Ares

by Edlyn Reynolds

  Dion took off before Ares could issue any more warnings. Moving to a different spot, he grabbed another glass of scotch and kept his eyes on Ava as Dion reached her.

  “Miss Von Maur,” he bowed before her. “Welcome to my hotel and our grand opening extravaganza. I’m so pleased to see you wearing the gown I sent you. I hope you don’t mind, I just wanted everyone to enjoy this party.”

  Ava looked at the man and frowned. Her smile was gone as she realized who he was. “Dionysus?” She stepped back. What in the hell was happening? Why were all of the Greek Gods her family had whispered about all her life suddenly there before her? She looked around wildly, suddenly feeling more than a little panicky as she recognized what felt like energy waves from another God there. “Who else is here? I feel someone else. Why are you doing this to me? First Ares, now you. How? Why?” she whispered.

  “Why what?” he frowned at her. He didn’t deny her knowledge of who he was. Actually, he looked pleased she’d recognized him. “This is my hotel, it’s a party, lots of wine. You know, my whole deal and all that,” he grinned. “But I have a question for you, my dear.” He stepped in closer and pushed up his mask, “If you know us all so well, how could you even say that to Ares?” Clicking his tongue, he stepped back, “Enjoy your evening, Miss Von Maur,” his tone had chilled and the smile now looked brittle.

  “You pompous ass,” she called out, loudly. “How dare you ask me that and then turn and walk away?” She was flirting with death here, but okay, so when she died she would meet Hades as well. Why the hell not? “I said that to him because he’s too damn good looking for my good. I said it because I could actually see myself bowing to him, not because he wanted it, you jackass. I think the lot of you have far too big of heads,” she muttered. “Oh and don’t worry, this snide bitch of a human will be gone from your hotel as soon as I can get out of this gown and packed.” She turned and strode away, mumbling about self-righteous Gods and their proclivities to wreak havoc.

  “Don’t go,” Ares said quietly as he blocked her path. “Please,” he added. He wasn’t touching her, wasn’t physically stopping her but she wasn’t moving for the door any longer. “Why would you think to bow to me or anyone, Ava? There was never a need for such displays, especially for me. God of War remember? The one’s who were on their knees and bowed lost their heads shortly after.”

  “Bow, as in bend to your will. Not on my knees,” Ava said with a sigh. “I said that because…” She shrugged, lifting her shoulder and suddenly blushing, “because I think you are about the only being on this planet who would ever be able to get me to change how I view life. Weird I know. You are just too attractive for my own good. I know all the stories and no, you never had people bowing to you. You were there in the thick of things with them, one of them, but the women fell all over themselves for you. I don’t want to be just another of the countless who have fallen to you, Ares.”

  “I would never want you to bow to my or anyone else’s will. You could never be just another woman, Ava. You are unique, special and one of a kind.” He shifted on his feet, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “I’m sorry for how I left you the other day. You just...” He cleared his throat. “Well, to be honest, you offended me with the suggestion, no matter the meaning behind it. While I may not have been the sort that played by the rules all the time, hell, even most of the time, I never once forced anyone to do anything they didn’t want to do. I have my lines, Ava, and I’ve never crossed them. There was never reason to.”

  She sighed and nodded. “I know and I understand. I just don’t know what to do or how to do it. Before, the Gods were only stories passed down by my family, but now I’ve seen not one but two of you. How do you explain that? I don’t understand what’s happening. I’ve always been different, I’ve always been able to see and hear the truth even when it’s given in such a convincing lie that anyone would believe it including the one telling it, but I’ve never fallen for that. Why now? Why am I seeing you all now?”

  “I let you see me and Dion has let everyone see him for centuries,” he told her quietly. “But I’m sure what I did, opening that doorway between our worlds, is why you recognized him for who he was so quickly. You had a taste of what a God’s power is and recognized it in him even though he rarely bothers to push much of anything at anyone any more.”

