Blind Fury

For two days, the God of War could not stop thinking about how soft Eden’s lips were. How she smelled. The sound of her voice. The gentleness of her touch. He must have stopped ten times that morning, contemplating whether or not to go back. But the thought of her finding out his real identity kept him from doing so.

Finally, after a week’s time and the torment of having dreams about her night after night, he decided he had to have Eden. Ares turned 180 degrees and started back the other way. His mind reeled with every step he took.

“She’ll be happy to see me again,” he said to himself. “Well, not me, exactly. I’ll have to tell her who I really am.”

She would just have to get over the fact that he forgot to tell Apollo about her mother. He would personally train her, and help her to plan the rescue of her sisters. She would have to forgive him then. But first, first he would make love to her. She would never be able to resist him after that. No woman ever could! Why would she be any different?

But Eden was different. That’s what made her so attractive to the god. It wasn’t just her looks or the fact that she was untouched. It was much more than that. It was her personality – her attitude. She was stubborn, and smart, and naïve, and brave, and simple, yet complex – all rolled up into one fabulous body. But the closer he got to Karr, the thought that she might reject him – Ares, the God of War, persisted.

“Damn you, Zeus! This being mortal really sucks!” he said aloud to no one. Ares knew, as a god he would never have doubted himself. He would never think twice about taking what he wanted and worry about what consequences might be suffered by his actions. He never cared. But now one simple act of kindness towards him, struck him in a way he had never known before. Now, he knew first hand what these mortals go through on a daily basis.

He didn’t want to upset Eden or make her mad. He didn’t know what he would do, how he would respond, if she rejected him. One thing he did know was that if Eden was as strong in her beliefs as her father was, then she was not likely to be swayed otherwise. He didn’t have a chance with her as Ares. But Aaron, on the other hand. . .

He stopped and sat down. His head hurt from thinking so damn much. All this conflict going on inside. Should I? Shouldn’t I? He just didn’t know and it was sooo frustrating. But he was sure that he wanted to see her again. In that, he had no doubt.

Suddenly, a wicked smile formed on the lips of the god. An idea came to mind. A great idea, he thought as he stood up and called for his sister.

“Aphrodite. Aphrodite, I need your help.”

There was no response.

“Please, Dite. It’s really important.”

Instantly, there was a flash of light and a shower of red and pink hearts. When they dissipated, the Goddess of Love was standing there.

“Well, it better be. You interrupted my manicure,” she said waiving around one hand with painted fingernails.

Ares smiled and pulled his sister into an overjoyed hug.

“Hey watch it, bro. You’re gonna smear my polish.”

“Dite! Thank you for coming. I need your help.”

“Ares, you know I can’t help you. Zeus forbids any of us to help you while you’re down here. Sorry, bro.”

She was just about to disappear again when Ares stopped her.

“No, please, wait. It’s nothing you’ll get in trouble for.”

“Yeah, right. That’s what you said last time. And I wasn’t allowed to use the spa for a whole month because of you. Ah-aw. No way, buster. I learned my lesson already.”

“But Dite, you have to help me. It’s your job.”

She narrowed her eyes at her brother. “What do you mean – it’s my job?”

“You are the Goddess of Love, are you not?” he said.

“Go on,” she urged.

“Well, I just need you to do me one little favor, that’s all. And it’s all in the name of love.” Ares sort of mumbled the last word of his sentence to her.

Aphrodite started laughing. “You want me to do you a favor? In the name of love? I may be blonde but I’m not stupid. What do you know about love?”

Ares ran a hand through his thick, raven hair and sat down. He looked up at his sister with sincerity in his eyes.

“Well, I know she’s kind, with the gentlest of touches. She’s beautiful in the morning. And unselfish. . .” Thoughts about Eden caused the war god to leave his words unfinished.

oditodite cocked her head to the side as she studied him. He was being truthful with her, at least, because she had never seen this particular look on her usually emotionless brother’s face before. It was a look of genuine affection for another.

“Ares! I think you’ve caught the bug!”

Ares snapped out of his daydream and briefly shock his head. “Bug? What bug?”

“Oh, don’t you play coy with me.” She slapped his shoulder. “You know what I mean.” She giggled.

“Huh?” Ares didn’t know what she was talking about. To be honest, he wasn’t really listening to her. He had learned to block out her mushy babblings long ago.

“Forget it, dude. Now what do you want from me?”

“I need you to get something for me from the Halls of War.”

“The Halls of War? Ares, if this is some trick you’re playing…”

“No. No. Honest. I need you to go there and retrieve a particular sword for me. It’s currently hanging on the Wall of the Dead.”

“Yuk! Why would I want to do that? It’s sounds awful.”

“It’s not awful. Actually, it's just the opposite. The Wall of the Dead is where I display the swords of all the soldiers that have died for me in battle . . . in remembrance of their service to me. It’s a memorial, Dite, that’s all,”

“Oh, I see. And what is it exactly that I’m getting?”

“I need you to get me the sword that belonged to Cashius. Ask Reif to help you find it. He knows the place inside and out. Just tell him I sent you.”

“Okay. I’ll bite. Just who is this Cashius fellow and why do you want his sword?” the goddess asked, putting both hands on her hips.

“Cashius was a loyal worshipper and commander in my army during the time when we were at war with Brittany. Unfortunately, he perished in that battle. I want to give his sword to his eldest daughter as a gift.”

Aphrodite smirked in her revelation of what Ares was trying to accomplish. “Okay, bro. I’ll do it. But if you want my advice, flowers and jewelry work much better.” She disappeared.

About ten minutes later, she returned with the sword in hand. “Can I go back to my manicure now?” she said and then sighed, slightly frustrated.

“Yes. Thank you, Aphrodite.” He smiled and kissed her cheek. Immediately, he started down the road to Eden’s cabin again. The day seemed to be getting brighter, he thought.


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


Ares absently entertained visions of how pleased Eden was going to be with his gift as he traveled along the dirt road. He had a smile on his face that could not be wiped away. He was pleased with himself, with his brilliance. He was so caught up in his own mind that he almost didn’t hear the woman’s voice. It was coming from a few feet off of the main walk.

Could that be. . ? it is! It’s Eden’s voice, he could swear it. He curiously worked his way through the brush towards the source. Who was she talking to? What was she saying to them? His stomach turned in knots and his ears became red and hot. The thought that another man might be trying to steal away his little Eden had him angry – jealous. He would take him by surprise. Pounce on him from the cover of the bushes. Teach him to try and take his woman.

