OF WAR Anthology Novels 1-3

by Lisa Beth Darling

  Alena stood up on her tiptoes as he bent down to kiss her. “But you will,” she whispered as her lips brushed over his and held his hand to her womb. “And my bet is you can’t wait to do it. Run off to Aphrodite’s bed. Go now, why wait? Why don’t you move her in here? You can have me fuck her for you.”

  Ares stepped back, nodded his head, drew in a deep breath and then slowly shook a finger at her, “That’s enough, Alena, I’m not going to listen to anymore, do you understand me?”

  “Of course my Lord, whatever you want…master.”

  “Ok, that’s it. You’ve had your say, false and angry as it is. I understand. It’s all right. What I want tonight is to sleep in another room.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  A Brother’s Love

  I

  Ares and Alena did their best to keep the secret for a few more weeks. That was easy to do since they weren’t really speaking to each other and hardly spent any time in the same room. Alena spent much time in their bedroom suffering through morning sickness and dizziness while the women tended to her. Ares spent most of his time in the basement lifting massive amounts of weights since there wasn’t any wood to chop here on Olympus.

  Raven understood his mother’s distress at having witnessed his dream and why it caused so much tension between them, but he didn’t understand why his mother was suddenly unable to fulfill her motherly duties and give him all of the time and attention he demanded. Raven spent his days wandering the nooks and crannies of the Fortress exploring every possible inch of the huge building he called home. He was tired of being shunted aside for those weaker than himself and he wasn’t going to take it anymore. In his wanderings and his thinkings he started formulating a plan in his young mind. It would take effort and ingenuity but he wasn’t short on either of those. If he played his cards right it would work.

  Raven knocked upon the door of Aphrodite’s Temple. “Can Trinity come out and play?” he asked, standing on the stoop of the Pink Temple and looking up into the bewildered blue eyes of the Goddess of Love.

  “I don’t think she wants to play with you.”

  Raven looked down at his feet sheepishly and shuffled them from side to side with his hands behind his back. “I said some really mean things to her but I didn’t mean ‘em. It was bad and I wanna tell ‘er I’m sorry.” With sad eyes, he looked up at Aphrodite. “Do ya think I could come in and tell ‘er I’m sorry? If she doesn’t wanna play with me that’s ok but…well, with mom sick cuz’a the new baby and all, I’d really like someone to hang out with.”

  Holding a hand to her ample chest, Aphrodite didn’t know which part of Raven’s statements to respond to first. “Alena’s pregnant?”

  “Yeah, I’m gunna be a big brother,” he sighed, but then smiled, trying to look happy about the situation. “Can I see Trinity now?”

  Stunned at the implications, Aphrodite stood back to let Raven into her home. “She’s in her room.”

  “‘K.” Raven sauntered to the pink marble staircase and then went up them at a pace he considered to convey that of a boy, his shoulders heavy with the weight of a forthcoming apology.

  Aphrodite stood at the doorway watching him go and shaking herself out of her daze. She didn’t follow the boy but she remained at the bottom of the stairs ready to teleport up them if Trinity cried out or shouting began.

  Making sure his face was appropriately solemn, Raven knocked on Trinity’s door and entered when he heard the girl call ‘come in’. “Hi,” he said quietly as he watched her turn around, expecting to see her Mother or possibly Erato the Muse of Love Poems and now Servant of the House standing in her doorway. Trinity was playing dress-up and having a tea party with her dolls all seated around a miniature pink marble table with a setting of porcelain cup and saucer before them.

  “Humph, what do you want?” Trinity rolled her eyes and turned back to her dolls.

  “I’m sorry.” Raven slowly began walking across the large room to where his half-sister was ignoring him in favor of her playtime. “My mouth runs away with me sometimes. I got’cha sumthin’, ya know, ta say I’m sorry and all.” Raven held out a silver box to Trinity; it was of a good size, taking up the full palm of his hand. The box was intricately engraved with swirls of ivy, hearts and doves. “It’s a music box, go on take it.”

  “Music box?” Trinity put down the teacup in her hand, sat up a little straighter and looked at the silver box in Raven’s hands. She watched him open it and suddenly the soft tinkles of music filled the air. Trinity clasped her hands together as her pretty face lit up. “Ooooo,” she held her hands out for the gift.

