Summary: A scandal ensues on Mount Olympus when the least loved deity, Santana, goddess of war, is caught in flagrante delicto with Brittany the goddess of love, who's married to Artie, god of blacksmiths. Brittana Greek Mythology AU

A/N: This story was written for Brittana's seventh wedding anniversary

Note: Copper is a traditional seventh wedding anniversary gift. It's also one of the seven planetary metals, associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

This story is a romcom/parody that follows the basic myth of Ares' affair with Aphrodite with my own spin on it. It will not be entirely accurate to the myths and of course, there are quite a few genderswaps. The myth of Ares and Aphrodite's affair has always reminded me so much of Brittana's storyline in Season 2.

Cast:
Ares - Santana Lopez
Aphrodite - Brittany S. Pierce
Hephaestus - Artie Abrams
Zeus - Will Schuester
Hera - Emma Pillsbury
Athena - Quinn Fabray
Circe - Tina Cohen-Chang
Momus - Mike Chang
Asteria - Rachel Berry
Perses - Finn Hudson
Helios - Mercedes Jones
Kratos - Lauren Zizes
Dionysus - April Rhodes
Poseidon - Roz Washington
Apollo - Sam Evans
Alectryon - Sugar Motta
Hades - Sue Sylvester

Santana was pissed off as usual at everyone and everything yet nothing at all as she strutted through the forest with attitude in her full suit of heavy bronze armour. She cursed loudly, making sure everyone was aware of her bad mood as birds and small animals darted away from her fearfully.

Yeah, she was angry at the universe but most of all, she was angry at herself for some reason. Though she also went by the name Santana, to most, she was known as Ares, the goddess of war and courage - the spirit of battle.

Since she had such a violent reputation and loved creating trouble due to her unquenchable thirst for conflict, no one on Earth or on Mount Olympus seemed to ever want her around. Everyone was petrified of the goddess with the perpetual fury in her black eyes who they associated with only the gore and savagery of war. Not to mention, they were terrified of being on the receiving end of the vicious, vicious words that everyone knew spewed from the lips of the truculent deity.

She had just been to the usual annual feast with her parents, Zeus and Hera - the king and queen of Mount Olympus - who were unimpressed with their warlike daughter. They ignored her the entire time even as she boasted about her latest conquests in front of their many guests that included all of the other gods and goddesses of the land.

Santana yelled in futile rage at the heavens as she thought about this. The many wood nymphs and water nymphs scurried away as quickly as they could to hide from the wrath of the widely proclaimed "Most Hated of the Gods" as she stomped around with her sword and shield.

"I've heard that you've been picking fights with everyone, mortal or immortal," Zeus had shaken his head at her disapprovingly, reprimanding her in his stern fatherly voice as Santana rolled her eyes with attitude and popped her neck. He was a tall, curly-haired man with a cleft chin who had always got on the defiant Santana's nerves. "There are too many wars raging on Earth right now. Everyone is getting tired of your bad attitude, Young Lady."

"I don't pick fights with everyone!" Santana shouted, immediately losing her temper as the other gods cringed due to the volume. "Whoever said that can meet me outside right now and square up!"

"Y-your father makes a good point. Y-your anger issues are out of control, Ares!" Hera piped up, a nervous stutter to her voice as Santana's entire body seemed to go up in a wave of black smoke and fire. The small, red-haired woman watched with her big eyes, unsure of how to handle her rebellious, warlike daughter.

"That's right, Mother." Athena agreed with a haughty smirk. Of course she'd see it that way… Santana thought. The darker girl scowled at the icy blonde, hazel-eyed girl who her father Zeus had clearly replaced Santana with from the moment she had been born practically because he considered the more demure girl to be the superior war goddess.

Unlike Ares, Athena maintained a cool head and was the most skilled at military strategy. She was much more booksmart than the hot tempered Ares and managed to say all the right things to those in authority. Zeus had quickly made the clever Athena the general of all the armies in the world as he preferred her over Ares. Santana was greatly annoyed that her sister always had to be the best at everything.

"Yeah, well Hera's psycho husband cheats on her with anything that moves!" Santana snarled back in response, defensively crossing her arms over her chest. "Including the fucking swans!"

She didn't know if it was true but it was the rumour everyone had heard and saying it had the intended effect. Everyone turned to Santana in shock.

