Even If It Means War || Ennead

Olympus (part 2)

"Come on, you can do better than that!"

Ares was swinging the blunt replica of a real sword, using the order of the steps Seth had taught him just earlier that day. The sun was shining down on them and he was already drenched in sweat from practicing all day.

Seth was a strict teacher and he didn't take laziness well. Over the past five months, he had been teaching Ares how to wield a sword the proper way and Ares was a quick learner. He was no match for Seth at this early stage but constantly losing to him only made him more eager to learn.

So when his teacher told him to do better, he picked up the sword again and started over, swinging the sword up and down, left and right, acting out scenarios in his head like he was on the battlefield.

"You're quite hard on him." Hestia put her hands on Seth's shoulders when she suddenly appeared behind him.

"He will never learn discipline if I don't push him a little." Seth wasn't surprised by her sudden appearance, was in fact, used to it by now. The first few weeks had been hard for him in Hellas but Hestia made sure to take care of him whenever she noticed that he wasn't being included by the other gods.

It was all better now that more time had passed and Seth even found himself thinking of some of them as friends, oddly enough.
Hestia reminded him of Nephthys and he would lie if he said that he didn't miss her.
But Hestia and he also had this unspoken understanding between them when it came to Ares and his siblings.

"He's been easier to get along with lately." She commented, referring to the sweaty, scrawny boy.

"Zeus and Hera still pay him no mind though." Seth shook his head and Hestia elegantly fixed her flowy dress as she sat down next to him.

"Maybe you could talk to Zeus? He has a soft spot for you." Hestia chuckled and elbowed him softly.

"He doesn't listen to anything I say. Trust me, I've tried to get him to spend time with Ares but it's like he doesn't care at all." And Seth was getting tired of arguing with Zeus. He was always so cold and dismissive whenever Seth brought it up.

Hestia hummed as her fingers ran through Seth's hair before she began to braid a small strand, "Zeus is stupid. He doesn't know how to be a father...unlike you."

Seth looked at Ares who reminded him so much of himself these days. His ginger hair was growing out nicely and he wasn't as skinny as he used to be. Maybe it was a good thing that Seth had come to Hellas if only to help this young boy become more of what he wanted to be.

"I am no father, just a generous stranger." Never again could Seth call himself a father, it was too painful of a memory. There were nights when he woke up from nightmares of his son violating him. Those nights he had to remind himself that he was somewhere Anubis could never reach him.

"I'd hardly call you a stranger. Ares likes you, you're the only one he doesn't hate in this palace. Even Zeus irritates him with his negligence. And you know how Hera is..." Hestia sighed.

Come to think of it, Seth hadn't seen Hera around much since he arrived. He spotted the goddess here and there, and sometimes heard her voice in the hallways but he barely ever talked to her.

"How is it that they had a child together but neither of them cares for him?"

Hestia bit her lip, "Didn't Zeus tell you the story of how Ares was conceived?"

"I doubt that's a story I want to hear about," Seth grimaced, "I'm not particularly interested in other people's sex lives."

Hestia chuckled and shook her head, "No, it wasn't like that. Hera conceived Ares on her own after she and Zeus got married. She used an herb though I'm not sure what it was."