Part 22 - Power Play
"Wow. I've never seen it THIS bad before."
They'd hardly materialized when something kicked Joxer square in the glutes, making him start examining the land around them. They'd popped in just inside of Corinth's city walls and Ares assumed that the former mortal's godhood trying to give him a push in the right direction.
"I mean, it's been a while, but�" Joxer strode away from the war god and examined the road itself. "What's Iphicles doing around here anyway?" He stooped and poked at the cobbled stone that was coming loose. "Why would he let the road fall into disrepair like this?"
Ares opened his mouth to answer - well, really to make a poke at Hercules, because now was as good a time as any - but Joxer cut him off by heading up the street toward the main city. "And weeds! I never remember there EVER being weeds! Who's taking care of this� HOLY HADES' BALLS! The Stuck Boar is gone!"
Rather than try to keep up, Ares simply pooft over to the boarded-up building that Joxer had skidded to a halt in front of. It was just outside the city proper and it looked as if it had once been a garrison. Joxer touched the unforgiving gray stone almost lovingly. "Should I leave you two alone?" Ares smirked gently, watching the fond look mingle with sadness on Joxer's face.
"Yes. Come back in a few decades." The newly minted god pressed his face up against the slats nailed to a window, trying to peer inside. "Gods! This place was around forever! And there was always music playing� people laughing and singing� Arkus was behind the bar, polishing this one glass over and over and over� I can't believe it's all closed up." He lifted his face and turned it to Ares, a smudge of dust on his forehead. "I don't get it. Why would The Boar be closed? This was where the� Oh."
"Yeah." Ares nodded.
"So, we need to�"
"Yep."
Joxer's stomach twisted a little. Strange that it would act up now, after a lifetime of trying to improve his more war-like qualities. Yeah, but I never got in on the ground floor of a war before. I never started one... not intentionally, anyway.
Ares couldn't miss the look of distress on Joxer's face, twisting the features that had burned themselves into his memory in the most upsetting way. And he knew what it was from. "It's not unusual." Ares scuffed at the loose stones near his feet. "We'll give them a nudge, get things back on track."
Joxer took a deep breath and let it out slowly, nodding. It made sense. A little trouble to get everyone back in line. He just didn't like the thought of war landing on the doorstep of his former home. He liked the thought of causing it even less. "It's just� I like Iphicles. He's always treated me like I wasn't a galloping idiot and he's a good king. He genuinely loves Corinth."
"I know. Which is why he's still there. And he'll be there tomorrow, too. We're not going to raze the countryside, just give him a little wake-up call." Ares gave Joxer's shoulder a friendly slap. "Besides, you didn't think I was just going to toss you into the deep end straight off, did you?" The chuckle that followed sent a warm sensation up Joxer's back and through his belly.
"I guess not." Relief was a welcome sensation. He'd been seeing visions of a spectacular disaster starting to form. Joxer brought his gaze back to his god. "So, what's the plan?"
Ares shrugged his shoulders, half a grin still in place. "Don't quite know yet. We should probably head into town and see what's got Iphy so occupied these days."
"Ambassadors." Joxer blurted out, though he knew somehow he was right.
"Possibly. But we should�"