An astoundingly tall, intimidating woman with short blonde hair and a vicious expression on her face chortled at that comment from Santana. It was Hades, goddess of the underworld, who was throwing back goblet after goblet of wine. Everyone knew she had declared herself the arch nemesis of Zeus. She turned to the war goddess, speaking in a hushed voice. The other gods gave her nasty looks.

"Look how they look at me like I'm stealing the silver. You're pretty funny with the zingers, Problem Child. Almost reminds me a little of a young Hades… Some of us don't want to be here listening to Butt Chin's sob stories either, so I can relate but ya know, don't want to get struck by lightning for ticking off the weather man too much. We could be besties, especially if you're out of a job but it's a shame you can't keep your cool - your perpetually out of breath sounding blondie replacement will be much more useful to me.``

Santana grimaced, annoyed that even Hades, who hated Zeus, preferred that frigid bitch Athena. At Santana's remark, Hera and Zeus gasped in outrage but before they could say anything in retaliation, the black-haired warrior stormed out of the palace of Mount Olympus like a surly teenager, slamming the door behind her.

She overheard Circe, a short Asian woman with heavy eyeliner around her eyes who was the goddess of sorcery, trash talking her as she always did and no doubt spreading rumours. There had always been a mutual dislike between them and Santana vowed that she was going to show that gossipy wench the sharp side of her sword the next time they crossed paths.

"Who goes there?" came a thunderous but bored sounding, distinctly female voice.

"It is I, Ares, the goddess of war!" Santana announced confidently, unsheathing her sword as she let out some horrifying screams to let everyone know she had arrived on earth in her golden chariot. Everyone nearby trembled in fear. Santana had an appetite for destruction and was bent on taking out her frustration on this challenger.

A deity that Santana recognized as Kratos appeared. She was a large, muscular girl who was rumoured to be the strongest fighter in all of Olympus. Santana swallowed nervously but tried to hide her fear.

"Oh, it's just you," Kratos, who went by the name "Zizes," snorted dismissively and continued in a flat, deadpan voice. "Mount Olympus' Most Unwanted is here."

"What did you just say?! I'll have your enlarged, white rhinoceros head on a platter, Giantess!"

Zizes just laughed mockingly, flipping her hair back sassily. By now a group of villagers had gathered around to witness the spectacle, whispering nervously as they recognized it was Ares and Kratos who were quarrelling. No one dared to get between two of the world's most powerful warriors.

"Don't even try it," Zizes warned the other warrior, wagging her finger. "I'll squash you like an insect, Little Boots."

"We'll just see about that!" Santana declared, charging toward the massive woman without a second thought. She wasn't too pleased about Zizes' comments regarding her diminutive size and her lack of respect for the goddess of war. Before she could even get near her, Zizes grabbed a screaming Santana by the neck with one hand and catapulted her through the air easily, like she would a children's toy.

"You're boring me," Zizes yawned but then let out a startled cry when Santana crawled toward her after catching her breath from that fall and managed to swipe her with her sword. "Ouch, you bitch. What the actual Hell?"

The fight was a complete disaster to all who could see it, at least from Ares' perspective. Oh, it was a beatdown of epic proportions unlike any they had seen before. The mortal peasants watched in alarm while Santana's not that large body bounced off of trees and was rolled across the forest floor repeatedly as Zizes effortlessly countered each of the goddess of war's attacks. They weren't sure if they should point and laugh or run for their lives.

A few brave peasants shouted out rude, taunting things at the war goddess as she glared murderously at them. Zizes snapped the challenger's sword like a toothpick and the goddess gulped, beginning to regret picking a fight. The larger woman snickered as Santana yelled in anguish, her battle cries sounding like the screams of ten thousand Spartan soldiers. Everyone covered their ears, wincing.

"Do you want to get stuffed into a bronze jar again, huh, Ares?"

That was a low blow. Santana shivered, traumatic memories floating back to her.

"Oh you did not just say that… I- I'll destroy you!"

"Just give up already. Your arms and legs are like twigs. Some war god. You can't even win a fight. Okay this is just embarrassing for you and I'm super bored, so peace out." Zizes said flatly, dusting off her robes and leaving behind a bleeding Santana who was a groaning tangle of limbs covered in a pile of leaves and rocks, the fragments of her sword lying ten feet away.

