The Heart of War

by Lisa Beth Darling

  “Who asked you?” Zeus shot.

  “You did.” Morpheus fluttered his transparent black wings and let out a deep sigh. “I thought I was brought here to offer my opinion. If you don’t want it, Zeus, then open the door and let me out,” he challenged, wanting nothing more than to leave here. Morpheus didn’t know why Aphrodite had come to him several nights ago and traded her body for his ability to see into dreams. He’d almost said no. Screwing around with Ares wasn’t something Morpheus, or anyone, did lightly. However, it was hard to say no to the very persuasive Goddess of Love.

  “There! You see!” Aphrodite said triumphantly. “Even they agree with me, we should stay out of this.”

  “Shut up, Aphrodite. Why don’t you think beyond yourself for a change?” Hades thundered.

  “What do you care?” Aphrodite shot back. “You’re already dead, Cernunnos can’t touch you. And you,” she pointed at Poseidon, “it’s not like he’s going to take over the oceans so what do you care either? You should be with them.” She pointed at Circe and Morpheus standing on the opposite side of the table.

  Yes, it was true; Poseidon and Hades could always retreat to their respective Kingdoms where Cernunnos was doubtful to follow. Yet, that didn’t mean this was of no concern to them. “If Cernunnos is successful in whatever he’s doing with those souls, I believe he will obtain the power to leave his lands and still retain his abilities. If that happens, then Ares may not be enough to stop him,” Hades assured. “All of us may not be enough to stop him.”

  Aphrodite let out a loud huff. “So what? It’s not as if he can storm Olympus. If we just stay here, we’ll all be fine. I don’t know about any of you, but after today, I don’t give a damn about the Mortals. Their world is filthy; it’s full of greed and disease. If Cernunnos wants it, we should give it to him.”

  .None of the Olympians could say that they were overjoyed with the things and people they’d encountered on their search. The world changed so drastically since the time the Olympians freely walked among the Mortals it was hardly recognizable. Thankfully, most of the Olympians realized that those things did not mean the Mortal World should just fall to rack and ruin.

  Hera cast aspersions with her luminous eyes and then her lips. “Those two, my Husband,” she looked from Aphrodite to Eros, “are useless to begin with in such matters. If Hades is right, then where does that leave us? You’ll pardon me for saying so but you, I, Poseidon and Hades are getting a little long in the tooth for such things as this. Ares is our best hope to stop Cernunnos while there is still a chance to do so quietly.” Hera hadn’t been impressed with the Mortal world any more than the rest of them. If it came down to an all out war between Gods, then that was bound to attract some attention. The Mortal World with all of its new technology—its cameras and its microphones, its televisions and its satellites—would broadcast the War of the Gods for the entire planet to see. Their very existence could be on the verge of discovery and extinction. In this case, discovery would almost surely lead to extinction as the Mortals tended to dissect whatever they feared or didn’t understand.

  “She’s right, Father,” Apollo said strongly. He never agreed with Hera on anything. “I hate Ares, too, but if we can use him here then we should. If not for the Others then for Artemis and before Cernunnos can get any stronger.”

  Athena, Warrior Goddess of Wisdom that she was, nodded. “Agreed, we take Cernunnos down now. This cannot go any further, Father. For our own survival, we must make a stand here and now. For this, we need Ares; if you start playing games with his woman he will turn his back on us.”

  In truth, Zeus didn’t understand why Alena wasn’t already dead. Ares was several days under the influence of the curse, meaning to or not, he should have killed her by now. The way she ran out of his cave and how he stormed out of the Underworld, Zeus had been sure it was going to happen last night. Zeus was miffed when he asked Hades if Alena resided with him yet and received ‘no’ for an answer. It would be better if Ares was out of his mind with despair and caught deep in the clutches of self-loathing and desperation at having killed Alena. Then Ares would go after Cernunnos with no holds barred. In that instance, victory was assured and Zeus wouldn’t have to put up with a mutant for a Grandchild. The way it looked now, that was not to be. If Alena had to stay in this to the end and if Zeus had to use her like some carrot on a string in front of Ares to get him to do what Zeus wanted, then so be it. When this was over, Zeus would find a very sad but plausible way to dispose of Alena.

