Ares Beloved Sin (unedited)

Chapter thirty seven: Problematic Phone calls

Ares

Steam from my shower dances across the floor, towards the bed. I toss the used towel into the hamper with my work clothes, my skin appreciating the feel of sweatpants.

Lilith sits in the middle as she usually does but this time her gaze is stuck on Aleksei. Sitting at the foot of the bed playing with the Batman action figure I bought him on our way to the plane.

It was like my brain was having a hard time accepting the fact that my family is now safe. That I had watched Lilith ripped the last of her demons apart with her bare hands.
I won't lie and say I wasn't concerned about my woman's mental health.

It's been a week since we've left to my home in Russia. Her injuries on the surface have healed for the most part, but I wasn't so sure below the surface.

We haven't spoken about her abduction, or how she's hardly functioning- completely terrified to take her eyes off her boy like he'll disappear.

Aleksei has been healing good as well, his left arm encased in a neon blue cast and he was on a strict diet.

"Ares." I fall from my thoughts with a jolt as Aleksei reaches a chubby hand out to me, I can't help the smile that spreads at his shimmering eyes- it's like he knew he was safe now. Even though he still woke up screaming and crying every night and sometimes it seemed as though he'd be afraid to make any noise.

"Yes, L'vinoye Serdtse?" [Lionheart] He only wraps a hand around my pointer finger I fall onto the he end of the bed watching in amusement as his emerald eyes stare at the silver ring of a wolf face with Ruby's in the eyes. I try not to chuckle as he shakes his head to rid his daze before turning to his mother.
"Mama." He calls and I'm graced with one of Lilith's rare smiles and she nods to let him know she's listening but again he only grabs her hand.
"teaghlach." The language is foreign to me and I'm pissed at myself for not just learning Irish, it never occurred to me that my son would be able to speak it as well.

"What did he say little fox?" I ask softly, completely lost as Aleksei holds our hands above his heart. His cast scratching my inked skin as I look to his mother whose stunned into silence for a moment before looking at me.
Tears are welling up in her eyes, and I swallow thickly.
Was this her breakdown moment?
I try to prepare internally for the implosion of her emotions, the weight of the situation to finally settle like dust.
"Lilith?" I use my other hand to grab hers and I'm shocked at her tight grip.
"teaghlach means family." She whispers, eyes falling to her son who is looking up me with big hopeful eyes. And I realize it was a question.
Lilith drops her gaze, shoulders taunt with anticipation and I frown, releasing her hand to lift her chin.

Turning to Aleksei, "Yes, We are a family Aleksei. I made a promise to your mom a long time before I met you and I intend to keep that promise." I catch the fat tears rolling down her face as what I can only assume is relief floods her features. My arm snakes around her waist as I pull her as close as possible without squishing Aleksei, planting a firm kiss on her lips before connecting our foreheads.

"I love you Ares." I feel my jaw fall slack before I smile big enough to put the crescent moon to shame. Stealing another kiss, "And I Love you Lilith." She grins, pulling back.

Aleksei let's a massive yawn slip out and I chuckle, ruffling his curls.
"Little gods need their sleep. Come." Aleksei curls into my hold after kissing his mother goodnight.
His room is directly across from my own, I learned he likes to keep the curtains drawn and windows open just as his mother while at night so I keep guards posted outside the windows, doors and keep them set up in the security room, knowing Aleksei would have a harder time adjusting with men posted at every corner of the house.

"When will I be sent back? I like it here with mommy a-and you." I feel my anger stir up but I focus on tucking him in instead, it's hard to believe he's only about to be three. He articulates quite well but then again his mother is highly intelligent she was poor growing up not an idiot, but it's mainly my fault for assuming Lilith wouldn't have taught him all she could in the time she did spend with him.

"You live with you mom and I now, you will never be harmed or hungry or scared again. I promise, can you promise to try and trust me to do that?" I sit on the edge of the twin bed, his legs brushing my back as I do.
He grins immediately, his small baby teeth shining and I chuckle at the gap in his bottom row. "I can do that." I nod, pounding his out stretched fist gently, making sure to click on the night light on his bed side table and the door cracked as I leave.

Lilith isn't in the bed when I get back to the room but I can hear the shower running along with my phone ringing and I can't help but roll my eyes at Athenas name flashing on my screen. My orders were not to disturb me but Athena didn't care, it's been two weeks since that night and the first week she wouldn't stop pouring on my bedroom door scaring Aleksei and when Lilith threatened to shoot her I booked my plane for Russia the same day.

I throw a side glance to the shut bathroom door before answering the call.
"What?" I growl, but keep my tone low glancing through my cracked bedroom door to Aleksei's room.

"Our father won't let us see our mother whose just been rescued from two decades of abduction and the first thing you do is run off to Russia!?" I have to pull to the phone away from my ear at her screeching tone, rubbing a hand down my face as I feel a headache come on.

"My orders were clear Athena." I don't have to explain myself but we all had to help from this in our own way, "You should be calling him if your so hellbent on this, has it ever occurred to you that maybe this is what she needs right now?"

I hear her scoff over the line.
"What she needs is her children. ALL of us, you can't just put a woman and a child thats not even yours over your own flesh and blood!"

I feel my fist clench around the phone and if she was in front of me I'd strangle her.

"Lilith is mine, that makes Aleksei mine and me, theirs, they have become my priority and right now they need my full attention. The only reason your so pissed the fuck off is because you spent your life trying to fill that woman's shoes, cooking, cleaning and following behind him like a lap dog." I laugh harshly, "It's not that you've missed our mom whose been gone for twenty years. It's the fact that now that she's back, you lose all of fathers glorious attention. The shit you live for, Athena, Zeus's favorite, born from his own head and your so desperately trying to be the full grown women sprang fully armored with a spear but you not. And your not our mother, it was never your responsibility to take that role, you burden yourself little sister." I look up as the shower shuts off.
"If you want to talk, we can when I get home. Don't call me again Athena." I end the call without awaiting a response just as Lilith emerges in one of my shirts and her hair still wet from the shower making it a deeper, dark red color.
She smiles at me softly when she notices my gaze.
"Everything okay?"
"With you? Always."