CHAPTER XII

Wetness.

On Ares' lips, cascading down his chin and cheeks. Warm, drying wetness. The wetness slipped down the small parting between his lips and dripped onto his idle tongue.

Ares flicked his tongue behind his teeth, desperately trying to roll saliva down his dry throat. He coughed.

'He's awakening,' he heard a familiar voice, dripping with relief, say above him. Forcing his eyes to open, Ares' blinked away his blurred vision and found Apollo's face before his. Apollo placed his hand on Ares' cheek and patted it lightly.

'Ares…Ares,' he patted with more force, 'can you hear me? Ares…'

Ares' head lolled from side to side and his eyes wandered about the room he could not recognise.

'Ares,' Apollo said again, trying to hold Ares' head upright.

'Wait,' another voice came, and Artemis appeared, eyes wide with fear and worry. Ares heard a slosh of water, and suddenly a cloth was lifted to his face. Artemis gently swabbed at his cheeks and lips, lifting the bloody cloth again and wringing it out into something Ares couldn't see. Ares moaned, his body aching. Something was definitely broken. In fact quite a lot of things were broken. His body was wet with this warm fluid he knew to be his own blood.

Suddenly another figure appeared above Ares and his eyes battled to focus on this wild haired specimen. Athena stood above him, eyes filled with utter distress. Fresh wounds and scars painted her pale skin with scarlet marks, and sweat stained her dusty face. She breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling, and her dark eyes scanned his face.

'Get him something to drink Artemis,' Apollo said to Artemis and she scurried out of Ares' view, the sounds of her bare feet patting on the tiles disappearing with her.

'You know Ares,' Apollo said with a smile, 'you're lucky Athena arrived just in time. Had she not, you may not have survived to see our faces.'

Ares looked up at Athena, her wild hair illuminated gold by the quivering torches behind her. He didn't know if she was covered in her own blood or his, but he could see she was badly injured, or at least, had seen a lot of rough stuff that he, apparently for now, could not remember.

'You're at my temple now,' Apollo said, noticing how transfixed Athena was with Ares drowsy eyes, 'your palace, as for now is…uninhabitable, unless you're comfortable with living in ruins. But rest now, Ares…'

A few days prior to this moment, Ares was exiting the underworld, slightly rattled from his visit with Hades. Hades' words and tone of finality rang through his head.

'We do not speak of this at all. Only once the plan has been put into effect may you so much as utter a word to who I tell you to,' Ares remembered Hades' cold vice grip tightening around the collar of his military coat and his voice lowering dangerously, 'Ares. You dare not utter a word of this meeting to anyone.' Ares swallowed, curling his fingers around Hades' wrist.

'But Hermes already knows I'm here. I entered using his Winged Pass.'

'I'll take care of that.' Hades released Ares, thrusting him back onto the thrown.

'And Zeus? What do I tell him about these attacks?'

'Ares,' Hades stood upright, casting an icy glare down Ares, 'do not utter a word of this meeting.'

And Hades disappeared.

After skirting the walls past Cerberus, and being berated by Charon on the little rocking boat, Ares was standing in the office of Hermes, breathing heavily. The suns light was disappearing behind the mountains, burning Hermes' office with a scarlet glow. The large oak doors of Hermes' administration office creaked open, and Hermes stepped inside, nose buried in documents. He looked up. His head jerked back ever so slightly. He blinked at Ares.

'Oh Ares…what are you doing here?'

Ares blinked. A look of confusion swarmed his face. Baffled, he pointed behind him, trying to formulate some sentence based on the portal that was now long gone.

'I… I… what?' Ares babbled.

'How did you get in here?' Hermes glanced out of the oak doors behind him, 'Did a servant tend to you?'

'I…just came from–' Ares halted abruptly. He remembered what Hades' had said when he questioned him about Hermes already knowing that he was here.

I'll take care of that.

