athena for wisdom and Hera, for her son. All those years ago she had thought he had been dead but now, she feared he was now alive and plunging himself into danger.
"Please goddesses," she pleaded, "help me and my son, if he still lives."
The smoke from the incense altered from its alabaster color to a midnight black which grew until it rose to the roof of the room. Helen fell back and scooted away from her shrine in panic. What was this? What was happening? The smoke began to contour and take shape in front of her very eyes. A large skull arose in front of her, smiling eerily back at her.
She did not have to guess much of what it meant. Death. Fearful, she ran from the room with a fist at her chest. Behind her she could hear laughing, a loud grating sound. She did not know who this was from Athena, or Hera.
Present Day: Athens, Greece
"….I did not help her that day as I should have."
Athena's hair was now down from her bun and fell like a curtain about her shoulders. Theodore was speechless and eyed the bottom of his glass regretful that he would not get another. Hades was quiet, thoughtful. Uncharacteristic of one so quick to quip.
"What does this have to do with Hades?" he asked after a period.
"Back then I was neutral to the conflict, I was already dealing with Odysseus and Poseidon at the time." Her gaze met Theodore's unflinchingly. "I now know that was a mistake. Is should have done something, anything to help you. Some years before you were born, Hades came to me," she glanced back at the god then back at him," for wisdom. It was about you. I had never seen him so desperate and I...I was the one who told him to reincarnate you."
"Since then," Hades cut in this time. "Hera has been monitoring our every move in the spirit realm. I put a barrier around us but, it will not last us long. I am too weak in my present form."
"Th-then, what are we to do?" he asked, sliding his drink away.
Athena and Hades looked at each other, appearing to have a silence conversation. Theodore bit his tongue to resist commenting.
"We wait for her to strike. It is all we can do."
"I'm sorry," Theodore found himself saying before he could stop himself," but just I can't accept that."
He slammed money on the table, muttering his apologies, and left the café. He heard Hades at his back, pleading and forced himself to keep walking. Athena was painfully silent. He needed some time to think, some time to plan.
"Hades you monster, you stole him from me!"
Hades bit back a laugh of derision.
"Stole? You cannot steal what never belonged to anyone," his eyes darkened. "I hope you know that it is my name on his lip when we make love."
Hermes inched forward to him only to have Ikaros come between them, glaring at them both. Never had he thought he would be standing in between two fighting gods.
"Please stop this! We must get Vangelis back to camp and tend to his wounds. You may have your tiff then."
The gods nodded and Hades lifted the boy and he was carried back to the fire with extreme care. They nestled him with blankets and stopped the bleeding to the best of their ability, none of them were Apollo or Asclepius. All that was left to do was wait.
Hades looked down at Vangelis and tenderly brushed away a lock of hair. Hermes glanced at him with distaste.
"How long has this gone on? How long uncle?" he demanded.
Hades did not answer him. This only served to make Hermes more livid.
"I bet you have had your eyes on him all along. The son of the most beautiful woman in the world, who could not want him?" his laugh was strident.
"I did not start out this way Hermes," Hades finally replied, acidic," my intentions were completely pure. Besides, it was not I who abandoned the poor boy to his lonesome."
"He obviously did not need me anymore. He had this one," Hermes pointed to a befuddled Ikaros whose gaze traveled back and forth between the two arguing gods. What on earth had he gotten himself into?
"An excuse no doubt. You are naught but a coward!"
"You are not the only one who has been closely watching Hera!" Hermes quickly realized what he had said and clamped a hand to his mouth.
Hades raised an eyebrow and moved his hand in a 'continue' motion. Hermes sighed deeply.
"Zeus has been worried for his wife, a rare occurrence I assure you."
"That does not surprise me. He is probably making another demi god as we speak. Continue."
"She has not been on Olympus for a while and for the past several years has been leaving without word to anyone. I followed her one day and, much to my surprise, she went into your realm. I thought she was going to visit you, to put this whole thing behind her and then-"
"You saw her with Persephone." Hades finished bitterly.
"Yes. I had wanted to see you sooner…see him sooner but, I thought it would be better if I kept my distance."
Hades nodded jerkily and looked down once more at Vangelis who appeared to be stirring. He helped him up gently. Vangelis leaned against him, closing his eyes against his sudden dizziness.
"Be still; you still suffer from your wounds." He scolded gently.
"The monster," Vangelis began panting," is it defeated?"
"Yes, it was completely slain."
The blond nodded and attempted to stand up only to fall back against Hades.
"Did I not tell you to be careful?"
"We cannot stay here. Hera can strike at any time. I know this now."
His eyes traveled about the camp in a panic.
"My sword, I left it. We must get it back!"
Ikaros, more frightened for his friend's mental well-being than his physical, got up from his perch.
"I shall grab it. It is not far."
A rustle came from the trees and the foursome flinched when a figure came rushing towards them, tall and impressive bearing an impressive sword. He came to Hades panting heavily; out of breath from his run. He allowed himself time before he could properly speak.
