Ares And Mia

Chapter 34

Something that I've come to realize about the Gods was that news spreads fast.

Like a wildfire, coursing and clinging to dry foliage and broken tree branches, enveloping everything up in inky, black smoke. Everything was on fire. In flames, in a hundred of scattered embers, like stars falling to the ground.

And somehow, I was the one who struck the match.

"I heard some of the other Gods talking about how you're getting the Olympians to turn against each other." Phobus was currently entertaining me by participating in a modified game of poker. He was beating me, the chips of the game--which were substituted with Ares's fancy iron rings--sat stacked on his side of the table. I groaned, rubbing my face.

I glanced at my cards, before looking up at him. Today just wasn't going well. "Are you sure you're not cheating?" I eye him suspiciously and he laughs, shaking his head. "I fold."

He takes the rest of my rings and I set my cards down, face up. I had a pair of sixes. "You're pretty bad at this game." He drops his cards for me to see.

I nearly shriek. "You had nothing--This is the eighth time in a row!" I get to my feet, pressing my hands against the sides of my head in agony. "I am never playing this game with you again--"

Someone knocks on my door. We both look up and Phobus beckons me toward the seat that I was in. He disappears from his chair, reappearing in front of the door. I sit down on the cushion, crossing my legs. Phobus turns the knob, pulling the door open with a tilt of his head. "Sir." Ares steps in, nodding to him. I see him glance at me, for a beat longer than usual.

"Mia, someone wants to see you." I get up, blinking absentmindedly. I see him fight back a laugh when his eyes flit over to the table, declaring my utter loss to the entire world. I sniff indignantly, walking over to him.

"I'll see you later Phobus." He smiles and nods, giving me a passive wave, before disappearing. Ares pats down my hair, almost instinctively, ruffled through my frustrations of defeat. I hunch down, ducking away from his hands. I hear him chuckle, before leading me out.

"Come on." I hold onto his sleeve, just as he leads me through the hallways that I have grown accustomed to. "Love, are you afraid of Hera?" I feel my heart plummet in my chest, but I shake my head quickly.

Zeus and Hera. The two figureheads of the world of Gods.

Of fucking course, I would be afraid.

"Why? Is she who we're going to see?" The hallway takes a sharp turn and I see a long path of marble, accented with large arches on both sides. Bright light filtered from both sides onto the tiles. Against each pillar were carvings of lilies, feathers, and peacocks. They were intricate and precise with details far too small for the naked eyes to see. The air was coated with a sweet floral scent and I peer around me.

I duck forward, letting go of Ares to stare down an archway.

It was a garden, a beautiful one at that. This entire archway, on both sides, displayed a gorgeous expanse of lush, green grass, colorful flowers, and stone statues of lions and more peacocks. There seemed to be a natural shine about the place, almost as if it were radiating with sunlight and beauty.

"Hera asked for you to join her for tea." I turned to look at Ares. "She'll ask you some questions, like she always does. Answer how you'd like, doll. Don't feel pressured to do anything you don't want to." He didn't look worried. That at least made me feel a bit calmer. And I think I know what he's trying to tell me. Hera most likely heard the rumors. I'm certain this tea meeting would be awfully close to a discussion about what doom I will eventually bring.