Continued from Wildfire Parts 1-28 Part 29
Sirus woke up and gasped in pain. He held his chest with one arm and his head with free hand. His body felt like every part of it was broken. He didn't have to be told he was still alive. He was certain he was. Death wouldn't have been this painful. Forcing himself to look down, he saw that he had been cleaned up and that his clothes were gone. A sheet covered his nakedness and protected him from chill. Now, if someone could "protect him" from his injuries, he'd be a little happier.
The room smelled of some sort of incense, with a rather feminine scent. Sirus was in a rather comfortable bed and he felt silk sheets surrounding him. Oh great, he was in Athena's bed. Did she mean to seduce him now? She would try to seduce the man she had just a short time ago looked at like he was less than a bug? Oh yeah, this would be fun. Although she had the advantage over him now. She was a goddess and he was injured.
"Oh, big mistake." he chastised himself when he sat up.
He wanted to test to see how badly his ribs were. He really wished he hadn't now. They burned with pain as he lowered himself back onto the bed.
"Any god listening, other than my captive, Athena, I'd really appreciate some help now," he said, almost in prayer. It was mostly a request, rather than a prayer.
For a moment, Sirus thought he had heard the distant rumble of thunder. It was too faint for him to really hear it through the thick walls of the temple, so he quickly dismissed it as his imagination. The door opened and Sirus looked over at it to see who was coming in. He groaned in annoyance when he saw Athena approaching the bed. That wasn't the god he wanted around him right now.
Athena went to the bed and looked down at Sirus. She wore less armor now and had removed her helmet, allowing him to see her face better. She assessed his injuries, seeing that the soldiers had wounded him further in transporting him here. More so than what he normally should have suffered. Holding her hand out over him, she used her powers to heal him completely.
Sirus groaned in pleasure, despite his resolve not to react to her. What was it about these gods and their healing powers? Did they just enjoy trying to seduce the person they were healing through the touch of their powers? Or was it just him? He lost focus on what he was thinking about as the soothing warmth ran through the length of his body, healing his injuries and relaxing him.
"There," she said, lowering her hand to her side. "I've healed the damage my soldiers caused you."
"Should your bug say 'thank you'?" Sirus muttered, forcing himself to remember how she had made him feel the first time she looked at him.
"It would be appreciated. And what is this about a bug?"
"You looked at me as if I were no more important than a bug. No, like I *was* a bug. Why should I be thankful for anything you do for me? You are the cause of my injuries, nearly getting me killed, and keeping me away from a friend who is in great danger."
"Are you finished?"
"No way in Tartarus am I finished." Sirus sat up and glared at the goddess. He kept the sheet close to keep her from looking at anything but his face. "I want you to let me go and stay out of my life!" he hissed, with barely controlling his anger.
"No." the goddess said simply.
"You can't keep me here. If I have to, I'll leave without my clothes on."
"Go ahead. It should be most entertaining to see how you get past my temple guards without any protection and no weapons."
"How about I rip off *your* head and escape while you're occupied with regenerating it? I understand you gods can grow back limbs you have lost. How 'bout heads? Any gods lose their head and have to re-grow it?"
Sirus grunted when she slapped him hard across the face. He was sent into a sprawl across the bed by the strength of her blow. The sheet covering him slipped down low over his waist. He looked up at Athena and could tell there was more than anger there. The sight of him naked tempted her. How would she feel if he were *completely* exposed to her sight? He would have smiled if he weren't so angry with her now.
"You insolent mortal!" she hissed.
"I think I have a right to be insolent," Sirus said calmly as he sat back up. "Your men stalked me, shot my horse with an arrow, attacked and wounded me, then you had me taken prisoner. Do *you* see any reason for me to be respectful?"
Athena stared at him curiously. He had just threatened her and now he was almost baiting her for another attack. He was quite a curiosity to her. His battle prowess and lethal skills were curious enough, but now he was being calm while facing someone who could kill him in an instant. He really didn't fear dying; she could feel it. But he was determined to stay alive and do what was necessary to get to whoever this friend of his was. She could feel that as well.
"Who is this friend of yours?" she asked, letting her calmness return.
"A woman named Lauren," Sirus replied. "As far as I know, she is in Corinth..."
"Then she is in danger and you'll be endangering yourself by going there after her."
"I don't care."
"No, I can see you don't."
"Why does this matter to you? You accused me of being a warrior of Ares'. Why do you need to know who my friends are?"
"I'm just curious. And I thought you had told me you *weren't* a warrior of Ares'. Are you changing your mind?"
"No. I just want you to let me go so I can go to Lauren and get her away from any danger. From you or whoever."
"Is that a threat?"
Sirus sighed in exasperation and fell onto the bed, covering his face in his hands. Gods, this was
annoying. He was getting tired of being run around like this. It was making him dizzy. He slowly raised back up and looked back at the Goddess of Wisdom."I am a blacksmith," he said. "I am loyal to Hephaestus, though I'm not officially sworn to him.
You can ask him yourself. The only ones I'm more loyal to are the Norse gods and you'll have a more difficult time verifying that because I doubt they'd want to talk to a Greek person. Or even a Greek goddess. But maybe not, you might get something out of them.""Why the Norse gods?" Athena wanted to know.
"Because I'm Norse myself. My parents were too. They taught me the Viking ways despite living in Greece till both were killed in some battle when I was younger. I don't remember much about it, just someone delivering the news to me that they were both killed."
"You don't seem to be too saddened by their deaths."
"Believe me, I miss them. But I know that they both wanted to die in battle. It granted them entry into Valhalla."
"Valhalla, I believe I know of this place."
"Good, I had enough trouble myself learning all about it as well as all the gods there."
Athena snickered at him. She could understand that. Children of Greece had trouble at times learning all about the Gods of Olympus, the aspects of the Underworld and all.
"I said I believe I *know* of Valhalla, not that I was certain." she informed him.
"Well, look for a different teacher. I'm not the best person to ask about it. I know enough about it to understand it for myself, not to explain it to anyone else."
Athena's expression grew almost cold as she returned to her reasons for beginning this conversation.
"Did your parents also teach you how to kill someone by ripping their heads off?" she asked.
"No, that was my own improvised tactic," he replied. "And don't ask me how I did it, I don't know. I don't remember much about that, but I *do* know that *I* was the one that killed that soldier and I felt better once he was dead. I'd do it again if I had to."
"I see. Is this one of those Viking things of yours?"
"I suppose so. Look, Athena, can I leave now? I'm of no use to you really. My only connection to Ares is that his men attacked my village and the survivors, including me, were taken captive. Ares released me and sent me to his temple. Then he let me go."
Sirus decided to not mention what Ares had done with him once they were both in the god's temple. He didn't think that would help his case any with this goddess. She'd probably use it against him by saying that he had become Ares' lover and that was how he had earned his freedom.
"When I have proof of you not being loyal to Ares as anything, I will release you," Athena said. "Until then, you will *not* be leaving my temple." She waved her hand and sent him away.
Sirus found himself in a windowless room. It was well furnished and just large enough to be comfortable for him. A thick, wooden door was the only exit and he knew instantly there was no way he could get it open. He figured that both mortal locks and godly magic locked it.
"Well, at least I have my clothes back," he muttered, seeing his clothes had been put back on him. "That's a plus. Now, if I could just get out of here. That would be even better." He seated himself on the bed, deciding on just how to escape with his life and everything intact.
Part 30Ares appeared in a temple and looked around curiously. He headed toward the throne room, catching the attention of the guards, priests, and priestesses he passed. One priestess went up to him, making him pause. This was a priestess who he played with every now and then.
"Hello Clio." he said.
"Hello Ares," she said, slipping her hands into his vest to touch his chest. "I've missed you."
"Mm, I can tell. Where is he?"
"In his chambers, playing with his newest acolyte."
"I see. I need to speak to him."
"You want to speak to *him* and not *me*?"
Clio pulled her hands away from him and crossed her arms before her. She stuck her lower lip out in a little pout. Ares chuckled at her, quite amused at her disappointment.
"We'll play later, little one," he said to the young blond priestess.
"Oh, very well." she said, then started to move off. She paused just long enough to reach out and pinch Ares on the ass as he moved passed her.
"You wicked little thing." Ares accused, then continued on his way.
********
Apollo moaned and leaned his head back as Miranda expertly teased his cock in her mouth. He had one hand buried in her long, black curls, holding her in place, while the other was clenching the sheets of the bed tightly. He nearly groaned in irritation when he felt the arrival of one of his relatives. He didn't stop the young woman's attention. He didn't care if it was Zeus who was interrupting him.
The door to his chambers opened and he saw Ares enter. A smile crossed the sun god's face at the sight of his brother. Ares just stared at him and Apollo decided this wasn't a fun visit on the war god's part. He pulled Miranda away from his cock, allowing Ares a good view of his glistening cock.
"I'm not here to play, Apollo," Ares almost growled. "I'm here to speak with you. Alone preferably."
"Wait outside, Randy," Apollo said to the stunned woman. "This shouldn't take too long." He pulled her to him, giving her a passionate kiss before she could leave the bed.
The woman nodded to him, no longer able to speak from the double shock of seeing Ares entering the room and Apollo's breath-stealing kiss. She made sure her clothes were all in place, then got up. She headed out of the room, but stopped and looked at Ares.
"Hello, Randy." Ares said silkily.
"Hello." she said.
"Don't worry, I'll try not to detain your fun long."
He watched her go and waited till the door closed before facing Apollo once more. He approached his brother, who had just covered himself to the waist with the sheet. He couldn't resist chuckling at that.
"Hiding what I've already seen," he teased. "Isn't that a bit pointless?"
"I don't know about you, but cold drafts aren't very productive on sensitive skin." Apollo replied.
"I have a request for you."
"No, you can't play with Clio. She's busy with things right now."
"No, not Clio. One of your priestesses from Delphi. Though I'm not certain she was one or not."
"That really narrows it down. I've had many non-priestess students there."
~I'll just bet you have.~ Ares bit his tongue to keep from speaking that thought aloud.
"A young red head who was the daughter of a pirate," Ares said aloud. "I believe she was an empath."
"Ah yes," Apollo said, recognizing the description. "The red-headed wildcat from Tartarus. My high priest there described her that way. Among other, less flattering ones. Yes, I remember her. What about her?"
"What do you know about her?"
"Why?"
"Just tell me, Apollo. No silly questions."
"I have a right to know why you're asking about her."
"I'm curious."
Apollo raised an eyebrow. He didn't quite believe that was Ares' only reason. He stared at Ares, who had just seated himself on the bed beside him. His eyes closed when Ares hand touched his cock.
"Tell me." Ares purred seductively.
"She was the bane of my high priest's existence," Apollo said, unable to resist the combination of that touch and Ares' tone. "He didn't approve of her father being a pirate and decided automatically that she was as bad as he, and treated her accordingly. And do please touch me more."
"No, not till you tell me all about her."
Ares took his hand from the sun god, wanting to torture him to make him speak. He grinned at the
irritated look on Apollo's face. He snickered when Apollo blew air loudly through his lips and knew his brother had decided to give in."I had to force the priest to give her some medicines I sent to him for her. He wanted the poor thing to suffer." Apollo said.
"What did she suffer from?" Ares asked.
As with Toreth, Ares spoke of Lauren only in the past tense. He didn't want any competition for her
attention. Iphicles was the only one he would allow to be around her. He knew the king could be trusted to look after his property. Letting Apollo know that Lauren was alive and nearby would be like asking wolves to guard a wounded deer."Headaches," Apollo replied. "Real bad ones. They were caused by the very thing she was sent there to be trained with."
"Her empathic powers." Ares surmised.
"Yes. I would have healed them myself, but the headaches were her mind adjusting to the training and all. She would have never gotten as far as she did had I interfered. The herbs and stuff I gave her were the only things I could do to help her at all, though they didn't help as much as I thought they would have. Those type of headaches only go away when their source does."
"There's a paradox for you."
"Exactly. I sent a priestess there who would have been the only one she would accept as a real teacher. To Lauren, I think it looked like a reward for putting my idiot priest in his place about a vase of mine."
"Was it?"
"Partly. But I knew she needed a true empath to teach her and I knew I couldn't do it without harming her with my presence alone."
"I wasn't aware you had empathic priestesses."
"I have some. Rare ones, like Kara and Lauren, are both empathic and can read prophecies. Though Lauren's were still dormant at the time she was in my temple."
This intrigued Ares. He hadn't sensed that gift in Lauren while he was with her. Of course, he hadn't been looking for it either. He wondered if she was able to access that power yet. It might come in handy for him in the future.
"Her kind of powers have to be triggered by something, usually traumatic, in order to awaken them. And nothing strong enough had jarred her enough to awaken them." Apollo went on.
"How powerful would she have been if she had had access to those powers?" Ares asked.
"That I can't say. I don't know. I would have to be in the same room with her to know that."
The sun god grabbed Ares' hand, drawing it under the sheet. He was tired of waiting. He wanted Ares to touch him. And he wanted Ares to touch him *now*.
Ares smiled. He so loved it when lovers wanted his touch so desperately. Some risked angering him to make him touch them. He allowed Apollo to direct his hand to the hard, hot cock beckoning to him.
"You have no more to say about Lauren?" he asked, lightly stroking Apollo's cock with just his
fingertips."Not unless you wish to hear about her attacking one of my priestesses and high priest." Apollo said.
"Do tell."
Apollo smiled. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Tell me, Apollo."
