The next morning Ares awoke with the pain in his chest still very evident and a constant reminder of his newly acquired organ. At least now he had purpose to his endless life and a plan as to how he would convince her to return to him. He rose from his destroyed bed and dressed in his finest robes and cloak he would travel to see his father and seek his counsel. On his way out through the grand throne room or the thief's throne room as Hades had dubbed it Ares was stopped by his "father".

"Where are you off to so early, my son?"

"To visit with my Father, Zeus." Ares answered not even bothering to stop.

"Insolence!" Zeus roared. Ares smirked

A bolt of lightning stuck his back, it was not fully charged so it didn't kill him. Ares rose from the marble and dusted his cloak. His eyes flamed with rage and Zeus felt fear for the first time since he fought off Hades and a few select titans in an attempt to dethrone him. Ares thrust off his cloak signaling Zeus that if he wanted a fight he would get one and quite possibly lose his life. Drawing his sword from its sheath Ares charged the king of the gods without regret. Fortunately for Zeus, Hera entered and placed herself in front of her son. Ares had to sink his blade into a column to avoid decapitating his mother.

"Mother get out of the way! He has pushed me too far and I shall end his life this day!"

"Hera if not for your treacherous behavior I would not be in this position!" Zeus thundered at his wife who had just saved his life. "Had you not slept with my brother this child would not exist, and you only furthered your treachery by telling him of his origins!"

"Her treachery! She had been nothing but faithful to you until the night of my conception! Why she stays I have no idea but allow me to assure you that if she decided to leave you then you could have Persephone back!"

"Ares you must not say such things. I stay because I must, now go send my greetings with you."

"Why not come with me and convey them yourself. Father would be more than happy to see you."

"I cannot. Your brother needs me here." Hera's voice spoke with a grave finality. Ares was curious as why Zeus' son need his mother protection but she seemed adamant and they couldn't discuss it with the thief king present.

"As you wish." Ares relented to his mother. He finally returned his sword to its sheath and issued a parting threat to Zeus. "If one hair is out of place on her head when I return, and I will return, you will not live to see Artemis set the moon. Do I make myself clear?" At first Zeus doesn't intend to answer, Ares is aware of this so he puts his hand on his hilt. He receives his answer.

"Crystal." Zeus replies through his teeth.

Though the hatred was apparent in his voice Ares accepted this answer and relaxed his fighting stance. He kissed his mother goodbye and turned to take his leave. In the background he heard his mother help Zeus from up from the ground to save face he was sure. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and kept walking he was almost gone when he heard his mother's sudden intake of breath and he stopped. He turned to see that the monster was really about to strike her while he was still present. His arrogance was staggering. Though it only took one step forward to get Zeus to rethink his actions and Ares now felt uneasy about leaving. Hera came to his side and escorted him out.

"Go and take this to your father for me tell him that I still love him and I would come if I were able." Hera's eyes fill with tears as she again chooses someone else's needs over her own, but that is what mothers do.

"I don't want to leave you alone with him. Please come with me I get that you can't stay but it isn't safe here while I'm away what is to stop him from killing you?" Ares implored his mother again.

"Because you would be the first to know and he is well aware that I wouldn't stay dead long." She tried to make light of a very possible reality. Ares did not smile.

"Mother this is serious. At least stay with Hephaestus while I'm gone. He needs to pull his weight a little I shouldn't be the only one who cares whether you live or die." Hera attempts to interrupt. "No I'm serious all he does is want after the bride his father cursed him with!"

"Alright I will stay with him. Now go, you are the only connection I have to him now. You must go."

"I will not be gone too long." Ares pulls Hera to him in a fierce hug. She pats his back and then sends him on his way all too aware of the punishment that awaits her inside.

Hera walked back into Zeus's domain. She remained standing for less than ten seconds. Zeus was enraged he just kept picking her up and throwing her into walls, the ceiling, the floor it didn't matter the whole of Mount Olympus shook with his furry. So much in fact that the Grecians raced to the nearest temple of the god king and burnt offerings to appease him, in hopes that the earth would stop shaking. It did not for Zeus was much too busy beating his wife senseless to hear the frighten prayers of the morals. He only stopped when he knew that she was near death, he would not allow her to die. He would not give her or his brother the satisfaction. He carried her like a loving husband he should have been to his chambers. He called Apollo to heal her. As Apollo began his work he felt sorry for the woman whom he has hated for as long as he was able. Taking this kind a punishment from his father without attempting to defend herself, he couldn't imagine why she did it.

&&&

Ares descended to the bank of the river Styx and boarded Clarion's ferry.

"Ares you have returned. I had hoped that you would bring the Mistress back with you this time." Clarion remarked greeting Ares as he boarded the hellish gondola.

"You, me and the big man, how is he?"

"He is surviving. Persephone has started to notice that his heart is with someone else. She was willing to try to work things out with Hades when she believed there was hope. Now that she knows there isn't she begs him to release her to her mother but he refuses. He cannot be alone down here. That is why he took her in the first place. He missed your mother. He took Persephone out of spite. He hoped to see Hera again."