Eden’s voice became louder and clearer as he silently approached like a cat does to his prey.
Peering through the thick brush, he saw Eden sitting on the ground. She was tending to a small group of flowers growing. The flowers were out of place, like they had been purposely planted there

“I miss you so much, Mother. I think about you all the time,” she said sullenly. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here to visit you in the last month. I had company staying at the house. You would have liked him, Mother. His name is Aaron. And yes, he was a perfect gentleman the entire time he stayed. You see, he injured himself being chased by some of those overgrown hoodlums in town. I noticed him running and then he fell, so I helped him to get away. That’s how we met.”

Eden sighed as memories of Aaron flooded her mind. She picked up the watering pitcher seated on her left and slowly rained it over the flowers. She set it back down and continued.

“I miss Julia and Kara, Mother. I still have plans to rescue them, but I have unfortunately run into a bit of a snag. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this last time I visited, but I was still so upset with myself - I just couldn’t. You see, the sword that Daddy gave me was stolen. I’ve decided to sell the horse to get another one. And if that’s not enough, then I’ll sell something else to get the rest of the dinars. I don’t care. I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll even sell my body if I have to.”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort, young lady.” Aaron said emerging from the brush.

Eden was startled at first, but then her face turned from shock to a happy surprise. She jumped up and threw her arms around Aaron.

“Aaron! What are you doing here? I didn’t think I would be seeing you again.” She hugged him enthusiastically, obviously overjoyed.

“You’re not disappointed I returned, are you?” he teased.

Eden stepped back and looked at him. “Do I look disappointed to you?”

Ares took each of her hands into one of his and held her arms out to the side to view her. He spoke softly to her, almost a whisper. “You look even more beautiful then the last time I saw you.”

Eden blushed and turned her head to the side. Ares released one hand, but pulled her close to him with the other. He placed his free hand around her waist.

“I missed you, Eden. I just couldn’t stay away.”

Slowly, she looked up into his eyes. “You did? Really?”

Ares nodded. “Yes. Really.” He smiled and then lowered his mouth to hers and gently kissed her.

At first, Eden melted into his strong arms and returned the kiss with equal feeling. Then suddenly she pulled away.

“Aaron, stop! I can’t do this.”

Ares looked puzzled, unsure if he did something to offend her or was he moving too fast – assuming too much.

“I can’t do this in front of my mother.” She gestured her head towards her mother’s grave.

Ares released the breath that he was unaware he was holding and smiled with relief. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that was . . .”

“It’s okay. Let me introduce you to her. I was telling her about you earlier.” She turned around and grabbed his hand to bring him a little closer to the grave. “Mother, this is the gentleman I was telling you about. This is Aaron. He’s come to see me so I’m going to cut our visit short today. But I’ll be back soon. I promise. I love you, Mother.”

She bent down and picked up the watering can and said to Aaron, “Let’s go!”

Ares wondered if Eden really was talking to her mother. If she truly was hearing a response from the grave, then he knew some other god had to have a hand in it. The dead only walk and talk when a god has intervened.

As they headed to the cabin Ares asked her about it. “Eden, ah. . . does your mother talk to you?”

She smiled. “No, silly! She’s dead.”

“But you talk to her?”

She shrugged. “I talk to her memory. I just go to her gravesite because it makes me feel closer to her. After my sisters were taken, I almost went crazy being alone with no one to talk to. So I started talking to my mother again – just like I’ve always done. I know she can’t hear me, but sometimes, by listening to myself talking to her, I’m able to work through things that I would otherwise find difficult. Call me crazy – I don’t care.”

“That’s not crazy, Eden. Sounds rather normal, to me.”

They reached the cabin and went inside. Eden began to make something for dinner while Aaron started a fire.

“I can’t believe you’re here, Aaron. You really came back to see me?”

Ares smiled sinfully. “Isn’t that what I said? What – you don’t believe me?”

Eden couldn’t stop smiling. She was so excited that he returned. “Of course I believe you! I just never imagined that I … that you … wanted … I thought that you had other obligations, that’s all.” She couldn’t say what she really wanted to say.

“I do. I hold a very important position that I will have to return to eventually. But I still have some time before I need to get back. Besides, I have something to give you,” he said as he walked over to where he had laid his traveling pack.

Eden stopped what she was doing and watched him. “You have something for me? What?”

Ares grabbed his bag and sat on the bed. “Come over here and sit next to me, Eden.”

She complied, with mirth in her eyes.

Once she was seated he opened his bag and pulled out her father’s sword.

She gasped as soon as she saw it. He couldn’t have given her anything better in the entire world. It was all that she wanted.

“Oh gods, Aaron. You didn’t? You got me a sword?” she said unbelievingly.

He handed it to her. “It’s not just any sword, Eden. It belonged to Cashius - to your father.”

Eden looked at him with shock. “My father? How did you get my father’s sword?”
Ares shrugged slightly. “I just asked for it, that’s all. I told you – I hold a rather high position and have much favor with the Gods of Olympus.”

“Oh, Aaron. It’s beautiful.” Tears of joy began to escape from her pretty blue eyes as she gently caressed the blade. “Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

Ares reached out and wipedear ear from her cheek. “Oh, I think I do, Eden.”

She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. Ares took the sword out of her hands and softly laid it on the floor next to the bed. When he turned back to her, she had an expression on her face that he was not used to seeing on people, at least not when they looked at him. Aphrodite invoked that look from nearly everyone she encountered – total infatuation - admiration - desire - love. Admiration and desire he understood, but love was somewhat foreign to the God of War, at least in this capacity.

He kissed her forehead and whispered, “Tomorrow, we can even spend some time training together. I would really like to do that for you, if you’ll allow me.”

She smiled and nodded. “That would be nice.”

Suddenly nervous, she stood to tend to dinner again, but before she could walk off, Aaron grabbed her arm.

“Forget about dinner, Eden. I’m not all that hungry. Well, not for food, anyway.” His eyes draped over her body and she immediately felt her stomach tighten up in excitement. She may be inexperienced, but she still knew what went on between a man and a woman. She had kissed before -t sut summer when she was being courted by one of those pigs that had taken her two sisters. Of course, she had no idea who he was, at the time. It was shortly after she had refused to sleep with him when her sisters disappeared.

But A was was different, she thought. She really liked him and he seemed to feel the same way about her. Yes, she was ready for this. She was ready the last time he was here, but thought he wasn’t interested.