  “It plays some old song, my mom says it’s ‘Beautiful Dreamer’.” Raven closed the lid as he took a few steps toward his half-sister with a smile on his face and the gift held out before him. “I thought you’d like it. I shouldn’ta said that stuff, it’s not true anyway.” Trinity reached up for the music box and he laid it in her small hands. “I’m sure you’re gunna make a great Queen one day.”

  Trinity began frowning as she thrust the gift back at him. “Me? Queen? You’re teasing me again.”

  The Old Man didn’t tell her yet. That was a juicy bit of news and Raven felt his mouth begin watering. Maybe he was waiting for the right time, or maybe he lied so many years ago. Maybe Zeus was biding his time and waiting for a better heir, one with the full powers of a Goddess and not this little dud. Where would he get such an heir? From Ares, of course. “Yeah, Zeus says you’re gunna be Queen of Olympus one day…ya know, when he like dies or something, whenever that is.” Raven pointed to the pink marble chairs with their pink cushions. “Can I?”

  “I guess,” Trinity said, not at all sounding pleased but her curiosity was piqued by the box and Raven’s words. “I’m not gonna be Queen,” she whispered and then looked up at him with misty eyes, “I’m not like you. They hate me.” Especially Zeus, and Trinity couldn’t ever imagine her Grandfather saying she would be Queen of Olympus one day.

  Her words stunned him to the point where Raven couldn’t think for a second. How could Trinity think they hated her when they doted on her all the time? “What?”

  “They think I’m a…a…a reject.” She sulked and wiped at her eyes before the tears could start falling. That was a hateful hurtful word, but Zeus used it in reference to her all the time when he talked to Aphrodite and Trinity listened in on their conversations from the top of the stairs. “I’m weak, not like them.”

  “Yeah, well, join the club, Trin. I’m not like them either.” Raven smiled at her as he almost felt sorry for her. He knew what it was to be on the outside looking in. “Who called you a reject?”

  “Zeus,” Trinity mumbled and then frowned.

  That was interesting. “Do you like it?” Raven pointed at the music box, deciding to change the subject to something a little more pleasant.

  “Yes, thank you.” Trinity smiled a crooked little grin and then opened the top to listen to the soft sounds of the old song. “Wanna play with me?” The last several weeks had been very lonely for Trinity, who spent almost all of her time up here in her room surrounded by her dolls and stuffed animals.

  “Sure, let’s go outside, huh? Kinda stuffy in here.”

  “Ok!”

  Raven and Trinity raced down the pink marble staircase on their way to see who would get to the front door first when they were stopped by Aphrodite. “Where are you going?”

  “We’re going outside to play,” Trinity explained, “we made up.”

  Aphrodite looked from one to the other with a bit of suspicion. “All right, but don’t go far. I have to go visit Zeus for a moment; I’ll come get you on my way home and we’ll come in for dinner.” She watched them continue their race to the front door of the Temple where Raven clearly let Trinity win. A few moments later, wrapped up in a white fur coat, Aphrodite passed the two playing in the snow on her way to Zeus’ Palace. It gave her no pleasure to walk up to her Brother and announce that Ares and Alena were expecting again,
but if she didn’t do it and Zeus found out she withheld such vital information there would be hell to pay.

  Tossing a fat fluffy snowball at Trinity, Raven kept his eye on Aphrodite as she made the slippery trek to Zeus’ Palace at the very top of Olympus, leaving her precious Trinity behind unguarded. He’d love to be a fly on the wall when the Old Man found out that the filthy Celtic whore was pregnant again. If anyone could put a stop to it Raven felt it was Zeus, and when the Old Man demanded the new baby not be born then Raven wouldn’t have to contend with that problem. He’d nip it in the bud, so to speak. That only left him with Trinity. With Aphrodite safely behind the walls of Zeus’ Grand Palace, he turned to his sister. “Hey, c’mon with me, I wanna show ya something.”

  “What?”

