Blind Fury

One year later…

Eden smirked when she heard the news that the God of War had summonsed all of his forces to assemble at the Macedonian border. Another war was happening. It had already been dragged on for over two months and most of Ares’ men who had been fighting were either dead or too injured to go on. Ares didn’t make a habit of pulling troops from their regular stations, however this was an emergency, and he needed the reinforcements.

It would take at least a week for Eden and her men to travel to Macedonia. Plenty of time to put the finishing touches on her plan. Finally, she would avenge the deaths of her sisters, mother and son. She would have her revenge on the god that had done nothing but mess with her life, with her family.

By the time they reached their destination, Eden was so pumpp, tp, that it only took them a few days before they had secured the border.


****************

Ares, of course, was especially pleased with Eden’s performance. It didn’t surprise him when the addition of his special girl had made all the difference in the battle. He entered her tent with a huge smile on his face, looking proud, and his presence filled the entire area.

“Eden, my sweet! You’ve outdone yourself – again,” he praised.

“You were expecting less?” she remarked in her usual short manner.

Ares eyed her up and down, the battle having its usual sexual affect on the god. “Well, perhaps less dressed,” he said swiftly. Then his tone changed to something a bit more serious. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Eden. Have you been well?”

She shot him a quick, hard glance. “Can I be any other way, Ares?”

He shrugged. She was never going to let it go. “I guess not. Well, I only dropped by to tell you that you’ve done an excellent job with the men. They really came through for us. Thank you.” He nodded once and turned to leave the tent. “I won’t disturb yoy loy longer, Eden.”

“Ares – wait!” she cried, quickly rushing after him to stop him from leaving. “Going so soon? You just got here.”

“Well I thought that …”

“That’s one of your biggest problems, Ares. You think too much! Now shut up and kiss me, will you?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her lips. He eagerly obliged, and before long, they were lying on the dirt floor of the tent.

Before the passion got out of hand, she broke their kiss, breathing heavily, and whispered, “No, Ares. Not here. It’s been such a long time since we’ve been together. Let’s do it right.”

Ares raised his head from nibbling between her breasts and cocked it to one side. “Do it right? What are you talking about, Eden?”

“Take me back to your temple. We can have a nice hot bath together and then make love on that huge, silk covered bed of yours.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down, seductively. “I might even let you tie me up!” she added.

Instantly, they were back at his temple in Thrace. A tub of hot water awaited them. Ares willed away his clothes and got in. He looked at Eden and was about to do the same, but she stopped him.

“No, wait. Let me undress for you,” she said sexily.

She removed each of her weapons and gently set them aside. Then she slowly removed her battle gear, carefully hiding the pendant in her discarded clothing, and then joined him in the tub.

They each took turns washing each other, tickling feet, rubbing shoulders, and caressing bodies. It was a long and sensuous bath, and when it was over, they took turns drying off the other.

Ares then swept Eden up, supporting her under the legs, and walked her over to the bed where he gently set her down. He kissed her, slowly, each kiss lasting an eternity. He examined her body with his lips, re-familiarizing himself with every inch of her skin. He took his time, not wanting to rush things. Not wanting it to end.

Eden allowed herself to enjoy his attention. It beenbeen a while since they had been together and she found that she had missed his touch. Even through all the pain, the anger, the disappointment, no one could make her feel the way that Ares did. Responding to him seems so natural.

She quirked little moans every time his tongue darted out to wet her smooth skin. Her hands gently caressed him, the touch of his hot skin against her fingertips excited her. He had kissed down her body and was licking the junction where her leg met her pelvis. He moved to the other side, doing the same.

Then he slid his large, calloused hand under her ass and took his thumb to spread her lips.

“Mmmm, baby!” he moaned breathlessly. “You’re sooo turned on. That pleases me.”

He lightly flicked his tongue over her clit, and then sucked it completely in his mouth. Her body jerked and she arched her back, pushing her pelvis against his face. His tongue moved wildly within her, swirling around the wet, tender folds. He pushed one thumb into her pussy as he grazed his teeth over her sensitive nub. She came, not an earth-shattering orgasm, but more like a melting one. Her body seemed to mold against him, wanting to be one with him.

He lifted his head and looked at her through hooded eyes, smiling proudly. “Feel good, baby?” he asked.

“Mm-hum!” she sighed.