Apollo groaned when Ares gave his cock a warm squeeze. He licked his lips, trying to concentrate on the information Ares wanted and his delicious touch at the same time. He whimpered when Ares took his hand away again.
"Speak or suffer." Ares said.
"The priestesses in my temple treated her as if she were less important than them," Apollo said, knowing Ares meant that threat. "She was an empath and they were oracles-in-training. One of the crueler ones got her jaw broken in two places when Lauren punched her after she bugged her too much."
Ares grinned. He was finding more and more about Lauren that he adored. She was proving to be quite a little spitfire.
"And your priest?" he asked, stroking a finger up and down Apollo's cock.
"He said she made him look like a fool in front of me after I agreed with what she said on my favorite vase being in a dangerous place. She said he was already a fool and didn't need her help. I found it quite arousing, er, amusing. He didn't and slapped her. She nearly killed him for it. My temple guards stopped her."
"You should have let her. He sounds like he deserved it."
"I did better than that."
"Oh?"
"I let him live and quite embarrassingly ejected him from my service. And warned him that I'd incinerate him if he ever came back to Delphi. He's stayed away since then."
Ares chuckled. He was glad he decided to visit Apollo for information on Lauren. She was becoming quite an enigma to him. And more arousing than she already was. He uncovered Apollo's cock, hearing the sun god groan at the cold kiss of the air on his heated skin. He looked over the hard length of Apollo's cock, smiling wickedly.
"What happened with the priestess you sent to Lauren to teach her?" Ares asked, then dipped his head to taste Apollo's cock.
"Ooh yes," Apollo purred. "You expect me to talk with your deliciously talented mouth on me?"
"Mm-hmm."
"All right. She didn't stay there long, only a few weeks, more or less. I...gods your tongue feels so
good on me.""Stay on track, Apollo."
"How can I with your teasing?"
"You wish me to stop?"
"No way!"
Ares grinned evilly. He lapped at the head of Apollo's cock, tasting the moisture there. He felt Apollo's hands in his hair and moved to lie between his brother's legs, never taking his mouth from that beautiful cock.
"She wasn't the most qualified...of teachers," Apollo said with difficulty. "But I thought she was...the
perfect choice...for Lauren."Ares took Apollo's cock into his mouth, sucking and licking lightly, teasingly. He felt the grip on his
hair tighten. He wondered how long the sun god could speak before he lost track of what he was saying."Kara was fully versed in her sucking, I mean, empathic powers," Apollo went on. "And Lauren felt comfortable with her. Gods, suck harder. Kara taught her as best she could, but Lauren didn't like cooperating. Her empathic powers were *so good*, uh, difficult to train with for her in a temple full of cum--*people*."
Ares snickered around Apollo's cock. The sun god was making a valiant effort to get all this information out. It was quite amusing to hear him falter like he was.
~Do continue.~ Ares said in Apollo's mind.
"You too," Apollo said hungrily. "Suck me more."
~Speak, and I will.~
Ares took Apollo's cock in further, sucking him a little harder. He savored the scent and taste of the sun god.
"What," Apollo gasped, barely able to think. "What was I saying?"
~You were speaking of Lauren's training with Kara.~ Ares thought to him.
"Ah yes. Kara had Lauren learn to defend herself and how to suck, *sing*..."
~Suck sing? That sounds like fun. Perhaps you should teach me that.~
"Ha. Ha. Very funny."
~I thought so.~
"Shortly after Lauren got a good handle on most of her skills, Kara suddenly left the temple and
returned...to her own."~Why?~
"She said she was told in one of her...visions."
~Why did they tell her to leave?~
"I don't know! *She* didn't know either. She just knew what the vision said and it said to leave Lauren then. And Lauren left the temple shortly after that due to my priest's treatment of her."
Apollo groaned when Ares sucked him even harder. He grabbed Ares' hair tighter and began to move that glorious mouth up and down his length. He purred in delight as Ares sucked and licked his cock expertly. He pushed the war god away before he lost complete control.
Ares growled in anger at him. He didn't like being stopped in the middle of his fun. He glared down at Apollo, letting him know just how annoyed he now was.
"I choose my own price for that knowledge." Apollo said.
He grabbed Ares and flipped him over onto his back and quickly pinned him down. Though he knew Ares could easily have thrown him off if he wanted to. Though they were both gods, by his nature as a warrior, Ares was stronger than he was. He dipped his head and trailed his tongue up Ares' chest, tasting his hot skin. He smiled when he heard the war god purring. He knew Ares would allow him this for now.
"And what's your price, Apollo?" Ares asked silkily.
"Something nice and hot and tight," Apollo said. "Something I can fill over and over and never get
enough of.""Ooh, I like the sound of that."
Apollo sent Ares' clothes away and looked him over. He smiled when he saw how hard Ares' cock was. It was at its full length and the head was dark red, quickly approaching purple. He could tell it was more than just him that had been the cause of this.
"Being chaste?" he asked with an amused smile.
"No." Ares growled.
"Oh really? I don't think *he* would agree on that."
Ares snarled an oath in their native language. His anger rose when he heard his brother chuckling. It faltered when Apollo's mouth closed over one of his nipples. He closed his eyes in pleasure. He groaned when Apollo nibbled at his nipple. Then again when he did it to the other. His head went back when an oiled finger slipped inside of him, then a second and a third, preparing him.
Apollo took his mouth and fingers from Ares, then raised up and took his cock in one hand. He guided it to the tight ring of muscle, sliding it back and forth against the sensitive area, teasing Ares back for his earlier torments. He pushed into that tightness, closing his eyes to savor the feel of it. He heard Ares hiss in delight as he slowly pushed his entire length inside.
"Gods, you're so tight." Apollo purred.
He began moving inside Ares, not giving him a chance to speak. He felt Ares' legs encircle him, but didn't allow the war god to dictate the pace. He moved his hand to Ares' achingly hard cock, stroking him slowly. He didn't want his brother to climax too soon. It would spoil his fun.
Ares arched his back, silently begging for more. He growled when Apollo continued to torture him with his slowness. He tightened his grip on Apollo, trying to force him to move faster. He moaned when he succeeded in making Apollo go deeper into him. The head of his cock was now also rubbing against that super sensitive spot inside him on each thrust.
Apollo finally took the hint and began moving faster inside Ares. He also stroked the war god's cock harder and faster. He jumped slightly when Ares grabbed him suddenly and pulled his mouth down to his. They shared an almost savage kiss, bruising and cutting soft lips. Ares growled under Apollo at the taste of their combined blood.
"Harder." Ares whispered against Apollo's lips.
"What was that?" Apollo asked, pulling back.
"Harder! Faster! I want to cum all over you."
"No need to shout, brother."
"I'll show you a sh--oh fuck, do that again."
Apollo grinned and stroked his cock harder against that vulnerable area deep inside Ares. He soon had the war god writhing under him.
The war god threw his head back and groaned deeply, shooting his seed onto Apollo's chest and his own. He grabbed the pillow under his head tightly as the sun god made his orgasm last much longer. He came a second time when Apollo spilled his seed into him. They fell onto the bed in a wet, sticky tangle of limbs, not moving or speaking for the longest time.
"I like how you price information," Ares said, once they separated and cleaned each other and the bed off. "I may just have to come back and *buy* some more sometime."
"Anytime." Apollo said.
Ares got up and dressed himself with a thought. He looked Apollo over once more, then vanished in a blaze of light. He couldn't stick around and play more with Apollo right now. He had some things he needed to attend to.
Apollo smiled at the area where Ares had been. He wondered just where the god was off to. Probably to deal with that war Athena was planning he had heard about. He knew that would keep Ares busy for awhile, if that was indeed where he was going. He smiled when a thought occurred to him.
Part 31Ares appeared in the forest and looked around for his nephew. He wanted to find out what the godling had seen while he had been busy with everything else. It would help prevent him from going and getting into another fight with Athena to try and learn what was going on at her end. That was one of his main reasons for having his nephew practice his spying skills.
He didn't see Strife anywhere. He then looked up and saw him perched high in a tall tree, completely ignoring him. He threw a lightning bolt upward, startling the godling out of the tree. Strife let out a yell as he fell out of the tree. The godling landed in a heap in front of the war god.
"What are you doing, Strife?" Ares asked.
"Making sure nothing's broken?" Strife offered.
"You're a god. Gods don't get broken bones that easily. Now, GET UP!"
Strife leapt to his feet at Ares' loud order. He stared at his uncle, keeping his attention fully on him. He didn't even bother to brush the dirt off himself, knowing he might just anger Ares further.
"Now, what are you doing?" Ares asked calmer.
"Spying on Athena," Strife replied. "Just like you asked me to."
"And?"
"Um, well..."
"Yes?"
"She has Sirus."
"She does?"
Strife was a little confused. The last he heard, Ares had found a new toy in the mortal blacksmith. Ares didn't seem at all concerned about Sirus now. Had he lost interest in the blacksmith already?
"He's a distraction to Lauren," Ares informed Strife, reading his expression. "As fun as he is, I don't want him near her. He will wish to take her away from me. And I just can't have that."
"Well, Athena is wanting to prove that he's a warrior of yours so she can punish him for that and for killing one of her men." Strife informed him.
"He killed one of her men?"
"Yep. And you aren't going to believe how."
"Try me."
"He ripped the man's head off."
Ares' eyes went wide. He then grinned deeply. Ooh, Sirus was becoming quite impressive. Almost as much as Lauren was. But he knew he needed to keep both Lauren and Sirus apart if he was to get anywhere with his little temptress. He knew Athena might kill Sirus if he made it appear that the blacksmith was one of his warriors. That was out. He would have both his brother, Hephaestus, *and* Lauren very angry with him. And he didn't want that at all.
"What about Athena's soldiers," Ares asked. "Have they started toward Corinth yet?"
Athena was somehow keeping him from picking up much from her soldiers and her plans. That was why he was having his nephew spy on her. Athena didn't seem to be paying much attention to the godling. It made Strife the perfect choice for a spy. Plus, Ares knew he could trust Strife to be the perfect spy. Despite being a bit of a bumbler sometimes, the godling was pretty good at spying on others without getting caught often.
"Nope," Strife said. "There's the biggest of storms coming and Athena doesn't want to risk her soldiers getting hurt on their way there."
"You didn't happen to create this storm, did you?" Ares asked.
"Me? I thought it was *your* doing."
"No. Hmm, maybe Zeus is deciding to smite something and wants to cause a stir while he does. You know, scare a few pitiful mortals and all. He's such a show-off with his smiting."
"It's been a real bitchin' light show, whoever's causing it."
"Is that why you were so far up that tree?"
"Yep. I wanted the best view for it."
"Strife, you're an idiot. Standing at the top of a tree is like *asking* for the lightning to strike your
perch and incinerate you.""Oh."
Ares rolled his eyes at his nephew's ignorance. Despite that, he was pleased with him for his spying on Athena without the goddess catching him. He looked toward the sky and saw the dark gray clouds quickly approaching. The temperature was already dropping and the animals had all fled to escape the coming storm. He wondered if it *was* Zeus who was the cause of this storm. It didn't really feel like his father's powers at work here. But who else could it have been? Especially since it was two of Zeus' children about to start a war against each other.
Strife jumped and hid behind Ares when a very loud clap of thunder echoed across the darkening sky. He yelped when Ares grabbed him and tossed him to the ground. He had never feared storms and thunder before, but something about this one simply made the fear rise in him.
"Get up and act like a god, Strife," Ares said. "Gods aren't afraid of a little thunder."
"Right." Strife said, getting up.
Ares was about to speak again, when he felt something at the edge of his mind. He focused on it and growled in anger. Apparently, Apollo was up to something and he was just now sensing it. He could tell whatever it was; he wasn't going to like it.
"What is it, Uncle?" Strife asked.
"It seems my brother Apollo is doing something he shouldn't." Ares said, deceptively calm.
"Oh?"
"Yes, and I'm going to go find out just what all he's done. Keep me posted on Athena's doings. And Strife?"
"Yes?"
"Stay out of the trees."
"Yes, Uncle."
Ares vanished in a flash of light, leaving Strife to return to his spying. Strife jumped and yelped again when a loud crash of thunder rumbled across the sky. He then remembered Ares' words about acting like a god and not fearing the sound of thunder. He puffed up his chest and dared the thunder to try and scare him off. He ran away when the thunder roared down at him, answering the challenge very loudly.
"I'll act like a god later." he vowed, vanishing from view. He wanted to get closer to Athena's temple to spy some more anyway. And try to escape the taunting thunder for awhile.
Lauren tied the belt of her robe securely around her waist and bent over to wrap her hair up in one of the linens. For a moment, she thought she felt eyes on her. She shook it off as just her imagination, since no one could sneak up on her that she knew of. She had nearly driven herself crazy in the bath worrying about Ares spying on her somehow without her knowledge. She straightened up as she finished wrapping her hair up on top of her head in the linen.
"Aah!" she screamed in shock when she turned and came face to face with someone in the doorway of the bathing chamber.
"Well, hello to you too." the man before her said with a grin, leaning against the doorframe.
"Who are you?"
"I'm insulted. You don't know who I am?"
Lauren shook her head.
"Look closely." he suggested.
Lauren looked the man over curiously. He had long, wavy blond hair that brushed his strong shoulders and beautiful blue eyes. He was draped in tight, revealing leather that looked more like spun gold. A golden sun symbol hung from a chain around his neck. Sun symbol? Her eyes went wide at the revelation.
