So where were we...:) Just in case you were wondering what exactly was the nature of Ares and Dite's relationship, well, let's just say that this chapter is meant to clear things up...Btw, how many X/A shippers are still out there ? :)
…And yet, despite her unchained, youthful exuberance, she was clearly exhausted. Her slightly pale skin, the faintly swollen eyelids and those barely perceivable- but very much present- dark circles around her otherwise fascinating azure eyes, were a clear enough message that it was high time she called it a day ( a rather difficult task if we consider the splitting headache that had been keeping her company for the past few hours….).
Her body literally craved for some good quality sleep, for a fair chance to recharge, especially with that disastrously long list of upcoming battles she just knew she couldn't possibly postpone, no matter what. Too much was at stake and she was well aware of it, and if that weren't enough, now she also had that sleazy bitch to be worried about!
A small sigh escaped her dry lips as she casually dropped the heavy sword on that needlessly expensive rug- eyes closed-just to greedily fill her lungs with air a moment later as if it had been a luxury she didn't really afford at all times. Only three hours left till sunrise but for some reason , to her, it felt like an eternity….In a gesture of complete abandon, way too tired to even stand, the raven beauty finally allowed herself to collapse on the bed, but not before an utterly solemn mental promise to only keep her eyes shut for a few minutes- a meaningless period of time during which her sore muscles were supposed to unwind and her central nervous system was meant to actually disconnect from the heart gripping stress of those last few nightmarish days …
As her head rested comfortably on one of the many acent pillows meant to "cheer the place up a bit" ( and yes, of course, that was all Dite's doing ) Xena unconsciously arched an eyebrow at the new string of thoughts that had slowly began to surface from the troubled sea of her mind.
She had never ever, regardless of the circumstances- identified herself with that classic, overly sensitive type of woman- men were used to seeing on a daily basis, the gullible, needy, dreamy specimen she despised so much – and yet , there she was, trampling all over her dignity and self worth- ready to admit to herself – at least silently- that, somehow, from some deep crack of her subconscious, a romantic monster- the existence of which had been an absolute mystery up to that point, had awoken from his eternal slumber- determined to throw her off balance, turning her world upside down while cunningly tempting her with sugary promises, dark roses, passionate nights and steamy kisses ….only to cruelly slap all those lovely illusions out of her head as soon as he saw her falling for them hook line and sinker.
Indeed, her childish reactions at the War God's every move were, well….almost impossible to categorize, really- an undeniable monument of stupidity, for sure. Not for all the dinars in the world was she able to understand at which moment in their intricate relationship had she begun to develop such enslaving feelings for him….She could had sworn it had been curiosity at first, a bit of self flattery even- given the fact that the God of War himself was interested in her, a mere peasant- and then, definitely without her realising it, almost overnight, curiosity turned into this crushing need to see him every day- which appeared to become more and more the perfect synonym for the irrational desire of constantly knowing that she was important to him...
And yet, what actually shocked her the most as she kept rewinding that infernal series of events into her mind, was the utter, uncharacteristic naivety with which she blindly walked straight into the trap Amytis had expertly laid for her .
"What was I thinking …..?!" she bitterly hissed through her teeth, wondering for the hundredth time what on earth had possessed her to act that foolishly and completely against her own interests. She knew better, and yet, for three days, her brain appeared to have worked completely against her.
Rubbing her forehead angrily a few times, a uselessly agitated Warrior Princess clutched the thick woolen blanket and pulled it up to her chin first, and then, as if suddenly changing her mind, over her head .
"I could as well burry myself alive …."she muttered in disgust, at her own actions, narrowing her now widely opened eyes at the next thought that rushed to take over her peace of mind….
"….He did stop though….He could have chosen not to …."she mused, a faint, coy smile caressing her sensual lips as the memory of the deeply troubled War God -staring at her as if the world itself had started to fall apart- surfaced one again, but it didn't last long, for a different memory emerged to tease her with the possibilities it presented . "….So….that scheming little bitch betrayed him….Fates know there is nothing he hates more...I wonder how that happened …" she couldn't help asking herself , just to conclude that the only valid certainty was that the War God was definitely not the type to tolerate a second betrayal…. For the third time that night, that intriguing, mysterious smile left a temporary mark on her exquisite features ….Amytis was going to pay her offense –in tears of blood .
