Three years.

That was how long Ares remained in the Akesian Sleep.

Since he was unconscious, he was fed nectar and ambrosia through infusions.

He was so weak and his divine aura so diminished, that the healing deities had to pour additional healing essence into the water twice a week for over a year.

It wasn't uncommon, that one of them, mostly Apollon and Asklepios, collapsed from exhaustion.

Even after Ares' state had improved enough to end the regular supply of extra healing magic, Apollon was completely drained (Asklepios was more used to working hard as a healer, thus took it better).

"It'll take years for my healing energy to regenerate, but I'll be fine", he assured his worried twin sister, although Artemis wasn't convinced at all.

"You'll definitely be more fine than Ares, when he wakes up and realises that he'll need decades of rehab to get back in shape", Asklepios commented.

The three chuckled at the thought; the war god would be so pissed, but he'd have to suck it up.

.

One morning Asklepios' daughter Panakeia (All-Cure) came to check on the patient and found, that the Sleep was coming to an end: Ares would wake up soon.

She beamed and went to inform the other gods.

A few hours later he was out of the pool, had been salved and dressed into a hospital gown and was sleeping in the recovery room.

It was another two days, until he actually woke up; the Akesian Sleep always took a while to seep out and he had been in it for so long.

Apollon was the one, who witnessed his older half-brother waking up.

First it was a slight twitch of the eyelids. They slowly opened and soon Ares was blinking and glancing around disorientated.

Apollon waited until the other's red eyes focussed on him, before he spoke: "Good morning, Ares. Welcome back in the land of the living."

"Where am I …?"

"You're in sickbay. In the recovery room to be exact. We pulled you out of the Akesian Sleep a few days ago."

The war god seemed to need a bit to let it sink in.

"How long was I asleep?", he finally breathed out, his voice too hoarse from disuse.

"Three years", Apollon answered with a frown.

"Holy shit."

"Yup."

There were a few minutes of awkward silence, before Apollon finally asked: "How are you feeling now?"

"Kinda hungover."

The younger god chuckled: "Yes, the Akesian Sleep does that to you."

"An' really weak."

"That's no wonder, after what you have gone through. Do you want something to drink or eat?"

"M-hm. Some water …"

Apollon handed him a jug of water from the night stand.

But when Ares took it, he frowned. "Why is it so heavy?"

The god of light hesitated, but answered: "That's probably your lack of muscle mass. You haven't been training in more than four years, so of course they deteriorated. Take a look at your hands and arms."

Ares did and his face twisted with disgust at how frail and skinny he was.

"Lemme guess: I'll need years of rehab?"

"You'll need years of rehab."

"Shit."

Apollon tried to conceal his pity, knowing the other didn't want it. "Just drink your water. I'll let the others know, that you're awake."

.

Ares was surprised at how many people came to visit him.

Just a few minutes after Apollon had left, the war god heard a commotion outside.

But then Apollon's voice called out: "Not so fast! He's just woken up, is still in a fragile state and he needs quiet! I will not let you all pester him at once! Only two at a time and that's final!"

I'll show you fragile!, Ares thought sourly, but he still was grateful. He really was in no condition to deal with everyone's chattering, questions … and their pity.

Then Apollon let the first pair in.

Aphrodite pushed Hephaistos' chair next to her lover's bed.

"Hey there", the latter greeted his older brother. "How are you feeling?"

"Eh", Ares muttered, "Kinda shitty. How 'bout you two?"

"We've been better", Aphrodite told him. "We … we've been worried sick about you. Three years in a coma, damn the Fates!"

Ares took a closer look at her and saw that her eyes were a bit puffy. She was wearing make-up and something told him, that it was to conceal wrinkles of sorrow.

Hephaistos too looked a bit drained, and … was that a strand of grey hair?

"You have aged."

"We know", Hephaistos replied, "But that's nothing Hebe can't fix. We just didn't want to go to her, before you'd wake up."

Ares grinned wryly: "Well, I'm sure you two look better than I do. Be real with me, guys; how nasty do I look?"

"You look horrid", Aphrodite said honestly.

"Not much better than I did, when I got thrown off Olympos, I reckon", Hephaistos commented.

Ares snorted: "Probably not. Anyway, how are the kids?"

"They're fine", Aphrodite assured him. "But they miss you. And Eros is sad, because you couldn't be there on his birthday last week."

Ares smiled fondly. "Tell the kids I love them, hm?"

Aphrodite reciprocated the smile. "I will. And they love you too. You know that, right?"

He chuckled hoarsely: "Sure do."

I'm a lucky bastard in that regard, I really am.

Suddenly Hephaistos bent forward and took his brother's hand.

"How is the voice in your head?", he asked earnestly.

Ares closed his eyes and allowed himself to dive into his mind.

Hey! Are you there?

No, Ares, I'm on a field trip to the Garden of the Hesperides!, came the sarcastic response.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward. "He's fine. Back to being an old bitch already."