"You're Apollo," she said.
"And *you* are correct, my lovely." Apollo purred.
~Oh boy, here we go again.~ Lauren resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that comment.
"How did you get in here without...?" she started.
"...you sensing me?" he finished.
"Yes."
"I know how to hide myself from empaths. Well, mortal ones anyway. *You* on the other hand were a little bit trickier."
"How so?"
The question stopped the sun god in his approach of her.
"Well, you aren't a normal mortal," Apollo said. "At least that's what I gathered from Ares."
Lauren stepped back from Apollo as he approached her once more.
"Does Ares know you're here?" she asked, putting the tub between them.
"Nope." Apollo asked, deciding how to get to her without just teleporting to her. He was enjoying this little game of hers.
"Where is he?"
"Off somewhere. Probably looking for someone else to play with."
"I don't think so."
Apollo raised an eyebrow at her words. He hadn't been expecting her to say that. From Ares' mind, he had picked up that Lauren was genuinely attracted to the war god. He felt that mentioning something of the god's wandering eye would have set back Ares' seduction with her by putting her off of him.
"And why are you here?" Lauren said, stepping back from Apollo's reaching hands.
She knew how to handle the sun god a little better than she did Ares. This god was one her father had warned her about. He had known one of the god's cast off lovers and had told her all about how this god worked in order to keep the same thing from happening to her. To her, it seemed that Apollo was one god her father really didn't care for at all. He only left her in Delphi because that was the only place that he knew of where she could be safely trained in her mental powers.
Lauren wanted to keep Apollo busy with questions she had wanted to ask him for awhile. Plus, she just wanted to keep him away from her, period. She had enough trouble with one god being after her and didn't need to add a second.
"I came to check up on one of my former students." Apollo said, making another grab for her. He nearly lost his balance when he over-extended his reach.
~Uh-huh, and a hydra makes a good house pet.~ she muttered in her mind.
"Whoa!" she yelled, jumping back when the sun god lunged at her.
Apollo missed her when she leapt back and lost his balance. He fell into the tub, sending water everywhere. He came up soaked and looked at the woman now making her way out of the bathroom, keeping a close eye on him. He gave her a grin and climbed out of the tub, coming after her. He slid his hands through his hair, smoothing it back out of his face.
"Come here," he said, crooking a finger at her.
"Nope." she said, moving into her room. She moved backward, knowing Apollo might try to grab her from behind.
"You can trust me, Lauren," Apollo assured her. "I won't harm you."
"I have a question I've been wanting to ask you."
"Ask."
"Who was the woman you sent to teach me to use my powers?"
"One of my high priestesses."
The sun god made another lunge for her. He missed her barely, grabbing only air as she jumped back out of his reach again.
"*Who* was she?" she insisted.
"Her name is Kara. She's an empath and a reader of prophecies. She's serving as the high priestess in Delphi in my temple at the moment. Now, come here."
"I said, no. Now, cut that out."
"I don't think so."
He vanished from view and reappeared behind her, grabbing her from behind. He tightened his grip on her when she tried to get free. He slipped his arm around her waist and held her securely, then reached up and snatched the towel from her hair, freeing it. The wet strands spilled down onto him, leaving trails on his newly dried skin.
A look of shock passed over the sun god's face as he picked up something more about her from the direct contact with her. There was only one other woman he had known who had the type of presence that she did. He released her instantly, causing her to fall ungracefully to the floor. He stared at her as she turned and looked up at him.
"What?" she asked, seeing the look on his face.
"Nothing," he replied, regaining his composure. "I just don't like wet hair getting all over me."
He used his powers to dry her off and dress her in a very Apollo-style lady of the court-type dress. It was very tight and very revealing on her. He smiled, liking the look of it on her. She was staring at him curiously and he knew she was trying to pick *something* up on him. He was blocking his mind completely from her, not wanting her to get any knowledge beforehand of his intentions. His eyes were the only things that betrayed what he was feeling to her. That was one thing he really couldn't control right now.
Lauren couldn't really read him, no matter how hard she tried. She knew he was blocking her out completely. Her mental touch just seemed to bounce right off an invisible wall protecting his mind from her. Though she wasn't sure she *wanted* to read anything from him anyway. If Ares' had been any indication, she was sure wouldn't like what she felt from him. Sensing the power of one godhood was enough for her.
"Now, up on your feet," he said in a teasing voice. "Or you'll wrinkle your dress."
Lauren gave him a smirk that easily told him she was not amused, but got to her feet. She nearly lost her balance when she tried to walk in the high-heeled boots he had put on her. Apollo caught her before she fell to the floor. He ushered her into a chair quickly. It made her feel that something about her seemed to make him rather uncomfortable. That didn't seem to stop him from being very attracted to her. She could read expressions about as well as she could feelings. And the look in those blue eyes of his was centering completely on "I am very attracted to you and I'm not going to go away till I have you".
"Never learned to walk in those type of shoes, huh?" he asked.
"What gave it away," she replied. "The fact that my face nearly met the floor."
"Yep. Okay, you can have the low-heeled version." He snapped his fingers and the boots went to a more comfortable and manageable pair of low-heeled ones of the same style.
"What is it with you gods and second skin clothing?" Lauren asked.
The gown was just loose enough to allow her to breathe deeply if she wished, but was still very form fitting on her. And it revealed *way* too much skin for her comfort, though it still covered the important areas. One being her breasts, which Apollo seemed to be having a hard time looking away from when he wasn't gazing hungrily at her face or anything else of hers. By the gods, she wanted to clobber him for looking at her like that. She was tired of men and gods looking at her that way.
Apollo's eyes flashed in desire as he looked at her. He liked the sound of being her "second skin". He wouldn't mind being *that* close to her. He was already a little jealous of her gown for its closeness to her.
"Never mind," she said, holding up a hand. "Don't answer that."
The god just grinned at her.
"How did you find me?" she asked. If he had always been able to know where she was, she wondered why he hadn't come to see her before.
"Ares told me." Apollo said.
"Really?" Lauren wasn't convinced.
"He did."
"Uh-huh."
"I'll have you know he practically screamed your location to me."
"You're telling me Ares just waltzed up to you and said, 'Lauren is in Corinth. Go visit her with my
blessings'?""Well, not exactly that. But he did tell me *exactly* where you were. With a tad bit of very enjoyable coaxing."
"Oh gods, I think I'm going to be sick now."
Apollo chuckled at her when she turned away from him. How he loved innocents who didn't know the pleasures that could be found in non-traditional love-play. He wondered just how far along Ares had gotten with her. He had been able to slip into Ares' mind when the war god was distracted by pleasure. He hadn't gotten all the information he had wanted, but got enough to know a good amount of what Ares knew of Lauren and where to find her.
Part 32"Please don't go into detail." Lauren told Apollo, facing him once more.
"But what good is it if I can't share?" Apollo asked. He was acting like a little boy wanting to share the greatest of news with his best friend and wasn't able to.
"Share it with someone else, please?"
"I think that I should complete the story since I already began it with you. I think I should finish it. Later on, you might wish to know the rest of the story and then where would you be?"
"I don't need a story. Thank you."
"But it's a good story and I *must* share. And it has some nice visuals to go with it."
Lauren made a silent prayer to any god listening, other than the one before her, for help to sideline his plans. The sun god wasn't going to leave her alone till he told her his little story about him and Ares being together. It made her feel ill to think about those two being together like that. Not only were they both male gods, they were brothers. Incest may not have bothered the gods, but it *did* bother *her*.
"I need to go speak with Iphicles," she said, hoping to get away from Apollo. She stood and headed for the door.
Apollo grabbed her by the arm, abruptly pulling her back to him. She gasped in alarm when he did that. He could sense her emotions and fear was most prevalent among them. Being unable to read much of anything from him seemed to scare her greatly.
"He's busy with his king stuff," he said. "You can talk to me. I'll listen."
"Let me go." she said, fear rising in her voice. She was beginning to believe that Apollo was going to rape her. And she had no idea on how to stop him.
"No, I'd rather do this."
He cut off any other protest when he captured her lips with his own. He backed her into a wall, deepening the kiss. He slipped his hand into her hair, holding her in place. He felt her hands on his chest in an attempt to push him away.
Lauren tried to push the god away from her, but he wouldn't be moved. She was startled when she felt the edge of his mind brush hers. She closed off her mind to his as tightly as possible. She definitely didn't want him browsing through her mind. She knew that she wouldn't be able to keep him out long. It was taking every ounce of strength she possessed to keep him out already and she wasn't sure it was enough.
Someone grabbed Apollo from behind and forced him to release Lauren. She collapsed to the floor as Apollo was thrown across the room away from her. Looking up, she saw Ares standing above her. This was the first time she was happy to see him. And she was *very* happy and relieved to see him, though she was too weak at the moment to let him know it.
"You dare violate my mind to steal information on her?!" Ares hissed, approaching his brother.
"'Violate'," Apollo said. "You were very willing giving that information to me."
"*I was not*!"
Ares picked Apollo up by the throat in both hands. He slammed the sun god into the wall behind him hard enough to crack it. He had arrived in time to sense Apollo trying to touch Lauren's mind. He would have been enraged at Lauren for being with another god if he hadn't felt the terror in her and seen her trying to get away from him.
Lauren was shocked by their words. Their words were in the language from her dreams. She had never heard anyone speak in that language, outside of her dreams. She couldn't understand what was being said, but she could tell that Ares was lethally angry with his brother, just on sight alone. She didn't need her empathic powers to pick up on that.
"You will stay away from Lauren," Ares warned. "Or even Zeus won't be able to find where I put you. Got it?!"
"Chill, brother," Apollo said. "I haven't harmed her."
"*Look* at her!"
Lauren saw both gods turn to look at her. She became aware of a tear running down from her left eye. Reaching up, she wiped it away. She looked at her hand aghast when she noticed blood on her fingers, rather than a tear. This wasn't something she remembered having happen to her before. She looked back at the two gods in shock.
"That's not *my* fault." Apollo said.
"Yes, it is," Ares hissed, facing Apollo once more. "You tried to enter her mind without her permission. And she tried to keep you out. *You* caused *that*."
Apollo got free of Ares' grip and shoved him away roughly. He refused to back down when the war god glared at him. He looked at Lauren, then back at Ares. With an annoyed growl, he vanished in blaze of flames.
Ares brushed at the fire that had touched him from Apollo's exit. He put out the flames and checked himself for any damage. He then turned and went to check on Lauren. He paused when she recoiled from him.
"It's all right, Lauren," he said gently. "He's gone."
Lauren looked around the room, assuring herself that Apollo *was* gone. When she was certain that he was, she looked back to Ares. She wasn't sure she could trust either of the gods. But at the moment, she trusted Ares a little more than Apollo. She nodded to Ares, allowing him to come closer.
"Are you all right?" he asked, crouching down before her.
"I don't know," she said.
Ares curled his hand beneath her chin and lifted her face toward his. He gently wiped the blood away from her face with a soft cloth. He made sure she wasn't truly bleeding before he sent the cloth away. He knew extreme stress could cause this. And keeping a god out of her mind was probably the most extreme stress she'd ever been under. He kissed her forehead, then moved back a bit to look at her and make sure she was all right.
"I hurt all over." Lauren said.
"You strained yourself keeping Apollo out of your mind. The pain will pass." Ares said.
He touched her face lightly, using his power to rejuvenate her strength. His hand moved to cup the side of her face, showing tenderness he wasn't known for. He sensed the surprise she felt at his show of tenderness. He could tell she only saw him as the ruthless warrior the bards spoke of. No wonder he felt fear from her when it came to his advances. She feared he was as much a warrior when it came to lovemaking as he was through his godly duties. As well as the little thing of what his godhood did to her empathic senses.
"May I ask you something?" she asked him.
"You may ask me anything." he replied, taking his hand away.
"What language was that you and Apollo were speaking?"
Ares stared at her for a moment. He hadn't even realized that he and Apollo had been speaking in their native language. He was surprised Lauren hadn't understood them. That was the language she had been singing in when she had first gotten his attention. Didn't she understand the language herself?
"You don't know?" he asked.
"No." she said.
"Then how can you know it?"
"If I knew that, I'd understand my dreams and possibly that language."
"You hear the language in dreams? You learned it there?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, interesting."
"Interesting how?"
"I've never met anyone who learned a language through dreams. Or one who had learned a language and didn't know the words."
"Well, now you have."
Ares smiled at her. He was surprised when she suddenly moved toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He curled his arms around her, drawing her closer.
"Thank you for saving me from Apollo." she said.
"You're welcome, Lauren," he said, stroking her back soothingly. "I'm sorry I allowed him to find you. Especially since he acted like the ogre he always hides."
Lauren giggled, unable to resist. An ogre was just what she was thinking Apollo was. Even more so than how she had thought of Ares when they first met. She pulled back from Ares, looking at him.
"Will he be back?" she asked.
"Probably," Ares replied. "Unless you want to turn yourself into a tree."
"Um, no. I don't think I can do that."
"I didn't think so. But be certain, Apollo will probably be back. He isn't one to give up so easily."
"Like you?"
"Don't insult me by comparing me to him."
Ares touched a finger to her lips before she could speak. He knew what she meant. He snickered at her. She was right on that. He and Apollo were the same in that they didn't give up when they went after something. No matter how hard the challenge was, they continued to face it until they won.
Lauren brushed his hand away. She stared at him, understanding his annoyance. After Apollo, she could understand his anger at her slight comparison.
