Fallen Out Of Grace

4.

Saphrina wakes up to two babies crying in Ares arms, having her rub her eyes in confusion.

"Ares...? Am I seeing things or are there two babies in your arms?"

Ashamed but man enough to admit his mistake, he shakes his head.

"You're not seeing things, I do have our daughter in my arms but also my...son."

Saphrina looks to Ares ready to tear his head off for the betrayal until Ares has the midwife take the babies away leaving them to talk.

"Explain to me right now how you have a son," Saphrina says angrily.

"Aphrodite, she came in while you were asl–" Saphrina bugs out, stopping Ares, "You had an affair while I was asleep?" Ares shakes his head, "No, we were intimate before me and you became intimate. I would never betray you like that, my love, never."

Saphrina puts her face in her hands with major mixed feelings.

"My love, I love you. I'm marrying you, not her. You have to believe I'm speaking the truth. I didn't even know she was with child. Ever since you came into my life it's been only you and will forever be you."

In the distance the babies could be heard crying having Saphrina shake her head, "And she dumped her child with you instead of raising it in her home because?" Ares on the fence says, "My child, she left my child with me to raise it with ours because she is in fact married to my brother who can not provide children for her."

Nodding, Saphrina scoffs, "So your brother won't leave her and you being the "man" that you are, you're taking in the child to hide and protect her from him and their marriage issues?"

Ares sighs, "I have a son, yes. Can I change the circumstance to which it happened? No. But I am going to raise him with our daughter, his sister."

Sarphina corrects him by saying, "Half. Half sister."

Ares looks out the bedroom balcony window watching the beautiful moment created with him and Saphrina's baby being born fade into oblivion.

"I didn't wish for this to happen, not today, not when Nysa was just born."

Saphrina sighs low, "I think I should take Nysa and le-" Ares tears down the curtain in a fit of rage, furious to hear Saphrina say such a thing.

"You will not leave me and take our child," Ares says loud enough to shake Mount Olympus showing Saphrina the side of him everyone fears.

"I will do what I please to clear my conscience," Saphrina says as equally loud but being calm as she could be.

Getting some of her things, Ares watches seeing she is serious making him bow down on his knees begging for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for raising my voice and speaking to you in that manner. I just can't lose you, I can't lose Nysa either, so forgive me."

Burying his head in between her legs he pleads more until Saphrina gives in.

"You will not speak to me the way you did and you will keep your son's mother out of this house and only be seen with her for the baby's well-being out in the garden and nowhere else."

Ares looks up to Saphrina while on his knees, "Of course my love," Standing up he kisses Saphrina's hands then arms, neck and lips.

Hugging her in his strong muscled arms, Ares thanked the Gods to have kept Saphrina in his life but with favors comes a price. 

Many years later 

Nysa is painting in her room having one of the servants as her model as they hold a bouquet of wildflowers from their garden.

Her father was out in battle while her mother was in the kitchen making dinner for his arrival back home.

Two doors down Fisher was crafting a sword for his father to use in battle but heard a few gathering footsteps outside their home.

"You disgraces! You should have never been born! Your father is a fool and your mother is a heathen!"

One yells out while ready to set fire to the home as the others shout out more profanity towards the children, Fisher and Nysa.

Saphrina gets the servants and Ares people to barricade the doors but have the gatherer's forced off their land.

One of Ares' men sends out word to Ares about the fiasco having the children's grandfather, Zeus, hear word of his son's doings and calls upon him.

"You've never made me proud, so when it was made to my attention you have made a distasteful family, I wasn't surprised our people felt disrespected as such."

Ares holding his tongue tries to reason with his father but Zeus had made the choice of sending his children away.

"I won't lay my hands on them to do such an act but you as their father you are going to have to do so yourself."

Ares now argues with his father being the hot head that he is but Zeus shuns him away.

****

Making his way back home, Ares is walking inside with a heavy heart as he tells Saphrina what he has to do for the children to be safe.

"You can't possibly agree! They are our children! We can't just erase their memory and send them off to wherever just because of-" Ares hugs his wife knowing she would be disheartened as much as he was but there is no other way, if there was he would have provided one before his father got news of it all.

"Wish them a goodbye so I can do what must be done," Ares says low with a gleam in his eyes as he looks to Saphrina.

Upset, Saphrina leaves for Nysa's room to make short conversation with her daughter until tears trailed down her face.

"Mom? Why are you crying? Did dad get hurt on the battlefield?"

Saphrina brings Nysa into a tight hug then kisses her forehead saying, "I love you," Only for Ares to come in and kiss her forehead as well then erasing her memory having the servants get her ready for her pardoning trip.

Fisher was next and once the two were taken away, Saphrina and Ares held onto each other crying as they watched them disappear.