Eye of the Storm

It was unusual for Olympus to be on lock down especially after the events that had happened which was why it was rife with rumors and abuzz with gossip. The gods with their demigod offspring triumphed over the titans securing their reign once again. The prophecy had been fulfilled which nullified the pact between the sons of Kronos. There had been the usual and expected celebrations but then after that, the doors to Olympus had shut and been sealed. The council chambers especially had been strictly off limits to all deities save those that sat in the thirteen thrones in the room. Those very thrones were filled with their occupants except for two which were conspicuously empty. There were some minor deities that were loitering outside the council chambers awaiting the outcome of whatever was happening inside. Few inside knew why they had been convened only that it was a matter of great import and that it had been called by the king of the gods; Zeus.

The accused was called forth from a tawny brown burst of godly light. The owner of the light was the smith god Hephaestus who had a hand on his brother's shoulder who stood in front of him bound in chains much like the ones that had entrapped their mother. Ares wouldn't be able to escape his bonds without help. The war god's head was held high, his posture as defiant as ever, attitude evident by body language alone. The expression upon his face was the typical sneer when in the presence of the other immortals. As the smith left him in the middle of the room to take his seat, Ares' gaze took in the assembled deities with a quick sweep not lingering on any particular one before returning his attention to his father, expression never changing.

Ares had been able to get all his masks back in place and reassert control over himself after his departure with Persephone months back. It helped that he'd been able to release some of his anger and pent up aggression during the battle with the Titans. It had felt good to be back in his battle armor facing off against a strong opponent. One of his mortal children had even stood out by killing a drakon distinguishing herself and earning his blessing to be invincible for a short time. The euphoria he'd felt from the aftermath of this new Titan war had stayed with him which is why he'd opened his mouth and had made the comment he had about the sea-brat becoming immortal. The dislike he felt towards him alleviated the slightest bit when he put the gods in their place about their offspring.

It hadn't escaped Ares' notice that he was being 'discreetly' watched until after the demigods had left Olympus. If he had planned on running, he would have done so long before now tempting though it was. When he was essentially put on 'house arrest' he nearly laughed. It gave them time to talk with the Fates he was sure as well as collect and speak with Aphrodite's brat. Too bad there wasn't a statute of limitations when it came to the gods and their propensity to punish offenders once they found out about the 'crime'.

When his brother had been the one to come fetch him, he'd equally parts surprised and yet not at the same time. That he was furious piqued the war god's interest but guessed it wasn't going to be pleasant to interact with him. That fact had been proven when Hephaestus had violently attached the chains to him ensuring as much pain as possible. It hadn't helped that Ares had stated that something obviously hadn't gone the smith god's way nor when he'd asked if Hephaestus felt better now. If looks could kill, he would have been burned to death which just caused Ares to give a dark smirk.

Before they were to convene with the others, Ares had been given the charges that had previously been brought up but had been acquitted. One of which was his 'treason against the gods and conspiring with the enemy'. Apparently Zeus believed that his son wasn't to blame for falling prey to Kronos 'attack upon his weak mind'. Those words had inspired rage that Ares had to dampen in order to not give his father the satisfaction. The charge against him for altering a prophecy by interfering with Apollo's oracle had been discussed between Apollo, Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, and Athena. While Zeus had been angry he'd had to claim Alexi, he was more for his own children to shine above the others. After a discussion they all decided it was too much trouble and it was over with so they dropped the charge. Ares had found the whole thing amusing. The others weren't up to Zeus as he wasn't the injured party to the misdeeds.

Standing before them, he waited having suspicions about some of what he would face. The scan he'd done of the room earlier had caused his guts to squirm but didn't allow it to show. He'd need to be focused on keeping himself calm allowing the predicted and expected indifference or boredom to be prevalent. When Hermes rose and began to list his crime, Ares just couldn't help himself and interrupted Hermes in annoyance with equal part amusement when he stated, "Borrowed. Theft implies I never intended to return the mutt, which I did; several times. Therefore, not theft."

If she'd ever had a reason to hate being on Olympus, this was it.

She'd abandoned the Underworld in favour of the mountain during the battle, feeling her isolation even more keenly as she waited for even the barest scrap of information about what was happening in the world above. No one had protested when she'd arrived on Olympus weeks earlier than expected and thrown herself into any task she could find to distract herself.

She'd celebrated with the rest of the deities at the announcement of their second victory over the Titans. The wine had flowed freely that night, and she'd debated seeking Ares out, but she'd never found an opportunity to leave Hades' side without raising unfortunate questions. She'd decided to visit him in the morning if only to make sure he'd survived the battle in one piece, but she never got the chance.

