Designate | Fated Four: Book 3

Chapter Eleven

*Ryder*

The next afternoon, we were all outside, training. Arrow and Clarissa were sitting across from each other, immersing themselves in the past. Soren and Rosalie were sitting on a rock, staring off into the future. Calix and Nemesis were sparring nearby. And me? Well I was helping Avalon with her archery.

Things seemed relatively normal, at least until there was a flourish of shadows and Hecate appeared.

Rosalie smiled and rushed over to her Mother. Hecate embraced her daughter.

"Hecate," Arrow greeted the Goddess.

"What brings you here?" Soren asked.

"I found a way to restore the people turned to stone," Hecate told us. We all gasped.

"Well don't keep us in suspense, Hecate," I told her, "Tell is what you've found."

"There's a potion I can make that will reverse the effects of the Shield of Perseus," Hecate explained, "But there's one problem."

"Which is?" Arrow asked.

"There are many ingredients and it will take time to gather them," Hecate explained.

"How long?" Arrow asked.

"At least three months," Hecate replied.

"Alright," Arrow relented.

"In the meantime, we need to talk about Ares," I told Arrow, "You're the strongest of the four of us and he gave you a beating."

"I know," Arrow sighed.

"I felt it," Clarissa whispered and we all turned to look at her, "I felt this pain in my heart and then I felt the agonizing pain you did once I saw your battered body."

Arrow caressed her cheek.

"I know," he whispered, "And I'm incredibly sorry that you had to go through that. I promise that I'll do my best to ensure that doesn't happen again."

"Which leads me to the question, how are we going to take Ares out of the equation?" I asked.

"I don't know yet,"'Arrow admitted, "But we'll think of something."

"We should do some research," Clarissa suggested, "See if Ares has a weakness we can exploit."

"He's a God, they aren't supposed to have weaknesses," Avalon stated.

"Everyone has a weakness, Avalon," Hecate corrected her, "Even Gods."

"Enyo siphoned his powers, he shouldn't have been so strong," Calix noted.

"Please," I scoffed, "He had time to rest and regain his strength before we faced him."

"Regardless, we need to know if there's a way to take him out of the equation," Arrow told the rest of us.

"Rose and I will do some research and see if we can find a way to bring him down," Soren stated.

"Good," Arrow agreed, "Clary and I will see if can find anything useful in the past. We should also talk to Athena. She's worked with and against Ares in war situations before. She may be able to offer us some insight into how to defeat him."