Ares stood and wrapped his massive arms around the girl’s small frame. He was a good head taller than her and almost twice her size. He stared down into her eyes, silently absorbing her essence. Her body felt wonderful pressed against him and his cock started to get hard almost immediately. Another moment passed and he lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her gently, at first – not wanting to rush things and spooe gie girl. He was pleasingly surprised when she was the one who pushed her tongue into his mouth. The passion grew, their kisses became hungry. He broke away from her lips and started to make a wet trail down one side of her neck.

She was panting now, her hands roamed over his hair and shoulders. Through broken words, and barely above the volume of a whisper, she moaned, “Oh, Aaron. Please, please, make love to me. I want you to make love to me.”

Ares growled sexily into her ear. “Yes, my sweet. Whatever you desire.”

He turned her and slowly laid her down on the bed. His lips never left her body as he started to undress her. Slowly he unlaced her top, gently kissing her chest until he exposed her two luscious breasts. He massaged each one, starting at the outermost edge and working his way around to the nipples. When he completed each one, he rewarded them by sucking them softly and letting his tongue tease the now hard peaks.

Eden gasped; she had never gone this far before. They had been touched, but only by hands, never with a man’s mouth. She moaned breathlessly, “Oh, Aaron. Oh that feels so good.” Her hands played in his rich, raven hair with affection.

He kissed back up to her mouth, using a lot of tongue. For a long time they just kissed, their hands roamed the other’s body – gently – tenderly, taking their time.

Eden couldn’t believe how she was feeling. She never knew someone could make her body feel this way. And his body – gods, it felt so good, so strong, yet soft. There were so many emotions going on in her head. She gently pushed Aaron off of her needing a bit of a break to take it all in.

Ares misinterpreted her actions. “Eden, is there something wrong? Am I moving too fast?” he asked with a concerned look on his face.

She blushed and tilted her head down, looking up at him through her eyelashes. “No. It’s all just so new to me. I’ve never gone this far before,” she said shyly.

Ares lightly ran his hand over her cheek. “I thougs mus much. Do you want to stop?”

She smiled and shook her head. “No, but can I take off your shirt now?”

Aaron laughed with amusement and rolled over onto his back, his arms out at his sides. “Oh course you can, my darling. Anything you want!”

She sat up andned ned so she was facing him. Slowly, she started to run her hands over his well-defined chest. Aaron closed his eyes and sighed as soon as she touched him, as if her fingers were magic, which really excited Eden. She traveled up and down, over the silky material of his shirt, feeling the hardness of each muscle, the outline of each rib. She found a nipple and pinched it lightly. Before too long, she was really into it and so she straddled herself across his legs to be better positioned.

She untied each lace, one by one, until there were no more left. Then she slipped her hands into his shirt. His chest hairs were soft and course at the same time. They almost were ticklish to her fingers.

Aaron responded to her by arching his back and moaning. “Oh, Eden,” he whispered. His moans and cries really turned her on. It was one thing when he made her body react. Now she discovered it was equally exciting to do the same to him. Suddenly, she yanked at his shirt, wanting desperately to have it off – to see his body, to touch it all. He helped her to remove his shirt, thrilled that he evoked such a desire in her, and lay back once again.

Eden was still straddled over his body. She just sat there for a moment, taking in his beauty. His chest was covered with dark hair over corded muscles, which she found very sexy and masculine. Again, her hands began to move over his abdomen, up to his breasts, over his shoulders, and back down again, following the trail down to his waist.

Aaron put his hands behind his head, closed his eyes, and sighed; enjoying the detail of attention she gave him. His eyes shot open and he grinned wickedly when he felt Eden’s mouth enclose around one of his nipples. His hands moved to her head and played with her silken locks. He gathered up her hair into a ponytail and lifted if from around her, so he could watch her face. Strange emotions flooded the mortal war god as he looked at her with true affection in his eyes. There wasn’t a time that he could remember when his heart beat as hard as it did at that moment. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t having another one of those vivid dreams he had about her while traveling. The feel of her lips on his skin was better than ambrosia. It almost felt like some portion of his powers had returned to him, but yet, he didn’t feel like a god. He didn’t know quite what to think about it.

Eden licked and kissed his entire upper body and was now moving lower, following the trail of hair. She had Ares so wound up that he knew if she even breathed on his crotch, he would cum in an instant and he wasn’t ready for that to happen yet. He took hold of her shoulders and pulled her up to his face and kissed her with fervor. He broke away a moment later.

“My turn, now,” he said as he eyed her sexily, and rolled them over. He kissed her some more, leaving her breathless and then moved to her lovely bosom again. He only briefly teased them before continuing down her body.

She moaned and wiggled and squirmed. Her hands never stopped moving, gently caressing whatever part of him she could reach at that moment. When he reached her waistline, he ceased all action and looked at her face.

“Are you sure about this, Eden? I’ll stop now if you have any doubts,” he checked again.

She opened her eyes and he had his answer. She lifted her bum from the bed and he easily slipped her skirt and panties over her hips and down her legs, and then tossed them aside.

She lay completely naked on the bed now, and Ares noticed that she did not try to cover herself. She wasn’t embarrassed or nervous, a sure sign that she trusted him completely. He sat at her feet, picked up a leg and began to kiss her toes and ankle, slowly moving up – up – further and further, until he reached her inner thigh. Then he did the same to the other leg.

Sllowllowed him to continue to spread her legs open more each time he moved his kisses towards her center. Her stomach churned in crazy, sporadic knots as her anticipation grew. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but if it felt anything like what she felt from his kiss, she thought she was in for something unbelievable.

He got comfortable, laying on his stomach in-between her legs. For a moment, he just looked at her lying there before him. She hid nothing; there were no ulterior motives here; she wasn’t seducing a god for a child; she wanted no power, no immortality, she was just a woman who wanted to make love with him; to please him and to be pleased. For the first time, he would perform this act for no other reason than wanting to make her feel good. No deals, no motives, just the two of them – together.

His brief inaction drove poor Eden crazy. Although she enjoyed his admiring gaze over her body, she really wanted him to touch her again. She looked at him through half-shut eyes and sighed. Ares saw a combination of lust, need, and love all mixed together. He smirked slyly before lowering his head and kissing the inside of her thighs, inflicting his wonderful torture once again.

“Oh, Gods. Aaron!” she whispered as her body shuttered uncontrollably at the touch of his moist lips against her soft skin. His hands moved endlessly over her legs and hips, across her torso, finding a nipple to tease every so often. One hand traveled back down to her womanhood, and he gently started to caress her there. She was very wet.