He kissed back up her body to her mouth and she cleaned off his lips with her tongue, tasting herself. Her hands moved to his hair, combing her fingers through his silky, raven locks. He kissed over her cheek to her ear and whispered softly.

“Gods, I’ve missed you, Eden. There’s nothing like being in your arms.”

He spoke with such emotion that Eden stopped and pulled him back to look him in the eyes. They just stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Ares spoke again.

“Is there something wrong, my love?” he asked with concern.

She shook her head. “No. I just never have seen you look at me quite this way.”

“What way is that?”

“I don’t know. Sincerely. Open, perhaps. I guess you really have missed me.”

“Every day we’re apart, Eden.” He looked away, embarrassed at the truth of his emotions. “Every day we’re apart.”

She grabbed the sides of his head and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Her tongue snaked in between his lips, dueling with his for control. He sucked and playfully bit at it, unable to keep from smiling and showing his enjoyment with her attention.

After some heavy petting, she whispered, “Roll over. My turn to play.” He complied willingly, resting his hands behind his head.

“Scoot down and let you legs dangle off the side of the bed, so I can get on the floor in front of you.”

After he moved, she kneeled on the ground between his legs and took his perfect cock in her hand. She stroked him slowly, but firmly, using her thumb to stimulate the precum to flow. Then suddenly she started laughing.

Ares sat up quickly, a bewildered look on his face, and asked, “What? What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking about the very first time I attempted to do this. Remember? You had to stop me because I kept scraping my teeth against you.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I remember. You come a long way since then, huh?”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but at least I know to keep my teeth out of the way.”

“Oh, no, baby. Believe me! You’re much, much better now. When you’re doing that, it’s like you have complete control over me. You’re so good that it’s almost disturbing, sometimes.”

“Thank you. I think.” She smiled at him, locking her eyes with his and slowly lowered her mouth around his shaft. She started to suck him, watching his face the entire time, except when she was really enjoying herself and would close her eyes.

Ares was mesmerized. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak, he could only make facial expressions of pleasurable anguish as he watched her perform magic.

She pulled off, smiling sexily, as she rubbed his big cock down her cheek. She licked his balls, taking each one in her mouth and rolling it over her tongue. She licked back up the length of him and poked her tongue into his slit to taste his arousal. She enclosed her lips around the mushroomed head and let honguongue dance freely around his skin.

As she went further and further down on him, she relaxed her throat and then took him nearly all the way. She slowly pulled back up, letting her teeth gently scrape the sides, until she got just under the head where the sensitive foreskin is. She wildly flicked her tongue over it, causing him to tense up. His cock grew harder in her mouth, which excited her immensely, so sso she started to suck him quickly. With her hand at the base of his shaft, stroking in upward motions, she moved up and down, sucking hard.

“Oh, oh gods. Eden. You’re gonna make me cum, baby. I’m gonna cum.”

She caressed his balls with her other hand, feeling the heat of his release building inside them. Then he suddenly grabbed her head, steadying her, and his hips thrust forward, his ass came off the bed, as he shot his load inside her mouth.

He hand smeared his cum over his length, using it as lubrication, and she shedshed to milk his cock, eagerly licking the remainder of his seed from him. When he was done, she sat back and smiled at him. A few specks of his seed still on her chin and cheeks.

Ares sat there, open-mouthed, and looked at her is amazement. Desire suddenly bombarded him, and he quickly grabbed the back of her head and pulled her into a passionate, hot kiss. They rolled on the bed, getting hotter and hotter for each other in each passing minute.

Ares stopped briefly, panting from the excitement. “Gods, woman. What are you doing to me? You make me feel things that no one else has.” He rolled over so he was on top of her.

Unable to wait another moment, he slid his cock into her depths. With the warm wetness surrounded him, engulfed him, he became lost in her. He made love to her, unhurriedly, grinding his hips in a circular motion against her. He didn’t pound, or slam, or fuck her, like normal. Instead he held her tightly against him the entire time, tenderly kissing different parts of her face, gently caressing her body. Loving her.

They came together. When he felt her nearing her climax, he pushed deeper within her, but still did it smoothly and slowly. Her muscles clasped tightly around him, her legs did the same around his waist, and she threw her head back and screamed. He watched her in total awe, thinking she was the most beautiful thathad had ever seen her at that particular moment. Then he grunted, and held her more tightly as came along with her. They were like one. Molded together – body to body, lips to lips, heart to heart.

