by April Zyon
Ares
(Gods of Old Book 1))
By April Zyon
ISBN-10# 1-945012-75-7
ISBN-13# 978-1-945012-75-4
© Copyright 2016 April Zyon
Edited by Vinvatar Publishing
All Rights Reserved
Artwork by Alexis Belle
Published by Vinvatar Publishing
Website: Vinvatar.com
Prologue
In centuries past, the Gods were worshiped, idolized and immortalized. They were often spiteful beings, and yet could be just as merciful as any other.
But, times do change.
In days of old, sacrifices and prayers were offered, and monuments were built. Here in modern times, they have been relegated to nothing more than myths and legends.
Their temples now lay in ruins, studied by archeologists and tourists as mere curiosities of a society long dead. The Gods’ names are barely mentioned; their deeds mostly forgotten and their lives misconstrued; written incorrectly or, retold as all out lies.
Scholars claim that the Gods never truly existed. That humans who had done marvelous deeds were those who such myths were based on. But those scholars were wrong. Very wrong...
Chapter One
Temple of Ares, Athens - present day
“How long’s it been since you’ve been here?” his brother asked.
“Too long to admit,” he said, watching the group of students following their teacher and a guide around the temple.
“If you look over here, class, you can see what some scholars believe to be the remains of a sacrificial table.” The instructor was pointing to a section of the rubble that had been partially cleared. The area was cordoned off by ropes to keep people from stepping on things they shouldn’t.
Apollo shot him a look and grinned, “Did you ever actually get any sacrifices from the people?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. It’s hard to remember, but I don’t think so.”
The instructor, guide and the students couldn’t hear them. They were cloaked between realms. Not really there and yet, there. “My worshippers were all about war, blood and the death of their enemies; not so much about the virginal sacrifices. I won’t say it never happened because that could well be a lie, but honestly, it’s not ringing any bells for me.”
Apollo laughed as they walked closer to the group. “I must admit, brother,” he tipped his head, “I’m ever so glad that today’s fashions are not like they were a mere hundred years past.” He reached out and slid a finger over one girl’s bared belly. She gave a small shiver; not surprising considering many humans were sensitive to things they couldn’t see or hear, but that still existed.
“That’s because you’re a man-slut, Apollo,” Ares said.
“Come now, brother.” He gave a huge grin and gestured to the group. “Are you going to tell me you are not enjoying the titillating display of feminine flesh?”
“That would be a lie, brother. But, I must say, that it is getting a bit old. Too many women believe that they need to show all to gain affections. There are so few these days that realize a hint is sometimes so much more intriguing than the full Monty.”
“Oh, excellent movie reference, brother. I didn’t know you had it in you,” Apollo said with a laugh. “I will agree to disagree with you there, though. I much prefer to see the wares before I make a purchase.”
“Man-slut,” Ares coughed into his fist.
“Jealous much?” his brother gave a snort. “Really, brother of mine, you should do something about your apparent lack of female companionship. You’re becoming rather... Well, I hate to say this, but you really need to get laid. You’re much too uptight these days, brother.”
Ares threw him the finger, but his attention was on the instructor again.
“This is one of many statues of the God of War, or Ares, as you may better know him. There appear to be a few versions of his visage; most denoting a youthful appearance. He was often represented as naked; wearing nothing but a helmet and carrying a sword and shield, or a spear. Or he was denoted as being fully armored. Some believe that these statues,” the man gestured to the one before them. “were replacements for the originals. That when the Romans invaded and held Greece, they replaced them with ones created more in the appearance of their God, Mars; Ares’ Roman counterpart.”
The instructor turned to face the group. “There are also some scholars that believe this was not the original location for the temple. That the Romans actually moved it from it’s original place to this spot. There are markings on some stones that may give this theory some validity. As well as the fact that archeologists uncovered sites where bases for such temples were found. But no ruins.”
“Alright, well,” Apollo shifted from foot to foot next to him. “This is bloody boring as all get out. I’m going to go and see if I can’t find something a little more fun to do. Catch you later, brother.”
Ares didn’t reply and, moments later, Apollo was gone. He continued to track the group. Listening in to the instructor, with the help of the guide, gave the class more information. Not so much about him or his temple in particular, but about the construction process. His brother had been right about one thing; the man was somewhat boring in his teachings. He was passionate, but his topic wasn’t of any interest to him personally. Ares knew all about himself. He didn’t care about why or how the humans of the time had built his temple. They had and, to his mind, that was the end of the story.
No, he hung around because of a sensation. Something important was about to occur. Or had occurred and he was about to find out what it was.
Modern humans thought the Gods, Greek, Roman, Gaelic and so forth, were all myth. They really had no clue whatsoever. No, he was as real as the instructor before him. Even more real because he’d been around for millennia. He’d watch the first humans take their first steps. He’d watched his father, Zeus, guide the humans through their first years. He had also watched as the humans had thrown aside their beliefs in the Gods to take up a single God.