With that idea in mind, the Warrior Princess drifted to sleep, all words and images vanishing like a thin trail of smoke into the cool autumnal air. The very following second, unseen by mortal eyes, a light blue energetic shield wrapped her up protectively, keeping all harm and evil at bay.
XXX
Seeing her raven friend abandoning herself into the welcoming arms of Morpeheus , the Love Goddess let out a bitter sigh ….After their brief conversation, she could only draw the disarming conclusion that her endless dilemmas about that "sleezy bitch witch" ( how she liked to call Amytis) were but a distant echo of her own – back in the day when Ares and her were still crazy about each other ….or at least that was what she liked to believe before he was unexpectedly snatched from her arms by that …that…homewrecking psychopath.
Despite the ruthless passing of time- eons in human years- Aphrodite could still recall every single detail of their unusual relationship …From the featherlike, innocent kisses on her forehead as they where children and the comforting embraces that always followed whenever Athena, Artemis or Apollo made fun of her, to the consuming passion of their countless nights together ….she had cautiously locked everything inside that blonde, pretty head of hers, unwilling to completely let go of what they had once shared …..
For a few hundred years, she kept looking for answers wondering what exactly had happened to extinguish that scorching flame burning between them- bright enough to attract the attention of right about everyone on Olympus, bringing upon their heads even the wrath of Zeus himself- a heartbreking scenario which ended with him mercilessly throwing the War God into the pits of Tartarus for centuries, only to forcefully marry his daughter with Hephaestus a blink later in a last attempt to break their unholy union once and for all ….
She could still remember her desperate pleas that day, mindless with grief as she saw her handsome Studmuffin chained like a dog, stripped of his godly powers, kicking and screaming like a wounded beast while he was being dragged by Cerberus itself into the bowels of the Underworld, and unconsciously, her ivory hand raised to wipe the traces of the uncontrollable tears streaming from her eyes .
Back then, she had begged on her knees for her father to forgive him...
"You have no right you Son of a Bitch ! You have no right! " she finally shouted in frustration once the "Please Daddy , please don't do this…..I love him ! Please , do it for me, I'm begging you " strategy failed to work .
" You did the same with Hera you selfish piece of shit !" she continued, literally crumbling to the ground once her brother was gone- the unbelievable force of her words paralyzing in awe the entire Greek Pantheon, just like Zeus's impulsive decision to blast her to little pieces once he raised his deadly lightening bolt above his head- in an obvious attempt to strike.
Completely defying her utterly indifferent nature, Hera did turn out to be her guardian angel in that horrific moment
"No husband, please….." she implored, throwing herself at his feet . "Give her some time….A few days …She'll come to her senses , I promise. "
"Are you seriously asking me to pardon such tremendous offense , dear wife ?"
"She's Love – she's supposed to be reckless and emotional. I'm begging you, husband. She's your daughter…"'
"No daughter of mine would ever disrespect me like this!" he barked back, anger reverberating from his every word.
"That's only because no daughter of yours ever had the nerve to tell you the truth ! "the Love Goddess hissed through clenched teeth- and for the first time since she had seen the light of day, her bright blue eyes were sparkling with boundless hate.
" Shut up already Aphrodite ! You can't help him if you're dead!" Athena unexpectedly whispered, right before she slapped her over the mouth with a force that could have fractured any mortal's jaw. " Don't you dare speak to father like that!'' she shouted instead, aware that a similar scene would partially satisfy the King of the God's thirst for blood.
''If you allow me, I have an idea father. One that would put an end to all this madness …."
For a minute or so, a deadly silence filled the room .
''Do you , now? …."Zeus answered absently, still unable to believe that his beloved Aphrodite, his favourite daughter had been capable to rebel against him like that.
''I do. And I'm certain that you will find it fitting "
''I hope so..If not, she can as well join Ares in Tartarus for all that I care !''
