Ianthes laughter was the only thing I heard over the music. It was the only thing that mattered as bodies clung and grinded against me. I could tell that this was a pure laughter, that she was truly enjoying herself, and I had to admit that I was too.

This was the most fun I had had in weeks. And that might say something about me. But I had to admit that I was a bit cold. Yes, I had no problem with going out and enjoying myself the same night I had said goodbye to my sister. But there was no reason to dwell on it. I would never see her again, that was true, and there was nothing I could do about it. So, there was no reason for me to sulk and cry, or rage about it. This was simply the way it was and I just had to deal with it.

There was a man, or, I would have called him a boy even though he was old enough the be a man, with his hands on my hips. His front was pressed into my back and I laughed as he breathed hot words into the shell of my ear. "You are so beautiful," he purred in Greek. I could smell alcohol on his breath, I could feel his desire as he gripped my hips and pressed himself against my back. He looked well enough, dark hair and sparkling dark eyes. I hadn't even asked his name, I hadn't bothered with telling mine either.

"Kúpia," Ianthe called with a small grin.

I nodded once and started to untangle myself from the strangers embrace. "Where are you going?" his breath was still hot against my neck, but there was no reaction from me. I feigned interest though and pressed myself against him when I turned around.

"To the bathroom," I answered with a smile that most men found inviting. The stranger in front of me wasn't an exception. He gave me a knowing smile back and nodded a little, almost like I needed his permission to go anywhere. The thought alone was enough to make me laugh myself hoarse.

I grabbed Ianthes hand and started walking, while still feeling the man's gaze on my back. Yes, I might have lead him on. No, I didn't care shit about that. It wasn't my problem that men were too stupid not to see common sense when the chance of sex was involved.

"He's going to lose his mind."

My laugher echoed as Ianthe and I made our way for the door. We were both a bit unsteady, neither of us had held back with the alcohol. She didn't need to say his name, I was well aware that Ares would flip his shit when I met him again. I was even looking forward to it. I had a few tricks up my sleeve too.

"Oh, Ianthe," I began as she waved her hand to our driver once we were out on the street, "I am going to drive him insane." Maybe not insane, but I would do my best to drive him mad at the very least. Ares had wanted me like this. And I would make sure he regretted accepting me just like I was.

She huffed a laugh and shook her head, making her wonderful curls dance with the movement. "He's going to smell them on you."

My smile was pure evil, it made her chuckle. I had quickly found out that I liked that sound, a creature as winsome as Ianthe shouldn't cry for anything. "I'm counting on it." I had danced with numerous men tonight. I'd worked myself against them, grinding my body into theirs to weave our scents together. Ares was very…sensitive when it came to scents. He wanted his scent on me, all of the time. I wondered what he'd do when he scented all the other men on me.

"You shouldn't provoke him when he's injured." She was smiling as she said it, but I still saw a concerned shadow in her eyes.

"Don't worry Ianthe."

She took a deep breath and opened the car door for me. "If you say so," she said and motioned me inside.

It was getting late, or early, depending on how you looked at it, 4.30 in the morning. And, Ianthe needed to get home before the sun's rays became too strong for her. She could be out in the sun just when it rose or when it fell, but not like Ares and his brothers could. She'd let it slip that neither her or the other brides were even half as powerful as the Galanis brothers. Ianthe, Marion and Sabia were the only brides with abilities.

Marion was Apollos favorite bride, just as Sabia was Hermes. I had met both of them the day when I had tortured Leyla. Ianthe had been more than willing to talk about them. Marion had been the blond bride, with the stunning light brown eyes. I remembered that all of them had been beautiful, I had expected their brides to be. Marion had been pretty enough, but nowhere near Ianthe. Neither was Sabia with her red hair and green eyes, I recalled that her hair had stood out, but they all paled in comparison to Ianthe. Even Leyla, who I had to admit was one of the most stunning creatures I had ever met.

Sabia had gotten some of Hermes gift, she had what they called a silver tongue, just like Hermes. Which meant that they could lie to just about anyone and get away with it. I would have loved to have that kind of ability, although I had to admit that I sort of already had. And Marion had gotten some of Apollos ability too, she could also bend light, but only little things. She could light candles and lamps but that was about it, according to Ianthe. She had left it out, but that made Ianthe the most powerful of the brides.