  “Pardon me, Great Lord Zeus,” Elvin spoke again in quiet tones, “but, what of us?” He looked around at his fellow Faeries and their long drawn faces. He looked to the Nymphs who lived nearby but were unprotected by the Olympians, and whom so far had yet to weigh in on the conversation. “Cernunnos has destroyed much of our kind; will you stand by and watch him destroy the last of it? Will you do nothing?”

  “Look around you, my Husband. We are the last of our world,” Hera whispered. “The last remaining peoples of the Old World. This handful here, and we are on the verge of extinction. Will you allow our lights to go out without a fight? Is your hatred of Ares and the Celts so strong that you would send these small and gentle people back to their homes defenseless?” With a gentle hand, she gestured toward Lord Elvin and his small band of Faeries. “Let them be hunted down like dogs and then executed?”

  Hera was a worthy opponent but worse than that she usually made the most rational and logical arguments, they were hard to fault with. His watery old eyes scanned around the room to all of the faces staring back at him, each with hope and anticipation. The things Cernunnos had done were sins, they were abominations, and they had to be punished. “Apollo, go get your brother and his little bitch.”

  4

  Apollo was surprised to find the entrance to Ares’ cave open. He walked straight through the opening and down the hall where he found Ares sitting on sitting on his throne with Alena curled up in his lap deep asleep. Snuggled under a blanket, she had her cheek cuddled against Ares’ chest and Ares was petting her gray hair as though she were a Himalayan kitten. Ares looked up with a sneer when he felt Apollo’s presence. “Don’t you knock?”

  Apollo ignored his brother’s complaint as he sauntered fully into the room. “You’re wanted on Olympus, bring her with you.”

  In Ares lap, Alena began to stir. Ares shouldn’t have worked her so hard earlier in the day. After her little nap, he made her repeat the performance two more times. While she didn’t put any more windows in his walls, each time she did better than the time before, but it left her exhausted. “Hush,” Ares soothed and ran his palm over her head to smooth her hair. “Shhhhh.” He looked up at Apollo, who was looking down with envy. “What of Olympus? Did they find anyone?”

  “Only a few and none that were once called Gods. It seems we are the last of those.”

  Alena sat up. “The last?” That couldn’t be right. Cernunnos couldn’t have possibly gotten all of them. Could he?

  “You didn’t tell her?”

  “We’ve been busy.”

  Ares was fully dressed and Alena appeared to be so beneath that fluffy blanket. Nevertheless, Apollo sniffed the air then took a step forward to sniff his brother. Ares smelled of sweat and the little Fey looked plum tuckered out. “Doing what? What have you been up to Ares?”

  “What I’m always up to, Apollo. I’ve been balls deep in her most of the day; can’t you see how tired she is?” Ares returned as the lie slipped easily and convincingly through his lips. Something flashed in Apollo’s golden eyes, telling Ares that his lie was not unnoticed. “I’ve worn her out.” Ares hoped those truthful words would aid in covering his deception.

  Alena gathered the blanket around her as she stared up at them with questioning eyes. What was he talking about? Yes, he wore her out all right, but not from making love. They’d been down on the lower level with him encouraging and demanding that she keep practicing with the Staff. She blew up pots until she was so drai
ned she couldn’t stand any longer. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”

  “Zeus will fill you in.” Not dropping Ares gaze, Apollo sneered as he wondered why his Brother was lying to him at this juncture. Lies were Ares’ forte but they were a luxury that couldn’t be afforded at the current time. “Are you ready? They’re waiting.”

  “We’re going to Olympus?” Alena asked. She’d rather stay here, sleep some more, snuggled up safe and warm in Ares’ arms, dreaming the coming night away. Then a horrible thought jolted her to full wakefulness. “You’re not going now are you? To fight?”

  “Soon. Don’t worry, I will find a safe place for you and the women while I’m gone.”

  Alena threw off the blanket with her free hand and stood up on wobbly legs to turn and face him. “I’m going with you.”

  “No you’re not.”

  “Yes, I am,” she protested strongly and planted that free hand on her hip.

