PART 8
There was not another war-god like Ares. While some of the others with that title were exemplified by bravery, cunning and merciless pride, he was often loutish, over bearing and crude. Most often interested in the more bloodthirsty parts of warfare, the sheer rush of energy more often drove him from just killing than actually driving armies to a purpose. Laying around in his hall on Olympus, he stared down over Demeter's gardens and contemplating torching them again to remove the sight of them.
"What are you doing?" Discord appeared in a flash of light. "Do you realize there has not been a good battle in over a week?" She monetarily shrieked. "You don't think mortals have found peace, do you?"
"I'm bored..." Ares flipped over in his bed and picked some of the grapes at his headboard. "There's no challenge. There's no... " He looked at his little sister a second. His left eyebrow went up as he sat up and tossed her a small shield. She was caught unaware as she did not trust that look.
"Hold this."
"What for?!" She caught the shield.
"A little higher... a bit to the left..." He guided her movements. "A scosh to the right. Perfect!"
"What's this for?" Discord shot him a look.
"Target practice!" He fired his strongest lightning bolt as she flew out of his room, over the head of the goat-god Pan, past the stairway leading outside and into a statue of Perseus at the end of the hall. Pan started laughing at the spectacle as his goat hooves danced and clapped against the ethereal marble floor. A few feet away, Iris the rainbow goddess turned away to hide a small smirk and the Horae whispered secrets to each other after the spectacle.
"The only thing little sister's are good for!!" Ares told the god of forests as Discord screamed and leapt to her feet.
"Do you know how much that hurts?!!!" She yelled at him.
"You shouldn't have moved." Ares stood and shot her a look.
"Ares!!" Zeus's voice sounded like thunder as he stood above his daughter scrambling to her feet. The thunder-god wondered how he was going guide mortals to reach their full potential if he couldn't control his family. The dark leather-clad goddess narrowed her eyes toward her brother as she pretended to adore their father. Zeus placed his arm over her daughter to give her a bit of support and turned his head up trying to be the father he wanted to be.
"Can't you think of something else to do?" Zeus inquired.
"Can I kill Hercules?"
"No."
"Well, if you're going to bind my hands." They noticed the usually bright shimmering clouds around Olympus growing darker. It was a rather unusual phenomenon as at the gates Janus stopped looking earthward and turned to the skies. The Muses stopped skipping and dancing through the gardens and the Fates stopped their eternal thread and looked up as well as a very old force made itself renown. The clouds shaped a familiar face that Ares and Discord recognized. Pan appeared in awe as he wondered who threatened the gods.
"Son of Cronus!" Gabrielle's voice came from above them out of clouds shaped in her visage. "Your father killed my father!! Nothing more than the deaths of his children and all his descendants can stop me!!! Olympus and the world you know will be mine!! You don't dare defeat because of the body of the innocent that I do possess!! Death to the Olympians and their tyranny!!!" The face paled and the clouds returned back to normal. Zeus scowled as he looked up to his older brother Hades appearing in smoke before him. He rarely came to Olympus except to complain or ask for a favor.
"Brother," The grim god paused for respect. "The presence inhabiting the mortal has weakened the binds containing the Titans. They have yet to burst free, but they are conscious. She appears to be channeling energies from them."
"That's…" Zeus scratched his beard. "Not good."
"That was that accursed bard who follows Xena." Discord whispered to Ares.
"Xena is possibly having conniptions over this." Ares whispered back as Zeus noticed them.
"Ares, bring Hercules and Xena here. Now!!"
"No," Ares stood up to his father. "We can handle her without them!! We do not need Hercules. What is one inexperienced Titan??"
Discord watched with glee as a lightning bolt ten times stronger than he or she could conjure struck Ares. Flying to the end of the hallway, he sailed past the concerned faces of Hera and Demeter rushing to the advice of their brother. Discord grinned a bit to see her brother tossed around.
"What I meant to say..." Ares groaned and stood up. "Sure. Hercules and Xena, not a problem." He began mumbling under breath as he teleported himself to Earth. "What do I have to do for a little respect...?"