CHAPTER XXIV

Warning: Dark, Mature Themes

Athena whipped the reigns of her steed with force and the obsidian's clang resounded through the forest. Racing through the trees and her heart pumping furiously, her eyes locked upon her target as it darted about before her.

Finally, this was the moment.

The forest surrounding Aphrodite's palace was dense and bosky, with dead branches, tree roots and rotting leaves littering the forest floor. Aphrodite was known to keep the grounds of her own palace impeccably presented but was rather neglectful towards the greenery surrounding it. Now, tasked with pursuing an incredibly deft creature in such a tricky space, Athena wished that Aphrodite had the same penchant for conservationism that Artemis did.

The tip of a tree branch tore through Athena's cheek as she skirted around a woeful oak tree, the beast only a few dozen feet ahead of her. She just needed to close the gap between them a little more and the prey would be hers.

Athena's instincts had not led her astray. As she suspected, the faceless beast returned to the scene of the crime merely a week after its attack on Aphrodite's palace.

Amid felling the beasts spawning upon Olympus, Athena along with Artemis had been keeping a close eye on the area surrounding the palace. Unlike Ares' case, the creature had not managed to incur serious injury to Aphrodite and if that were its goal, the goddesses anticipated it would return to finish the job.

Shortly after she awoke, a disgruntled Aphrodite reported to Ares what she could remember of the attack. Fleeing into the forest, her senses were inundated with the sound of snapping tree bark and the ghostly wailing of the beast that pursued her. Skirting through the densest part of the forest, she believed that she had evaded it when she could no longer hear its stomping. Ares, holding the same suspicions as Athena and Artemis, commanded his men to keep watch of the forests as the palace was rebuilt while acquainting themselves with the owls Athena had sent to survey the palace from above.

Their co-ordination paid off. It was shortly after that one of Ares' men noted a fretful owl circling above a corner of the forest that housed a small herd of centaurs.

With no delay, Athena rode to the scene with Artemis not far behind her.

Before they could see it, its scent assailed them. Their steeds approaching carefully, the two gripped their weapons.

'Augh!' Artemis recoiled, 'What is this…stench?

Putrefying flesh. Decaying skin.

'We're getting closer to it, Artemis.' Athena whispered, her hand firmly gripping the hilt of her sword. Artemis drew the string of her bow taut.

At the lip of an opening the two found, hunched over the mauled carcass of a centaur, the beast. The skin on its face had torn open, exposing its rotting maws as a gurgling deep within its throat rumbled through the forest. The centaur had been torn into, half his torso devoured and the beast working its way through his belly. At the beast's foot laid the centaur's discarded, severed head. His eyes were glossy and his face still frozen with the fear that racked him even before death.

Beside her, Athena could feel an electricity shoot the air. The hairs on her neck stood on end.

'No, Artemis! Wait—'

Before the words could leave her, an arrow launched past Athena's head and into the beast's shoulder. The beast cried into the air sending a flock of frenzied birds from the trees into the sky. Spewing out the offal it had been slurping on, it darted into the forest. Without a second thought, Artemis and Athena rode after it.

Now, the beast only a few feet away from her, Athena could destroy it once and for all – if only she could get in a little closer…

But why was it running?

Would it not be easier to evade its hunters if it performed that same pesky disappearing act it had done in the past? What was motivating it to move like any other common beast?

Sunlight bore into Athena's eyes as she tugged on her steed's reigns. She halted in a meadow where the trees could not obscure the sun and where flowers fluttered in the wind's gentle breath. Glancing around, the beast was gone from her sight.

'Athena! Above!'

A shadow bloomed above Athena's head and swelled until darkness engulfed hers and her steed's forms. Looking above her head, the beast's gaping maws filled her vision as the stench of death consumed her.

Suddenly, like a flash of lightening, the air around her ignited and her eyes were flooded with light once more.