We quickly got in into the backseat of the car. Our driver said nothing, and waited for Ianthe to tell him our destination. I had to admit that I could get used to living with a private driver.

"So," I began as the car started to roll, "are you the oldest of the brides?"

"Now why would you think that kúpia?" I raised my brow at her, and she blessed me with another one of her laughs.

"Yes, I am."

"And you are the strongest."

She quickly looked away from me, a small blush was rising on her cheeks. Jesus, she is lovely. "It doesn't work like that."

"Don't lie Ianthe," I sang as I laughed at her open discomfort. "You are the one with the most abilities, the others have one each, you have three. And age gives you power, which must make you the strongest."

"I suppose it does," she reluctantly agreed. Yes, she was the strongest. And I was doing well with having her at my side. It got to me then, that I wanted her at my side. Not because I needed her, I just…wanted her company. "But I am not the one with power," she said and turned back to me with a smile.

"You're funny."

"I have been known to be."

I was the one with the most power. It made me want to laugh out loud. Yes, I had power over them. But I had none when it came to Ares, none of the power I needed where I needed it the most. "So, let me get this straight." I cleared my throat and tried to think pass from the fog in my mind. "Ares is the strongest, and then Achilles, Heracles, Apollo, Hermes, Manes and Arcas?" She simply nodded. That's why Ares was the head of the family, yes, yes, yes. "So, would that mean that you would have to obey Achilles bride if he had one? And it would mean that the other brides have to follow your orders."

"Precisely," she answered with a laugh.

"Why doesn't he have one?" I had wondered that for a long time. Achilles was the oldest of them, it was odd that he had none. "I mean, he must have met some of his brides? Why didn't he turn them?" He surely must have had one.

Ianthe took a deep breath and contemplated telling me the truth or not, I could see it in her eyes. "He had a bride once, that he didn't turn." I wasn't sure if she was going to continue with her story or not. Ianthe took another deep breath that told me that she would tell me, even though she didn't really want to. "This is his story to tell kúpia, and yes, you are right, I do not want to be the one to tell it. I will, you are my kúpia," she added before I had a chance to say anything.

"Stop calling me that. I've told you countless of times to call me Lys."

"I will, in time, kúpia." I wanted to throttle her. "Do you know of the queen Penthesilea?"

I recognized the name and nodded before I could place it. "The amazon queen," I said when I finally remembered her, "that was his bride?"

She nodded, "the very same." She shook her head again. "They fought, and he didn't realize who she was until it was too late. He killed her that day and then swore that he would never turn a bride."

"That is a lie."

Ianthe frowned as she looked at me. "Why would you say that?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I don't think that he didn't kill her. Even history says he did, and that he regretted it. What I don't believe is that her death would hinder him from turning another bride."

"I don't know kúpia."

"It doesn't matter. What about their mother?"

"You know I cannot tell you about her. Not without feeling Zeus or Ares wrath." Their mother was a mystery I wanted to solve. She had to be alive, since Zeus was still drawing breath. Maybe they were estranged? I couldn't even imagine being stuck to Ares for more than a year. It sounded like the most logical explanation. But why would that make them all so secretive about her?

"You must keep quiet then," I decided. There was countless of things I wanted to ask her, that I knew she wasn't allowed to tell me. "Did you–" I began but didn't know what to say. I wasn't even sure if she was allowed to answer.

"Did I what, kúpia?"

I took another deep breath before I dared ask her about something that had bothered me the whole night. Or, ever since I found out about another one of Ianthes abilities. "Did you see me, before we met?"

She nodded slowly, like she already knew what my next question would be.

"Did you lead him to me?" I had already promised that I wouldn't hurt Ianthe, I had given my word. But God damn, it would be hard not to if the next word coming out of her mouth was 'yes'.

"No. I saw glimpses of you, many times before I saw you. But I never saw where you were, I only saw you, I never knew where your events occurred."

"What did you see?" I still remembered what she'd told me earlier tonight. That she already knew my heart. And I wondered how she could know it when there was a big chance I didn't know it myself.