"Sorry." she said.
"Don't worry about it, my dear." Ares said.
Part 33Ares smoothed some hair back out of Lauren's face. He was gentle with her, knowing she had had an extreme shock to her system and needed to be handled with care. He looked her over; making sure no other harm had come to her.
"Did he hurt you?" he asked softly.
"I don't think so," Lauren said. "Every part of me hurts, but I don't think he hurt me."
"Turn around."
"Why?"
"Just turn around. I promise, no tricks."
He held his hands up before him as a show of his truthfulness. He smiled when she turned around. It showed she had a little more trust in him than she had had before. Though he was enraged at the thought of how he had earned it. He wanted to have earned it on his own merits. Not like this.
"What are you doing?" she asked a bit fearful when he gathered her hair up in his hands.
"Calm yourself, Lauren," Ares said. "I'm just moving your hair out of the way."
The god used his powers to braid her hair, exposing her shoulders to his gaze. He bit his lower lip to keep from making a sound as he laid his hands on her shoulders. His attention was drawn to the tension he felt in her shoulders. He started to massage then, almost on instinct. A grin curled his lips when he saw goosebumps rise on her skin.
"Never had a massage?" he asked gently.
"No." she replied.
"Oh, that's too bad. They're quite nice. Let me show you."
"No."
Ares pulled her back against him when she tried to get up. He wrapped his arms around her when she tried to get away.
"Shh, it's all right," he said soothingly. "I won't hurt you."
"Apollo said the same thing to me," she countered. "And then he..."
"I'm not Apollo, my dear. Now, just let me help you relax."
Lauren relaxed in Ares' grip. Her empathic powers were just beginning to return after being knocked out from overextending her defenses. She was starting to pick up on a genuine concern for her from the God of War. She could sense that she could trust him right now.
Ares sensed the change in her composure and released her. He allowed her to seat herself comfortably on the floor before him, then moved behind her and resumed what he had been doing. He found every sore spot in her shoulders and gently soothed them. He soon had Lauren purring like a kitten under his touch.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes." she said, almost dreamily.
"Good. Do you wish more?"
"More?"
"Oh yes, there are many places to massage on a human body."
"Oh no, I may trust you a little more than I do your brother right now, but I'm not letting you have free reign over my body."
"Who said anything about that? I merely want to help relax your tension."
Ares moved his hands to her neck, slowly massaging the tension from it, then returned to her shoulders. He grinned when he felt all the old tensions had returned. He worked them out a little more sensuously than before. He got a tad over-eager and his hands slipped under the straps of her gown. It earned him an elbow to the stomach hard enough to knock the air out of his body.
Lauren turned to face the god as he moved back, coughing in air. She glared at him as he looked at her. She was not amused. Reaching out, she grabbed the closest weapon and hit him hard across the face with it. Unfortunately, her weapon turned out to be a pillow from an armchair and did little damage.
However, the impact *did* accomplish something.
Ares fell onto his back from the suddenness of the strike. He raised up on his elbows, staring at her curiously. He raised a brow at her choice of weapons.
"A pillow, my dear," he asked. "How deadly is a pillow in the course of a battle?"
"A pillow can be just as deadly as a sword, Ares," Lauren countered. "Ever heard of smothering?"
"Ooh, that sounds like fun. Let me smother you some."
"No!"
Her "no" came out as a very mouse-like squeak when he came at her, amusing Ares greatly. She put the pillow between her and the god as he got to her. They ended up sprawled out on the floor with her beneath him and his face cradled against the pillow and his body pressed very intimately against her lower half and legs.
"I think I like this smothering," Ares said, snuggling down against her and the pillow. "Perhaps we should stay this way for awhile."
"Ares, you're terrible." Lauren said.
"That was one of my best teasings and you call me terrible. You're going to make me cry."
Lauren grinned, despite the position she was in. She liked this side of Ares. He was proving to be quite playful, rather than the brooding and deadly, barbarian-like warrior she had always heard about.
"Let me up, you goofy god, you." she said.
"No," Ares said. "I'm not through smothering you yet. This part is still moving."
He touched her ribs and tickled her. She squirmed under him and tried to get away. He grinned; sensing this area was quite sensitive on her. He tickled her until she finally grabbed his hands and pulled them away.
"See," he asked. "It still moves."
Lauren stuck her tongue out at him, drawing a smile from the god's lips.
"Ooh, very tempting," he said silkily. "Perhaps I should smother that area next. It's moving more than this part."
"No." she said, trying to get away again.
"Why? Afraid I'll walk off with it?"
"Yes. And I need this part, thank you."
"For what? Talking? No, you don't need to talk. You've said enough. You've already made me want to cry and that's enough battle I want from that part."
Ares moved up her body, pulling the pillow out from between them. He tossed it aside, leaning in to kiss her softly. He kept it an almost chaste kiss, not wanting to scare her away. It was difficult, since his desire for her wouldn't relent, no matter what he did. He had to fight the urge to kiss her deeper.
Instead of trying to push him away as she had Apollo, Lauren wrapped her arms around his shoulders, letting one of her hands slip into his thick hair. She heard him growl softly when she did. A moan escaped her when he pressed his hips against her. The hardness there pressed against her, causing a ripple of pleasure within her.
When her lips parted, Ares dipped his tongue into her mouth, but immediately withdrew it. Both as a test and a tease. He wanted to make sure she wasn't planning to tempt him this far then bite his tongue off. She was worked up enough from Apollo's handling to do just that. Breaking off the kiss, he lifted his head to gaze down at her.
"I should stop," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
"You didn't want Apollo in your mind. Do you wish to allow access to mine?"
The question took Lauren by surprise. Ares didn't seem the type to ask something like that. She was learning more and more about him that was constantly surprising her. There was actually a gentle side to him and a very wickedly playful side to him. He seemed to be like a little boy one second then all seduction another.
The mention of Apollo's name unsettled her some. She didn't like hearing that god's name right now.
Ares stood, pulling her up with him. He could tell he had upset her with the mention of his brother's name. He put his arms around her when she leaned against him. He stroked her back soothingly, kissing the top of her head.
"I won't allow him to hurt you." he assured her.
"How?" she asked against him.
"I'm a god."
"So is he."
"Maybe so, but I'm more of a warrior than he is. He won't be getting you without a fight."
Lauren knew Ares was probably just protecting her for himself. At the moment, she really didn't care. She trusted Ares more than she did Apollo. At least the war god was trying to keep from harming her with the weight of his godhood on her mind. Apollo had proved differently. He had risked permanent harm to her for access to her mind. That made her fear the sun god more than she had ever feared Ares. She burrowed into the war god's supportive grip, feeling his arms
tighten around her.Ares knew she was afraid. He didn't blame her. She had the right to be afraid and he wouldn't it against her. Soothing said fear was a whole other story. He knew just to hold her until she calmed down some more. He wasn't really experienced in soothing fear. He was more experienced in *causing* it.
Having seen how some people comforted those who were afraid, he decided to try it out. It seemed to be working. Lauren felt comforted by his gentleness. He would allow her to remain this way for awhile, though being this close to her was pushing the limits of his strength to resist his desire for her.
"Ares?" Lauren asked.
"Yes, my dear?" Ares replied, pulling her back to look at her.
"Can a god sense what a person is?"
"You mean, can we sense if a person is a normal mortal, demigod, or an immortal?"
Lauren nodded.
"Yes." he said.
"What am I?" she asked.
"I'm uncertain. Clearly, you aren't a normal mortal. You wouldn't have sensed me when I first came upon you."
Lauren looked at him confused. Ares lowered her into a chair and used his power to alter the provocative gown. It was far too tempting for him to look at and think clearly. He changed it to the normal version of a lady of the court dress. The boots he altered to the golden sandals he had left for her earlier, since she had decided to keep them.
"I was invisible to mortals at the time and only *one* mortal I know of can sense me when I am," Ares explained. "Plus, what I *can* sense about you tells me you aren't a normal mortal. Your empathic powers, for instance, are far too strong for a normal mortal to ever possess."
Lauren was shocked. She had sensed an invisible god? Her empathic powers were surprising even her. Even more so than they had been before. She stared up at the God of War, unable to speak.
"I can't tell you what you are without touching your mind directly and quite deeply," he told her. "That's probably what Apollo was trying to learn. Did he get past your mental shields?"
"I don't think so. I would have felt it if he had. Your tearing him away from me like you did prevented his invasion."
"I'm glad for that. Still, he knows much about you. He may have an idea on your heritage."
"My father knew at least one of Apollo's cast off lovers. There might be more to it than what I thought. Though it was just a story I heard. I don't know if it's even true or not."
Ares' brows rose. This was something he needed to know. Knowing more of her mother would answer a lot of questions. Like, was this cast off lover of Apollo's her mother and, if so, who was she?
"What do you know of your mother?" he asked.
"She was a woman?" Lauren offered.
Ares smiled and snickered. It was a *small* start.
"I know little of her," Lauren went on. "My father didn't tell me much of her. He gave me a necklace, which was hers. The one *you* made me lose."
Those last words surprised the war god. They carried quite a bit of anger. He hadn't realized how important the necklace was to her. He thought about giving the necklace to her, just to feel her relief and happiness, but he couldn't. He still needed it. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I know what it's like to lose something so valued."
"What have you lost?" Lauren wanted to know.
"My powers."
"Your...powers?" That was an odd answer to her question. It was quite unexpected.
"Yes."
"What happened to you?"
"I learned what it was like to be mortal. It wasn't fun."
Lauren grinned, then giggled. Thinking of a powerful god like Ares suddenly without his powers and made mortal sounded very amusing. It was a priceless image to think of. She wondered how he had managed as a mortal. He had survived, obviously, since he was before her and had all his powers back.
"How did you become mortal?" she asked.
"Thinking of taking my powers, little one?" he replied with a light smile.
"And if I were?"
"You wouldn't."
Amusement shone in the god's dark eyes. He knew she was only teasing. He seemed to enjoy teasing and being teased. It was a strange sight to see.
"Besides, taking my powers would only add to your problems, sweets," he informed her. "And you would also never make it as God of War."
"Gee, your confidence in me is overwhelming," she said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.
Ares grinned deeply at her.
"I only speak the truth," he said.
"No matter how cruel it is." she replied.
"Of course, it's my duty."
"Oh really?"
"You sound unconvinced."
"I am."
"Well!"
Lauren fell back in her chair giggling as Ares crossed his arms before him and turned his nose up at her. She was really enjoying his playful side. It was really helping to ease her fear.
"Ares." she said.
He ignored her.
"Ares, look at me," she said, nudging his leg with her foot.
"Oh, very well." the god said and faced her once more. He smiled at her amused face. "I speak the truth, Lauren," he said. "I only twist it when it suits me."
"Ah." she said.
The sound of an approaching storm drew her attention. She shivered slightly as the cold breeze off the storm came in through the open window. Years on a pirate ship had prepared her for many things, including a storm. Poseidon had thrown enough of them at the seas they had gone through that storms didn't usually bother her. This one was much colder than any storm she had ever been through.
Ares closed and bolted the shutters of the window with a thought, then closed the drapes as well. He didn't want Lauren getting cold. He flicked a finger at the hearth and a fire sprang to life in it.
"You're going to spoil me." Lauren said teasingly.
"I'll do my best to try." Ares said.
Lauren stood and moved to the bed, thinking of something she wanted to ask the god about. She picked up the rose he had left her with the other things. She turned and jumped when she saw that Ares was right behind her.
"Don't do that." she scolded.
"Sorry." he said.
The god's eyes fell on the rose in her hands. A tinge of sadness entered him. Did she mean to give back this gift as well? It hurt him to even think about that. He knew the gown had been questionable, but he thought he had done perfectly with the rose. She seemed the type who would like this rose.
"Are you returning that as well?" he asked. He sounded as hurt as he felt.
"No," she said, seeing the sadness in his eyes. "I just wanted to ask you where this came from. It's the most beautiful and perfect rose I've ever seen."
"It's from the garden on Olympus."
"You shouldn't have given it to me then."
"Why not?"
"I thought things on Olympus were things only the gods should have."
"Where did you learn *that* nonsense?"
"Delphi. I learned about most, if not all, of the gods there. And other godly stuff. I think it was required."
Ares smiled at her. It would be just like Apollo to make his students and priestesses learn about the gods in his temple. Though he wasn't sure he completely approved of *what* was being taught after hearing this from Lauren.
"Not everything on Olympus is for the gods alone. We can choose to share it with whomever we wish to. And I wished to give that rose to you. So I picked that rose and gave it to you. Besides, I doubt Demeter will mind me taking just one."
"Thank you," she said. "I love roses."
The god smiled. He was glad she was accepting his gift. He knew she probably wouldn't have taken the gown when he sent it. The rose was the one thing he really wanted her to keep. He had even taken the liberty of removing the thorns from them so she wouldn't injure herself on them.
Some of Demeter's rose bushes could have been declared weapons at the size of the thorns on them. And Ares was certain Lauren wouldn't have appreciated the "teeth" this rose had had on it. He had gone through enough trouble with picking it without his fingers being sliced to ribbons by them.
"You're welcome, my sweet."
Part 34
"You never did answer my question." Lauren said.
Ares raised his brows in question. He wasn't sure what question she spoke of.
"What language was that you and Apollo were speaking," Lauren repeated. "Or yelling at each other, I should say."
"Oh, *that* question," Ares said. "It's a very old language."
"How old?"
"It's the gods' personal language. It's rarely spoken outside of Olympus."