They reached the bank of Styx and Ares exited the boat. That was the most Clarion had ever spoken in one sitting. It caught Ares up on what had been happening since his last visit. His father was suffering. An ache he now understood. Walking to the center of Tartarus he passed Cerberus and gave him a pat on each of his heads. When he finally reached the only throne room he didn't have a disrespectful name for; Hades sat at his throne being yelled at by his wife.

"Just let me go back to my mother. Then you would have room for whoever it is that you really want." Persephone begged her husband for the tenth time that day. Hades put his head in his hands.

"Does no one understand how lonely it gets down here? You cannot leave until I know for sure that she can stay. I will not be left alone again everything is too quiet when I am alone. That is the last that I will hear of it! Now why not go upstairs so I may speak with my nephew alone?"

"Ares it is wonderful to see you again, perhaps if you have time you can come up stairs so you and I can catch up before you leave." Persephone rose from her throne and headed toward the stairs. "I can't imagine who would want to stay down here with that corpse anyway." She muttered unsure of whether or not she had been heard.

"How have you been son?" Hades asked gesturing for Ares to sit in the throne Persephone had just vacated. "All is well I hope."

"Mostly. I have a small problem. I was hoping to get your advice as to what to do."

"Of course. I do hope you are staying away from your brother's wife Hera doesn't like her."

"I am father. It's a different girl." Hades raised his eyebrows in a familiar way that told Ares where he had gotten it from. "Artemis."

"Zeus' pride and joy you mean. What happened I thought she was virginal like the others?"

"Well she was until the night before last." Ares looked anywhere but into the eyes of his father as he finished. He didn't want to see the disapproval there; he could be a disappointment to both the god that sired him and the god that raised him. That would make eternity too much to bear.

"Do you love her?" Hades asked after studying his son for a moment. The question surprised Ares. He looked up and stared at Hades; he did not know how to answer. "Well do you love her or not? Who else could this new heart of yours beat for?"

"You can hear it?" Ares asked dumbfounded. "I had thought that maybe it wasn't real. That I just was imagining the weight in my chest. Does the pain ever go away?"

"Only if you posses the one it beats for, which I assume is Artemis."

"Yes, but she fears for me. She thinks that Zeus will harm me if he finds out. More that he could. I do not know how to convince her otherwise. And she will not talk to me because she is trying to protect me from Zeus."

"Let's see what we can come up with. It isn't everyday you grow a heart." Hades laughed the first in quite awhile and those who serve him froze for a moment at the sound. It was not often that the master laughed but when he did it was such a joyous sound that all stopped to listen before continuing their work.

&&&

Eros entered his moth's chambers for his first report. He found her on her couch eating a few nuggets of ambrosia. He approached the couch, knelt before her and kissed her hand. He remained in his bowed position until Aphrodite placed her hand on his head releasing him to rise.

"What have you learned, my son?"

"Not much only that Ares has traveled to Tartarus to visit Hades. I was unable to follow without being discovered. So I plan to await his return."

"Tartarus? What on Gaia for?" She looked out the window and pondered the information. "Did he happen to mention how long he would be away?"

"No, mother. I'm almost certain that no one even knew he was leaving. Much less where he was going." Eros felt uneasy not knowing the answers to his mother's questions.

"Don't fret my son. He will return soon enough and then we will learn all that we want to know."

&&&

Four days later Hera is unconscious again and in need of healing. When Apollo arrived after being summoned he shook his head with disgust and vowed that if it were in his power he wouldn't let a woman suffer like this.

"Honestly father. Is all this truly necessary?" Apollo asked as he set to work for the third time this week.

"Keep your opinions to yourself boy and do your job. If I wanted a moral conscience I would have summoned Athena. Now hurry up and get out, we can't have her dying."

"Then perhaps you should stop beating her." Apollo mumbled under his breath.

"What did you say boy?!?"

"That this is going to take some time and you should get some rest."

Zeus nodded and left the room. Apollo heaved a sigh as he sat next to Hera and continued his work. Her eye lids fluttered several times before she was able to keep them open.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled weakly.

"What on Olympus should you be sorry for he has a worse temper than his son, and that has nothing to do with you." Apollo said trying to sooth his stepmother.

"No, I'm sorry about what I put you and your mother through. I had no right. She didn't hurt me, Zeus did and I was wrong to put you kids in the middle. For that I am eternally sorry and I hope at some point you will be able to truly forgive me and then we might be able to be friends." Hera coughed up blood and Apollo began to work faster he was losing her.

"Why do you let him do this to you? What could possibly be worth all this abuse?"

"My son." Hera's eyes closed and her breathing became shallow. Apollo became frantic as he worked she was fading fast and he wasn't sure if he would be able to save her this time.

&&&&&&&&

Leigh: Sorry it took so long. I wasn't sure if it was destined to be an onehot or not. You can all thank Kelly for its continuation. I wouldn't have gotten through my block without her. Anyways, you know the drill. Hit the review button and give me some feedback.