In Love And War

Part 1

To the ones fighting for their love, know it's all worth it in the end.

***

Fuck!

Ares jerked his hand away after spilling some of the red wine he had been drinking. He squeezed the gold goblet tightly between his fingers, crumpling it with ease. He would rather be getting tortured in the depths of Tartarus than standing there pretending everything was fine. He could feel his sanity slowly slipping away, and not even the wine could appease him.

The woman he loved was getting married to his own brother, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Zeus had demanded their union, so now all that was left for Ares to do was to put on a happy face and congratulate the couple. But how could he smile if Aphrodite looked miserable, sitting next to Hephaestus while, one by one, the other gods expressed their best wishes?

"You look horrible." Enyo stood imposingly tall next to him, watching the newlyweds with her arms crossed over her chest. She was about his height and impossible to go unnoticed among the gods. Her feral aura certainly didn't help her blend into the crowd. "It's worse when you try to smile, your face gets all twisted and you look like a fucking nightmare."

"Fuck off, Enyo. I don't have the patience to put up with you today." He took a sip from his crumpled cup so as not to attack his twin sister. "My day is shitty enough as it is, I don't need you to make it worse."

"You should be happy for Phaestus, you know? After all, he is your brother." She tossed her raven
wing hair back, over her shoulders.

"I am happy for him." His gaze met Aphrodite's for a brief second, making his heart beat wildly in his chest. She looked beautiful, as always. A pale pink dress hugged her voluptuous curves, secured on one shoulder by a seashell-shaped gold pin. A few strands of hair had come loose from her hairdo, framing her face. "I am miserable, though. So just let me enjoy my pity party."

She narrowed her pale blue eyes in his direction.

"Don't ruin this for him. He's in love with her."

"So am I." He snickered. "I'd better get going before I say or do something I'll regret."

The goddess's expression softened as she touched her brother's arm in an attempt to comfort him.

"Ares..."

He jerked his arm away from her touch, striding away until he reached the gardens. Ares hurled the deformed goblet through the air, letting anger and pain take hold of him.

Enyo was right. Hephaestus was his brother and, as such, Ares would do his best to be happy for him and do everything he could not to interfere with his brother's happiness. Aphrodite was now his sister-in-law and he would respect their marriage, he would keep his distance and avoid her as much as possible. It was a good plan, great even, if he hadn't felt the scent of roses and apple blossom lingering in the air.

"Ares." The soft whisper made his stomach turn, and his mouth became dry as his eyes welled up with tears.

"Go away, Dite." He didn't turn to look at her. "Go be with your husband."

"Please don't treat me like that." She touched his back lightly. His muscles tensed. "It's you I love, ψυχή μου¹."

"That doesn't matter much, does it?" He laughed bitterly. "I have no right to your affection and
there is nothing I can do to change it. So please, leave me alone."

A sob escaped her lips, and the god of war closed his eyes tightly, hating himself for making her
cry. He clenched his fists as her sobs became more distraught. How could he be able to turn his back on the only woman he had ever loved? A nervous twitch shook his jaw as he turned around and saw her beautiful dark eyes filled with tears.

"Please don't cry, not on my account. I don't deserve your tears." He buried his fingers in her dark curly locks and pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head. "ζωή μου²."

She stepped back, looked up at him and cupped his cheek. Her dark skin glistened in the sun, as if covered by tiny gold particles.

"There's no space for anyone else but you in my heart." She looked distressed, as if the thought of him not believing her frightened her.

"I am so in love with you it physically pains me, my dear," he wiped the tears running down her
cheeks with his thumbs "but I have to go now. I can't take another minute of pretending to be
happy for you guys, when in fact I feel like I'm losing my mind. Please understand. Let me go."
She nodded, gently pushing a strand of hair away from his face.

"I'll let you go, on the condition that you come to me as soon as the sun goes down."

"Dite..."

"Hephaestus will be at his forge, and I will be waiting for you."

"What makes you think he wouldn't want to spend the night with you? It is your honeymoon, after all."

She rolled her eyes, clearly disgusted by the thought of sharing her bed with her husband.

"Don't you know your own brother? He never takes a day off."

She gave him a peck on the lips before heading back to join her husband. Ares sighed in exasperation before a pair of golden eyes turned in his direction, looking at him so intently it made him uncomfortable. Could Helius have heard them from that far away? The sun god acknowledged him with a nod of his head before turning his back on him again.

Helius was an all-seeing god when he dragged the sun into the skies in his golden chariot, so if Ares were to comply with the request of the woman he loved, he would have to make sure he left her before sunrise.