And then, sadly, it was over.


************

Once Ares was asleep, Eden rose and tiptoed over to where her clothing was. She found the pendant, uncapped it, and drizzled some blood over the two small daggers she always carried with her. Then she hid the daggers, along with the pendant, underneath her clothes. Satisfied, she returned to the bed.

Ares stirred when she got in. And for a long time she just sat there and studied him. She notice how his nostrils flared slightly as he drew in a breath, how the black color of his hair seemed to have endless depth, how his chest rose and fell in perfect rhythm and the way the sculptured muscles in his arms flexed when he moved them.

She took in a deep breath and sighed. Something was tugging at her heart. Was she really going to follow through with this? Could she bring herself to kill the man she once loved? The only man she had loved? There was a small part of her that still felt that way, the part that was once the innocent child, the young budding girl who had helped a handsome stranger, the mother of his child. Those parts never stopped loving him.

But he had destroyed those parts of her with his lies and schemes. Now it was his turn to be destroyed!


***************

Ares rolled over, wrapped his arms around Eden, and molded his naked body against hers. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed his arms tighter.

“Mmmm. It’s so nice to wake up with you by my side again,” he purred. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, I guess. I was asleep, so I don’t really know,” she laughed.

“Smart-ass!” he teased. There was a moment of silence, which to Ares, was more like unspoken words. Words that had to be said. He held her for another minute and then spoke.

“So, ah, Eden, does this mean that you’re not mad at me anymore?” he dared to bring up the subject.

She didn’t answer right away, but then finally said, “I suppose so. Well, let’s just say that I’m not as mad at you as I was before. I’m still not too happy about it.”

“Eden,” he turned her around so he could look her in the eyes, “part of me can’t be sorry enough about what I’ve done. I realize now that I should have given you the choice to decide if you wanted it or not. But to be completely honest, a bigger part of me – isn’t sorry at all. I couldn’t bare the thought of losing you again one day. I already went through that once; I wasn’t about to do it again.” He paused, waiting for her to explode, to react to his selfishness, but she was silent.

“I assumed that you loved me enough to want to be with me forever. That’s the way I feel about you, Eden.”

Eden sat up and narrowed her eyes at him. “What way is that, Ares?”

The war god began to blush slightly. He looked uncomfortable, as if he were struggling with the words. “I – I – love you, Eden. I felt this way about you since the first day we met in the forest at Karr.”

There! He had finally said the all-important words. It wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be. Olympus didn’t come crashing down, Zeus didn’t roast him with an unseen lightening bolt from the skies, nor did his Uncle Hades show up unexpectedly. Yep, he was still in one piece, thank the gods!

Eden was surprised. She knew how he felt about her, but never thought he would actually say the words. In all the years they had been together, she couldn’t remember him ever once telling her – not even as Aaron. It just wasn’t his style. It warmed her cold heart, and caused the corners of her mouth turn up into a shy, sexy smile. She even blushed a bit, too.
“You love me?” she repeated, a bit of surprise still left in her voice.

Ares nodded his head. “You know I do, Eden.”

She shrugged. “It’s nice to hear you tell me.” She smiled at him.

He sighed. “I know I should have told you sooner, but it’s really… hard for me. I mean, I know how I feel about you and all, but to admit it out load - to say it... Well, the god of war is supposed to be strong, fearless, not emotional and sentimental. It would make me look weak in front of the men if I ran around declaring my love for you all the time. You understand how it is, right?”

Eden’s smile slowly faded. He really knew how to ruin a wonderful moment, didn’t he? The melting ice in her heart began to harden again, and the joy in her eyes quickly diminished. She nodded. “Yeah, sure. I understand,” she said without conviction.

Unfazed by her attitude change, he sat up and pulled her into his arms. “You know, I was thinking, maybe we should make it official. What would you say to marriage?” He kissed her cheek and rocked her from side to side, squeezing her tighter.

“I’d say that you’re really pushing it, Ares. I’ve only been back in your bed for one night. That doesn’t make everything okay, though.”

“Oh, come on, Eden. Why wait? I love you, you love me. We could marry on Olympus and have the party of the century. A real family affair.” Ares’ voice overflowed with excitement as the images of a big celebration in his honor filled his mind.