The beast's hulking mass plummeted to the ground, its shoulder blown apart and in pieces. Athena could smell burning flesh amid the flora, her heart thumping in her chest.

'Athena!'

Artemis rode towards her, another arrow drawn and ready to be fired. But just as quickly as the events had transpired, the beast disappeared.

A stillness returned to the meadow as little flowers waned against the breeze.

'It's gone…shit.' Artemis huffed.

Athena looked at her.

'Sorry,' she sighed, 'it's just…we were so close.'

Athena returned her gaze to the place where the beast had fallen just a few seconds ago.

'It led us here…it was trying to lead us…'

'To the meadow, yes. I noticed that too. The forest was probably too dense for it to attack us without compromising itself.'

Athena let out a rattling sigh. Just above her she had gazed into the putrid void of its mouth.

'How did you hit it?'

'Explosive arrows,' Artemis waved about an arrow as she returned her bow to its place on her hip, 'courtesy of Hephaestus. Now knowing that these beast attacks will not relent, I had to introduce some novelty arrows to my collection.'

'Brilliant.' Athena nodded, gazing across the meadow. Artemis noted the vacancy in her eyes and the pallor of her skin.

'Athena, are you alright?'

'I am, I just…' she shook her head, 'I never anticipated that it would try to deceive us. I believed that…I should have anticipated that it would have done so but I just rode after it, endangering us both. I'm sorry—'

'Don't apologise,' Artemis said, her expression stern, 'discovering this creature's motives and monitoring its behaviour is why we are doing this, Athena. Take it not as a reflection of yourself but as a new discovery: we now know that the creature displays a certain level of intelligence. That is crucial information.'

Athena met Artemis' gaze with her own. It was in moments like these that she was reminded how much of an expert huntress Artemis was. When focus and perspective was needed, she provided it without hesitation.

'Not to mention,' Artemis dismounted her steed, 'we now have a sample.'

Strewn before their steeds' hooves were small bits of charred flesh that had been blown from the beast's shoulder. A few pieces twitched and other fizzed – each piece was as rancid as the next. Artemis retrieved a small woven box from her hunting satchel. Athena dismounted and knelt beside her.

'Ugh, it stinks!' Artemis gagged, 'Is the creature…alive? Is it a reanimated carcass?'

'I don't know,' Athena said wrinkling her nose. Tucking her fingers beneath the hem of her dress, she picked up the quivering, fleshy mounds one by one and dropped them into the woven box

'That is just awful. You ought to burn that dress after.'

Athena couldn't help but laugh as Artemis handed her the box, barely able to look at it.

'Thank you for today Artemis. You couldn't be more accurate. This is crucial information, the sample included, and I don't think I could have obtained it without your help.'

Artemis smiled, her cheeks turning rosy. But soon her expression fell, her eyes darkening.

'You wouldn't mind taking care of that sample without me, would you? I'd like to attend to the centaur herd. They must be…'

'Oh. Of course, Artemis, you go…I'll handle this.'

With a swift swing of her foot, Artemis mounted her steed with ease and without a moment's delay, she turned towards the forest.

'Artemis,' Athena called before she could get far. Artemis turned to her and Athena could see that the spark that lit her eyes had dimmed.

'I'm sorry, Arty. About what happened to him.'

A warmth returned to Artemis' eyes as she smiled. Offering Athena a silent nod before trotting off, she assured her that by the time they met again she would be just fine.

Athena glanced at the small woven box in her hands. Finally, a week's worth of work yielded results. Sure, she had almost become food for the beast and an innocent life was lost with its reappearance, but this brought the two goddesses closer to the truth about what exactly this beast was.

She sighed, looking out across the meadow. Zeus still had not made the kingdom aware of the possible threat against them and among those who attended the hearing, it was still uncertain whether Hades' words were true. Athena knew her father: he would not act until he had indisputable reason to do so, especially if it meant admitting to falsely accusing his own brother, a fellow Olympian. The beast attacks had not subsided and the faceless creature had appeared twice in under two weeks.