  “I’m a bit overwhelmed,” she admitted to him. “Why did you let me see you?” she asked softly, taking a step closer to him so they could talk without others listening in, but still hear each other over the music. “That’s been something I’ve been very curious about. Why did you let me see you that day?”

  “Honestly?” he shrugged. “I don’t know, but I needed to. For whatever reason I knew I had to reveal myself to you. I likely could have resisted the impulse had I worked at it. Remained hidden until you left the temple, but your words about the statue pulled at me.”

  “Thank you for showing yourself,” she admitted to him. “I’m very glad you did. The stories of the Greek Gods have been passed through my family from generation to generation. There is even a book detailing all that you have accomplished, and attempted. One for each of the Greek Gods. I was entrusted with your book,” she told him with a shrug. “Strange I know, but my family is a bit on the odd side too.”

  “You have a book about me?” he asked. He sounded, well, kind of a cross between intrigued and terrified. “What exactly does this book say? I think I really need to know what’s in there, I doubt it’s overly accurate,” he muttered the last words. “Given how the rest of history views me and my supposed deeds, I’m terrified to see what yours claims.”

  “Uhm…no. This book is drastically different from how history and myths depict you. According to mother it was started a great time ago by one of my ancestors, one of your high priests. All of the Greek Gods had high priests and all of them decided it was time for your true selves to be written of and not what the bards sang as your truth. So before writing was ever invented, these men gave their stories to their pupils and so on. Once the master died, the pupil took over and the stories never wavered from master to pupil, not ever. You are welcome to read it though. I would like to find out if it is all true or not.”

  “Hmm,” he made a face. “Still terrified, but I may read it if you’ll permit. At least the first little bit. If that isn’t the truth then the rest of the book definitely would not be.” He looked around then before glancing down at her. “Will you stay, Ava? Stay and come have a drink with me. If you still wish to leave I won’t stop you. It is your right to make such a choice.”

  She had to think for a moment and then finally nodded. “I will remain,” she said softly. “I honestly hadn’t meant to offend you. I hate that you just up and vanished without telling me why you were upset. I think I might have called you some not so nice names after it, but those I won’t apologize for because you did leave in a huff and everything.”

  “Your words pissed me off, it was best I left before I said something I couldn’t take back. Words of the Gods hold power and can cause untold harm. I wouldn’t inflict that on you for any reason just because your words pricked me.” He put a hand on her back and urged her toward the bar. “As to the names you may have called me, I’m sure they were well chosen.”

  “I think I said you were childish and fucking petty.” She wouldn’t sugar coat anything, not for anyone. Life was far too short for that. “So yeah, I was just a bit pissed off at you,” she admitted, once more blushing hard. “Are we good now?”

  “Yeah, we’re good. As I said, I can’t blame you for your words. They sting but,” he shrugged. Leaning on the bar, he signaled to the woman behind it. “What would you like to drink, Ava, and no, the drinks do not have to be with the theme, thank the Gods Dion didn’t go that far. Though the menu, well, we could be in trouble since he didn’t answer my questions about it earlier.”

  “Oh God,” Ava groaned, “My stomach hurts already,” she teased. “I just want a soda please. I don’t dr
ink.” She had a father who had been an alcoholic and she had vowed she would never, ever drink. “If the food is bad what do you say we slip out of here and find some burger place that might be open?”

  “Deal,” he nodded. “Soda for the lady and I’ll have two fingers of scotch, the good bottle, neat.” He turned to face her then, an elbow on the bar. “Though we may want to change before we go to the burger place. I can’t even imagine the looks I’ll get in this damned getup.”

  “Good point.” She looked down at her gown and shook her head. “I can’t believe he would send me this gown. It had to have cost upwards of seven figures, at the very least.” It was spectacular. “Don’t get me wrong, I think it's an amazingly beautiful gown, but wow. I feel as if everyone is watching me and waiting for one of the diamonds to fall off.”