"Please forgive me. I allowed the monster to leave my sight-"
"Do not worry Ares. He took care of things," Hades gestured begrudgingly to Hermes who smiled, a tad wolfish, at Ares.
"I did not know you were Hades's lapdog. How interesting."
Ares growled at him and pointed his sword towards his belly.
"I will gut you where you stand."
"Just like you took Aphrodite where she lay?"
"You scoundrel-"
"Now, now children," Hades interjected, growing bored with his nephews brawling," do calm down. We mustn't lose our heads."
Ares glared at Hermes some more before removing his sword and sliding it back into his scabbard. Then, looked back at Hades then his gaze shifted to Vangelis who squirmed under his hot stare. Three gods, Vangelis could hardly believe it.
"Here," he tossed something to Vangelis who caught it in midair. It was his sword. He began expelling words of gratitude only to be stopped midway. "Do not thank me. Thank fate. If your swordsman skills had not been so flimsy, you would not have the wound that you do now."
Vangelis reared back from the reprimand and gripped his sword tighter. Hades rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.
"It was not his fault. The monster was impervious to steel." Hades interjected.
"All the same," Ares grunted," he must learn how to properly hold a sword. Who knows when the next attack will be?"
"Are you willing to teach him oh mighty god of war?" Hermes told him smirking.
Ares growled at Hermes then looked back to Vangelis and Hades.
"If I must. I did make a promise on the River Styx to be of help to you Hades." He said through gritted teeth.
"In other words, a lapdog." The mischievous god couldn't help but say. This began, once again, an argument.
The home was quiet, a bit too quiet for Solon's tastes. A dark chill washed over him.
"The young ones are more than likely asleep in their beds." Simonides commented snidely.
Solon shushed him and eased his way into the house, a bad feeling overwhelming his senses. It was black inside, not a candle alight within the house. This did not feel right. He listening carefully into the darkness and someone's muttering caressed his ears. It came from the direction of the kitchen.
Ignoring his sons inquires, he ran to the room and there in the corner was Andonis, tied up and gagged. My worst fears have been realized. Solon kneeled to his friend to undo his bonds and quickly asked what had happened.
"A beautiful woman was suddenly at my door," the large man began, his voice solemn. "She was seducing, and I was weak to her wiles. She overwhelmed me at my weakest point and tied me up as I just was."
Solon cursed and his fist slammed onto the floor. Simonides and Theodoulos came into the room and flinched. It was not often the man cursed, if ever.
"Who was she?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"A witch of some kind! She took my likeness and convinced Vangelis and his little friend to leave. She even gave him my family's sword. It was a priceless heirloom." He whined.
The old trader paced back and forth, his mind a whirl.
"Did he say where he was going?"
"He only said that he was going to see his mother. Helen would have been proud at the amount of conflict the boy is causing."
Solon silenced him with a look and turned towards his other companions.
"He and Ikaros and heading for Pellana and so shall we."
"Wait, father," Simonides protested," what is even going on?"
"I will tell you later. Right now just grab your things."
To the left of Simonides, Theodoulos had a guilty look on his face that disappeared as quickly as it came. But, not quick enough for Solon to miss it. The man had a lot to answer for. Hades, please watch over my son.
"After that little attack," Hades was saying later on that night. A fire was prepared and crackling, the five of them sat around it and was talking, planning," we got to get going. Helus is not that far from here. We can head there and quickly get supplies. We have to get to Sparta before anything else happens to Vangelis."
"This entire journey is a trap," Ares interjected and heads turned to face him. "It wouldn't surprise me if Eris is stalking our every move and keeping Hera updated on our fumbles. Until we get to Sparta, Vangelis shall be under constant surveillance and we must be under constant vigilance."
"Even in Sparta it is not guaranteed that the boy will be safe," Hades sighed deeply.
"Do I not," Vangelis found himself asking. He glowered at Ares," have a choice in this? Do I not have a say in what happens?"
"Be silent!" Ares boomed and a strong force knocked Vangelis on his back onto the forest floor.
"Listen to yourself. Did you honestly ever think you have a choice? Remember who your mother is. Remember who your father was."
"Ares-"
"No Hades, this has gone far enough." The fire was now gone out from the sudden burst of power and wispy smoke waived up from the charred twigs. "No one has a choice. None of us around the fire have a choice. Not even Hera has a choice. It is how fate has ordained this to happen and happen it shall. Boy, you shall die, but we shall prevent it for as long as we can. Until then, you shall remain close to either I, Hades, or Hermes. Understood?"
Under the faint moonlight, Ares could just glimpse the look of hatred that was hard upon the boy's face, twisting it into something repugnant. Good. Hate me. Your hate will make you stronger.
"I understand." Vangelis replied neutrally. Inside his mind, ideas had already began to form.
A/N: The next few chapters are when things really start to happen. This was merely a set up chapter so to speak. I really had tons of fun going back to Helen's point of view. What did everyone think of Ares? I'm glad he can finally have a role. He is a bit of a hard ass though, which is something Vangelis really needs.
Many of the scenes in this chapter were originally for the last chapter but, I thought the last one cut off at a good point to end it.
Hope you guys enjoy!