'Um…I,' Ares scratched his chin, 'I was just passing by and thought I would…uh…drop by and…'

'Deliver a message?' Hermes filled the long gap Ares had left.

'Yes. I'm here to…do that.'

'To whom?' Hermes approached his desk, dropping the scrolls down.

'I…to Hephaestus, yes. I need repairs on a few of my weapons and I was planning on getting a new set of twin blades made.'

'Of course, of course,' Hermes scurried over to get a piece of parchment and a fountain pen, 'I am so terribly sorry that none of my servants told me you were here. You haven't been waiting for long have you?'

'No, not at all. I just got here really…' Ares glanced around his desk for the log book he witnessed Hermes jot his name into.

'Well, you could have just sent a messenger bird over,' Hermes said.

'Absolutely no sense of direction those creatures of mine. Brainless things. And besides, I was passing through.'

'Let me get one of my messenger birds,' Hermes smiled, rolling up the piece of parchment, 'falcon, hawk, owl or dove?'

'Hawk,' Ares said, and Hermes dashed out of the room. Ares' eyes scanned the desk again once Hermes had left, and finally when he saw the log book, he flipped frantically through the pages to see the most recent log.

His name was totally absent from the page. And he remembered the names before his. They were all there, but his name was not.

When Ares heard the creaking of the oak doors again, he slammed the book closed and scooted away from the desk innocently.

'There, all done. I'll send a hawk when he replies. Can I offer you some tea?' Hermes smiled with a glowing innocence and ignorance.

Ares couldn't help but stare at him. Could he really not remember Ares arriving here at all? Could his servants not remember either?

'Ares…are you alright?' Hermes raised a brow and Ares blinked.

'No tea, thank you. I must be on my way.' Ares made his way for the oak doors, passing Hermes.

'Alright, see you around.' Hermes said approaching his own desk.

Ares left the office with his head spinning. He passed the servants who looked up at him, baffled, and bowed apologetically as he approached.

'Ares wait!' Ares heard, and he spun around. He looked up at the oak doors of Hermes' administrative office and found Hermes standing at the door's opening; dove perched on his wrist, and a small piece of parchment in his hand.

'I just received a message from Zeus,' he said, and Ares couldn't help but roll his eyes, 'he requests and audience with you.'

Ares arrived at Zeus Palace, beads of sweat forming at his hairline.

Did Zeus somehow know that he had visited Hades? Even more importantly, did he somehow know that Hades had wiped Hermes memory of the event? That would seem too suspicious to Zeus.

Ares entered the royal court and bowed as he approached the King's throne. Zeus sat, sternly looking down at him with bright blue eyes. Ares lowered his gaze, afraid his eyes might give him away.

'You called for me, my king.' He said in an unwavering voice.

'Yes,' Zeus said, folding his hands under his chin, elbows placed on the huge armrests of his throne, 'tell me Ares – how have you been?'

Ares gritted his teeth behind his lips, brows quivering furiously.

Pleasantries. He hated Zeus' empty pleasantries. The fact was, when it came to Ares, Zeus never really cared how he had been.

'Fine sir and yourself?' Ares said, head still bowed, eyes shut tight with frustration. Zeus could see he was tense.

'Perfectly well thank you.' Ares waited to hear Zeus' voice again, but only a long pause followed.

'May I ask why you've summoned me, my king?' Ares said, daring to glance up at the king.

'Yes of course, I was merely wondering how things around Olympus have been.'

Ares' head shot up. He stared at his king, an expression muddled with surprise and puzzlement played on his face.

'How things…have been, your highness?'

'Yes,' Zeus waved his hand nonchalantly, 'I know you've been patrolling the area of late, I trust things in Olympus have been quiet?' Ares blinked up at his father, and nodded.

'Yes, everything is…perfectly normal sir.'

'Any beast attacks of late?'

'No sir.'

'Any more leads on the Basilisk?'

'No.'

'Good then. Excellent work. Keep it up.' Zeus nodded.

Ares' lip twitched. His brows knitted into a furious scowl.