"That's what you get for messing with the goddess of war!" Santana yelled in her most menacing voice but coughed from the effort, groaning in pain. She fell unconscious as the pain from her wounds consumed her thoughts. The villagers quickly fled to their homes, worried about what would happen when Ares woke up and not keen on getting run through with her sword if the petulant god was moody.

Santana felt weak and listless as she lay, barely conscious when she awakened and realized she was covered in a layer of her own blood. She summoned up what little energy she had left and managed to crawl over to the edge of what looked like a white marble shrine that mortals had no doubt built to honour one of the gods.

Big deal, I have these too, she thought. However this shrine wasn't like the ones the mortals constructed to the goddess of war. It was way prettier and fancier. Well okay, truth be told, Ares didn't have that many shrines, except a couple in Sparta. What she noticed was that there were small piles of copper coins, flowers, and shells everywhere that the mortals had clearly left as an offering for whichever god or goddess the shrine was dedicated to. She dozed off, thinking that the mortals never left cute things like that for Ares.

When Santana opened her eyes again, it was to the sound of an angelic voice humming a soft, whimsical tune about chalices that made no sense. Her brows furrowed in confusion, trying to make sense of the chalice song. Santana's eyes widened, realizing that her head was resting in the soft lap of an unknown young maiden. Her body felt cool as the stranger gently wiped her skin with a damp rag. Even the girl's skin itself was cool and soothing when her hands touched Santana. Santana could hear the rushing water of a stream nearby and the pleasant scent of wild flowers reached her nose.

She looked up and was met by the bluest eyes she had ever seen along with long, wavy blonde hair that looked like it was spun with gold and a striking face that had certainly been crafted by the gods. There was a crown of flowers adorning her head and she wore an elegant white chiton that was cinched at the waist.

The young woman was wearing some kind of decorated breast-band around her chest and Santana spent way too long staring at that area, captivated by her soft breasts. Her blue eyes were very feline and upturned, giving the maiden a mischievous, flirtatious look whenever she glanced Santana's way. She was adorned with copper earrings, necklaces and bracelets. While she watched over Santana, the girl was holding a mirror of polished copper with her other hand and glancing at her own reflection from time to time, making sure her fair locks of softly curled hair were just right.

The dark-haired warrior had never seen such a beautiful being in all of the lands, who put all of the mortal women, sirens, nymphs and goddesses to shame. Santana was instantly enchanted by the beauty of the woman who was smiling down at her but she was also appalled, on principle, that anyone dared to touch the goddess of war without her permission. The sting of her recent loss in battle only added to her fury. Her ego had suffered a major blow.

"Who are you?" She demanded in a ferocious and raspy voice, attempting to pull away but wincing as a sharp pain emanated from her wounds and falling back into the woman's lap. "Do you not know who I am?"

"Oh, you're Ares, goddess of war, right? Looks like you got beaten up really bad. Hopefully no one was around to watch it because like, you're like, supposed to be the most badass warrior ever, right?" The beauty giggled in a breezy, airheaded way. The maiden was so casual and unbothered with her airy, monotone voice and bland expression that Santana didn't know what to think. She had never met anyone like this before.

Santana snarled, wanting to be offended but found she couldn't maintain her anger in the presence of the soft face and melodic voice of her ditzy captor.

"It's okay, I'm sure you win against all the other gods so they can't be mad if you lose just one fight. You're really brave." The woman consoled her, patting her gently on the back. Santana wanted to argue because she was sure the blonde was taunting her but she felt strangely validated and at ease in the presence of this woman… She very much liked being complimented by beautiful women.

"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed when the woman applied some kind of salve that caused a sharp, stinging sensation.

"I'm cleaning your wounds and healing you, Silly. I found you here by my shrine. You're like, totally covered in sweat and blood and you look totally sexy like that but still. I'm the goddess of love and beauty by the way. Some people call me Aphrodite but you can just call me Brittany." She winked.

"The goddess of love?" Santana echoed, confused and flustered about being called sexy.