  Collecting their drinks, he passed over her soda. “I won’t tell you what it actually costs until you’re in something else. Just so you know, he created it specifically for you. It’s yours to do with as you wish after the event. Don’t offer it back to him, you’ll just offend him and it won’t be very pretty to see him having a fit.” Taking her elbow in a light grip, he guided her through the room toward a table. Their names were on plates, them and Dion and another person, the name she couldn’t quite see. Ares pulled her chair out for her and waited for her to sit.

  “Thank you,” she whispered and took the seat he offered to her. “Yeah I’m pretty positive if I were to know how much this cost I would die. Did he have costumes made for everyone?” she asked quietly.

  “Mm,” he sipped his drink. Setting it aside, he shrugged, “Yes and no. He doesn’t have to have them made. He can just imagine what he wants someone to wear and create it. Same as all Gods,” he told her quietly. “In some cases though, he likely purchased locally. In others there wouldn’t have been time to have them made so, poof!” He waved a hand to indicate her gown, “Yours he created once he got a look at you and after he stopped yanking my tail. Actually, it was after he managed to escape the beating I had planned.”

  He had her grinning, “Why would I be special? I’m literally a nobody. I’m not powerful, I’m just a weird person who can see Gods for who and what you are. That's about the only thing that makes me different from every other person here.”

  “You really have no idea,” he said. He shook his head with a small grin, “Oh Ava, Ava, Ava. Life as you know it is going to become one hell of a whirlwind. You’ll likely be meeting the entire family soon enough. Later, when we’re not surrounded by so many people, I’ll let you know which ones to watch out for.”

  “Okay, please explain that statement,” she asked quietly as she leaned in closer to him. “Should I leave? Maybe I should go to Antarctica. I don’t recall any of the Greeks being all that loving of cold weather so maybe that’s where I should go.”

  “They won’t need to come to you, Ava, they can bring you to them.” He looked at her and sighed softly. “Although,” he pursed his lips slightly and looked toward his brother. Then he looked around the room before lifting a hand, palm up and started to murmur. The language she didn’t understand, but then again, with a soft glow starting in his palm she really wasn’t paying much attention. A moment later a dainty chain and pendant, the symbol of Ares, lay in his palm. “Tuck this into your pocket or purse until later. Put it on once you are out of this outfit, it should hide you from them. Unless they come looking and walk up to you, but they won’t be able to just grab you.

  She took the pendant from him and looked at it. “Why?” she asked and tucked the necklace into the bodice of her gown with a swift and quick turn and move. “Why would you do this for me?” she asked as she laid her hand on his arm once more. “What’s going on? Would you like to leave so we can talk?”

  “I’m doing it because I’m the one who exposed you to them. I can’t let you be hurt for my error. I should tell you about something else. If you hold the symbol in your hand and think of me: picture me, my face, my voice, all of that, you can summon me. I’ll hear you and come to you as quickly as I can. None of the others can override that, but if they see you wearing it, they will try to take it off you. They can’t just snatch it with a snap of their fingers, not once it’s on you. They will have to physically grab it from your neck.”

  “Right, yes that would be bad. I wouldn't want them to take something that means this much.” Well to her at least. It meant a great deal not because a God gave it to her, but because he gave it to her. There was a hell of a difference in her mind. “Thank you for that. I do appreciate it.” She felt a little hurt though, and added, “But you don’t have to give me something simply because you feel guilt-ridden to do so.” She wanted to give it back to him but couldn’t find it in her to let it go. “Never feel guilty for something that honestly was not your fault.”

  “I didn’t give it to you because I felt guilty, Ava. If I wanted to just protect you I could have put a mark on your skin to hide you from the Gods. I gave you the necklace because,” he clammed up. He also blushed, looking embarrassed. “'Cause I wanted to,” he muttered. Grabbing his glass he swallowed the scotch down fast in one big gulp.

