The Heart of War

by Lisa Beth Darling

  “I didn’t think you would. I said it was easy, not fun,” Ares whispered. “Now be quiet, follow me.”

  Holding onto Ares’ hand, Alena skittered behind him as she looked around but saw…nothing. Just the huge pillars, they had to be fifty feet tall and they looked as though each one carved of a single piece of marble. They stretched upward to a ceiling she could not quite see like the walls. Perhaps they were made of black marble like the shining floor her bare feet were gliding over and that was why she was having a hard time seeing them. The light was dim but enough to see by, however, she couldn’t find a light source. No lamp. No torch. No candle. Just the light seemingly creating itself and lighting up their path as they walked and shutting itself down behind them as they passed.

  There was no sound in this place. Ares was wearing his favorite heavy leather boots and they should be making a steady clap-clap-clap sound as they walked. Yet they made no sound at all. “It’s creepy,” she said in a very low voice.

  “Quiet!” Ares hissed through clenched teeth.

  Suddenly before them a heavily ornate door appeared, it had to stand at least thirty feet high. There was a knob made of some jewel, if it was a diamond or a quartz crystal she couldn’t tell in this light, she only knew it was larger than her own hand. The strangest thing about the door was just that; it was only a door. There were no walls, not even a jamb attached to it to hold it up that she could see. It simply hung there in midair. As they approached it, Alena moved as far away from Ares as she could without letting go of his hand. She held onto his fingertips and craned her neck as far as she could, trying to see what was on the other side but all she saw was more of the same. Approaching the door, Ares pulled her back to his side, let go of her hand so he could take off one glove. Laying his bare hand on the knob, the door began to glow, and then it let out a loud sound as though a heavy bolt were being thrown back.

  The door opened.

  Beyond, there was a room much like the one they were currently in but brighter. At the end of the room was a very large white marble table in the shape of an arc. At the table sat seven extremely good-looking people—three women and four men.

  That feeling of having to pee grew in urgency and her stomach started to churn with acid, making her feel as though she might be sick. Surely, that would not do in front of Zeus! Alena held her breath and walked into the Great Council Chamber with as much grace as she could muster. At the far left end of the table sat a man who looked a lot like Ares. Clad in black leather head to foot, black leather gloves on his hands, a crown of gold and rubies on his head.

  Hades.

  Next to him sat a man who looked very much like the man sitting next to him. He had a long white beard and long white hair on the top of which sat a crown of gold and coral adorned with olives. His old chest was bare but still broad and strong as he sat there holding a golden trident in one hand.

  Poseidon.

  Next to him was the Big Kahuna. There was no mistaking The Great God Zeus. His gold crown was the largest of all, so large it almost took up his entire head. It was decorated with huge oak leaves, daisies and almonds. Alena’s eyes briefly fell upon him and she thought she might have a heart attack from the sheer grandeur of him.

  Next to Zeus was the first woman she saw. She had gray hair that still held the remains of the black it had once been. Her eyes were like peacock feathers—they changed color and even seemed to grade in color with the light. She wore a long dark green cloak. Like the others she wore a crown upon her head, this one was delicate with its scrolling filigree of willow branches dotted with emeralds.

  Hera.

  Next to her was another woman. She was younger but her once strawberry hair was very gray as she sat there in a white toga with gleaming metal breastplate. On her head was her crown but it was unlike the others, it was a helmet on top of which sat a winged little man: Nike. That made the woman…

  Athena.

  Next to her sat the most beautiful woman Alena had ever seen. She nearly glowed with an inner light. The woman was dressed in a beautiful gown of pink organza, Alena could see right through it. Blonde hair piled high on top of her head topped with another gold crown, almost equal to the man next to her but bigger and encrusted all the way around with rubies made in the shapes of apples and pink diamonds in the form of pomegranates.

  Aphrodite.

  Next to her was Apollo.