"Yeah, it's really fun. The mortals give me all these gifts and I make people happy because everyone likes love and beauty so they all love me," Brittany fluttered her eyelashes at her as she said the last part. The truth was that the goddess was very shallow and liked beautiful people, especially this hottie with her high-cheekbones and dark, deep eyes. "Speaking of beauty, You're really attractive with all those muscles and your jawline is so hot. Not to mention, those pouty lips… "

Santana didn't know what to say to all this and felt rather nervous now, a heat rising to her face. Everyone on Mount Olympus and the world of mortals hated the goddess of war so it wasn't like she had any admirers, until now. Nor had Santana ever been interested in anyone, beyond a few passing glances at beautiful girls. No one had ever tried courting her before and now the goddess of love of all people was the first to have ever tried. What was she supposed to do now? Santana felt more timid than she had ever felt in battle, even with the most vicious opponents.

"Are you… flirting with me, Goddess of Love?"

"Maybe. Is it working?"

The quirky blonde maiden gave her signature cheeky, breathy laugh, tossing her long flowing hair back. She had made advances toward just about every god and mortal she met, though Hephaestus was somehow oblivious to his wife's actions. It was difficult for Brittany to resist her undeniable attraction to the warrior who was everything her tiny, bespectacled craftsman husband wasn't. Both Brittany and Santana looked to be in their mid-twenties and were in their physical prime. She got up, laying Santana's head tenderly against a pile of cloth and swayed her hips from side to side, looking over her shoulder at Santana coyly as she walked away to wash her rags in the nearby stream.

What a shameless woman, Santana thought, feeling flustered.

"Okay, so here's how this is gonna work. You're staying with me in my palace on Mount Olympus until you get better," Aphrodite, a.k.a Brittany announced when she returned. Santana grumbled and was appalled when the goddess lifted her onto her back somehow with ease. Santana didn't want anyone else to see her being carried around because she hated to appear so weak and pathetic but she didn't have the energy to argue. She scrambled to find balance, wrapping her arms around Brittany's neck. "I mean, you can stick around longer if you want at my place. It's up to you."

Suddenly a thought occurred to Santana. She had heard vaguely about the goddess of love before. Come to think of it…this had to be her brother's wife...

"Hey, don't you have a husband…?"

"Husband? Oh right. Artie, I mean Hephaestus is never around at all anyway," Brittany sighed, rolling her eyes and was displeased at the thought of him. "Not that we even get along that well when he's home anymore. I mean all he wants to do is hammer on his dumb metal things all the time and then he thinks he can butter me up with all these gifts. What's even the point? We just don't have anything in common but his dad forced us to get married."

"So you're just alone here all the time here?" Santana asked, gazing in wonder as they finally approached a massive looking white palace. It was sad to think of this bubbly young maiden being all alone without a soul to talk to.

"Yeah pretty much," Brittany nodded. "Sometimes I meddle in the affairs of gods and mortals because the drama is super entertaining, though. Artie only comes home once a month basically. For the rest of the time, it's just me and my cat. It gets lonely, especially with all the attractive mortals who walk around here flaunting their sculpted bodies."

Santana frowned, annoyed for some reason that Brittany was admiring other people's bodies.

"My body is better. You should only look upon mine." She commanded Brittany in a whiny voice, not knowing why she was demanding this. The girl looked amused, her sky blue eyes glinting when they met Santana's as she stifled a laugh at the woman's apparent jealousy. She answered in a teasing, lilting voice but was honest in her response.

"I will only need to look upon yours, for none of the others could remotely compare."

The darker woman was soothed by that answer, melting for a moment and flushing as incredibly blue, laser-focused eyes met her dark ones.

"You can look if you want…" Brittany's eyelashes fluttered as she noticed Santana focusing on the area of her golden breast-band yet again when she set her down, allowing the darker woman to lean against her body for support. "It was a gift from my husband… it's supposed to make me even more enticing well... sexually."

Not that the blonde goddess needed any help in that department. Santana thought it ironic that Hephaestus would fashion the already extremely flirtatious, stunning Brittany an item that made her even more attractive to other men and women, especially when he left her completely alone for so long.

"What are those odd beasts swimming around?" Santana questioned, pointing to the strange creatures that were frolicking in the lakes around Brittany's palace.

"Dolphins. I just love them, " Brittany grinned, then her voice took on a more serious tone. "Did you know that dolphins are just gay sharks?"

Santana was perplexed. She did a double take, unsure of how to answer that but allowed Brittany to lead her toward the hall of Hephaestus without further argument as Brittany's white unicorns with rainbow hair frolicked happily around them.