  “Alena…”

  “We’ll do this together.”

  Behind them Apollo started to chuckle and then to laugh. “Another bitch willing to die for you? How do you do it, Ares? What is your secret? You must tell me how you get them to behave like lemmings.”

  Before Ares could answer, Alena spoke up. “You’re just jealous because no one would ever lay down their life for you.”

  Ares slid off the throne, feeling the grin break out on his face. “She’s got your number, Apollo. I wouldn’t go putting my life in Aphrodite’s hands if I were you.” He turned back to Alena. “You’ll come to Olympus with me but when it comes to the fight you will stay behind.”

  “We’ll see about that. I know you know that I can—” Alena stopped when Ares squeezed her delicate hand roughly. In his dark eyes she clearly read that he did not want Apollo—and possibly the other Olympians—to know of her newly discovered abilities. That was why he lied about them making love all day. “You saw me on the beach,” she said quickly hoping to cover anything Apollo might be sensing. “I fight well. I saved your life,” she added, hoping she wasn’t pushing things too far but enough to be believable. Now there was a twinkle in Ares’ dark eyes and she felt she’d done all right with her part of this lie.

  “So you did,” Ares agreed. “But you’re staying behind.” Grasping her hand with a bit more strength, Ares helped Alena to her feet. She stood in front of him weaving side to side. “Maybe you should stay behind now, hmm?” To him she looked about ready to collapse even as she tried to gather her strength to her. “You should rest, Alena.” Feeling Apollo’s eyes on his back, Ares frowned, knowing he had to keep up this little charade and hide the knowledge of Alena’s Powers from his Family. “This pregnancy is already difficult on you, woman.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  That was what he thought and what he’d hoped for. “Then at least take your stupid stick with you.” Ares snatched the Staff off his table and put it in her free hand. “You can lean on it.”

  “Is she that old, Ares? I always knew you had an Oedipus Complex, but I never thought it went quite this far,” Apollo quipped and then laughed at his own little joke. But he stopped cackling when Ares’ turned around swiftly and stared at him with those cold eyes blazing fire.

  “If I have to tell you again to shut up, my fist will punctuate my meaning so there won’t be any more mistakes.”

  5

  Upon their arrival, Olympus was unsettlingly quiet. Everyone gathered looked stern and surly. Alena didn’t know most of the new arrivals. She thought the small group of rather small and slender women were Nymphs, though whether woodland or water she wasn’t sure. There was a…man. Sort of a man, anyway. He’d be a man if she couldn’t see right through him as though he were a ghost. Another newcomer to the group was a woman, an older woman. Although she still a fair amount of midnight in her hair, the vast part of it was gray. Alena had no idea who she was but imagined she would find out soon enough.

  Past them, there was a wonderful surprise.

  “Lord Elvin!” Alena cried out with delight as a sudden burst of energy came to her and she departed Ares’ side to scamper over to the group of tiny Faeries before Ares could grab hold of her. “Is it really you?” Lord Elvin’s little band of Faeries didn’t live very far from the Fey Village and the two groups often gathered to celebrate the Old Holidays.

  The small man was taken aback by her sudden outpouring of delight and he backed away from her, fluttering high into the air as he went. He studied her with his old eyes and found her to be a Fey. Not but a day ago he would have said that impossible because Cernunnos had slain all of the lovely willowy Feys that once graced the deep woods of their homeland.

  “Don’t you know me?” Alena asked a bit sadly but still hopefully and she smiled for him. True, she’d changed in the two hundred years since she’d last seen him but Lord Elvin had changed as well and she still recognized him. “Lord Elvin, you used to frequent my mother’s shop.”

  The old Faeries’ eyes narrowed on the happy Fey woman before him as Lord Elvin searched his memory, which had begun to falter some time ago. Her face was slightly familiar but it was her voice that held his attention and that underlying scent of honeysuckle wafting from her. “Magdalena MacLeod,” he whispered. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Yes, it’s me, it’s Maggie.” Alena, Staff still in her hand, held out her arms to embrace the tiny man as he fluttered toward her. “How wonderful to see you!” She wanted to embrace him tightly but Lord Elvin, like all Faeries, was very delicate and small, this made him unsuitable for hugging. The Lord of the Faeries fluttered up close to her and bestowed a kiss upon Alena’s cheek before hovering in front of her eyes. He was so very old now and he looked tired, Alena crooked the Staff and held out her hand. “Won’t you please rest, Lord Elvin?”

