Love or Not

Chapter 20: Family Mysteries

Was it favoritism for one family member, type of relationship, or bond? They haven't asked the twins yet, but they will. The scholars were fascinated and excited to experience children that were just as thrilling as Zee and Nu were.

They had a first-hand view of the newly formed bonds, something they missed with Nu. Everything about Zee, Nu, and the children was unprecedented. Nothing this excited happened in the god realm since Zee and Nu landed in Olympus many decades before.

Nyx knew that her father knew this would all happen. These children of theirs had a purpose, but she felt her father knew more than he ever said. Were Zee and Nu created to defeat the Dark, or was there more to this whole story they were missing? Not coming up with any answers, she resolved herself to wait.

"It's useless. We must wait here until my father decides he will show up. We made him angry, and now we must pay the price. Nu is his favorite grandson. Even though he was upset that he had to leave him when he grew up, he still loved him without reservation. His favorite grandson will be giving birth to twins, his great-grandchildren, and we cursed him to die with our lie. Would you be that forgiving if it were you, "Nyx bit into one of the delicacies the server placed in front of them.

Ares sat there and stared at Nyx, open-mouthed. How could she be so calm in the face of the most feared god in the universe, scarier than the obvious Zeus and Kronos? He now believed that if he genuinely wanted to fight either Titan, Phanes would win easily.

"How can you be so calm about it all? Your father is a creepy, scary dude. Why are you eating and drinking like we are supposed to have a great time? Zee and Nu depend on us, and it could redeem me just a little for the horrible things I did. I must make it up to Nu, my son, and my grandchildren," Ares said, slumping his shoulders in defeat.

Nyx turned as a tear ran down Ares's cheek.

"I feel their love and forgiveness, but my son, even though he says he forgives every time I get near Nu, takes a defensive stance as if I am going to hurt him, even after allowing my son to scan my inner self and prove I harbor no ill will toward his lifemate or children. He still does it involuntarily. He feels I am a threat. Each hour it got better, but this is my one chance to help them, and I will take your father back even if I must give up something to do it," Ares' determination made her heart feel warm and beat a little faster.

Nyx was glad that she could see that Ares loved her son as much as she does now. Yes, she was angry when she discovered what Ares did to Nu, but her son insisted that Ares needed love and healing.

It was no one's fault, but no matter how much they tell Ares that, the more depressed he became. In Ares's world, he owed his family a debt and had to atone, or he would continue down this destructive path. She missed the old God of War.

Nyx had many questions about The Dark and wondered how it could infect the gods in their realm without them knowing it. Nu has declared it would never happen again and had a plan and wanted to start work on it right away.

Zee demanded that Nu recover before creating a barrier that would kill any tendril of the Dark that attempted to enter Olympus. Ares agreed that his son-in-law was weak and needed rest again, declaring, "It's all his fault."

"Ares, you need to stop blaming yourself. However, we need to find out more about The Dark. There are so many variables, and no one knows what world the Dark has taken over. We should be proactive. The gods should be helping since we are the cause. Well, Zeus is the cause. Whenever we create something devastating, we pass the buck to humans or other races worldwide to clean up our messes. It's time we help and take responsibility for our actions," Nyx said, getting irritated that her son had to deal with Zeus messing up and jeopardizing her grandchildren.