He would have to go, wouldn't he?

It had already been a week since their conversation and Athena's anxiety had only mounted since then.

Returning to her desk after watching the little white dove flutter off into the night, Athena couldn't help but feel her face heat up.

I miss you already, Ares.

Never could she have imagined saying such a foolish thing in the past. How embarrassing would it be if her letter got intercepted, or if that dove turned out to be directionally challenged and delivered it to the wrong person?

Driving the thoughts from her mind, Athena buried her nose into her work.

Devising a strategy for quelling the beast attacks was no easy feat. She had considered assigning particular warriors to areas where certain types of beasts spawned frequently but this proved to be a fruitless effort. The beasts' spawning patterns were too inconsistent and Athena saw this first hand when the mer-people of lake reported witnessing a sphinx thrash about in their waters before promptly drowning.

Athena's next line of defence would be not to focus on assigning warriors to pursue particular beasts, but to assign warriors to certain areas where their skills would offer them an advantage over whichever beast they would encounter. Her best swimmers would be stationed near bodies of water and her fastest, most agile warriors would monitor heavily wooded forests where large beasts would be rendered immobile. The strongest warriors were to be stationed in heavily populated areas so as to swiftly destroy any creature that could cause major casualties. With this method, Olympus would be teeming with lethal combatants, stationed in their element and always ready for action. Now, if only she could recruit warriors from the barracks of other gods to—

A quiet hiss came from the pit of the office's fireplace. Fire had not burned in that dark space since the winter. Old wood, charred from seasons ago sat cradled in the firebox and the hearth was covered in soot and dust.

Another hiss came, catching Athena's attention. She lowered her pen and craned her neck to eye the origin of the noise. With one final hiss, a ruby fire erupted in the fireplace and roared with heat, sending the office's hidden owls into a frenzy. Flames licked the hearth and swallowed the dead wood; the room glowed red.

Athena shot up from her desk, the skin on her shoulders prickling with alarm. However, she was not compelled by urgency to douse the flame. The room was warm and the fire danced with a vigour contained within the grate.

'Athena.'

Her ears twitched. Hushing her owls, Athena slowly made her way around her desk but did not dare cross the room. The flames suddenly shrunk, their scarlet tongues quivering and pulling the light with them. Returning to a sizzle, the fire became tame.

'Athena, come here.'

Slowly, she approached the fireplace, the fire's heat bathing her as she did.

'…Ares?'

'It's me. Come closer.' Ares' voice, as warm as the flames from which it emitted, echoed in the room. Athena's ears delighted at its sound and kneeling before the fireplace, she gazed into the fire's heart, incredulous.

'You know how to do something like this?'

'I'm full of tricks, you should know that.' Though he could not be seen, the pride in Ares' voice was almost tangible.

'Tricks indeed…' Athena would not admit it, but she found this feat strangely enchanting. She had seen all sorts of bizarre acts of sorcery throughout her existence, but this one being so fitting and unique to the sorcerer made it all the more marvellous.

'I received your letter. Thankfully, not by owl.'

Athena smiled, their debacle in her foyer seeming like a distant memory now.

'Speaking of which, it seems that you've spooked the residents of my office. They might not be so welcoming the next time you're here.'

'The next time? Is that an invitation? I'm quite sure you warned me that my night with you was to be my first and last visit.'

Silently cursing herself, Athena regretted letting him see her hand. However, seeing him again was something she was not at all opposed to.

'I suppose it is…' she felt a strange giddiness bubble up from within her, 'a tentative invitation, should you behave.'

'Well then, my wings and fangs throb in anticipation.'

'Ares, don't be disgusting.'

The fire bloomed and danced as Ares' laughter rang through the room, Athena failing to stifle her own. Embers flew across the room and the flames subsided.

'Well, I told you where I went today. Now, you tell me where you rushed off to.'