  “C’mon, it’s really cool, you’re gunna like it.” Raven took off toward the other side of the mountaintop at a good pace with Trinity struggling to keep up after she decided to trust him. He knew Aphrodite didn’t let Trinity wander the whole top of the mountain, instead she kept her little Daughter on a tight leash. “C’mon, just over this way, just up there.” Raven pointed off to the Cliffside where he and his own mother stood often with their toes hanging over the jagged edges of the rocks as they gazed out at the blue/green wonder below them.

  Trinity’s eyes followed where Raven’s finger pointed and then she stopped in the snow. “I can’t go up there. Mother says it’s too dangerous.”

  “Mom and I go up there all the time,” Raven encouraged with a warm smile, “c’mon…wussy.” He sprinted away from her.

  “Hey!” She sprinted after him and struggled to scramble up the rocks. When her little legs threatened to fail her, suddenly there was Raven’s hand in front of her eyes offering his help. She took it with a smile and held on to him as they made it to the top. “Oh my,” Trinity said in a hushed whisper as she looked out at the world beyond the only one she knew.

  “Beautiful, huh?”

  “What is it? That big blue watery stuff, what…”

  Raven laughed; the girl was sheltered. “That’s the ocean, that’s where Poseidon lives.”

  “It’s so big, it’s all so big!” It made her feel oh so small and dizzy. The wind up here, as opposed to the little valley in which they all lived a hundred feet or so below, was very strong. It stung her face and threatened to whip her feet out from under her.

  “Yeah it is, c’mere, look over here.” Off to the left stood the last boulder, and that was where Raven wanted Trinity to stand, right in front of it so the rest of Olympus wouldn’t be able to see what was happening. “Check it out.”

  “What?”

  “Here, ya gotta stand here.”

  The path between them was very narrow and the fall was very long. Trinity reached out for Raven’s hand for safety and he extended it to her. Teetering on her tiptoes, Raven behind her and the boulder behind him, she held one hand to her brow to block the wind and the sun. “I don’t see anything. Where is it?”

  “Over that way,” Raven whispered in her ear as he pointed off to some spot in the distance that only he could see. His heart began racing with anticipation as his wide eyes took in the sight of her booted toes clinging to the edge of the rock. One more step and this problem would be taken care of. “You’re short, maybe ya gotta stand up a little more to see it.”

  Eager to see what Raven was pointing at, Trinity stood up on her tiptoes and straightened her back to crane her neck as far as she could. Looking as hard as she could out at the horizon, all she saw was the sun sparkling down on the blue ocean dotted with green islands, and thought of how pretty it was, how she’d like to go down there one day. Her young heart raced with excitement as her wide eyes took in the sights of the world below, a world she’d never even visited. Sometimes Trinity would look out of her bedroom window to see Raven and Eros flying high above the mountain, and she wished her Brother would take her flying, too, but Aphrodite wouldn’t allow it. As far as Trinity was concerned her Mother never let her do anything fun or exciting. “What is it?” Straining the muscles in her legs just a little more she stood a little taller and her foot slipped on the rock. “OH!”

  “Got’cha!” Raven reached out with both arms and pulled her back close to him. “Ya gotta be careful, Trin, that’s a heck of a fall, you could die.”

  Trinity’s heart racing with wonder and excitement now beat double-time with fear and panic. “Thanks.” She clung to Raven as he backed her away from the edge.

  “No problem.” Raven gave her a warm smile. “Did ya see it? The lighthouse?”

  “Is that what it is? What does it do?”

  Raven wanted to be a wiseass, but bit back the sour comments running through his mind because they would not win Trinity’s trust. He explained the concept of lighthouses as he pointed to the ships below, telling her that some of them were much bigger than she thought and they carried vast amounts of cargo all over the world. “Too bad your Mom never lets ya off this rock. It’s pretty cool down there.”

  Trinity felt a bolt of jealousy skip through her. Raven was always going down there with his parents and it just didn’t seem fair. They were the same age, so why should he get to go explore the wonders while she was stuck here? The little girl let out a sigh and then turned to the boy with her. “Maybe one day.”

  “Yeah, one day, but ‘til then maybe you could just climb up here sometimes and look out. Daydream. Your Mom can’t bitch about daydreams, can she?” Raven smiled and then gave a little laugh, which grew brighter when she laughed with him.