  “Thank you,” she said with a smile. “For wanting to.” She leaned in even closer to him when someone came near her. “I don’t understand a great deal of what is going on but I do know one thing for sure, you mean something to me. It’s odd, I know it’s likely something you hear a great deal, but I do want to get to know you. You, not the myths, not the stories, but you.”

  His expression was odd when he looked at her. “No one’s ever said that before. No one has ever wanted to get to know me. They all want something from me or to know of my biggest, bloodiest battle or some such nonsense. No one’s ever requested to know who I am outside of the myths.”

  “That’s who I want to know. The reality of Ares, not the myths, not the battles. I just,” she shrugged, “all of my life you have been different to me. My family has kept close chronicles and all my life I just knew they were wrong on one God, you, but it's more than that. Now that I have met you in person. I see you as more. I know how crazy that sounds, but it’s the truth. I see you as a man. One that I honestly like.” One she was heavily attracted to.

  “How do you know I’m not much, much worse than the stories?” He was watching her as he asked that question. “I could be, Ava, and you’d never even know it.”

  He was trying to scare her. Why, she didn’t know, but there had to be a reason. “I feel it,” Ava said simply. “Deep down inside. I don’t know how or why but I do. I feel you would never, ever hurt me. I know, completely weird.” Maybe she was just off her rocker insane or something, but she truly believed he wouldn't hurt her.

  “You are not weird, quit saying that,” he muttered. “And you are right, I won’t ever hurt you, Ava. Anyone else,” Ares gave a shrug, “but never you. I don’t know what you’ve done to me, little darling. I fear you’ve already got me wrapped around your little finger. I have no clue how it’s occurred or when it did, but it’s happened.”

  “Well, whatever happened hit both of us,” she admitted quietly. “Dance with me?” she asked suddenly. “I would like to know what it feels like, even if it's just the one time, to dance with you.” To be held in his arms, to feel the beating of his heart under her cheek.

  Nodding, he stood and offered his hand. Helping her to her feet, he walked her toward the dance floor. There were a few other couples out dancing, but since it was just piped in music, most people were talking and mingling. “I should warn you, I’m not very good at this sort of thing. Dancing I mean. It wasn’t exactly part of my life on a regular basis.” He faced her and let out a breath, “So if I stomp your toes, I apologize profusely ahead of time.”

  “It’s okay. I’m not very good at it either but I want to try, with you.” She was never a very good dancer, but she wanted to dance with him simply to be close to him, which amazed her more than she could possibly explain to him.

  “That was a lie
,” he said shaking his head at her. “I’m a God,” he murmured. “You can’t lie to me or any other God, but I’ll take it, mainly because one of us has to know what the ever-loving hell they are doing out here.”

  She smiled and said, “All right, I’ve never been a very good dancer at all. I wanted to dance with you simply because I wanted to be close to you. I want to know what it feels like to have your arms wrapped around me and us moving together. I want to know what it feels like to be held by you. That’s the truth.”

  “That is the truth,” he said quietly to her. Smiling, he took her hand in his and pulled her close, his other hand on her waist. “Well, I know enough that we can probably manage one or two dances. After that, everyone will realize it’s the same movements every time.” He waited a moment and then began to guide her in a simple movement.

  “I don’t mind the same movements,” Ava said with a grin. “Sometimes it’s kinda nice to be able to know exactly what is going on and when it’s going to happen.” She laid her cheek on his chest and sighed happily. “This is so very nice. I have literally never felt this relaxed and happy in my life.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” he said softly. He pulled her in closer to him, his movements and hers slowing a little. His breath on her cheek was ruffling some loose hairs, his hand warm on her back and his body, oh his body, pressing in tight and hot to the front.

  “I am with you right here holding me close like this,” she murmured quietly and wrapped her arm tighter around him. “I think this is something I could become accustomed to, dancing with you that is.”

  “Well then, one of us should take lessons,” he laughed quietly. “Or maybe we both should so we each know what the hell we’re doing out here. That is, unless I grind your toes into the floor and you decide I’m more of a hazard than not.”