Santana wasn't sure if it was a good idea for her to move in with some woman who had a husband, especially with a husband who was known to be as clever and sassy as Hephaestus was. Especially with a husband who was Santana's adoptive brother. Sure, he wasn't anywhere near as hot or beautiful as she was but Santana didn't want to deal with some woman's furious husband. It was difficult to say no to those fluttering eyelashes of Brittany's, however.

Brittany gestured toward what looked like hundreds of stunning bracelets, necklaces and rings that were on display on shelves taking up almost every inch of the rooms.

"Artie designs all of these for me in his workshop."

The darker woman frowned at the mention of the husband again. Santana then shrieked in a girlish and undignified way when a giant animal leaped upon her as they entered Aphrodite's palace.

"What is this beast?!" She cried, shaking the creature who looked like a very well fed, grey lion off of her. "How dare it pounce on the goddess of war!"

"Shh, Santana, you will re-open your wounds if you get too upset. Oh that's just my kitty, Lord Tubbington," Brittany chuckled. "I think he likes you. C'mon Tubbs, you know what I told you about jumping on guests!"

Uh huh. Santana was highly skeptical. She saw the way Lord Tubbington was glaring at her when she walked near Brittany. She didn't think the feline was in any way fond of the goddess of war.

"Your legs look really hot in that mini skirt." Brittany noted, her eyes lingering on them. Santana felt very flustered for more reasons than one and huffed, incensed.

"It's not a skirt. They're pteruges." She said flatly, heat rising again to her face at Brittany's words. She was suddenly alerted to how ravenous she felt and a faint feeling came over her as she breathed heavily. Brittany caught her before she fell, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, Santana. You must be famished and exhausted."

The blonde maiden helped her lay on a cushion and she brought some food to her. Santana allowed her to feed bread to her as she shivered and Brittany would pass a damp cloth over her head every now and then. She would never allow anyone else to see a warrior like her in such a vulnerable state but she was too weak to argue as Brittany passed her a chalice of water, holding it to her lips to allow her to drink.

"What are you doing?" Santana demanded, sucking in a sharp intake of breath. Brittany had begun to strip her of the remaining pieces of heavy bronze armour and rested them beside her helmet.

"I will need to care for your other wounds."

Santana didn't fight her, allowing Brittany to cradle her head on her lap again as she tended to her wounds. She whimpered at the pain from the deep slashes across her body every so often but Brittany would whisper tender and sweet things to her that distracted her from her agony as she wiped sweat from the darker woman's face. Brittany then began to strip off her clothes and Santana became flustered as the blonde fluttered her long lashes.

"W-wait, I…"

Santana felt heat rise to her face but she was too embarrassed to admit as the goddess of war that no one had ever seen her naked before, far less a beautiful woman. Brittany chuckled, her blue eyes dancing playfully across Santana's face. She cupped her cheek, gazing into her dark eyes and conveying a sense of comfort.

"It's alright, Santana. Shh. I would never hurt you."

"You've… you've kidnapped me and taken me to your palace to seduce - wait - don't look!"

Brittany promised she wouldn't, rolling her eyes with some fondness and amusement. She was too weak to protest when Brittany removed her tunic, helping her bathe the next day and her naked body was exposed to the blonde as it had never been to anyone before though the goddess of love never made her feel uncomfortable even in her exposed state as she cleaned her body then applied medicines.

Even though Brittany said she wouldn't, it was inevitable that her eyes drifted to Santana's exposed body and she admired what she saw. Santana's body was so beautifully toned and bronze, her arms and legs strong and lean. Her abs were defined and muscular in a way that made Brittany's face flush, her lust growing toward the warrior.

Brittany quickly grew accustomed to Santana's company. She knew eventually the warrior would want to leave after her wounds were healed but she was depressed at the thought of Santana ever leaving ever since she had grown to enjoy her presence so much. Everything about the fiery war goddess was so thrilling and exciting to her.

Though she didn't understand much of what she was telling her and suspected they were heavily embellished, Brittany enjoyed Santana's stories about the many powerful and epic things she had done in battle.

Santana thought it made sense that Brittany was chosen by the gods as the representation of love, beauty and pleasure. Those were three things Santana had never known much about or thought highly of but the more time she spent with the woman the more she understood their value.