  Next to him sat a younger man, his blonde hair still untouched by the ravages of time. He sat there nearly naked, no shirt that she could see, glancing quickly downward, no slacks either. Alena knew he wore nothing but a loincloth. On his back was the most extraordinary pair of gold wings. Slung over his shoulder was a bow and quiver with seven arrows. That blonde head held the smallest crown of all, oddly masculine despite the roses and doves upon it. There was a certain air of familiarity about him, Alena didn’t know why but some part of her felt as though they’d met before.

  Eros.

  As Alena’s gaze locked to his, that terrible feeling of falling out of control took hold and a sudden violent shudder went through her. Fighting the urge to turn and run, she took a half step backward to stand slightly behind Ares. Surely the wild fear she felt was nothing more than the fact that all eyes were on her. The weight of them so great it was nearly crushing.

  Zeus broke the deafening silence. “So good to see you again, my Son.”

  “Wish I could say the same, Father. We’re here, what do you want?”

  “Aren’t you going to make a proper introduction or have you lost all of your manners while you sat brooding on that island?” Hera asked in a regal whisper.

  “Hello, Mother,” Ares crooned. “You it is good to see. You‘re looking well,” he complimented, then reaching slightly behind him to place his hand on Alena’s back he pushed her forward a step or two. “May I present Magdalena MacLeod, daughter of Norman MacLeod and the Fey Maven. Alena, this is my illustrious Family, the Olympians.” Ares went down the table one by one naming each seated Olympian who, in turn, rose and nodded. Alena tried not appear as though she were about to pass out as she forced a smile to her lips and whispered ‘hello’ to each. Being in the presence of beings so Powerful they could wipe one out in the blink of an eye was disconcerting to say the least. “My Son, Eros.” The earlier shudder hadn’t escaped his attention and neither did the way Eros was staring at Alena. “What are you staring at, Eros?”

  “Your new bitch, Father,” Eros returned without blinking.

  “Oh? Why? Does she interest you?”

  “You do owe me a woman.”

  “In your wet dreams,” Ares sneered.

  Aphrodite chimed in, breaking the awkward moment between Father and Son. “Apollo told us you acquired a new ride,” Aphrodite tittered. “Since when do you go for the old and motherly type? Are you getting old, Lover?”

  “Ex-Lover, don’t forget it,” Ares warned.

  “You know you miss me,” Aphrodite cooed as she batted her long lashes at him.

  “Miss you? Like one misses the plague, I suppose,” Ares retorted and then turned to his Father when he saw the creases form on Aphrodite’s brow. “We’re here at your request, Father, so tell us, what is it that you want with my woman?”

  “Right to business as always,” Zeus intoned sharply. “Nothing changes with you, Ares.”

  “On the contrary, everything changes with me. Change is my nature and that’s one reason you all abhor me; I upset the status quo,” Ares countered.

  Zeus ignored the comment in order to keep peace and this meeting moving forward. “Welcome to Olympus, Magdalena MacLeod. Would you please come here?”

  Alena started to let go of Ares hand and walk forward as Zeus commanded but Ares pulled her back to keep her at his side. “I asked you what you want.”

  “Forgive me, my Son, but I thought you were here—at my good graces—as Magdalena’s escort, not her mouth piece,” Zeus shot the last few words at his Son.

  “This is my woman, Fat
her. You want something from her you have to go through me.”

  “Your woman? Really?” Zeus took his seat and the rest of the Olympians followed as Ares and Alena stood before them. “Here I was under the impression that she is Cernunnos’ Wife.”

  Not liking the tension between Father and Son, Alena spoke in a quietly diplomatic tone. “Great Father, forgive me, but as you said, Lord Ares is my escort and he has been my host for some time now. It is due to his good graces that I am here as you requested.”

  Ares let out a grunt of disgust. “Diplomacy.” It was one thing Ares truly hated. He’d rather make peace at the tip of a sword than sit down with a bunch of stuffy bureaucrats.