Olympus was in lockdown. Travel to and from the mountain was nearly impossible without express permission from the God of Thunder, who had also summoned the main pantheon to the council chamber. No one knew why, but rumours had begun to fly as soon as the news had come out, and Persephone found herself drowning in a sea of dread that only got deeper when her husband announced that she would be accompanying him to the meeting.

"You are my wife and my co-ruler," he'd announced dispassionately. "Come with me."

He hadn't given her a chance to refuse, so here she was, seated behind him and staring fearfully at the space before the thirteen chairs.

What was going on?

The other deities were talking amongst themselves, but all conversation ceased when a burst of deep amber light announced the arrival of the God of Smiths. Persephone leaned forward, opening her mouth to ask Hades what was going on, only for her words to wither and die on her tongue as she spotted who Hephaestus was escorting.

Ares' posture and expression radiated confidence and derision despite the heavy chains that bound him. She hadn't seen him since she'd closed the portal to his rooms all those weeks ago, and her heart both leapt and sank as she drank in his familiar features. He seemed unharmed, but the look on Hephaestus' face suggested that any false move on Ares' part would result in a thorough beating.

What was going on?

She was left to flounder in her worry for a moment more before Hermes stood, his usual mischievous expression replaced with one of stony seriousness. It looked wrong on his freckled features, she thought, brows drawing together as he opened his mouth and began to read the list of charges stacked against the God of War.

A trial. Ares was on trial, and there wasn't even the slightest chance of a fair jury.

She forced her shock down, smoothing her expression and laced her fingers together in her lap as she listened to the charges. Her grip slowly tightened as she studied Ares, noting how tight the chains were around his wrists, and the flat look behind his eyes. This was very, very bad.

Even with the dire circumstances, Ares still managed to mouth off, interrupting the God of Thieves to correct the list of charges. She could vouch for the fact that he'd only borrowed Konan, not that it mattered, but his flippancy made her fear for him even more. The rest of the pantheon wasn't going to do this justly - she could practically sense their desire to see him punished - and there was nothing either of them could do.

Swallowing nervously, she straightened her posture in her chair and tried not to stare at him as dread and fear roiled in her stomach.

On second thought, very bad didn't even begin to cover the kind of mess they were in now.

Having been interrupted unexpectedly, Hermes looked up from the charges in surprise to glance at Ares' expression of indignation then to their father who's stormy expression had the messenger quickly return to reading the charges as they'd been written. That didn't stop the huff of annoyance from the bound god. Naturally he'd had to object once again and intercede on his own behalf when the charge of influencing and corrupting said cerberus was read.

"I object! That claim is debatable." Turning to look at his uncle, he stated, "That pup was already a bit twisted. You might want to look into your breeding program."

The desire to look at Persephone was strong, but he'd resisted it, keeping his belligerent gaze on his uncle who was ignoring him. Well, that wasn't very nice. He didn't have to know that the man's wife was likely mentally facepalming and screaming at him mentally that he wasn't helping his situation any. That, he'd already known. If he was doomed anyway, he might as well have some fun with it. Seeing as he wasn't getting anywhere with his uncle, he sighed and saw that Hermes had once again taken instruction from their less than amused father. Rolling his eyes, heard Hades being addressed. "What say you to the charges?"

"Guilty."

'Well, no surprise there, he thought. What Ares was really interested in was what his uncle would levy at him for payment.

"Permanent banishment from my domain."

Gaze intent, he heard the question asked and Hades' answer which internally caused a strong mixed emotion. On one hand he was crowing with delight as he glanced over and found that Zeus was not happy with the verdict. Unable to contain himself, a vindictive smirk made his way across his lips as he saw the fury expressed by his father before it was hidden. Ares wasn't sure if any of the other gods had caught it, but he'd been looking for it. He wanted to cackle since that put dear old dad's plans and threats out of reach. 'No more threats of Tartarus!'

His elation was quickly followed by devastation as he realized what that meant. It took every ounce of self control and restraint to keep him from looking to see what that sentence had done to Persephone. No longer would he be able to venture to the Underworld. If he'd had business he would have to send one of his minions to go collect or receive information. No longer would he be able to meet with her down there or cross her path unless she was on Olympus. 'At least she has Rex.' It was a small comfort that she wouldn't be completely isolated and alone.