While he freely admitted that he wasn’t anything like he’d been in his heyday, he was still a rather spectacular specimen, or so his mirror told him. He still had infinite powers; likely always would as long as man continued to war with his fellow man. One thing Ares could always count on was man picking a fight with someone else over the silliest of things. Land was a good example. Though in these modern times, it was more about the show of force; who had the biggest nukes and wasn’t afraid to use them.
Not like war in his days. War was in the mud, bloody and vile. Hand to hand combat, swords, shields, and spears. The screams of the wounded clearly heard even over the ringing of blade on blade.
His brothers all believed him to be stuck in a rut, but he was as modern as the next God. He’d gotten with the times; he’d had to. Not like he could run around in a chiton and sandals anymore. Beyond that, he’d gotten in on the technological age as well. He could work a computer, operate a vehicle, and hold a conversation in modern English. It wasn’t the only language he spoke, but it was the one he usually conversed in unless otherwise needed.
Shaking himself from his reverie, Ares jogged to catch up with the group. They were outside and headed to the hill towards the ruins of another temple. He couldn’t recall who’s it was. It didn’t really matter anymore in this day and age.
No, that wasn’t what mattered. What really mattered was figuring out what was coming, and why he was picking something up now after all these centuries.
Chapter Two
For far too long Ava VonMaur had lived alone. She had to. Otherwise, the emotions and pains of each person around her seemed to press in on her and made it hard for her
to breathe. However, at this moment, she was in a place she didn’t want to be. She was in a place where she knew her entire life would change in the blink of an eye.
She was currently in Athens, Greece; standing on the hilltop overlooking the Greek God Ares temple and smiling. Shaking her head she turned from the sight and moved from it quickly. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she walked away from the long line of people that were gathered to ooh, and ahh ridiculously. It was a farce; every single part of it was a sham, and it seemed only she knew it.
Shifting slightly, she turned and moved away from what everyone thought was the temple of Ares and instead walked to a smaller, less ornate building that, strangely enough, still stood. It was a building that it seemed none knew of except her. Her eyes saw it in the sands; she saw it as being what it was.
A seat of power.
Stepping into the small stone structure, she let out a breath. It seemed as if the world quieted the moment she walked through those stone columns and for a moment she felt peace. She didn’t feel bombarded by the emotions and thoughts of others. Instead, she felt calm. Even in the halls of the God of War she felt at ease and to her, that was more bliss than she could imagine.
“It’s amazing the truth of power that can be found in the smallest of places.” She was speaking to herself of course, but it felt right to allow the words free here.
“Peace. Calm. I don’t think that I’ve ever felt this much at ease. Not in far too long.” Of course, people would think her mad if they came upon her and found her speaking as she was, but honestly, she didn’t care. She had survived the institutions once in her life; she would survive them again if they placed her back into one.
Ava wasn’t insane; she was something else. She was an emotional empath; she was also a mind reader. Two things that didn’t work out so very well at all. What was worse was that she could see things that no one else could. She could see the truth in a mass of lies.
Moving from the spot she had been rooted to, she walked to a statuette and frowned. “This isn’t right.” She didn’t know what was wrong with it, but there was something impossibly wrong with the statue. “What's the matter with you?” she asked, lifting a hand to touch the statute in question. “This is not how you should look.”
Chapter Three
Interesting comment from a tourist. Still out of sync with the modern world, Ares moved closer to the female. Cute, very cute. And she was staring at one of the Gods awful statues that were supposed to denote his likeness. Bull-fucking-shit.
It had been a Roman General’s son, or so he believed, who’d been the one to stand for the artist. The mere child had held nothing of what made Ares feared, worshiped, or hunted by the opposite sex for centuries. But, he who wins wars and rules gets to adjust history to fit their particular mold of events. Fucking Roman scum.
Turning his attention back to the woman, he frowned. There was something...different about her. An aura that was not quite right for a human and yet, definitely not of the Gods. Interesting. Could be she was a great-great-great descendent of one of the many Gods. That could explain the unusual aura she held wrapped around her. It was sensual, strong, and yet, he frowned harder, something wasn’t right about it. It was as if there was something very wrong with her.
No, not possible. Whoa! Where the hell had that thought come from? Blinking he paced away and turned to view her from afar. Yup, the brain was still saying she was perfect as was. Yes, there was something off, perhaps jammed, in her aura. But otherwise, she was delightfully sublime. Hmmm, perhaps it was time to mingle with the humans a little. Yeah, he could go to the club and settle for a groupie, but this little human female, this one intrigued him.
Moving towards the doorway, Ares took a look around. Seeing no others nearby, and after ensuring she was still focused on the statue, he let his body come fully into her realm. Stepping closer he cleared his throat lightly. Nothing. She was still mumbling to the statue that it wasn’t right. Clearing his throat again he smiled when she finally heard him and whipped around.
“I don’t think they like you petting their ancient statues. And I’m pretty sure if any Roman heard you saying that,” he pointed to the statue. “That they were wrong; they’d likely haul you to the colosseum.”