Lauren was shocked. She had never in her life expected to learn that this unknown language she had heard in her dreams was the language of the gods. She sunk onto the bed from the shock shock.
"How long have you been hearing it?" Ares asked.
"About eight years, I think," she replied. "I started hearing the language in my dreams a short time after my father died."
The two heard the loud downpour of rain outside and Ares sensed Iphicles' soldiers rushing inside out of the storm. He snickered at the image of all those soldiers running from the onslaught of the rain.
"Ares." Lauren said, drawing the god's attention back to her.
"Hmm?" he asked.
"Why did you come after me before?"
"The first time?"
"Yes."
"Your singing. It was so beautiful and intriguing, I just had to see who possessed such an enchantingly lovely voice."
Lauren smiled. His words were just what she needed to hear. It was the first time something other than her appearance had attracted a man's attention. Well, a *god's* in this case.
"When I saw you," Ares continued. "I thought I'd stumbled upon a goddess bathing. I just couldn't take my eyes off you."
"Which part of me? I felt your eyes all over me."
Ares grinned.
"I was admiring your form," he said innocently.
"I'll just *bet* you were." she countered.
The god's grin deepened. He took her hands in his and pulled her up. He drew her closer, gazing down at her.
"I haven't been able to get you out of my mind ever since I first saw you," he said. "You attract me like none ever have. Very few attract the attention of any god so completely, my dear Lauren. Do not take my attraction to you lightly."
Ares was letting her know just how much he wanted her and that he was placing a kind of honor on her. His words were the truth; she could sense it in him. He was glad for that. He was loath to think she'd believe that this was just a line so he could do to her what Apollo was attempting earlier. No, he wanted Lauren to come to him willingly. No matter how much it was killing him to resist his need to have her right now.
Lauren stared at Ares, unable to think of a response. Hearing such passion in his words had robbed her of almost all coherent thought. Who knew war could be so seductive and passionate? Before meeting Ares, she had only known him by his reputation as a heartless warrior. She was now learning that there was more to him than just his barbarian reputation. Much more.
"Say something, Lauren." Ares said softly. He was worried he might have said the wrong thing to her. He wondered if he had gone too far.
"What?" she asked.
"Anything."
"I've never heard anyone called 'heartless' speak with such passion."
"I'm honored by such praise."
Lauren leaned back and touched a finger to his lips when he leaned in to kiss her. She felt him place a gentle kiss on her finger and couldn't help but smile. She took her finger away, watching a smile cross his lips.
"Ares, I need to tell you something," she said. "But you're making it difficult."
"It's a gift." he grinned.
"Ares, I'm serious."
The grinning god released her, sensing this was important. He cleared his throat, sending away his teasing thoughts for the moment. He allowed a serious look to take over his face. His eyes still sparkled with mirth, despite his best efforts to control it.
"Apollo was bothered by my presence," she said. "By something about it."
"How so?" Ares asked.
"He grabbed me and let go quite suddenly as if he'd been hit by a thunderbolt. I don't know why, but *something* about me certainly surprised him."
Ares was now very curious. He decided he would need to speak to his brother once more to get all the answers he needed. And this time, there would be no games. He wouldn't allow the sun god to have an opportunity to gain access to his mind again.
"No." Lauren said suddenly.
Ares turned his full attention back to her.
"No what?" he asked.
"Don't go back to see him." she replied. She could tell he was thinking of visiting Apollo once more.
"Gods can't be in two places at once. Besides, he may know the answer to your question."
"Then I don't want it."
"Lauren..."
"No."
Her voice surprised him with its harshness.
"You deserve to know what bothers my brother and why," he said gently. "It may be information you need."
"I don't care," she said, turning away from him.
"Are you so against giving any gratitude to Apollo that you'd stay ignorant of any information he may have for you?"
Ares stepped up behind her, laying his hands on her shoulders. He drew her back against him, feeling the division in her. She wanted the information, but she hated whom she would be getting it from.
Lauren clenched her fists in anger. Ares squeezed her shoulders supportively. She felt he would support whatever decision she made. She didn't want to be grateful to Apollo for anything. Not after what he had done to her. But, Ares was right. Apollo might have answers she needed.
"Ask him." she said in a low voice.
"As you wish, my dear." Ares replied, kissing her hair. He released him, allowing her to face him once more.
"Thank you."
The god nodded to her. He looked her gown over once more.
"There is *one* thing missing from this gown." he
said.Looking down, Lauren examined the flowing, white gown. She saw nothing missing. She blanched when Ares reached toward her breasts. He grabbed her shoulder with his free hand, holding her still. He touched a single finger to the spot above her right breast. His personal emblem stitched itself into the material there in red silk thread. It really stood out from the white material and golden embroidery of the gown.
"There." Ares said, releasing her.
Lauren looked down and saw the symbol he had placed on her. She looked back to the god, realizing she had taken his gesture completely wrong.
"I'm sorry for my reaction, I thought..." she started, but he interrupted her.
"Don't worry about it, my dear. I anticipated your reaction. You now bear my personal emblem and it will protect you from those who wish to try to take advantage of you. Including my brother."
"I-I don't know what to say. Thank you."
"That works."
Lauren had learned from many places that it meant a lot to wear such a symbol. Not just anyone could wear a god's personal emblem. Although she was certain that there was more than one meaning to this honor from Ares. He probably wanted those who saw it to know that she was already taken. He had done so much for her; she would allow him this small thing. She would wear the emblem for the protection it offered to her and to show her gratitude to him for what he had done for her. Especially with what he had done with Apollo.
If Ares hadn't shown up when he did, Lauren knew she would have faced two rapes. First, her mind, then her body. Apollo would have had to rape her to get anything from her. Because she wouldn't have freely given him anything.
"I'm curious." Lauren said.
"I never would have guessed." Ares grinned.
"Oh, stop it." She slapped him lightly across the arm.
"Careful, my dear. I may break your hand for doing that."
Lauren stuck her tongue out at him.
"Ooh, tempting." he purred.
Rolling her eyes, Lauren moved away from the war god. He had quite a playful side. She was surprised to find such playfulness in the God of War. It was rather an interesting contrast to his barbarian-like reputation.
"Tell me what you're curious about." Ares said.
"Did you release Sirus?" Lauren asked.
She had seen that Sirus was gone from the cage where the prisoners were when she had escaped the camp, but wasn't sure if it had been Ares' doing or that he had been taken out by one of the men. One fear was that he was being used for their perverted pleasures. Another was that he had been taken from the cage and killed. Or worse yet, he had been on his way to a slave market while she was escaping.
Lauren knew he would have rather been dead than anyone's slave. She was really hoping that the god had released him and that Sirus was far away from here. It wouldn't matter if she never got to see him again; she just wanted him safe. He was the only man she knew who hadn't acted like all the others and treated her just as a friend should.
Ares bit his lip to keep from growling at her question. He didn't want her thinking about the
blacksmith. It was distracting."Yes." he said finally.
Lauren felt relief rush through her. "Where is he?" she asked.
"Oh, don't worry about him. Let's just have a nice chat before I go speak to Apollo."
"I'd rather know where Sirus is and if he's safe."
"He's in my temple and he's fine."
"You're lying."
She could plainly feel the lie, although the answer was one she would have accepted. Still, if it was a lie, she wanted the truth.
Ares snarled in anger and glared at her. He despised being called a liar.
"Don't you snarl at me, war god," Lauren said boldly. "I can sense a lie in mortals and gods. And you, sir, lied."
Ares was impressed. She could be quite brave at times. He liked that about her. What he didn't like was how she was being now. She was acting like she was speaking to someone less than herself. As if their roles had suddenly been reversed.
"Fine," he grumbled. "He's no longer in my temple. I think he's with Athena."
"Athena," she said in shocked anger. "Are you insane?! She's the one *starting* this war! What's to stop her from killing him?"
"Don't yell at me, little girl. You're not my mother."
"Gods, I certainly hope not."
Ares smirked at her. He supposed he deserved that. It didn't mean he would excuse her behavior or for her yelling at him. No, she wouldn't get away with something like that. *He* was the god here, not her.
"Don't worry, my little tigress," he said, allowing his seductive tones to return. "She won't harm him."
"And how do you know?" she asked.
"She'll know he's not one of mine by asking others about him. She's a questioning kind of goddess. Now, sit down." He pushed her down into a chair. "And calm down."
"Not until I know that he's safe."
"Don't worry about him. I'm sure he's fine. There's a warrior in him. I felt it. So, I'm certain he can take care of himself."
"What did you do to him after you freed him from that cage?"
"I sent him to my temple to have his wounds tended to."
"And then? You just let him go off on his own? That doesn't sound like what Ares, God of War would do."
Ares just grinned at her. Lauren seemed to know much about him. He wondered just where all she had learned about him and what all she knew of him. He would have fun learning that answer.
Lauren stared at Ares. There was something he wasn't telling her. She wanted to know what that was. What was he hiding from her?
"No, I didn't 'just let him go off on his own'," he said. "I had a talk with him and learned a few things about him."
"What things?" she asked.
"My, my. Aren't we curious?"
"What things?"
"Oh, nothing important. Just a few idle curiosities. Nothing you'd want to hear about."
A thought suddenly occurred to Lauren. She didn't like the sound of it. What she had felt in Toreth's camp, could that have actually been...? Something snapped in her when she came to the conclusion.
"You bastard," she hissed, leaping up and shoving him roughly away. "You raped him! And made me feel all that you did to him."
Ares caught her fist when she tried to punch him. He forced her wrist back painfully; making her let out a pained cry. It made her kneel down before him to prevent him from breaking her wrist. Which he was *very* tempted to do. Just to teach her a lesson about attacking him.
"I did not rape him," he explained. "Sirus was quite consenting. He enjoyed what I did to him. Did he ever tell you he had been with a man before?"
"No." she said, pain in her voice.
"Well, he was. Apparently, he didn't really enjoy it all that much from what I gathered. I showed him just how enjoyable it could be."
Lauren pulled her wrist close when Ares released her. She rubbed the pain from it and made sure nothing was broken. She was stunned from what Ares had just told her. She had never known of this side to Sirus. She could understand why he hadn't told her that, but it was still a surprise to hear this news.
"Did you coerce him into this," she asked, standing up. "Or was it of his own free will?"
"Why does this matter?" Ares replied.
"Just tell me."
"It was a little bit of both. But he gave himself freely to me through most of it. And I did *not* torture him to make him cooperate or anything. If you know so much about me, you should know that I'm not a rapist. Not like a lot of my family."
"I know that. I just didn't believe it."
"Believe it. It's the truth."
"All right."
"Does this change your feelings about Sirus? Knowing about what we did?"
"No."
"No?"
"No. He's my friend. I don't care if he were with you or Zeus himself. My friendship with him is more important that squabbling over his preferences."
"Good. I'm glad I didn't spoil your friendship with him."
"Uh-huh."
Ares stared at her, raising one dark brow. She didn't fully believe him. How dare she!
"Do I sense reluctance to believe me?" the god asked.
"Yes, I don't believe you." she replied.
A muscle twitched in Ares' jaw. Save for what she sensed from him, it was the only outward sign he gave of how she had enraged him. He stepped forward and grabbed her tightly by the chin, making her wince.
"Do not push me, little girl," he hissed. "Or you'll find out just how dangerous I can be. I will take what is rightfully mine whether you are willing or not."
Lauren reached up and managed to pry Ares' hand loose from her jaw. Anymore pressure there and he would have crushed the bones. She looked into his fierce eyes and jumped when his hand closed tightly around one of hers.
"Why do you claim ownership of me," she blurted out without thinking. "It wasn't *you* who captured me."
The god's eyes narrowed and his grip tightened on her hand.
"My soldier captured you *for* me," he informed her. "You were mine the moment he caught you. Even before then. You were mine the moment I saw you."
"You're deluded," she spat. "I am *not* yours, nor will I ever be."
With a roar of anger, Ares threw her away from him. He faced her as she collided with a wall and landed hard on the floor. He stalked toward her, making her back away in fear.
"I saved you from all of my men," he told her. "Ones who would have used you for their own pleasures, then killed you when you were no longer entertaining. And *still* you treat me with disrespect." Anger burned in his tone, flashing in his eyes.
Lauren got up unsteadily. She remained where she had been thrown. She just wanted to be standing when she faced the war god. Her body hurt where all he had grabbed her and from her being thrown.
"You saved my life," she said. "I'll grant you that. You have my gratitude..."
Ares' mouth cut off her reply. Lauren grabbed his shoulders as he kissed her. She felt his arms curl around her, pulling her to him. She wanted to push him away from her and even tried to, but he just wouldn't budge.
"You're welcome." he purred against her lips, then kissed her again, deeper than before.
Lauren put all her power into a knee to his groin. Ares released her abruptly, dropping her to the floor. He backed away, forcing back the urge to strike out with his power. He glared at her as pain flared in his groin for a second time. How he hated that maneuver. She was dangerously close to having a personal reminder of his rage all over her body.
"Don't you *dare* do that again." he hissed.
"Me," she snapped, getting up. "*I* was just defending myself against another Apollo-like attack!"
"I--"
Ares closed his mouth and just stared at her. He realized he had been doing exactly as Apollo had been. He closed his eyes, unable to believe what he had done. All the stress and anger he was under had just exploded when she had pushed him too far. He looked at her, seeing the evidence of his anger forming on her jaw and wrist in dark bruises. He was certain there were more from how she had hit the wall and landed on the floor. He had thrown her rather hard.
