three

- emma -

I didn't see our end coming.

I probably should have. But everything was so perfect now, he was so perfect, everything was falling into place and I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so happy for so long. I knew, rationally, that it was going to end eventually — that seemed to be a given, considering he was immortal and I decidedly was not — but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. I didn't expect it to happen the way it did. How could I have?

January 22nd, 2018

"Blow off work today, stellina. Stay with me." Ares pressed a long, gentle kiss on the crown of my head.

"I wish," I said, nuzzling my face into his chest. I was nestled in his arms, delaying the inevitable moment when I had to get out of bed and go into the cold dark winter morning. "But Adrienne will have my head if I don't show up. She asked me specifically to prepare that heritage expertise presentation."

"I could have her ask someone else," he murmured, "whisper a little idea in her ear."

"You know I don't want you to do that." He'd offered me shortcuts so many times — a pay raise here, a great team there, a get-out-of-jail-free card when I'd messed something up — but I'd never accepted any of it. I wanted to achieve my professional milestones by myself, not through a god's influence in my favor. And besides, I really wanted to do this particular project. I'd felt honored and acknowledged when Adrienne, my manager, had asked me to join.

Ares sighed, but I felt his smile without seeing it. "And I admire you for it. Come on then, bite the bullet, time to get up."

"It's so cold," I lamented, but twisted to face him with a grin.

"Okay," he conceded, "One more minute."

He kissed me softly, then pulled back and ran his thumb over my bottom lip before slowly sliding his fingertips along my cheek and into my hair. "One more minute," he repeated as we looked deeply into each other's eyes.

"One more minute," I murmured. I caught my lower lip between my teeth.

But we both already knew it wouldn't be just one minute. We waited a beat — and then neither of us could wait anymore. Ares pulled me towards him, placed his other hand on my hip and adjusted his own balance to switch places with me and come out on top.

I threw my head back as he made his way from my lips to my neck, to my shoulder, my collarbone, lingering at the space between my breasts, the insides of my thighs — he devoured me, and then we devoured each other, with an urgency as if there were no tomorrow.

For a little while afterwards, I couldn't open my eyes; I could only draw lazy figure-eights with my fingers on the skin of his back while he caught his breath on top of me, his knees and elbows pressing into the mattress so as not to crush me under his weight. It wasn't until he pushed himself up on his hands and smooched me blithely on the cheek that my eyelids fluttered open, and I smiled with satisfaction and sweet exhaustion.

"Well, now you're late for work," he smirked. I heard water start to fall and knew he'd magically turned on the shower to heat it up. He let himself fall back onto the pillows next to me and took my hand.

"Yeah." I sighed. "Care to provide me with a solid excuse?"

His eyes twinkled. "The dog ate your homework?"

"Pfft. As if Ace would do that."

"I could go and start a traffic jam while you get dressed." He lifted our intertwined hands to gently kiss the back of mine, before taking me into his light and delivering me straight into the warm water.

I playfully swatted his shoulder. "No, Ares, don't you remember what happened the last time you did that?"

"The pigs were not my fault!" he protested. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as he watched me shower.

"Of course they were!" I said, laughing.

"Let's agree to disagree. Car broke down?" he suggested.

"I don't have a car." I spun to let the water reach the front of my body, then turned back to face Ares. If only I could stay in this hot shower forever… I dreaded the cold air that was awaiting me outside.

"Your boyfriend does." Ah, boyfriend. I would never tire of that word. "I'm happy to drive you down and pull off a fender for show."

"I'll just text Adrienne I'm running late. What are your plans for today?" I stepped aside so Ares could take my place, wrung out my wet hair, and took the towel he proffered.

He let the hot water run over his face for a few seconds before answering. "I was thinking of visiting Apollo in Los Angeles. But something's brewing in Burundi, so…"

I nodded as I dried off my body. I'd already stopped imagining what came after such a 'so…' whenever he said things like this. It wasn't that I was scared to think about it — I really wasn't, not anymore — but that didn't mean I enjoyed it and also… I still couldn't really imagine what any of it was like.

Ares knew that, though, and he only elaborated if I specifically asked him to. "I might have to stay there for a night or two, maybe longer, judging from what Enyo told me," he said cautiously.

I looked at him via the mirror while brushing my hair. "Oh, okay."

He turned off the shower and took his towel from its rack. "But I'll call to let you know, okay?"

"Sure." I turned around, gave him a quick kiss, and went out of the bathroom to get dressed and prepare for my day, before he would drop me off at work.

"Thanks for the dream, by the way," I said once my feet hit the solid pavement around the corner from my office. "I had fun."

"You're welcome." But his grin was not so much cheeky as it was a dreamy one — his eyes looked like they were seeing something more than just me standing in front of him. He didn't let go of my hand but instead lifted his other to softly push my still slightly wet hair behind my ear, his gaze never leaving mine.