'Was that all sir? All you called me here for?'

'Of course,' Zeus shrugged as if it were plain and obvious, 'it's always good to do a report-back every once in a while. Athena does it quite often.'

That's all Zeus called Ares here for? That's all?

Ares could feel the heat within him rising like bile. The bottoms of his feet became hot. Searing hot. That fire would start again right in Zeus' court.

'I'm impressed with you Ares. Despite your stature and the high regard you're held in you have suddenly become so willing to serve your king. As a king, it is always good to have a willing and competent foot soldier available.'

Ares had been biting on his lip so hard, the thin skin had broken, and blood trickled onto his tongue and teeth.

He was seething.

There was no greater insult than being considered a foot soldier. He was a general, the most highly regarded and blood thirsty warrior in the whole of Olympus. And he was being compared to a foot soldier.

Ares' ankles were as hot as brimstone and he could feel that merciless fire licking at the souls of his feet. He would combust right before his king.

Then suddenly, the words Hades had spoken to him – one of the only things Hades' had mention about this supposed "plan" – rang through his head.

'The slow knife to the back, veils itself in trust.'

Ares' eyes widened. A feeling as icy as the tips of Hades' fingers spilled through Ares, casting out the fire demons that threatened to overtake him in his father's court.

Ares cleared his throat and his face collapsed into a serene expression. A small smile played on his lips. He glanced up at his father and his smile only widened. He bowed so low Zeus could not see his expression.

'To you sire, I am entirely indebted. The mercy you've shown me over these centuries, after my endless misdeeds, makes me willing to do your work. I do hope,' Ares straightened, laying a hand on his heart, 'that soon enough you'll trust me not to be just your foot soldier, but instead your ever loyal general at your side.' Ares' lip curled into a smirk.

Zeus raised a silver brow. This was… unusual. He narrowed his eyes at Ares, suspicious of his behaviour. Ares noticed, and quickly he wiped the smirk from his face, realising that perhaps he had gone too far.

Or perhaps he hadn't gone far enough. If he mentioned something that would display his innocence and loyalty, Zeus would trust him entirely.

'About the leads on the basilisk sire…I visited Hades recently.'

Zeus eyebrows rose. He had caught the king's attention.

'You see,' Ares said averting his eyes harmlessly, 'I had a hunch that these beast attacks may have had something to do with him, so I visited him not that long ago. I was at first, apprehensive to tell you because I know your relationship with Hades is rather tumultuous, and I didn't think you would trust me communicating with Hades considering our history. But I heard that Hermes' visit came up fruitless, so I decided to go myself. He and I chatted and I found out he hadn't been intentionally releasing the creatures, but that there had been a rift in the portal nearest to Tartarus and many of the beasts had been just…well, slipping out.'

Zeus blinked, eyes wide.

'Really,' he said sinking into his thrown; he thought for a moment, 'why didn't Hades tell us? We would have assisted him.'

'Exactly what I asked,' Ares said pacing the room, 'but you know Hades. He believes that matters that deal with the underworld should be dealt with only by those who preside in the underworld.' Ares shrugged and Zeus nodded.

'Unbelievable.' Zeus said with growing frustration and offense. Ares' eyes jotted around the room, looking for a way to build onto his story.

'But he did mention,' he began again, 'that he was struggling to repair the rift in the portals in the underworld and on Olympus and earth simultaneously. That's when we tried to reach an agreement. If he closed the rifts in the underworld, I would close the rifts on Earth and Olympus. Our rogue beast problem would be over. But of course,' Ares looked up at Zeus with large child-like eyes, 'I would need your permission.'

Zeus stared at Ares for a moment.

'Trust me Zeus,' Ares said with a stern and meaningful expression that Zeus barely recognised, 'I value Olympus safety just as much as you do. It's our only home.'

Zeus suddenly let out a hearty laugh.

'Excellent work Ares! My word, you are truly becoming worthwhile member of the Olympian society! The Psychí Syndetikó really has brought out a lot of good in you.'

