Calm Before the Storm

Squeezing her hand in thanks for allowing him the time, he turned his head to gaze at her only to find her staring back at him. Ares wanted to memorize her face, even though he was sure that he'd already burned her into his memory as much as she'd been seared into his heart. And he'd been right when it came to how he'd feel now that he'd had to say 'goodbye'. She had given him such a perfect day and he was where he wanted to be and wanted to stay.

"I'm not going anywhere until I absolutely have to ." Those words alone caused a painful wrenching in his heart that had him look away before he made up his mind and looked back searching. What he really wanted was to be selfish and let her know that his feelings wouldn't change. That what was between them, he more than wanted it, he needed it. However, if he did what he wanted in this case, it might interfere and have repercussion he wouldn't be able to see or use later. His free hand came up to clutch at his shirt where his heart resided, frowning. 'Lousy heart'

There was no denying it though. So with a resigned sigh, he moved his arm to pull her close to his body. She had already seen him when he'd lost control of his anger, when he was a pathetic dog, and even what he'd allowed to befall him that left permanent marks on his skin. Persephone had slipped past his walls and masks so he'd allowed her to see him more than most. In truth, he wasn't sure any of the immortals including Aphrodite had ever really seen and accepted him completely. While he was sure if Persephone really saw him down to his core, she would take back what she'd said. 'You have to let her make her own decision.'

That's what it all boiled down to wasn't it? If he didn't give her a choice he was no better than his father or uncle. Stroking her knuckles with his thumb he came to a decision. Even if it would hurt later, he decided that after everything he would ask her. Until then he wanted to give her a reassurance. It would be true even if later she wished it wasn't and wanted nothing to do with him. Heart beating faster, he locked eyes with her more serious and just as equally scared of her reaction, he opened his mouth and spoke words he'd never thought he'd say to anyone let alone promise. "I swear my feelings towards you won't change."

Bittersweet. That was the word Persephone was looking for to describe this moment. They were still in their bubble, and the affection between them was practically palpable in the air as he drew her into his chest, but the time was coming to say goodbye.

That was the part that hurt.

She molded herself to him, pressing as close as she could to soak up every last second of physical closeness. Knowing that he reciprocated her feelings would be a balm when she did have to leave, but it couldn't soothe her craving for his touch. She didn't like the idea of learning to go without it, but it seemed like it was going to be a necessary evil; it would be entirely too conspicuous if either of them visited the other more than every once in a while, or disappeared entirely for days at a time.

His blue eyes locked onto her brown ones, and hers widened as he spoke.

"I swear my feelings towards you won't change."

Coming from an Olympian man, a promise of continued affection was a rare thing indeed. The day had been one surprise after another, but this one tied his little nod for first place. With a sigh, she tucked her head under his chin, placing a kiss at the base of his throat. How was she supposed to let him go after that? All she wanted to do was wrap herself around him, but there was no time for cuddling.

"Mine won't either," she mumbled against his skin, closing her eyes as she rested her cheek against his chest. It was a statement of the obvious, she felt, but she wanted to make sure he knew. Whatever happened, she wasn't just going to change her mind about her feelings for him. She wanted to be with him more than she'd ever wanted to be with anyone else, and she was going to see it through.

"I don't think I could change them if I wanted to." The words slipped off of her tongue with her breath, just barely audible to her own ears as she buried her face in the material of his shirt and tried not to think too hard about how much she was going to hate having to close the portal or door behind her when he wasn't coming with her.

With her head resting under his chin, Ares felt his chest ached with pain which constricted further upon her assurances that her feelings wouldn't change either. How he hoped more than he had for anything else that that would hold up to be true. Shutting his eyes, he kept a tight hold of her as if he could put off the inevitable. He fought with his rage and anger that burned within him at having to part from her. She had given him a rare and treasured gift that he would cherish forever  no matter what ended up happening. Nor would he hold it against her if she decided to renege on her words to him.