"I am so sorry, Lauren," he said, looking at her, forcing himself to see what he had done to her. "I didn't mean it. I just got pushed too far by all that's happened. Please forgive me."
Lauren was silent for a long moment. She sensed he was speaking truthfully. She could tell he truly hurt from what he had done to her. She finally sighed and nodded to him.
"I forgive you," she said, then stabbed him in the chest with a nail. "Just don't *ever* do that again.
Or I'll never forgive you.""Of course, Lauren." Ares said.
The god very gently touched her chin and then her wrist, healing the damage he had done to her. He stepped back and waved a hand at her, healing the remainder of the injuries with a thought. He really felt bad about what he had done to her. He was no better than Apollo with what he had done to her. He was glad she had forgiven him. Now, he just needed to forgive himself.
Athena and Apollo would pay for their causing his pent up rage. They had caused him to strike out at the woman he wanted. He knew he would have to work harder to regain her trust. This time, he would gain it on his own merits and not have it by way of any other means. He needed her trust before he could have her as he wanted her. He knew that.
Part 35Athena appeared in the forge in Mt. Etna, where she knew she would find Hephaestus. She decided to take Sirus' suggestion and go speak to the God of Fire. She heard the sound of metal on metal and followed it to find her stepbrother.
"Hephaestus?" she called over the noise.
The God of Fire paused in his work and turned to look at her. He picked up the sword he was working on and placed it back in the fire. He held his hammer in both hands, showing the great annoyance he had been feeling for the longest time. He knew exactly why she was here.
"He's your prisoner, right?" he asked.
"Yes." Athena replied.
"Released him immediately. He's my follower."
"Is he one of Ares' as well?"
"No. Ares freed him at the request of a young woman in his possession."
"I'm sure it was more than just that. He wants to keep *you* happy."
"Maybe so. Even if it's just that, I don't care. It's my duty to arm the gods, even when they are fighting each other. But it dwindles when they have something of mine that they shouldn't."
"If I didn't know you better, Hephaestus, I'd swear you were threatening me."
"I am. Release Sirus now. Or you won't be getting anything from me for a *long* time."
Athena was surprised. The fire god was truly showing the temper he rarely allowed to show. He could be just as dangerous as Ares when he was angered. The Goddess of Wisdom believed he would very well go through with his threat.
"I'll release him," she said.
"Good." Hephaestus said.
"Are you causing this storm just to get him released?"
"No. I have better ways of showing anger than that."
"Then who...?"
"I don't know. Maybe Ares."
"It's not him or Zeus. I wonder whose storm it is. It's colder than any I've ever seen."
"That's your problem. I'm busy here. Now, release Sirus."
"I said I would."
"Then, *do* it."
Athena snapped her fingers and Sirus appeared hovering nearby. Her power released him abruptly, dumping him unceremoniously on the floor.
"Gee thanks, Athena," Sirus grumbled. "I needed a new bruise."
"You're welcome," Athena said. "I've learned you have told me the truth. You are free."
"You can't take my word for it. You have to go off somewhere to find that out? Too hard to trust the word of a mortal, huh?"
Athena growled in anger at his insolence. She vanished in a flash of light, refusing to even acknowledge his words. She couldn't very well attack him with Hephaestus here. The fire god would use that against her and she needed his help as much as Ares did in this coming battle. That is, if the stupid storm would leave. It was far too cold for any mortal to be out in for long. And she wasn't going to risk their lives for the sake of a battle that could wait.
"Very few people get under her skin like that." Hephaestus said, as Sirus got up and dusted himself off.
Sirus looked at the speaker. He had a good idea who this was. He was a little surprised to see this elusive god in the flesh.
"Hephaestus?" he asked.
"Yes." the god replied.
"You don't look at all like what I've been told of you."
The god turned away from Sirus at that. He had a feeling he knew what was about to be said.
Sirus moved to stand in front of Hephaestus with a large anvil between them. He looked at the fire god, seeing that he was actually quite handsome, rather than ugly, as he had always been told the god was. He had seen statues of the god in forges, but they always had on a concealing helmet. When he had asked about that, he had been told that it was because Hephaestus was so ugly that the sculptors had always carved his statues that way. Now, he saw that the god was very much the opposite of what he had been told. Even the scars down one side of his face had a curious beauty to them as well.
"Stop staring at me," Hephaestus said. "You don't have to gawk at me. I know I'm ugly."
"You aren't ugly. I've been told you were," Sirus said. "I don't see anything at all ugly about you."
"It's kind of you to say that. Even if it's a lie. But thank you for it anyway."
"It's *I* who should be thanking *you*. You convinced Athena to release me."
Hephaestus removed the now glowing sword from the fire and had Sirus move to a safer spot so he could work on it once more.
"You are my follower," he explained between strikes. "Officially or unofficially, it doesn't matter. I felt obligated to free you."
"Well, thanks anyway. It means a lot."
"You're welcome."
"I was wondering, is there anyway for you to send me to Corinth?"
"I can get you close to there, but not into the city. My brother would sense you were there instantly."
"Then get me as close as you can. I'll brave whatever dangers Ares sends at me."
"You care about her that much?"
Sirus wasn't expecting *that*. He stared at the fire god, unable to speak for a moment. The god knew of Lauren? Ares had captured Lauren through one of his men, so it was obvious the war god knew of her. The god had also told him quite plainly while they were in his temple that he knew her. Athena didn't know who Lauren was when he spoke of her. So, Sirus was really taken aback by Hephaestus knowing of her.
"Yes." he said finally.
"Her concern for you is partly responsible for my being able to learn of her," he said, as he put the completed sword into some water to cool.
"Really?"
Sirus was relieved that Lauren was concerned for him. It let him know the God of War hadn't turned her away from him. That was a big worry for him. Ares was just the type to make her forget all about someone she cared about.
"Is she all right?" he asked.
"As far as I know she is," the fire god said.
Hephaestus could tell that Sirus cared for Lauren as he did for Aphrodite. He had purposely lied to Sirus a bit. He knew Lauren had been having trouble a short time ago with Apollo. He had been one of the gods who had heard her prayer for help. Ares had responded quickly enough that she hadn't needed any other help.
The god knew if Sirus knew about Apollo going after Lauren, he'd totally lose it. Sirus had a lethal
temper. One Hephaestus had seen the Viking display very colorfully. He had been watching Sirus off and on since he had felt him get captured. Though he didn't when Ares had played with him or when Sirus had beat the Tartarus out of Toreth. He had only watched to make sure the Viking was fine and what was going on with him.Sirus was kind of unique when it came to his followers. He was the only half-Greek; half-Viking he had as a follower, even if it was unofficial. It made for a curious image: a Norse warrior loyal to a Greek god. It was very strange. Although, Hephaestus could feel that Sirus was more loyal to the gods of the Norselands than to Greek gods. It didn't bother him; that seemed only natural for him to feel that way.
"I wouldn't suggest you going there unarmed," Hephaestus said. "You may need something to defend yourself."
"What do you recommend?" Sirus asked.
Hephaestus took the sword from the water, putting the finishing touches on it with his power. He tested the balance of it to make sure it was right, then passed it to Sirus. He grabbed the sword's sheathe, then the matching dagger from a table holding other weapons. He gave those to the Viking as well.
"Here," he said. "Take these with you."
"Thank you," Sirus said. "I appreciate all of your help." He sheathed the sword, then connected it and the dagger to his belt.
"What else would I do for one of my followers?"
The fire god smiled at Sirus. He waved his hand at the Viking, sending him away. He sent him to a cave as close to Corinth as he could. Once he was certain that Sirus had arrived safely in the cave out of the rain, he turned his attention back to his work. Just in case one of his relatives appeared in the forge. He didn't want to get anymore involved in this coming war than he already was. He avoided getting involved in these family squabbles when he could.
Sirus appeared just inside a cave and stumbled a bit. The sudden movement from the forge to this cave left him disoriented. He wondered how the gods got use to that form of travel. Did gods get dizzy? He certainly was from being teleported around so much. He rubbed his temples till the dizziness passed.
His attention was soon drawn to the freezing rain splashing onto him. He moved deeper into the cave, away from the splashing rain and icy winds. He had seen Corinth castle in the distance. It was still a few hours away. The storm would slow him down further, but that really didn't matter to him now. What mattered was that he nearly to his goal now.
This storm reminded him of one he had seen while he and his parents had visited the Norselands. His father, Raynor, had wanted him to introduce him to the Norse way of life. Although he had actually wanted to find a place to live there and move from Greece, back to his homeland. His mother had convinced Raynor to remain in Greece at least until Sirus was older. Tiara was originally from Greece, but had adopted the Viking way of life after exposure to it while passing through their lands. She had also met Raynor there and fallen in love with him.
By the time the two had gone back to Greece, Tiara was more Viking than Grecian. She had changed so much in appearance and attitude that her parents had hardly recognized her. They were happy to have her back in their lives, of course, but it took time for them to adjust to her new way of life. When they learned she was married to a Viking, they were shocked. It grew when they learned she was pregnant. She was convinced to remain in Greece so her child wouldn't be completely influenced by barbarians all his life.
Raynor hadn't been amused by their words, even when though they had said it was all in fun. They just wanted their daughter to remain in Greece so they could see their grandchild and get to know her new husband and learn about all that had happened to her.
Until they had taken him north to his father's homeland, Sirus had only really known the Greek way of life. He hadn't been anywhere outside of Greece. He had been taught about the Vikings and their way of life, as well as the Greeks. His parents had balanced what he was taught about his double heritage. He was taught to honor both pantheons of gods. But like his father, he was more partial to the Norse gods than the Greek ones. Tiara had remained loyal to the Greek gods, despite her new way of living. She didn't hold her son's partial to the Norse gods against him. Sirus was more like his father than like her.
Sirus had first visited the Norselands when he was five, then again when he was twelve. His parents had both died in a war shortly after he had turned fifteen. He had always wondered if Hades had allowed the Valkyrie to take them to Valhalla, or if they were somewhere in the Underworld. He hoped it was the former, since they would have both been the kinds of warriors Odin would welcome into Asgard as part of his army.
His memory of his visitations to his father's homeland was clearer to him than the memory of how he had lost both his parents. He was grateful for that. It was better to remember them how they were when they were alive than how they had died.
When they had visited the Norselands the second time, Sirus had sought out to learn exactly what Thor looked like. His father had both told him that he was looking like the Viking God of Thunder more and more with each passing year. He had seen the resemblance when he saw the paintings and statues of Thor.
Someone had once suggested that he was the son of Thor due to his resemblance to the god. It had been meant as a joke, but it was one that made the young Viking think. He had asked his parents if it were possible for him to be somehow related to Thor. Both had denied it. It set up the need in him to see the god in person and ask him. If Thor had told him that his parents *were* his parents, he would believe them. Not that he thought his parents were lying about what they had told him. He just had to know for certain. He didn't think Thor would lie about something like that.
*****
Sirus shook off the memory, turning his mind to how to get to Corinth through this storm, without getting lost. And then how to get into the castle. He would still have to face Ares in order to get to Lauren. He was certain about that. Another in his place would have tried to decide on a different tactic than to directly challenge the God of War. But not him. Sirus would challenge anyone who stood between him and Lauren. Whether they were god or mortal, it didn't matter anymore. He would take them all on.
First of all, he needed a way to get to the castle without catching his death in the ice-cold storm. At least he wouldn't have to contend with Athena's soldiers anymore. He just hoped he wouldn't face the same problem when he got to Corinth. Hopefully the king there was smart enough that he had allowed his men to wait out the storm before doing anything. This was the type of storm that should be in the Norselands, not in Greece. No one could stay in this type of storm long and not get very ill.
Sirus knew he didn't want to go charging through the storm to get to Corinth. The drenching cold of it would certainly have made him succumb to sickness. And he wasn't about to allow himself to get deathly ill if he could prevent it. There had to be an easier solution than that. He would exhaust every other possibility before he resigned himself to illness to get to Corinth and Lauren. He would be in no shape to help her or himself if he were weakened like that. So that was the very last thing he would even attempt.
Part 36
"Ares, can you teach me how to speak your language and know what I'm saying?" Lauren asked.
"No," he said. "Only the gods are allowed to know that language. *You* shouldn't even know it."
"Well, I do. And there must be a reason for it. Someone believes that I should know your language."
Ares nodded to her. He didn't understand how she knew his language. She just did and it annoyed him that he didn't know the reason.
"Say something in my language." he said.
"Okay." she said.
Lauren thought for a moment, trying to decide what to say. She said about a sentence of words that seemed to go together. She glared at Ares when he burst out laughing. He fell onto his back on the bed behind him, holding his sides as he laughed uncontrollably.
"What," she asked. "What did I say?"
"'I fly graceful as a chicken in a bowl of oatmeal and crash into many rocks'." Ares translated with a smile.
"Oh brother." Lauren said feeling very embarrassed.
"Don't worry. It's a good start."
"Oh yes, for one who flies graceful as a chicken in oatmeal and crashes into rocks."
Ares snickered at her. Any anger he had had with her was now ebbing away. Her stab at speaking his language was most amusing to him. He laid his hands against his chest, trying to keep from laughing at her again.
"Ah, little one," he sighed. "You amuse me. I think I may teach you to speak my language. At least to keep you from embarrassing yourself in front of my relatives."
Lauren narrowed her eyes in anger. She stalked up to Ares and punched him hard in the stomach, then started out of the room. She opened the door and jumped back when it pulled free of her hand and closed on its own. She turned to face the god as he stood and approached her.
"Say something else." Ares said seductively, backing her against the door.
"No," she said. "You'll just laugh at me again."
"No I won't."
"You will. I'll say the most embarrassing thing and you'll laugh yourself silly at me."
"Just say something in my language. I will do my best to not laugh at you, my sweet."
"All right. But if you laugh at me..."
"I'll let you beat me with that pillow some more."
Lauren snickered at him. She took a deep breath and thought again about the language. She spoke a few words and panicked when Ares leaned toward her. He kissed her softly on the lips, surprising her with his tenderness.
"What did I say that time?" she asked, when he broke the kiss.
"You said you wanted me to kiss you." Ares said.
"I did?"
"Mm-hmm."
"I don't remember hearing those words before. I'm surprised I knew them."
"Perhaps your first encounter with an Olympian mind allowed you to pick up more of the language. May I kiss you again?"
Lauren nodded to him. Ares leaned in, kissing her tenderly. Only when she put her arms around him, did he deepen the kiss. He didn't want to elicit another attack from her. He could only take so much aggravation from someone before he struck back. His thoughts faltered when her tongue touched his. Groaning softly, he dueled with her tongue, curling his arms around her and pulled her away from the door.
The god's hand moved irresistibly down her body, pulling her against him. He couldn't help rubbing his hips against her. He kissed her deeper when she moaned. Breaking the kiss, he cradled the back of her head with his free hand as his mouth moved down her neck.
"Ares, what are you doing?" Lauren asked.
"Looking for a sensitive spot." Ares purred. He felt her shiver as his beard touched the base of her neck and grinned. Ah, a sensitive spot. "Found it." he informed her and nuzzled the area.
Lauren shivered as Ares teased the spot he had found. The contrast of his coarse beard and soft lips made her melt against him. He found another spot behind her ear. His hot breath teased the shell of her ear as he teased her.
Ares pulled back to look at her, smiling down at her. If it were possible for him to be even more aroused by her he was. Her speaking his language truly enflamed his desire for her. Especially when she inadvertently asked him to kiss her.
"Do you know how much I want you?" he purred.
"I'm beginning to." Lauren said.
The god chuckled at her. He rocked his hips against her, drawing whimper from her. He closed his eyes when she ran her fingers through his hair. He kissed her throat, nipping at the base where her vital pulse was racing.
"By the gods, I want you," he said. "But I know I can't have you now." He kissed her when she opened her mouth to speak, cutting her off. "I must go speak to Apollo before I lose what little control I have left." he said, pulling her away.
"Gee, I'm really happy to hear that your annoying pest of a brother is more important than me." she said sarcastically.
Ares chuckled at her and leaned in, giving her a teasing nip on the end of her nose. "My sweet Lauren," he whispered. "You asked me to go speak to him. Do you still wish me to?"
"Yes."
"Then I better leave now before I get too carried away."
He pulled away from her, stepping back. He knew she still needed time to recover from Apollo's assault on her mind. Her mind had received a harsh blow from the sun god's attempt at accessing it. It needed time to repair any damage to it. If he lost control of his desire for her, Ares was almost certain that his attention would permanently harm her. He had to let their minds touch slowly to give hers a chance to get use to the impact it would have on her.
"Stay in the castle." Ares said.
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not in the market for freezing my bottom off outside."
"Good. There are far better things to do to such a lovely bottom than freezing it."
"Oh, would you leave already you crazy god, you?"
A deep grin crossed Ares' lips at her anger. He knew there was more mirth than malice in her mood than she would have admitted to. He nodded his head to her and vanished in a flash of light.
"As you wish, little tigress." he purred.
"And stop calling me 'little tigress'!" she yelled, her anger becoming stronger.
Ares' rich laughter was her only answer. Lauren felt his presence drift away completely and went to sit by the fire. She felt cold, despite the precautions Ares had made. She made a comfortable sitting place on the carpet by the fire and sat down, watching the flames dance in the hearth. The array of colors in them and the scent of fire were soothing to her. It was something she needed after the terrifying experience she had had with Apollo.
She watched the dancing fire, starting to feel drowsy. The warmth and heat were slowly started to lull her to sleep. She jumped when she suddenly heard a knocking at her door. Her attention had been so focused on the fire and its effect on her that she hadn’t sensed the presence of people approaching her chambers. She got up and faced the door as the knocking came again. She reached out with her mind quickly; assuring herself it was safe to let this person in.
"Come in." she said, knowing who was at the door.
Iphicles entered her chambers and closed the door behind him, letting his guards know he wanted to have a private chat with his guest. He smiled when he looked at Lauren. She looked lovely in the outfit she wore. His eyes then fell on the symbol on the gown and his smile faltered. A rush of anger filled him at the sight of Ares’ symbol gracing her clothing.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, sensing his sudden anger.
"No, nothing," he said, trying to push his anger away. "It’s just… Never mind."
Despite his attempt to get rid of his anger, Lauren could tell where that anger was directed. It was centered on Ares’ emblem. She wondered why such a mark angered him. He hadn’t reacted like this when she had first arrived. He must have known Ares had sent her here because Strife had been the one to bring her here. Why did Ares’ emblem anger him so much? She let her mind slip deeper into his, searching for the reason in his emotions.
A clutter of emotions greeted her. Not all of them had anything to do with each other. She felt his attraction to her and his protectiveness toward her. There was also concern for her safety mixed up in his emotions as well. His concern wasn’t directed at the emblem, from what she could tell. She was curious why he was so concerned about. It was more than just her that he was worried about was.
"Have you eaten lunch?" Iphicles asked, changing the subject suddenly.
"Not really," she said. "I started to earlier but I was interrupted after a bite or two."
"Would you care to join me? I was just about to sit down for something to eat and thought I might invite you to join me so we could get to know each other a little better."
"I’d love to."
"Great. Come with me."
Before they left, Lauren made sure the fire was safe to leave. Ares had enchanted the fire to where it wouldn’t go beyond the hearth. Even the sparks that occasionally popped out of it went out sooner than normal ones would have if they went any farther than the edge of the hearth. It made her wonder if Ares had asked Hephaestus to send this fire to her when he was lighting it. Turning away from the hearth, she went with Iphicles. They left her chambers and headed down the corridor.
Iphicles noticed immediately how his bodyguards were regarding Lauren. Both were attracted to her as he was, which didn’t surprise him. What *did* surprise him some was the fact that neither seemed to trust her. It wasn’t too much of a shock, since they didn’t know that she was here because of Ares. And he knew Ares wouldn’t send someone who might turn against him once out of his sight. He was certain Lauren was quite safe to be around. Except when it came to how she effected men around her. He had seen Demetrius earlier heading straight toward an outdoor balcony to make use of the freezing rain. It amused him to see that, but seeing Lauren once more made him wonder if he should pay a visit to the rainstorm sometime after their lunch date. His more sensitive regions were sending many messages to his mind, causing several images he didn’t need right now about this lovely young woman.
"Are your chambers comfortable?" he asked, drawing her attention.
"Quite," Lauren said. "Could you thank Demetrius for me for the chambers he gave me. He left before I had a chance to do so."
~I couldn’t imagine why.~ Iphicles thought in amusement. Aloud, he said, "Of course."
"Before the storm came up, I had the most beautiful view when I looked outside."
"That’s why I originally chose that room as my own. I loved the view too. Unfortunately, my guards didn’t think it was a good idea for their king to have a room that had access to the outer walls. I guess they figured that some assassin would scale this high in order to get to me."
"They’re just being protective."
"*Overprotective* is a better description."
He glanced at his guards, giving them an amused smile. They knew he wasn’t insulting them. He just liked to tease them sometimes about how protective they were. It made him wonder if Jason had bodyguards who were like that when he ruled.
"So, you moved to a new set of chambers?" Lauren asked, curious now. She wondered just how far away from his rooms she was.
"It’s just down the corridor from you. Planning to ambush me late at night, Lauren?" he teased.
"And if I were?"
"You wouldn’t get too far. I’d be all over you in a second."
"I think I might like that."
Lauren blushed when he smiled. She had meant to only think that. She hadn’t wanted to let on to how attracted she was to him. Although she figured he already knew by how she had looked at him before. She looked at the guards and saw them smiling in amusement.
"I think I’ll go back to my room now," she said, trying to excuse herself.
"Oh no you don’t," Iphicles said, grabbing her by the arm. "Your tummy would never forgive you if you skipped out on this lunch. And neither would I."
"Well, I can’t have my tummy and you upset with me."
"Then come along and I’ll show you one of my favorite rooms."
They made a couple of turns and soon came to a room kind of out of the way. It made it more private to have few rooms near it. That was one of the main reasons Iphicles liked this room. It allowed him some privacy if he wished it. Which was a lot of the time when everyone was pulling him in every which way imaginable.
"Here we are." Iphicles said.
His guards remained outside as he led Lauren into a private chamber. It was where he ate when he wanted to be alone. It was a small version of his royal banquet hall. It was big enough for a few people to eat in and still be comfortable. This was a room he had used when he wanted to have an intimate meal with Rena.
Iphicles noticed that Lauren had relaxed some when they had come in her without his guards. She wasn’t comfortable being around so many men at once. He knew why and didn’t blame her. He had heard the stories about Psyche and how men were around her. Lauren had the same power of attraction that Psyche had had as a mortal on Earth. He liked being able to make her feel comfortable so easily. He then noticed how Lauren's attention instantly turned to studying the room. It made him curious if this were her first time in a castle. She had the "wow, I'm in a castle" look about her.
"Is this your first time in a castle?" Iphicles asked.
"Yes." Lauren replied.
"I can tell. You look like me when I first visited a castle."
Lauren was confused. He hadn't been in a castle all his life? She could tell he was a warrior. But
didn't mean he hadn't been in a castle before that life."You haven't lived in a castle before?" she asked.
Iphicles couldn't help but smile. He knew what she spoke of. "No." he said.
"Not even as a prince?"
"No. I wasn't born into royalty. The king who ruled here before me abdicated his throne to me when he wanted to marry my mother."
"Oh."
Iphicles was surprised. She didn't seem to know what he was talking about. Was it possible? Did someone actually not know all about him? He hoped that was the case. It would be such a refreshing change.
"You're one of the first people I've met who didn't know the whole story about my becoming king or even my whole life," he said.
"I hope that's a good thing." Lauren said.
"It is, believe me."
The king held out a chair for her, allowing her to sit down. He could tell that this was new to her. She wasn't use to people acting this way with her. It made him even more curious about her and her background. He seated himself as servants brought in selections of food and drink. He bit his lip to keep from chuckling at the look on her face when she looked over some foods she obviously didn't recognize.
"What?" she asked, looking at him.
"Nothing." he said, amusement in his voice. He held in his laughter till the servants left, then started chuckling.
"What?" She sounded a little irritated now.
"I'm sorry. You just should have seen your face while you were looking at the food."
Lauren didn't look at all amused. She couldn't hold the expression long as she realized how foolish she must have looked. She grabbed a napkin and tossed it at him. She burst out laughing when the cloth draped itself over his head, covering most of his face.
"Cute." he said, snatching the napkin off his head.
"I thought so," she grinned. "Napkin is a good look for you."
"You're a silly little thing, aren't you?"
Lauren gave him a toothy grin. She caught the napkin as he tossed it back at her. She resisted the urge to throw it back at him. She had started a food fight in almost the same way at Apollo's temple. Except it had started with a roll.
One of her priestess tormentors had seated herself right across from her during mealtime and made a rude comment to a friend beside her. She had said how only prophets were suppose to be trained in the temple and that *one* of them was wasting *her* time there. She said that this *nobody* was just taking up needed space.
Of course, the priestess hadn't used Lauren's name or even looked at her. She had just talked to her friend as if Lauren weren't even there listening to her every word. Lauren didn't even need her empathic powers then to tell her where all the insults were directed. Lauren had ended the girl's dialogue with a well-aimed roll to the face, leaving a messy glob of butter across her face. The girl threw her own roll at her, but missed and it hit someone else. Soon the whole room had erupted into an all-out food fight. It ended, however, with Lauren breaking her tormentor's jaw.
Lauren smiled at the memory. She did feel bad about hurting the priestess so badly now, but the girl needed to be taught a lesson. Though *she* learned a lesson too. Don't start a food fight if there were witnesses. She remembered how when the group was asked who had started the fight; almost everyone had pointed at her. That was the main reason she had been made to clean the floors of the temple. The fight had made the biggest of messes in that chamber.
If she had only broken the girl's jaw, Lauren didn't know what kind of punishment the priest would have given her. Though she was certain she wouldn't have liked it in the slightest. The high priest hadn't liked her from the day she had first arrived and probably would have wanted to sacrifice her to Apollo for attacking one of the god's priestesses. He didn't find out until after she had started on the floors about the priestess' broken jaw. She figured he had beseeched Apollo for a proper punishment after learning about that. She wondered if Apollo had answered him before or after the vase incident.
"Lauren." Iphicles called, touching her arm, breaking her out of her reprieve.
Lauren jumped in surprise and faced him. She had been so involved in that memory, she hadn't heard him. His touch had completely taken her by surprise.
"I apologize," he said, taking his hand away from her. "Are you planning to eat that piece of meat or just melt the fork?"
"Huh?" she asked confused.
