The Fury of War

by DJPet

What if Ares, the Greek God of War, quit? Like just left? For years he was hated, mocked and generally disliked by everyone save for a few people. One day, he finally snapped and left Olympus. Evil stirs in Tartarus however. A being Ares slayed long ago begins to awaken. Will he be convinced to return and face it? (Reimagines 2 tales from PJ's: Greek Gods in the first 2 chapters)

6. Evil Stirs

VI.

Evil Stirs (Enyo)

Enyo parked her motorcycle in Ares old spot. The marker looked like it was hit by a lightning bolt or an owl had done its business on it. Jerks, Enyo thought she changed Athena's marker so it now read "A-Ween-Na." She was early for that evening's meeting but figured that it would be a good idea to show up early rather than later lest she be yelled at by Zeus. She was still extremely scared that Zeus would be true to his word about holding Ares over chaos. Apollo had cast his old enemy Python in there a few months back and he had been permanently destroyed. If Ares were to be cast in there, Enyo's following rampage would be beyond legendary. Every single one of Zeus and Athena's children would be killed in the most violent way she could think of at that moment. Thaila? Dropped into a pit of spikes. Annabeth? Killed in a building collapse while Athena and that guy Percy Jackson watched. Enyo shook her head when this hypothetical rampage overtook her thoughts. There was no way it would happen. She would not let it happen to the person she loved more than anyone...platonically of course. Enyo walked into the empty hall to see her throne had been moved to Hera's side. It looked like she was sitting in between Aphrodite and Artemis. Good. She tolerated Artemis and she obviously liked Aphrodite. Hestia was standing over her fire and looked up as Enyo approached

"Hello Enyo. How goes the search for Ares?" she asked.

"Lousy. We lost him again." Enyo responded.

"Don't dredge on it too hard. He will reveal himself when he wants to be found" Hestia said cheerfully.

"It's been 6 months. SIX. He straight up told Thanatos to tell me to stop looking for him. Called me his 'punk sister.' I will drag him back here so Aph and I can slap him stupid" Enyo said bitterly, sitting down in her throne and taking out a knife to sharpen much like Ares used to do when he was bored.

"Hmm, that's new. I thought he cared very much about you." Hesita said tilting her head in confusion.

"That's what I thought. He doesn't care. Promises mean nothing to him. Only cares about himself." Enyo said, still resentfully. She was sharpening her knife rather harder than one should.

"You know that is not true Enyo. I recall when he consoled you in this very Hall after you lost your son." Hestia said. Enyo's blue eyes flashed in Hestia's direction.

"Don't." Enyo growled warningly. Hestia bowed her head in defeat and left Enyo to brood. She was right obviously. Ares cared about her very much even though he didn't show it often. Enyo's phone beeped as she had this thought and she took it out. She had gotten a text message. She did a double-take and gasped when she read who the sender was. It read "Big Brother." That was Ares's name in her phone. Enyo's godly heart began beating rapidly. After 6 months, is she about to find out where he was? Hestia looked up as Enyo had gasped.

"Something exciting?" she asked politely.

"He...he texted me. Ares," Enyo said, still staring at the screen where she and Ares were smiling at the camera dressed in Iron Maiden t-shirts, sunglasses, leather jackets and holding up the sign of horns. She would never forget that day and following weeks. Ares had took her on the World Slavery Iron Maiden tour for thier birthday back in the 1980s. Iron Maiden was one of their favorite mortal metal bands.

"Well, what does it say?" Hestia asked. She sounded just as excited as Enyo had. With trembling fingers, Enyo opened Ares's message and scowled almost immediately. Her other hand clenched in a fist. Ares's message consisted of 5 numbers and 7 letters. It read "71899-GA-Ozf-RK." A series of numbers and letters?! REALLY?! What, was he trying to dial a phone number to a place where people meet up and talk about how you break your promises to your little sister and make your girlfriend cry every 5 minutes?!

"WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN?!" Enyo yelled. "6 MONTHS OF NOTHING AND HE SENDS ME THIS GARBAGE?!" Enyo's mood didn't improve when she saw earlier messages from her brother. One of which said "New prank idea: Replace Athena's soap with dried up owl crap. You in?" Oh MAN that was a good day. She and Ares had snuck into her palace and done that, then waited outside as she bathed. They had laughed so hard when they heard her scream of revulsion. Enyo bared her teeth in a snarl as she looked at Ares's pitiful message again. She shoved her phone back in her pocket and covered her face in her hands. She expected his message to say something like "Hey sis, sorry I was a giant ass and left you to deal with my crap while I LIVED IT UP in the mortal world! I've been at *insert location here* so feel free to swing on by and punch me in my stupid promise breaking face! Give Aph my best! See ya soon!" Enyo's eyes stung when she thought of Ares's promise. Memories of her son and the ancient times began to fill her mind once again.

Enyo stood in the courtyard of Ares's fortress (located in Thrace as this was not in the modern times) holding a small bundle in her arms. She looked down at it and couldn't help but smile. In it, was a sleeping baby boy leaning against his mothers chest. Enyo had taken the form of a slave and fell in love with a Spartan man named Aristocleitus who claimed to be descended from Heracles much like her nephew Leonidas's family claimed to be. She wanted to see if it was true. It was not, but that didn't stop her from falling for the dashing young Aristocleitus. In turn he had fallen for her and they spent many romantic moments together culminating in the conception and birth of the baby in Enyo's arms. Enyo had chosen the name "Lysander" for her son. Baby Lysander squirmed in his blankets and Enyo calmed the baby with her voice

"Shh, it's ok Lysander. Mama's got you." You would think a war goddess of bloodlust and destruction wouldn't be so loving to anyone but Lysander was a special case. Enyo seemed to forget her violent tendencies when she thought of Aristocleitus, much like how Ares did when he was with Aphrodite. Speaking of Ares, he had just walked outside his fortress arm and arm with Aphrodite. He noticed Enyo standing there with a smile on her face.

"Hey sis, what's that you got there? New sword?" Ares asked. Aphrodite however squealed in delight.

"Ares! Sweetie, she's got a baby!" she said excitedly.

"E, come on. You can't just go stealing mortal babies," he said but Aphrodite playfully slapped him on the upper arm.

"Who has your sister been seeing for the past few months?" she asked him. Enyo meanwhile had been enjoying the exchange between her brother and Aphrodite. Lysander squirmed again and Enyo stroked his forehead.

"Oh boy...what was his name. Astrocleious? No that's not it," Ares said trying to think. Eventually he snapped his fingers and said triumphantly "Aristocleitus! The dude who thinks he's descended from Heracles!"

"And what happens when a male and female love each other very much?" Aphrodite asked, still visibility excited.

"They get caught in a net and laughed at by everyone on Olympus causing the dude to give up some of his best armor and weapons to his brother?" Ares asked, frowning. Again Aphrodite playfully hit him.

"Your sister had a baby dummy!" she squealed. Ares looked stunned and then angry.

"WHAT?! WHO DID IT. WHO HAD THEIR WAY WITH Y- oh right... Should I beat him up for you E?" Ares asked as Aphroditie walked over and cooed at Lysander in Enyo's arms.

"Ares, come see your nephew. His name is Lysander." Enyo said as Aphrodite smiled sweetly at him. Ares walked over and looked at the baby. His face lit up.

"Looks kinda like you sis. He'll grow up big and strong, I'm sure of it," he said.

"Want to hold him?" Enyo asked.

"Uh..well I," Ares began but Enyo carefully placed Lysander in Ares arms. Lysander's eyes opened and he looked upon the faces of his godly relatives (thankfully, none of them were in their divine forms) and his face turned into an expression of glee when he saw his mother but then he saw his uncle and began to cry. Ares's face fell but Aphrodite removed his helmet. He had facial scarring now but that didn't matter to Lysander. As soon as his uncle's scary helmet was removed, he stopped crying and smiled at him.