Ava turned to face the man and took a large step back. “Son of a bitch.” Her heart began to beat rapidly, and her chest tightened as she looked at the man before her. “You.” She breathed out the word softly. She stepped away from the larger than life man until her back hit the wall. “And no one can see this building. How could you find it?” She knew, though. “You are him.” She didn’t know how she knew that, but she did.
“That’s why the statue is off. It’s not you,” she whispered and licked her lips. “How?” She had thought that the myths were gone, that she no longer would have to face those that had been there once but were no more. Was he a ghost? No, that wasn’t right. “Tell me your name.”
A single black brow arched up towards his hairline. He blinked his dark blue and silver eyes at her. “My parents named me Ares. And you are?” he asked. He didn’t move any closer, yet his presence seemed to overwhelm the small building. In fact, other than that eyebrow, he really hadn’t moved more than his lips to speak to her. Why then did he seem closer?
Ava tried to step back, but the wall at her back stopped her. “Ava,” she told him honestly. “You really are him,” she whispered and swallowed, hard. “Holy mother of fucking God; you are him.” Holy Christ! It wasn’t possible. No, it wasn’t possible. “You are not supposed to be on this side of the realm, or whatever it is that you call it. This is the land of humans, not the Gods; right?”
Both brows went down in a frown of confusion. “Why not?” he tipped his dark head slightly. His slightly crooked nose was wrinkled a bit, softening the lines of his face. A face that could so easily be chiseled from stone. Strong jaw, hint of a beard, high cheekbones, strong brow and that nose that looked to have been in a fight or two. “It’s not like you own this realm. Plus, technically, daddy dearest was the one who created your people, so you’re really more like tenants.”
“Oh, God.” She slid down the wall and looked up at him. Her hands covered her ears, and she shook her head. “Turn it off,” she begged. “Whatever it is that you’re trying to push at me, turn it off. It freaking hurts dammit.” It felt like he was trying to probe her or peel through the layers of her aura. Something. It was killing her head for him to do that.
A hand touched hers in the next instant. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you’d be so sensitive,” he said as he drew her hand from her ear. His words were soft, gentle even, as was his touch. “I sometimes forget myself. Will you accept my apology, Ava?” he asked, his odd accent making her name sound very unique and foreign.
“Yes,” she whispered and let the man pull her to her feet. “I thought that you all stopped walking the Earth thousands of years ago? At least that’s the story that has been passed down from generation to generation in my family,” she admitted. “I’ve known about you all my life, just never thought I would see you.”
“We come, we go, it’s how it always has been and always will be.” Ares gave a lazy shrug as he stepped back. He must have sensed that she was uneasy with him being so close. Of course, he was a God; a real, live God.
“We’re actually here more often than you’d likely believe. Olympus is rather,” he made a face. “Well, if you like the politics, ass kissing, and conniving backstabbers it’s a great place to live. I much prefer being in this realm or between the realms. Less chance of having someone try to kill me in my sleep.”
“I can understand that,” she admitted to him and sighed. “Thank you; whatever you did to pull back. I can’t believe that you’re real,” she said with the shake of her head. There was something about this God, and, oh yes, she knew that he was a God, “What is it about you? You are-” It was almost as if her aura was reaching for his and that was scary as hell.<
br />
He gave another lazy shrug. “I am who I am, Ava. I truly meant you no harm. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to recall that some of you are very sensitive to our abilities. But, for you, I will keep them locked down.” Ares turned to look at the statue, “I can’t believe the Roman’s switched out an image of me for that little prick. If his father hadn’t been some high powered and victorious general, he’d never have been the one to stand for the artist.”
“I knew that it was off the moment that I saw it,” she admitted to him. “So tell me about you. How wrong are the history books and mythology?” She had the stories that had been passed through her family, but she hadn’t heard them in years; not since her Nanna died. Nana had raised her after the loss of both of her parents. “Because if these people think that the large, ostentatious ruins up there are yours and that this man is you, then they really must have screwed a great deal up.”
“The victors always write history,” he said looking at her. “History should be ignored for the most part. Especially anything pertaining to when the Gods reigned. Mythology texts,” he lifted a hand and tipped it back and forth. “So-so on the accuracy. The lineages are mostly right; a little off here and there, but even we can’t say for sure, at least not a hundred percent. Since our deeds and misdeeds were mostly miswritten, I’d ignore those too. What do you want to know and I’ll tell you my version of it?”
“I have no idea,” Ava admitted honestly. “Did you really father as many children as the myths claim? And why do they only refer to you as the God of War when you are more than that?” she asked with a frown. “That’s a question I’ve always wanted to ask.”
“Right,” he gave her an odd look. Then he seemed to shake it off. “Never had kids, but because of Zeus and a few other promiscuous Gods, we all got a bad rap. I may have been around for, well, forever really, but I was always careful with anyone I chose to be with. As to the other,” he tipped his head. “Think of it like a songwriter. They are usually only known for their biggest, best-selling hit; the one that got stuck in everyone’s head. They write other songs, perform other songs, but they are always recognized for that one. Same thing with the Gods. We got labeled by our biggest, baddest works.”