''Well, I've been thinking ….Maybe it's high time our little sister got married ….She's a fne young lady now, after all …..'' the Goddess of Wisdom proposed, glancing briefly towards a literally speechless Aphrodite .''
''Married ….?'' Zeus spat, barely stifling a nervous laugh . ''I do hope you're not suggesting to legalize the union between Ares and her because that is never going to happen !''
''Of course not father .''she rushed to mention .
''Well, who do you have in mind then, Athena ? Who would still want to marry this immoral, pathetic excuse of a Goddess ?''
'' I would definitely sacrifice myself to protect the honour of our Pantheon!", a clear, manly voice made everyone's heads turn his way as he stood up from his golden throne.
''Are you certain Hephaestus ?'' the mighty King asked- a hint of relief in his voice. Maybe, just maybe, he didn't have to kill his own flesh and blood after all…..
''No doubt about it, Zeus. She's young and stupid. Ares should have known better than to sleep with his own sister….He must have seduced her- tricked her into this sinful relationship."
''Are you kidding me ?! Have you all lost your freaking minds?!"' Love screamed from the top of her lungs, scandalized by the ridiculousness of the situation .
This time though, Zeus actually made an effort to control his rage. He casually took a sit on his imposing throne and, glancing briefly through the room, despite the shock and the consternation, he could easily notice that no one was opposed to the idea. Poseidon's subtle nod, was the only thing he was still waiting for, and once he saw the signal, he made up his mind.
''Fine…..it's always better to have a wedding instead of a funeral …..'' he mumbled . ''Make sure you keep an eye on her, dear wife . The sacred vows will take place right before the first full moon ! And I do expect a public apology, Love, as soon as you come to your senses! Do not make me regret this …My patience does have its limits …"
There was a lot of crying and a lot of whining afterwards….Days of depression, of unspeakable sorrow….Attempts to elope, attempts to kill herself, attempts to free Ares….Nothing worked though, for Athena and Hera were like hounds, watching her every move, keeping her in line – struggling to keep her alive actually….
''Please listen to me Dite …..We haven't been the best of friends, I know, and I definitely do not approve of your sick relationship with that degenerated bastard , but please…..just do what father says , and once he calms down , we'll find a way to get that stubborn idiot free from Tartarus ok? There's no other way ….."the Goddess of Wisdom finally told her one day, gently caressing her cheek when she saw her trembling hand taking a glass of wine to her lips. She looked absolutely devastated , and for some reason, the cold hearted Goddess felt sorry for her….
'' I don't want to marry Hephy , Thena …I'couldn't live with myself if I do…..''
''It's the only way to save Ares , Dite ! Start using your brain for once ! '' she harshly responded this time, adamant about making her see things her way. ''Just go to Zeus, tell him what he wants to hear- admit that you made a mistake, that you weren't thinking straight- get married and give father some time to forget all about this nonsense. Once he does, Hera will take care of the rest- she's his mother after all. We can't really have a world without War now, can we? Plus, in the long run, if you play your cards right, Hephaestus can be your ally, can't he ?''
Interesting enough, her sister's little speech sounded damn convincing this time …It did seem like a good plan .
''So that's why they call you the Goddess of Wisdom ….''
Athena just gave her a half smile before she took the glass from her hand.
''This is not the right time to drink . Get dressed ….We have a meeting in the throne room in an hour. This would be the perfect time for you to put that plan into motion…''
Which she did….And the rest was history ...The God of Fire and Smiths became her husband, Ares was finally freed after centuries of isolation in a cage as dark as night itself and Zeus was pleased to see that everything was in its rightful place again. As for their romance …let's just say that Hephaestus was generous and compassionate enough as to allow the two lovebirds to meet in his own personal chambers down at the forge as long as they kept it private …..In return, Ares made sure a temple was built in the God's honour every time his loyal subjects erected one in his name. It was only fair….
As time passed, and as the War God became stronger and stronger, the King of the Gods simply turned a blind eye at whatever was happening between the two…..It was useless to try and separate them anyway…..They were Love and War after wall…..two faces of the same coin…
A warm hand o her shoulder, made Aphrodite nearly jump in surprise…