As Brittany took care of her each day patiently cleaning her wounds and stroking or kissing her head to soothe her pain, a feeling of love began to grow inside of Santana, like a warmth that was spreading throughout her veins. She had never experienced this peculiar feeling before.

Right before she fell asleep, she would see the image of Brittany's smiling face in her mind's eye and when she drifted off, her dreams would be filled with the sound of Brittany's tinkling laughter, comforting touches and sweet scent.

Brittany placed her in her bed, despite Santana's initial reluctance and awkwardness at the idea. Each night, the woman would lay beside her and Santana would rest her head on her chest or shoulder as Brittany ran her fingers through her long black hair until Santana was lulled to sleep. Her sleep was more peaceful than it ever had been. Whenever she awakened from a nightmare about war, Brittany would be there to soothe her with her calming voice and gentle touches. No one had ever been as gentle with her as Brittany was and strangely enough... Santana liked it.

"Brittany!" Santana shouted, falling into despair one day as she threw down her sword in a fit of rage after coming back from a trip to Mount Olympus. Brittany had been pleased that Santana still returned to the palace constantly day and night even though she now was back to her duties as the war goddess after she had recovered.

"What's the matter?" Brittany cried, running to the warrior to comfort her. She saw Santana on her knees crying very loudly and dramatically when she came home from a recent skirmish. All at once, Santana flew into a rage, thinking about how she had been wronged. She reminded Brittany of a moody, depressed teenager.

"I'm not even welcome in my own father's home on Mount Olympus. They don't want me there, so I have to live in Thrace! It's humiliating!"

"Oh, Darling…" Brittany sighed as the shunned warrior continued to freak out.

"It's so unfair! Father has replaced me as the god of war again!" Santana whined through her sobs. "I've been fired twice! First Athena and now he has asked Kratos to be the true God of War. Father hates me!"

Brittany felt pity for the hot-tempered war goddess. For a legendary warrior, she sure was sensitive and emotional. Not to mention had some major daddy issues. However, Brittany adored even her moody side and hot temper. Santana continued to wail as Brittany murmured comforting things, stroking her hair. Santana had never allowed herself to break down like this in front of anyone but something about Brittany's presence made her feel comfortable opening up to her.

"Maybe you can try rocking back and forth as I've seen mortal peasants do?" She suggested. She put her arm around Santana's shoulders and to her surprise, the black-haired woman threw her arms around her completely, sobbing into her neck. She felt pity for the lonely and misunderstood warrior who felt all of her emotions so intensely. "I'm sure your dad doesn't hate you. He just doesn't understand you."

"Why am I not good enough?! Just because I hate everyone doesn't mean they have to hate me too!"

"Oh, Santana. You're more than just good enough, you're amazing. I wish you could know how incredible you are."

"Do you really think so?" Santana looked up at her in wonder. "No one even worships me that much! I only have two shrines in Sparta and everyone else has at least five hundred."

"Yes, you're the best at what you do. Everyone is super afraid of you," Brittany nodded. "Oh don't worry about the shrines. Honey, why don't we go shopping? That always makes everyone feel better."

"Shopping? What part of this will involve fighting?"

Santana had certainly never done that before. She had never seen the purpose in it, as it didn't involve a sword or shield. Shopping seemed like some silly thing pathetic mortals did to occupy their time.

"The mortals are having this festival for me right now called Aphrodisia. We can just go in disguise and they'll be so shocked if I randomly announce it's me. It'll be so funny."

Santana chuckled as she liked Brittany's mischievous, playful ways. Those were exactly the types of tricks she herself liked playing on mortals. She already felt brighter, though she bristled, feeling awkward when Brittany gave her a red chiton to wear and wrapped a chlamys around her, grabbing her hand to pull her toward her horses. She felt a tingle when Brittany's soft hand touched hers.

"Are you certain this is a good idea, Brittany?"

"You just need some fun, Santana. I know you'll enjoy it."

Santana mounted her black horse and helped Brittany up behind her, feeling a flush rise to her cheeks when the woman wrapped her arms around her waist from behind and rested her face against her back as they rode. Brittany continued to hold Santana's hand as they made their way through the marketplace. She giggled when Santana haggled aggressively with the vendors, clearly getting accustomed to shopping in very little time.