'Oh, we won't be skimming over your misdeeds so soon. I didn't think you would keep the hearing a secret for long, especially from Artemis. Although, I thought you might at least give it a week?'

'I know, I know and I don't need a lecture from you,' Athena averted eyes from the fire's gaze, 'It just…sort of slipped out…'

'It slipped out of Olympus' Chief Strategist—'

'Listen. She would find out either way. I need her help and I trust her to keep this quiet. Hades too – it took some negotiating but he seemed curious to discover the origins of this creature, just as we are.'

'You needn't explain to me. Now more than ever do our hunting efforts need to be revised. I dare say it is imperative that we take more drastic measures.'

'Well look at that,' Athena said with a smirk, 'it was just this morning that you were so lax about the pursuit of the beast and now we need to take drastic measures? What's changed?'

The fire hissed wordlessly for a moment. The warmth in the room shifted, becoming uncomfortably hot. She felt a mounting sense of unease before Ares' voice came again.

'Soon, I will be travelling to Tartarus.'

Athena was not sure she had heard him correctly. When her mind finally made sense of his admission, she nearly keeled over.

'Tartarus?! What do you mean you'll be travelling to Tartarus? What could you possibly—'

'Listen to me,' the fire swelled in efforts to regain her focus, 'Someone needs to do it or Zeus will never act.'

'But why do you need to go?' Athena felt the skin on her back become damp, 'Look, it has only been a day and…and I was giving it some thought. Perhaps we should just allow Zeus to…come up with a plan—'

'You don't believe that.' Ares' voice was firm among the flames. Athena tugged at the collar of her dress; the heat in the room had yet to subside.

'You and I both know that Zeus' period of deliberation is just a front. He is sulking; thinking of a way to disprove Hades words and redeem himself before making the kingdom aware of Typhon's resurgence.'

'Yes Ares, but…' Athena sighed heavily, 'After the hearing I spoke to Apollo and he brought up a pertinent point that I wanted to dismiss at first, but now I know I can't. Informing Olympus of Typhon too early on would cause panic across the kingdom and we would be thrown into greater chaos than we are now. Perhaps we should take this period of deliberation as an opportunity to…plan and gather troops and intel so that when Zeus has made his decision, we're ready for anything he throws at us.'

'Olympus will be thrown into chaos regardless of whether we tell them of Typhon today, next week or on the day of his arrival. Panic and mayhem are inevitable but what will quell the kingdom's fears is if the King is unambivalent in his belief of the threat's existence and steadfast in his resolve to destroy it. Currently, no such king in Olympus exists. If going to Tartarus means that will change, then that is exactly what I shall do.'

'I don't understand,' Athena gazed into the fire's scarlet heart, 'why you're even willing to do this. A few months ago, I swore that you couldn't care less if this kingdom went up in flames, but now you'll go to such lengths… why the sudden act of heroism?'

The fire was silent for a moment and the heat in the room dissipated into a warmth that Athena could bear. An owl hooted softly in the shadows.

'I am disposable. Zeus would not send his finest warrior goddess to investigate something so speculative and no other soul has the mental or physical fortitude to fair Tartarus; hence why I offered myself. He did not refuse; however, I will not be granted permission to leave until we have destroyed that creature. Only then will Hades escort me to Tartarus and I shall bear witness to his claims myself.'

Athena clutched the end of her dress, her belly flipping with distress. No one in Olympus had ever visited Tartarus and returned. Well, no one ever visited, period. Those who were sent into that dark abyss no longer had a place in any of the other realms, hence why they would never be seen again.

'You sound so serious,' her voice was so small she could barely hear it, 'it's a little frightening. You hardly sound like yourself.'

'I need to convince you that I know what I'm doing so you won't demand to follow me there.'

Athena smiled in spite of herself.

'You knew that's what I would say next.'

The office was consumed with silence. A few owls hooted curiously and the sounds of the night spilled in from the window. Athena would not allow her eyes to meet with the fire, but she could tell that the flames had shrunk a little. A chill crept over her shoulders as the room became cooler.