Zeus laughed again, and Ares smiled a wide, wide smile.

Ares left the palace feeling like a king himself. Yes, he had done the exact opposite of what Hades had told him to do. He spoke of the meeting. And even worse, he spoke of the meeting to the last person who was to find out. But technically he had killed two birds with one stone. In telling Zeus the story, he had diverted all the suspicions that could have arose from him and Hades communicating with each, by deceiving Zeus into thinking it was for the good of Olympus, and secondly, from this one little web Ares had spun he had instilled a great amount of trust in Zeus, which is all Hades, at this point, could have asked for.

Surely once he explained this to Hades, he would understand.

'Brilliant work Ares,' Ares couldn't help mutter to himself, 'brilliant work.'

A few days passed and Olympus was lazy with the heat of the sun. The sun started to make its slow retreat beneath the horizon, thrusting its light across Olympus in brilliant and beautiful colours.

Its rays lit the temple of Apollo with a golden light.

In Apollo's main court, the muses sang and played their mesmerising tunes, filling the temple with sweet sounds. Apollo lay strewn across a cushioned sofa, eyes closed and basking in the warmth of the sun spilling in through the arches of his court. Calliope lay with her head on his lap as he ran his fingers through her silky raven-black hair, his fingertips brushing her ear and cheek.

Apollo heard a commotion outside the main court. That was quite unusual, as he had taught all his servants and creatures to be as serene as possible, as this was a temple of healing, learning and music. But the commotion only rose and rose before the golden doors to his court swung open.

Apollo lifted his head which was heavy with drowsiness. He looked over only to find a servant, gasping for air, bowed low on the floor. Where that servant bowed, blood began to pool. Apollo shot up and as did Calliope. He pushed off the Sofa and approached the servant.

The music died down, and the muses gasped at the sight of the bloodied servant.

Apollo dropped to his knees and grabbed the servant's arms and hoisted him up, knowing he had no strength to do so himself. The servant hung limp in his arms, blood pouring from his nose, mouth and the corner of his head.

'What happened to you?' he said once he had the servants head upright.

'Forgive me sire…something,' he gurgled, 'something is…something is in the woods. I…we tried…to stop it sire…' the servant dropped limp in his master's hands. Apollo, before he could call for help, saw Calliope rushing towards him, cloth in hand.

'I'll take it from here,' she said, giving Apollo a meaningful look, scooping up the servant in her arms. Apollo stood up and the muses looked at him terrified. Blood dripped down his fingers and his white robes. His pale skin was stained red.

'Thalia,' he said, addressing one of the muses, 'go run and send a message to Ares that there's something attacking servants and creatures in the woods.' Thalia nodded and rushed for the door. She stopped abruptly when she heard a desperately gurgling from the servant.

'No sire,' the servant said, voice as faint as ever, 'no…that thing…it's on its way…it's on its way to his palace.'

Ares pulled on his trousers and boots, taking pauses to sip his dark wine. When he was done he gulped down what was left of the wine. He sat down on the edge of his bed, staring at the fire that danced in its pit.

Things had been quiet around Olympus lately, even though it had only been a few days after his meeting with Zeus. Ares wondered when he would need to meet up with Hades again. He was sure Hades would be fuming when he–

Black.

Pure, searing pain swarming the back of Ares' head, hot blood trickling down his neck.

Ares tried to push himself up. His blurred vision would only allow him to see glimpses of the fire, now dying and covered in rubble. Embers of the dying fire flew into the air, brushing against his cheeks and lips. He wobbled as he tried to stand. His ears were ringing with the sounds of blood curdling screams and the distressed sounds of his steeds.

Suddenly Ares was flung into the ruins of the fire place, the hot wood burning his back, splinters launching into his neck.

He looked up, his eyes trying terribly hard to focus on what stood in the opening of his now destroyed bedroom.