Ouch, that stung, Eden thought. Sure we can invite your family, unfortunately mine won’t be able to make it.

“And then …” he purred into her ear, “maybe we think about having another baby…”

She broke out of his arms and quickly stood. “What! Are you fucking crazy? I’ll never have another baby. Not with you. Not with anyone. I couldn’t stand living through the loss of another child, and you know that’s what will happen, since I’m gonna live forever – thanks to you.”

Eden was livid. How could he have even suggested something like that? Had he already forgotten about Cashius, their son, with his poor little body burnt to dust? There had been nothing left to even bury. How dare he!

“Shit, Eden, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just want to make things right with us.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “If you wanted to make things right, you’d find a way to reverse this stupid immortality curse.”

Ares scowled. “I thought we already went over this. There is nothing I can do.” He was quickly losing his patience with her, tired of her always holding that against him. “Just get over it, will you? Or do you plan to use that as a wall between us for the rest of your life, huh?” He stood and was instantly dressed. He brushed past her, heading for the table of fruits and juices that had materialized against the wall.

Something inside of Eden snapped. The rage and hate she had successfully kept under control, burst to the surface in full force. While his back was to her, she turned and reached for one of the two daggers hidden under her clothes.

“You’re right, Ares,” she said coolly. “It’s about time that I get over this whole affair.” She slowly crept up behind him, her arm raised above her head, holding the poisoned dagger, ready to strike at just the right moment. “And I know the perfect way to do that.” She took in a quick, deep breath, pulled her arm back a little more so she would have enough force behind her swing to drive the blade through the leather and break skin.

As soon as her arm began to come down, the whole world seemed to move in slow motion. Through her eyes, it took forever for the entire motion to occur. She could feel sweat dripping down the sides of her temples, taunting her. She couldn’t breathe. This was it! This was the moment she had been waiting for. The moment she had her revenge on the God of War.

Just when the blade of the knife was about to make contact with Ares’ back, he vanished and instantly reappeared behind her, constraining her. Everything was moving in regular time again.

“I know you’re mad at me, Eden, but I’m really not in the mood to play your childish games this morning,” he reprimanded. “Now, give me the knife.” He hadn’t a clue just how deadly a weapon she was holding, or just how close to losing his life he had been.

She struggled against him, wanting to stab him anywhere she could reach, but he had a hold of her wrist and held it at bay.

“Let me go, dammit! I hate you, you bastard! I would never marry you. I despise you. I would never have even touched you again, if it didn’t serve my purpose. You disgust me.”

He let her get free, and she whirled around to glare at him. He could see that her eyes were filled with bloodlust, but it was different than it was when in battle. They were wild and distant, almost savage. He realized that they were filled with hatred. Hatred for him! His defenses immediately went up.

“And just what purpose is that?” he said smartly, tossing his head to the side.

“Well, to kill you, of course!”

He laughed heartily. “Kill me. Right! That’s a good one, my dear. And how did you plan to do that? Insult me to death?” He laughed more.

“Been to Rome recently, Ares? Have you checking in with your boy, Caesar, lately? Perhaps you should keep your most valued possessions with someone who can better guard them,” she taunted.

Ares stopped laughing. “What are you talking about?” His eyes traveled to the knife in her hand and noticed the deep red blood dried on the blade. “You stole the pendant! The hind’s blood pendant I hid in Rome. Why?”

“Why do you think? To kill a god.” She smiled wickedly.

Ares swallowed hard, pushing down the feeling of pain that stabbed at hearteart. “You really hate me that much? Enough to want to kill me? Did you ever love me, Eden?” His voice was soft, almost a whisper, as he dealt with the realization of the truth.
“Once, a long time ago. But you destroyed my love.”

“I destroyed it? How? I’ve done nothing but try and give you the best of everything. I taught you how to fight, to become the best warrior. I took you into battle, because you wanted to go. I gave you command of my army. All I’ve ever done is try to make you happy. How did I destroy your love?”

“You killed my family. Every last one of them,” she said slowly.

“I did nothing of the sort, Eden. You’ve obviously lost your mind,” he retorted.