'Athena,' Ares' said, his voice smooth and gentle, 'let me show you something. Extend your hand.'

She looked into the dancing flames. They had grown again and gazed at her in anticipation. Sensing her scepticism, Ares' spoke again.

'Yes, into the fire. Just do it.'

Athena was taken aback by her own lack of hesitation as she slowly reached into the fireplace, her skin feeling the mounting heat as she approached the fire. Finally, he finger tips touched the flames.

It was warm. The fire's amber light illuminating her face, Athena observed in wonder how the flames licked at her skin and engulfed her hand until it glowed. She did not burn and her flesh did not singe or split open. The furious drumming of Athena's heart slowed as the fire entranced her.

'How do you form…this sort of trickery?' Athena withdrew her arm and inspected her hand, still consumed in flames.

'Do you like it?' he asked. The flames that travelled across Athena's skin suddenly swarmed towards the palm of her hand. Swelling and dancing about one another, they spun into the form of a shimmering, amber dove. Its flame wings fluttered with the same eagerness of the little dove she had sent to him. Athena beamed; the light of its little form dancing in her eyes.

'I do,'

Ares remained silent for a moment while Athena enjoyed the little fire dove's whimsical performance.

'You understand what must be done, don't you?' he said. The light in Athena's eyes dimmed.

'Of course I do, so don't ask me like I'm a fool. The beast must be caught for us to move forward. At the very least, if I can get a lead on it, I can convince Zeus to let you go early.'

'The area around my domain has been run amuck with spawned beasts so I will have to attend to it before joining you on the hunt. Until then, I will entrust the work to you and Artemis.'

Ares' words passed through Athena's ears but she barely heard them. As the little dove danced and hopped about, a sense of overwhelming dread filled the pit of her belly.

'Ares,' she reached into the fire and gently placed the dove into the flames, 'you must return swiftly. Please.'

'I won't delay,' he assured; Athena mused over the flames, 'I will not allow you to miss me.'

Athena stared at the woven box in her hand. She finally found the lead she had mentioned which meant Ares was ever closer to leaving for Tartarus. Looking up into the azure sky, she weighed her options.

This sample needed to be delivered to Hades, but Hades needed to escort Ares to Tartarus if she ever wanted to see him again. If she gave Hades the sample first, who knows how long it would take for him to come up with analyses and results that could be helpful to catching the creature. The entire process could delay Ares' trip.

Ares could stay a little longer…

She sighed. The Athena of a few months' prior would have chastised her for thinking so selfishly. Delays, samples, analyses – none of this would stop Typhon's impending arrival if his resurgence were not some made up fallacy by Hades.

Tucking the woven box into her own hunting satchel, she knew well what she had to do.

It was not often that Athena lied to her father. In fact, it was an almost alien experience to her. But to expedite Ares' trip, one that would define Olympus' moves from here on out, she would need to deceive her father into believing that they were as close to capturing the beast as ever. The sample would have to wait and she would have to continue her pursuit of the beast in earnest.

And then finally, he really would have to go.

Her heart heavy with burden, Athena mounted her steed and with a tug of its reigns, she disappeared from the soft light of the meadow into the dark recesses of the forest.

*.*.*

'I still can't understand why you want to do this. Do you really need any evidence? Why not stay here for some time, then return with the news?'

'I have my reasons. I want to see with my own eyes what awaits this kingdom.'

'That's only one reason.' Hades looked upon Ares. His face had a darkness to it.

'You won't be able to bring them back here. Not until—'

'I want to see,' Ares' voice was low, 'with my own eyes.'

The air was silent and the room, cold.

'Hades. At the end of all this, what will become of Athena? I will not move forward if it means endangering her.'

Hades thought for a moment.

'I see no reason,' he said coolly, 'why anything should befall her. However, the same can't be said for you.'

Ares gazed into nowhere. He nodded.

'That's all I need to hear. Let's go.'