"Hey buddy! I'm your uncle, the God of War! Just like your mom but the catch is that I'm WAY cooler. Don't tell her though, it will be our secret." Ares said to the baby. Lysander babbled at him and reached his hands towards his mother. Enyo scooped him out of Ares's hands, rolling her eyes at his comment. Aphrodite kissed Ares on the cheek and stroked Lysander's head. The baby smiled at Aphrodite, yawned and leaned against Enyo's chest again.

"I sense admiral blood in his veins. He'll be a great sailor. Does his father know yet? I'd go tell him if I were you. We'll be here...or do we have to go to some meeting now?" Ares said. Aphrodite grimaced.

"Meeting," she said. Ares scowled in annoyance.

"Outstanding. Well, looks like I'm busy the rest of the day E. We'll talk later ok?" he said. Enyo nodded as he and Aphrodtie walked away muttering about the meeting.

Another memory of Lysander entered Enyo's mind. Lysander was now fully grown and a Spartan Admiral. Just as Ares predicted. Enyo was involved in Lysander's life. Pretty much the same amount Ares had been with his son Leonidas. Enough, but not enough to be noticeable by everyone else. Currently, Lysander stood on a hilltop overlooking the walls of Athens. The Peloponnesian War had finally ended after Lysander had mounted an attack on Athenian grainfields and totally destroyed the entire naval fleet that arrived to defend it. Athens had surrendered to him that morning. Athena was absolutely furious that the son of a sub-goddess was able to out strategize her. Enyo appeared at the base of the hill behind Lysander. She walked up behind him and nearly crushed him in a hug.

"HEY! WHAT TH- Oh, hi mom" Lysander said struggling to free himself from Enyo's grip. Enyo kissed the top of his head.

"That was AMAZING son! The way you crushed those ships! You should have SEEN Athena back on Olympus. It was hilarious." Enyo said, finally releasing Lysander. Enyo wasn't in her slave disguise but rather her Spartan armor minus her helmet. Lysander smiled.

"Well you know I had the best trainers in Sparta" he said. Enyo hugged her son again. Ares appeared on the hillside with an enormous grin on his face.

"NEPHEW! Outstanding job! You really should see Athena...hold on, is that...HOLY HADES IT IS! LOOK! Over there!" Ares said and pointed towards the city of Athens where, sure enough, Athena was standing in the streets watching as the mortals destroyed the walls. She clenched her fists in anger but her face turned into an expression of absolute hatred when she saw Enyo, Ares and Lysander standing on the hilltop looking in her direction. She mouthed curses in Ancient Greek. Enyo cupped her hand over her ear and called in Athena's direction

"Sorry? Losers say what?" she said mockingly before placing her hand on Lysander's shoulder. Ares meanwhile had doubled over in laughter as Lysander gave the order for some of his men to destroy a nearby statue of Athena. Lysander pretended to just notice Athena standing there looking outraged and put one of his hands over his mouth in a pretend gesture of surprise.

"Spartans, smash it to pieces. Leave the head. I would like to mount it on my ship as a warning to all Athenian scum. All. Athenian. Scum." Lysander said, directing the final 3 words at Athena. She went to throw her spear at him in sheer anger. Enyo stepped in front of Lysander.

"Oh no you don't Wise Ass. You DO NOT hurt my son. Aww, what happened? You mad that he outplayed you at your own game? Mad that your walls are being crushed and Sparta celebrates its victory? Are you gonna go cry to daddy now? Good. Perhaps he'll tell you to screw off too just like he did to Ares after YOU NEARLY KILLED HIM." Enyo shouted at her. Lysander looked at his mother in alarm

"What?" he said looking at Ares. Ares was currently imitating an Athenian soldier cowering in fear at Lysander's presence.

"Long story son," Enyo said. "I'll tell you later." Athena still continued to leer at all of them as the Spartans smashed her statue and carried the head to Lysander's personal ship. Ares was now making rude hand gestures toward Athena while chanting,

"LO-SER! LO-SER! LO-SER!" Lysander looked towards Enyo.

"Thanks for believing in me mom. You showed me everything I know. Taught me how to sail" Enyo kissed him on his forehead again while Ares continued to chant.