"I saw you the first time when you were a babe. Your eyes were already violet then." Which was true, my eyes had always been violet, just like my mother's. "I kept on seeing you, I caught rare glimpses of you as a child. But never anything more." She squinted her eyes in confusion, like she still wanted to understand why she had seen me for all of these years. "And then I saw you again, but you were much older and you were hurt." She said and placed her fingers against the scar on my ribs. I was searching her eyes for any falsehood, anything that would indicate that she was lying. I felt so relieved that my whole body relaxed when I didn't find any trace of a lie. "I saw you when you were being tortured." Her throat bobbed, it looked like she forced the words out. Like they hurt her as much as the torture had hurt me. "And I was sure that you were going to die after that. There was so much blood, and your injuries…I can't understand how you survived that." Well, neither did I, but here I fucking was. What didn't kill me only crippled me. "The worst thing was that I didn't know why I saw you, I only knew that you were haunting me. And I knew that I couldn't help you, I could only watch in silence as he –" As he cut me up. As he turned my insides out and laughed while he did it. Yes, haunting seemed like a good description. It seemed like she'd only seen me when I was in pain. "And then," she said and gave me a smile that softened her whole face. "I saw you smile after the first time you kissed Kevin." My lips almost trembled when her fingers rested against them. "I saw you before Ares took you. That vision was different, I had only ever seen you before – but I saw Ares then, clear as day. And I knew that he would take you."

"What did you see?" I asked against her fingers that were still resting against my lips.

"You will see, soon enough."

"Meaning you can't tell me?" She nodded, although I could see that she wanted to tell me. There was a lot that Ianthe wanted to tell me, that she wasn't allowed to.

"That's why you said that you already know my heart."

She nodded, a slow and serious movement. "I have seen you your whole life. I know what you are. And you never need to hide anything from me."

I hadn't even known how much I had wanted to hear those words. I had never even understood that I had longed for anyone to tell me that. I had needed to hear those words from someone. No one had ever told me that. Not my father, my father had always been a bit fearful of my…abilities, of my lack of conscious. My sisters had always accepted me, but had always been frightened of me when they saw what I could do. Kevin had tried his best to undertake me, and still flinched away from the darkest parts of me. I couldn't fault him for that, my bad episodes were a dark and cruel thing. Crueler than he could handle, more than he could bare, more than he should to be honest.

"Thank you," I murmured and squeezed her hand in gratitude.

"I must advice you to be careful in the coming days," her voice was strong but the way she said it was almost painfully faint.

"I will take your advice to heart. But you must know what I'm intending to do by now."

She slowly nodded. "I am well aware." We both turned to our separate windows, I didn't need to say anything, I already knew that Ianthe would break the silence. "Just know that Ares isn't the monster you think he is."

Now that made me laugh in earnest. "I don't believe that he is a monster. What I do think is that he is a creature with too much power and arrogance." And that was true, I couldn't say with a hand over my heart that Ares was evil. If he was evil, then so was I. I was well aware of the fact that Ares had treated me far better than you usually did with a slave. Plaything was the term they used, but slave was the same thing in their eyes. "Ares is not the worst man I have met, far from it. With that being said, do I think that he is a good man? No, not even close. Do I think that there is something good in him? Possibly, but I do not think that I will ever find it. Because I will never look for it, I am not interested in his good sides Ianthe."

"You might want to reconsider. He will keep you, he will not do as you wish. Ares might be many things, but he is patient, no matter what he says." I'd never seen his patience, but Ianthe had lived with Ares for thousands of years, she knew him far better than I did. "It would be much easier for the both of you if you started working together instead of against each other."

"You might want to say that to him." I said, like a sullen little child. It was true, I didn't want to get along with Ares, not really. I simply didn't want to like the life he was offering me. Why, one might ask, because I was afraid that I would grow comfortable with it, that I would like it even. One could argue, but the truth was that I could see myself fitting in with the rest of them quite easy.

Ares would be the hardest to get along with, men like him usually were. I already liked Heracles, Achilles and Ianthe. I might even stretch so far as to say that I liked Zeus too. Apollo and Hermes didn't seem like they would be hard to get along with either. Manes and Arcas was another thing.

I would therefore make my stay as inconvenient as possible. They didn't deserve me like they wanted me to be. They didn't deserve to go to sleep without wondering what kind of trouble I would stir up while they were resting. They simply didn't deserve the peace they thought they were entitled too.