Something huge, maybe double his height. He couldn't tell. It had a humanoid form like a Cyclops, but its belly was huge and bloated like a rotting corpse. It had long arms spindly arms and legs and where its face should have been, it had nothing but skin. A totally blank morsel for a head.

Ares had never seen anything like it before. Ares couldn't tell if it was dirty, or if that was just the texture and colour of its skin. As it hobbled forward, he saw it better in the light of the quivering torches around his room.

It looked like it had a mangle of skin, open festering wounds and decaying flesh spread over it for skin.

It launched itself at Ares, moving with incredible speed for something so huge and clumsy-looking. Ares barely had time to register it's movements before he was being lifted into the air by the throat. It squeezed with a force Ares had never felt before and Ares' throat threatened to collapse.

The beast hurled Ares into the air and sent him crashing down onto the wooden doors of his room. By now a few bones had broken, but only a few, Ares still had enough strength to fight.

The creature paused and watched him as Ares slowly got to his feet, never taking his eyes off of the beast. Ares' eyes jotted to the corner of his room where he stashed his twin blades.

He would take this intruding son of a bitch down if it was the last thing he did.

With a deft motion Ares' lunged for his twin blades. He didn't even make it three feet before the beast was standing before him, its large belly obstructing his view of the blades.

How did it move so fast? Ares looked up at the faceless beast, a gurgling noise resonating from deep within its throat.

Quite suddenly, Ares experienced a feeling he hadn't experienced for millennia.

Terror.

The beast's hand clasped down on his face and sent him crashing into the floor.

A small smile played on Athena's lips.

Her owls hooted softly about her. She sat, legs folded in a meditative state. For most of the day she sat and meditated, communicating with her priests and priestesses at the Parthenon on Athens.

She offered advice, and answered prayers and now her followers gathered around temple, singing her praises and playing jovial hymns. In this meditative state she could hear their songs like tiny voices, chanting in the depths of her mind. It sounded so soft, so gentle.

Her owls swooped about her, making sure not to disturb their master. Their wings sent gusts of cool air brushing Athena's hair.

Athena hadn't found peace like this in a while. She had been so busy avoiding Ares and patrolling Olympus that she hadn't taken the time to address the humans on earth that needed her most. And for her efforts, they sang and danced the way no one else here on Olympus would.

Taking deep breaths, she allowed their voices to grow in her ears.

In this moment, she really felt appreciated.

'Wise Lady Athena!' The door to her meditation room flung open with a very apologetic servant tumbling in, bowing desperately.

Athena opened her eyes slowly and cast a glance at him. The voices of the human's slowly disappeared into nothing and now only the hooting of her owls and the heavy breathing of this servant filled her ears.

'Please my lady, forgive me, it's an emergency!'

'It's always an emergency,' Athena said with a sigh, getting up carefully.

'My lady,' the servant looked up at her, 'Master Apollo just sent an urgent and desperate message. An unknown beast rampaged past his temple, killing many of his servants and destroying most of the forest in its wake. It's headed to the palace of Ares.'

Athena, growing concern flooding her expression, stepped down from the raised platform she had been mediating on.

'Well Ares should be able to take of it shouldn't he?'

'My lady,' the servant panted, shaking his head, 'Master Apollo is on his way there and believes Ares to be in great, great danger. This is something…they've never seen before.'

Athena swallowed, fear swamping her thoughts. She shook her head and flung off her robes.

'Ready a steed and bring my new sword.' She said, running for the door, heart beating frantically.

Flung across three different rooms, most bones broken, Ares lay, face in the cold marble of some room he couldn't see.

He couldn't count how many times this thing had stomped on his back and neck. Blood flowed like a tributary from his limp body.

The beast just stomped, and stomped and stomped, mercilessly, quietly, feeling Ares' bones crumble and crush under it's rough foot.

Ares gurgled blood, coughing it up. It seemed like he was drowning in a pool of it.

Stomp.

There goes his spine. The rest of his ribs too.

Stomp.

