I had convinced Hermes that when he followed Ares he should bring me with him. And he did. But the Olympus that lay before my eyes was not the one I remembered from what appeared like decades ago. It was no longer a beautiful, magnificent structure where life was ever present and beautiful immortal beings walked to and from. The Olympus that met us was not one of life, and though it was not precisely in ruins it was dark and haunting. Leaves and plants had grown against the outer walls and the marble walls within that once shone pale and clean were now filthy and dull.

Hermes knew exactly where Ares would be, for he brought us to the very room where Ares was tearing men asunder to get to the Aloadae. It was the throne room I remembered vaguely, the large and long spacious hall with giant columns and a throne chair in which Zeus once sat. There was no Zeus in that chair now, Ephialtes sat upon it, and besides him stood Otus and Artemis. With her long dark hair, golden skin and wide green eyes. Ephialtes simply nodded at me and smiled slightly when he noticed me. Otus' eyes gleamed with fascination at the bloodshed, but Ephialtes knew they were to loose.

If I were not one accustomed to battles and bloodshed, the sight before us would have led me to madness. If I thought Ares demented the very first time we met, it was nothing compared to him now. There was wildness in him, ferocity, an insanity that was simply tangible. Deities surrounded him; godly creatures that attempted to bring down the god of war before their masters' impassive gaze. Yet those creatures, some with the appearance of men, others undoubtedly inhuman with their eerily colored skin or claws and wings, were simply no match for a force like Ares. He would move from one deity to another, tearing heads off with his very hands, impaling bodies with his bronze sword, shielding when attacked with his shield, standing again and attacking once again.

There were times were he simply appeared to forget his sword and that was the most disturbing sight of it all. A sword was a clean weapon, despite the blood; it was a somewhat honorable way to die. But Ares did not grant many of them honor. The most disturbing sight derived from him sheathing his sword and simply utilizing his body to brutalize and tear asunder his enemies. Some of those who stood with the Aloadae simply vanished after gazing upon Ares, they left before they lost their existence in a war they knew they could not win.

In an instant a harpy stood behind him, preparing to attack him as he was finishing off some strange creature, but before she even touched him he turned, his eyes truly insane beneath his helm, his lips curled in a snarl and closed his fist, pushing it through her chest and tearing out her heart with his very hand. When the Harpy fell upon the ground he growled, loud and dangerous, squeezing her heart in his fist until it was nothing but squashed meat. For some reason such a sight brought things in place inside me.

I love him, dear gods I love him more than I have ever loved a person in my whole life. But him and I, we could never be, for though I was a warrior my ways could never compare to his. He was the God of War. His name meant brutality, bloodshed, all of it endlessly. It was what he would always do, centuries from now, millenniums, and he would not change. I was twenty-four summers of age and I was weary of it all. I did not did not wish to fight anymore. But for one last time, I would fight besides him if I must. If I survived, I promised myself peace whether in life or death.

It wasn't long before Hermes and I were engaged in the battle. I raised a sword and shield from a fallen deity and attacked anyone who attempted to attack me. The attacks were deadly for I had the skills to wield the sword but it was not my skills that counted, but the enchantments weave through the metal of Hephaestus. With cold detachment and a tired soul I killed one too many godly and ungodly creatures to gain anything from it. I attempted to terminate and not battle, I was too weary for that. I sliced throats and stab hearts, wounding fatally, but never prolonging their inevitable deaths.

My gaze fell upon Artemis, who appeared to be in a deep catatonic state, she was absolutely transfixed upon the bloodshed that Ares alone had caused inside the throne room. When her eyes fell on me, I heard a voice inside my head, it was a beautiful female voice, one tainted with disbelief, disgust and fascination. How can you make love to him? I did not need any more words to realize the disgust directed towards Ares. And for some unknown reason her words wounded me deep but above all it angered me.

What did the virgin goddess of the moon and hunt, know of love? What did she understand of it? How could she stand there besides the Aloadae and do nothing?

I grounded my teeth together from anger, but said the words anyways. "Free the gods."

My words seemed to snap her out of her trance, for she briefly nodded and ran from the throne.

Both Ephialtes and Otus reacted at the very same time, for they both knew that having Ares here was bad, but upon unleashing the other gods, they simply had no chance of survival. They stood, raising their lances towards Artemis and running to her until she was trapped between them. She attempted to run again, her body changing into that of a deer before my very eyes, but they did not let her run far before they lanced their spears at her. They scarcely missed her body as she ran away from them again, but scarcely missing her body was their end. For without her body between them, their spears landed upon each other. Piercing their body's.

Artemis in deer form looked back once at the fallen Aloadae before she vanished.

