Ares And Mia

Chapter 27

He stands up, before holding his hand out to me. I hold onto his sleeve, pushing myself up. My legs feel wobbly, but I move with him, holding onto the fabric of his sweater. Pull yourself together, Mia. 

I sit directly on the floor, the low coffee table situated perfectly for me to reach over to grab a circular piece of bread. I pull it apart, the soft dough separating nicely. Ares sits on the opposite side, this time on the actual couch that Hades and Charon were at. I don't really have an appetite. 

I bounce my right knee as I eat, not really tasting the food. I'm sure if I hadn't just found out that I was supposed to be dead, it would've tasted amazing.

Ares is flipping through the vanilla folder.

Don't think, don't think, don't think. 

My hands start to shake slightly.

Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.

I wipe my hands on a napkin, drinking water from a nearby cup. "Are you done?" I nodded, a lump forming in my throat.

He waves and the assortment disappears. Ares sets the vanilla folder down on the side cushion, before walking over to me. He picks me up, scooping me into his arms like I was a child. I let out a small yelp, before steeling myself. 

I inhale and squeeze my eyes shut, just as he teleports. He sets me down another couch, this time, one that I recognize. We were in his office. Ares disappears from beside me, before appearing again.

"Wha—" He drops a familiar wool blanket on top of me, before handing me a book. I take it, the smooth leather giving away its contents. 

I glance at the cover. Ares's journal, and from the looks of it, there was a bookmark in one of the pages. This... This was where I left off.

He even got me a bookmark. He's... A small smile rises to my lips. He's trying to comfort me. For someone who didn't know how to deal with my tears before, he really improved. 

"I need you to stay here until I get back. Can you do that for me, love?" Ares raises my chin with the side of his index finger, forcing me to meet his eyes. I nodded. His eyes glance down to my lips and his finger caresses the side of my jaw. "Good girl. I'll be back soon."

He disappears and I exhale shakily. The blanket was fluffy and I ran my fingers through it a few times. I open the journal.

Just seeing the words on the pages seemed to make me feel calm. It was as if I had grown used to staring at a page while waiting for Ares to come back from who-knows-where so some God won't jump me while he's gone. I sighed.

I never really noticed how beautiful his handwriting was until now. Even through the changing years, his handwriting remained constant. It was sweeping and languid, one that reminded you of Shakespeare. 

I wonder what my name would look like in his handwriting.

There's a faint knock on the office door and I jump slightly. No one would be bold enough to attack me in Ares's office, would they? "Hi?" It creaks open and I see Charon at the doorway.

"Can I come in?" I nodded. "Are you okay?" The intimidation that I felt from him when we first met is nowhere to be found. 

"Somewhat. It's just... the shock." He rubs the back of his neck. 

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way, Mia." I wave it off, giving him a forced smile. This wasn't his fault.

"Can you tell me what you remember?"

"You came alone." I fidget with my fingers. "You didn't speak at all during the boat ride, but when we got to the shore, you did. You said the exact same thing to me yesterday." That's why...