Seeing Hermes' eyes widen, stare at him in disbelief and fear before returning the charges had Ares' gut clench. He knew what was coming. Standing stock still, he focused on keeping his breathing calm. His father coulnd't do what he'd threatened, Hades had unwittingly saw to that. His usual sarcasm abandoned him as he glared ahead not focusing on anything. The charges read for kidnapping a godling, stripping them of their power, and multiple counts of attempted nepoticide. It was only when Hermes stumbled over the next bit that had Ares' head whipping around to stare at Hephaestus' hard expression and Aphrodite's blank one.

"Because of the specific charges and the request was made by the family...Judgement is to be left up to the Erinyes."

Paling, Ares began to feel fear as the deities in question appeared in the council chamber. This, this was so much worse.

Things went from bad to worse far too quickly.  Hermes read her husband's charge, to which Ares objected loudly and made her cringe - was he trying to make things worse? - Only to perk up slightly when Hades turned back and looked at her expectantly.  She was mostly in the room as an observer - her husband's right hand - but it might have been her one chance to help Ares.  

Might have been, because no sooner had she whispered her objection in his ear than he turned around and spoke his verdict.

"Guilty."

He paused, and Persephone held her breath.  She regretted it because his next words stole the air from her already deprived lungs.  

"Permanent banishment from my domain."

She wanted to scream.  She'd already made things difficult by unintentionally banning Ares from the Underworld unless on official business from Olympus.  Now there were no loopholes to exploit, no crafty solutions, not when her husband had just laid down a blanket ban.  She was back to being almost entirely alone in her winter home, a realization that made the ache in her chest return with a vengeance.  How was she supposed to go without him for six months?  She'd had a hard enough time with a few weeks, and even then she'd known they'd find time together again eventually.

The desire to scream intensified tenfold as Hermes read out the last of Ares' charges.  Her knuckles whitened as her grip tightened to the point of pain, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of watching everything fall to pieces.

Kidnapping a godling, stripping him of his power, and multiple counts of attempted nepoticide. The Erinyes appeared seconds after Hermes' pronouncement, a flash of movement in Persephone's peripheral vision that barely registered. She was too busy watching the colour drain from Ares' face with a growing sense of horror.  

There wasn't anything she could do.  The Erinyes answered to herself and Hades, but Aphrodite and Hephaestus were entirely within their rights to ask for the Erinyes to judge the perpetrator of such a severe offence.   She didn't blame Ares for what he'd done - she knew his reasons and agreed that the boy was more of a curse than a blessing - but her hands were tied this time.  

She debated leaving the room, fearing that the Erinyes' judgement would cause her control to falter and expose them, but even as her brain turned over the different options, her gaze fixed on Ares.  

She should have told him she loved him before she left.  She shouldn't have fought her feelings for so long.  She should have fought harder to stay with him.  All the things she wished she'd done rushed in as she waited for the last thread holding everything together to snap.  Madness or disease were usually the punishments for this kind of situation, and since Ares was a god, she suspected they'd skip over the latter and settle for the former.  

She stared at him, taking in every single detail she could.  The set of his jaw, his expressive eyes, that dark hair she loved so much.  Eventually, he became aware of her gaze, turning to meet it for just the briefest of instants.  In those few seconds, she tried to pour everything she felt for him into her eyes, hoping that he'd understand what she was trying to say. He'd understood when she'd said it with her body, so maybe he'd realize it now.

I love you.

He looked away again, and she resigned herself to never knowing if he'd grasped what he'd seen.  She hoped it would help, whatever came.  It didn't do anything for the horrible aching pain in her chest that seemed to get worse by the minute, but at least she could console herself that she'd done what she could.  

The little voice in her head argued that she could grab him and run - open a portal and disappear into the mortal world - but where would they go?  He was chained, and she'd rarely visited the human city below them.  Even if they could evade pursuit for a little while, they'd be hunted down and brought back.  Then they'd both be in chains.

She had to clap a hand over her mouth to stifle the whine of misery that threatened to slip from her throat as the Erinyes stepped closer to him.  She hoped the other deities would mistake her self-silencing as a gesture of sudden realization.

She squeezed her eyes shut.  

How had everything gone so wrong?

Unadulterated fear lanced straight to his soul. This was the second time he'd experienced such a crippling horror; the first had been his exposure to Tartarus for the first time. Not even when he'd been trapped taking his last breaths had he been this scared. Then, he'd had belief that his family wouldn't truly allow him to die. His arrogance and self denial had seen him through until he'd had to face the facts that he now knew better.

No one wanted to have the Erinyes judge them least of all the gods as most if not all of them were guilty in some fashion. While Ares was guilty of adultery he was not guilty of killing his nephew despite his many attempts. The deviant had always been able to squirm his way out of the attempts and survived. In fact, