Wildfire 37-43
By Melora

Continued from Wildfire Part 36 Part 37

Ares reached out with his mind, looking for his brother.  He was glad when he sensed that Apollo wasn't anywhere near the castle.  He wanted to keep that annoyance far away from Lauren.  She needed peace right now.  It also meant that *he* needed to stay away from her for awhile too.  He could do that.  It afforded him time to go after Apollo and then focus on learning more about the cause of this storm.

Altering his direction from Apollo's temple, he reappeared on a beach.  He figured Apollo would return to his temple to allow his priestesses to *soothe* his "ruffled feathers".  He grimaced in anger when he arrived on the beach and was instantly drenched by the pouring rain.  He went into a cave nearby and saw Apollo perched on a boulder with an "I've been waiting for you" look on his face.  It only served to anger him further.

"I love how you look when wet." Apollo purred.

"I'm not here to play, Apollo." Ares said, drying himself with a thought.

"And I went to all the trouble of finding us a secluded spot and everything."

"I'm here to discuss something important with you."

"Ooh, you know how much I love giving you information."

Ares clenched his fists at his sides and gritted his teeth in anger.  Apollo was playing with him, despite their earlier fight.  He didn't want to play.  He wanted to get the information he came for, then leave.  If Apollo had his way, that wouldn't be the way things would turn out.

"Let me guess," Apollo said, standing up and approaching his brother. "You wish more information on the lovely Lauren, hmm?"

"Yes," Ares said, slapping Apollo's hand away when he attempted to touch him. "And no."

Apollo smiled.  He liked these types of inquiries.  It would give him time to tempt Ares into playing with him.  He was still upset with Ares over the fight they had had over Lauren, but he would rather have some fun with Ares than remain angry with him.  There were just too many things he liked about his brother for him to stay mad at him long.

"Yes and no?" Apollo repeated.

"Yes," Ares said. "I have a question for you concerning her past.  One you didn't answer before."

"Ah."

Apollo traced a finger down Ares' arm, grinning at the angry growl he received.  Ares moved away from him a few feet before turning to face him once more.  He stepped closer to Ares, pausing when a dark look of anger answered his advance.

"You should let me handle teaching Lauren the many ways of pleasing a god," he said. "I can teach her how to use her mental powers as well as her womanly wiles."

"I'll send her to Bacchus before I even *think* of allowing *you* to teach her *anything* concerning that." Ares snarled, barely controlling the urge to yell.

"Ooh, a little antsy about being her first?  I understand.  If I were in your place, I'd feel the exact same way."

"You won't ever be in my place.  Not with her."

Apollo just smiled.

"Lauren is under my protection, Apollo," Ares said. "She accepted it.  You go after her like you did again and I'll take this to Zeus."

"And lose her to dad." Apollo interjected.

Ares growled angrily.  He knew Apollo was right. Seeing how men and gods reacted to her, Zeus was definitely one god he didn't want to be anywhere near Lauren.  It would be far more dangerous for her to be near Zeus than Apollo.  Ares had little to no pull with his father when it came to beautiful women.

"I find it hard to understand how Lauren could remain so pure for so long," Apollo said, abruptly changing the subject. "You'd think some man would have..."

A bolt of lightning to the face ended his sentence. Ares lowered his hand, glaring down at Apollo, who was now lying on the ground.  He watched as the sun god sat up and rubbed his face.

"Never mind." he said, holding up a hand before him.

"Good." Ares said.

"What do you want to know?"

"A lover of yours knew her father.  One of your 'cast-off' lovers, as it was described to me.  Who was she?"

Apollo looked away in thought.  He had had many lovers who he had left when they started to bore him too much.  He remembered one who matched the description Ares had given him.

"I didn't leave her," he corrected, facing Ares once more. "*She* left *me*."

Ares' brow rose.  It was rare for a lover to leave Apollo.  He was usually the one who did the leaving.

"Oh?" he asked curiously.

Apollo grumbled under his breath.  Ares sounded amused at this little tidbit.  He knew exactly why too.  And it annoyed him greatly.

"She didn't want to stay with me because of my habits," he said. "She just one day up and left with no explanation."

"Too many lovers spoiled the relationship, hmm?" Ares asked in amusement.

Apollo just grumbled in anger.  He didn't need to answer Ares.  That was *a* reason she had left.  There were other reasons too.  Ones he didn't want to discuss.  He just hoped Ares wouldn't dredge them up out of him once more.  Living through it once was enough for him.

"Who was she?" Ares asked.

"Her name was Kamala," Apollo said. "And yes, she knew Lauren's father.  But no, she wasn't Lauren's mother. She died before your little gem was even born."

Apollo stood and went to Ares.  He reached out and slipped his hand into the war god's vest, quickly finding a nipple and teasing it.  He smiled when he watched Ares' eyes close.

"Forget about Lauren for now," he purred, pinching Ares' nipple. "And enjoy my attention."

Ares summoned his strength and snarled in anger.  He grabbed Apollo's arm and yanked his hand away.  He threw Apollo hard to the ground.  It took all his restraint not to blast Apollo to the unknown corners of the world.  He wanted to leave here, knowing the tempting and teasing would continue as long as he was here.  But he had to stay in order to get the information for Lauren.  It was the *only* reason that he was still here.

"Then who *is* her mother?" he asked.

"I don't know," Apollo said, flipping up onto his feet. "Ask her."

"She doesn't know.  That's why I'm here."

Apollo grinned.  "You're her messenger boy now?"

"If I am, it's a job I'll happily take.  Seeing her smile is more reward than *anything* you offer me."

"She's turning you into a real sap."

Ares' eyes narrowed in anger.  A muscle twitched in his jaw and he clenched his fists, trying to restrain the urge to blast Apollo again.  He wanted to allow his brother the chance to tell him what he knew before the answer got beat out of him.

"You wanted to take her from the moment you first saw her, didn't you?" Apollo asked.

Ares didn't reply, but Apollo already knew the answer.

"So did I," Apollo continued. "Now, you have the chance I know I won't ever get.  If you and her have anything to say about it."

"Oh, count on it," Ares said menacingly. "You aren't getting anywhere near her."

"Fine, but tell me this.  Why haven't you and her had a roll in the sack yet?  I'll tell you why.  You fear damaging her mind.  Don't worry about it.  She may be strong, but she's safe from harm like that.  She kept me out of her mind before.  She can do the same with you.  Go, have your fun with her.  Or your king may try to do it for you."

"Iphicles knows she's mine," Ares said. "And besides, he would never steal from me."

"That was before he met her.  He's quite attracted to her.  I wouldn't be surprised if he took her himself while you were gone."

Despite knowing how loyal Iphicles was to him, Ares couldn't help thinking about what Apollo had said.  He shook off those thoughts, knowing they were silly to even entertain.  He knew Apollo was just trying to find any excuse to turn Lauren away from him.  If he attacked Iphicles out of anger and jealousy, no matter the reasoning behind it, Lauren would turn against him completely and never forgive him.  She would be lost to him forever.

"Good try, brother," Ares said. "But I know Iphicles better than that.  He won't betray me.  No matter how much he desires her."

"If you say so." Apollo said.

"I do." He then remembered something he wanted to show Apollo. "By the way, I wanted to show you something."

"What?"

Ares held out his hand and the pouch appeared in it. He tossed it to Apollo.  He didn't want to get too near him.  Not with how he was acting around him.

"What do you make of that?" he asked.

"It's a lovely pouch." Apollo teased, caressing the soft velvet.

"The object *in* the pouch, smart aleck."

Apollo grinned at him.  He opened the pouch and poured the contents into his hand.  The smile fell away from his face abruptly when he looked at the phoenix necklace he now held.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"I found it," Ares said. "What do you know of it?"

"Only that it shouldn't exist anymore."

Apollo put the necklace back in its pouch and closed it.  He then tossed it back to Ares.  He did it with such haste, Ares could tell the sight of the necklace bothered him.  It made him even more curious to learn what Apollo knew of it.  He tucked the pouch into his vest, turning his full attention back to his brother.

"It was destroyed years ago." Apollo said, turning away from Ares.

"How," Ares asked, not letting the subject be dropped. "And by whom?"

"By fire and not me."

One brow rose when Ares heard that.  That was an odd answer.  The gold the necklace was made from was a metal that wasn't easily melted.  It felt almost as strong as Hephaestus' metal.  Only fires that Apollo could call forth could melt this necklace.

"Then who?" Ares asked.

"The same thing that killed Kamala--a phoenix." Apollo said solemnly, turning back to Ares.

"How did a phoenix kill her?"

"She got too close to it when it was being reborn. She ran right into the flames."

"Why?"

"It wasn't suicide, as you might be thinking.  She was killed when she was trying to get away from me."

"I see."

Apollo looked down at the ground.  He didn't want to look at Ares right now.  Losing Kamala like that had deeply upset him.  It made him uncomfortable speaking of her.  Especially her death.

Ares noticed Apollo's discomfort, but chose to ignore it.  He needed what information he could get.  And besides, the sun god deserved whatever pain could be delivered to him.  It would help pay back what he had done to Lauren.

For some reason, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the name Kamala was familiar to him.  He couldn't think of a reason why.  He hoped Apollo could enlighten him on that subject.  This was a loose end he definitely didn't want to leave hanging.

"You chased Kamala to a phoenix?" he asked.

"Yes," Apollo said, looking up at Ares. "I didn't mean to.  I was trying to apologize for my treatment of her.  She ran away when she saw me.  I saw where she was going and tried to warn her away.  She didn't listen and ran right into the phoenix' birth flames. She died instantly and there was nothing I could do."

Ares sensed something curious from Apollo.  There was the pain of loss and remorse for causing her death, of course.  Something like this would have upset anyone, including a god.  But there was something more.  His eyes widened when he realized what he was sensing.

"You loved her," he said in surprise. "You weren't just attracted to her beauty.  You truly loved her."

"Is it such a shock to learn that I actually loved someone?" Apollo asked, sounding annoyed.

"Yes."

Apollo narrowed his eyes at Ares.

"Are you sure she wasn't pregnant before she died," Ares asked, changing the subject. "And had no children?"

"I only sensed one life force from her," Apollo said. "She wasn't pregnant.  From what I could tell, she had never carried a child in her life.  Are we finished?"

"No."

"What else do you want from me?" Apollo really wanted to leave.  This conversation was bringing up feelings he didn't want to re-experience.

"Who was Kamala?  I can't help thinking her name is familiar to me."

"It should be.  Zeus was her father."

With that said, Apollo left.  He didn't wish to speak to Ares anymore of Kamala.  She had been gone for years, but it still hurt him to think about how he had lost her.

Ares stared at the spot Apollo had just left.  He knew Apollo would avoid his company after this conversation for awhile.  He didn't mind.  Maybe that would keep him away from Lauren.

Thinking back over what Apollo had said before he left, Ares realized Kamala had been his sister.  She had been with Lauren's father, so she might have given the necklace to him as a keepsake or something.  That might have explained how Lauren got it.  But Apollo had said it had been destroyed, which meant that Kamala had been wearing it when she died.  That paradox started giving him a headache as he tried to figure it out.

If Kamala wasn't Lauren's mother, who was?  Lauren hadn't mentioned any other women who had been with her father.  He knew that would be an odd subject for her to discuss with her father since she was still a child when she had been left in Delphi.  Unless she had spied on her father's activities with women, or he had told her about women he'd been with, she wouldn't have known if there had been any others besides Kamala.

Lauren was ignorant of what men and women did with each other to consummate their feelings for the most part.  She probably didn't know of any women her father had been with.  Kamala being with her father had been a rumor she had heard, so it was pretty easy to gather she had been left in the dark about her father's habits with women he might have been with.

Ares rubbed the bridge of his nose.  All these thoughts running around in his head had given him a headache as he tried to make sense of them.  He needed to find out the answer to the questions that he had. Without Apollo, he would have to find a new source for the answers.  Zeus was at the very bottom of likely candidates to ask.  He didn't want his father's attention anywhere near Lauren.  He grumbled in anger.  The storm inquiry would have to wait.  He had a new problem to deal with.

**********

Wanting to avoid the drenching rain, Ares teleported straight into Hades' study.  He felt his uncle might have the answers he needed.  He hoped so.  If Hades didn't have any information for him, he wasn't sure where to turn to get it.

Hades looked up from his scroll as Ares appeared.  He set it down on his desk and stood as his nephew approached.  He could tell by the look on his face that this wasn't a social visit.

"Are you here to inform me of yet another war you're planning to start?" he asked.

"No," Ares said. "And this war you've heard about is being started by Athena, not me."

"Then why are you here?"

"Information."

"An unusual request coming from you."

"Well, maybe so, but it's the truth, uncle."

Hades sighed and led Ares out of his study.  They went into the throne room.  He had wanted a break from his paperwork, but he wasn't sure if this was how he wanted it.  He seated himself on the throne, facing Ares once more.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"A young woman, who is now a resident here," Ares said. "I want to know about her."

"Name?"

"Kamala."

"She's here.  She's in the Elysian Fields.  Before you ask, no, you cannot talk with her."

"Why not?"

"Because she doesn't want *any* god near her.  I'm the only one who can get close to her.  Even then, she is uncomfortable."

"What caused such animosity in her against us?"

"Simple: a god killed her.  She doesn't want anything to do with us.  I can't even touch her mind she's so closed to me."

This was a surprise.  Residents of Hades' kingdom could rarely, if ever, close their minds completely from him.  The dead didn't have that type of power here.

"Can you tell me anything about her," Ares asked. "Anything I don't already know?"

"She doesn't really talk about her past to anyone," Hades said. "It's like there's a wall around her that she wants no one to get past to see the real her. Have you spoken with Apollo?"

"Yes."

"Then you know as much as I do about her."

"Can I at least *try* to speak to her?"

Ares was desperate.  Kamala was the only one who could really give him all the answers he wanted.  If he could speak to her, he could learn everything he needed to know.

"I can't allow that," Hades said. "She doesn't react well to the presence of a god and I don't want to upset her."

"I understand," Ares said. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"It's all right.  If you learn anymore about her, let me know."

"Of course."

Ares vanished, allowing Hades to return to his paperwork.  He wouldn't force his uncle to allow him to see Kamala.  There were better ways to get the answers he wanted.  He decided to return to Lauren with what information he had.  She might have an idea for something else to check out.  He knew he had decided to give her some peace, but he wanted to give her this knowledge as soon as possible.  It was more important than giving her peace, in his mind anyway.

**********

When he appeared in Lauren's chambers, Ares instantly noticed she wasn't there.  He grumbled in anger, hating that this happened every time he left her somewhere.  He then felt her presence nearby and teleported there.

The sight that greeted him didn't do much to soothe his anger.  Lauren was in Iphicles' bed with her hair down and wearing an over-sized shirt of his.  She was asleep and Iphicles was in a chair, seated beside her.  He looked worried about her.

"What happened to her?" Ares asked, startling Iphicles.  He raised an eyebrow when the king stood, facing him with his sword drawn.

All that had happened to Iphicles had put him on edge and he hadn't recognized Ares' voice at first.  He put his sword away when he saw who it was and apologized. He then explained to Ares what had happened.  He told him how Lauren had revealed she was an empath and then had sensed the two men.  He also told him about how one of those men had been killed by lightning, possibly by Zeus.

"Where is he?" Ares asked.

"In a storage room no longer used," Iphicles explained. "When the storm lets up some, I'll decide what to do with his body."

"How is Lauren?"

"I had my personal healer look at her.  He said she would be all right.  She's just sleeping.  I had some of my female servants make her more comfortable while she sleeps."

"I'm glad she's all right."

"She's like this because of you, you know?"

"Excuse me?"

"You sent her here so she'd use her powers to protect me, didn't you?"

"It was one reason.  I also sent her for safety."

"'Safety'?!  There's a war coming here.  This is hardly the safest place for her."

"Physically, yes.  Mentally, this is the perfect place for her."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a comforting presence for her.  I knew you would be."

Iphicles looked at him confused.

"My presence was an assault to her mind when I first came to her.  From what I can tell, yours has the opposite effect."

Ares moved to sit by Lauren.  He reached out and touched the side of her face.  He looked to see what the mortal healer might have missed.  He smiled when she curled an arm around his like a cherished toy.

"Let her rest," he said, pulling his arm gently from her. "And wake up on her own."

"Is she all right?" Iphicles asked, wanting to confirm what his healer had told him.  He knew Ares could tell him more than any healer could.

"Yes.  Her mind just couldn't handle the strain of what she was forcing it to do.  To protect itself, and her, it shut everything down.  It will allow her to wake on her own when it believes the danger is gone."

"There still *is* a danger here.  The other assassin is still here, looking for me and who knows who else. Maybe her."

"You'll both be fine."

Lauren muttered in her sleep and turned toward Ares' heat.  Her hand reached out and grabbed his, drawing it closer.  She held it tightly, not wanting it to go away again.

"Seems she doesn't wish to let me go," Ares smiled. "Hmm, I guess I can give her what she wants."

"Giving her your arm," Iphicles teased. "How thoughtful."

"Better than that."

Holding out his free hand, Ares created a duplicate of the doll Discord had of him.  He slipped the doll into Lauren's reach as he pulled his hand away.  He smiled when she took the doll.  He leaned down, brushing a kiss against her forehead before getting up.

"Cute doll." Iphicles said.

"It's a copy of one Discord owns." Ares said.

"Discord has an Ares doll?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Nothing.  I'm just wondering if you give those to just anyone or do we have to earn them."

"Why settle for a doll when you have the real thing?"

Iphicles backed up a step as Ares moved toward him. Ares certainly forgave his earlier threat and outburst quickly.  He stopped when Ares grabbed him by the arm, pulling him closer.

"What about Lauren?" he asked.

"She's fine," Ares said. "I think I have something to make up for, don't you think?"

"Yes, but what if she wakes up and..."

"Sees us?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to go to another room?"

"No, I want to be here when she wakes, but..."

"My poor, poor king.  Such difficult decisions you have to make."

Ares buried his lips in the king's neck, nibbling a teasing path up and down the tender skin.  He let his hand slip down to caress the prominent bulge there. He heard Iphicles moan, then felt the king's hands sliding up his back.  He drew the king away from the bed to a large armchair, making him sit down in it.

"Now, where was I before I left you to fend for yourself?" Ares purred, gazing down at the king.

"I think," Iphicles said, grabbing Ares' hands. "You were right about here."

The king made Ares kneel down before him and pulled his hands to his waist.  He watched a slow, sexy smile cross the war god's lips.  He hoped Lauren wouldn't wake up to see this.  He couldn't bring himself to leave the room while she was like this.  Ares was determined to have his fun so he wouldn't relent until he got his way.

"Ah yes," Ares said, freeing his hands. "I remember now.  Shall I continue where I left off."

"You'd better." Iphicles said.

Ares undid the king's belt and removed it, tossing it aside, hearing the connected sword make a *thunk* when it hit the floor.  He unlaced Iphicles' pants, freeing the aching cock within.  He smiled, seeing how hard and wanting it was.  He could tell Iphicles was just as aroused by the temptress sleeping just a short distance away as he was.

Iphicles moaned when Ares took his cock in his hand, stroking it slowly.  His thumb caressed the leaking tip at each pass, making him shudder in want.  He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.  He blocked out everything but the pleasure Ares was bringing him.  Reaching out, he buried his hand in Ares' thick hair, trying to pull him closer.

"No," Ares said, shaking his head free. "Not yet."

"Now, please." Iphicles whispered.

"Bad king."

Ares spanked the inside of Iphicles' thigh.  Iphicles moaned and his cock jumped in Ares' hand.  He needed the god's mouth on his cock right now.  He needed this release badly.  His cock was ready to explode, but Ares wouldn't allow it just yet.  It was a maddening torture.

"Be a good little king," Ares teased. "And I will give you what you want."

"You're a pain." Iphicles countered.

"Careful, or I'll leave you to your hand once more."

"Suck me now, war god."

"Ooh, a king giving me orders.  You need a good spanking."

"How 'bout a good tongue lashing instead?"

Ares snickered at Iphicles.  He decided to give the king what he wanted, since he *had* literally walked out on him earlier.  He leaned in, taking Iphicles' cock into his mouth.  A hand buried in his hair, holding him in place.  The other teased his silky locks, making him shiver.  He took the cock in deeper, sucking harder.

Iphicles thrust his cock deeper into Ares' hot mouth, clenching his teeth so not to call out his need.  He knew a yell would not only wake up Lauren, but it would make his guards come in.  Lauren, he might be able to handle, but he didn't want his guards to find him with his cock buried in Ares' mouth.

Ares drew Iphicles closer, spreading his legs open further.  He sent the king's clothes away and oiled two fingers with a thought.  He pushed one finger into the king's tight ass, then the other.  He thrust his fingers in and out of Iphicles, occasionally brushing the super sensitive spot inside him, making him gasp and moan in need.

Unable to take this attention anymore, Iphicles groaned deep in his throat, spilling his seed into Ares' mouth.  Ares greedily took in all that Iphicles gave him.  His fingers continued moving in and out as the king drifted back to Earth.  He finally took his fingers and mouth from the king.  He then realized someone was watching him other than Iphicles.  Turning his head, he saw Lauren staring at him with a very shocked look on her face.

"What?" Iphicles asked, seeing Ares had turned away from him.

"Seems we had an audience." Ares said.

Iphicles turned to see Lauren staring at them.  He closed his eyes and groaned, turning away.  He sighed at the new problem.  The look on her face was enough to tell him she wasn't going to react too well to this.

Part 38

The pain in Lauren's head left as she was pulled into sleep.  She felt any fear she had had leave her as she drifted toward the dream world.  Her last waking thought was a wish that Morpheus wouldn't send her any nightmares.  She didn't need anymore stress, fear, or pain to follow her into the realm of dreams.

*******

Lauren looked around, finding herself in a forested area, rather than the field she was often sent to by the dream god.  She could hear the woman's voice singing once more, but it sounded far off.  She followed it, but it seemed to be moving away from her, rather than toward her.

"Are you one of the god," she called, hoping she would get an answer this time. "You sing in their language.  Are you one of them?  Please tell me."

There was no reply.

"Answer me, damn you," Lauren practically screamed. "You have visited me almost every night since my father, Dathon, died.  Why are you torturing me?"

Tears were welling up in her eyes as she desperately tried to get an answer.  Silence fell over the land abruptly, leaving her with only the sound of her breathing.  She stopped and looked around.  Fear crept up her spine.  She didn't like it when this woman, whoever she was, stopped singing.

"I am not torturing you, child." the voice spoke in Greek.

Lauren collapsed to her knees, covering her mouth in her hands as the tears fell down her face.  This was the first time she had ever heard this woman speak directly to her.  She communicated to her through song that taught her the language of the gods.

"Who are you," she asked, lowering her hands. "Are you my mother?"

The voice resumed its gentle, lullaby-like song.  Lauren opened her mouth to speak.  She closed it once more, realizing that was the only answer the singer was going to give her.  She didn't know if this woman was her mother or not, but it would help to explain some things to her if it was.  At least, she thought it might.

"If you're not torturing me," she said, knowing she probably wouldn't get a reply. "Why teach me a language, but not the words?"

The forest melted away suddenly and Lauren found herself swallowed up by darkness.  The sudden darkness felt heavy against her lungs, making her gasp in breaths before her panic faded.  A campfire lit itself a short distance away, startling her.  It provided the only light and gave her a beacon to follow.  Beneath her, she felt something like stone.  Wherever she was, she knew she was no longer in the forest.  The singing was completely gone.  All she could hear now was the crackling of the fire.

Lauren saw a cloaked figure move past the fire, drawing her attention.  The figure added some more wood to the fire, then moved to partly block the fire from her view.  Getting to her feet, she went to see who or what this figure was.  As she got to the figure, she reached out and touched the figure's cloak.

The whole area before her shattered outward, the force of it throwing her backward.  She yelled as she fell for what seemed like forever, the darkness swallowing her once more.  A voice spoke to her in Olympian.  It was a very different voice.  It said something stern, almost harsh to her as she fell.  This wasn't the same voice as before.  She wasn't sure if it was male or female.  Or if it was even human, for that matter.

*******

Lauren's eyes flew before her dream form hit solid ground.  She had never had a dream like that before where her tormentor/teacher was involved.  Not one that scared her like this one had.  Even the one with Ares hadn't given her such a rush of fear.  She soon became aware of odd sensations she was just beginning to pick up on.  It felt curiously like what she had felt at Toreth's camp.  She sat up; releasing the doll Ares had given her.  Her attention fell on it and she grinned, seeing the cute doll of the God of War.  It then moved to the outfit she was wearing.

Her gown had been replaced by a shirt she was certain was a man's.  The shirt she wore was big and comfy and smelled like the king.  Her thoughts came to a sudden halt when she sensed she wasn't alone in this room.  She lifted her head and gaze, coming face to face with a very shocking sight.  The scene before her shocked her so much, it rendered her speechless.

Ares was on his knees before a chair Iphicles was seated in.  Lauren couldn't tell exactly what they were doing, but she knew she didn't want to get closer to investigate.  She could just barely see the king's profile.  One arm was in view as well as one leg and both were bare.  Something told her it wasn't the only thing that was.  She could see that Iphicles' hands were buried in Ares' hair, guiding the god's head in an up and down movement.

Lauren tried to turn away from the sight of this scene.  Some perverse part of her wouldn't allow her to move.  She picked up on what Iphicles was feeling, despite her best efforts to block it out.  She could feel his pleasure as if it were her own.  It almost made her moan as it reached a crescendo, seeming to erupt within him.

A few moments later, Ares pulled back and away from the king, licking his lips.  Lauren was just recovering from whatever it was she had just felt as he did.  He must have been aware of her eyes on him, for he turned to look directly at her.  A smile crossed his lips as he looked at her.

"What?" She heard Iphicles ask in confusion.

"Seems we had an audience." Ares said amused.

Iphicles looked over at Lauren and groaned in embarrassment.  He turned away, falling back out of sight in the chair.  Lauren could tell he hadn't wanted her to bare witness to this.  She could clearly feel his agitation at the war god for causing both.

Ares didn't seem affected by her feelings, or Iphicles'.  He got to his feet, his smile turning into a grin.  He seemed quite pleased with himself about her waking up to witness this.  His eyes flashed with his amusement.

"Lauren, I'm so pleased you're awake," Ares purred. "Come, join us."

He could sense that Iphicles enjoyed that request on some level, though he didn't look it in his expression.  He was quite amused by the king's attempt to hide his desire for that.  He approached Lauren, leaving Iphicles unclothed to keep him from moving from the chair.  When Lauren didn't respond to him, the king, or anything else, he snickered.

"Come back to this plane, sweets," Ares smiled. "You're missing all the fun."

"Huh?" Lauren finally managed.

"There we are.  Come here little one, I want you to join in on this.  I'm sure you'd enjoy it greatly."

"Uh...no, I don't think so."

Though slowly, Lauren's coherent thought was bleeding through her shock.  She had a good idea of what Ares had been doing and knew she didn't want to join in on this.  Especially after how the god had exposed her to it.  And she was certain it was entirely his fault.

~Maybe so, but he helped in my fun.~ Ares purred in her mind.

"Leave me alone, Ares," Lauren said, backing up. "On second thought, I'll leave *you* alone.  I'm going to go find my way back to my own room."

"I wouldn't suggest that," Ares said aloud. "You are quite vulnerable at the moment and there's still the added danger of that assassin still on the loose." He knew the assassin had been captured and imprisoned while Lauren was out, but wouldn't let her know that just yet.

"I'll take my chances."

Lauren grabbed one of the loose sheets and wrapped it around herself as she got up.  She wanted to hide what the long shirt didn't.  It covered her to the mid-thigh, but she didn't want either male in the room staring at her legs.  She let out a squeak-like noise when her feet encountered bare, ice cold marble and leapt back onto the bed, covering her feet to warm them.  She glared at Ares when she felt his amusement.

"I thought you wished to leave," he said.

"I do." she said.

"Then why did you leap back into bed if your desire is so strong?"

"Icy floors make it difficult to leave when one is barefoot."

Iphicles snickered when she said that.  He had a rug on only one side of the bed, where he got up and had left the other side empty since it wasn't used anymore.  The only problem was that Ares was on that side and Lauren didn't want to get near him.

"Well, then I'm afraid you're going nowhere," Ares said with a resigned sigh. "Because there are only cold, uncarpeted floors between this bed and your room."

"I hate you." she frowned, crossing her arms before her.

"Too bad.  You're stuck with me.  Now, you may be cold, but I'm quite warm and I think I need to let more air get to my skin.  Since you hate me so much, I don't need to worry about you desiring me if I need to remove anything."

Lauren groaned and fell face first down onto the bed as Ares turned away from her.  She couldn't take this anymore.  She heard Ares undo his belt and remove it, then drop it on the floor.  She dared a glance upward and noticed he was now watching her once more.  He was making a bit of a show for her with his clothing removal.

Iphicles could tell Lauren was uncomfortable with this.  He could also tell that, despite her protesting, she was attracted to the god.  He leaned forward enough to see what Ares was doing.  He couldn't help but smile when he saw what Ares was up to and that Lauren was now watching him.

Ares pulled his vest off, dropping it on the bed.  He purposely dropped it as close to Lauren as he could safely get it without hitting her with it.  He watched her draw back when she caught his scent on it.

"Well," he said hurt. "I offer you something to keep you warm and you ignore it."

"I don't trust any of your 'offers', war god," she said.

"Hmm, I don't think I'm cool enough yet.  What do you think, Iphicles?"

"I think you're pushing it," the king said.

"I want to be comfortable.  I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

"I do." Lauren said.

"You don't get a say in this, you mean little thing.  If you had accepted my offer of warmth, you might have, but not now."

"I think I'll take my chances with the floor."

"Uh-uh.  Can't let you do that.  It would be just as dangerous as you going out in that storm."

"I'll risk it."

Lauren tried to get off the bed once more, but an unseen force stopped her.  She could get right to the edge of the bed, but an invisible wall pushed her back if she tried to move beyond that.  She turned a glare on Ares, but it faltered when she saw him unlacing the front of his tight pants.  Her eyes fell irresistibly to his hands, watching what they were doing.

"Come here, little one," he said in a voice just above a whisper. "Stop denying your desire for me.  It's such a waste of energy.  And there are far, far better ways to spend it."

As Iphicles listened, he could tell Ares was highly attracted to Lauren.  He didn't blame him for that.  She was very much a beauty.  It worried him a little about just how attracted Ares was to Lauren and what that would make the god do in order to get what he wanted from her.  He knew Ares wouldn't forget about him, no matter how much another lover pleased him.  That rarely bothered him when he learned of another lover of Ares'.  The god had always shown him that he would never forget about him.  His concern was just for Lauren and the danger she might be in if Ares got overanxious for her.

Lauren sensed Iphicles' concern for her and looked over at him.  It didn't go unnoticed by the god before her.  She quickly turned her attention back to Ares; not trusting him to stay put with her attention directed elsewhere.

"You wish the king to join in on our fun," he asked with a mirthful smile. "Of course, he can join us."

"Ares, leave her alone," Iphicles said finally. "I think you've made your point with her."

"Not yet I haven't."

"When then?  When she's screaming and begging for you to leave her alone?"

That made Ares' actions falter.  He didn't like the sound of that.  He shook it off, knowing there was genuine attraction to him coming from Lauren.  He allowed his mind to pick up more from her than just that and could feel fear and a bit of uneasiness from her.  She didn't like having an audience watching her reactions and feared what was going on and what would happen.

~Do you wish me to send Iphicles away?~ he sent to her, not wanting to cause her further discomfort by asking her that aloud.

~I just want to be left alone.~ she thought to him.

~I can't do that.~

~Why not?~

~Because I don't wish to leave you now.  I need you and I know you need me.~

~Just leave me alone.~

Lauren finally turned away from Ares, hoping that would make her point clear.  She tensed when she sensed him reach toward her.  She relaxed a bit when she felt him just pick up his vest to put it back on.  Her tension returned when she felt him climb onto the bed and come toward her.

Very gently, Ares moved her hair aside, then placed a soft kiss on the side of her neck.  He was prepared for her to pull away or turn to attack him.  When neither happened, he was encouraged to go further.  He nibbled at her neck just below her jaw.  He grinned when she shivered.  He knew just where she was sensitive and used that knowledge to his advantage.

~Do you still wish to be alone?~ he whispered in her mind, nibbling at that spot again.

"Stop that." Lauren said aloud.

~Not till you answer me.~

Lauren reached up, trying to push him away.  He grabbed her wrist, pulling it away.  He kept it prisoner, searching her neck with his mouth for another vulnerable spot.  His arm curled around her when she tried to get away.  He teased another sensitive spot near the base of her neck.  He paid close attention to that spot, feeling her resistance melting away.

~I know you want me,~ he thought to her. ~Stop denying it.~

Iphicles watched the two from his chair curiously.  He could tell that whatever Ares was doing, Lauren wasn't happy about it.  He got up and grabbed a nearby robe, pulling it on and tying it.  His attention turned back to the two on his bed, unsure if he should try to stop them or not.

Lauren managed to squirm free of Ares' grip.  The blankets were completely twisted around her and made it impossible to use her legs.  She tried to pull herself away from Ares and barely got a few inches away from him before he grabbed her and pulled her back toward him, trapping her on her stomach against the bed.

"You make such a lovely throw rug." Ares said with a grin.

"Let go of me, you big goon." she growled.

"You like calling me that, don't you?"

"If the name fits..."

Ares chuckled at her.  He reached out and caressed her back.  He then turned his attention to the "knot" of sheets around her lower body and legs.  He smiled; wondering just how she had gotten them so twisted around her like this.

"If you hadn't squirmed so much, you wouldn't have this problem." he said.

"And if you weren't such a barbarian," she countered. "I'd..."

Ares cut her off with a swat across the bottom.  He looked up at Iphicles, who was giving him a dirty look.  He gave the king a grin that told him not to worry about this little scene.  He crooked a finger at him, inviting him to join in on this little game.

"Not you too." Lauren almost whined when she felt Iphicles' interest.

"Lauren, you deny your desires long enough," Ares explained. "The only ones who will want you are old men with hair growing out of their nose and ears."

"Ew!"

"I'm not joining in on your torturing her, Ares." Iphicles said.

"Who said anything about torturing?  I'm just playing with her," Ares explained. "And she's enjoying it.  Just ignore her protesting.  It's a cover."

"I'm not coercing her into something she doesn't want."

"Why don't you follow his example, Ares?" Lauren suggested.

"I'd rather do this."

Iphicles was surprised when Ares vanished with Lauren.  The twisted blanket and the doll were left behind.  He had no idea where Ares was taking her to, but he hoped she would be all right.  He wasn't sure if what Ares had said about Lauren was true or not.  He wanted to believe that it was true and that Ares wasn't kidnapping an unwilling woman, but his concern for her got in the way.

"Ares, if you hurt her, I'll never forgive you." he called, knowing he would be heard by the god, wherever he had taken Lauren.

Ares reappeared with Lauren in a bedroom that was quite different than the one they had just left.  He allowed her to get free and move away from him.  He saw her look around the room and grinned when she went to the door and tried to get out.  He snickered when she let out an angered growl and turned to face him.

"Open the door." she said.

"Even if I did that," Ares explained. "You'd get yourself lost.  You don't know where you are or how to get back to the castle."

"Where am I?"

"Now, why should I tell you that?  You've been nothing but an irritant to me and don't deserve the answers."

"If I'm an irritant, why are you trying to seduce me?"

"Because you're a very lovely irritant.  One I want to see if there's anymore to you than just the irritating exterior."

"Nope, that's all that's to me."

Ares grinned at her. "Let me be the judge of that."

When Lauren tried to move away from the door, Ares vanished and reappeared before her.  He backed her into the door and placed a hand on either side of her, trapping her against the door.  He gazed down into her eyes, watching her reactions.

"My little Lauren, why are you so resistant to pleasure," he asked. "I know you enjoy it.  You shouldn't resist what you enjoy so much."

"I'm afraid," she admitted.

"Of me?  Or of the pleasure?"

"Both."

"Pleasure shouldn't be feared.  Nor should I.  Believe me when I say I don't wish you any harm."

"I just don't want to end up like Semele."

Now Ares understood.  He could now tell what she feared.  She was afraid of dying if she saw the wrong thing when he touched her mind.  He knew that was a possibility due to just how close their minds would be during lovemaking.  Being as strong an empath as she was, she would not only pick up on his feelings, she might pick up images from his mind, no matter how cautious he was.  With other empaths he had been with, he could easily block out their minds enough so they weren't damaged by the full weight of his mind and godhood.

Lauren wouldn't have that protection.  He only knew how to block out her mind right now.  He would only learn how to completely block her out by understanding what she was and just how powerful her own mind was.  And by then it would have been too late to safeguard her against any coming assault.

"I can't promise you that you wouldn't be hurt by anything you encountered," he admitted in a gentle voice. "But I can promise you, you won't end up like Semele.  I won't allow you to die.  I forbid it."

Lauren snickered at his words.  It was strange to hear Ares forbid someone to die.  He was a god who enjoyed death.  It was how his duties worked and how he got his worship.  She could feel he was being truthful in all that he had said.  He wanted her badly, but he wanted to ensure her safety.

"Where am I?" she asked him again.

"The Halls of War," he replied. "It's the only place I can completely guarantee that Apollo, or any other member of my family, won't bother you.  This place, I fully control and can lock it down so no one may enter or leave without my permission."

"Is there anyone else here?"

"No.  Just you and me."

Lauren slipped out from between Ares' arms, moving away from him.  She looked around the room, seeing it had a very Ares decor to it, including weapons of all sorts on the walls.  She saw a pair of crossed swords over the bed and wondered if Ares ever worried about them falling off onto him.

"Not really," he said behind her. "Those are quite firmly anchored to the wall.  It would take an earthquake that would destroy the wall to knock them down." He moved up behind her as she looked around at the weapons on the walls. "Do you know what the significance of the crossed swords is?"

"It's the symbol of war, isn't it?" she asked.

"That's right.  Did you learn that at Apollo's temple?"

Lauren turned to face him. "No.  It was something my father once told me about when I happened to see a medallion he had with that symbol on it and asked him about it.  He got it from someone who had stolen it from someone else.  One of your warriors, I guess."

"Ah, your father stole it from a thief.  What happened to this thief?"

"He's somewhere at the bottom of Poseidon's kingdom.  He was killed by Toreth when he tried to attack my father from behind."

"Toreth seems to have been smarter in his past life with your father."

"What did you do with him?"

"I let him live.  He's in a cell where he can't bother you anymore."

Reaching out, Ares took her hand and tugged her forward as he moved backward.  He smiled when she followed him.  He was happy she had found the courage to at least give him that.  He hoped he could help her find the strength and courage to allow him all he wanted to give her.

"Come here, my sweet," he purred. "Let me please you."

Lauren didn't speak, she just allowed Ares to lead her to the bed.  She decided to allow him some leeway with her.  She was uncertain if she wanted to go through with everything, but she was curious about the pleasure he had given her and knew she wanted more.  Though she was still afraid, she wanted to try and give into her own desires.

"That's it," he encouraged her. "Come with me.  I want to give you all the pleasure you wish."

Once at the bed, he climbed on and moved backwards on it, drawing her to it.  When she was right at the bedside, he released her hand and sat back on his haunches.  Now it was up to her to decide whether she wanted to join him or leave.  If she wanted to leave now, he would allow it.  Even if it tore him apart, he would allow her to leave.

Lauren reached out and took Ares' sword medallion in her hand, looking at it.  She tugged on it, forcing him to move forward so not to lose the medallion to her.  He wondered, momentarily, if she'd run off with it if she took it from him.

"Practicing your thievery skills?" he asked.

"Well, I got your dagger, didn't I," Lauren teased. "I need a sword to go with it."

"Isn't that one a little small to be useful to you?"

"I like this one."

"You never did tell me how you figured out where my dagger was."

"You never asked." Ares gave her an annoyed glare. "It was the only place left to look after I checked everywhere else." she added.

"Ah."

Lauren made Ares come almost to the edge of the bed with little tugs on his medallion.  She took care not to break it as she coaxed him forward.  She let it fall back against him, watching his dark eyes.  Reaching out, she touched the side of his face, caressing his cheek.

Ares closed his eyes, leaning into her hand.  He forced his hands to remain at his sides, letting her do as she wished.  He shivered when she reached up with her free hand, letting it slide up the other side of his face into his hair.  He adored it when she played with his hair.  She knew just how to touch him there to give him the most delicious shivers.  It was something he loved about empaths.  They could sense just what their lovers want and do just that.  When she heard him start purring, Lauren grinned at  him.  She slowly let her hands slide down his face and finally come away from him.  His dark eyes opened and gazed back up at her.  He smiled wickedly.

"Do continue," Ares purred. "You have such a *stimulating* touch."

Lauren reached out and pinched his nose, grinning as his eyes crossed to look at her fingers.  Ares grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away.  He nipped at the tender inside of her wrist, seeming to punish and tease it at the same time.  He pulled her closer when she tried to get away.

"You dare to pinch the God of War?" he asked in mock anger.

"It's better than getting bit." she smiled.

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him and onto the bed under him. "Bad girl."

Lauren noticed some of his hair had fallen down into his face from his movements.  Unable to resist the urge, she reached up and brushed the irate lock back behind his ear.  She quickly pulled her hand away when he tried to bite her wrist again.  She tried to get free of him, but he pressed his body against hers, trapping her under him further.

"No one pinches me and gets away with it." he informed her.

"And how many have pinched you?" she countered.

"I'll never tell."

Leaning in, he kissed her deeply and hungrily, feeling her hands on his shoulders.  He took her hands in his pulling them above her, pinning them to the bed.  He wasn't about to let her stop him again when he knew just what she wanted.  He rubbed his hips against her, letting her feel his leather-covered cock pressing against her.  He felt her arms tense under him but wouldn't release her.  He transferred both wrists into one hand and reached down, parting her legs a bit more.  She moaned under him when he pressed right into her center.

Lifting her leg, he rocked against her again, putting more pressure on her most sensitive region.  His fingertips caressed the back of her thigh, giving her goosebumps.  He broke the kiss, gazing down at her.

"Do you wish me to continue?" he asked.

Unable to speak, Lauren nodded to him.  She wanted to get her hands free of his, but she wanted his attention even more.  He was touching her in just the right way, causing ripples of pleasure to rush through her.  She watched a sexy smile cross his lips.

"As you wish." he purred.

Ares released her leg and raised up, smiling down at her.  He cupped her breast, caressing it through her shirt.  He watched her eyes close in pleasure.  He pinched her hardening nipple, drawing a moan from her.  He tugged at the hardened peak, making her whimper in want.

"Now, shall I continue to tease this spot," he grinned. "Or give it what it wants?"

"No tease..." she managed, barely able to think.

The pleasure he was causing was travelling from right beneath his fingers down to right between her legs, knotting itself tighter and tighter.  She started to protest when he took his hand away before she saw him begin to work on the laces of her shirt with his one, free hand.  She looked up at him, watching that gorgeous face.

"Calm yourself, my sweet," Ares said, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "I must do this in order to continue."

"Are you going to release my arms?" she asked.

"Not yet, sweets.  Not just yet."

Ares bound her wrists to the bed with a small bit of his power, freeing both his hands.  He unlaced the ties of her shirt, pushing the material aside.  He allowed one of his fingers to dip into the valley between her breasts, touching her soft flesh.  His hand was irresistibly drawn into her shirt and quickly found the breast he had just teased.  He licked his lips, feeling her hard nipple pressing into his palm.  It made him wonder how it would feel in his mouth.

Lauren whimpered under his touch, wanting more but unsure how to ask.  This was all new to her and she didn't fully understand the sensations he was awakening within her.  A cry of loss escaped her when his hand left her breast.  It became a moan when he gave her other breast the same attention as the first.  She wanted to grab at him to make him continue, but she couldn't get her hands free of whatever spell that held them.

"Please..." she whispered.

"Yes, I will please you." Ares purred.

Taking his hand from her, he pulled the shirt aside to uncover one breast.  He liked going one at a time, enjoying teasing and torturing her at the same time.  He leaned in, making her panic a little.  His thumb flicked over her hard nipple, soothing that panic.  Dipping his head, he replaced his thumb with the tip of his tongue.

Lauren flinched at the touch of his tongue on her.  It felt like liquid flame on her skin.  She tugged at her invisible bonds again, growling when she couldn't get her hands free.  Her annoyed growl became a moan when he captured her nipple between his lips, sucking it deep into his mouth.  She turned her head to the side as he gently bit at her nipple.

Ares smiled against her breast when he felt her squirming under him.  He knew she wanted to get free of his little capture spell on her wrists, but he didn't yet want to release her.  He was having too much fun torturing her when she was at his mercy with so many vulnerable spots to tease.  He traced his mouth down the side of her breast, gripping the material in his teeth and moving it aside.

A gasp escaped Lauren when the soft/coarse hair of his beard grazed her nipple.  She watched a wicked grin cross the god's lips and closed her eyes.  Her own body was betraying her to this god.  Even though she was savoring the pleasure he was giving her; some part of her was telling her to resist this.  It was very hard to listen to that voice when the opposing argument came from such a talented mouth.

"You like that, don't you?" he asked needlessly.

Lauren closed her eyes, letting out a tortured moan as Ares rubbed his beard against both of her nipples.  She became aware of a growing wetness between her legs as this torture continued and something in her knew it was being caused by what this beast was doing to her.  Her thoughts came to a screeching halt when he took her other nipple in his mouth, sucking and biting it as he did the first.

"Ares, please..." she whispered.

"What is it, my sweet Lauren?" he asked, leaning up to look at her.

"Let me go."

"Oh yes, I almost forgot about that."

Reaching up, he brushed his fingertips against her wrists, releasing the spell that had been imprisoning them.  He ran both his hands down her arms, sending away any pain the strain of her fight had caused her muscles.  He allowed her to lower her arms as he raised up into a seated position.  He let her pull out from beneath him.  His eyes watched her as she sat up, sliding back from him.  He wondered if she was going to run away from him now.  He waited to see what she would do.

Part 39

Lauren reached up and pulled the front of her shirt closed, covering her exposed breasts.  The cool air of the room chilled her wet nipples.  When she did that, she sensed disappointment and sadness from the god before her.  She looked up, seeing both emotions reflected in his liquid brown eyes.  She knew she hurt him each time she denied him his desires, but she couldn't help the fear that had continually plagued her.

Ares decided to cooperate with her and not try anything without her permission.  He needed her trust in him to continue any further.  He had gone far enough with taking advantage of her when he tasted her breasts.  As much as both had enjoyed it, he knew he would be pushing it with her if he continued in that way.  He would be living up to the image she had had of him before she got to know him.

Shock showed in Lauren's eyes momentarily when she felt the change in him.  She sensed his desire to cooperate with her wishes.  She knew it took great strength for him to do this.  He was a god who enjoyed pleasure - both through violence and sexual gratification - and didn't like giving up his control over a situation.  She could sense the inner struggle within him between submission and dominance.  It meant a lot to her to have Ares allow her some control over what happened here.

"Do gods often act around someone like me like you are?" she asked.

Ares raised an eyebrow.  That was a curious question.

"There is a woman I know of that attracted many men and several gods," he said. "Just as you do."

"Oh?" Lauren asked curiously.

"Her name is Psyche and she is very beautiful.  She attracted men left and right, including my son, Cupid.  It got so bad, she had to do like you and hide herself from view of every man she came across."

"What happened to her?"

"She was made immortal and married Cupid.  They have a child together."

"That story sounds familiar to me.  Before she was immortal, what was she?"

"A normal mortal, just a beautiful one.  Your ability to attract is much stronger than hers ever was when she was on Earth.  You attract all men and all gods."

"Gee, just what I need - half the population and pantheon chasing me."

Ares chuckled at her.  He reached out, cupping the side of her face.  He leaned closer, as if to kiss her.  He reversed directions and brought his lips near her ear.

"Ah, sweet child," he purred. "I won't let them have you.  I can be very greedy." He then pressed a soft kiss to her cheek before moving back to where he had just been.

"You're crazy," she said.

"A little insanity never stopped anyone from having fun.  Ask my nephew."

"No thanks."

"Shame on you for insulting him."

"He kidnapped me.  What do you expect?"

Ares reached out and pinched her nose.  He grinned when she shook free of his playful fingers.  He smiled when she moved closer and put her hands against his chest.

"Hey!" he yelled when she gave him a hard shove, knocking him back and down.

As he fell, he grabbed her, pulling her with him.  She let out her own yell as she fell with him.  He grunted when she landed hard against his body, colliding with his hard cock.  He growled as the pain simmered with the pleasure growing there.  He straightened out his legs, getting into a more comfortable position.  He blew stray several strands of her hair out of his face.  He remained still as she sat up, but stopped her before she got away from him.

"Your cooperation seems to be waning a bit," she said.

"I'll cooperate with you," he said. "But only under the condition that you don't leave unless it's what you truly desire."

Lauren stared down at him, relaxing in his grip a little.  She didn't want to leave, despite her instincts whispering to her to run from him.  She saw the corners of his mouth twitch in the beginnings of a smile.

"One smirk and I'm gone," she warned him.

Ares tried to hold in his amusement, but failed miserably.  He burst out laughing at her threat.  His hands fell away from her as he leaned his head back, laughing out loud.  As he finally recovered, he let his hands lay against his chest.

"Are you finished?" she asked, knowing it might set him off again as it had her.

"Mm-hmm." he smiled.

"Good.  Good-bye."

Ares grabbed her hips before she could move off him. He held her captive there, not wanting her to leave. He smiled up at her as she glared down at him.

"Scoot back a bit." he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I want you to be comfy."

Ares gently pushed her back so she was seated right on his hips.  He closed his eyes, groaning softly as her weight and heat were placed back on his leather-encased cock.  He left his hands on her thighs, wanting to keep her there.

"Stay there," he said softly. "And do please, feel free to touch anything."

He would only submit so far with her.  He knew he couldn't turn full control over to her because she didn't really know anything about pleasuring.  She was guided only by what she sensed that someone wanted. He had to teach her this game, but would allow her to do what she wished, within reason.

"I'd like to touch the doorknob, turn it, and hear it open." Lauren said.

"We're back to that, are we," he asked amused. "You enjoy being difficult, don't you?"

"It's in my nature to be difficult."

"And you do an excellent job of it.  Tell me this, do you find me attractive?  Desirable?  Sexy?"

"Nope."

Ares growled angrily under his breath.  Even in a tease, that hurt him.  He rocked his hips up against her, pressing his cock firmly against her.  He grabbed her arms when she nearly fell forward from the pleasure he caused her.  She moaned as he did it again.  He relaxed back against the bed, grinning up at her.  He caught a face-full of her hair as she leaned forward.

"Answer those questions again." he said, moving her hair out of his face once more.

She said something, but it came out unintelligible.

"What was that, sweets?" he smiled.

"What are you doing to me?" she whispered, barely able to speak.

"Giving you pleasure.  Do you like it?"

"Yes."

Ares smiled at her, glad to hear her admitting that. He released her wrists, reaching down to touch her thighs once more.  He let them drift to the backs of them, sensing she was quite vulnerable to pleasure right there.  His fingers caressed the soft flesh and he grinned when she tried to wriggle free of his grip.

"Stop that." she finally managed.

"Why?" Ares asked, making his light touch even gentler.

"I don't like that."

"Liar."

Lauren reached down and grabbed his wrists, pulling his hands away.  She gasped in alarm when he used her grip to pull her down onto him.  She then found herself turned onto her back beneath him once more.

"If you don't want my touch on those lovely thighs of yours, where do you want my touch," he purred. "And I forbid you to say anything along the lines of you leaving me.  I know for a fact that you wish to stay with me and that you want my attention.  Anymore lies and I will be forced to give you a much needed spanking."

"Uh..." Lauren said, unable to speak.

Faced with such a request and threat, she wasn't sure how to respond.  She watched a smile cross the god's lips.  She whimpered softly as she tried and failed to think of something to say.  His dark eyes, all that she was feeling from him and what she was feeling herself were driving all the thoughts in her mind away from her.

"It's all right, my sweet Lauren," he said, brushing a kiss against her forehead. "You don't have to tell me.  Just allow me to show you what I know you'll enjoy."

Unable to speak, Lauren simply nodded to him.  There were feelings waking in her that she didn't understand and they were all telling her to let Ares show her more.  She may not have understood what Ares was doing to her, but she couldn't deny that she was enjoying this and wanted to listen to the desires that were now speaking to her louder than her instincts.

"Good girl." Ares whispered, giving her a soft kiss on the lips.

He slid his lips down her skin, pausing every now and then to give her a little nip.  He felt her shiver under the touch of his lips and beard sliding down her skin.  He gently moved the material of her shirt away from her breasts.  Pushing them together, he took both nipples into his mouth, drawing a kittenish moan from her.

~Touch me, my kitten,~ his voice purred in her mind. ~Touch me.~

Lauren reached up; burying her hands his thick hair. She leaned her head back, almost crying out as he relentlessly teased her nipples.  She was left gasping as he finally pulled away from her.  Her eyes slowly opened, gazing up at him.

"I have to remove your shirt now if you wish more of my attention." he informed her.

He felt that it was a silly thing to say to her, but he didn't want to have her panic on him when he took one of her only protections away.  He pushed the soft material up her slowly, leaning in to kiss his way up the newly bared flesh.  The scent of roses was all over her, teasing his senses.  It was going to be difficult for him to look at those flowers again without thinking of her.

"Lean up." he said softly, pausing just below her breasts.

Lauren sat up, raising her arms to allow him to remove her shirt completely.  She watched it fall to the floor as Ares tossed it aside.  She almost squeaked in alarm when Ares buried his lips in her neck, nipping at a sensitive spot.  She shoved him away, watching him fall into a sprawl across the bed.  A wicked grin was on his face, made her back away from him.

Ares turned onto all fours, crawling sensuously toward Lauren, who backed away from him, trying to stay out of his reach.  He growled deep in his throat, sensing her heart jump at the sound.  He smiled when she paused in her retreat as her desire warred with her instincts.

"I'm going to enjoy spanking you for daring to shove me so many times." he said.

"You were asking for it," she said.

Ares lunged forward, grabbing her around the waist. He pinned her to the bed beneath him, growling very animal-like above her.  She went still beneath him, staring at him wide-eyed with alarm.

"And you were 'asking' for that, my luscious prey." he purred.

"What are you planning on doing," she asked. "Eating me?"

"Mm-hmm.  I bet you're as sweet as you are beautiful."

He moved down her body, keeping his eyes on hers. There was only one last spot on her to uncover and he was aching to see it.  This was a spot that had been hidden when he first came across her and he wanted to complete the gorgeous picture she made.  He closed his eyes with a growling purr when he caught her inviting scent as he drew closer to that spot.

"Now, sweet child, I'm going to remove these so that I may taste you." he purred in his most sexy voice.

Ares grabbed the top of the lacy panties in his teeth, tugging them down her slim legs.  He kept his face down and his eyes closed, wanting to prolong the mystery of how she looked completely naked.  Raising up, he tossed the panties away, then turned to look down at her.  He nearly groaned when he caught sight of her sex.  A triangle of copper fur shone in the light at the apex of her thighs, guarding her most treasured possession.

Slowly, the slid his hands up her inner thighs, watching her eyes close in pleasure.  He caressed her sensitive inner thighs, coaxing them apart.  His hand then moved to her softness, letting his finger dip inside.  He licked his lips at the feel of how hot she was.

Wanting to enhance her pleasure, he coated his finger with very slippery oil with a thought.  His finger sought out her clit, causing a gasp to escape her when he brushed his fingertip against it.  He smiled and stroked the sensitive, little bud in little circles. He batted her hands away when she tried to pull his hand from her.

"No, sweet Lauren," he said. "I like to play with my food before I eat it."

Lauren tried to say something, but it came out in a moan.  She couldn't believe the pleasure such a simple touch could cause her.  She pushed her legs together, but the god wouldn't allow her that and pushed them back apart.  Her eyes opened to see that gorgeous face above her, watching her pleasure.  She grabbed him by the hair, pulling him in for a kiss.

Ares' finger moved from the spot that it had found slipping inside her as his thumb took over its task. She flinched when she felt his finger inside her.  It hurt a little at the intrusion, but the pleasure his thumb was giving her was making it melt away.  She dragged her nails against his scalp, making him groan as he increased her pleasure.

Pulling away, Ares added a second finger, sliding them in and out of her.  He savored how tight she was around his fingers.  He licked his lips, feeling how wet she was becoming.  It made his cock grow longer and harder as he thought about how it would feel when he was inside her.

Lauren let out a desperate cry, turning her head away from Ares.  She couldn't believe how good this felt. She felt Ares' lips on her neck and whimpered as he nipped at her skin.  She squirmed when he nuzzled her there.  She gasped when her squirming drove his fingers in deeper.

Ares felt his mind brush the edge of hers as her mental shields tried to weaken.  He pulled his mind back, blocking her out.  He wanted to hold off on touching her mind directly like that till he had no choice in it.  Sensing her climax approaching, he moved his lips up her skin, pressing them to her ear.

"Call my name," he whispered. "Scream it to the heavens."

Lauren screamed Ares' name as she was swallowed in pure pleasure.  She felt as if her very soul was leaving her.  She blacked out from the overwhelming sensations.

Ares took his fingers from her when she passed out. He licked his fingers clean, closing his eyes at her sweet taste.  He covered her in one of the blankets, allowing her to rest.  He kissed her temple, feeling her drifting back to him.

*********

Lauren came to and saw a smiling God of War beside her.  She turned to face him, wincing at the twinge of pain between her legs.  She closed her eyes as Ares reached out and caressed her cheek.

"It will pass, little one," he said. "Now, about that promised meal..."

"Huh?" she asked, suddenly confused.

Ares just grinned at her.  He pulled the covers off of her, slipping between her legs.  He soothed her with gentle words when he felt a rush of fear from her. Her inadvertent squirming had driven his fingers in deep enough and hard enough to do a little damage to her maidenhead.  He had refrained from healing it, knowing he would be undoing that healing sometime soon.  He regretted harming her, but he was about to make up for it right now.

Lauren tried to get away from him.  There was a part of her that wanted this, but she another still fought him.  She tried to pull away as he leaned down toward her.  She felt his grip tighten on her legs, silently telling her to be still.  The only thing that kept her from fighting him flat out was the fact that she could sense his reassurance that he wouldn't harm her.

"You will enjoy this," he said, soothing her further. "Trust me."

Ares licked his lips as her scent welcomed him.  One part of her definitely didn't need to be soothed.  It wanted him and it wanted him now.  He dipped his head and kissed the silken hair of her mound, dipping his tongue between the soft folds of skin, making her whimper once more.  He was enjoying hearing the sounds he was eliciting in her.  His tongue slid back inside, seeking out her clit.  He paused when he heard her gasp.

Feeling that she wouldn't fight him now, he draped her legs over his shoulders, moving closer to her.  He traced her clit slowly with his tongue, making her moan and arch her back.  He moved his mouth down, thrusting his tongue into her.  A sharp gasp escaped her, sending a tingle down his spine.

Lauren grabbed the pillow beneath her head, holding it tight enough her knuckles were white.  With her legs, she pulled him closer.  Ares captured her clit in his lips, making her moan loudly as he sucked it and laved it with his tongue.  She wriggled against him, unable to stay still.  Her wiggling caused his tongue to lash her clit everywhere.  She was left gasping for air as he abruptly pulled away.

"Sweet as you are." Ares purred.  He moved up her body, leaning in to kiss her.

Lauren tasted herself on his lips and tongue.  That combined with his own inviting taste, it nearly made her swoon.  She felt his hands pull hers away from the pillow, placing them on him as he sent his clothes away.  She reached up, caressing his face and hair. Her hands moved down his neck and back, feeling the muscles ripple beneath them.  She then felt something hard touching her entrance.  His lips moved to her ear.

"Let me show you more." he whispered.

"No, you...hurt...mind..." she struggled.

Ares knew the risks.  He could very well kill her with this one act.  Or render her insane for the rest of her life.  He hoped he could prevent any damage from being done to her mind by using what power he could to reinforce his mind against hers then slowly let her feel his mind to adjust to it.

"You will be all right," he said, hoping he was right.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, feeling her hands on his chest.  He closed his eyes, knowing she was going to allow him this.  He used his powers once more to slicken his cock with the same oil he had used earlier, wanting to lessen the pain she would feel at his entrance.  Taking his cock in his hand, he guided it to her entrance and slipped into her.  He groaned at the tightness that greeted him.

A hiss of pain escaped him when her nails dug painfully into his shoulders as he slipped further into her.  He was almost too big for her, stretching her wide to accommodate him.  He reached out with his mind, using his powers to protect her from any rips his size threatened to cause her.

"Gods, no more!" she cried, trying to push him away.

"I can't stop," Ares said. "Not now."

Lauren gripped him tighter as he moved in deeper.  His blood ran down her fingers now from the wounds that she had given him.  She couldn't take this anymore. She knew he would kill her if he continued.  He paused suddenly, surprising her.  She looked up at him, unsure of his intentions.

"Brace yourself, my dear," he said. "This will hurt, but I will make sure it's over swiftly."

Closing her eyes, she tried to relax, knowing tension would make the pain worse.  She cried out as he thrust forward, breaking through the barrier of her innocence.  Ares went completely still on top of her, caressing her body, wherever he could reach to soothe her.  She felt a tear roll down her cheek, before he wiped it away.

"It's all over now, sweets," he said soothingly. "Nothing but pleasure now."

Ares could feel her mind struggling to keep him out. They weren't as strong as he thought they were before.  There was no way he could guarantee her safety, but even with his great strength, there was no way he could stop this now.  He kissed the top of her head, sending a silent message to Hades to leave this one alone, telling him that he would not allow her to die no matter what argument was offered.

Moving slowly, Ares caressed her torn flesh from the inside.  He flinched when he felt a crack form in the shields of her mind.  He heard her gasp at the same instant her shields started breaking down.

Lauren grabbed him tightly as he moved in and out of her.  He was so big; he caressed every part of her inside.  The pain of his strength breaking her mental guards and the pleasure of his thrusting cock were both trying to drive her completely mad.  She gasped as another crack sliced through her mind.  She could feel more from Ares than she ever thought she would; despite whatever cautions he had made.  She could feel what he was and could actually feel how it felt for him sliding in and out of her.

Ares groaned as she tightened around him.  He felt her mental shields wobble then finally collapse under the pleasure the sensations he was causing her.  He tried to block her out, but couldn't anymore.  His eyes closed when he felt her mouth on his chest, her tongue snaking out to taste him.

"Yessss...." he hissed.

Lauren winced as his mind lanced through her.  She tried to ignore it as she felt the double pleasure of her own and what he was feeling.  She lowered her mouth to capture one of his nipples, wanting to tease him as he had her.  She gasped when he altered the pace and path of his thrusts, rubbing against an even more sensitive spot inside her.

Her mind was drawn deeper into his, letting her feel exactly what he was.  She could feel his godhood as if it were a part of her.  It was something like what she had felt earlier, only magnified by about a thousand times or more.  She bit the nipple in her mouth, making Ares groan above her.  Her head fell back as the sensations tried to drown her.

Ares moved faster within her, savoring the feelings he was getting from her.  Like her, he could feel what she was feeling as well as his own pleasure.  He reached down and lifted her legs up to his sides, pushing into her deeper and deeper.  If she was to die because of this, he wanted the last thing that she ever felt was absolute pleasure.

Lauren leaned her head back, moaning constantly under the erupting pleasure inside her.  She could now see something forming in the back of her mind.  It was fuzzy at first, but it was quickly becoming quite clear.  She was starting to see war in all its shapes and forms.  Violences unimaginable mixing with every form of pleasure that existed or ever would.  They swirled around her becoming one, then separating over and over in an erotic dance circling back in on itself becoming a whirlwind of pure power and pleasure.  It was overwhelmingly repulsive and breathtakingly beautiful her mind couldn't comprehend what she was seeing anymore.

Ares was startled when she let out an inhuman scream at what she was seeing.  The sound was enough to push him over the edge and he groaned as his seed spilled into her.  He grunted at each spurt filling her, collapsing against her to rest.  His eyes opened suddenly when he couldn't feel anything from her.

Pulling back, he gazed down at her, fearing the worst.  He looked around the room for Thanatos or Celesta. He would fight either of them himself if they dared to take her away from him.  His attention snapped back to her when he felt a brief spark of life in her.  She was just barely clinging to life.  She had seen his true form and it had nearly taken her life away.  He moved back from her, not wanting to cause her further harm by touching her or trying to heal her.  Even a healing touch could steal the last ember of her life away.

Something dawned on him abruptly that he hadn't felt till just now.  He could feel her bloodline now and why she had lived.  He dressed himself with a thought, then covered her unconscious form with the sheets, wanting to keep her warm.  There was something he had to do and he had to leave her in order to do it.  He knew that she would be safe here.  What he didn't know was how she would be once she came to, if she ever did.

Backing away from the bed, Ares watched her, hoping she would surprise him and wake up before he left.  He feared he had pushed her beyond the point of where she could ever recover.  He waited till the last moment as he vanished before taking his presence from the room. It was now up to Lauren to decide if she would come back or not.

Part 40

Sirus extinguished his torch, setting it aside. This cave had had supplies for making several of them; it just lacked ways to go. He had gone searching through the caves, looking for a way to get to Corinth, without getting soaked. He had discovered numerous branches in the cave leading off in various directions. Some had had cave-ins; others had ended abruptly, while still others had gone a ridiculously long way before stopping abruptly as well.  It was enough to make him question if Hephaestus had really helped him or was working with Ares to keep him busy while the God of War did who knows what to Lauren.

With an angered roar, he grabbed a good-sized rock and hurled it at the wall.  The rock shattered with a satisfying crunch against the solid surface, leaving a large crack behind.  This fruitless search had just about tested his patience to the breaking point.

Sirus went to the mouth of the cave, looking out to see how the rain was.  He moved back when the cold wind and rain slapped him in the face.  He could tell the rain hadn't let up since he had arrived.  At this rate, he was never going to get to Corinth without freezing halfway there.

"Can I interest you in an umbrella?" a voice called from behind.

Turning, Sirus faced a man with longish, curly blond hair and blue eyes.  He frowned in annoyance and turned back to watch the rain.  He knew right away who was behind him.  His studies of the Norse and Greek gods had informed him about many of them and how they appeared.  This one was definitely one he didn't want bothering him.

"How rude." Apollo commented.

"Shouldn't you be off chasing young girls?" Sirus muttered.

Apollo just snickered at him.  He moved up behind the Viking, tracing a finger down the exposed, muscular arm.  He licked his lips when he felt how soft Sirus' skin was, imagining how it tasted and would feel against him.  He chuckled when Sirus angrily jerked his arm away and moved out of his reach.

"Nice cave you have here." he smiled, looking around.

"Is there a reason why you're pestering me?" Sirus grumbled.

"Someone needs to."

Sirus debated whether to go through with facing the rain or not.  If it meant this annoyance would leave him alone, the outlook was looking more and more appealing.  He bristled when Apollo moved to stand behind him.  He didn't like this god's outright attraction to him.  He growled when he heard the sun god's rich chuckle at his rejection.

"If you're planning on going to see her," Apollo said. "You'll have to wait in line.  She already has two suitors and you'd just be in the way."

The sun god stumbled back when Sirus suddenly turned and punched him hard across the face.  He restrained the impulse to return the favor.  Striking a Viking was the last thing one should do, no matter how they felt about them.  Especially when that Viking was mad at them.

"Quite a punch you got there, Sirus." Apollo said, rubbing his jaw.

"Don't you dare speak of Lauren like that." Sirus hissed.

"Is it my fault that she's attracted to my brother?"

Wanting to cheer himself up, Apollo decided to torment Sirus.  This Viking could help him get Lauren away from Ares and keep the war god so busy that he could swing in and get Lauren back.  He played on the two strongest things within Sirus, hoping to get him somewhat on his side.  Sirus' anger with Ares and his protectiveness of Lauren were two advantages Apollo had over the Viking and he was going to exploit them for all they were worth.

"Did you know he kidnapped the poor dear and forced her to go to Corinth so he'd have a place he could make sure she didn't runaway from so he could seduce her more easily," Apollo said. "It seems to have worked.  She desires Ares as if Cupid made her fall for him."

Sirus' eyes narrowed.  He didn't want to believe Apollo, but that sounded like something a god like Ares would do.  He turned away from the sun god, facing the rain once more.  He was trying to convince himself that Apollo was handing him a bunch of lies. It was just difficult to deny the ring of truth his words carried.

"You don't believe me," Apollo asked. "Would you care to see what they've been doing?"

"No," Sirus said, facing the sun god once more. "I don't trust you to show me the truth."

Apollo glared at Sirus.  This Viking was proving to be more of a challenge than he first thought he would have been.  He would have to change tactics if he were going to get what he wanted from him.

"So, you're planning on just running into Iphicles' castle, getting by all his guards, get the girl, then run back out in one piece?" he asked.

"That's pretty much it, yes." Sirus said.

Apollo burst out laughing.  He held his stomach as he doubled over laughing.  He grinned deeply at straightened up, recovering from his laughter.

"How amusing," he said, amusement still in his tone. "Are all of you Vikings so confident that you can face impossible odds and live?"

"You'd be surprised what you can find out about us." Sirus countered.

"If Iphicles' guards don't kill you, my brother definitely will.  Neither Ares nor Iphicles like giving up their conquests so easily.  They only share with each other and kill those who challenge anyone else who tries to take their playthings away.  You'll probably get your chance with that lovely little thing when they tire of her.  Of course, by then, she won't be worth much to anyone, except maybe...."

Something snapped inside Sirus and he yelled in rage as he dove at Apollo, cutting him off in mid-sentence.  He took the sun god by surprise and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him into the wall.  He glared at Apollo, rage burning in his eyes.

Apollo realized he had pushed this Viking a little bit too far and that he had just endangered himself as well as his brother and Iphicles.  He hit Sirus with a blast of power, throwing him away.  He rubbed his throat as the Viking landed hard on the ground.  This one seemed to be getting stronger as his anger rose. It was quite intriguing and annoying at the same time.

"I must have struck beserker." Apollo muttered to himself.

Sirus charged at Apollo again, wanting to tear him apart with his bare hands.  He let out a yell of rage when the god vanished from view.  He heard Apollo reappear behind him and whirled to face him, drawing his sword.  He swung at Apollo, making him leap back out of reach.

"Uh-uh," Apollo said, waving a scolding finger at Sirus. "I'm not the one you should be mad at, it's Ares and Iphicles you should be saving this rage for. Go after them, not me."

"I think I should kill you as well," Sirus hissed in a voice very much unlike his own. "To keep you away from Lauren."

Apollo leapt back again when Sirus tried to stab him. He decided he had gotten Sirus right where he needed him for his plan to work.  He vanished in a blaze of fire, making his attacker back off some.  He knew the sword Hephaestus had given Sirus wouldn't kill him, but it could do a lot of damage to him.  The wounds would heal, of course, but the pain they caused would linger long past the time they healed.

Sirus looked around, expecting Apollo to reappear again to taunt him further.  When the god didn't reappear, he growled in anger.  He hated how his target could vanish and deny him the satisfaction of killing it.  He turned his attention to the first cause of his rage.  He sheathed his sword and raced out of the cave, ignoring the freezing rain pelting him and the icy winds clawing at him.  Nothing mattered now, other than getting to Corinth and satisfying his burning rage.

******

Strife was back in his perch in the trees, having forgotten all about Ares' warning and the fear that the storm had caused him.  The erupting storm had fascinated him with the incredible lightning and coaxed him back into the trees.  He watched the storm and the land, watching to see if any mortal was foolish enough to come out in this storm.

"What the...?" he asked, seeing a dark shape furiously racing through the storm.

Raising up on his toes, he tried to see what this was.  He caught a brief glimpse of blond before lightning momentarily blinded him with its brightness.  He rubbed his eyes to clear them, stepping back away from the cause and stepped right off the branch he was on. He yelled in panic, grabbing at anything in reach to keep from hitting the ground.  His hands seized a good-sized branch and he wrapped his arms and legs around it, hugging it tightly.

"You're a good branch." he told it.

Strife down to see how far to the ground he was.  He saw that he could easily drop down without hurting himself and swung his legs down from his "savior branch" and dropped to the ground.  He then remembered what he had seen and vanished in a flash of light.

When Strife reappeared he let out a panicked yell as the figure he had seen crashed into him.  Both fell to the ground, sliding and rolling across the slick grass.  The two looked at each other once they came to a stop.  Strife was surprised to see a very enraged Viking glaring at him.

"Another one, huh?" Sirus asked in an almost inhuman voice.

"Oops." Strife said, getting to his feet and backing away as Sirus stood and came toward him.

"I'll spare you your life and any pain this blade will cause you if you do something very important for me."

Sirus grabbed the godling before he could vanish, bringing the blade of his sword to Strife's pale throat.  He wasn't about to let this one leave without paying for his "attack".  He watched, almost fascinated, as Strife's pale skin grew even paler with his fear.

"Wh-what do you w-want?" Strife stuttered.

"I want you to take me to Corinth now." Sirus hissed.

His tone was enough to tell Strife that the threat issued by this one was a very real one.  The godling gulped, trying to will away his fear and failing.  His fear had made him forget that he could easily free himself from Sirus' grasp.

"I don't think I should do that," he said. "Uncle Ares would...."

"Would it be worse than what I could do with you?" Sirus countered, anger rising in his tone.

Strife had to think about that.  He could be facing death on both sides.  At least with Sirus his death might be quick and not as painful as Ares would make it.  Then again, both could make him just wish he was dead by whatever torture either could come up with. It was a hard choice either way he looked at it.  He looked into the Viking's angry eyes and swallowed hard.

"I don't think I can," he said in a low voice.

"Why not?" Sirus asked.

"Unc might have that entire kingdom blocked off from you.  He's got a lot of pull there."

"Take me as close as you can then.  I don't care if your 'Unc' senses my presence there or not.  I'll be getting his attention sooner or later."

"I'll try."

"Good."

Strife tried to push his fear of Sirus, Ares, and whatever punishment he would be facing away and concentrated on what he had been asked to do.  He vanished with Sirus and reappeared with him just short of the gates of the kingdom.  They were just out of earshot of the guards at the gate, keeping them from being heard.  The rain and trees helped keep them out of sight.

Though he had sensed that Ares hadn't blocked off the kingdom from Sirus, Strife didn't want to let on.  He hoped his captor wouldn't ask him anything about it. The way he was feeling right now about this dangerous mortal, he would probably spill his guts about everything he ever knew.

"Can I go now?" he asked.

"Not yet." Sirus said, not releasing the godling.

"Why not?"

"I need something that will help me get past the gates."

"A catapult?"

Sirus glared at Strife, growling a warning at him. The godling cringed and closed his eyes, dreading the first slice the sword would give him.  What would he lose first and would the Hephaestian metal allow him to grow it back?  When the attack didn't come, he dared a look at the Viking, not moving anything but his eyes.

"How about a nice traveler's cloak," he suggested. "It would disguise you and your gear."

"That will suffice." Sirus said, putting his sword away, while keeping a tight grip on his captive.

The cloak appeared in Strife's hands.  He hoped Sirus would let him go after this.  He wanted to go hide from Ares, knowing the God of War would not be happy when he learned of this.  He held the cloak out to the Viking in a shaky hand.  He jumped in alarm when Sirus roughly snatched it from his grasp.

"Now, be gone," Sirus hissed, throwing Strife away from him. "And don't show up like you did again.  Or I'll test out this sword on you and see what damage I can do to a god."

"Gotcha."

Strife vanished, relieved to be away from Sirus. Never had he feared a mortal like he did that Viking. He had heard about Vikings going berserk in the heat of battle, but had never before seen one in the throes of it and would be ecstatic if he never encountered another one like him again.  One deadly, blood-crazed Viking was enough for one eon.

Sirus snuck forward hiding behind tree after tree to stay out of sight.  He kept glancing at the castle just ahead to see what he would be facing at the gates to Corinth.  He didn't care that Strife hadn't taken him directly to the castle.  Nor did he care if Ares had sealed the kingdom off to him or not.  He didn't believe for a second that Ares had done that.  The God of War enjoyed a challenge, from what Sirus knew of him.  And he was about to present a very big challenge to the war god.

Seeing that there were only three guards at the gate, Sirus decided on a plan.  The run, rain, and encounter with Strife had helped him burn off a great deal of his uncontrolled rage, allowing him to think clearly. He thought of a plan for getting past the gates and guards.  There were two options available to him - one that would turn the entire Corinthian army against him and one that would get him to the castle without angering the whole army.

The only problem was that he didn't like what he would have to do in order to use the less dangerous of the two, but he didn't have much of a choice.  He had to get into the castle before Ares found him and kept him away from his goal.  Grumbling to himself, he threw on the now-drenched cloak, tying it at the neck and covering his head with the hood.

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

The guards standing at the gate tried to stay out of the falling rain, wondering why the gods had decided now was the perfect time for a freezing rainstorm. They all had decided it was a better trade off than facing Athena's army.  At least they had better odds of surviving the storm in tact than facing a lethal army.  Still, it didn't stop them complaining about the aggravating rainstorm and how cold it was.

A waterlogged traveler came into view, approaching the gates.  It quickly drew the guards' attention and raised their suspicion.  Two of the guards held their pikes tight, ready for anything.  The head guard went out to meet the newcomer.

All of the guards inside and outside of the castle were ready for any trick Athena might try to pull on them.  They were constantly waiting for the goddess to try anything, knowing it could happen at anytime.  It was best to hope for the best, but expect the worst when it came to a war that may or may not be coming. It helped keep them on their toes.

"No one is permitted into the city today, traveler." the guard said.

"I must speak with your king." Sirus said, trying to keep his tone calm, despite the rage still burning inside him.

"King Iphicles is receiving no visitors today.  Now, be on your way."

"This is very important.  I must see him."

"No exceptions.  Leave or you will be arrested."

"Then arrest me."

"Be gone, you crazy drunk."

The guard waved him away, disgusted with having to deal with someone like this.  Sirus snarled in anger and punched the man square in the chest.  The man was thrown to the ground hard on his back in the mud.  He coughed out an order to arrest his attacker.  The other guards quickly attacked and subdued Sirus, who had to mentally fight himself to keep from killing these guards.

This was the hardest thing Sirus had ever had to do in his life.  He had to resist every instinct racing through his mind and body in order to allow the soldiers to arrest him.  He wanted to attack them and knew he could easily kill all three of them if he wanted to.  The only thing that kept him from following through with that desire was the fact that he was so close to his goal now.  He would soon be able to see Lauren again and make sure she was all right.

Sirus' wrists were bound behind him and he was disarmed.  That earned the guards a very vicious snarl that chilled their blood more than the storm.  He was led inside once the guards were certain he couldn't get free of his bonds.  Another pair of soldiers took charge of him and led him toward the castle after learning what he had done.  The Viking said nothing as he was taken to the castle.  He used every ounce of strength he had to keep his anger in check.  The storm above seemed to echo his anger as thunder boomed angrily above them.

Once inside the castle, Sirus' whole demeanor changed.  He easily snapped his bonds and fought his captors like a lion.  He knocked out the guards, rather than end the lives of any of them.  He kicked off his boots, not wanting to lose his balance on the marble floor.  They were too wet to be reliable for much of anything.  He tore the cloak off, throwing it away. He snatched quickly up the weapons of one of the unconscious soldiers and put them away as he heard men coming his way.  He picked a direction and went rushing down the corridor, not caring about anything except finding Lauren and making her captors pay for everything they had done to her.

Sirus slammed his arm into a soldier in passing, throwing him into a wall.  The second dodged his attack, while the first fell to the ground out cold. The soldier tackled Sirus to the ground, sending both of them sprawling.  He yelled loudly when Sirus grabbed his arm, twisting his arm till it snapped. Sirus roared in anger, throwing the soldier away.  He kicked the man in the face hard enough that he was killed instantly.

He grumbled something in Norse under his breath when he saw more guards coming, having heard the dead man's scream.  He turned and took off running once more, knowing he would be outnumbered now.  A crossbow bolt barely missed him as he raced out onto a landing.  He paused when he saw that he had run into a dead end.

"Surrender now," the soldier said, approaching him. "And we'll go easy on you."

"Tempting, but no." Sirus said.

"You have nowhere else to go.  Surrender."

"I never surrender."

Sirus jumped onto the railing, glancing over the open room below, seeing the adjacent railing a good distance away.  He took a deep breath and dove for it.  He managed to catch the bottom of the railing before he fell into the room below. He choked when his body slammed into the wall, knocking the wind out of him. He pulled himself up and fell onto the floor on the other side, catching his breath.  His attention returned to the adjacent landing, seeing a very shocked Corinthian soldier staring at him.  Getting up, he took off running again.

"I don't believe he just did that," the soldier said. Heading back the way he had just come, he gathered the other guards and raced to the other said of the landing and rushed after the intruder.

********

Iphicles was just coming out of his room after getting dressed, when he heard soldiers racing down the corridor.  His personal guards reacted to the sound by drawing their weapons and preparing to battle whoever came their way.  They relaxed; putting their weapons away, when they saw it was two of the king's soldiers.

"What is it?" Iphicles asked, once the soldiers had come to a halt.

"Intruder...." one gasped, out-of-breath.

"He's highly dangerous, sire." the other said, just as breathless.

"Catch your breath, then tell me about this intruder." Iphicles said.

The two soldiers caught their breath, then went onto explain about Sirus and his attacks and the incredible leap he had performed before them.  This news drew Iphicles' concern quickly, as well as his personal guards.  The landing they spoke of was far too wide for anyone to have jumped it as easily as Sirus had. It made them believe that Athena had sent an assassin that a half-god.  Or, at least, had the power and abilities of one.  This didn't bode well for the king.  Or anyone in the castle, for that matter.

Iphicles knew how good a fighter Hercules was and what all his godly strength helped him do.  He didn't like the thought of someone with those abilities coming after him.  He wasn't sure any of his men could stop this assassin before he was already dead.

"Stop him if you can," Iphicles said. "Even if it means killing him.  But only as a last resort."

"Yes, sire." the soldiers said.

"And be careful.  I don't want to lose anymore men to Athena's schemes."

The soldiers nodded to him.  They turned and rushed off to deliver the king's orders to the other men. Iphicles moved off away from his bedchamber, deciding to go about his duties, despite the intruder.  His guards followed him closely, keeping a close eye on the area around.  He stopped abruptly when he felt as if someone were watching him other than his guards. Turning his head, he caught the briefest glimpse of a face, before a body leapt at him.

Sirus had found his way to where he believed the king was.  He had hidden when he heard Ares' voice.  He peeked around the corner, seeing a figure that looked almost exactly like Ares speaking to some soldiers. He grew curious when he saw that  "Ares" wore the clothes of a king.  This must have been Iphicles, not Ares.  He hid once more when two soldiers left, leaving the other two with the king.  When Iphicles paused before his hiding place, he could tell this man had a warrior's senses.  Before any of the three could react, he dove at Iphicles, throwing him to the ground beneath him.

The Viking held his dagger to Iphicles throat, while the guards trained their weapons on him.  They knew he could kill the king before either could kill him and Iphicles couldn't move himself without killing himself on the dagger at his throat.  They were at a stalemate.

"Where is Lauren?" Sirus hissed.

"She's not here." Iphicles said.

"Liar."

"I'm not lying.  Ares took her.  I don't know where."

"You're lying.  You will take me to where she is right now."

"You aren't really in any position to make demands or threats...."

"Neither are you, king."

"So it would seem."

Sirus growled in anger.  He knew he couldn't move without getting himself killed.  He didn't want to have to kill Iphicles unless he was forced to.  But he couldn't remove the dagger from the king's throat without facing the possibility that the king's men would kill him.  Threatening the king's life seemed to be the only thing keeping him alive at the moment.

Part 41

Hades looked at the soul resting in his bed.  Since the time this one had arrived, it had remained unconscious.  He had caught this drifting soul before it had been lost forever to any realm.  This soul was of a young female and drew his curiosity completely. He was certain this one shouldn't have been here, especially since none of his messengers had brought her here.  His attention was also drawn to her in another way.  She was quite an attractive young thing and challenged his ability to resist joining her in his bed.  He was quite certain that this was the one who had Ares so enthralled.

What drew his curiosity was the fact that she hadn't died, but still her soul was detached from her body. As he had carried her to his room, he had felt the golden thread that bound her soul and body together re-form itself.  It let him know that she had died, but something much stronger had drawn her back abruptly.  He wasn't sure if it was the woman's own decision or something on his part--something that he didn't know about.  That bothered him.  He didn't like being in the dark about matters like this.

Remaining with her, Hades kept anyone from coming near her.  He didn't want her to accidentally cause herself to remain with him if she didn't have to.  Although her staying with him did appeal to him on one level. He growled in anger, turning partly away from her, leaning against the doorframe.  If he was going to figure this out, he had to be able to think straight and looking at her wasn't helping him any.  What really distracted him was the fact that she had arrived naked and he had seen a great deal of her very lovely nude form before he clothes her in a sleeping gown.

Hades had a pretty good idea of how she had come into his grasp.  He figured she must have been with Ares and accidentally seen his nephew's true form.  It didn't make sense though.  Semele had had that happen and she had been brought to the Underworld by one of his messengers.  He decided that this one must have had immortal blood in her veins in order to withstand seeing a god's true form.  He resisted the urge to reach into her mind to see if that was true, knowing that would only harm her further than she already was.  Being unconscious and out of full contact with her body, she would be unprepared for a god's touch on her mind.

One of the only things he had sensed from her when he brought her to his chambers was that she was an empath.  He was glad he had.  It allowed him to throw up a protection spell around her mind to suppress as much of her empathic powers that he could.  He knew she couldn't yet withstand what she would sense from all those souls around her.  He was use to the sensations around him from all the realms of the Underworld.  She, on the other hand, wasn't and it would have driven her mad at the first touch.

A groan escaped her, drawing his attention back to her.  Hades moved away from the doorway, slipping into the shadows as she started coming around.  He knew of the stories told about him in the living world and didn't want to startle her.  He knew her empathic powers would still pick him up, despite the limited power she had right now.  He wasn't sure how she would react to him, but knew he was the last god she would wish to see right now.  Seeing the god who ruled the realm of the dead was an inspiring sight to a living person.  Especially when they probably believed they had just died.

"Where am I?" Lauren moaned, struggling up into a sitting position.

"You're safe." Hades said gently.

"Who are you?"

"A friend."

Lauren looked around, trying to focus on the presence she felt in the room with her.  There was a fog surrounding her empathic powers, limiting what she could pick up from the world around her.  She saw the shape of a human form in a shadowy area and was instantly curious about who this was.

"If you're a friend, why are you hiding?" she asked.

"I don't wish to frighten you." Hades replied.

"Right now, I'm not sure anything could frighten me."

Hades could understand that.  She had just barely survived seeing Ares' true form.  Experiencing a god's true form combined with sensing his godhood could truly terrify person.  Lauren would be lucky if she survived the ordeal completely in tact.

"Let me see you." she said.

"Very well." he said.

Knowing she would come to him if he didn't, he stepped out into view.  Lauren drew back a little when she saw him.  He could tell that while she didn't know who he was, she could sense more about him than he would want her to.  He paused and remained where he was, wanting to avoid frightening her further.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Lauren could feel a great darkness surrounding him. It made her uneasy.  She had a good idea who this was and feared his answer.  If he was who she believed he was, she wasn't sure if she could handle it.

"My name is Hades," he admitted finally.

Lauren couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her.  She had heard so many stories about this god; she wasn't sure what to believe about him.  All she knew was that she feared him.

"Don't," he said, sensing her fear. "I don't wish to harm you."

"Am I dead?" she asked.

"No."

"Where am I?"

"My chambers."

"You mean in the Underworld?"

"Yes."

"If I'm not dead, why am I here?"

"You were dead for a fraction of a minute.  It allowed your soul to pass into the Underworld, but not by Celesta or Thanatos.  That is why you can return to the aboveworld if you wish."

Hades knew what he had told her could push her further into her fear, but he also knew she needed to know the truth.  He watched her closely, hoping she wouldn't try to run from him.  She would endanger herself greatly if she left his presence.  With her separated from her body as she was, everyone but him would sense her as just a shade and therefore subject to this realm's rules.

"You aren't the Hades I always heard about," she said. "You're too kind...and handsome."

Hades surprised her by smiling. "Mortals tend to twist my legends quite often," he said. "Those pirates just wanted to scare you by telling you those stories about me."

"They succeeded.  I had a dream once where you were chasing me throwing pitchforks at me."

Hades surprised her further by chuckling.  He was quite amused by her dream.

"I don't usually throw things at people I like." he said with a smile.

"That's good to know," she said.

Lauren gestured for Hades to come closer, feeling much more comfortable around him.  While she felt such despair from him, she could feel a gentle soul in him.  It was his dark eyes that intrigued her so.  She could see such sadness in them.  Centuries of ruling this realm had left its mark on him there.

Hades seated himself on the bedside.  He was relieved that her fear of him had diminished.  He could now sense great curiosity from her.  It wasn't often that he was met with such curiosity from anyone.  Usually those who came to his kingdom wanted to avoid him. And he was often happy to grant their request.  This time, he was uncertain how to respond.

"Your Messengers of Death are the only ones who can kill with a touch, right?" she asked.

"Correct." he said.

Lauren inched closer to him.  She tentatively reached out and touched his cheek.  She had always heard he was as cold as his kingdom.  Her fingertips were met by warm flesh.  She cupped the side of his face, watching his eyes close.  She gasped softly when she picked sensed his power.

Hades grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away from him before she sensed too much.  If she picked up too much from him, the despair he was use to could deeply affect her.  He knew she faced the possible danger of insanity from exposure to Ares' godhood and didn't want to add the despair of the Underworld to it.

"Sorry." she said.

"It's all right," Hades said. "I suppressed your empathic powers as far as possible, but you can still sense too much from me by touch.  I don't wish to expose you to what I have lived through."

"Does ruling this kingdom get to you?"

"Not as much as it did once."

Reluctantly, Hades released her hand.  He liked her touch, but didn't want to endanger her anymore than Ares did.  He was finding it difficult to think straight being this close to her now.  When she had touched him, he had wanted to feel it all over.

"Are you in there?" she asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Oh, I apologize," he said. "I was distracted."

"Well, I see that you aren't immune to me either."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be.  I'll take it as a compliment that I can attract the God of the Underworld and make him smile."

Hades gave her a gentle smile.  He patted her hand, then got to his feet.  He decided to put a bit of distance between them.  His desire for her was quite distracting.  He needed to get her back to her own body before something damaged the delicate line between her soul and body, dooming her to die before her time.

"You need to go back," he said.

"You can do that?" she asked.

"I am the God of the Underworld.  I can send souls to the living world and back to their bodies if they have been prematurely sent here."

"That's good."

Hades gave her a sour look.

"I enjoy your company," she said. "I just think I have a few more things to do in life before I stay here."

The Underworld ruler smiled and nodded to her.  He offered his hand to her, drawing her off the bed and too her feet.  He held his hand before her, about to send her back.

"Wait." she said, stopping him.

"What is it?" he asked, lowering his hand.

Lauren stepped closer, raising up on her toes.  She gave him a kiss on the lips in gratitude for all he had done for her.  Hades surprised her by encircling her waist with his arm and returned the kiss with such passion, it surprised her.  She felt a rush of energy run through her as he sent her away from the Underworld.  She felt the pull of her body, drawing her to it, just as Hades released his mental hold on her.

********

Strife appeared in Ares' temple, glad to be out of the wind and rain.  He dried himself off as he looked around.  He wondered where Ares was, having been unable to sense his presence in Corinth.  He wasn't sure himself why he wanted to find Ares.  His uncle would probably want to kill him after learning what he had done.

"Why are you here?" Ares growled as he appeared.

"I...I wanted to get away from the storm." Strife said, facing the war god.

Ares simply gave him a curt nod and stalked past him on his way to his throne.  He sat down heavily, reaching up to stroke his beard.

"What else have you learned about Athena's plans?" he asked.

"Uh, well..." Strife started.

Why did Ares have to ask him that?  He hadn't been paying attention.  He jumped back when Ares stood and walked over to him, anger burning in his eyes.  He choked when Ares grabbed him by the throat and slammed him down against the altar behind him.

"You've neglected your duty to me?" he hissed.

"Athena's probably still figuring how to get through this storm," Strife said, hoping Ares would relax. "I'm sorry, Uncle.  This storm has kept me distracted.  I've never seen anything like it...."

"Strife, you're babbling.  Tell me what happened."

Ares took his hand from Strife's throat, watching his nephew let himself slide to the floor.  Stepping back, he stared down the godling.

"Sirus is in Corinth," Strife said, cringing under his uncle's fierce gaze. "He made me take him there.  I'm sorry, Uncle.  Please don't kill me."

"Don't worry about it, Strife.  I'm not going to kill you." Ares said, almost gently.

Strife stared at Ares in confusion.  Getting to his feet, he looked at the god questionably.

"All right, who are you and what have you done with my uncle?" he asked suspiciously.

Ares just smiled at him.  He slapped Strife across the chest with his forearm, tossing the godling over the altar to the other side.  He heard a groan as Strife hit the floor hard.

"Hello, Uncle." Strife groaned.

"Strife, it doesn't matter that Sirus is in Corinth," Ares said, looking at his nephew as he stood back up. "What he wants isn't there anymore."

"It isn't?"

"No, I took her to another place where she's a whole lot safer.  I can't trust Apollo to stay away from her."

"How is she?"

Ares looked at Strife curiously.  He wasn't expecting Strife to ask such a question.

"She's fine," he said.

"Unc, Sirus is almost suicidal in how angry he is. You sure you want him in Corinth with how he probably feels about you?  Heph gave him weapons that can do serious damage to any god that he sees as a threat."

"And he might attack Iphicles thinking he was me. Strife, I will deal with you later about this.  If he harms the king...."

"I understand.  You want me to go check on the king?"

"No, I want you to go find Apollo and bring him to me."

"Apollo; why?"

"I feel like having a brotherly chat with him."

"Ah, I see.  I'll go find him for ya."

"Good."

Strife vanished, leaving the God of War alone.  Ares laid his hands against his altar, letting his head drop forward.  He had told Strife that Lauren was fine, but he wasn't sure that she was.  When he had left her, it felt like she was barely clinging to life.  He had a fear that Atropos had already cut her lifeline and that she was already somewhere in the Underworld by now.

Ares knew he needed to stay away from Lauren right now if she was still alive.  His very presence could have been dangerous for her now.  She was so weak when he had left, he wasn't sure she could survive.  He wanted to go back to her and help her, but he wasn't sure how at the moment.  Knowing what she was now, he had a good feeling that she would survive, but he couldn't deny the bad feelings he was getting.

***********

A bright flash of light drew Ares' attention.  He looked up to see Strife holding Apollo's arm.  He nearly smiled when his nephew shoved the sun god forward.

"Strife, go to Corinth and keep an eye on things." Ares said in a deceptively calm voice.

"Right away." Strife said.  He vanished quickly; knowing Ares was a very dangerous god to be near now.

"Hey bro, how are ya?" Apollo asked, smiling brightly.

Ares dove over his altar and charged at Apollo.  He grabbed the sun god by his vest and slammed him into a pillar.  He let out a roar and yanked Apollo away from it, then threw him away.  He heard the god hit the far wall and turned to face him.

"I see you're just as happy as always." Apollo coughed, getting up.

"You lied to me." Ares hissed, stalking toward his brother.

"How so?"

Apollo tried to leave, knowing Ares was lethally mad now.  He watched an evil smile cross his brother's lips when he couldn't.  Something kept him from leaving the temple.  He glared at his brother, wondering how he had trapped him here.

"Leaving so soon?" Ares asked.

"Never crossed my mind," Apollo said, moving away from Ares. "You're such a great conversationalist."

Ares threw a blast of power at Apollo, catching him square in the chest.  Apollo flew away from his brother, landing hard on the throne.  A band of metal locked around the sun god's waist and wrists, holding him in place.

"What'd I lie about?" Apollo asked.

"Lauren's mother." Ares growled, approaching the bound god.

"But...."

"She has Olympian blood!"

Apollo stared at Ares in shock.  He never knew this. Though he hadn't been able to sense much of anything from Lauren anyway.  He pressed back in Ares' throne when the point of the god's sword touched his throat.

"'Olympian blood'," he asked confused. "How is that possible?"

"Her mother was Olympian, you dolt." Ares hissed.

"But who...."

"I think you know."

Apollo stared at Ares, contemplating what he had been told.  There was only one explanation, but it didn't make sense.

"Impossible." he said.

"Really," Ares asked. "Think of how our sister, Athena, was born and then tell me how many impossible these things can be."

"I meant that even if it were, she would have died anyway.  Nothing can survive the fire of a phoenix dying.  It burns almost as hot as Olympian fire."

"Maybe so, but something came out of that fire other than a baby phoenix."

"Hey!"

Apollo tried to grab Ares when he started to leave. The restraints held him securely.

"Something else you wish to tell me?" Ares said, putting his sword away.

"Yeah," Apollo said. "Let me go?"

"I think I'll leave you like this.  That look is definitely you."

Apollo yelled in anger when Ares vanished.  He tried to teleport out of the metal restraints, but they wouldn't let him go.  He sighed, knowing Hephaestus had made them and that only he or Ares could release them.

*******

Ares reappeared in the Underworld, hoping he wouldn't find Lauren as a resident here.  Sensing Olympian blood in her veins, he was certain she had indeed avoided the one-way trip here that Semele had earned when she saw Zeus' true form.  He didn't think his uncle would allow him to take Lauren's soul back to the living world as Bacchus had done with Semele.  He made his way into Hades' castle and to the throne room.

Hades had just entered the room and sat down on his throne.  Ares was certain that Hades looked quite uncomfortable right now.  This drew his curiosity.  He drew closer, drawing his uncle's attention.

"What is it now, Ares?" Hades asked, sounding annoyed.

"I demand to see Kamala." Ares said.

"I cannot allow that.  She...."

"I know that, but this is very important, uncle.  She may hold a valuable piece of information that I can't get anywhere else."

"She has been through enough in her life.  All she wants is to have all gods leave her alone.  I assured her that I would be the only one who ever bothered her.  I don't want to disrupt her life here."

"Uncle, please.  If there were any other way to do this, I would.  She's the only one who can help me now."

Hades sighed, leaning back in his throne.  He had rarely heard such an impassioned plea from his nephew.  After meeting with Lauren himself, he could see why Ares felt so strongly about her.  He rubbed his eyes, knowing that either way he was going to cause great harm to one person on either side of this.

"Go ahead," he said finally in a low voice. "But make your visit brief.  I don't want to cause her more stress than she's already suffered in life."

"I give you my word," Ares said. "I will only stay long enough to learn what I need to, then I will leave her in peace."

Hades waved a hand and a portal opened near Ares.  He watched the war god enter the Elysian Fields, then fell back in his throne, deep in thought.  He couldn't help feeling the way Ares did.  He would have done the same thing in his nephew's place for Lauren.  It was hard to deny her anything because of her beauty and her charming personality.  He knew that if she had died from seeing Ares' true form, he would have had a hard time denying her request to be returned to her body.  He was having a difficult enough time trying to not go after her to get a taste of her passion.

********

Ares looked around the Elysian Fields, watching the inhabitants wandering around in blissful peace.  He reached out with his mind, trying to locate the soul of Kamala.  His search faltered when a hand slid down his arm.  He turned to see a young woman standing beside him, smiling happily.

"You're a handsome one." she purred.

"And you're a very smart one." he smiled, cupping the side of her face.

"Would you like to come visit with me?"

"As much as I'd enjoy that, little one, I must go see someone.  I have only a brief time to visit here."

"Maybe later then, handsome."

The young woman wandered away, glancing back to look at Ares every so often.  Ares chuckled at her.  She couldn't have been more than nineteen summers, which was tragic, but she had ended up here, which was a blessing.  Any loose soul in Tartarus would have made this one's afterlife a true horror if she had ended up there.  Refocusing his attention, he located Kamala's soul and headed further into the Fields.

Female inhabitants and a few of the male ones tried to stop him on his way to see Kamala.  They all found him very attractive and wanted to have a nice, long visit with him.  His only trouble was that he couldn't indulge them and had to send them all away.  It was hard to do that when they were all were so willing to be played with.  He finally came to a single soul far away from everyone else.

The young woman was hardly much older than Lauren was and just as gorgeous.  Her hair was a rich auburn and Ares could see a striking resemblance between them. They could easily be mistaken for sisters.  She looked over the rippling pool before her, enjoying the peaceful serenity around her.  Sensing eyes on her, she turned to see Ares and panicked, scurrying back from him.

"Who are you?" she asked in fear.

"I won't harm you, Kamala." Ares said, drawing closer.

"You're a god, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am Ares, God of War."

"You're Apollo's brother."

"Correct."

"Stay away from me."

Ares dodged a rock she threw at him.  Reacting on pure instinct, he charged forward and grabbed her before she could run off.  He held her firmly, not wanting her to run away.  He growled when she kicked at his legs and anything else that she could reach.

"Would you stop that, please," he asked. "I said I wasn't going to hurt you.  I am not like Apollo.  And Hades gave me his permission to come visit you."

Kamala seemed to relax at that knowledge.  She stopped kicking at him, but remained tense in his grip.  She stared into his eyes, fearing he would turn on her at any moment.

"Now, I'm going to let you go," he said. "Are you going to stay put?"

"Yes." she said.

Ares released her and stepped back.  He watched Kamala, expecting her to run off.  He was impressed when she stayed put as she said she would.

"I must ask you something about your past," he said. "It might be uncomfortable what I may ask of you, though.  So, I would like to apologize right now for what I'm about to ask."

"Go ahead." she said.

"Did you once leave Apollo for a pirate?"

"Yes.  And no matter what anyone else says about Dathon, he was a kind and gentle man.  He only became dangerous when he was mad...."

"You don't have to defend him to me, my dear."

"I'm sorry.  What else do you want to know?"

Ares pulled the pouch from his vest and removed the necklace from it.  He held it out to Kamala.  Before he said anything, he saw shock and recognition cross her face.  He could tell that she knew this necklace very well.  And she didn't look too happy to see it.

"Where did you get that?" she asked.

"So, this is yours?" he replied.

"It was.  I lost it before coming here."

"Do you wish it back?"

"No, you can keep it.  Better yet, give it back to the jerk who gave it to me."

"That would be Apollo, right?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, if you don't want this necklace, why did you keep it after leaving Apollo?"

"I don't know, I just did.  Maybe because I like the phoenix.  Even though that's the bird that killed me."

"Ah, I understand.  You are certain you don't wish to have this necklace back?"

"No.  Do what you will with it.  I don't want it anymore."

"Very well."

Ares put the necklace back in its pouch and put it away.  He was actually glad that Kamala didn't want it back.  He wanted to return it to Lauren.  He had kept it far too long already and knew she deserved to have it back.

"What else did you wish to ask me about?" Kamala asked.

"This may be a very odd question," Ares said. "But did you have any powers while you lived?"

"Besides attracting all sorts of men?"

"Yes."

"Occasionally I could pick up on something someone felt, but I had to concentrate on them.  I usually ended up giving myself a headache trying to pick up on someone's emotions so I rarely used them."

Ares spoke to her in Olympian, asking her if she could understand him.  She surprised him by giving him a very confused look.  She had no idea what he was saying.  He could clearly see that on her face.  This didn't make sense.  If this was Lauren's mother, she should have understood him.  He could sense the woman's bloodlines.  She was a naiad and definitely had Olympian blood.  There were also markers in her blood that were too similar to Lauren's to be a coincidence.   What he didn't understand was why she didn't understand the language of the gods, or even recognize it.  How could she not know it and Lauren did if they weren't mother and child?

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing," Ares said. "Don't worry about it.  I need to ask something peculiar of you."

"Go ahead."

"Do know a lullaby that sounds like this?"

Ares sent a telepathic message to Kamala, letting her hear the lullaby Lauren had sung.  Only this time it was in Greek, rather than in Olympian.  He saw a smile cross Kamala's face.  The sound of the lullaby seemed to bring her such peace.

"Yes," Kamala said. "It's one I sang for myself when I was feeling low.  Thank you for letting me hear it again.  It's been years since I heard it."

"You're welcome." Ares said.

A box appeared in his hand and offered it to Kamala. He wasn't surprised when she gave him a suspicious look.  He smiled when she took it from him.  It showed she had a little more trust in him than she had had when they first met.

"If you ever wish to hear that song again, this box will play it for you." he said.

"Thank you." Kamala said.

"You're welcome.  One thing that puzzles me about you...."

"What's that?"

"If you have such limited empathic powers, how can you keep my uncle out of your mind?"

"I've always been able to sense people trying to read me and block them out.  In sensing feelings from others I may be weak, but blocking them from sensing things from me, I am quite strong.  I always have been.  It's not something I can really explain."

Ares found that curious.  He would have figured that both her empathic and shielding powers would be similar in strength.  He wondered if she had once had powers that she had never been able to use before she had died.  It made him wonder if Lauren had inherited any of those powers.  He was almost certain that Kamala was somehow Lauren's mother.  Their bloodlines were just too similar to be wrong.  The only piece that he couldn't figure out was how could Lauren have been taught the Olympian language if her mother didn't know it?  Who had taught her the language if it hadn't come from her mother?  This was trying to drive him completely insane trying to figure it out.

"I think I should go now." Ares said.

"I'm glad you showed me that there's at least two decent gods out of all my relatives." Kamala said.

Ares bowed, giving her a very amused grin. "I'm always glad to be of service."

Kamala snickered and watched Ares as he walked off. She didn't turn away till he was out of sight.  Her attention turned back to the box.  Ares had given her the greatest gift.  The lullaby was one she hadn't heard in a long time.  Even when she sang it now it just didn't sound right.  The telepathic message Ares had sent to her sounded just how it should.  She opened the box and was pleasantly surprised to hear that the song sounded just as she wanted it too.  It was indeed a very wonderful gift.

Ares made his way out of the Elysian Fields, feeling Kamala's gaze following him.  He was glad he could make her life here a little more pleasant.  He had wanted to give her something to make up for intruding in her life and making her relive some bad memories. Seeing how much Kamala enjoyed hearing that lullaby once more in her life, he wanted to give her that memory to keep with her always.  Feeling her joy at that helped him feel better about intruding in her peaceful afterlife.

The war god left the Elysian Fields, finding himself once more in Hades' throne room.  He turned to look at his uncle.  The Underworld ruler watched him curiously, as if waiting for him to speak before saying anything himself.

"Thank you." Ares said.

"Of course," Hades said. "Thank you for helping to give her peace.  That song was the greatest gift you could have given her."

"I wanted to give her something that would make up for my intruding in her life."

"I think you helped her find greater peace in this realm with that one gesture."

Ares was surprised.  He didn't see how such a simple gift could help someone so much.  He saw a smile cross the Underworld ruler's face.

"Sometimes the greatest gift is something that is meaningless to the one giving it, nephew." Hades said.

"Well, I'm just glad I could make her happy after scaring her so much." Ares said.

"You did."

"Good.  I'll be going now."

Hades chuckled when Ares vanished.  Ares just didn't handle this kind of situation too well.  Kindness was hard for the war god to get use to or share when it had been rarely shown to him.  Ares was one god who kindness was almost unknown to.  Lauren was helping his nephew learn about that.  Even though he didn't realize it, Ares was returning the favor by helping her learn more about herself and her mother.  Hades only hoped that they could truly help one another with what they really needed.

Part 42

Timeframe:  Takes place during the events of the previous chapter

Sirus glared down at the king.  There was no way out of this to where it would end favorably.  If he killed Iphicles, the guards would kill him.  If he let the king go, either Iphicles, himself, or the guards would kill him.  Either way, he was going to end up very dead.

"If you're going to kill me," Iphicles said suddenly. "Get it over with."

"Are you that ready to die, king?" Sirus asked.

"No, I just would like you to make a decision.  Either kill me or get off of me."

Sirus stared at Iphicles curiously.  He was impressed by how the king reacted to his threatening his life. Iphicles faced death like a Viking would have.  As Sirus would if their roles were reversed.  It wasn't often to encounter a non-Viking who had the courage of one.

Behind him, Sirus sensed one of the king's guards coming too close for his comfort.  He turned his attention away from Iphicles and struck out with his foot, catching the man in the stomach.  The guard went down hard on his back with a loud groan.  He then felt Iphicles grab his wrist, pulling the dagger away from him.  As he turned back to Iphicles, he caught a hard punch to the face that knocked him off of the king. His dagger went flying from his grip, clattering noisily to the floor down the corridor.

Wanting to break the stalemate between Sirus and Iphicles, Pylon moved to distract the Viking.  Drake tried to stop him, knowing it might make Sirus go through with his plan to kill the king.  He jumped when Sirus suddenly turned and kicked Pylon down.

Iphicles took advantage of Sirus' divided attention by grabbing his arm and pulling the dagger away.  When the Viking turned back to him, he punched him across the face as hard as possible.  Sirus was knocked off of Iphicles and the dagger went flying.  The king's relief was short-lived when Sirus leapt onto him and attacked him.  Soon, both Iphicles and Sirus were in a type of wrestling match, each trying to dominate the other.

Sirus and Iphicles finally rolled apart and the guards quickly moved to stand on either side of the Viking. They pointed their swords at his throat and heart, giving him two reasons to stay put.  As Iphicles stood up, he drew his own sword, glaring down at his attacker.  He surprised his guards by ordering them not to kill Sirus.  The only thing that kept him from killing Sirus, or allowing the guards to do so, was the fact that the Viking had spoken of Lauren.

The knowledge that Sirus knew Lauren stilled the king's decision to end his attacker's life.  He wanted to find out how Sirus knew Lauren and why he was after her.  He was picturing Sirus as being after her as Apollo was.  He figured that Sirus wanted to get Lauren by any means necessary.

"How do you know Lauren?" Iphicles asked as Drake took Sirus' sword away.

"I'm not speaking until I see her." Sirus countered defiantly.

"The king asked you a question," Pylon said. "You will answer him."

"I don't have to answer him if I don't wish to."

"Answer him." Drake said.

"Only when I see Lauren."

"You'll have a long wait then," Iphicles said. "She's not here anymore.  I don't know where she was taken."

"I don't believe you."

"How dare you insult the king." Pylon hissed.

"He's not my king.  I don't have to do anything I don't want to."

This man had an odd logic about him.  Iphicles stopped his guards from trying to force Sirus to answer any questions.  He was getting nowhere with him no matter what he said.  He wondered where Sirus had come from. He didn't act like any Greek assassin the king had ever heard about.  He hardly acted like a Greek, period.

"Who are you?" Iphicles asked in a calmer tone, hoping he would get that much.

"Sirus." the Viking said.

"Well Sirus, unless you answer me, I'll have to treat you like any other threat to my life."

"Go ahead.  If I die, I'll die having done what I set out to do."

That worried Iphicles.  Sirus was quite willing to die and was even taunting his captors to kill him.  This kind of opponent was very dangerous to be faced with. They didn't care if they died or not, as long as they took their enemies with them or believed they had already accomplished what they wanted to in life.

"You won't be killed Sirus," Iphicles said. "Not until I get the answers I want."

"Then you will have a long wait, king," Sirus said. "I don't plan to give you any until I get what I want."

"Very well.  I'll let you think over your decision in the dungeon."

A few soldiers came into view, having heard the commotion.  They had been searching other areas for Sirus and were surprised to find him here.  It worried them to see how far he had been able to get in such a short amount of time.  It was even more alarming to know how easily he had gotten to the king.  Even though he was now a prisoner and unable to get away, it bothered them to think about what could have happened.

Iphicles turned to see the soldiers standing nearby. He signaled them to approach and had them take control of Sirus.  He had them take the Viking away.  Once they were out of sight, he fell against the wall, letting out about a breath of relief.  He was greatly relieved that this was over for the moment.

"Are you all right, your highness?" Drake asked, as Iphicles put his sword away.

"I'm fine," the king said. "It just bothers me that he was able to get to me so easily.  He could have easily killed me."

"It won't be allowed to happen again." Pylon said.

"If he bothers you so much," Drake said. "Why are you going so easily on him?"

"I want to speak to him about what he knows concerning Lauren," Iphicles said. "I won't kill him till I know more about him and his connections to her."

"That girl is proving to be more and more of a problem."

"What do you mean by that?"

The king's fierce gaze met Drake's, halting the guard's words.  While he found Lauren quite beautiful, he couldn't help thinking that she was a threat.  Too much had happened to help him believe otherwise.  Even thought she had helped Iphicles earlier, she still could have been a threat in disguise.

"Her arrival is suspicious," Drake explained. "She was just suddenly here.  That storm just happened to start while she was here.  Then she just happened to know about the two assassins and where to find them."

"You're reading too much into this, Drake." Iphicles said.

"Forgive me for saying so, but you aren't thinking clearly.  She could be as much of a threat as Sirus."

"She saved my life, remember?  She told me about those assassins...."

"And how did she know about them?  She could have brought them with her...."

"Drake, Lauren is an empath.  She was brought her by Ares' command for her own protection and to help me against Athena and her plans.  She is not a threat."

Drake fell completely silent.  He was stunned by what he had just been told.  Pylon was in a similar state. They had no idea that Lauren had that kind of power. They could also tell that it made Iphicles uncomfortable revealing that news to them.

Iphicles turned and moved away, making his guards rush to catch up to him.  He felt awful about having to reveal what Lauren was.  It angered him that he had to betray Lauren's secret to his guards in order to have her not seen as a threat by them.  He only hoped that they wouldn't treat her differently or tell anyone else about this.  He paused abruptly and faced Drake and Pylon.

"You will not discuss this knowledge with anyone." Iphicles said, a clear threat in his tone.

"Yes sire." Drake and Pylon said together.  They knew Iphicles wasn't kidding with that order.

Iphicles walked away again, hoping they wouldn't betray his order.  He didn't know what he would do if either of them did.  He hoped for the best on that and returned his thoughts to more pressing matters.  He knew the moment that this storm stopped he would be faced with Athena's forces and a war he didn't want. Although he knew this was a deadly storm, he didn't want it to end right now.  It was the only thing preventing the war with the Goddess of War right now.

*******

Sirus was forced down into the dungeon, then into a cell.  He rushed at the soldiers, but stopped when he nearly ran onto an array of swords pointed at him.  He glared at them as they closed the door to his cell. His attention turned away from them as he felt eyes on him.  He barely noticed the guards leaving as he turned his attention on his company.

"Well, well," a familiar voice said. "What have we here?"

"You!" Sirus hissed.

"Seems to be a fallen toy of Ares'."

Toreth came into view in the cell beside his.  Sirus glared at him in rage.  He couldn't believe Ares had sent this here.  This was just asking for trouble. This was the man who had captured Lauren.  If Toreth had escaped, he might have found Lauren and finished what he had started with her.

Sirus made a grab for Toreth through the bars.  He hissed in anger when the ex-general moved out of his reach.  The man was badly bruised with many cuts and other wounds from what Sirus had done to him earlier. He was still able to move too well for Sirus' liking. This was a man he wanted to have broken into a thousand pieces.

"I'm surprised you're able to stand." Sirus commented.

"I've had worse than what you did to me." Toreth said.

The Viking growled at him and made another grab for the annoyance as he came closer.  He grabbed only air as Toreth stepped back out of reach once more.  Toreth was taunting him by daring him to grab at him and get him in any way possible.  The ex-general knew how much Sirus hated him and used it to his advantage to irritate the Viking.

"You must have really disappointed Ares after you dealt with me." Toreth said.

"I don't know," Sirus countered, stepping back. "I was just a toy Ares used to 'demote' one of his generals. Who had the worse thing happen to them?"

At the moment, Sirus didn't care that he had been used by Ares for the god's own pleasure.  Toreth had been far more humiliated that he had been.  And he could plainly see that on Toreth's face.  That helped him feel better after been used for the god's perverse pleasures.  What really amused him was that Toreth had no reply to his words.  He had wounded the man far more than any physical wound he had given him.

Timeframe:  Now

Strife appeared in the castle near the throne room. He didn't know why Ares couldn't have done this himself.  He didn't know what he would do even if he could find Sirus.  That Viking scared him.  He was now thinking that Ares' obsession with Lauren was distracting him too much to think clearly and about the more important things.

Ares didn't normally depend on him so much like this. It unsettled Strife to have his uncle put so much faith in his abilities.  While he liked this, he knew that there was always a greater chance of him screwing this up with the great importance that this had.  He had caught Apollo by surprise, which was the only reason he had been able to capture him and take him to Ares so easily.  He wasn't too sure how long his luck would hold out through this.

"Uncle, when this is all over, we are going to have a long talk about you and your obsessions," he said to himself.

Sensing the king's presence, Strife slipped into the throne room.  He blanched and jumped back when everyone turned to look at him.  He had forgotten to cloak himself and now everyone knew he was there.

"Hello." he said nervously.

"Strife," Iphicles said. "Why are you back here?"

"Uh, well...."

Iphicles had Strife follow him into his study, leaving his guards outside.  He didn't want them to hear what he was about to discuss with the godling.  He had enough to worry about with them.

"Where is Lauren?" he asked the moment the door closed.

"I have a better question," Strife said as the king faced him. "Where's Sirus?"

"How do you know that he's here?"

Strife realized he had just made a big error asking about Sirus.  He yelped when Iphicles grabbed him and slammed him into the wall.  He gulped when saw a very Ares look on the king's face.

"You sent him here?" Iphicles snarled.

He sounded exactly as Ares did when he was enraged. It scared Strife to hear him speak in that tone.  He let himself slide to the floor as Iphicles released him.  He looked up at the king, cringing under his fierce gaze.  Those who said Iphicles could be Ares' twin or even his son were very accurate.  He could see Ares in this man.

"Start talking, Strife." Iphicles said.

"Uh, what do you want to know, Unc," Strife asked. "I mean, king."

"How did Sirus get here?"

"I...I brought him here."

Iphicles reached down and grabbed Strife by the collar.  He picked him up and slammed him into the wall once more.

"You what?!" he roared.

"Are you all right, your highness?" Pylon asked, cracking the door open.

"I'm fine, Pylon.  But you may wish to inform the servants that they might need to mop in here later."

"Very good, sir."

Strife paled when heard that.  He heard the door close and feared what Iphicles would do next.  He yelped again when the king suddenly dropped him on the floor and moved away.

"Explain yourself," Iphicles said, facing Strife. "And make it fast."

"I brought him here," Strife said. "He made me.  He caught me when I went to see what he was doing out in the storm.  I only brought him to the city gates.  He made his own entrance.  Can I leave now?"

"No.  You didn't happen to bring those two assassins here, did you?"

"What assassins?"

"Nothing.  Never mind."

"So, what'd ya do with Sirus?"

"He's in the dungeon with that man Ares had sent here."

"Just as long as they're not in the same cell.  Sirus and Toreth loathe one another."

"Why?"

"Long story."

Iphicles decided not to inquire further about this. His men had discovered Toreth in his dungeon shortly after the man's arrival.  The man was out cold and a note was around his neck addressed to the king.  All it had said was that the man was to be left there and not let out for anything.  Ares had signed it, so Iphicles had decided to do as Ares had asked, hoping the war god would explain later.  He hadn't had the chance to ask Ares about it, but wasn't in much of a rush to do so anyway.  He had almost forgotten about him before Strife had mentioned him.

"Why did Ares send Toreth here?" Iphicles asked.

"He did something stupid and really infuriated my uncle." Strife replied.

"If I asked 'what', would it be a long answer?"

"Probably."

"Don't worry about it then.  Just tell me, where is Lauren?"

"Safe."

"That tells me little.  Last I saw, Ares had kidnapped her."

"She's safe.  That's all Unc told me."

Iphicles sighed.  "Safe" in Ares' terms could mean anything.  Lauren could have been in one of Ares' temples, the Halls of War, somewhere on Mount Olympus, or who knows where.  He rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking at Strife once more.  This was really giving him a headache.

"Does your uncle want to help me with Athena," he asked. "Or just drive me crazy?"

"Well, he's quite obsessed with Lauren," Strife said. "That's kind of occupying his thinking right now."

"That's just great.  His obsessions are really dangerous."

"Tell me about it."

Strife got to his feet.  He watched the king, unsure if he was still in danger or not.  He was ready to vanish out of the room if he had to.  He only stayed put because he knew Iphicles needed the answers he was giving him.  He also wanted to keep Ares' obsession from up splitting the king and his uncle.  Everyone on Olympus knew these two were made for one another.  And Strife wasn't going to allow his uncle to lose one of his favorites.

"What is Ares doing now?" Iphicles asked, knowing he might regret the answer.

"Beating the snot out of Apollo." Strife said.

"If anyone deserves it, he certainly tops the list."

"Yeah.  Look, I hate to be a nag, but can I go now? You're safe with Sirus on ice.  You don't need me."

"Go on.  Just don't bring anymore potential threats here."

"You got it."

Strife vanished in a flash of light.  Thunder crashed across the sky, louder than any other before.  Moments later, Strife fell to the floor before Iphicles.  He got up and looked around, then tried to leave once more.  Lightning blazed across his body, knocking him to the floor.  Something kept him from leaving the castle.

"All right," he said. "I guess I'll stay here."

"What happened?" Iphicles asked.

"I have no idea.  I tried to leave, but something threw me back here.  I think I'm stuck here."

Iphicles didn't look at all pleased with this development.  "Wonderful."

"Hey!  How do you think I feel?"

Iphicles turned and stalked out of the room.  Strife quickly got to his feet and rushed after him.  He didn't know what was going on, but he knew he didn't want to be left alone.

"Have Sirus brought to me now," Iphicles said to the soldiers at the far door. "I want answers from him now."

"Yes sir." the two said, then went to carry out his orders.

Iphicles sat down on his throne.  He stared at Strife as he sat down on the dais.  He started to say something, but changed his mind.  Strife had enough bothering him without him adding to it.  He sat back in his throne, allowing Strife to mope where he was.

********

Sirus was shoved into the throne room by one of his "escorts".  The soldier pointed his pike at the Viking when he turned a glare on him.  Chains were now on Sirus, but no one was sure if they would stop him if he tried to attack anyone.  He had broken them before and could very well do it again if he wanted to.

"Boo!" Sirus said loudly, startling the already jittery soldier.

He chuckled then turned to continue to the throne. His gaze then fell on Strife.  Fierce anger crossed his expression.  He moved toward the godling, but was stopped by the soldiers behind him, who believed he was trying to get to the king.

"What are you doing here, Strife?" Sirus asked, glaring at him.

"Why is no one ever happy to see me?" Strife almost whined.

"Do you really want an answer to that?" Iphicles asked him.

"Not really."

Iphicles stared at Sirus as he approached.  The man's courage and his skill impressed him.  It was kind of spooky how this man could have come so close in ending his life.  He tried not to think about that.  But being faced with Sirus once more, the king found it difficult to think of anything else.

"Stop there," Drake said when Sirus was a short distance from the throne. "And kneel."

"I'd rather stand." Sirus said.

The king stopped his men from forcing Sirus to kneel. He had a feeling that would only spark the man's temper.  He didn't want to have a fight on his hands. He didn't know if even Strife's powers would be able to stop this man.

"Now tell me, how do you know Lauren?" Iphicles asked.

"Lauren is a friend of mine," Sirus said. "I've known her for many years.  I was told she was here and I wanted to see her."

"Why did that involve attacking our king?" Drake asked angrily.

"What would you do if someone kidnapped your best friend after they had an army attack your home village?"

That question seemed to shut Drake up.  He didn't know how to respond to Sirus' inquiry.  Iphicles looked at Drake, silently warning him to take care of how he spoke to Sirus.  Strife surprised him by not commenting on the developments here.  The godling was truly bothered by why he couldn't leave the castle.

"You and Ares are keeping Lauren a prisoner," Sirus said suddenly, giving Iphicles a fierce look. "You are using her attraction to your advantage.  You're as bad as the God of War, himself."

Iphicles stared at Sirus in surprise.  Someone had totally confused the details with Sirus.  He had an idea who had confused those details, but he couldn't be too sure.  There was just too much confusion as is to really know for certain without Sirus telling him anything more.

"Something wrong, king?" Sirus asked, noting Iphicles' distraction.

"Who told you this?" Iphicles replied.

"What does it matter?  It's true, isn't it?"

"No, it's not.  I don't know who told you this, but you've got it all wrong.  Believe me."

Sirus fell silent when the king said that.  Could what Apollo had told him all be a lie?  He had good reason to doubt the sun god's word.  He was certain that Apollo had his own reasons for getting to Lauren by any means necessary.  Anger surged within him as he realized a god he hated had just used him.

"What's wrong, Sirus?" Iphicles asked, seeing the anger filling the Viking's eyes.  He could tell this wasn't directed at him this time.

"Apollo told me about the kidnapping." Sirus admitted, meeting the king's gaze.

"That explains it."

"What?  That I'm a sap?"

"I wouldn't call it that."

"I would." a soldier muttered behind him, unable to help himself.

He jumped back when the Viking whirled on him.  He stepped back as Sirus stepped toward him.  Only the other soldiers stepping in and halting the Viking's progress saved him from the death he saw in Sirus' eyes.

"Leave us," Iphicles said. "You will cooperate, won't you, Sirus?"

"Yes," Sirus said, keeping his gaze on the soldier. "Only Apollo and this little annoyance who doesn't know when to shut his trap have anything to worry about from me."

"I'll take care of him later.  Guards, leave us."

Except for the king's personal guards, all of the soldiers left.  Iphicles decided to give Sirus the benefit of the doubt.  The man had been lied to and used by Apollo.  He would be a little lenient with this man, knowing what had pushed him to threaten his life.  But that leniency would only go so far.  This man had still threatened his life, and that gave him paused when he thought about trusting him or not.

"Apollo is after Lauren," Iphicles said, once the doors to the throne room closed. "From what I've heard, he already tried to take her from here before Ares stopped him."

"Only because Ares wants her for himself." Sirus said, turning his complete attention back to the king.

Iphicles didn't have a reply for that.  He knew how much Ares wanted Lauren.  Ares had taken her from the castle to only the gods know where.  If anyone was guilty of kidnapping, it was definitely Ares.

Sirus turned away the king when thunder rumbled across the sky.  Never had he seen a storm go on for so long.  He moved over to the window.  The chains did little to stop him or slow him down, causing the king's guards some alarm.  They were ready for anything from this Viking, despite his saying that he wouldn't attack the king.  Sirus simply went to the window and opened the shutters.

Looking out at the storm, Sirus found himself unable to look away from it.  He was startled when a pair of eyes looked back at him from the clouds as lightning lit up the sky.  He jumped back when lightning suddenly struck the castle towers, tearing off one of the flagpoles.

With a loud crash, the metal pole fell to the ground, passing in front of the open window before Sirus. Thunder boomed loudly in the sky as the pole fell. Behind him, Sirus could tell that the lightning strike had startled everyone behind him greatly.  He turned to face the group behind him.

"I think you have bigger problems than I brought here, king," he said.

"I second that." Strife said.

"Close that window." Iphicles commanded Sirus.

Sirus gave Iphicles a sour look, then turned to do as he had been told.  He looked at the clouds once more. He wondered if what he had seen was real or just a trick of the storm.  He studied the clouds for a moment.  He wanted to see those eyes again to prove he hadn't been seeing things.

"He said, close the window," Drake said. "Not admire the storm."

"Scared of storm demons?" Sirus taunted.

"Just close the window, Sirus," Strife grumbled. "We already have one war to worry about.  We don't need another."

"Fine."

Sirus closed the shutters and locked them back.  He turned back to face the group behind him, moving away from the window.  He didn't want to be standing in front of it if the storm blew it back open.  He didn't trust them to stay closed, even when locked, with the way the wind was blowing so wildly outside.

"Would your war have anything to do with Athena?" Sirus asked.

"Yes," Iphicles said. "Why?  What do you know of it?"

"Not much.  I simply gathered from her actions that she's planning something for Corinth.  She didn't tell me much.  She's not too pleased with me."

"Why?"

"He killed one of her soldiers." Strife informed him.

"What for?"

"I didn't like his attitude." Sirus said.

"Do I want to know how he died?" Iphicles found himself asking.

"Probably not." Strife replied.

Iphicles looked over at Sirus.  The Viking returned his gaze, but said nothing.  He didn't feel much remorse about killing Athena's soldier.  The man had provoked Sirus in the wrong way and paid for it with his life.  Provoking a Viking as that man had was highly dangerous.

"Don't worry, king," Sirus said. "It takes a lot to get me that angry.  And I don't plan on killing you."

"You'll forgive me if that doesn't inspire my confidence."

"I'd consider you a fool if you thought otherwise."

Iphicles' guards glared at Sirus.  They were not at all pleased with what he had said.  Even in jest, having a prisoner speak that way concerned them. Sirus, himself, concerned them.  He seemed too casual with his threats and his previous actions.

"Look," Sirus said finally, stepping away from the wall. "I'm not after you anymore, Iphicles.  I know now that you are innocent of what Apollo told me you had done.  I give you my word I won't attack you again."

"I'd take his word for that," Strife said, facing Iphicles. "I don't think his kind make promises like that too lightly."

"We don't."

"What kind of people is that?" Pylon asked.

"I'm partly Viking."

"I'd say mostly Viking with the way you act." Strife said, facing Sirus once more.

Iphicles had heard of the Vikings from his brother, Hercules.  He had heard enough to suggest that the Vikings were a lot like the Amazons.  Sirus had demonstrated that this analogy was quite accurate.

"I believe you," Iphicles said. "But I still must send you back to the dungeon.  You attacked me and threatened my life.  Those are serious crimes."

"I understand." Sirus said.

"Pylon, have Sirus taken back to his cell."

"Yes, sir." Pylon said.

Sirus went quietly with Pylon.  He knew he would be facing a great sentence for what he had done.  He didn't think too much about that though.  He kept thinking back to the storm and what he had seen in it.  Those eyes had seemed so real; too real to a hallucination or a trick of the storm.  It was just too much of a coincidence that the eyes had appeared just before the lightning had torn off one of the castle's flagpoles.  He continued to think about that as he was returned to his cell.

Part 43

Athena growled in frustration as she tried to figure this storm out.  It had started at the exact time when her troops were about to march on Corinth.  She knew there was a godly force behind it, but she couldn't decipher its signature.  Surely the other pantheons realized this was none of their affair and shouldn't be getting involved with this.  This was testing the limits of her tight control over her emotions.

As she was looking over the plans for her attack on Corinth, something slammed through her mind, knocking her off balance.  She put a hand to her head, processing what she had felt down till it made more sense to her.  As it had arrived, it was a big jumble of sensations.  As she processed it, she could feel that a huge release of power was flowing across the land like a tidal wave.  She barely registered much from it before it was past her.  She reached out with her mind, trying to read more from the energy wave before it was gone completely.  She sensed its previous path before it faded away too far for her to read anymore.

Sensing where it had originated, Athena's eyes narrowed.  There was only one thing in the area where that energy explosion had come from--the Halls of War.  Ares was up to something.  Needing to know what she was now up against, she decided to go check it out herself.  She didn't want to risk sending one of her spies to check it out.  She didn't want to risk the lives of any of her spies or warriors by sending them to the Halls of War.  If the weather didn't kill them, Ares certainly would.

Vanishing from her stronghold, Athena teleported directly to the entrance to the Halls.  Something kept her from appearing in the Halls itself.  As she approached, an energy field spilled into view, crackling ominously.  It stung her when she touched it, knocking her back.  She altered her appearance repeatedly as she pressed against the field, trying to trick it into allowing her to enter.  When she had become a screech owl, the smallest bird loyal to her, she was able to slip past the sentry field Ares had thrown up.  Not many gods knew how to trick such a field.  It was difficult to do because the god had to stay pressed right against the field, resisting the urge to move back, while trying to get past it with various shapes and creatures.

Once she was inside the sentry field, Athena made her way into the Halls of War.  Graegus leapt into view suddenly, snarling angrily.  Before he could leap at her, she slung a blast of power at him, hitting him square in the face.  Graegus gave a short, sharp yelp, then fell to the ground asleep.  The goddess then made her way deeper into Ares' private domain.

Athena very rarely came here.  Ares' power was very strong here and it would be quite difficult to defeat him here if she got into a fight with him.  At the moment, she could sense that Ares wasn't here.  Her senses then picked up on an unusual presence.  It felt human, but it didn't seem to actually be one. Intrigued, Athena went to investigate.  It wasn't often that she felt such a curious presence.

*******

Lauren gasped in pain as the world returned to her. She let out a sharp cry, grabbing her skull, trying to block out the pain screaming through it.  She grabbed a pillow, slapping it down over her head.  Her knuckles turned white from the grip she held it with. Slowly, the pain in her head became bearable, allowing her to pick up on other things around her.

Curiously, she sniffed at the pillow she had been holding.  She almost purred at the inviting scent on it.  She then looked around the room.  Nothing looked familiar to her.  Tossing the pillow aside, she sat up, ignoring the easing pain in her head.  Her mind was only allowing her to think of one thing--where was she?  She didn't know where she was.  This place did, however, smell very nice.

Lauren moved across the bed, noticing how part of it held onto her.  She touched the sheet, feeling its silkiness.  She tugged at it, trying to pull it off of her.  She moved back, but it wouldn't let go of her. With an angered yell, she grabbed the sheet and ripped it to shreds.  She crawled away from the destroyed sheet, looking around the room.  She was curious why she was here and how she came here.  She had absolutely no clue of how she had gotten here.

Getting up, Lauren moved around the room, touching everything she could, curious about what it felt like.  She then moved toward the door.  Her hands slid over the door, as if she were trying to figure out how it worked.  She knew this was the way out, but she didn't seem to know how it worked.  Pushing against it, she tried to make it open.  She grew frustrated with it very quickly.

Angrily, Lauren started to claw at the door.  When that didn't work, she began beating on it with her fists.  Growing more and more frustrated, she started yelling angrily at it.  Her language made little sense.  It was an incoherent blend of every language she had ever known, mixed with nonsensical phrases that were full of the rage she felt.  She soon started trying to smash the door open with her side.  Pain answered her every time she hit the door, but she paid it little heed.  All she wanted and cared about was getting this door open.

The door suddenly opened and Lauren was faced with a beautiful armored woman with piercing gray eyes, who was staring at her quite curiously.  Lauren let out an enraged yell and leapt at the woman before her.  She attacked her for all she was worth, trying to keep the woman from getting an edge on her.  She yelled when the woman suddenly threw her off, sending her flying. She landed with a groan before a massive throne.

*******

Athena had located the source of the strange presence.  There was a young woman here.  That didn't surprise her.  It must have been one of Ares' newest conquests.  Perhaps this was the woman she had heard about from Sirus.  She was curious when she sensed anger and panic from the woman.  It made her wonder if this one was in trouble.  She then heard fists, then a body slamming into a door.  This was definitely a sign of trouble.  It sounded like Lauren was far from pleased to be here.

Listening, Athena located the room where Lauren was trapped.  It was behind the massive throne.  She approached it, ready for anything.  If Ares had her imprisoned here, he probably had guards, other than Graegus, to make sure she stayed here.  She didn't feel anyone, save for Lauren.  And what she felt from Lauren was beginning to concern her.  She seemed on the verge of total panic as she tried to get the door open.

Quickly, the Goddess of Wisdom went to the door and grabbed the knob; surprised to find it unlocked.  She opened the door and saw Lauren.  The woman was naked and appeared to be completely crazed by whatever Ares had done to her.  Before she could say one word, Lauren dove onto her, tackling her to the ground. Lauren clawed and hit and did everything else she could to inflict an injury on Athena.  Grabbing the animal-woman attacking her, she threw her away from her, hearing her hit the floor in front of the throne.

Athena flipped up onto her feet, turning to face the throne.  When Lauren didn't get up quickly, she grew concerned.  She approached cautiously, unsure if this was a trap or not.  Lauren suddenly charged into view, glaring at the goddess.  Something about her eyes didn't seem quite right to the goddess.  She didn't seem to all be there.

Ares had driven Lauren mad with whatever torture he had subjected her to.  Athena directed what anger she had had at Lauren back to Ares, who was the cause of her current status.  As Lauren prepared to attack her again, the goddess hit her with a bolt of power. Instead of harming her or throwing her away, the energy simply clothed her.  The outfit resembled one that her warrior archers wore.

If this battle continued to go on, Athena knew that she would seriously wound Lauren.  She could already feel that her opponent had several bruised ribs from when she had been thrown.  The armor of the clothing Athena had given her would provide her with at least some protection.

Athena knew she couldn't hold anything against Lauren for her attacks right now.  She wasn't in full control of her faculties.  She was closer to being one of the Horde right now than the woman she had probably been before Ares' torturing of her.  The goddess would make Ares pay for causing such damage to an innocent woman.  Right now, she felt Lauren was just an innocent bystander in the middle of this.  She was just someone Ares was attracted to and was being used by him for his own pleasures.

Enraged by the goddess' actions, Lauren grabbed a sword lying on the arm of Ares' throne.  She yelled in anger, charging at Athena.  She swung the sword like a club, making her opponent retreat to keep away from the razor-sharp blade.  She stumbled back when Athena drew her sword and fought back.  That only proved to further infuriate her.  There seemed to be little that swayed her desire to attack.  She was enraged at the slightest provocation.

While Athena didn't counterattack, she sent Lauren stumbling with the force of her blocks.  She didn't want to harm Lauren; she wanted to keep her back till she could figure out how to help her.  Dealing with someone this far gone was a job for Apollo, not her. But she wasn't sure if Apollo could figure out how to heal this damage.  She wondered if even Zeus could undo the damage that Ares had done to her.  That furthered Athena's desire to make Ares pay for doing this.

A flash of light drew Athena's attention.  The source of her anger was now here.  Shoving Lauren away, she threw a ball of lightning at him.  Ares dodged the blast, letting it strike a shield on the wall behind him and dissipate.  She nearly lost her balance as Lauren angrily attacked her once more.

Ares glared at Athena as the goddess resumed her battle with Lauren.  He didn't know how this battle had started, but he could tell that Lauren was slowly losing it.  He watched them for a moment, waiting for the right time.  He threw a blast of power at his sister, throwing her away.

Lauren whirled on him when her opponent was taken away from her.  She surprised him by suddenly coming at him and attacking him.  Ares caught her wrists in his hands, forcing her to release the sword.  He then held her tightly as she fiercely tried to get free.  He caught pieces of recognizable speech in her confused rabble, but they made little to no sense in the mess it came out of.  He let out a yell as she managed to bring one of his arms close enough to bite him.  She bit him hard enough to draw blood.  He snarled in anger and pulled her away, tearing his arm open.

"What did you do to her?" Athena asked as Ares threw Lauren aside.

When Lauren hit the floor, she inadvertently swallowed the mouthful of blood she had gotten from Ares.  She was left choking at its strong, iron taste.  It made her head swim as it burned through her insides.  She looked back at Ares in surprise as he faced down Athena, too dazed to continue her attack on either of them.

"I did nothing to her." Ares said.

He kept his attention divided between Athena and Lauren.  He kept expecting Lauren to attack him again while he was battling his sister.  He knew that the way Lauren was now was his fault, but he wasn't about to let on to Athena about that.  He knew how his sister would react.

"If you did nothing to her," Athena said. "Why is she like this?"

Ares looked over at Lauren.  The instant their eyes met, she tried to attack him.  Quickly, the war god slashed an arm at her, catching her in energy chains. They grabbed her at the wrists and ankles, dropping her back to the floor as they shortened and connected to the stone, keeping her there.  She hissed at him as he turned away from her to look back at Athena.

"I don't know what happened to her, but I did not do this." he lied.

Lauren roared in anger, trying to attack both gods. Each time she tried, the chains held fast, keeping her where she was.  It made her more and more frustrated and angry as she tried to get free and failed each time.  She was cursing angrily at Ares in her garbled language for trapping her here.

"I certainly hope you didn't do this to her," Athena said. "I'd hate to have you face another tribunal."

"Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you, Athy?" Ares purred, using a nickname he knew his sister despised.

Athena seethed in anger.  She forced herself to back out of this growing battle between them.  She knew Ares was trying to push her into a fight she wouldn't win here.  Here, where Ares' powers were stronger than normal, she didn't have much of a chance in defeating him.  She vanished in a flash of light, drawing Lauren's curiosity.

Once Athena was gone, Ares turned to look at Lauren. He knew he was responsible for this.  He was to blame for what Lauren was now going through.  Seeing his true form, combined with feeling the power of his godhood, had completely ripped away her sanity. Looking into her eyes, he could see that she didn't recognize him.  She saw him only as a threat to herself, rather than as the god she had been attracted to so fiercely.

"Lauren," he said gently. "I know you can't understand me, but I wish to say that I'm sorry.  I didn't know this would happen.  If I had, I wouldn't have taken you so greedily."

Lauren stared at him curiously.  While she didn't understand his words as a whole, his tone translated a bit of calm to her.  When he stepped toward her, though, she reacted as if he were a threat.  She strained against the chains with all her might until they finally snapped.

Ares had sensed her calming.  He stepped toward her, hoping to calm her further.  He didn't anticipate her seeing that as a threat.  When she broke free of the chains, he stepped back in surprise.  There was little that could break them.  He caught her as she leapt at him.  Her inertia sent him toppling over onto his back.  He stared up at her in surprise.  He snarled in angered pain as she sliced him across the face with her nails, leaving long, deep, cuts.  With a hiss, he grabbed her and threw her off.

Lauren landed in a crouch on all fours.  She was very catlike in her movements and actions.  Ares got to his feet, watching her closely.  He knocked her to the floor when she tried to tackle him to the ground once more.  He let out a yell of rage when she bit his leg as hard as she had his arm.  Only his pants kept her from piercing his skin again.

Angrily, Ares reached down and yanked her away from him, throwing her aside.  He could tell she understood only the most basic of things now.  She was working on pure instinct now, not understanding much around her. She was as close to the Horde race now as one could get without actually being one.

"Settle down, little one," he said gently. "I'm not your enemy."

Lauren moved back a few steps, watching him closely. He was a greater challenge than she had first thought.  He watched her with equal intensity.  It let her know that she had to be careful in her attacks on him.  She suddenly rushed into the shadows, seeming to dare him to follow her.

Ares knew this was a trap, but followed her anyway. He wanted to keep her from running into Graegus, who he sensed was beginning to wake up from Athena's attack.  In her present condition, she would attack his pet and endanger her life by enraging the great dog.  He was also enjoying this battle on one level. He hadn't ever faced anyone who was this distanced from their civilized self and her instinctive responses intrigued him.

As he stepped into the shadows, Lauren leapt onto his back.  She bit his neck hard, digging her knees into his sides as he tried to shake her loose.  Her nails bit into his arms in an attempt to help her keep her grip on him.  She grunted when he slammed her into the pillar behind her.  She released her bite and quickly wrapped her legs tightly around his waist to keep her from falling off.

Ares grabbed her legs, trying to loosen her death grip on him.  Lauren wrapped one arm around his neck, yanking his head back.  As she reached for his jaw with her free hand, Ares grabbed both of her wrists. He slammed her into the pillar once more, shaking her legs loose.  He then yanked her forward, throwing her away from him.  Her shriek ended in a pained groan as she hit the floor.

"Demon cat," he hissed. "Don't make me break you to stop you."

Moving back out into view, Ares went to look for Lauren.  He sent his sword away so he wouldn't be tempted to use it on her.  He knew he could easily kill her with a defensive attack with the blade.  He was surprised that she wasn't where he had thrown her.  She moved fast for an injured woman.  Between him and Athena, Lauren had been wounded greatly.  The many broken and cracked bones Ares had given her over the course of this battle had now joined bruises Athena had given Lauren earlier.  It impressed him that she could be so quick and fierce when she was in great pain.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty." he purred, looking around for her.

Lauren suddenly came into view at the top of one of the pillars.  She watched Ares moving around for her. When he stopped before her perch, she dove down at him.  Ares turned in time to see her.  He caught her and fell to the floor beneath her once more.  He hissed when her full weight landed hard on his groin. Had he been mortal, he was certain the pain would have killed him.

A bright blaze of light drew Lauren's attention as she moved to attack Ares once more.  She looked up in time to see an older man with long white hair and beard, wearing a gray, floor-length royal robe staring down at her.  Seconds later, she yelped in panic as she was suddenly lifted up into the air off of Ares.  She struggled; trying to get free as Ares rolled out from under her and got up.

"Thanks." Ares said in relief.

"Of course." Zeus said.

He teleported Lauren to the altar, commanding the chains to grab her before she could recover from her shock.  Lauren looked at the chains as they locked around her wrists and ankles, then back to Ares and the newcomer.  She drew back a bit as they approached her.  She let out a snarl of warning when they got too close.

"How did you know?" Ares asked.  This was the first time in a very long time he was actually glad to see his father.

"Athena wasn't the only one who sensed this young lovely seeing your true form," Zeus said, finding it difficult to look away from Lauren. "I was close enough to sense it as well."

"Is there a way to undo what's been done to her?"

Ares waved a hand in front of Zeus' face when he didn't get an answer.  He grumbled in anger as he realized his father had fallen under the spell Lauren cast on all the men who saw her.  He stepped in between Zeus and Lauren, feeling her make a swipe at him.  He was just out of her reach, keeping her from injuring him anymore.

"Hello?" he asked impatiently.

"Hmm?" Zeus asked, clearly distracted.

"Dad, she's mine.  You can't have her."

"She's quite lovely.  I compliment your taste."

"She's mine!" Ares was growing more and more possessive of Lauren.

"Oh, very well."

"Dad, seeing my true form stripped away her sanity, her...civility.  Is there a way to undo that damage?"

"Yes.  You took away the control she has over her primitive nature as well as her sanity.  You must give it back to her."

"How?"

"You must become one with her to allow your own godhood heal the damage you've done to her."

"That could do more harm than good."

"It's the only way to get the woman you knew back."

"All right.  I'll try it."

"Good.  Take good care of her, son.  She is my granddaughter, after all."

"Yes, I know.  Now, go away.  What you're asking me to do is very personal."

"Very well."

Ares faced Lauren as Zeus vanished.  She was staring at him curiously.  She had understood only a fraction of what he and Zeus had said.  She was very curious about what was going on and what had been said.

"Ah, so now you stop trying to rip me apart, hmm?" he asked, keeping his tone gentle.

Lauren looked at him curiously.  She jumped back when he reached toward her.  The chains suddenly released her, startling her further.  She looked at Ares once more, noticing he hadn't taken his hand away.  This time, he held in a non-threatening way.  She moved closer to him cautiously, ready to attack him if she had to.

Ares did nothing as she approached him.  Lauren had to willingly allow his touch for him to be able to do what Zeus had suggested.  Her responses were that of a wild animal, and so he had to be very careful with her and treat her that way.  He would let her take as much time as she needed in order to willingly take his offered hand.

"It's all right, kitten," he said in his gentlest voice. "I won't harm you anymore."

Lauren didn't understand his words, but his tone was calming.  She looked at his offered hand once more, then at her own in question.  She reached out and put her own hand in his.  She drew closer, bringing his hand nearer to her, looking it over curiously.  She looked up at Ares, noting a grin on his face.

"You want me closer," he asked, keeping his voice gentle. "You'll soon feel me closer than you ever believed possible."

Lauren gave him a quizzical look.  While she didn't know what he was saying, she felt she could trust him, despite the earlier fight they had had.  Her eyes widened as his human form melted into pure energy that flashed with power.  She tentatively reached out, touching the energy cloud before her.  It felt strange and sent the most curious tingles up her arm.  She jumped back when the cloud came toward her.

The energy wave touched her, soon coaxing her onto her to lay on her back on the altar.  It slid over body, caressing every part of her, making her close her eyes in pleasure.  This was a very pleasurable thing to experience, but could only be done between a god and another being with immortal blood.  Lauren had just enough Olympian blood in her veins it would keep her safe from the mental assault.

Lauren felt the energy bleed into her body, soothing her further with its pleasurable touch.  Her body arched involuntarily as the energy filled her very being.  She let out a gasping moan as the energy slid along her every nerve, turning her body into a vessel of pure pleasure.  The energy struck every point in her body, making her body sing with its power till she could feel nothing else but Ares' pure essence filling her very core.  His power encompassed her very being, letting her feel more of his godhood and power than she had ever felt before.  She cried out as that pleasure suddenly erupted all through her body.

As the energy finally withdrew from her, she collapsed against the altar, passing out from the "invasion". Ares reformed into his physical form at the end of the altar above her head.  He could sense a change in her, but wasn't sure if she was healed or not.  He had to awaken her to learn that for certain.  Although doing what he had should have healed her completely, he didn't enjoy doing that.  It allowed her to see a part of him buried deep within himself; a part of him he revealed to very few.

"Lauren?" he called, genlty stroking her cheek.

"Mm...." she said sleepily.

"Wake up, kitten."

Lauren's head turned toward his hand, wanting his warmth all over her.  She stirred when he pressed a kiss to her temple.  His scent tried to coax her out of her dozing.  She reached up trying to push his face away from her.  Ares grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away.

"Wake up, my pet," he purred. "Or I'll have Graegus give you a bath."

Slowly, Lauren came back to the world.  She opened her eyes, seeing Ares' arm very close to her.  She struggled into a sitting position, feeling weak from all of that she had been through.  She was stiff in a few places, where she had been injured.  Ares had taken the liberty of healing her physically while he was attempting to heal her mentally.  He met her gaze as she turned to look at him.

"Ares?" she asked weakly.

"Yes, kitten," he purred. "It's me."

Lauren suddenly leaned forward, grabbing him around the neck in a tight embrace.  She was very happy to see him and it showed in her hug.  Ares wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug.  He could tell she was better, but wouldn't know till later on if she were fully recovered or not.  For now, he simply held her, hoping to soothe the fear he could still feel in her.

"It's all right, Lauren," Ares said gently. "I'm here."

"Ares, I feel awful and my mouth tastes icky." she said into his chest.

"That comes from swallowing a mouthful of my blood."

"Ugh."

Ares chuckled, kissing the top of her head.  He pulled her back, meeting her gaze.  She looked a little green from learning that she had drank some of his blood.

"I'm not poisonous," he said. "Drinking my blood won't harm you unless I want it to."

"Ares, you're not helping," Lauren groaned. "I remember what I did and I feel awful about it."

"Don't.  You impressed me with your skill."

"You like the skill of the desperate and primitive person?"

"Yes.  It shows excellent potential in you as a warrior."

"Ar-es!  You're supposed to help me feel better, not recruit me for your war crusade."

Lauren pulled away from him and stalked off.  She groaned when she caught a glimpse of herself in the shiny surface of a shield hanging on the wall.  She looked like a silver smith had spilled his work all over her.  Reaching up, she grabbed the head ornament and yanked it off, then threw it away.

"I can't help it," Ares said. "I see potential, I feel obligated to pursue them.  And you, my kitten, have much in the way of potential."

"Right now, I think I'd just like to go find a nice place to throw up." Lauren groaned.

Ares went to her.  He picked her up and carried her back to his altar, sitting her on the edge.  He parted her legs, stepping between them.  He slid some hair out of her face, seeing how uncomfortable she was about what all had happened with her.

"Lauren, you will be all right," he said gently. "I assure you of that."

"I'm glad someone thinks so." she muttered.

"Hey!  What I say goes.  And if I say you're going to be all right, you will."

Lauren grinned, then started laughing.  That order was just so amusing.  It wasn't like Ares to give such amusing orders to anyone.

"Oh really?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "Believe me, Lauren, I'm certain you will be all right."

"Thank you."

Ares slipped his arms around her, drawing her closer. He smiled when she briefly tried to get away.  He buried his lips in her neck, teasing a sensitive area.

"Ares, stop that." Lauren said, trying to pull his mouth away from her.

"Mm-mm." he said against her, nipping at her neck.

Lauren buried her hands in his hair, pulling his head back.  He gave her an angered growl at having his fun stopped.  He shook her hands free and glared at her.

"I'm trying to help you feel better," he said. "You shouldn't stop me when I'm trying to help."

"You're sweet," she said, teasing his hair. "But you will kill me if you keep this up."

"No, I won't.  You've already seen all of me.  What you've seen won't ever hurt you again."

"How can I be sure of that?"

"Because of the way I healed you."

"Huh?"

Ares smiled and stepped back.  He stopped Lauren when she tried to get off of the altar.  He wanted her to stay there.

"I healed you by letting my godhood become one with your life-force...your soul, if you will," he explained. "It's unlike any type of healing a god can do to a mortal.  It is one that heals you from the very core of yourself.  You survived that type of healing intact and regained all the control you had before I snatched it away.  Seeing the true form of a god will never harm you again.  Believe me, Lauren.  I know you will be all right."

Lauren was surprised by his words.  She didn't know how Ares had repaired the damage he had done to her after he had driven her insane.  That part of her memory was a blur.  She figured that the memories would take awhile to clear to allow her to know what exactly Ares had done to her.  Part of her feared what she would learn; knowing what sensing Ares' godhood had done to her before.

"Ares, was Zeus really here?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes," Ares said. "He helped me to figure out how to help you."

"And he was attracted to me as well, wasn't he?"

"Unfortunately, yes.  Very much so.  But I told him that you were mine quite emphatically and he won't try to take you away from me, hopefully."

"Thanks, I think."

Ares smiled and moved to between her legs once more. He laid his hands on her hips, pulling her back to him.  He then reached up to caress her cheek.

"I'm not going to give you up to my father or anyone without a fight, sweet Lauren," he purred. "He knows that.  He won't take you away from you, knowing how I feel about you."

"Well, thank you," she said. "I'd rather not have Hera mad at me for her husband running after me."

"I doubt she would.  You don't seem the type to fall for my father.  She won't harm you if you don't fall to his advances."

"I hope not, but thanks for the assurances."

"That's what I'm here for."

Lauren snickered.  She jumped when he pulled her right up against him quite suddenly.  She could feel his cock pressing against her through his leathers.  She watched a wicked grin cross his lips.

"You're evil," she said.

"Mm-hmm." he purred.

An imposing presence suddenly passed over her mind, making her wince.  She wasn't sure what to make of it; it was so unusual.  It certainly didn't feel human. All she could feel was rage and hunger from whatever it was.  Freeing herself from Ares' grip, she turned to investigate what she had sensed.

Lauren saw something that froze the blood in her veins.  The very sight of this creature was every nightmare she had ever had come to life.  The biggest dog she had ever seen in her life was entering the room.  It was half the size of a grown elephant, very muscular and covered with brown fur.  Its face was far from dog-like, very monstrous in appearance.  Sensing someone other than Ares in the room, he turned to look at her and growled low in his throat, thinking she was the one who had attacked him.  He bared his teeth, making her panic and back away from him.

"By the Gods!" she gasped, scurrying away from the beast.

Ares grabbed her when she ran into him.  He kept her from running away as Graegus approached.  He glared at his pet, silently ordering the dog to stop.  Graegus paused abruptly, looking at his master in question. He turned back to look at Lauren, then back at Ares. He was quite confused.  A woman in armor like Lauren's had attacked him and now Ares was protecting her.

"Stay here, Lauren." Ares said.

"Don't worry." she said, fear clearly in her voice.

The god moved away from Lauren, approaching his pet. Graegus sat down, looking up at his master.  He whimpered when Ares reached out and petted his head. Ares stroked his pet's soft fur, soothing the dog's anger.

"I know she looks like the one who hurt you, Graegus," Ares said gently. "But it was Athena, not Lauren. She's a sweetie and wouldn't hurt a big, sweet puppy like you."

"That's a puppy?" Lauren asked in shock.

Ares waved off her question.  He didn't want her to say anything that would anger Graegus.  The dog could understand human speech and anything Lauren might have said now would only anger Graegus further.

"Go back to the gates," Ares said. "Lauren is here with my permission.  She isn't a threat to you or me. Go on."

Graegus looked back over at Lauren, sniffing at her. She smelled like Ares, drawing his curiosity.  He tried to approach her, which made her scurry back from him further.  He whined and turned away, padding off back to his position at the gates of the Halls of War.  Like any other big dog, he saw himself as always puppy-sized and the cutest thing in the world.  He didn't understand why she was so terrified of him when he was trying to be sweet and apologize for scaring her.

"You're all right now." Ares said, facing Lauren.

"I've almost been scared to death," she said, then sarcasm filled her voice. "Oh yeah, I'm wonderful."

Ares went to her, coaxing her back over to him.  He made her sit back down on the side of the altar, drawing her back to him.  He nuzzled her neck, nipping at the sensitive area he had teased before.  He encircled her waist with his arms, pulling her back to him.

"He won't hurt you," Ares said. "He likes you."

"Oh yeah," she said sarcastically. "I could easily tell that.  He wanted to make a meal of me when he first came in."

"That's because he thought you had attacked him.  He knows better now."

"That's good to know."

"You look like Athena and she attacked him.  That's why he was so angry with you."

"Well, maybe you should do something about my outfit in case he comes back and mistakes me for your sister again."

Ares grinned at her suggestion.  He reached back, tugging at the laces of the bodice.  He watched an "I don't believe you" look cross her face.  His grin deepened as she tried to get free of his grip.

"Well, you did tell me to do something about your outfit." he said innocently.

"I meant change it, not remove it." she pointed out.

"You should be more specific.  I tend to take things literally."

"Change my outfit, please.  In case your overgrown puppy comes back in here and mistakes me for Athena again."

"No.  I like my suggestion better."

"You would."

"Mm-hmm."

Ares tugged the laces of her bodice open, reaching in to stroke her back.  He smiled when she shivered.  He adored how sensitive her skin was.  It was even more sensitive than before.  He knew having been with him had altered her senses, making them stronger than before.  Her empathic powers had been affected as well and he was certain when she figured that out, she would be most upset with him.  Until then, he would take advantage of her new senses to help soothe what anger she would have later on.

"Ares..." she said.

"Hmm?" he replied.

"I'd rather not do this out in the open and on an altar."

"You still owe me a sacrifice for my protecting you."

"I thought that was a gesture of kindness from you."

"It was, but a god needs to know that you appreciate what he has done for you.  And the best way to thank him is through a personal sacrifice.  And to my knowledge, sacrifices are usually made on altars."

"I think I already gave you a personal sacrifice earlier, remember?"

"Yes, but that wasn't on an altar."

"It was in your temple."

"Lauren, stop arguing.  You know you enjoyed it, despite what happened afterward.  Don't make me have to argue with you to make you do something that I know you enjoyed.  I know what you fear, but you don't have to worry about it happening ever again."

Ares didn't let on that he knew why it wouldn't happen to her again.  He knew that she was at least partly Olympian.  She was his niece, but he didn't want to let on about that.  He was unsure of how she would react to that news.  He didn't want to have to admit that unless he had to.

"I'm glad one of us is certain about that." Lauren muttered.

"Are you calling me a liar, little one?" Ares asked.

"No, not at all.  I know better than to do that."

"Good.  Now, where were we?" He slid his hands up to her shoulders, pushing the straps down her arms. "Ah, yes," he purred. "Right here."

Ares leaned in nipping at her shoulder, pushing the straps down further.  His mouth then moved to hers, giving her a gentle kiss.  He nibbled at her lips, coaxing them apart.  He gave her a deeper kiss, drawing her closer, pressing his hips into hers.  He rocked his hips against hers, making her moan.

"You moan so nicely." he purred, breaking the kiss.

"I changed my mind," she said, running her fingers through his hair. "You're not evil.  You're down right wicked."

"Ooh, even better."

He kissed her again, teasing her tongue with his own. He sucked hers into his mouth, nipping at it.  He pushed her down onto his altar, climbing on after her, never once breaking the kiss.  When she was about to pass out, he finally released her, leaving her gasping beneath him.

"Touch me." he purred, straddling her hips.

Lauren reached up and slipped her hands into his vest, sliding them up his chest.  Ares purred in delight at her touch, pressing into her hands.  He moaned softly when they passed over his nipples.  He murmured in pleasure as she flicked her thumbs back and forth over them.

"Ah, sweet child," he purred. "I shall never tire of your gentle touch."

While he enjoyed rough playing, few knew he adored the gentle touch as well.  There were few that knew just how gentle that they could be with him and still drive him wild with want.  Lauren's empathic powers easily picked up on his desire for a gentle touch right now.

Ares moaned when she pinched his nipples, making them tingle and ache with need.  He finally pulled her hands away, unable to take her torture anymore.  He lightly spanked her hands aside as he leaned in to bury his face in the valley between her breasts.  He groaned softly as the scent of roses on her skin seemed to be stronger than before.  Save for when he was with Aphrodite, he rarely thought of the scent of flowers as being pleasurable on this level.  Roses were definitely going to have a whole new meaning for him from now on.  Between Aphrodite and Lauren, he wouldn't be able to look at or think of them without thinking of the pleasure from these encounters.

Pulling the silver leather down, Ares nuzzled her breasts.  He teased them with his beard and hair, remembering how much she had enjoyed it before.  He grinned when she squealed and tried to squirm out from beneath him.  She was far more sensitive there than she had been before.

"Oh no you don't." he scolded, lifting his head to look down at her.

"Stop doing that please." she said.

"Why?  You enjoy that so much."

"You're torturing me."

"That's the point, little tigress.  It's to punish you for arguing with me."

"Why must you insist on calling me that?"

"If the boot fits...."

Lauren growled at him.  She braced her hands against his shoulders and tried to shove him off of her. Undaunted, Ares leaned in, nipping at the end of her nose.  He then sent her leathers away, making her yelp when the cold marble beneath her touched her bare flesh.  A grin crossed his lips, hearing that startled sound.  He then surprised her by raising up and looking her over.  His gaze settled between her legs for a long moment before returning to her face.

"I thought for certain she would have placed a chastity belt on you." he said.

An unamused smirk crossed Lauren's face.  She was far from pleased with his comment.  She watched a very amused grin cross his lips.

"Ah, don't worry," he said, leaning down to kiss her softly. "If she had, it wouldn't have been on you long.  I know just how to remove them."

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm sure you've had lots of practice."

"Well, as a matter of fact...."

Lauren slapped her hand across his mouth, cutting off his reply.  Mirth danced in his eyes at her response. She could feel him grinning behind her hand.

"Ew!" she yelled, yanking her hand away from his mouth when he gave it a very sloppy lick.  She wiped it on his vest. "Yuck." she commented.

"You asked for it." he smiled.  He slid a little ways down her body. "But you're right," he said. "I should do that elsewhere."

"No."

She grabbed his jaw as he leaned in with the intent of teasing her once again.  She saw amusement in his dark eyes.

"Leh goo." he said.

Lauren burst out laughing.  He sounded so silly when he spoke without moving his jaw.  Her hands fell away from him as she was caught up in her giggles.  Her laughter ended in a surprised moan when his mouth suddenly closed over one nipple.  His single touch there was enough to distract her from everything else.

Ares teased her nipple, holding her still as she tried to wiggle out of his grip.  He tortured the sensitive bud with his tongue, flicking it back and forth across the tip.  He growled when she tried to pull his mouth away.  He finally gave into her wishes and took his mouth away, only to move it to the other nipple to give it the same treatment.

Burying her hand in the thickest part of his hair, Lauren pried Ares' torturous mouth away from her. Despite the discomfort she could feel she was causing him with this, amusement was clearly written all over his face.  She decided against releasing him, knowing he would only continue his torturing of her.  Instead, she tightened her grip on him and gently guided him up to where they were eye to eye.

"My pet," he said. "When giving a god a sacrifice, you must submit to whatever they desire.  Sacrifices aren't allowed to dominate their god."

"Is that one of 'Ares' Rules of Etiquette Regarding Sacrifices to Gods'?" she smiled.

"Yes.  Now, follow the rules.  Or I'll employ those chains that you looked so good in."

"You do and I won't get to touch you."

She grazed his scalp with her nails, watching his eyes close in pleasure.  She knew he had him convinced against using chains with that single move.  His next words convinced her of that, sending away any lingering doubts she might have had.

"Very well, little tigress," he purred. "But stop trying to detour my fun."

"Then you stop torturing me." she countered.

"I can't do that.  That's part of my fun."

Lauren rolled her eyes at his words.  Only he would consider torturing his partners as fun.  She only hoped she would have the chance of returning the favor to him.  Her eyes went wide when he suddenly got a very wicked grin on his face.  He had heard her thoughts!

"It's a deal, sweet child." he said in such a sexy voice, it gave her goosebumps.

 
 Continued here