Who are you calling an old bitch?!

Aphrodite and Hephaistos chuckled in amusement and both squeezed his hands.

The rest of the sickbed visit was spent in a silent serenity, that less than a century earlier would have been impossible.

.

Hermes and Dionysos came together (unsurprisingly).

Their visit wasn't as tranquil, but a lot more entertaining in that these two had a lot of funny stories to share with their older brother.

Sadly Apollon soon kicked them out, saying that they were too loud.

.

Uncle Poseidon and aunt Demeter kept their visits short, but that was fine, because Ares wasn't particularly close to either.

"What time of the year is it anyway?", he asked.

Demeter told him, that it was winter. "But Sephy and Hades called, they're coming for a visit too."

"Neat", the war god replied, "I kinda miss them."

"They miss you too", his aunt replied.

A moment of silence followed.

Then Poseidon spoke: "You know, we were really terrified, when we saw you in that state – and even more so, when we took a look at the chains."

"How cursed were they?", the war god inquired.

"Pure evil", the sea god answered sombrely. "And your parents and us recognised them – the chains that once bound the Kyklopes and Hekatonkheires."

Ares' eyes widened.

Of course he had heard of them; Zeus had told him all about the beginning of the Titanomakhia, when he was small – when they had still been half-way on speaking terms, of course. Zeus had mentioned the chains, but Ares had assumed it was to make the Titanes look more evil. So they had been real?!

"We don't know, how the Aloiadai got hold of them", Poseidon continued, "But don't worry, the chains are no more. One of the Protogenoi obliterated them."

Ares nodded. "Good."

"The Aloiadai are gone too. Athena and Artemis took them out."

"Even better."

.

Artemis came alone.

"'Sup, psycho", she greeted him.

Ares grinned. "'Sup, spoiled brat."

She laughed, but quickly settled down and cleared her throat.

"Ahem, fun aside. How are you feeling, considering the circumstances?"

He shrugged weakly. "Could be better."

"You nearly died."

"I know."

She refilled his jug with water and he took it gratefully.

After taking a few swigs, he set it down on the night table.

"I heard you and Daddy's Owl took them out?"

"Yes, but stop calling Athena Daddy's Owl."

"Not in a million years."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "You know what, forget about that. If it's any comfort to you, their death was slow and painful. And Eris helped us too, sowed strife and that junk."

Ares grinned: "It is a comfort. Thank you, Basileis¹."

Her eyes widened, as he used that epithet.

He had never called her that before – normally, if he didn't call her by her name, he called her "Lêtôis"² or, if he felt spiteful, "bastard child" to rub her illegitimate birth into her face.

For some reason she couldn't help but shrug and grin broadly.

"No problem, Andreiphontês³."

.

When Athena came to see her half-brother, she had in mind, what she wanted to say.

But she was also aware, that Ares would probably ruin her plans, like the chaotic neutral he was. Artemis had already warned her, that he was back at calling her "Daddy's Owl" again, so she didn't expect any good conduct from the brutish god.

The sight caused her a light nausea.

Lying in bed, still skin and bones and deathly pale, he looked disgustingly frail.

But he seemed as perceptive as ever; he took one look at her face and his red eyes narrowed.

"Spare me your pity, Daddy's Owl", he growled throatily.

"I would, but it's hard not to pity you; you look truly wretched", she retorted coolly.

He snorted: "So I've been told. Then again, more than a year in captivity and torture and three in a coma don't exactly make one prettier."

She took a deep breath to remain calm.

"I heard that I'm obliged to you", he went on, "I can't claim that this pleases me."

"I know."

He sighed frustratedly: "Thanking Artemis was much easier. Then again, I don't hate her as much as I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual. And frankly, I hope I will never be obliged to you. The last thing I want is for you to help me out of a precarious situation, when I can't do it myself for some reason."

The response was a faltering, wheezing laugh – eerily similar to a death rattle.

She frowned: "You sound like you're dying from pneumonia. Are you sure your lungs are completely healed?"

"Well, with my luck, they might still be damaged. Or my voice and throat are just that hoarse from disuse. Anyway, Daddy's Owl-"

"Will you ever stop calling me that?!"

He grinned lopsidedly: "Sure, on the day you're not Zeus' 'little Owl-Eye' anymore."

"… You know, a simple 'No' would have sufficed, you fucking arsehole."

He mock-gasped: "What is this I hear? Is Zeus' favourite losing her composure?"

Refusing to dignify that, she turned away and spoke icily: "You better recover quickly, because I can't wait to kick your sorry behind again."

Ares laughed again: "Actually, I might just train harder and one day I'll be better than-"

Suddenly he stopped short.

"Wait … wait, are you – Owl, are you crying?!"

"Bullshit", she muttered and blinked furiously, before turning back to him.

Ares was sitting up – albeit with some effort – and looking completely bewildered.

"Hey, come on, don't cry. I'm sorry! I didn't think you were that upset about-"

"I'm not crying, you twit!"