"Poseidon helped me with that. He never forgave Athens for picking Athena over him," Enyo said. Athena eventually teleported away. Presumably back to Olympus. Ares stopped chanting but still looked extremely happy and even joined in on destroying the city walls...with his bare hands. He did this while laughing gleefully and chest bumping and high fiving fellow Spartans.

"Look at my baby, all grown up and crushing his egotistical aunt at her own game" Enyo said.

"Mom...I'm an adult. I'm not a baby anymore" Lysander said as his first mate chuckled when he was called a "baby."

"To us mothers, our children will always be babies" she said smiling and brushing some hair out of Lysander's face. Ares had started singing a song about how much of a sore loser Athens/Athena was and many other Spartans had joined in excitedly.

"You'll always be there for me? Watching over me? Making sure I won't fail" Lysander asked. Enyo saw him as a young child for a split second.

"Of course son. You will never fail me."

A new wave of pain and misery had overtaken Enyo in the Hall of Gods as she remembered herself saying those words to Lysander. Again her mind shifted to another scene, this time taking place in this very Hall but back in ancient times once again. She was crying in Eris's arms while Ares stood by talking with Thanatos. Ares had told Eris about Lysander's death and how badly Enyo was dealing with it.

"There there Enyo. We're here. It's ok." Eris said, hugging Enyo tightly. Enyo continued to cry.

"I said I'd protect him. I failed" Enyo croaked. Ares looked over.

"E, this happens to the best warriors. At least he wasn't betrayed and died a true Spartan. They even gave him a warrior's funeral I believe," he said. Enyo looked over at Thanatos. Thanatos looked at Enyo.

"Enyo. You know my answer." he said. "Believe me, I would like to but Hades says no."

"Then I'll go to Hades and beg him to-" Enyo began

"Enyo. No." Eris said. "We can't just do that. That would defeat the entire point of a mortal life."

"Plus I already tried before. Not my proudest moment," Ares said. Thanatos smirked at him

"Wh-what?" Enyo said, wiping her eyes and looking at Ares.

"Oh yeah E. I begged Thanatos AND Hades to bring Leonidas back. Said it wasn't fair that he was betrayed and killed. Made a right blubbering mess of myself in front of Hades. He still likes to make fun of me for it one in a while," Ares said with a look of annoyance on his face. It was amplified when he saw Athena walk into the hall conversing with Artemis. Athena looked very smug but her face turned sour when she saw Ares, Enyo and Eris. She didn't seem to mind that Thanatos was there.

"What are you blubbering about Enyo?" Athena asked.

"Oh cut the crap Smart Ass. You know. And I am begging you to not say anything. We were just leaving" Ares said angrily noticing Enyo's eyes begin to heat up in anger. He motioned to Eris and Thanatos to leave.

"Is she crying about that battle outside the city of Haliartus?" Athena asked mockingly. Enyo's eyes blazed hotter and her fists clenched.

"Athena. Don't. Let it go for once" Thanatos said, noticing the danger too.

"I seem to recall 2 gods in this room happily gloating and throwing insults at me after the previous war where my city was defeated. How the commander had utterly defeated the Athenian naval force after a cowardly attack on their grainfields. That man is dead now isn't he?"

"Smart Ass, don't. Just don't," Ares said and helped Eris attempt to restrain Enyo.

"Answer the question Ares." Athena pestered. Artemis had noticed the danger too and had also attempted to shut Athena up.

"Shut up Athena" Ares said now positively wrestling with Enyo.

"SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MY SON AND I WILL RIP YOUR FACE OFF!" Enyo yelled, reaching around Ares towards Athena.

"Lysander is dead is he not? Shame." Athena said. Enyo broke free of Ares and Eris, ran up to Athena and punched her in the face.

"YOU. WILL. NOT. SPEAK. HIS. NAME. WHILE. IN. MY. PRESENCE. EVER. AGAIN." Enyo roared, punching Athena again and again as she said each word. Ares, Eris and Thanatos ran over and pulled Enyo off of Athena.

"You think attacking me will bring him back?! What do you expect to gain from this you sub-goddess?!" Athena said after being helped to her feet by Artemis and brandishing her spear at Ares and Enyo. Enyo was currently being held by Eris and Thanatos. Thanatos was a bit too strong for Enyo as she had unsuccessfully wrestled with his grip to get back to whaling on Athena.