  Holding onto Raven’s hand, Trinity looked out at the world. “Tell me more about the ships and the lighthouses and the people.”

  The girl really was a dud. Now it seemed like her genetic memory didn’t kick in; maybe it never would. Why didn’t Aphrodite tell her Daughter about the planet? Standing with their toes hanging over the precipice and the wind blowing back their hair, Raven told his Sister everything he’d seen, done, smelled and tasted on his trips down there. No matter how much he told her or in what great detail, Trinity wanted to know more. That was a very good sign and it pleased him that she would look to him for advice, it meant she trusted him. They stood there for a half hour or more with Raven telling Trinity grand tales of the Mortal World and about all of the things she would see one day…if Aphrodite ever let her off this rock.

  After a while Raven, his tongue tired, looked down at his Sister to see she was shivering and her lips were blue, but her eyes were just as wide and bright. “I’ll take ya back now,” he slung an arm around her small shoulders “must be getting’ close to dinner and…well, you’re freezin’. Can’t have our future Queen catching a cold.” She looked like she just might, too, so frail and small, almost sickly but still pretty in an odd sort of way. Raven thought that was strange that the offspring of two full-blooded Olympians should turn out to be such a pure and utter failure. He wasn’t a failure; he was slick, cunning, and strong, and soon all of them would know it. Seeing her back to the door and making sure that Erato saw him escort her inside, he told her to stay by the fire for a while to warm up. He even told Erato he wished she had a pleasant evening before pursing his lips together to whistle that tune about the rose in the snow and making his way home.

  Yes, when he left Aphrodite’s Temple, Raven was the shining image of Big Brotherhood and caring for little Trinity as his whistling turned to singing. “It’s the one who won’t be taken, who cannot seem to give, and the soul afraid of dyin’ that never learns to live.”

  II

  Aphrodite wanted to hold back on the information that had so innocently crossed her path; in fact, she wanted to just ignore it completely. Life on Olympus didn’t allow for such luxuries and better she tell Zeus than Raven let it slip to Apollo, who got to tell him. She’d rather have the brownie points on this one. What she didn’t want was to be pregnant again. The shots and the potions Zeus gave her made her dizzy and sick, they made her hallucinate, leaving her unable to tell up from down. Even when she
was a young and spry Goddess, carrying Ares’ children had been the most difficult things she’d done, especially his Sons. Aphrodite was no longer young and she was no longer spry. Pregnancy with Trinity had been hard, and she’d been forced to bed months before Alena had been with Raven. No one came to visit with her, Apollo didn’t sit by her bed, soothe her brow, and tend to her as Ares did for Alena. It was only she and Erato in the Temple with Hera doing her duty by coming to the Temple to check on her progress and offer civil assistance a few times a week. Aphrodite had no hand to hold or worried eyes to gaze into as she gave birth to the new baby girl, and it would be the same this time.

  Hera was surprised to see Aphrodite walk through the Great Hall on her way to the Throne Room. She got up from her knitting by the fire to follow at a discreet distance and eavesdrop upon their conversation. Listening in silence, she was dismayed but not surprised to have her suspicions confirmed. She knew Trinity was Ares’ Daughter, but Hera also knew there was no way he’d gone to her bed out of desire and lust, even if it did cause him to nearly miss the birth of his Son. To hear that Alena was once again pregnant and Zeus expected the same from Aphrodite, she would have expected Aphrodite to be bouncing off the walls with glee at the prospect, but she was not. Aphrodite was trying very hard to get out of her end of this wicked deal, telling Zeus she was too old and the pregnancy with Trinity too difficult; she didn’t know if she’d survive another. Zeus, in his indomitable way, didn’t give a shit.

  “Alena is far younger than I am, Brother, how many times do you expect me to do this?”

  “Until you get it right!”

  “Until I get it right? Me?” Aphrodite ventured as she grew flustered and angry. “What about you? Maybe it’s whatever you’re doing that’s mucking things up!”

  “Your eggs are old and dried up like you, Sister; it’s not my fault that I have inferior tools to work with.”