For so long he had been what his father had shaped him to be and believed it. He was born to be War. His very nature had proved that even when he was younger. It seemed though that his father manipulated events to ensure that that was all he would ever be, think to be, or believe himself capable of. It was as if he'd went out of his way to make sure that Ares didn't know the true meaning of love or feel it. War wasn't supposed to feel love, passion sure, wars were fought with such emotions. Looking back it was quite pathetic how he would take any scrap of any real or perceived affection his way. How he'd worked to be his father's champion by taking out giants and even Echidna. That hadn't lasted long though and he was back to square one. While he'd wanted to be praised by his father he'd feared him just as everyone else. That was why he hadn't intervened between his parents and had felt guilt and shame when Hephaestus had showed more courage than he. His brother had paid the price for that, but at least he'd tried to help.

The first time Ares had ever felt the stirrings of anything like infatuation it had been for Persephone. Just like the others, he'd pursued her and been turned down by both mother and daughter. He'd not taken it that badly until he'd learned of her abduction. The gods had searched for her then his coward of a father had everyone save himself to go talk to Demeter to try and get her to release her grief from the mortal world. By the time it was found out that Zeus had helped by saying nothing, knowing Hades had taken Persephone, it was too late. She was now the King of the Dead's wife.

Aphrodite had desired him and he'd taken her up on that since the interest was returned and it wasn't as if he could have who he'd originally wanted. For awhile, he'd believed she'd love him and he her. What he'd not come to realize until it was way too late, was that since he had no comparison for love, he'd accepted what she gave him believing that to be what love was. From his experience with her and what he'd seen of his parents, he'd come to really think that was how it was supposed to be. Just as he was getting comfortable and thinking he'd be with her and be able to make her his wife, what happened? His brother decided to have his revenge on their mother. He'd made a throne and sent it as a 'gift' which his mother foolishly sat in and got herself bound. Dionysus was sent to fetch Hephaestus to free the goddess and in their 'thanks' they decided to give Aphrodite to him as wife. That had been Zeus' idea which had caused Ares to rage knowing his father had done that to slight him purposely.

While he loved to flout his father's rules and do whatever he could to bring the god grief, he'd not purposely set out to actually end up in this predicament. Ares wouldn't have changed it. It didn't matter that he'd had to wait thousands of years in order to finally get what he'd wanted. He'd triumphed against his father without even realizing it. Once he'd become aware and started thinking through certain things, his hatred of his father had grown. He was so stupid to have not realized sooner how he'd been manipulated. The perverse pleasure he would normally feel was absent when he thought of Persephone and the rare opportunity she'd shown him.

"Then we're in agreement. Who would have thought?" he tried to lighten the mood. Once upon a time she would have taken the opposite opinion likely just to aggravate him.

What a fool she had been to let her mother make her choices for her. She thought she'd had no other option but to obey her mother's every command - as a good, dutiful daughter would have. If she'd had even the slightest bit of sense, she wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place.

Demeter had turned away every suitor that arrived at their door. They could have brought the stars from the sky as a gift, and the goddess of the harvest would still have sent them packing. No one could have Persephone if she couldn't, and Persephone had played right into her hands. She'd thought her mother had hung the moon, and parroted everything she said, including her dismissals of her suitors. She'd hardly even bothered to get to know them, let alone actually consider their offers of marriage until Hades' chariot had split open the ground and carried her into the Underworld.

Even in the underworld, she'd felt trapped, and the only way out was to eat those blasted pomegranate seeds. They'd tasted so sweet on her tongue as she sealed her own fate, but she wished she'd known what kind of bitter aftertaste came with them - a furious mother, a husband who was colder and more distant than she'd ever anticipated, and a lover she couldn't ever fully have because of her lack of foresight.

Now she had to leave, and she hated the fact that she'd had a hand in making her own bed. They could have been happy centuries ago if she'd just said yes when Ares had approached her instead of being meek and pliant to her mother's wishes.

It's a miracle he doesn't resent me for it, she thought, pulling back slightly when he joked about them agreeing for a change. She managed a wan smile, pushing her curls out of her eyes. He'd be entirely justified if he did.

"We've agreed a few times lately," she murmured drily. "Surely it's not as surprising as it once was?"

Ares had opened his eyes when she'd moved and a weak chuckle escaped as his heart wasn't in the effort to give a lewd look or response. The five minutes he had requested of her was near gone and he'd never been more aware of time slipping by him. Reaching out he took a lock of her hair and finger it fondly. Perhaps not so strange to them that they have agreed on a few things and a few more after communicating with their bodies cleared it up. To everyone else though? It would be a very shocking revelation.