Santana couldn't take her eyes off of Brittany as her beauty seemed to stand out even more in the glow of the summer sun. It only made sense that the mortals would dedicate a festival just to this lovely angel who was everything good in the otherwise miserable, cruel universe. She noticed how Brittany's gaze would linger on the jewelry, especially the pearls that the merchants were selling. Brittany loved pearls. When Brittany had walked off to another stall and wasn't looking at her directly, Santana made her move.

"A gift for you, Princess," Santana whispered softly, showing her the pearl necklace she had purchased when Brittany returned. "You showed me such kindness when you found me wounded and cared for me."

Brittany smiled at her sweetly, dipping her head bashfully and eagerly accepted the gift. She blushed, stepping in front of Santana and sweeping her long hair aside to allow the darker woman to place it around her neck.

"How do I look?"

Santana bit her lip, fumbling with her hands as the blonde twirled around to show her. Brittany looked like an angel. The words came tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"There are no words that are enough to describe your beauty."

"Oh, Santana."

Brittany's cheeks flushed and her eyes took on a seductive look as both of them could feel a certain tension grow between them. Santana forced herself to look away, pretending to look at some gold and rubies nearby to try to avoid thinking about Brittany's soft smile.

Santana was distracted not too long after that when she spotted a blonde head in the crowd. She grit her teeth, her nostrils flaring and Brittany only watched in confusion when she ran up behind the woman at full speed, ambushing her like a lion tackling their prey with brute force. Athena was stunned, not expecting this attack and lay on the ground, staring at Santana in shock as the warrior yelled at her.

"You told Zeus about my fight with Kratos!"

"I told him the truth," Athena snipped, her hazel eyes cold. "That you lost another fight. Your arrogance and temper are way too much, Santana and we all know it. Deep down you're just a scared little girl who's jealous of me, aren't you?"

Santana pulled out her sword and Athena began fighting back to defend herself but was barely strong enough to fend off Santana's ruthless barrage of blows. She whimpered and screamed as Santana kept coming at her brutally.

"Stop the violence." Brittany deadpanned from where she stood motionless nearby, not making any attempt to stop the feud whatsoever. She had never seen this animalistic side to Santana before. The blonde love goddess fanned herself and practically swooned on the spot as she was rather impressed and very turned on by Santana's display of brute strength and aggression.

"You're not the real goddess of war!" Santana declared, knocking Quinn into a nearby clothing stall as the merchant cursed at them when everything came tumbling down on top of the blonde.

Athena had a cool head and was good at battle strategy but she couldn't match Santana's brute strength. She was unprepared for a sudden sneak attack from such a powerful enemy and eventually crumbled, scrambling to run away before Santana could finish her off. Santana grinned smugly, her hands on her hips as it was clear who the victor was.

"That should teach that cold-hearted, uppity bitch. Thinks she's so cool just because dad gave her his approval." Santana snarled as she walked away with Brittany at her side.

The two saw many altars where tons of flowers and incense were being offered to the love goddess.

"This festival is quite odd…" Santana remarked, looking away with a grimace as they roamed through one of the temples dedicated to Aphrodite and witnessed the willing priestesses being loudly ravaged by men on altars as part of the festivities on the island of Cyprus. Brittany certainly had built up quite a cult following, especially among the prostitutes in these areas. "At least there are no human sacrifices as they usually like to make for me at my Spartan shrines, though I have asked them repeatedly to stop doing that."

"Oh my gods, it's really her! It's Aphrodite!" One of the mortal women gushed to her friends excitedly, pointing in Brittany's direction as they marched along in their procession, holding their paintings of the goddess. Brittany just giggled, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She just shrugged as if to say, "You got me." The mortals went absolutely crazy about this, the crowd erupting into screams and cheers.

"The goddess of love has bestowed us with their presence!"

"What an honour!"

"Are you the goddess of war?" One of them asked, gasping at the sight of Santana as she straightened up, a proud smirk on her face, nodding. The mortals jumped back in fear, whispering nervously among themselves. Santana was both pleased by how intimidated they were and stung by their reaction.

Brittany stroked her back and shoulders gently, noticing the frown on Santana's face. The warrior's frown deepened when a group of simpering mortal men appeared, declaring their love for Aphrodite and the goddess smiled coquettishly, playfully flirtatious as she always seemed to be.