“Oh, babe! You’re so wet!” he said as his index finger parted her nether lips. “Oooww, look at that!” He lightly flicked it over her bud. She began dripping with juices, which, in turn, excited the god to no end. He kept reminding himself that this was her first time, so he wouldn’t get too carried away all at once. He wanted to be sure that he moved slowly, so that she would remember everything.

The moment he touched her pussy, she had her first orgasm. Even though it was mild, her face flushed and body wriggled. She moaned out loud, not able to control the outbursts of emotion and feelings that bombarded her body. Ares allowed her to catch a breath of air before he tasted her. Then, without any warning, he lowered his head between her legs.

Starting at the bottom, he collected her sweet elixir on his tongue and moved his way up to her clit. It took Eden by surprise and she grabbed his hair with both hands.

“W…wh…what are you doing, Aaron?” she said with a cracking voice.

He paused to look at her, his bearded chin glistening with her wetness. “Just relax, my sweet. I know what I’m doing.”

“But, but … I never knew . . .”

Ares smiled knowingly. “I know, I know. Don’t you trust me, Eden? You know I would never hurt you.”

Her face was beet red. She didn’t know what to think about this. With her eyes shyly cast downward, she answered, “Yes, of course I trust you, Aaron.”

“Then lay back and relax. You are going to like this. I promise.”

Reluctantly, she complied and Aaron’s attention went back to his performance. He kissed her navel, flicking his tongue inside the hole, and then kissed lower and lower, until he reached her pussy once again. He sucked her bud into his mouth, rolling his velvety tongue across it and in circles around it.

Eden’s body wriggled and rolled away from him and he had to grab her hips and pull her closer again. He pushed her knees down so that her legs were flat on the bed and then took both of his hands and parted her nether lips. She was oozing with wetness, all shiny and pink inside. Her little bud had begun to swell, a sure sign that she was near another orgasm.

He gently kissed and licked all around her pussy, slowly moving closer to her center and then wildly started to flick his tongue over her clit in a rapid pace. She screamed, grabbing fistful of the blanket beneath them. Her legs came up off the bed and locked around his head.

“AAAAaron, ooohh, ggods.”

She came heavily, her pussy convulsed violently. Aaron immediately slid a finger into her hole so he could feel her pulsate around it. He almost couldn’t wait to be inside of her. He growled as he removed his finger and kissed his way up her body. When he reached her face, he froze, the urgency he was feeling fled him. The expression on Eden’s face was like nothing he had witnessed before, and he had done many virgins. She was amazing, beautiful. Then she opened her eyes and looked at him. She looked at him like he was the only man in the entire world. There was so much love in her eyes, written on her face, that it overflowed and filled the mortal war god’s heart to nearly a bursting point.

She reached up and gently caressed his cheek. He just continued to gaze at her in astonishment with an open mouth. He knew he could please a woman, he took great pride in his lovemaking skills, but never once did he ever think that he could invoke this kind of response from someone. It had always been about sex, but with Eden it was so much more. It was about love.

“Aaron, are you alright?” Eden asked after he kept staring at her.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, darling. I’m just fine. Just fine.” He smiled warmly. “What about you?”
She blushed and smiled slyly. Looking up at him with her bright blue eyes, she said, “I’m okay. I’m feeling so many different things all at the same time.”

“Like what? Tell me.”

“Well, I feel wriggly all over. You know, kinda squirmy. But then I feel exhausted, and alive at the same time. Does that make any sense?”

Aaron chuckled and kissed her cheek. “Yes, my sweet. It makes perfect sense.”

“Aaron, I... I never knew it could feel this way.”

“That’s the pleasures of sex, my dear.”

“No, Aaron. It’s more than that. I’ve exploded before.”

“Exploded?” he questioned.

“Yeah, you know. I’ve touched myself a few times before. I was curious.” Her cheeks flushed deep red as she revealed a secret to Aaron that she had not told anyone before. “But what I felt, Aaron, it was nothing like this. It’s so different with you.”

Aaron cocked his head to one side. “Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know. All I know is when your hands are touching me, when you kiss me, nothing else in this world exists for me, but you. I just want to spend eternity wrapped in your arms. I want to make you happy, Aaron. Tell me how to please you, now.”

Ares shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that someone so pure and innocent could feel this way about him. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him as tight as she could. When he moved his mouth across her cheek to nuzzle her neck, she whispered, “Please, AarI waI want to please you. Tell me how.”

Caught up in the moment, he forgot he was mortal for a moment until he tried to remove his pants with his thoughts. When he realized that wouldn’t work, he quickly stood and removed them the mortal way – by hand. Eden had turned onto her side to watch, her smile never leaving her face. He was very excited, and his jutting cock was proof. She reached out to touch his chest and he took her hand and moved itn ton to his erection.

She blushed again and timidly ran her hand over it, gently exploring it. Aaron groaned at her touch, his head tilted back and he closed his eyes. Then he felt her pulling him closer.

“Come sit down,” she suggested.

He complied willingly, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, and leaned back slightly against his arms. She sat up; her hands moved everywhere – over his chest and abdomen, across his strong, thick thighs, and back to his ever-hardening cock.

“Slide your hand over it quickly, in an up and down motion,” he whispered, his voice thick with desire.

She did. “Like this?” she asked.

“OOOhhh, yyeeeaahh,” he moaned.

Eden slid off the bed and got on the floor between his legs and stroked him some more. Although she didn’t know much about making love, she figured that if Aaron put his lips between her legs, she could show him the same favor. She was sure if it were something that he did not want her to do, he would stop her.

She started off with light little kisses to the inside of his thigh. Then she added a little tongue, slowly moving higher and higher to the thickening rod she was holding. She paused for a brief moment to look at Aaron’s face. She wanted to see his expression to make sure she was doing the right thing. Looking at him suddenly turned her on – he was definitely enjoying this.

She looked back at his cock and stuck out her tongue, quickly coming in contact wite hee head. “Oohh, Eden!!” he said as he moved a hand to her head and stoked her hair. “I thought you said you’ve never done this before?”

“I haven’t.”

“Then how did you know…”

“I didn’t, really. You did it to me, so I thought I’d do the same to you.”

“Beautiful and smart!” he chuckled. “I am soooo lucky! Please, continue.”

She started to move her hand up and down his large shaft again and, while still holding eye contact, she licked the head once more and then down along the underside. She did this a few times. Aaron watched her with interest, mesmerized by her innocence in the action. She was driving him crazy, she had no knowledge of what she was doing, of how it was just a tease to the experienced lover. Finally, he could not take it any longer. He grabbed her hair and stopped her for a moment to get her attention and whispered, “Put it in you mouth, baby. Suck on it, okay?”