Lightly he let his finger trail down her cheek and jaw before holding her chin. Giving her lips a brief chaste kiss, he sighed and sat up, chest hurting as if he'd been clubbed there by that titan. Pulling her up with him, he didn't know what to say to her. Taking her in his arms he held her close and breathed in her scent. An imperative sense of uneasiness hit him which he heeded. "I need you to promise me something, Persephone."

Normally he would not ask a promise of her, but he w as compelled to do so this time. Swallowing, he made sure she knew it was important and he was dead serious. "Promise me, you'll be wary of her." He really didn't think he'd have to explain he meant Aphrodite. "Please? She can be... worse than mother."

It had been one thing before when Ares had strayed from her. None of his dalliences had been serious. It was different now that his heart was actually involved. It didn't matter that he and Aphrodite were through. In her mind he still belong to her and would always come back. And he was like the scorpian that stung the fox. He had likely ruined the friendship that the two goddesses had. But he had to warn Persephone and make sure she actually listened to him this time.

No, no, no, no.  Had it been five minutes already?  Persephone's heart sank as Ares drew her up to a sitting position and held her close.  She wasted no time burying her face in his chest, squeezing her eyes shut as the pain in her chest intensified and cold dread washed over her.  

All good things must come to an end, she thought sadly.  Her time to leave had been a full day in coming, and though she was infinitely grateful that she'd been able to spend the day with him, she wasn't ready for this - not when everything was so fresh and new.  

She made it sound like she'd ever had a choice in the matter, but ready or not, it was time.  She held Ares as tightly as she could, breathing in his scent and putting one last effort into memorizing everything about him.  She didn't think she could bear it if she forgot even the slightest detail, because she knew that these memories would be sustaining her for the weeks - or months - until their paths crossed again.   She was so focused on remembering everything that it startled her just a tiny bit when he began to speak.  

"I need you to promise me something, Persephone."

He could have asked her to bring him the sun, and she would have said yes - if only to have another reason to see him.  A promise wouldn't soothe the ache in her chest, but if he needed something, she was happy to give it.  She made a small noise to indicate she was listening, despite her refusal to budge from his embrace.

"Promise me, you'll be wary of her. Please? She can be...worse than mother."

It wasn't difficult to understand his meaning.  Aphrodite had been the elephant in the room since that first disastrous, confusing kiss on the banks of the Styx.  She'd felt a considerable amount of guilt over the past year as she grappled with the fact that she might have feelings for her dearest friend's lover.  It had stopped bothering her so much when Ares had told her that he and the love goddess were no longer together, but even now it seemed they weren't entirely free of her presence.  

He did have a point, however.  For all that she was the embodiment of love and beauty, there was violence in Aphrodite that tended to surface and raze whatever had displeased her to ash before it disappeared again.  There was no doubt in Persephone's mind that, if Aphrodite found out about her feelings for Ares, there would be no escaping her friend's wrath.  

Ares was worth the danger, but she would be wary nonetheless.

"I promise," she murmured into his shirt, her words trailing off into a deep sigh.  "I'll be careful."

With those words,  it seemed the time had come.

Persephone forced herself to disengage, easing backwards out of Ares' grasp to stand beside the bed.  Leaning in, she pressed one last quick kiss to his lips before she straightened and called Rex, who came padding into the room and allowed her to scoop him up.   She wished he'd been a bit more stubborn if only to buy her more time in Ares' rooms, but it was not to be.  A portal opened behind her, bathing Ares in soft green light.

"Try not to get into too much trouble without me."  She was grateful that she didn't sound as miserable as she felt.  She didn't want to spoil the memories for him by breaking down at the last moment.  She just had to hold it together for a few more moments.

She tried to tell him she loved him, but the words wouldn't flow. They stuck on her tongue, nearly choking her because they felt entirely too much like a permanent goodbye.   Changing tactics, she managed a weak smile as she held Rex tighter to her chest.  

"Take care, Ares," she managed as her throat tightened.  She stepped back into the portal, crossing from his chambers into her own as she stared at him sitting on the bed where she'd left him.

There was nothing they could do, and no amount of words could delay this end, so why did her heart feel like it was crumbling inside her chest as she closed the portal between them?

Because you love him, her mind oh-so-helpfully replied as she set Rex down and looked out at her empty rooms with a growing sense of grief.