His left arm which was broken back at a 30 degree angle, was probably bent now at a 50.

Stomp. Stomp.

When would it end?

The stomping stopped suddenly, like Ares' pleads had been answered. He couldn't see what the beast looked like now, but he was sure that when he first saw it had no face, let alone a tongue.

He felt its rough tongue roll across his back, lapping up the fresh blood. Had Ares' spine not been snapped in half, he might have felt shivers run up and down it.

The creature wrapped its fingers around his arms and lifted him ever so slightly. Its tongue curled around Ares' neck, and Ares could feel its hot panting on his hair. Its tongue retracted, slowly sending his neck into its dripping, rank jaws.

This is it…

A most disturbing and unnatural shriek emitted from the creature before it dropped Ares back down onto the marble.

Ares witnessed its severed arm fall beside him. He tried to focus his eyes on the approaching figure, blade held fast to their side, running with a speed he could barely recognise.

Athena sprinted towards the beast with a ferocious expression. Teeth bared, she launched herself into the air, spinning above its head before slashing through its back.

The creature yelped again, stumbling. Before it could topple onto Ares, Athena lunged at it, slicing open its belly. It roared, and then disappeared.

Athena kept her wits about her before she could concentrate on Ares.

What was that thing? Some sort of ogre or dwarf Cyclops?

Athena panted, sword in hand glancing around the room. In the short moment that she became distracted by the torch at the end of the room, the creature appeared again, right behind her.

It clasped its fingers around her throat and lifted her into the air. Its grip only tightened as she struggled. Athena's back was wet. Whatever was inside that creatures belly was dripping down Athena's back. Spinning her blade above her head she managed to knick the beast's head. It released her and she sprinted with as much force as possible to grab the torch on the wall.

Just as the beast appeared behind her Athena threw the torch at it, setting the creature on fire.

Athena took this opportunity to do as much damage to the beast as she could. Wielding her sword with cries of fury she cut and carved up as much of beast as she could, before it sprinted away, breaking through the walls of Ares' palace.

'Apollo!' Athena cried, and Apollo appeared from the ruins of Ares' Palace. He ran up to Ares, eyes wide with fear.

'My word,' he muttered, trying to lift Ares up once he reached him, 'his body is totally destroyed.'

'Apollo!' Came another cry from the opening in the wall. Artemis appeared with her hair wild and visibly shaken.

'Artemis I told you not to come here!'

'Calliope told me what happ–'

'Stop it you two and help Ares! I'm going after that thing!' Athena sprinted out of the room and found herself outside the palace. She followed the smoke trail into the forest knowing the beast would be nearby. Racing through the trees, leaping over tree stubs and bark, Athena panted begging her legs to carry her faster and farther than they actually could. Fury, fear and utter terror and desperation fuelled the fire that sent her after this creature. She was scared, that she would admit to, but she was furious too. She barely knew why, but she was.

Athena came to a small opening in the forest and found the beast's battered body lying motionless and charred.

It was dead surely.

'Didn't take that much to kill you, did it?' Athena disserted her grace and elegance for a hearty spit on the beasts singed body. A thick black liquid still poured from the beast's body, and its tongue lolled at the side of its enormous head.

Athena headed back for the Palace.

Ares blinked, trying desperately to keep him eyes in focus. He wanted to speak. His throat was dry and he wanted to ask for water. Or wine. That would be good too, but he was sure his jaw was broken.

Ares felt fingers coil around his, which hurt at first, probably because they were broken, or because his arm was broken, he didn't know. But it hurt at first, and then it started to feel a little good.

'Don't touch him yet, I need to begin the healing process. It will take some time,' Apollo said, and Athena released Ares' fingers promptly.

'Rest Ares,' Apollo said with a gentle smile, 'we'll have you as good as new in no time. Just sleep for now,'

Ares looked at Athena for a moment, watching that golden halo glimmer about her hair.

He glanced at Apollo, and then closed his eyes.