She nodded and then closed her warm, wet lips around the head. Aaron moaned and his head tilted back. “Oh yes, Eden. That’s right! Oh baby. Now roll your tongue over it while it’s inside your mouth. Mmmmm.”

Eden tried her hardest to please Aaron but found the entire action kind of awkward. She couldn’t take his cock in very deeply and her teeth would scrap his skin a bit harder than his liked. He finally stopped her, partially out of sympathy and partially out of self-preservation.

“Honey, that’s enough, now. Come lay next to me,” he coaxed.

She smiled weakly at him, knowing that she didn’t please him like he had done her. After she lay down beside him she apologized. “I’m sorry, Aaron. I’m not very good, am I?”

He cupped her chin and looked at her with understanding. He conveyed such warmth through his deep brown eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Eden. It’s not important right now. Besides, we have the rest of our lives to perfect the art of making love,” he purred and then kissed her.

Slowly, he moved on top of her, caressing her softly, tenderly. The sensations his fingers felt when touching her skin was like nothing he never experienced before. Everything seemed more real – more alive. Maybe because he was experiencing it as a mortal that it was more sensitized, instead of protected by the veil of godliness he was so used to. Her slightest quiver, a hot breath in his ear – sent him soaring higher than Olympus.

He positioned himself to enter her, but hesitated. The thought that it would hurt her kept creeping into his mind – something that he never had worried about as a god. He could always heal his women with his powers – making their first experiences something that would never compare to anything or anyone else in their lives. But now, he found himself worried that she wouldn’t like it, that she might have such an experience that would leave her unwilling to do again.

She touched his cheek. “What are you waiting for, Aaron? Please, don’t keep me waiting any longer.” She ground her hips into his.

He looked at her and smiled to cover up the fact that he was having second thoughts. “Perhaps we should wait until you’re ready. A little older.” He kissed her forehead.

“No! I’m ready now. I am old enough, I know it. My momma was the same age when she married my father,” she pleaded. Then she got a sad look. “Don’t you want to? I don’t make you happy, do I?” She turned her face to the side so he wouldn’t see her cry.

“Gods, no, Eden.” He turned her head back by her chin and kissed her. “You don’t know – I want nothing more right now than to love you like a man knows how to do. I’m just concerned that you might not find it as … pleasurable as I do. I don’t want to hurt you, and, well, ah… it’s probably gonna hurt a little.”

She put her arms around his neck and smiled warmly. “I’m a big girl. I think I can handle it. Please. I want to do this for you. For both of us.”
She caught his eye with that cute, sexy look and he couldn’t deny her anything.

“If you’re sure. But at anytime, if you want me to stop, just…”

“Shhhhh.” She put two fingers over his lips. “Stop talking and kiss me.”

Ares melted into her warm embrace. Hands started moving again, rubbing, caressing, and pinching. His lips found her breasts again, licking and sucking, making them both excited. He held back for as long as she would allow him to, but eventually found himself situated to enter her once more.

He glanced at her quickly. She nodded, and so he started pushing himself inside of her. The feeling was pure ecstasy for the god, and he couldn’t help closing his eyes and shinshing the feeling of her warmth surrounding him. He pushed a little more, cracking open one eye to catch a glimpse of her face. She seemed to be all right so far. Not quite enjoying it, but not disliking it either.

A little further, and he felt her body tense up on him and he opened his eyes. Her face was scrunched up, baring her teeth, with her eyes closed tightly. “Are you all right, Eden?” She could only nod and roll her hips to indicate that he should continue.

The next little push broke her barrier. He could feel the thin layer burst as he penetrated it. She gasped suddenly, her eyes shot open in shock and she nearly came up off of the bed.

“Eden! Oh, shit! I’m sorry. I’llp,” p,” he said in a panic.

She quickly wrapped her legs around him so he couldn’t get up. “NO!” she snapped. “Don’t stop. I want you to go the rest of the way.” Her voice was a little demanding, a little short with him. But instead of getting upset, the god understood. She was in some pain; it onl only normal that she should sound somewhat urgent.

He admired her for her courage and ability to forego the pain. But he also didn’t want to prolong it. With one final thrust, he entered her the rest of the way, and laid his body over hers so she couldn’t move away.

She screamed, not real loud, it was more like an uncomfortable groan. A single tear fell from the corner of one eye. Ares held her tightly, stroking her hair and back, comforting her.

“It’ll be okay in a minute. I promise it won’t hurt for long, Eden. Really.”

She didn’t answer, but shook her head and hugged him tightly.

After a minute, he started to move back and forth. The feeling of heat in her snug little place was intense. He started off slowly, but soon picked up the speed when he saw her face relax. He couldn’t take his eyes off her face. She was beautiful. He loved the way her breasts jiggled when his pelvis hit hers.
Before too long, her facial expression changed again. She was making erotic little gestures with her mouth. He couldn’t help but kiss her slightly swollen lips. She immediately probed his mouth with her tongue and sucked in his bottom lip. It drove him crazy. He felt his balls start to tighten and knew that release was near.

He sat back and moved her legs so they rested on his shoulders. Then he wet his thumb and started to rub her clit. He wanted her to cum with him. She responded instantly, her inner muscle contracted tightly around his cock. She was breathing rapidly, and in the next moment – she was screaming in ecstasy. She grabbed his arms and dug her fingernails into his skin.

That’s all Ares needed to send him over the edge. He grunted and st ist in her like he had never been with a woman before. When he finally emptied his hot seed inside of her, he almost passed out from the sensation. It had never felt this way before, never felt this alive and real. He collapsed on top of her; eyes closed, with sweat dripping down his temples, and tried to catch his breath. He let his flaccid rod gently slip out on its own.

“Oh, gods, Eden. That was so intense. Are you all right?” He opened his eyes to look at her.

She was beaming. “Yeah,” she said shyly, “I’m fine.” She smiled at him.

“Did you like it? I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly.”

“It hurt a little. But then…” She started to blush deeply.

“Then what?”

“Then it felt like… like… like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“But you liked it, right?”

“Oh, yeah! I liked it, Aaron. Can we do it again?”

He laughed. “Yeah, but not right now. I need a little time to … recuperate.” He glanced down at his limp penis.

She followed his eyes to the same place. “Oh, I see!” She blushed again.

“Right now, I just want to hold you in my arms and rest. Is that okay with you?”

“I’d like that, Aaron. I’d really like that.”