"ATHENA, THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR," Thanatos yelled. Which was as rare as it was scary. It certainly shut Athena up. Enyo continued to flail and curse in Ancient Greek while Ares rounded on Athena.

"Y'know, why don't I kill one of YOUR kids and you can find out how painful loss can be Smart Ass?!" Ares said. "Come on guys, let's leave." Enyo was carried out of the hall still kicking and screaming at Athena about Lysander. Athena tried to follow them but Thanatos barred her.

"Stay RIGHT THERE Miss Olive Ass. You and I are about to have a little chat. Am I a sub-god because I'm not an Olympian? Hmm?" he growled. Thanatos stayed behind and started a heated argument with Athena. Eventually Ares took Enyo from Eris and held her like a brother would.

"E, calm down. She's not worth it. Trust me. Remember. You have me. You always will. I'm your big brother. You will ALWAYS have your big brother" he said. For the following millennia, Enyo did not have any more Greek children. She had a few in her Roman form, Bellona, but none as Enyo. Lysander's untimely death broke her entirely and she took Ares's words about always being there for her to heart. Ares continued to have demigod children that fulfilled the warrior archetype. She'd met some of them over the years. She herself couldn't handle the death of another Greek child even though a good amount of them died young. Ares told her later that Lysander lived longer than most. Leonidas had even made it to around 60 before he died. This had changed slightly when Mount Olympus became Roman and Enyo became Bellona. As Bellona, she bore many Roman children over the millennia including Reyna and Hylla but she only did this because of her importance as a Roman deity. Enyo preferred to be Greek like most of Olympus. Much like how Enyo had been there for Ares when his favorite son died, he had promised to be there for Enyo. He had been true on his word, until a day that would go down in Olympian infamy thousands of years after Lysander's death.

Enyo was pulled back to the present when Aphrodite entered the Hall. She glanced at Enyo, an expression of anger on her face. Apparently Thanatos was right. Aphrodite was angry at Enyo. That didn't stop her from talking to her as she sat down.

"So...ready for this?" Enyo asked apprehensively. Aphrodite did not respond. Enyo resorted to the other thing Thanatos told her not to do.

"I, uh, got a message from him," she said.

"From who? Your boyfriend?" Aphrodite responded bitterly.

"No. Yours." Enyo said. It took a moment for Aphrodite to register her words.

"Wh-what? WHAT?! YOU MEAN?!" she asked excitedly.

"Yes."

"WHERE IS HE?!" Aphrodite shouted. "WHERE IS HE SO I CAN HIT HIM, BUT THEN KISS HIM AND THEN HIT HIM AGAIN?!"

"See, this is where you're gonna get mad but," Enyo showed Aphrodite Ares's cryptic message, "71899-GA-Ozf-RK."

"What...I don't understand. What does that even mean?" she asked, staring at Enyo's phone. Enyo eventually saw her lips twitch into a smile as she looked at the screen. Enyo must have scrolled up to previous messages accidently. She looked at the screen and it said "Yo E. You think Aphrodite would like it if I sang some kind of love song at Olympian Karaoke Night?" to which Enyo had responded "Yeah bro! She'd love it!" The following few messages were just variations of "Where are you" and "I miss you big brother" with no responses.

"I do remember that night. Was about 2-3 weeks before Hera enacted her plan for the Prophecy of Seven. Zeus and Hepheastus weren't there so he sang one of my favorites by that band Savage Garden. It was wonderful." Aphrodite said reminiscently. Enyo also smiled. She had been on a nearby rooftop that night with Eris listening to each of them sing. Enyo then repressed a laugh when she imagined her leather clad war god of a brother singing a love song.

"Look Aph, I'm sorry he attacked you. We'll find him. If you need a few da-" Enyo began but Aphrodite cut in.

"No E. I'll go back out after tonight. It's spa night after all. I miss him just as much as you," Aphrodite said. Her own phone beeped. She took it out and screamed in delight.

"What?"