“Really? Well if I have, it’s only because of you. My only comfort in life was the fact that I would die one day and go home to my family. And now you’ve cheated me of that, as well. You were indirectly responsible for the death of my entire family. First with my father and brothers - in war. If they hadn’t been serving you, they would have never have been fighting in your wars. Then there’s my mother, who you conveniently forgot about while she lay on her deathbed, waiting on your empty promise to send Apollo. Thanks. And let’s not forget about Cashius, who died because some villagers had a grudge against you. And lastly, my two sisters, Julia and Kara.” She huffed and crossed her arms in front of her.

“I’ve never even met your sisters. How was I responsible for their deaths?”

“Do the names Manitos and Gurkhan sound familiar?”

“No,” he lied.

“Oh, they don’t? Well, let me refresh your memory. Gurkhan, a rich and prosperous warlord from East Africa, had a real thing for foreign slave girls. He sent his trusted employee, Manitos, abroad to seek out the cream of the crop and bring them back for his pleasure. Any of this sounding familiar yet?” she paused, waiting for an answer.

None came.

“No, huh? Okay. Well Manitos came to Greece, where, apparently, he had free access to collect as many slaves as he could get on his boat, courtesy of an arrangement between his employer and … who do you think? Why, the God of War. Oh, that’s you, isn’t it, Ares?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” he asked, knowing exactly where she was going with this. Until that moment, he had no idea Eden’s sisters had fell victim to that arrangement, one that he had come to regret later on. That was why he never planned on renewing it when Manitos had approached him a few years ago.

“Remember the story I told you about the guy who courted me for a short time. The guy that, when I wouldn’t sleep with him, kidnapped my srs ars as revenge for being shunned?” Ares nodded, listening intensively. Eden continued, “That guy’s name was Manitos, the same Manitos who worked for your buddy, Gurkhan. And if you hadn’t of made that deal with the bastard, then my sisters would still be alive today. So you see, Ares, you’ve played a part in the death of everyone I’ve ever loved. And to top it all off, you’ve denied me of my own death.” The tears were streaming down her eyes by this time and she sunk to the floor, sobbing heavily. “I hate you. I hate you.”

Ares’ heart was breaking. He never realized the consequences of his actions and how so many of the things he’d done could affect just one person. The one person he never wanted to hurt. For an instant, compassion filled him and he was compelled to comfort her. He approached and squatted down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m - I’m sorry, Eden. I didn’t realize…”

She brushed him away with the hand that held the dagger and nearly pricked him. “Get away from me, you bastard. Leave me alone.”

He quickly jumped back, angry about the near miss. “Hey, watch it!” he snapped. Then, while she was distracted by her sorrow, he used his powers and caused the knife to fly out of her hands. He caught it in his.

She glared at him. “Give it back! You deserve to die and I want to be the one to kill you.”

“Well, that may be true, Eden, but you are not going to be the one to do it. If it’s my destiny to die, then I’m sure I’ll go out in glory, and not by some scorned lover.” His words sounded bitter and patronizing.

“You self-righteous bastard! Thinking so highly of yourself, what a joke. If you only knew what your ‘men’ really think about you…” She stood up, naturally taking on a defensive stance.

“Do you think I don’t know what’s being said? I know what they think. And you know what? I could give a shit. They’re just mortals. Easily replaceable,” he goaded.

“Fuck you, Ares.”

“No thanks. I’m not in the mood anymore.”

“AAARRRRGGG” she screamed. Then she darted for her pile of clothes. In one quick motion, she retrieved the other dagger, turned, and hurled it him. “I hate you,” she said as she released the weapon from her hand.

Ares’ reflexes were quicker than lightening. He caught the flying knife with his free hand. Now he had both of them, one in each hand.

Frustrated, Eden charged him full on, lunging for his throat. The force knocked them both to the floor. Eden had got her hands around his neck and was squeezing with all her might. “I hate you. I hate you,” she kept repeating.

Ares was pissed now. While still holding the daggers, he grabbed onto her hands and tried tt het her to release her chokehold. As he struggled with her, one of his hands slipped, and he accidentally nicked her arm with the poisonous blade. Neither one had noticed.

Eden started to feel the room spinning, and immediately she relaxed her grip. Her sight became blurry and her mouth dry. Ares thought that she was just tiring out, and so he easily pushed her off of him. He got up, but she just stayed where she was, motionless.