The soldiers of the Aloadae remaining were honorable in their cause, for they did not run in fright when gazing upon Ares, and they did not run when their masters were wounded by their own spears. Or when the life was fleeing from Otus as they fought. Otus lay dying but Ephialtes' wound was not mortal and it would not kill him. I could see as he attempted to stand, as he gazed at his fallen brother with grief. And I felt for him. Despite everything Ephialtes had done I felt grief for him and I felt pity. But I wanted this to end, I simply wanted all this bloodshed to be over and I knew that as long as he lived, this insanity would continue.

Ares appeared infuriated that Ephialtes and Otus were wounded and that one of the brothers would die in mere seconds, I knew that he wanted to tear them apart himself. I knew that if his hands fell upon Ephialtes, he would not let him die for a very long time. And I needed this to end.

I did not know what led me to my decision other than my desperate need for an end. I ran towards Ephialtes, blessing every Aloadae soldier that blocked Ares' path. When I got to the remaining Aloadae I knelt besides him.

Ephialtes had not changed a bit since I last saw him, if anything taking over Olympus had done him good. For skin was not nearly as pallid as I remember. He looked more alive. He was my enemy and I made myself hate him for what he had done to Ares and to me, for watching impassively as his brother beat me to a pulp, for chaining Ares and leaving him to his stepfather. But in that very instant, despite how large and powerful he could still be, I pitied him. What existence had led him and his brother to become obsessed with overthrowing the gods? Perhaps he hated his father, Poseidon. Seeing him, one who could be so magnificent reduced to this brought tears to my eyes, which fell over my cheeks. A sob erupted through my body.

"I would think you are crying for me?" Ephialtes whispered.

"I am tired." I said sitting on my heels. Over the fight I had realized one thing. That Aloadae were not immortal, they could be killed with their very weapons. I reached for the dagger strapped on his waist, though his eyes told me he knew my plan, he did not stop me, but simply smiled.

At his smile, I leaned over him, placing my head over his stomach. I allowed myself to cry, the sounds muffled by his bloodied toga. I felt his hand caressed my head and then take my hand that held his dagger and place it over his heart.

"You must hurry." He said.

"I know." I would end him, because I did not want this insanity to continue. Despite everything, I did not want him to endure what Ares had in store for him even if he deserved it.

I leaned over his body, and placed the dagger perfectly over his heart.

"I wish I could do everything over…it was not worth it, none of it was."

"I could've told you that being a god and owning Olympus does not make you happy."

"Thank you." He said and nodded. I dug the dagger in his heart. I saw his blood, as red as mine stain my hands. I saw the life leave his pale eyes and I felt his heartbeat die under my fingertips. It was over. Finally over.

I heard a male sound of a scream and a growl merged into one and turned to see Ares furious eyes fall upon me. He would kill me; I knew it, for I had robbed him of his chance of vengeance. I stood and waited for him to reach me.

But that very instant Artemis returned and she was not alone. With her came all the gods of Olympus, freed at last. At least the sun and the moon would rise again when they should.

Apollo and Dionysus held Ares back from me, and he growled and struggled against them until Poseidon was at his back and held his body in a lock. There was such anger In Ares' gaze, such insanity and lust, all directed towards me.

"She's mine! MINE!" He said. "Release me! Liah!" And then he started speaking in a tongue I had never heard before without taking his eyes from me. Apollo's eyes widened as he heard the sounds coming from Ares. He began struggling with all his force against the gods that held him, even as they brought him to knees.

"Get her out of here!" Yelled Athena and instantaneously Hermes placed his hand on my arm.

"No!" I said shrugging his hand off. "Release him! He'll not harm me, I can take him." When Athena eyed me in disbelief I screamed at her, tears falling once again over my cheeks. "I can take him! He won't harm me!"

"He will." Said the goddess of love, approaching my and standing before me. "He'll not mean to, but you are human. You will not last the night if he takes you like this." I shook my head in denial. "I know that you love him and he loves you, but now is not the time." She said.

"He will snap your bones in the throes of passion, and in the morn when your lifeless body lays in his arms, he will hate himself. Go home, Liah and live your humanity." I had never liked Aphrodite's, but I saw reason to what she said. I knew that every word she said was true.

"What shall happen to him?" I gazed at him and attempted to memorize his face, for I knew that it was likely that I would never see him again.

"He is a berserker, the rage shall come to pass."

"And if it doesn't?" I asked as Aphrodite laid her hand on my shoulder. I felt as if I was drifting off and I knew she was sending me home. Somehow I was thankful she was sending me alone and Hermes was not coming with me. I needed solitude, yet I knew that this was the last I would see of the gods.

But before I left I heard Zeus reply.

"Then I shall put him out."

I hope you guys enjoyed it : )