They both were asleep within twenty minutes with Ares arms and legs wrapped around Eden protectively.


*******


The next day Aaron took Eden out to a small clearing by a lake to parry. He wanted to allow her to get the feel of her sword before he started any serious training. He instructed her in some warm-up exercises and then had her take a brisk run around the water. He watched her with interest, casually kicked back against a tree, and sighed.

“You don’t know how lucky you really are, little one. To be trained by the God of War himself just doesn’t happen any more,” he said quietly to himself, smirking.

Ares rarely trained anyone personally, simply because they would become extraordinarily good fighters. Their heads would swell and their lips would flap, bragging about getting special lessons from the God of War while getting drunk in a tavern one night. Then, when they would stagger out of the bar later that evening, some jealous idiot would jump them. All that time, all that hard work molding – shaping – creating perfect warriors, would be gone in an instant. No, he gave up training mortals long ago. Too much effort, too little payoff.

It had been some time since he trained anyone, but he actually found himself looking forward to it. Eden had the potential to be really good, and Ares could tell that she had a passion to learn. But she also had a purpose. A purpose that was important to her. Now, it seemed important to him, as well.
“Where did that come from?” Ares shook his head quickly, as if that would dislodge the unfamiliar, uncomfortable feeling he just had. Caring about what’s important to another? He didn’t do those kinds of things. Anything Ares did, he did for himself.

Eden concluded her run and approached him. “Okay. I’m ready to begin, now!” she said cheerfully.

Aaron lazily pushed himself off of the tree and tossed Eden her weapon. He drew his own from where it rested at his side and stood in a defensive position.

“Attack me!”

At first, Eden just stood and looked puzzled. “Attack you? Just like that?”

Aaron gestured with his free hand. “Yes. Come on, come on, attack me. I want to see what you can do.”

She shrugged. “Alright.” She lunged at him. He easily evaded her with a quick step to one side. She tried again, he moved again. Again, and again.

“Well, this isn’t getting me anywhere,” Eden thought to herself. “I’m not making any contact with him or his sword.” She decided to try a different approach. She lunged again, but rather than following through, she stopped mid-way, quickly turned and swept the sword back around.

Aaron immediately jumped back to avoid contact, but the tip of her sword nicked his forearm anyway. A tiny amount of blood seeped out.

“Oh, gods. I’m so sorry, Aaron. I’ll get something to clean it.”

“No. It’s nothing. Just forget it.” The sight of blood seemed to invoke a bit of violent excitement in the god. He realized how much he missed being in battle. The cries of his warriors, the power he felt as they fought, the victory of the kill. It all seemed so long ago. He took in a deep breath in an attempt to calm those feeling down.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Eden had never seen him look quite like that before and it concerned her.

Aaron smiled sexily at her. “Yes, I feel great!” he answered. “And you are even better than I anticipated. That was a terrific move, Eden. A bit clumsy, but nonetheless, a good tactical move.”

“Thanks,” she said, blushing from his praise.

“Now tell me, what made you do that?” he asked her with interest.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I wasn’t getting anywhere just lunging at you, you kept moving out of the way. You’re very quick, you know.”

He nodded in agreement and smiled.

“So I figured I’d try something else. Only I didn’t want you to know that I was going to try something else or you would just move out of the way of that, too. So I pretended to lung but then changed it right in the middle, when you wouldn’t be expecting it.”

Ares smiled proudly as he looked her over possessively. “You are going to be SO good. I can just feel it.” He leaned his sword against the tree and moved towards her.

“So, I take it I did a good thing?” Eden suddenly felt sexually charged by Aaron’s excitement. She watched as he gracefully swayed his way over to her. Her nipples turned rock hard under his approving gaze.

“It was excellent. Very impressive, my sweet.” He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against his hard body. The entire situation had turned him on. She turned him on.

He grabbed her hair from behind and tilted her head back. Her mouth fell open and he could see her pink tongue nervously lick her bottom lip. He studied her face, his eyes dancing over her every feature. He narrowed his eyes in seriousness and said, “Gods woman, you set me on fire!”

He kissed her hard, devoured her lips in a heated passion. He couldn’t help it. She had him way too excited to be gentle.

They sunk down into the grass and made love for the second time that day. The sex they had when they woke up that morning was tender and gentle, like the night before. But this time, the feeling was more urgent, needy.

Eden was sore, but she too wanted it just as much as Aaron did. By the time they finished, and then bathed in the lake, it was getting close to dinner and so they headed back to the cabin.


*******


Over the next three weeks, Aaron spent as much time as possible helping with Eden’s training. She accelerated faster than one would normally, since she already had some training with her father, and followed whatever routine he had laid out for her that day. Of course, that routine always began with a bit of morning “exercise” in the bed. Then breakfast and chores, followed by her training session.

On days where they would have a particularly good parrying session, Ares would get heated up. Wars and fighting always had affected him in that way. They’d always end up making love in the grass or on the shore of the lake, and then be too exhausted to continue with the lesson. So they would return to the cabin and spend the evening in each other’s arms in front of the fire, relaxing.

Ares was enjoying Eden so much that he didn’t realize that his six-months of mortality was quickly coming to pass. Other than the times when that familiar feeling of bloodlust surfaced during Eden’s training, he didn’t think about his duties as the God of War. For the first time in his extremely long life, he was content to be where he was. He didn’t even miss his powers any more.

This simple mortal woman had everything that the god needed. She loved him and showed him constantly by the way she treated him and responded to him. Ares had never experienced love as a god. His mother and father never showed him love. He didn’t know the love of friends, since he didn’t have any. And even though Aphrodite said she loved him, it was more about sex than it was love. Oh, some of his worshipers claimed to love him, and did, but only to a certain extent. Not the same kind of love and admiration he felt when Eden looked at him. Now he knew what it felt like and he didn’t ever want to lose that feeling. It seemed to grow stronger with every day that passed.


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


One morning while Ares was out collecting firewood for Eden, Aphrodite appeared in her usual bright way, with floating hearts and a glimmer of light.

“Hey, Bro! How ya been?”

“Dite!” he said cheerfully, a large smile appearing on his face. “You look great, as usual. I’ve been fine. How are things on Olympus?”

Aphrodite was struck er ber brother’s unusually good attitude and genuine smile. He looked like a man in love. “Thanks, Are. You look pretty damn good, yourself. Not at all like everyone assumed.”

Ares looked at her questionably. “What do you mean? How am I supposed to look?”