Now, I wasn't foolish enough to believe that they'd never hurt anyone before me and my sisters. Quite the contrary, what they had done to us was probably a mild thing on their scale. I even had do admit that this was nothing compared to the things I had done in my little black book. The problem was that I didn't give a shit about the others they had hurt. I cared that they'd hurt Chrystal, I cared that they'd killed Joan. And I fucking cared about my wounded pride, I cared that Ares had simply taken me for his own reasons, just like that.

Your pride will be the death of you.

I had to close my eyes when my father's words crept up on me again. I never wanted to admit it, but he was right god damn it. My pride was preventing me from accepting my current situation, it was preventing me from making the best of it. My pride and my need for vengeance would kill me in the end, I was sure of that.

Ares had told me several times that no one would come for me. He was wrong, of course. My father would turn the world upside down to get me back again. My father had always done everything he could for me. He'd been my only parent, but always tried to fill both shoes at the same time. He would never rest before he knew what happened to me.

And he will die trying to find you.

I inhaled a deep breath. Ares wouldn't stop himself from killing my father when he came looking for me. It doesn't matter. Doesn't matter. Stop thinking.

"He's been treating you better than a bride kúpia." Had he? I found that very hard to believe. Especially after seeing how Heracles treated Ianthe.

"Only when the rest of you are around. Do you think that he speaks so softly and nicely to me when it's only the two of us?" I sneered as I laughed.

"I don't," she said quietly, "but I don't think that you speak as nice and softly to him either."

A drunken laugh bubbled out of me. "Touché."

"Ares is a complex creature," she began with a deep breath. My heart started to pound, would she give up the information I wanted? Probably not, but one could hope. "He is the most powerful male to ever walk this earth, which is not a small feat. How do you think most people treat him?"

Hearing that Ares was the strongest male to ever exist sent little shockwaves throughout my system. I had always known that Ares was a powerful being, there was no denying that, but this was another thing. I had at least thought that Zeus thumped his sons power, or that something out there could challenge Ares if the occasion ever rose. Does this mean that his power can even rival a God? Probably. That thought was upsetting, I had to admit. There had been days where I had done nothing but simply study Ares to try to find out exactly what the hell he was. The answer had been right in front of me the whole time, even though I hadn't wanted to admit it – I had no fucking idea what Ares was. He was something I simply couldn't wrap my head around. He wasn't a God, although he seemed to harness as much power as them. He wasn't a man, so I couldn't treat him the way I was used to – the way I'd been taught too. I still had problems with trying to read his moods, his reactions. He was predictable with so many things and yet unpredictable where I needed it the least. All I knew was that I was, for the second time in my life, not in control. I wasn't the one calling the shots and that didn't sit well with me. I, was just like Ares, used to being treated with respect, I was used to people turning to me to receive their orders. Ares would be my biggest challenge in life, I was dead sure of that. I was also dead sure of him being my last challenge in life. I was aiming for it. Although, after hearing Ianthe speak about him in such matter, even I had to admit that ending my life might prove to be harder than I thought.

Yes, Ares wanted me for more than my body. None of us believed otherwise and I didn't even for a second believe that Ares would deny it if anyone asked him. He wanted more, what more meant was a different kind of question I was trying to figure out. Ares didn't seem like a male that wanted love. I couldn't even try to imagine him caring about someone, let alone love another individual besides himself. What did that leave me with? A lot of questions still left unanswered. He wanted my affection, I didn't doubt it, but I didn't delude myself into thinking he wanted my love. He knew by now that he would never receive it to begin with. Although I think he would have been uncomfortable with love, he seemed to shy away from feelings that even resembled it. Ares had no problems with intimacy, no one could say that. But body to body was one of the simplest things in this world. Anybody could fuck, some were better at it, some were…unluckier – I had already established that Ares was good at it. Which made sense, I would have been mighty disappointed had he not mastered the arts of fucking, he was an old man after all.

I refused to answer Ianthes question, simply because it was too close to my own reality. I already knew how most people would treat a man like Ares. "Yes kúpia, he is used to being treated with the upmost respect wherever he goes," she filled in when I stayed silent. Ianthe didn't need to read my mind to know what I was thinking.