The two of them enjoyed being fawned over by the mortals who bowed before them and presented them with many gifts, thinking the two goddesses made a very odd combination that they never imagined seeing together at the same time. Santana didn't want most of the dumb stuff they were giving them and scowled in annoyance but she did like the attention. The mortals even threw a banquet in their honour, with every delicacy Santana could imagine, praying that the gods would bestow them with love and pleasure but also protection against their enemies.

During their journey back to Brittany's palace on Mount Olympus, Santana shivered when she heard the footsteps of a giant nearby. She had a healthy respect for giants after she had not that long ago been chained up and trapped in a bronze jar by two young, mischievous giants who seemed to think it was hilarious. Despite that, she noticed Brittany's nervous expression and jumped in front of her instantly, ready to defend her from this monster. Brittany clearly didn't know much or anything about fighting and she had no interest in holding a sword.

"Don't worry, Britt. I'll protect you."

"Hey, Guys!" The powerful voice boomed, causing a tiny earthquake.

It was Perses, who also went by the name Finn, who everyone knew as the titan of destruction. The latter title was quite accurate as he kept clumsily knocking everything over wherever he went. Not to mention, he was known for his angry eruptions due to his temper. Brittany had been so caught up in her daydreams as she bent over to admire some pink flowers that she didn't notice the boisterous giant nearby.

For some reason, he reached toward Brittany, who screamed and Santana immediately saw red, growling and slashing at his finger with her sword ferociously even though he was so much larger. The gentle but clumsy giant whimpered in confusion, not understanding the reason for Santana's aggression.

"Whoa, whoa. I just wanted to say hi."

"Begone, Titan!" Santana roared, quivering in fear as Brittany hid behind her.

"I hate titans," The darker girl trembled visibly once Finn had left, mentioning something about looking for his wife, Asteria. "They freak me out. Those fuckers literally trapped me in a jar once. "

"I'm sorry, My Golden One. You're scared of giants but you still did that for me? You're so brave and strong." Brittany threw her arms around Santana and kissed her cheek. The black-haired war goddess felt heat rise to her face and her face gentled at the term of endearment. The airheaded Brittany felt protected, in a way she never had been before when she was at Santana's side. Meanwhile, Santana felt needed in a way she never had before.

"I will always protect you, Brittany."

It was strange not feeling enraged all the time for once. Santana worried that she was losing her strength the longer she spent at Brittany's palace. Perhaps fighting would help her to remember her purpose as the spirit of war. Meanwhile, Brittany was finding it difficult to resist her deep attraction to the war goddess.

Santana was infuriated by Athena throwing a massive boulder at her during the recent Trojan War but was touched when Brittany came all the way down from Mount Olympus to carry her away, yet again caring for the injured warrior the entire time as she whimpered in pain and humiliation at her defeat. Brittany was always the only one who remained at her side, never giving up on Santana even though she was miserable and moody, her reputation as a powerful warrior completely shot to flames.

"Where are you going?" Brittany looked up sadly with a pout. Santana shook her head as Brittany never seemed to quite come to terms with the "war" part of her goddess of war title. "You're fighting again?"

"You don't seem to like me fighting others."

"I love to watch you in battle, Santana. You look really hot."

"There's a war in Thebes. I have to go kick Kratos' big ass to pay her back for last time. I mean I clearly won but she thinks she did…not to mention Athena will be there and she thinks she's hot shit with her dumbass golden spear but she's not."

"No, don't go! Please? Wouldn't you rather just stay here with me?" Brittany begged.

"Brittany, you're very pleasing in every way, but what more would I do with you when I'm here?" Santana sighed, getting a little exasperated. How could Brittany expect her to stay around in the palace forever when she had wars to win? She was going to become a pampered housecat like Lord Tubbington if she continued to just lounge around in Aphrodite's palace as she had been doing.

"I'm sure we could find something to occupy our time." Brittany's voice took on a suggestive tone. Santana was oblivious.

"I can't spar with you. I know you abhor violence and I don't want to..." Santana suddenly felt jittery, a weird feeling coming over as she realized for the first time ever she didn't have any interest in fighting with someone. What was so different about this Brittany? Yet there was no denying that the thought of causing even the smallest harm to Brittany filled her with terror. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Who said anything about sparring? Maybe you just need another type of body on body action to make you feel good. Ares… follow me."

What other kind of body on body action could there be? Brittany wasn't making any sense.

Oh. Oh.

To Be Continued