Sunsets
(c) 2023 by reallyhatemilk
He almost kills her in a fit of madness. And, unlocks a side of her that drives them both wild - and for once, gets to her as he never did as a god. But if he is to stay mortal, he won't settle for breadcrumbs. If all she can give him is several days of playing house — well, he's got a better offer. Alecto offers immortality and the throne of the King of the Gods.
Author's notes: angsty, nostalgic, cozy, and pastoral (Coming Home meets Old Ares Had a Farm)
Pairing: Xena/Ares (F/M) Rating: Mature
Tags: hurt/comfort, drama, angst, love, romance
All the characters from the series "Xena: Warrior Princess" belong to the Renaissance Pictures.
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"Love is divine only and difficult always."
(Toni Morrison, Paradise)
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The main hall of Olympus was quiet.
Quiet and shiny, restored to its previous glamor.
There was only one significant difference from the previous interior.
The halls were empty, delightfully vacant of the pompous Twelve.
Alecto grazed her nails against the side of her neck absentmindedly, relishing the ambiance.
As much as the name Xena had been a thorn in her side for a while now, she had to give it to her — this was all her doing; if it hadn't been for Xena ridding the Olympus of almost all of its godly inhabitants, Alecto wouldn't have known what it felt like to stroll around the marble halls, having it all to herself.
She wouldn't have known what it felt like to sit on the throne of the Queen of the Gods.
And it felt unspeakably exhilarating.
It did, as long as she didn't glance to the empty throne to her right, imagining who could be sitting there with her, ruling the Olympus as the King of the Gods to her Queen. When she did that, when she let her eyes linger on the empty seat, the exhilaration gave way to the overbearing longing that had been burning her from the inside ever since the recent Olympus massacre which had not only left the godly headquarters empty, but, most importantly, the object of her desire mortal, so deliciously vulnerable and very much at her mercy.
She wouldn't admit it even to her sisters, but she would often think about her former lover throughout the years, ever since he had grown immune to her charms as his obsession with the raven-haired warrior woman progressed. Alecto's vanity had suffered a blow, yes, and she was disappointed to lose a quality lay — there was no one quite like him in the godly realm, and she would know — she had tried them all; but one thing that stung was having been pushed aside for a mortal. She didn't care about Ares' other lovers, everyone slept with everyone in their world — but for him to reject her, Alecto, for a mortal whore, it was an affront she had never gotten over.
She had known Ares for eons, since he was born; he had never showed interest in a woman beyond physical, apart from Aphrodite, but never to the extent he had for Xena. What was preposterous on top of that — Xena kept rejecting him time after time, for years, to the extent of rejecting his marriage proposal — she, mortal trash, rejecting an opportunity to live on Olympus with the son of the King and Queen of the Gods — Alecto was close to dying of envy when the gossip had reached her.
Although the bitter taste lingered long afterwards, she had eventually come to terms with the fact that Ares would always be out of her reach, whether he chased after his mortal whore or not. Besides, she had long since replenished her vanity countless times to last and last.
Her perspective had changed only weeks ago.
The unexpected massacre of the Olympian Gods, their vacant headquarters asking to be taken over — it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for them, the three Furies sisters, to establish their own rule at Olympus.
There was only one obstacle to remove.
Four obstacles, to be precise. As much as the two of them didn't pose much danger — Demeter and Hestia appeared to have abandoned their home — the other two obstacles remained a living risk, one of them mortal in search of ambrosia, another one still a God but temporarily grief-stricken and thus absent.
Ares, the God of War, and his beloved sister Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. Those two needed to be taken care of.
As far as neutralizing Aphrodite was concerned, Megaera and Tisiphone were already on it. It was going to be a challenge to go against a higher-rank deity, but they boasted to have an elaborate plan they were quite proud of.
As for the God of War, Alecto had persuaded her sisters to let her take care of the matter personally.
And she was very much looking forward to it.
Poor thing, had given up his godhood to save Xena, and she hadn't as much as looked twice — after having just murdered his family — before leaving him behind, homeless, mortal, and lonely. It couldn't be more perfect, really. Roaming around the mortal plane alone, in desperate search of ambrosia to regain his godhood, he was an easy target. She had to hurry, though — once he got his hands on the Amazons' ambrosia, all would be lost.
And her plan to take care of him was too good to pass up. It might not be in complete alignment with what her sisters expected her objective to be, but that she would worry about later.
The only real flaw in her plan was Xena being alive. God or not, Ares would never stop tailing Xena — and the plan was pointless if Xena remained in the picture. Yes, Xena had to be taken care of first. Alecto wouldn't risk a duel with her while Xena had the power to kill the immortals, but she had another idea, much more tempting; satisfying on more than one level.
She would let Ares take care of Xena; not in a way that was going to please him or Xena, naturally, but it was going to please Alecto, a lot.
She was brutally ripped out of her sweet musings by the swooshing sound that announced the arrival of Megaera and Tisiphone.
"How are we doing with the Love Goddess, girls?" Alecto asked casually, composing herself.
"Oh, dear sister, it's nowhere near as interesting as how you are doing with the War God," Megaera said seductively, glaring at Alecto suggestively.