I cocked my head, one corner of my lip pulling up in a lopsided smile. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just… you amaze me, Emma." He smiled with utter contentment, then kissed me tenderly. "Have a good day."

Ares called me when I was packing up my stuff for the day at my desk. "Hey, Emms. How was the presentation?"

"Oh, it was only prep work today," I answered. "The presentation's in two weeks. How was your day?" I closed my bag, waved at the only other colleague that was still there, and walked away.

I could hear the answer to that question in the background if I listened closely: an explosion, yelling, even metal clashing. "Eh, not bad," Ares said, "but I'm going to have to stay here tonight. Will you be alright?"

"Of course." I pushed a door open and walked through the short hallway that led to the exit.

"Okay, great," he said. "If you can't reach me, Hermes—"

"Hermes will help me, and if I can't reach him either, I can call Apollo. I know, babe."

"Sorry. I just hate leaving you alone like this." A gunshot sounded in the distance on his end of the line. I didn't think I would ever get used to having phone calls with this background soundtrack.

Once outside, I inhaled the fresh winter air and pulled my coat closer around me. The sun had set a while ago and there was a thin layer of snow on the ground. "I'm a grown woman of nearly twenty-seven years old and I can take care of myself, Ares," I said, though I wasn't feeling nearly as scornful as I sounded. I just wanted to make a point.

"I'll refrain from commenting on your tender age," he laughed, "but I've been meaning to ask. What do you want to do for your birthday?"

"Mmm... You did say you wanted to take me to — oh, shit!"

"Emma? Are you o—" I didn't hear what Ares said after I dropped my phone.

I was nearly blinded by the lights of a car that skidded towards me on the frosty road — and I wanted to sprint away but something nailed me to the ground, like I was a deer caught in literal headlights. The screeching brakes of the car were deafening in the snow-quiet evening and I knew I should run, I knew I should get the hell away from the road and to the sidewalk, but I couldn't and the car came closer and closer — and then a quick piercing pain went through my hip, I felt a pair of strong arms grip me suddenly, and the snowy street faded away into a golden light.

"Ow," I muttered when my feet hit solid ground. My knees buckled with the ache in my hips but I found my balance, and I staggered towards a set of marble stairs so I could grip their handrail.

I blinked and looked around. All around me was cool white marble. Marble walls, marble floor; marble stairs on either side, joining at a landing halfway up and continuing as one; even two marble benches on opposing sides of the room. It looked like a hall of some sort, a hall in a large mansion — but I'd seen all of Ares's houses by now, hadn't I? The palazzo in Florence had a large hall that was pretty similar to this one, but I was sure we weren't there right now, if only because of the balmy air: Florence wasn't this warm in January. I started to take off my coat, but my face contorted with pain and I quickly stopped.

"Emma, are you okay? Did the car hit you?" With an alarmed look on his face, Ares rapidly ran his hands over my hips and thighs with an uncharacteristically delicate touch.

"I'm fine," I groaned. "Can you take me home? I think I need to lie down." My hip hurt intensely, but I could still move — if very painfully — so it was probably fine. Just a bruise. A really bad bruise, one that would definitely get purple and nasty, but just a bruise. No need for him to get all panicked.

"Like hell you're going home," he uttered. He placed his hands on my cheeks and looked deeply into my eyes as if testing my eyesight. "Do you have a headache? Nausea? Brain fog? Are you dizzy? Tired?"

"No, honestly, Ares, I'm fine—" I started to say, but he wouldn't let me finish my sentence.

"No, Emms, you're mortal, you can't know that for certain," he said, talking restlessly over my protests, "and as long as you're mortal I will have the best doctor that Olympus can provide make damn sure that your entire body is okay."

That shut me up. I stared at him with wide eyes, unsure how to respond. Did he just say as long as you are mortal? What the hell was that supposed to mean? But I didn't think he realized what he'd said in his anxious haze, and I wasn't about to confront him about it — especially not with that hip that was really starting to hurt more than I liked to admit.

But… Olympus? I took another look around. Was this Olympus? Was I actually standing (well, leaning) in the home of the gods? I had no idea in the slightest what I would have expected Olympus to be like, but not that it would be this quiet. Moonlight streamed in through the tall windows of this marble hall, but other than that the building appeared darkened and deserted. Through the doors across from the entrance I glimpsed a courtyard lush with various trees and plants that I didn't think could technically coexist within one climate zone, and I heard birds, cicadas, frogs — but that lavish, radiant garden contrasted startlingly with the lifeless stone of the hall.

"Where, um…" I cleared my throat, and winced, but tried to hide it. "What is this place?"

"We're at my palace. I'll take you upstairs," Ares said, and motioned to pick me up and carry me in his arms. I put my hand on his chest to stop him.

"I can walk," I said, and turned my glance away from the garden and to the stairs. Its steps were perfectly straight and smooth, as if no one had touched it before, no one had worn the marble away. But despite my assertion that I was perfectly capable of walking, I didn't lift my foot. If I didn't move, if I just stayed like this, the pain was bearable.