She giggled and shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, I don’t know. Probably more like an exiled god would look. You know – beaten – sad – lost – angry. The kinds of things any of us would feel if we were stripped of our powers. But not you. It shouldn’t surprise me that, out of all of the Olympian, you would prevail at being a mortal. You were born a survivor, Ares. I guess you’ll always be one.”

“Thank you, sis. I think.” Ares set the wood he had accumulated neatly beside the rest of what he had collected and then clapped the dirt from his hand“So,“So, what can I do for you, Dite? I assume this is not a social visit.”

“No, it’s not. Actually, I’ve come with good news. Zeus is ready to reinstate you as God of War. You’ll get your powers back, now. Isn’t that great?” she said, bouncing up and down, and clapping.

Ares immediately lost his smile. He squatted down and started to bundle up the wood to take back to Eden’s. “Tell Zeus I’m not interested. He can make Hermes the God of War, for all I care.”

“But . . . but, Ares, don’t you want to be a god again? Don’t you miss having your powers?”

Ares stopped what he was doing, stood, and turned to his sister. He took her by both shoulders and looked at her seriously. “Aphrodite, since Zeus kicked me out of Olympus, I’ve experienced many things here, some good and some bad. One thing that I’ve come to realize is that the greatest power there is does not come from being an Olympian God, with the exception of you, Dite.”

Aphrodite drew her perfectly shaped eyebrows together in confusion. “What are you trying to tell me, Ares?”

He smiled warmly at her. “You should know betthanthan any of those idiots up on Mt. Olympus that greatest power there is, is love.” He released his sister and returned to bundling the wood. “Since I’ve been here, I have found out the true meaning of life, of mortality and why these folks continue to do what they do. They do it for love. Receiving the love of another is . . . well it’s . . . I can’t explain it, but it the best feeling I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

Aphrodite put her hand on his soldier. “You don’t have to explain to me, dear brother. I know exactly what you mean.” She stood proudly. “Well, I guess my suspicions about you were right.”

Ares stood again. “What suspicions?”

“That you’re a man in love. That’s why you wanted me to get that guy’s sword from the Halls of War. You were trying to impress a young lady!”

Ares looked off into the distance and shrugged slightly. “I suppose you’re right.”

Aphrodite was overjoyed and excited. “Well I think it’s fabulous! Does she feel the same way about you?”

Ares smiled slyly and nodded. “Oh, yes. No doubt about it. So you see, sis, that’s why I’m choosing not to return to Olympus and that rotten job of mine. Some how the victory of war just does not appeal to me the same way any more. I’m staying here, with Eden. Tell Zeus sorry, but I’m not coming back.”

“Okay. But he’s not going to be too happy about it. You’d better be ready for a confrontation.”

“Don’t worry about me, sis. With Eden at my side, I could conquer the world if I wanted. She inspires me!”

“Okay, I better go now.” Before she disappeared, she turned back to the former God of War, smiling. “Ares, I just want you to know that I’m really happy for you. Everyone deserves to have a bit of happiness in their lives and you have been denied it for far too long.” She kissed his cheek.

“Thanks, sis. I knew out of all of the gods, you would be the one who would understand the reasons for my decision. Now, go. But promise you’ll keep in touch every so often, okay?”

”I promise.” And with that, the Goddess of Love disappeared.


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

Ares finished to bundle the wood and was in the process of taking back to the cabin when the earth started shaking and there was a loud thunder from the sky. The ex-god laughed to himself, knowing what the roar of an upset King of the Gods sounds like. He figured that Aphrodite must be relaying his message to Zeus, and that was his reaction. He did hope, however, that Zeus was not being too hard on his sisterhe whe was only doing as he had requested.

Suddenly, a warm mist surrounded Ares and instantly he was transported to Olympus. He now stood before his father, who was strategically perched on his high throne, as always. Ares smiled sarcastically at his father, whose angry face became even more enraged.

“What kind of crap do you think you a pulling this time, Ares?” Zeus roared as he stood. “Didn’t six-months of mortality teach you anything? Wasn’t it a long enough punishment for your disrespect and insolence?”

Ares said nothing. He just shrugged, looking slightly smug.

“ANSWER ME!” Zeus commanded.

Ares spoke calmly to his father. “What do you want me to say, father? You want to know if six-months of mortality taught me anything? Yes, father, it did. It taught me that I don’t need you or the rest of you self-absorbed gods in my life. And no, it wasn’t long enough of a sentence. Return me. As a mortal.”

Zeus’ eyes glimmered with amusement and he started to laugh uncontrollably. Ares narrowed his eyes at the King, failing to see the humor in his answer.

“Why are you laughing? I’m totally serious. I don’t want to be God of War any longer. I don’t want to be any kind of god at all.”

Zeus wiped a tear from his eye as he took in a deep breath to calm himself. “What? Do you think you can just walk away from your godhood, your birthright? Get real, Ares. Being a god is not a choice. You will return to your duties as God of War, weather you want to or not. Don’t worry. You can still see the mortal woman whenever you want.”

Ares clenched his teeth and made fists at his side. “Aphrodite,” he groaned softly.

Zeus heard him, nonetheless. “Yes, Aphrodite told me all about your “activities” as of late. You surprise me, son. I didn’t think you had it in you, but your sister assures me that it is the real thing. I guess I have to take her word on in, since she is the expert on the subject.”

“I don’t care what you think, father, I’m not coming back. You can’t force me to perform.”

Zeus stared daggers at his son in silence. Finally, after an intense moment of thought, he responded, “You’re right, Ares. I can’t force you to perform your godly duties. But I don’t have to. You were born a god and a god you will always be. Perhaps you have forgotten what it feels like to be a god. Perhaps you don’t remember that euphoric rush that envelops you when your worshippers are calling your name. Maybe you need to be reminded how superior you are to mortals, and how insignificant they really are in the scheme of your life. You can’t walk away from being what and who you are, Ares. You are a god. It’s in your blood. It’s part of you.”

Ares became frustrated, mostly because what Zeus was saying was the truth and he didn’t want to hear it. He put his hands over his ears to block out the sound of his father’s voice. “NNNOOOOO,” he screamed. “I won’t do it, I tell you. I WON’T.”

The next thing he knew, he was smack dab in the middle of a full on blood bath. The army of Greece was involved in yet another battle with neighboring Rome. He could feel the rage, the hatred, the bloodlust, immediately. Two soldiers were battling it out right beside him. As they attacked each other, they moved within the small space they occupied. Ares was not fully materialized and the two men passed through him in the process.