  “How do you get your little bitches trained so readily?” Apollo spat. “Good doggie.” He smiled coldly at Alena. “Want a biscuit?”

  “Shut up, Apollo,” Ares warned. “Let’s not have our little Reunion go so badly so quickly.”

  Zeus waited for Apollo to resume his seat before he spoke again. “I believe your woman knows something of importance about my Daughter’s death and I want to have a look in her head.”

  Just as Ares suspected and, even indeed, hoped. Ares had no power to poke around in the minds of others but Zeus did and Ares wanted Alena’s stolen memories of her missing month exposed. Along with his Son’s involvement, whatever it was. He looked down at Alena who was tugging on his gauntlet and saw the worry in her eyes. With pursed lips he looked away from her and back to his Father. “Agreed. But I want something in return.”

  “Wh…”

  “Quiet, woman,” Ares hissed, cutting off Alena’s protest.

  “I knew there had to be something in this for you, Ares,” Zeus said with a chilly grin and a gleam in his old blue eyes. “I won’t allow you back to Olympus for just this.”

  “No?” Ares snorted.

  Alena spoke up quickly. “Hold on! Just wait a minute! Don’t I get a say in this?”

  “No,” Ares said sharply. “I told you already, be silent woman.”

  “Do…what? We had a deal! You’ve brought me here for your own purposes. Who’s using who now?”

  Aphrodite cackled long and loud. “Did you expect something else from him?”

  “Stupid woman,” Athena chimed in agreement.

  “Stup…”

  Ares bent down at the waist, shook a finger in her face, and looked her in the eye. “Shut…up.”

  Well if this wasn’t the Double Cross to Beat All Double Crosses. Alena stomped her bare foot and turned around on her heels back in the direction they’d come. The big door was still open but she had the feeling if she ran for it Zeus, Ares, or one of Them would slam it shut with their mind. Alena turned around again knowing she was trapped but refusing to give up. “You don’t own me.”

  “But…I do…Fey,” Ares corrected. “After last night your heart and the body that goes with it belong to me. It’s your Fate, accept it.”

  “I can’t believe you’d use that against me,” Alena gasped.

  “What do I use?” Ares spat. “You said it yourself last night; you’re mine. Only mine. Always mine. Remember?”

  “You made promises too…remember?” Alena shot back at him as her words came back to haunt her just as she had feared they would. “You’re a liar. You said you love me.”

  “I did?” Ares mused. “When?”

  “You said…”

  And I you.

  Not, I love you.

  “You really are a misogynistic chauvinistic son of a bitch.” Closing her eyes and feeling her heart deflate, Alena swore she could hear the loud ringing of a steel trap door slamming shut behind her. “You’re cruel.”

  Again Aphrodite let out a loud spiteful cackle, the others slowly joined in. “Oh, my, Ares! Wherever did you get this one?” Aphrodite asked between laughs. “You are a dumb bitch.”

  “I am NOT….”

  Ares yanked on her arm, bent down again, and whispered in her ear. “Alena, please, be quiet. Please, trust me.”

  “Trust you? Are you kidding?” There was something in his eyes that told her he was not lying. He really did have some type of plan cooking back there in that dark head of his. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

  “What choice have you got?” Standing up again, Ares looked at his Father.

  “Are you ready?” The answer was only a shrug of Alena’s slender shoulders. Zeus eyed Alena carefully. He did not know what Ares said to her but she seemed to have calmed down quite a bit even if she wasn’t happy with the situation. With a wave of Zeus’ hand, a very large and uncomfortable looking marble chair appeared near where Alena stood. “Sit, my dear.” The Fey wasn’t what Zeus would consider his Son’s normal cup of sexual tea. Ares liked stout women. Solidly built women. This one looked as though a strong wind would lift her off her feet and carry her away.

  “But I don’t know anything about Artemis,” Alena whispered in fear as she climbed into the chair. “I swear it, Great Father. If I did I would tell you.”