"He wants something from me that I never can give." The silence stretched while I tried to form the right words in my mind. "Ares wants my blind loyalty. And, I know, even if he would never admit to it himself; that he wants my affection too." Ianthe didn't seem surprised at all, quite the contrary. I might have figured it out a couple of days ago but Ianthe looked like she had known for a long time. "I think that he took me because he was starting to get lonely. I think that he grew tired of watching all of his brothers and their brides together, without his own mate. But I don't think he wants love. I think he wants a companion of a sort."

"I think you may be right." Well of course I was right. I had studied behavior for as long as I could remember. Although I had to admit that Ares was very hard to analyze, it wasn't impossible. "He grew more and more restless. And neither of us could understand why. He had everything he could ask for, he had everything he had always had. Except a companion." Yes, I knew that I was the first female he had presented to his family. That didn't mean that I was the first one ever, it came as a small shock to hear that I was. He must have had someone for longer than a night before? I simply refused to believe that I was his first female ever. The thought alone was ludicrous.

"He should have chosen someone that wanted to be with him then. Not someone who finds the idea of him repulsive."

"Repulsive?" She even laughed as she said it. "Do you not enjoy being with him?" her tone was light, cheery even. I stared at her with a raised brow, she kept smiling back, while trying to look as innocent as she possibly could. She does remind me of my Joan.

"You can enjoy sex with a person you find repulsive. It has nothing to do with his dick or body. It is simply the way he acts, the way he thinks that makes me want to clog him."

A great breath escaped her, followed by a soft sigh. "The two of you are very alike." It came as a slap in the face, and I must have shown it. Ianthe shook her head with a small secretive smile. "You are not stupid." Thank you for noticing. "Do you honestly think Ares would have taken you had he not known that you were his match?"

His match? That was fucking evil. I knew that I wasn't Gods best child. But his match?

Lord have mercy on me.

That was just savage.

"That's bullshit. He took me because he wanted me. Because men like Ares relish being in control and because he found the idea of my suffering appealing."

"You are young. You will understand what I am saying when you are older." I almost chocked her on the spot, but quickly remembered my promise to Heracles. "You have given him what he wants. Do not be surprised if he gives you what you want."

What I wanted? "That's not possible."

"And why is that?"

"Because I want Kevin. I want children with Kevin. I want a house in the middle of nowhere where I can raise our kids and grandchildren in peace without having to look over my shoulder." I took a deep breath as my heart settled. I felt it twist violently when I talked about Kevin, when I talked about what should have been. "I want a life where I no longer have to fight every day of my life," I finally admitted. "I love my job," I said and meant it. Maybe that said more about me then I would have liked, but I did love my job. "But I always wanted another life for me, for my Kevin and our children."

"Then why is this quiet?" she asked and placed her hand against the necklace and my chest. "If that is what you truly want, this would lead you to it."

"Because there is no way for it to lead me," I answered and suddenly felt tired to the bone. I had asked Achilles the same question; why is it quiet? His answer had almost frozen me to the spot, I'd kept going, like I always did. But the truth of his words had been a blow I hadn't counted on. The reality of my beloved fiancée was still circling me, haunting me. "Kevin is dead, I can never get him, no matter how much I want him. Or this," I said and grabbed the necklace in my hand, "would have spoken to me. I will never have children; my body is broken beyond repair." I couldn't help how bitter I sounded as I said it out loud. Because I felt robbed of something I never had but always wanted. But, maybe I didn't deserve children. It could have been that simple. I had killed countless of other people's children, whether they were young or old, I had killed them. It could have been the fates hand that had guided the psychopath, or the Gods. All I knew was that my fertility had been violently stolen from me. It wouldn't surprise me if this was a punishment from the Gods, if they suddenly felt I needed to pay for the crimes I had committed since they were too gruesome to wait until I died.

It was wrong of me to think that this was unfair. Especially if you compared it to the pain I had brought to others. It was actually fair, me never getting to experience the joy of children. It didn't stop me from feeling hollow. It didn't stop me from feeling like a failure. Form feeling like I couldn't even do the most basic drive in humans – reproducing and spreading your genes.

