Chapter 53: The new Olympus

Aphrodite POV

I was searching everyone's faces, hoping to find that small amount of something to give me notice of what they were thinking...Ares was gradually losing his patience …He was still sitting in that throne, but he was restless and I could clearly see a very small shred of worry in his eyes… but that was only visible if one knew him as well as I did…Probably for them he was just the same cold Bastard as ever but with a point right now.

"We've made our decision..." Hades finally announced a few minutes later- minutes that for me felt like hours...

"Perfect...We can start now..." Ares said right after. "My vote goes to letting Eve live in peace. Demeter?"

"I go with you..." Ares nodded gratefully. I was so tense that I thought my head could burst any moment now from the stress, not knowing how that could end.

"Hestia..."

"Yes."

"Hermes..."

"No."

I gulped noisily at his refusal.

"Doris..."

"No."

No? That little wrench. I sure hated her...

"Apollo..."

"No..." he responded coldly.

"Artemis..."

"I...uh"

She looked at her brother first but in the end she voted against Ares's cause... "No."

"Athena."

"Of course not."

"Dite."

"Yes."

"Hephaestus..."

I could feel my husband's eyes burning into me at that moment.

"Yes." When I heard him really uttering the word, a proud smile spread on my face.

"Thanks Hephie..." I whispered softly, taking his hand in mine.

"Hades..."

"Now that I've heard the Fates I believe you Ares, so my vote is yes."

Before Ares got the chance to speak, I did my math but it didn't quite go as good so as I had hoped….Or did it?

"So that is 6 votes yes and 5 no...That means that Eve will be left alone once and for all." Ares announced.
Oh that had been sooo close! Curious to see the other Gods' reactions, I cast a long look around. Athena was sooo pissed!

"You are all such fools to think that this is the end...Can't you see? The girl will be our downfall!"

"Athena just stop it...We've all decided." Hades commanded.

"Uncle, but you..."

"It's done...Let it go..." he advised.

"Now we can start discussing my other problem. Athena's punishment..." Ares started again. I was sure that he wouldn't let this go so easily on our sister and he was totally right.

"What?"

"First, I want her to be stripped of her powers for the time being- let's say 5 mortal years, at least till a new order will be established...This also means that she will no longer rule over us anymore." he nonchalantly added.

"Ares..." she growled. "I'm the only one capable to..."

"To what? Rule Olympus?...I don't think so Sis…I'm the true king." he exclaimed, taking the crown beside his throne and placing it on his head. He looked awesome!

"No...Do they know Ares?"

All their eyes were upon Athena...What did she want now? It was over, she had lost…

"Know what?" Artemis asked.

"Discord...He killed her..." Ares looked peacefully at her while all the gods stared angry back at Ares, thinking probably that they had been fooled once again.

"That's why I haven't seen her on Olympus for some time now…"Apollo exclaimed.

"Just be grateful that you won't get the same fate as her..." Ares let Athena know. "... as for the rest of you, stop looking at me like that ...That little wrench is not dead...not quite dead...She killed Xena and I had to temporarily give up on my powers so that she could live…. Discord had to be punished for her crime…She has been exiled in some far away land, forgotten by men and gods alike…"

Oh yeah that's the first thing my brother did when he regained his powers…He did promise he would make her pay and he did…

Athena just looked hatefully at him and squirmed her mouth knowing that she couldn't do anything, aware that she was losing ground, and fast.

"You can't let yourselves be led by him...He's cruel, impulsive and…"

"Don't worry Sis...I don't want it." he took the crown of his head. "I want uncle Hades here, to rule."

My mouth fell open as I heard those words coming from my brother. I was speechless. Did he really say that?

He did change.

"What? Why?" Hades got up and looked pleased and surprised at Ares.

"Yes uncle, you are after all Zeus's brother, you have many more years of experience than any of us...So if you want it you can have it."

"And Tartarus…?"

"I think you can manage...Plus Persephone will be more than happy to leave that place."

"Right...Well..." Hades looked proudly at all of us. "If they also want me for their king, then yes, I will gladly accept it, nephew."

"We will vote than again."

The ciphers came out exactly the same, so Uncle Hades was now officially our king.

"Uncle the throne is yours..."

Ares stepped down, gave the crown to Hades and took a seat in his rightful chair next to me.

"Thank you, nephew...I think that all this is over now...Athena's punishment is granted Ares."

My brother nodded.

"I hope that everything is clear for all of you. Eve is not to be touched. If something happens you will answer directly to me and you wouldn't want that, I assure you. Dismissed."

They all disappeared but when Athena left, she took one more glance at Ares and I knew that it wasn't truly over, not for her. I mean, she had just been humiliated in front of all the gods and that's something no god would lightly accept.

"Ar...You won..." I said once we were in his Halls of War, giving him a tight embrace and kissing his cheek.

"I know. Thank you Dite, for everything."

"No problem…When Xena will find out...I can't wait for you to tell her."

"I don't know about that..."

"What?"

He wasn't serious was he?

"You must tell her. She has the right to know…Ares?"

"I know that, but she doesn't want to see me right now."

"Maybe she does…and if not, what? Since when do you care about it? Come on…You will tell her the truth and when she sees what you've just done for her and Eve she will forgive you...This wasn't even your fault, it was mine. She..."

"Ok...ok…I've heard you loud and clear"

"Good…go now…I want to visit my Hephie...I will give him a present for backing us out there."

I kissed my brother's cheek again and vanished, hoping that everything would turn out ok with Xena. I was really looking forward to this night with my Hephie. I missed him!