  Zeus smiled at her use of the old words and then shook his head slightly as he found that he believed her. The little Fey had an edge about her but it did not override her sweetness. “Sometimes we know things we don’t even know we know.” Raising his staff with one hand, he slid the other palm past her eyes. “Sleep,” he commanded softly and Alena fell into a very deep slumber.

  Since his Father was so close to him and the timing nearly perfect Ares stole his moment and leaned in close to Zeus. “When you’re done with this Father, I want you to look around in her mind and tell me where she’s been for the last month or so.”

  It wasn’t an outrageous demand but it puzzled the Great God. “Why?”

  Looking over at the Three Musketeers—Eros, Aphrodite, and Apollo—from the corner of his eye, Ares continued to whisper. “I think you’ll find something very interesting there, Father. Someone has erased her memory and implanted new ones. Who could have that kind of power?”

  Zeus turned to look over his shoulder at Apollo. “Agreed.” Waving his aged hand in the air a large screen appeared in the air above their heads. At first it was blank, showing nothing but black that matched the walls, but as Zeus laid his hands on the sides of Alena’s head images began to form on the screen. The Olympians all sat forward and watched with great anticipation.

  2

  Many images flashed by on the screen in the Great Council Chamber, they flew by fast as lightning while Zeus poked and prodded around in Alena’s mind. It was like watching someone rapidly flip through the pages of a thick photograph album backwards. Not much could be seen or understood with the naked eye other than the blur of colors as the pictures passed by. However, there was a strange and very strong emotional undertow accompanying them. Suddenly the images ceased and the screen turned black for a moment. As though someone started up an old projector, the images came back and moved slowly forward until a little movie began to play, it starred one Little Magdalena MacLeod, a mere five years of age, cute and precious as a button appeared on the screen. At first Ares did not recognize her. The hair threw him. Not gray, not silver, but beautiful golden fire. Looking at it drove a pang of dread through his heart.

  A wicker basket in one hand, she skipped barefoot through the green forest gathering up flowers and herbs as she hummed happy a little tune. Rings of daisies in her hair, around her ankles and wrists, she looked like a little princess in her pretty yellow dress.

  Over her humming, there was the soft sound of weeping. The little girl peered around a tree and saw a woman sitting on the forest floor crying.

  “Artemis,” Zeus whispered in victory as they all gazed at the screen. “What did I tell you?” he asked all present.

  Ares stood there with his mouth agape but he said nothing.

  “Don’t cry pretty lady,” the little girl said and held out a daisy to the weeping woman as she put an arm around Artemis’ shoulder and patted her back. “Everything’s ok.”

  Artemis stared at the flower and the littl
e girl with the red hair and big gray eyes; she wiped her tears away and took the flower offered to her. “You’re a very kind little girl,” Artemis said softly as she gazed down at the flower. “Thank you.”

  The little girl sat down next to Artemis. “Why are you crying?”

  “I had an argument with someone, they hurt my feelings.” The little girl patted her hand and then rested her head on Artemis’ arm.

  “I’m sorry,” she said thoughtfully and then gave the Goddess a hug.

  “Your flower makes me feel better,” Artemis returned and then looked around. They were very deep in the woods; surely this little girl was not out here all alone. “Where are you friends? Nearby?”

  The little girl shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “I don’t have any friends.”

  That was a terrible thing for such a cute and kind little girl to say. “Why not?”

  Again, she shrugged her shoulders.

  “Where’s your mother?” Artemis asked. “Your father?” Surely the little girl had some family in the vicinity.

  “Mama’s there.” The little girl pointed off through the dense forest. “Papa’s home in his castle.”

  Artemis looked and indeed strained her eyes in the direction the girl pointed, but she saw nothing. Several miles back she had passed a small village. “You’re from the Fey village?” The little girl brightened and nodded happily. “My dear, that’s a long way away. You shouldn’t be out here alone. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  “Magdalena but everyone calls me Maggie.”