Ares nudged her with his foot. “Come on! Get up and fight me. I can’t believe you’d give up so easily.” She didn’t move, so he nudged her again. “What’s wrong? Have a change of heart, did we?”

Paralyzed now, she couldn’t even speak. The only thing she could do was blink her eyes helplessly.

“Eden! Get up!” By the sound of his voice one could tell that the war god was clearly losing his patience. “I said GET UP!” he said sternly. He bent over to grab her from the floor when he noticed the cut on her arm. A thin trail of blood ran out of a small slit. That’s when he realized that she must have been cut by the hind’s blood dagger.

“Oh, Zeus! Eden!” He sat on the floor, put her head in his lap and stroked her hair. “Oh, Gods, Eden. Please don’t die. Don’t you die on me!”

He used all of his godly powers to try and heal her, but it was no use. The power of the hind’s blood was too strong for him to break. He did, however,e hee her enough strength to speak.

“Ares,” she said, barely above the sound of a whisper.

“Shhhh. Don’t speak, Eden. Save your strength. I’ll get some help.” His eyes had become misty and his voice cracked when he spoke. He looked up at the ceiling and yelled for his sister. “DITE! DITE, COME QUICKLY. I NEED YOU – NOW!”

There was a familiar whoosh of air and then she appeared. “This better be good, bro, cause I was right in the middle of…” Then she noticed Ares and Eden on the floor.

“What happened?” she said in a near panic as she rushed to her brother’s side.

Ares was rocking Eden gently. He had a sorrowful look on his face when he turned to his sister to tell her what happened. “She’s been poisoned by hind’s blood. She’s dying, Dite! Help me save her.”

“Hind’s blood? Hind’s blood should have no affect on mortals, Ares.”

“She’s not mortal anymore. I gave her ambrosia years ago,” he cried desperately. “Please, sis, help me.”

Aphrodite looked shocked, but after a moment she nodded in agreement. “I don’t know if it’ll work, but I’ll try. What do you want me to do?”

“We’ve got to pool our powers. I’m not strong enough to break its power. Maybe the two of us can…”

“Let’s do it!” Dite said.

The two gods concentrated all of their powers into trying to save Eden, but unfortunately by then, too much time had passed and their attempts were futile.

It gave Eden enough energy to lift her hand to Ares’ cheek. “Ares,” she said weakly. “Ares don’t be sad. You’ve given me back my freedom.”

He grabbed her hand and held it next to his heart. His eyes had filled with water, and he was trying hard to hold back the tears. “No, Eden. Please. I don’t want you to go.”

“You must, Ares. Please, let me go.” She was beginning to fade.

“But I love you, Eden. I’ve always loved you.” The tears had begun to roll down his cheeks.

“And I have always loved you, Ares…”

Those were her final words.

Shock first hit him, and then the loss.

“NOOOO,” he screamed loud enough to rumble the windows in the temple.

Aphrodite placed a consoling hand on his back. “I’m sorry, bro. I know you loved her a lot.” She disappeared a moment later.

Ares just sat there cradling Eden’s dead body and sobbing heavily. He rocked her back and forth, mumbling apologies.

“I’m so sorry, Eden. I’m sorry for everything. Please don’t leave me. Please.”

There was another flash. This time it was fire, the signature entrance of his Uncle Hades.

“Ares,” he said in a deep, emotionless voice. He didn’t respond. “ARES,” he repeated louder. The god finally looked up at him.

“Go away, Hades.”

“Ares, I’ve come to take Eden. I’m sorry, but she must go now.”

“No! Leave us alone,” he snapped, refusing to give her up.

Hades waived his hand and Eden’s body disappeared from Ares lap.

“NOOO, you bastard!” He rose and charged at his uncle, but he was still weak from using his power to try and heal Eden. Hades easily held him at bay.

“Ares, you know the rules. There’s nothing I can do about it. Now, please, let her go.”

“I don’t want to let her go.”

“I know. I know it hurts. But you must. Be strong, Ares.”

The war god composed himself, stood up straight and looked his uncle in the eyes. “Where will you take her?”

Hades paused and looked down at the floor. “Tartarus,” he said in a low voice. He looked back up at his nephew, who was clearly distraught. “I’m sorry, Ares, but I must! It can’t be a surprise to you. You know that nearly all who have served you end up there. She’s no different. I must go now. Be well.”

And with that, the God of the Underworld disappeared.