My father had asked me many times what I'd do if I ever became pregnant. And I had answered, without hesitation, that I would leave my old life behind. I would walk away and never look back. The urge for children had always been so strong in me that I would have given away everything for it. I had wanted lots of children with Kevin, that had never been a lie. But that had never been possible for us. I had been maimed from the start of us. I hadn't been ready to show him just what he'd rescued me from. Kevin had never seen those scars, even though he knew they were there. My wonderful and loving Kevin had never understood just how deep those scars were, or how far they went.

"Do you feel cheated?" I asked Ianthe. She couldn't bear children either. She never would. Did she feel the same empty feeling inside? Did she feel that her life with Heracles was worth it after all?

"No kúpia. I choose Heracles and knew the consequences beforehand. I knew that my womb would stay like this forever, I knew that his and my reunion would never bear fruit." I could tell that it saddened her, even though she had been prepared for it. There was no mistaking the slight pain in her voice, or the small tremble she was trying to hide. "I will not lie. The thought saddens me. I would have wanted nothing more than to raise a child of Heracles. But I wouldn't trade our lives for a child," she said and slowly shook her head. "I love my husband and he loves me, we do not need a child, even though we would have wanted one. We have each other for eternity, and it is enough to be grateful for, most people don't get that."

I guess they were lucky, in that regard. Having the one you love for eternity didn't sound bad to my ears. Fuck it. I hadn't asked for eternity. All I had asked for had been a life with Kevin. I had accepted his proposal with that in mind. I had always said, even as a little girl, that I would never divorce if I ever married. And I had stayed true to that in my mind. I had weighed the options, the pros and cons against each other before I said yes to Kevin. I had gone through every possible scenario in my head, the good and the bad, before I gave myself to him. Before I tied myself to the man I wanted and had thought I would spend the rest of my life with.

To finally know that the necklace was silent because that man no longer existed was more than I could take. It was more than I deserved. It had almost broken me on the spot, when Achilles had told me that my heart desired nothing at the moment. Because it could only mean that the necklace couldn't lead me to Kevin. It couldn't reunite us. I had always thought, in the back of my mind, that Kevin was still alive. I had prepared for the worst but still hope for the best. But this, this was simply cruel in words I couldn't describe. And not being able to break down, not being able to mourn the person I loved was even worse.

The Gods, the fates or whatever the hell that had taken the possibility of children from me could go and fuck themselves. I had paid my price, I had lost what I wanted the most. And they still took Kevin from me. I knew their mythology well enough to know that the ones the Gods punished rarely lost one thing, they usually lost everything. A chuckle escaped before I could stop it. Yep, you fucking had to take it all you miserable sons of bitches. They had taken my future children, they had taken my Kevin, they had taken my Joan, they had taken my Chrystal. I had my father and Chrystal left alive, but I would never see them again.

You've taken my freedom too. I didn't even know who I was blaming, or if I was truly blaming anyone. Or if I had simply started the spiral down to one of my bad episodes. They usually begun like this not that I thought about it.

"Kúpia," Ianthe said and raised me from my own thoughts. I met her eyes, they were as violet as mine. "Ares will give you a child if that is what you want." Now that was almost enough for me to slap her.

His child? His fucking child? I would sooner drown that hideous thing than care for it. I would rather stomp his child to death than nurse it like my own. I would rather cut its throat and drink its blood before touching it.

Oh yes. I knew that Ares was the only one of his brothers that could father a child. No one had told me that straight out, but it only seemed logic. Zeus and his mate had been able to conceive children, Ares and his mate had to be able too. But I didn't plan on being alive when his mate finally decided to turn up. I managed to still the anger that had bubbled to the surface.

I was nothing but practice for Ares until he found his fucking mate. She would get the better of him, I was sure of that. Ares would learn some things from having me. He would learn how to treat her, or he would learn to treat her better than me. That made me angry on a whole new level, why was a question I didn't know the answer too. Maybe I wanted Ares and his mate to suffer, or maybe I just wanted to know that his next woman would suffer too. I had no idea but it felt unfair – there was that fucking word again; unfair. I have to stop with that shit. The world isn't fair – you should know that by now.