  “Don’t mind if I do, Maggie. Thank you,” the little Faery said gratefully. It seemed Maggie had more manners than all of the Olympians combined. They made him expend his precious energy floating at their eye level while he spoke earlier instead of inviting him to sit. Setting down in the palm of her hand to rest, he found her skin supple and scented with honeysuckle as he looked up at her. “Lord Elvin, I know other matters are pressing but do you have any news of my mother? Or of those in my village?”

  The news from home wasn’t good; Lord Elvin looked to Hera, who already knew the tale. In her eyes, he saw this might not be the time to tell Maggie Cernunnos burned her little village to the ground and took her mother away with him. Yet, he could not deny her this knowledge. Lord Elvin didn’t know where Maggie MacLeod had been these centuries or how she’d ended up with Ares or with the Staff of Cernunnos’ Exalted Druid Adrian in her hand. What he did know was that she deserved the truth. If they were going to battle then Maggie needed to know that she had even more of a stake in this than she believed. In front of all those gathered Lord Elvin, gently as he possibly could, told the tale of the night the forests burned like the midnight sun. “I’m sorry, my dear,” he offered as he patted her hand.

  Alena’s eyes welled with tears as she stood there taking it in and let it settle. Her face turned pale as new snow as she swayed on her feet and leaned heavily upon her Staff. Gone. All of them were gone. Dead. Her entire happy little village of peaceful Feys slaughtered like rabid dogs. Their treetop homes and glimmering little shops nothing but so much burnt ash. The land cursed to remain that way, barren empty, when once it had been so lush and green, so full of vibrant life. Alena so desperately wanted to go home one day but now there was nothing to go home to, not even, “Mama?” she said in a small voice. “Oh, Mama.” Afraid she was going faint on the spot, Ares dashed to her side and put his hand under her elbow to keep her upright. Feeling the weight and strength of him at her side, she summoned up the courage to offer the question rising on her quivering lips. “Is she…does she still live?” The moment it was out of her mouth Alena realized she wanted the answer to be ‘no’. For if it was ‘yes’, then her mother had been suffering in capt
ivity at Cernunnos’ whims for a very long time and that made her stomach sour.

  “I believe she does,” Lord Elvin offered gently. “Though I must say no one has seen her in quite a while.”

  Alena wanted to be sick; she felt weak and flushed with heat, as though she’d just been sucker punched in the gut. So many years she’d dreamed of home, of the peaceful little village and her mother. She took strength, comfort and solace in her memories of her home, she replayed those days over and over in her mind during the most difficult of times. All the while telling herself that one day soon she would get back there and all would be well again. Never in her wildest fantasies did the idea that Cernunnos, unable to take revenge upon her, had done so upon all her village and all her kin.

  Ashen face with tearful sunken gray eyes turned upward to look at Ares for help. “I will avenge this, Alena. I swear it.” Ares hand went from her elbow to around her shoulder and held her near. “He’s not going to get away with any of this.” Ares could only begin to imagine how he would feel if the little bug-man had told him Cernunnos held Hera hostage for two centuries.

  “All of these years he’s had her,” she whispered in horror. “He’s…” her voice trailed off as wicked images danced through her mind, images of Cernunnos and her helpless mother before him. Images of torture devices that she’d recently seen. Alena began to back away from Ares, seeing not her Lover but the God of War standing next to her. The devices of torture Ares held so dear and had used so long. “He’s so like you.”

  Ares felt a hot bolt of anger go through him and bit down on his bottom lip to hold his tongue while the initial flash passed. When it was nearly over he held up his hand, one finger pointing upward in the air, it touched upon his lips and he closed his eyes before he pointed at her. “Don’t do that,” Ares warned. “Don’t compare me to him. I am not Cernunnos.”