"LOOK!" Aphrodite shoved the screen of her phone under Enyo's nose. It smelled like bath salts. A message on the screen read "Just give me a bit more time ok?" and it was from someone named "Stud Muffin." Enyo's eyebrows raised.

"Stud Muffin?" Enyo asked.

"What? He is!" Aphrodite answered defensively, hugging her phone against her chest.

"So, he'll tell you an actual message but his little sister he'll just send stupid cryptic bullshit. Yeah, that's FAIR!" Enyo said bitterly. Aphrodite put her phone away and placed her hand on Enyo's arm.

"Maybe it's a code?" she said.

"Could be. I'll deal with it later when I'm less angry. So, you know, never" Enyo said. Aphrodite opened her mouth to answer but Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, Demeter, Dionysis, Poseidon and Hepheastus entered the hall. It must finally be time for the meeting. Enyo's assumption was confirmed as she saw Athena, Hera and Zeus arrive. Zeus's nose had healed as well as the cuts on Athena's arms. Athena looked annoyed when she saw how close she was sitting to Enyo (Aphrodite sat between them) but took her throne anyway. Zeus looked at Poseidon and was confused when he saw that Dionysis had been moved to his right.

"Where is-," he began, looking around for Enyo.

"Me? Over here Big Guy" Enyo responded. Zeus looked over at her, scowled in annoyance but took his seat anyway.

"Well, the first order of business is that the Athens attacks have not stopped. They've gotten worse. Fear, death, panic and a curfew in place. Almost weekly acts of destruction and mass casualties. Doctors are overwhelmed by snake venom patients and, since the former war god is known for turning people into snakes, it's gotta be his fault. He must have started the snake panic before he left. What I don't get is how it's getting worse. I dealt with him" Zeus began but was cut off by Enyo.

"What do you mean 'dealt with him'" she said loudly.

"He's dead," Zeus said matter-of-factly. The whole room became completely silent. Enyo noticed Athena hang her head in disbelief. Ares was dead? How? This wasn't possible. What also struck Enyo as weird was that Aphrodite had not violently reacted to this news.

"Care to explain that? Like to my face." Enyo said angrily.

"You think that I was going to let the boy get away with assaulting me, my wife and Athena? No. The idiot was flying his motorcycle or chariot or whatever in my domain. He saw that I was onto him and attempted to flee but didn't get far. I shot him down with a few well placed lightning bolts. I'm certain one of them stripped him of his powers much like Apollo. Didn't intend to do that but whatever. He fell out of the sky and his cycle exploded on impact. I couldn't find a body so I must have killed him. Good riddance honestly," Zeus snarled. Enyo stood up angrily but to her utter amazement, Athena cut in.

"You did what father? Why?" she asked. To Enyo's continued surprise, she even looked worried. About Ares. Her rival for millennia.

"I killed him. Because he insulted us, punched me in the face and attacked his mother and you," Zeus said.

"So you killed him? You killed my first born son?" Hera said. Yes, HERA said. Zeus looked at his wife in alarm.

"Now you care? After what he said to you?" Zeus said defiantly.

"He's still our son Zeus. You killed our son" Hera said angrily but Zeus ignored her and turned on Enyo.

"What have you got to say for his actions in Athens?" he snarled. Enyo's eyes blazed blue.

"You. SHOT DOWN. My big brother. And you have the nerve to blame me and him for what's going on in Athens?!" she growled.

"So? Just because he's DEAD doesn't mean he couldn't enact plans. It's called having accomplices," Zeus said stubbornly and stared at Enyo.

"It's also called having a functioning brain, you absolute clown. You haven't given us any proof that he's the culprit other than 'trust me guys.' And let's not forget about the new information that YOU KILLED HIM!" Enyo roared and went to charge but Aphrodite stopped her with extreme difficulty.

"Come now brother. This is getting ridiculous." Poseidon said, just as angry as Enyo. "You are always quick to blame Ares. Killing him is also inexcusable"

"DON'T SAY HIS NAME IN MY HALL!" Zeus shouted.