He didn't bother arguing and instead simply grabbed my hand to teleport me upstairs; the next moment, he was carefully laying me down on an enormous wooden bed. The room we were now in was spacious and cozy, with its dark hardwood flooring, large Persian carpet and paintings here and there. A fire was already blazing in a hearth, casting the room in a warm light. It was so different from the marble hall downstairs that it was hard to believe we were in the same house. No. Palace.

Once he had changed me out of my winter outfit and into a silky nightgown with a flick of his hand, fluffed every pillow twice and asked me how I was feeling four times, and once he was content that I was relatively comfortable, Ares snapped his fingers impatiently. Within seconds a polite cough sounded from the doorway, and Ares looked up. "Caios." His voice sounded different from what I was used to… stiffer, less informal. Authoritative.

"Sir. Apologies for my tardiness." The man in the doorway — Caios — was tall and broad-shouldered, and dressed in a cream-colored tunic cinched loosely in the waist with a leather strap. Caios bent his head reverently, his light brown curls falling to his forehead, and didn't straighten and walk into the room until Ares testily gestured for him to do so. "I was not aware you had returned."

"I haven't," Ares said, "not for long. But while we're here, I want you and Philomele to tend to Emma's every need, before she even thinks to have any."

"But I'm fine," I mumbled, but even I had to acknowledge by this point that I was absolutely not fine. My hip was killing me, I was afraid to shift my weight the slightest bit, and I felt my groin and upper thighs grow numb.

Caios's eyes drifted to me as if he hadn't noticed me lying there. He looked me over, wide-eyed, until a clearing of Ares's throat had him stand at attention.

"And get me Apollo, urgently," Ares ordered.

"Naturally, sir." Caios bent his head again and walked backwards out of the room.

Ares turned back to me. "Are you okay? Is there anything I can do for you? Are you comfortable? Wait, let me put a pillow under your knees…"

"Please don't," I groaned. I didn't think I could handle any more of Ares's agitated fidgeting with the sheets and pillows.

But he was already getting up, pacing back and forth and checking his watch. "Where is Apollo…" he muttered, and let out a stream of curse words.

As if on cue Apollo's blindingly bright light shone, and he materialized a moment later, looking more than a little irritated. "What's so urgent that you had to call me away from… oh, hi, Emma," Apollo said when he saw me, and his scowl turned into a smile, then into a frown. "You're not looking so good. What's up?"

"Hi," I said, lifting my hand and waving lamely at him. Over the past months, Apollo had seemed to overcome most of his reservations — whatever they were — towards Ares and me dating, and although we didn't see each other often, our relationship had become something resembling a sort of friendship.

"That's what I want you to find out," Ares said, and rushed to my side. "She doesn't seem to have a concussion, and I don't think she's bleeding, but I can't tell what the problem is…"

Apollo was quiet for a second or two, then said, "Stable pelvic fracture. Out of the way." He practically elbowed Ares away when the latter was a bit too reluctant to leave my side — even if only two steps away — and pulled away the covers. My legs were bare from the mid-thigh down, but there was little point in feeling self-conscious about that while any movement hurt. Apollo placed his hand on my hip.

A warmth started to flow from where he had put his hand, first returning sensation to the numb areas — and ouch, that hurt — and then seeping deeper into my bones, slowly, until the pain had dissipated.

Apollo pulled his hand back and straightened. "Feeling better?"

I carefully sat up, still a little hesitant to put weight on my hips but making an effort nonetheless, and nodded. "Yeah." Every bit of pain had faded — it was, amazingly, as if nothing had happened.

"Of course you are," he said with a self-satisfied smirk, "but stay in bed for a few more hours." He glanced over his shoulder to look at the dark sky. "Scratch that: until morning. Ares?"

Ares, who had sat down next to me and taken my hand, looked up. "Yes?"

"Can you come by my palace tomorrow? There's something I want to…" Apollo cocked his head in my direction just shy of subtly enough. "...discuss."

A meaningful silence.

"I'll be there," Ares answered earnestly.

"Wonderful. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bunch of naiads waiting for me. Good night, Emma, I'll see you later."

"Thank you!" I called out just before he disappeared. I smiled at Ares. "You know, I realize I said I wanted to go home, but this bed is crazy comfortable."

"Nothing but perfection on Mount Olympus," he laughed, though there was a definite edge of sarcasm to his voice. He leaned forward and kissed me softly. "Get some rest, stellina."

I yawned. It was getting hard not to surrender to my exhaustion from all the commotion of the day. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I have to check in quickly with Enyo and the boys," he said. "But I'll be back before you know it."

It was as if he wanted to say something more, and he looked at me the same way he had when he'd dropped me off this morning, but my eyelids were already drooping and he seemed to think better of it. After another brief kiss, this one on my cheek, he stood up and left the room, and the last thing I heard before falling asleep was the doors softly closing.