Silent, Tisiphone raised her eyebrow with interest.
Alecto's lip curled up in a sneer. "Believe me, it's going to get good very soon…"
Both sisters dropped to her feet. "Do tell."
"You see, I've given it some thought, and it's bothering me — as a mortal, he's such an easy prey, it's almost tasteless. Besides, you're going to have your fun with the love goddess for quite a while, and mine would be over tomorrow if I get started today…"
"Mmm, I'm sensing some delicious little torture, sister," Megaera leered, resting her chin on the armrest of Hera's throne, gazing up at Alecto dreamily.
Alecto bent her fingers and inspected her nails from up close. "Let's just say I'm not against dragging out the fun for a little longer, especially if it means getting two birds with one stone." She grinned, seeing the excited anticipation in Megaera's face.
"Ares and Xena, put against each other."
"Nothing new about that — she's been pretty much against him for quite a while now," Tisiphone raised her brow sceptically.
"She has, but he hasn't — and believe me, that will make all the difference…" Alecto mused dreamily.
"In that case, I judge guilty," Megaera said, licking along her upper lip. "Madness."
"You will see what a beautiful duel it will be."
"What if Xena doesn't kill him?" Megaera asked, agitated.
"She won't. It's Ares who is going to kill Xena," Alecto carried on smoothly.
Tisiphone chimed in. "They are quite equally matched; not to mention, Xena bested him in a duel back when he was still a God, which we witnessed with our own eyes, or did you forget?"
Always a mood killer, Alecto sighed inwardly, frowning at Tisiphone.
"My dear Tisiphone, trust me, the upcoming one will be Xena's last duel," Alecto purred. "Courtesy of our friends in high places, the result lies in my hands entirely."
"Potions from auntie Apate…" Megaera's eyes flashed with excitement. And that was the reaction Alecto appreciated.
"You're not playing by the rules," Tisiphone stated disapprovingly but rather indifferently.
"And who's gonna hold me accountable for that, pray tell?" Alecto turned to Tisiphone, impatience and subtle venom creeping into her voice.
"I'm not," Megaera smiled with sweet mischief in her eyes, making Alecto cast a look of approval at her all-time closest ally. She might have never really voiced it, but she loved her baby sister with all of her rotten heart.
Tisiphone tilted her head thoughtfully before she spoke. "What's the point of having Ares kill Xena? It's him we are after."
"What's the point of getting rid of Ares if Xena the God-Slayer is still alive? Or did you forget that a run-in with Xena may cost you your life?" Alecto remarked sharply, satisfied with how cleverly she managed to justify killing Xena as a necessity instead of a whim.
"That's actually a good point," Tisiphone admitted with a frown. "So, what happens next? With the God-Slayer out of the picture, we're then left with the God of War still alive."
"A mortal God of War, Tisiphone," Alecto emphasized, "who is very eligible to be sentenced for his recent transgression, don't you think, sister?" Alecto shot her a glare, raising one eyebrow. "How do you vote?"
Tisiphone was unmoved, the shade of the previous frown still adorning her face. "Well, he did commit a crime of treason against his family when he saved Xena's daughter..."
"I'm glad we have that established."
"Suit yourself, sister." Tisiphone shrugged with subtle indifference. "But if you're going to stoop so low as to use that witch Apate's potions, don't expect me to participate."
Well, it's not like I can remember inviting you, Alecto raised her brows with subtle pity. "No worries. This is my own project, girls, just as we agreed." Alecto reassured, smiling at Megaera, then casting a disapproving glance at Tisiphone.
"Although, if you need assistance at any point, you know where to find me," Megaera winked playfully. Alecto pressed her lips together in a subtle smile; she knew her sister had a secret crush on the God of War; but then again, who didn't...
"Megaera — aren't you forgetting something? Like, that we're now working on a project of our own?" Tisiphone reminded callously.
"Relax, I was just playing…" Megaera dismissed her sister's concerns, her sparkling eyes still glued to Alecto's.
"Well, girls, let's show them what we're made of," Alecto said, licking the corner of her mouth.
Megaera and Tisiphone rose to their feet simultaneously, and in a second, Alecto was back to enjoying her marble palace in solitude.
She pressed her lips together in silent contentment, marveling at how smooth it went.
Now, with Ares unanimously sentenced to madness, it was her call to whisper sweet persuasion into his ear until his feelings for the mortal whore turned a bit less favorable than they currently were.
And once the confrontation happened, she was going to make sure he wouldn't lose the fight. Her fingers traced down her cleavage to produce a tiny glass vial she kept hidden there — a recent token of gratitude from the good old Goddess of Deceit that Alecto liked to keep indebted.
She stared at the little vessel, mesmerized by the translucent red liquid that promised so much, so soon.
Soon, she would have him all to himself, so vulnerable, so desperate to get his godhood back; so lonely.
Well, it just so happened that Alecto had access to ambrosia, and so — if he was going to be a good boy and play by her rules — she might even consider feeding some of it to him, personally.
Although, that part of the plan she hadn't disclosed to her sisters.