I shallowed it down and put a lid on it, like I always did. No reason in thinking about it. I would be long gone by the time he found his precious mate. "I don't want his child. I want my own child. I want to look into the eyes of my babe and see the same violet eyes." I didn't add that I would probably smash any child of Ares into a concrete wall, that didn't seem fitting somehow.

"Show him something more than your hate and disdain and he will give you the world."

"No thank you."

"All you have to do is try."

"I'd rather spike my tongue to the hood of the car."

"That is your own choice, kúpia." Well, didn't I know that? "I just think you should consider – "

I turned to her with a hiss on my lips, I couldn't help it. "I don't think you understand what I'm saying Ianthe." I wanted her to shut the hell up, this topic was not discussable. This was me shutting her down, once and for all.

"I hear you well enough kúpia," her voice was icy but leveled.

"It doesn't seem that way since you keep insisting."

"I am not insisting, I am simply trying to advice you."

"I think I'll manage without it."

Our eyes were locked in each other. I could see the power struggle reflect in hers. She couldn't disobey me, I had quickly found that out. But I could see, clear as day, that there was a lot more Ianthe wanted to say. I didn't know if her interest lay with me and my well-being or if she was simply looking out for Ares and his brothers. The latter seemed more likely, and I was not dumb enough to hope that she worried about me. Especially not when you placed me and Heracles on either side of a tipping point. Ianthe was Heracles world, anyone could see that. But he was everything to her too, that was a truth that was written in both of their faces whenever they looked at each other.

She slowly nodded, with a guarded expression I'd never seen before. "Then so be –"

The car came to an abrupt stop, and both me and Ianthe were hurled forward. There was no warning, nothing. The car simply died and stopped moving. We both managed to catch ourselves before we crashed into the seats before us. Both of my hands were planted on the seat in front of me. One of Ianthe's hands were on the seat in front of her, her other arm reached over to me, and rested above my chest. I swallowed and both of us shared a knowing look. This was something out of the ordinary.

Ianthe breathed through her nose and turned her head towards the driver. "He's dead." I could see the driver's seat when I sat leaned forward, like I did now. And I didn't need Ianthe to tell me he was dead. He wasn't breathing, and his neck was set in an angle I was all too familiar with.

"How long until sunrise?"

Ianthe was scanning the road, but there was no immediate threat. There was actually no one to be seen on the road that lead to the Galanis house. No one except us. Her eyes were still darting all over the place, and it took her a while before she answered me. "An hour, give or take."

Dawn was fast approaching. I could see Ianthe swallow when she finally took in the bleeding sky – it was a red dawn. The sun was beginning to climb the heavens and I could see genuine concern and fear in Ianthe's lovely face.

"Call Heracles," I said as I stared in front of me. I wanted to say that I was observing, but that would be lying.

The road was cast in a fuchsia colored light that was almost annoying to the eyes. But there was more than that. It was shining too bright to be a natural light, it was too pretty to be something from this earth. And there was something on the road, something taking shape. Or had it been there all the time?

A man was standing a few feet in front of the car. I couldn't see his face, but I looked like his hair was…shining? Burning? It looked like hundreds of fireflies adorned his head, or was it a crown? I had no idea who this man was. But I knew one thing for certain.

"No," Ianthe whispered as she followed my gaze. I didn't need to see the man's face, I didn't need to hear his voice or feel his power.

This was no ordinary man.

"Kúpia," there was genuine fear in Ianthe's voice now. Her hand was placed above mine. I hadn't even realized that I was reaching for the handle.

I caught a glimpse of his eyes, even though he was too far away from me to see anything. Cold diamond eyes settled on my form, and I know without seeing him that he was smiling at me. The weight of his gaze felt like a hand wrapped around my throat. My throat bobbed when the invisible hand traveled down and caressed my collarbones. My breath hitched on its own accord, I could feel his breath on my neck. I could hear him murmur words I couldn't understand.

"Kúpia!" Ianthe said more forcefully when I couldn't draw my gaze away from the man in front of me.

Yes. This was without question not a man.

The creature before me…I felt the truth of his presence in my bones.

This was a God.


Thank you for your kind reviews – although I must ask the guests to write a name of some sort to simplify things for me.

You're making it hard to keep you separate.

With that said, I'm off to Greece – I'll keep in touch.