"FINE! You are always quick to blame him even when he has a solid alibi! There is no way, NO WAY that he is behind these attacks! Don't bring up that time where he killed my son either. I voted to acquit, remember?! You think because he turned a few people into snakes that he suddenly decided to have a bunch of them attack mortals in Athens?! Like he said 6 months ago, I can't seem to recall him attacking a city just because he's bored." Poseidon shouted back, emphasizing the last 2 words and narrowing his eyes at Zeus.

"IT DOES NOT MATTER. The point is, the attacks have not stopped even though he is dead so the only other suspect is the girl." Zeus shouted again and pointed at Enyo. Enyo's eyes blazed even hotter as she fought against Aphrodite.

"He's not dead Enyo. I saw him earlier, remember?" Aphrodite whispered in her ear. That explained why Aphrodite had no reaction to Zeus's boastful comment about Ares. Enyo had completely forgotten about Aphrodite and Thanatos's confrontation with Ares and stopped struggling. She even smirked at Zeus. Zeus noticed.

"What? Do you admit it?" he asked eagerly. "Do I get to kill you too?"

"Ares isn't dead Zeus. Thanatos and I saw him. He was in Phoenix. Keyword being 'was'" Aphrodite said smugly. The rest of the Gods seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Even Hera and Athena.

"Oh really?" Zeus said. "Hestia, show me Ares." Hestia's fire, able to show the gods images of the mortal world simply flickered and blazed on. No image appeared. Enyo continued to smirk at Zeus. Zeus looked panicky but kept addressing the fire.

"Must be using an alias again. Show me Aerimas?...Leonidas?...Agis?...CLEARCHUS?! OH COME ON!" Zeus got more and more angry at every failed attempt to get an image of Ares. Because Zeus didn't know Ares's assumed identity, the fire would not show his location. Ares must have also had the forethought to not boast about being "Ares. The God of War." like Apollo did when he was turned mortal about a year ago.

"He must actually be in Athens, going to destroy the city from the inside." he said, stroking his beard in thought.

"Father. Come now. My half brother may be hot headed and short tempered but I don't recall him ever attacking a city without reason," Artemis said.

"EXPLAIN SALMONIA THEN!" Zeus yelled.

"That...was you father" Apollo said bravely. Artemis nodded her approval at her brother. Enyo could not believe it. There were now potentially 5 people in the room that knew Ares was innocent.

"Oh...right...BUT WHAT ABOUT TROY?!" Zeus said.

"Again. That was you," Apollo said. "Plus why would he destroy the city he fought for?"

"BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE DOES!" Zeus roared as Hera nodded.

"NO HE DOESN'T!" Enyo, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Hermes, Apollo and Artemis shouted.

"Technically, that was my job," Enyo added but no one noticed.

"He and Enyo haven't done that since ancient times when all of us destroyed a city or village like once a week! You just can't wrap your thunder brained head around the fact that he just keeps to himself most of the time and is very caring to his family, especially his sister and children. UNLIKE YOU! REMEMBER WHEN YOU DESTROYED AN ENTIRE BUILDING JUST TO KILL THOSE DI ANGELO KIDS?! YOU KILLED HUNDREDS OF OTHER MORTALS IF I RECALL," Aphrodite shouted.

"OH LIKE I NEED TO BE CHASTISED BY YOU! HOW'S IT GOING WITH YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND?! STILL FOOLING AROUND WITH HIS BROTHER I SEE!" Zeus shouted back. Hepheastus coughed weakly.

"Uh father. I don't care any-" he began to say but Aphrodite drowned him out

"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM! IF YOU HAD JUST SHOWN HIM AN OUNCE OF AFFECTION LIKE ENYO AND I HAVE, HE WOULDN'T HAVE RESENTED YOU FOR MILLENNIA! I ALSO DON'T NEED THE INFIDELITY TALK FROM SOMEONE LIKE YOU!" she yelled.

"Ever think that a lot of problems are your fault Big Guy? Hmm? Please explain to the class what Ares has done other than steal Aphrodite, turned some people into snakes and fight in wars as, you know, the GOD OF WAR." Enyo said. "Go on, we're waiting."

"HE PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE!" Zeus roared.