Ares got another stronger jolt of bloodlust. It brought the war god into full solid form. Both men were startled by his sudden appearance, and in that moment of distraction, the Greek soldier seized the opportunity and ran his sword into the Roman. Then he proceeded to cut off his head. Blood splattered everywhere; large drops went flying in every direction. Ares’ face and body became speckled with the warm, red liquid. A few drops had landed on his lip and instinctively the war god cleaned his lip with his tongue. The taste was bittersweet. It was at that moment when he started to glow as his powers were returned to him once again.

“YES!” the god roared as he flexed his arms, raising them above his head.

“My Lord,” the Greek solder bowed to him. “You have come to give us strength and guidance. And I give you my life, oh Great Ares, God of War.”

“Rise, devoted one. Tell your brothers in battle that I am with you all. You will be victorious.”

The man ran off, screaming to the ranks of fighting men that their God had joined them on the battlefield. Moments later, Ares could feel their worship become stronger. He could hear his name being called out in moments of victory, as well as defeat. He took a stand on top of the highest hill to oversee the rest of the battle, wondering the entire time how he could have gone so long without being here. He must have been out of his mind to think that he was willing to give this up. It was much too powerful to deny.


*********


Zeus waved his hand at the viewing mirror and the image disappeared. A sated sed smile found his lips. “See, son, you just needed a little push in the right direction.”

“I can’t believe you did that to him, Zeus!”

The King of the Gods looked up to see the Goddess of Love standing there with a disgusted look on her face. Her eyes were narrowed and she had her arms crossed in front of her.

“Are you referring to Ares, my dear?”

“You know darn well I’m referring to Ares. Why did you do that to him? He was happy where he was. For the first time I’ve ever known, he was truly happy. And you went and spoiled it.”
“Dite, darling. I know it’s your job to spread love amongst the beings of this world. Just as it is your brother’s job to spread war. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”

“But you didn’t see him before. He was really in love.”

“The God of War doesn’t need love,” Zeus said sternly. “And his cocky little rebellious ass doesn’t deserve any happiness, either. Now, be gone, or you will be on the receiving end of my wrath, young lady.”

“Everybody needs love,” Aphrodite sighed and disappeared quickly.


**********


Shortly after Zeus had snatched Ares from the forest, Eden was beginning to get worried. She had expected Aaron to return by then. Just before sundown, Eden decided to go looking for him. As she was mounting her horse, a young boy on a wagon came riding up. He had bundles of wood in the back.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Are you Eden?” he asked.

Eden studied him before answering. He looked harmless enough. “Yes. Why do you ask?”

“This wood is for you, along with this message.” The boy got off the wagon and handed Eden a piece of parchment and then went back to the wagon to retrieve the wood. “Where do you want me to put it?”

“Over there, against the wall.” She motioned with her head, her eyes still on the folded piece of paper in her hand. “Who gave you this?”

“A tall man with dark hair. I don’t know his name. He paid me three dinars to deliver the wood to you along with the note.”

After two short trips to the wall, the wood was unloaded and the boy mounted the wagon. “Good bye, ma’am.”

“Good bye and thank you.”

He nodded and rode off down the road.

Eden dismounted and sat down on the porch. She knew the note was from Aaron from the description that the boy gave. With shaking hands, she slowly unfolded the parchment and started reading.

My sweet Eden,

I am sorry to have to leave you in this manner, but something terribly urgent has come up and I have been called
away. Unfortunately, there was no time for me to return to tell you.

I stopped this youngster and paid him to deliver the wood I collected this morning and to bring you this note to let you
know what has happened. I knew you would be worried about me, so I hope he gets to you soon.

I promise you, Eden, that I will return as soon as I possibly can. And while I am away, you will never be far from my
thoughts. I already miss you. Please forgive me for leaving you so abruptly, but I really had no choice.

I love you,

A

Tears ran down Eden’s cheeks as she folded the note again and placed it against her heart.

“Oh, Aaron. I miss you, too.”

“Aaron?” the young boy said from his place in a distant tree. Then he shimmered and morphed back into her usual body. “Aaron?” Aphrodite repeated. “Doesn’t she know that he’s the God of War? Just what kind of game are you playing on this poor girl, Ares?”

She disappeared.


***********


During the battle Ares had became so involved that all thoughts of Eden escaped him. Once it was over, the war god visited each of his temples to celebrate and check in on other things he had been away from. Eventually, he ended up at his temple in Karr.

Inside the stone walls of his worshiping ground, he materialized, noticing right away how neglected and un-kept it looked. The candles were burnt down to practically nothing; hardened wax covered the stands and floor beneath them. It was dusty and dirty. Ares frowned and pinched his nose at the stench of the rotten food that littered his offering table. He became angry and then remembered how the townsfolk had treated him that day in the tavern.

“Ingrates,” he mumbled as he left the temple and stood on the stairs outside. “Now I make good on my word to you condemn this undeserving village.”

He created a thundering sound, accompanied by a bright light to get the attention of the villagers. Within minutes, people started to gather around the stairs of the temple, whispering amongst themselves. A couple of large, burley men had made their way to the front of the crowd. Ares recognized them right away as two of the men in the group that chased him the day he was drunk. He approached them. They dropped to their knees, bowing to the god. The rest of the crowd did the same.

“Oh, Great Ares, you honor us with your presence. You have returned in answer of our prayers to join your ranks and prosper our village,” one man said.

Ares laughed, grabbing the man by the chin and pulling him up to stand before him. “Do you not recognize me, boy? It was only a few months ago when you were chasing me through the forest, thoughts of cutting me to pieces in your mind. Is that how you worship your God?” He let go of his chin, shoving the man away from him.

The s eys eyes widened in shock at the revelation. “Th . . . that . . . was . . . you, my Lord?”

“Did I not say who I was? I distinctly remember telling all of you who I was, and yet, you all just laughed at me.”
“But, but, we thought . . . you didn’t seem . . . we thought that . . .”

“I know what you thought. You thought wrong.” He cast his arm in the direction of the man and lightening flew from his fingertips, sending the man flying backwards over the crowd. A few people went to him where he had landed and someone shouted, “He’s dead!” Everyone gasped in horror, some folks even ran away in fear.

Ares laughed evilly. “I should do that to all of you for the way you have abandoned your faith and neglected my temple. But I’m not even going to waste the enern yon you pitiful mortals. But from this day forward – this village be damned! No longer will you reap the benefits of prosperity. Your crops will die, disease will take the elderly and the young, and you will know the wrath of the GOD OF WAR!”

He waved his hand and the village was set ablaze, at the same time he disappeared.