Wrath of Love

Book I - V

The silence that followed the mortal's wish hung heavy in the air. The gods, who had been watching the battle with a mixture of intrigue and amusement, now sat in stunned disbelief. The mortal had defeated Ares, the god of war, and with that victory, he had demanded his wish. Simple as it was, the request had a weight that none of the gods could ignore.

Suddenly, Hera's voice, cold and cutting, shattered the stillness.

"Enough!" she declared, rising from her seat. Her regal form towered over the others as she glided forward, her eyes sharp and unforgiving as they swept over the arena. She gazed at Ares still kneeling in defeat, and then at the mortal, who stood battered but defiant, his wish hanging in the air like a stormcloud.

"This has gone too far," Hera continued, her voice commanding the attention of every god in the arena. "We are gods, rulers of Olympus, not playthings to be manipulated by mortal whims. We do not bend to their will—they bend to ours!"

Her words struck hard, reverberating through the gathered deities. Hera, queen of the gods, did not tolerate such disrespect to the divine. Her power was absolute, and she had no patience for what she saw as a humiliation—a god, her son, forced to bow to the demands of a mere mortal.

Ares, still catching his breath, looked up at his mother with a mix of shame and frustration. He had lost, but Hera's anger made the sting of defeat burn even hotter.

Apollo, who had been watching quietly from his perch, now rose and stepped forward, his golden presence radiant under the dawn light. He spoke with measured calm, but his voice carried conviction.

"Hera, the battle was fair," Apollo said, his tone firm but respectful. "The terms were agreed upon by both parties. Ares challenged the mortal, and the mortal bested him. A promise was made, and promises—whether between gods or mortals—are sacred. We cannot go back on our word, lest we lose the very respect we demand."

Hera turned her sharp gaze on Apollo, her lips pressed into a thin line. "You would have us bow to a mortal's demand?" she asked, her voice full of disapproval.

Apollo met her stare unflinchingly. "No," he replied calmly. "But we must honor the terms of the challenge. Ares made a promise, and the mortal earned his wish. To go back on that would be to undermine our own power."

Athena, who had been observing the exchange with her usual calculating gaze, now stood and stepped forward, aligning herself with Apollo. Her silver armor glinted in the morning light as her grey eyes swept across the gathered gods.

"Apollo speaks the truth," Athena said, her voice clear and commanding. "The rules of a challenge are sacred. Ares offered the mortal a chance to win his wish, and the mortal won. To deny him now would be to break the very laws that govern our existence. The gods cannot be seen to break their oaths, even to mortals."

Hera's eyes narrowed, her fury simmering beneath the surface. She was not used to being challenged, especially by other gods. But even she knew that Athena's words held weight. The laws of Olympus, the ancient pacts, bound them all—even the queen of the gods.

Before Hera could respond, the air in the arena shifted.

A low rumble echoed across the sky, a sound so deep and powerful that the very earth beneath Olympus seemed to tremble. A sudden gust of wind swirled through the arena, and the gathered gods fell silent as the sky darkened.

Then, in a flash of brilliant lightning and a crack of thunder, Zeus appeared.

The king of the gods descended with a force that made even the most powerful deities straighten in respect and awe. His presence was overwhelming—his robes shimmered with the color of stormclouds, his hair like the golden rays of the sun, and in his hand, the crackling lightning bolt that symbolized his unmatched power.