"And you made it through that? Gee, I WONDER WHO'S GOING TO PLAY YOU IN THE MOVIE!" she shouted back. It went back and forth like this for several more minutes. Eventually Dionysis, Demeter and even Hepheastus, Hera AND Athena began to believe in Ares's innocence. Yes. Athena. The person who initially suspected Ares was now convinced that he was innocent.

"Father, listen to me. Yes, I initially thought it was my brother. It looked like his old handy work which struck me as odd so I examined it more closely and it looks like whatever or whomever is attacking the city is trying to frame him . The attacker must have wanted the former war god gone for some reason or the rest of us to turn on him. I understand he attacked you, Hera and myself. I'll be honest, he was correct in the things he had said. Many of my children died on that quest because I was resentful of being Roman. You have been just as bad and, in some cases, worse. If he is in fact alive as Aphrodite claims and he returns, I will not allow you to hold him over Chaos. Athens is not his fault. I am firm on this belief. We must find out who the real culprit is. I'll work on a plan. I'll speak with Annabeth or Malcolm," Athena said. Enyo could have hugged her. Eventually, they were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Thanatos. Enyo noticed that he looked scared which, you know, with him being the god of death was quite alarming.

"Sorry to interrupt Lord Zeus but I need to see Enyo. Like right now" he said.

"On the authority of?" Zeus demanded.

"Yes we get it, you're in charge but this is urgent. Do you mind?" Thanatos said, rolling his eyes. Enyo looked alarmed now. Aphrodite put her hand on Enyo's shoulder.

"Go ahead E. I'll fill you in on what you missed." she said. Enyo nodded in appreciation while Zeus waved his hand, dismissing her. She followed Thanatos outside. Thanatos made sure the door was closed and no one else was around. He took a deep breath.

"Enyo. The attacks" he began

"Yeah, what about 'em? You got some new info? Cause I just found out that Zeusy Boy shot Ares out of the sky. Big Guy thought he was dead for 6 months….which explains why no one interrupted us or asked us what we were doing. Jeez, I'm an IDIOT" Enyo responded..

"Well...that explains why he was so mad when we found him and kept saying 'now he knows.' Anyways, know how Eros was keeping an eye on that snake problem?" Thanatos asked.

"Yeah..."

"Look at this," Thanatos said, pulling out his tablet and showing her a message from Eros. It read

"Thanatos, I can't reach my aunt so I thought I would try you." Enyo stopped reading and took out her phone which he had put on silent after reading Ares's text. She had 3 missed calls from Eros and a new message from him. She went back to reading the message on Thanatos's tablet. "I have been keeping an eye on those snake attacks and well...they are not getting better as you might be aware. An ENTIRE hospital is filled with people who have suffered from the bites. Athens is under a strict curfew. Many are not getting better. They are dropping by the dozens. I saw the snakes too. MASSIVE vipers. Like way bigger than they should be. What's the plan? What should I do" Enyo's face fell as she read. She looked at the message from Eros. It more or less contained the same information. She looked at Thanatos in horror and her hand shot up to a spot on her collarbone where a small scar was just visible under her blue shirt.

"I told Eros to help in any way he can. He may even contact Apollo or Asclepius soon," Thanatos said. Enyo was still a bit shaken by the snake comment.

"Massive vipers?" she asked.

"Yes." Thanatos responded.

"Like from..."

"Yes"

"You don't think?"

"I do think."

"He's...he's back? But how? Why is he going so slow this time?"

"I don't know. I relayed this info to Hades who was equally confused. I'll be going to speak with him later to discuss what we can do in the meantime. The search for Ares is now a top priority. He killed him last time. It is essential that we find him Enyo. Like fast." Thanatos said.

"Right," Enyo said, trembling. There was only one being that could conjure snakes of that size and that venomous. It wasn't Polybotes. This giant was worse. MUCH worse. He was Typhon's oldest son after all.

"Wh-what should I do? Do I tell the others?" she asked Thanatos.

"That's up to you but I think you should go to Camp Half Blood first. Warn them. The attacks ramped up after Ares quit and I think he knows we're onto him now. He may target Ares's children next."