Even If It Means War || Ennead

Proud

When Hera admitted to sending that letter to Egypt, Ares had been furious. Who did she think she is to mess with Ares' happiness like that?
He vividly remembered crying for days and then furiously swinging his sword at a tree for the next few after that.

Ever since that day his rage only grew, as did his body. Maybe his rage grew into his body, he didn't know. All he knew was that he had become everything his parents hated.
Frankly, he didn't care anymore. Not about his father's approval or his affairs. Not about his mother's love or affection.
He liked to imagine that it somehow made him stronger. Not caring often meant no more pain. Somehow, he didn't know what to believe anymore at all.

Ife had been a surprise to all of them, but especially to Ares. Ares thought that his mother had lied when she said that Seth stole fruits from her garden to make himself fertile.

Many thoughts ran through his head as he paced around the corridors of the palace and eventually wound up at Seth's door. Should he knock? Or maybe just go away? He didn't have the time to decide because at that moment, Seth opened the door and bumped right into him.

Ares grabbed the man by his arms and pulled him back, "You should watch where you're going."

It came out a lot angrier than he intended so he cleared his throat, "I mean, you could hurt yourself."

Seth frowned, "I'm fine, thank you. What are you doing here?"

Ares wasn't so sure himself, "I was just passing by. But do you have time to talk?"

"I–" Seth was honestly sick of talking but how could he refuse Ares? "Yes, I suppose."

And so they found a place to sit down in the courtyard of the palace, where flowers bloomed at all times of the year. They sat down on the little stone bench and for a while, there was just Silence between them.

Then Ares spoke up, "I can't believe you actually did it."

"Did what?" Seth looked at him as his feet played with the little bit of sand on the ground.

"Have a child with Zeus." Ares shook his head, "I don't know what this is about him that makes his lovers want to have kids with him. But especially you, I mean, you saw what kind of father he was, and yet you still–" he stopped and rubbed his face, "You still did it."

Seth eyed the man curiously, "You don't actually think I wanted to have a child with your father, right?"

Ares laughed, but it was something taunting, "Oh please, you're just like the rest of them. Thinking that a child will turn the temporary fucking into something solid."

"Ares, what the fuck?" Seth grabbed him by his jaw and made him look at him, "No, what the actual fuck did you just say to me?"

Ares slapped his hand away, "Oh please, don't act so shocked. It's obvious that Hera was right about you all along. You were so scared of going back to Egypt that you wanted to have his child! But it didn't work out fast enough for you so you had nothing to keep you in Hellas."

"No, that's not–"

"But then you realized that you actually managed to get pregnant, but had already agreed to that contract. You were planning on waiting for your little bastard to grow up into a god, weren't you? To then send him to Hellas and convince Zeus into starting a war to get you back. Because you thought you were special–"

With all the strength Seth had, he slapped Ares' face so hard that he almost fell back into the bush behind the bench.
Ares held his hand to his quickly reddening cheek as he stared at Seth with huge eyes.

Seth got up, an angry expression on his face, "First of all, don't you ever call my son a bastard. And secondly, whatever it is that your mother has told you about some sick master plan that I've created is not true! I have never, and I mean never, wanted to get pregnant in the first place."

"But you replaced me!"

"I never replaced you! Ares, I love you like my own son!" Seth grabbed his face and Ares' noticed the tears in his eyes.

"I didn't want to leave you, I promise. But I had no choice. I have duties here."

Ares watched as the tears rolled down his face and landed on his own, "...I just wanted you to be proud of me."

Seth sniffled, "And I am. I mean, look at you! You grew up so well." his thumbs stroked over the freckles on Ares' face, "And you became a god of war, just like I used to be. I could not be any more proud of you."

Ares felt that pressure in the back of his throat and his lip trembled. This was all he ever wanted to hear Seth say. And he did, even after Ares let his rage out on him.

"But Ife.."

"Is not your replacement," Seth assured him. And really, nothing more had to be said by him. Ares didn't doubt the truth of his words, he didn't want to. Hera would have to pay for the lies she fed him.

Ares stood up and pulled Seth into a tight embrace, letting the tears in his eyes dampen his father's naked shoulder. It felt like a weight was lifted off his heart and so they stood there like that, Ares crying as Seth stroked the back of his head.