The king pointed at her hand. Lauren followed his arm, seeing where he was pointing and closed her eyes in embarrassment. She had stabbed a piece of meat with her fork while thinking about the food fight and had gotten distracted. She put the meat on her plate and looked back to him.
"I was thinking about something and got kind of distracted." she said.
"Good or bad?" he asked.
"Depends. Probably a bit of both."
Lauren gathered a few things to eat together and gotsome water to drink. She didn't know if she should tell Iphicles about what she had done to the priestess or not. She didn't know if he would understand her reasons. Her knowledge of kings was limited so she didn't know if he would be like the priest or like a friend and support her actions.
"No wine?" Iphicles asked.
"Um, no," Lauren said. "A childhood incident kind of put me off of it. I got into some wine my father had 'liberated' and drank way too much of it. I learned the true meaning of the phrase 'sick as a dog'."
Iphicles choked on his wine as he started laughing. He set his goblet down before he dropped it and fell back in his chair, laughing in earnest. He could understand something like that could happen.
"Stop it," she said, smacking him across the arm. "You're worse than my father."
"I'm sorry," Iphicles grinned as he recovered. "I just couldn't help it. The images I got from that were just too priceless."
"Oh, very well then."
"Did you get in trouble?"
"Yes. But my father decided that being that sick was punishment enough for that."
The king snickered at her. He was relieved when she smiled at him. He didn't want to have her get mad at him for laughing at an embarrassing moment in her life.
"I couldn't help noticing Ares' mark on you." Iphicles said, changing the subject.
"It's his protection for me." Lauren said.
"From me?"
"From anyone wanting to take me away from him, I guess. Including Apollo, who just tried."
"He did?"
"Yes. Ares stopped him. With extreme prejudice."
The king smiled. He wondered how damaged her room was now. Ares was very lethal when provoked. Especially when he was protecting something. He was one god a person didn't want to anger by sparking his protective nature of something.
"How do you know Apollo?" he asked.
"Off-handedly," she said. "I was student of his. I was left in Delphi in his temple by my father when I was twelve after his men started staring at me the wrong way."
"You're a priestess of his?"
"No, I'm not."
She spoke the words with such venom, Iphicles could tell she wasn't at all happy with the reference.
"I studied there for a little over a year," she continued, dismissing any anger she had at him.
"Why Delphi?" Iphicles asked.
"So I could learn to control a power I have."
"Oh?"
"I'm...an empath."
"One of those people who can read a person's emotions?"
"Yes."
Iphicles closed his eyes, falling back in his chair. That meant she knew all that he felt about her. He wasn't sure how to take that. He felt very exposed at the moment.
"Should I go?" she asked, seeing his discomfort.
"No," he said. "Please stay."
"Are you sure? Your face alone tells me you're uncomfortable."
"You just kind of surprised me, that's all. Stay with me, please?"
Lauren smiled at him. She was really enjoying being with him. He was the first king she really trusted. Not that she had met many. There were few people who had earned her trust right away. Iphicles was one of those people. That's why it bothered her when she kept sensing a lingering concern about him. She had to learn what that was all about.
"What is bothering you, Iphicles?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" he replied.
He wasn't sure if she was just reading his emotional state or saw something in his face. He had a hard time hiding his feelings at times. His face proved an open book to some people at times. He hated that. He hated it when he was telling someone one thing and they were reading a whole different story in his face. It was quite annoying to him when it happened.
"You're concerned about something, quite deeply," she said. "What is it?"
The king put on as neutral an expression as possible. He didn't want her to know anything about the battle he was worried about. He didn't know how she would react to that.
"Don't worry about that," he said dismissively. "It's nothing you should be concerned about. Just some normal kingdom business." He took a sip of his wine, hoping she wouldn't pursue this.
"There's a war heading here, isn't there?" she asked suddenly.
Iphicles swallowed his wine wrong when she asked that and started choking. He raised a hand when she moved to help him. He recovered a few moments later, then faced her. How could an empath pick up *that*?
"Ares spoke of a war with Athena," she said, reading his expression. "I felt a whole lot of emotions here that suggested a heightened sense of protectiveness toward you and this kingdom. When I felt your concern as well. I took a wild guess."
"Your guess hit the mark, Lauren. Athena is mad at me for my associations with Ares and probably other things. She plans to show that anger with a war."
"And she calls herself the Goddess of Wisdom?"
"That was my reaction when I first learned about this plan of hers."
"Is it just your...associations with Ares that has her angry or is it something else?" She had a feeling that there was more to these associations than Iphicles let on, but didn’t let those thoughts bleed into her tone.
"There are probably many reasons. I'm more of a warrior than king at times. Ares claimed me as his own years ago because of my warrior skills."
"I can see where that would anger her. It's no secret that Ares and Athena hate each other. You were probably just the catalyst for them."
"True. I'm not sure what all she's upset with, but I'm sure it's a long list."
Lauren stared at Iphicles as he turned back to his meal. She noticed how he angrily stabbed his meat before cutting it. She felt something in him that made her curious. There was anger in him, but it didn't seem directed at Ares or Athena. It seemed to be directed at himself.
"Why are you angry with yourself?" she asked abruptly.
Iphicles stared at her. She just touched on a dangerous question. He wasn't sure he wanted to
answer it. He didn't trust himself to not start yelling at her."Beating yourself up won't do you any good," she said. "Or your kingdom."
Dropping his fork and knife, Iphicles glared at her. He was never happy talking about the feelings he buried so deep inside himself. He wondered just how she had found them with how far he thought he had buried them. His anger made her visibly recoil from him. He sighed and got up, moving away from her.
"I've spent my whole life striving to prove I'm more than just the brother of a half-god," he said. "It's hard living in the shadow of someone who so captures all of your mother's attention."
"I know that feeling," she said, but Iphicles stayed turned away from her. "To a point. I spent almost two years in the shadow of a temple full of seers. Many who thought they were better than me because they could read prophecies and all I could do was read emotions, get headaches, and generally get treated like a slave by the head priest."
The king slowly turned to look at her. It sounded like she had had a tougher time than he had in life. He stared at her curiously.
"As I told you, my father left me in Delphi for two reasons," Lauren said. "The only problem was that I was an empath in a place that prophets were taught. Since there are few trained in my type of abilities, I was trained as best as they could provide for almost the entire time I was there. It gave me headaches only those it Tartarus should get. I finally had to leave there before my brain exploded."
Iphicles could see a type of kindred spirit in her. She had just as tough of life as him. They had the
similar scars, if not from the same source. He felt bad for scaring her now with his anger."Don't worry about it," she said, sensing his remorse. "I'm tougher than I look. I don't fall apart so easily."
The king smiled at her. He returned to the table, sitting back down. "So I'm beginning to learn," he
said."Who is this half-god brother of yours?" she asked.
Iphicles looked at her. Oh, this was a touchy subject. He only hoped his anger didn't rear its ugly head again.
"You don't know?" he asked.
Lauren shook her head.
"Hercules is my brother," he said.
Lauren's brows rose in recognition. She had heard of the demigod by his reputation and stories told of him. She had also heard that he had a brother, who was the son of a man, rather than the son of Zeus. It surprised her to learn that Iphicles was that brother.
The king looked like *he* should be the half-god, not Hercules. He *looked* like a Greek god to her and not just because he looked like Ares. He was as beautiful as a god and built like one. She had felt his strength earlier when he held her, but she had also felt his inner strength. It was powerful as any god on Olympus.
"What?" Iphicles asked, noticing her was staring at him.
"Oh, pardon my staring," she said. "I was somewhere else."
"I should be insulted. You're in the company of a gentleman and you go somewhere else?"
Lauren grinned at him. She started to say something, when something skirted across the edge of her mind. Something malevolent. She turned away from Iphicles, trying to zero in on whatever it was.
"Something is here," she said in a voice that unsettled the king. It wasn’t a tone he could describe, but it wasn’t good.
"What?" Iphicles asked.
"I don't know. Something bad. I felt something malevolent just come into range."
"Where?"
"I'm not sure. There are too many minds around for me to get a clear picture."
"Maybe Apollo's playing with one of my servants. Ignore him, maybe he'll go away."
"I don't think so. He was able to sneak up on me and block his mind from me. That's not easily done."
Lauren winced and grabbed the side of her head, nearly falling from her chair. She closed her eyes, trying to send away the pain welling up there. She felt Iphicles grab her in order to prevent her fall. His presence was enough to help soothe some of the pain slicing through her skull.
"Oh gods, I think they just killed someone," she said, meeting the king's gaze.
Iphicles' eyes widened. He stood and had Lauren come with him as he headed out of the room. He looked down the corridors before facing his men.
"Have the castle searched for intruders and a possible body." he said.
"Yes sir." the men said.
One of the men went to carry out the king's orders. The other remained with Iphicles in order to keep him and Lauren safe. He noticed she seemed to be more uncomfortable than someone should have been in this situation.
"Wait," she said. "I know where he is."
"Is she with this intruder?" the guard asked, staring accusingly at Lauren.
"No," Iphicles said, tightening his grip on Lauren's arm. "She just knows things we don't."
The guard noticed that Lauren kept trying to get away from Iphicles and head down the corridor. He turned back to look at the king.
"Which way?" Iphicles asked her.
"This way." she said, trying to drag him in one direction.
"Then we should go the other way."
Lauren stumbled when the king suddenly yanked her in the direction opposite of where she was facing. She rushed to stay with him as he led her quickly away from the danger she had sensed.
"Oh, shut up." she growled, looking at the grinning soldier following them.
"Leave her alone, Drake." Iphicles said.
"Yes, sir," Drake said. "Sorry, sir. Ma'am."
The three heard a loud yell of agony from behind them. Lauren got free of Iphicles' grip and went to
investigate."Lauren, get back here." Iphicles said, following her.
Lauren ignored him. She had to see what had happened. She had been unable to really control her impulses since she sensed this malevolence. A gasp escaped her when she found a body on the floor. There was a large burn mark across the opposite wall as well as the wall the man would have been against. The man himself looked like he had been roasted alive. There was no place on him that wasn't burned.
"By the gods!" Drake said, shocked at the sight of the man's condition.
"What happened?" Iphicles asked.
"I think," Lauren started, barely able to think. "It looks like he was struck by lightning."
"Well, it seems Zeus took care of our problem for us."
Drake said confidently.Lauren moved to the far wall, looking at the scorch marks. She tentatively reached out and touched the black staining the white wall. She could feel the heat from the lightning in the wall. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on trying to pick up anything from the residual power she sensed there.
An image formed in her mind, but not the source of the lightning bolt. She saw a figure moving through another corridor of the castle. She tried to zero in on where this person was and where they were going.
"There's another one here," she said.
"Where?" Iphicles asked, keeping himself and Drake away from her. He didn't want to risk interrupting her.
"A lower level, I think."
"There are *two* levels below this one," Drake said. "*Where* is he?"
Lauren turned to look at him. She had a blank look in her on her face, which was very unsettling. Drake was a soldier who rarely backed away from anything. The look she had now was enough to make him take a step back away from her.
"I don't know. I can just see him," she said. "Not much else."
"Who is he after," Iphicles asked. "Can you sense that?"
"It's obvious who he's after, my lord--" Drake started.
"Be silent, Drake." He used a tone that none of his men ever challenged. One that made him sound just like Ares.
"He's...he's after anyone in his way," she said, trying to keep the grip she had on this empathic
image. "He's after you, but I can't tell if that's all he's after."Her body was trying with all its might to pull her away, but she refused to move. She had to get the images being sent to her. She fought to see all that she could of the peek at the lurking danger. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done in her life.
The image faded abruptly and Lauren collapsed to her knees, holding her head. She flinched when she felt someone touch her back. She was gently picked up and cradled against a warm chest. Looking up, she saw it was Iphicles.
"My head is pounding." she groaned.
"Rest now," Iphicles said softly, wanting to soothe her. "You’ve done enough. Let my men handle the rest of this."
"Okay."
She said it as if she were a sleepy young child. She snuggled closer to him, feeling his grip tighten on her. She soon fell asleep in his arms. The last thing she felt was Iphicles walking off with her.
"What *is* she?" Drake asked, catching up with the king.
Iphicles didn’t answer him. He didn’t want to betray Lauren’s secret to anyone he could tell she didn’t trust. Or anyone she *did*. He would allow her to tell whom she wished to know that she was an empath. He would allow Drake to think she was some sort of seer. It was the closest thing to the truth as one could get.
"Where are you taking her?" Drake asked, realizing Iphicles wasn’t going to answer his other question.
"My chambers." Iphicles said.
"But sire…"
"I’m taking her to my chambers and that’s it. No discussion or suggestions. She shouldn’t be left alone. She could see something else and no one would be there to stop her from endangering herself. I’m going to stay with her so she has a familiar face to wake up to."
"Yes sir."
Iphicles didn’t apologize to Drake. He wanted to make sure that Drake knew he was serious about this. He wouldn’t stand for leaving Lauren alone anywhere. He didn’t want to risk her fading out like she had again and getting herself into trouble or even killed. If he had to yell at every one of his soldiers to have her in his chambers and him with her when she woke, he would.
Lauren had saved his life and he trusted her now more than ever. The sooner his soldiers learned that she was to be trusted the better. He needed someone like her with him right now. Few things could sneak up on an empath undetected and that was just what he needed. It made him angry to realize that was probably Ares’ main reason for sending her here. She was his guard dog for all intents and purposes. He planned to have a nice long chat with Ares about this as soon as the war god showed up. She didn’t deserve this type of treatment.