"Yes, you are! Ya know, there are paper tissues on the night table-"

Ares gasped in surprise, as she grabbed his face. Her eyes were blazing with fury.

"What the Tartaros were you thinking?!", she hissed, "Taking on two opponents twice your size, while you were still having that cough, you … you stupid fuck! You dumbass!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know", he muttered, "But next time I'll be better prepared …"

"Shut the Tartaros up, you moron!"

She slapped him, only to hug him immediately afterwards.

Ares tensed up at first, but then she felt his hand gingerly pat her back.

"Shhhh. Hey, come on. I'll be fine. Give it a few years of rehab and we'll be back at each other's throat."

Athena chuckled wryly: "Good. I have a lot of pent-up aggression."

"Ditto! An' just you wait, Daddy's Owl! I'll train harder than before and one day I will surpass you!"

She snorted: "Keep dreaming, Thêritas⁴. I will always be the better one."

"You keep telling yourself that, you arrogant owl!", Ares cackled. "I will get you off that crazy high pedestal of yours, you'll see!"

But all of the sudden he stopped laughing and his face grew suspicious. "Wait … look at me."

One piercing gaze later, Ares' red eyes darkened with realisation.

"Eris has told you everything."

Athena, knowing what he meant, nodded. "She has."

"You haven't told anyone."

"No. I promised her not to."

"Good. Hey, lemme propose a deal to ya."

Athena's interest was piqued. "Oh? What is it?"

"You'll continue keeping quiet about it. I won't tell anyone about your breakdown."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're driving a hard bargain, brother."

He smirked: "That I do."

"… Alright. It's a deal."

"And this better not change anything between us."

"Absolutely not. You're the last person I'd give special treatment to, Ares."

"Good. Let's shake on it."

With faces like thunder they shook on it.

.

A few visits later, he was feeling incredibly tired and really just wanted to sleep.

So he couldn't help but groan, when Apollon told him that another couple was waiting.

"Yes, I know you're tired and I told them you need rest, but they insist and I can hardly turn them away", the blond explained awkwardly.

"Never mind", the war god muttered. "Let's get this over with."

"Right", Apollon nodded and went into the other room.

Ares was … actually caught by surprise, when his half-brother returned with his parents.

They sat down by his bedside.

Awkward silence settled in, none of the three knowing what to say.

Until eventually Ares said: "Hey."

To his dismay Hera broke down and cried into his covered stomach.

Zeus sighed and stroked her back.

Hating to see his mother cry, Ares placed his hand onto hers.

"You idiot!", Hera sobbed, "You complete and utter dumbass! Taking on two Gigantes by yourself, while you had a cold no less! What were you thinking?!"

"That's a good question", Zeus agreed sternly, "Ares, what were you thinking?"

Ares almost laughed, but held it in. "I was just sick of it. Those two bastards harassing everyone. And no one was doing anything."

Then he frowned at them reproachfully. "Why did it take you so long to go and look for me? Would you even have done something, if the mortal who found me hadn't told you where I was? I know we're estranged, but this is bullshit."

"You're doing us wrong", Zeus replied, "It's true, it took us four months to realise, that you had been kidnapped – but we never stopped looking for you once we did."

Ares lifted a brow. "Where did you think I was? Didn't you notice it was suddenly much quieter?"

Zeus chuckled: "It's never quiet here. But to answer your question, we thought you were in Thrace. It wasn't until Helios told us what had happened, that we learned the truth. But he couldn't say where you were, because the Aloiadai took you to some place the sunlight doesn't touch."

"… Why would I go to Thrace in such a situation?"

Hera looked up and glared tearfully. "How should we know? It's not like you ever let us know, what really goes on inside your head!"

That was true. Ares always said, what was on his mind right now, but he never let anyone see, what was beneath. His bluntness and honesty were superficial.

The war god closed his eyes and heaved another sigh.

"I'm sorry", he murmured. "I … I didn't mean to make you all worry. I didn't even think you actually care."

"Well, you're wrong!", Zeus and Hera snapped in unison – blinked, stared at each other and snickered like the old couple they were.

Ares was so happy about this rare moment of harmony between his parents, that he bit back his "Would've been nice to hear that as a kid"-comment.

Zeus cleared his throat and his face grew stern. "My son, promise us to never do this again. We very nearly lost you. Had you died, we never would have forgiven ourselves."

After what he had been through, that was an easy promise to make.

"I promise and … can you say that again?"

The King of the Gods tilted his head. "'Had you died, we never would have forgiven ourselves'?"

"No, the first thing."

Catching on, Zeus smiled.

"My son."

1) Basileis: Princess, Royal (one of Artemis' epithets, since she's the daughter of Zeus - Ares is basically acknowledging, that his half-sister is not another one of his father's "love children")
2) Lêtois: Daughter of Leto
3) Andreiphontês: Men-Destroyer (one of Ares' epithets)
4) Thêritas: Brutish/Beastly One