The War God's Woman

61. Love and War

Snow rained down in a blizzard and Ares squinted in the harsh glare of white. Pure white. With no divide between sky and ground. This was not the Olympus he had known. It was desolate. Lifeless. 

Zeus was dead. And with the passing of the great god's life – his realm was dying also. Ares raised his armoured arm, to protect his eyes, and soldiered on. Clumps of snow rested on his tawny hair and nestled, un-melting, on the tips of his frozen lashes. Ares grunted as he summoned his sword and used it as a walking stick. The glowing words on the blade, dimmed – their light fading.

Ares fell, dropping to his knees. A fierce wind buffeted savagely against him and forced him to bow down. Ares closed his eyes. How many enemies had he smashed against this mountain? Now, it was his turn. 

His head sank into the snow and he felt his energy leave him.

He was all alone. 

But it was his nature to never stop fighting. Gritting his teeth, Ares pushed off from the ground and stood once more. The storm howled angrily, screaming in his ears. Powdery snow reared up around him and whipped at his skin and armour. But the War God wasn't afraid of pain. 

Trickles of gold blood littered his face and neck. But his goal was finally in sight. Hestia's hearth. If he could steal the fire, he could save Olympus. Ares' gaze was hard as he stared ahead at the burning beacon. This was a fight that he needed to win.

"Ares," a female voice purred. "Ares." A sinister giggle carried in the storm. Ares stopped marching and blinked. 

Had his brother really sent Aphrodite to defend the beacon? The goddess of love, who had no experience or knowledge of war. Was his brother underestimating him, Ares wondered. Or did he think that the Aphrodite was still his weakness? 

Ares watched Aphrodite draw in closer and his grip changed on the hilt of his sword – ready to attack.

Aphrodite looked radiant, in diamond armour with a crown atop her helmet. Being the new Queen of the Gods suited her. Dressed as a warrior queen, she was fulfilling the fantasy ideal Ares had dreamt of for his future wife. Ares saw her flick her wrist and guessed what she wielded in her grip – Obsession. Ready to cast in his eyes and enslave him once more.

Aphrodite threw her curse but Ares deftly avoided a direct hit. The wind ruffled his hair and he lunged at her with his sword extended. He took flight at the last moment, soaring high before landing behind Aphrodite's back to catch her by surprise. 

The goddess produced a shield to block him and Ares was forced to admire the shield's craftsmanship.

"My brother's work, I suppose." He guessed.

Aphrodite activated the shield's central mechanism and gas cloud engulfed Ares. He quickly stopped breathing and soared once more into the air. But he realised what the gas had been. Vapour made from the venom of Medusa's snakes. Ares felt his muscles harden and go stiff. He concentrated his immortal energy on detoxifying the poison before it could paralyse him.

Sweet music filled the air and Ares frowned uneasily, as he realised that cherry blossoms were scattering over him – carried in the wind. It was another of Aphrodite's spells. He glanced down at the goddess and saw her smirking. Ares cursed. He was so close to the hearth – he couldn't let Aphrodite's tricks distract him.

Ares landed back on the ground and sprinted for Hestia's hearth. Aphrodite's purple eyes blazed with anger.

"No man is stronger than his heart!" She yelled. Ares staggered, his limbs seizing up. Aphrodite materialised in front of him. He quickly closed his eyes – to protect them from obsession. But the goddess reached out and placed the palm of her hand on Ares' chest.

Ares' armour defended him, searing hot like an iron, and tears filled Aphrodite's eyes. But she didn't let go. "No wound cuts deeper than a broken heart."

"You're no longer in my heart!" Ares spat. "You can't hurt me."

Aphrodite's hand glowed on his chest and Ares winced.

'I will never want to be with you.' Sage's voice re-played in his head. 'Stay away from me, Ares.'

Ares shook his head.

"I'll change her mind." He growled. He hunched forward, brokenly. It felt like his heart was being crushed in a vice. He glared at Aphrodite. "I won't give up on Sage. I won't stop loving her."

"Shall I show you what she's doing, down in the mortal world?" 

Ares' head was suddenly filled with visions of Sage drinking on Castle Hill. He saw her toasting glasses with the Mad Dog and heard her laughter. Then the vision changed, and he saw Sage and Ezekiel alone at night. The Mad Dog was carrying her on his back. And Ares was filled with jealousy. It consumed him, snaking in his insides. The image of Ezekiel and Sage was so intimate. Sage had her arms and legs wrapped around the gangster. She was even wearing his jacket...

Hot pain lanced through Ares' heart and he groaned.

"No," Sage was talking to Ezekiel, speaking softly in his ear. "I don't care about Ares."

Ares crumpled to the ground. He couldn't move.

"The most hated god finally falls." Aphrodite smiled. Ares lay in the snow, gasping for breath. Aphrodite had forced a crack in his heart – and Medusa's poison had slipped into the crack. He harnessed his primordial energy – but he couldn't detoxify a wound on his heart. This had been the goddess' plan.

Golden blood seeped from his lips and dripped onto the snow. Aphrodite lightly stepped over the War God and picked up his great sword. "Love conquers war." She murmured sweetly. "What a lovely, happy ending."

The End.

                  Check out the sequel, THE WAR GOD'S WOMAN 2, to read what happens next! =D 

Thank you so much for sticking with me and reading this story (especially those who have had to wait for updates). You're comments and votes mean the world to me! =D

What have you liked/not liked? I'd love to know your thoughts.

I also have lots of other completed stories up on Wattpad that you can check out.

My two recommendations:

Fancy a werewolf/soulmate story? – check out 'The Alpha's Match'.

Fancy a romance with time travel? – check out 'Darkest Dawn'.

Thank you again!

Love, Moonkeeper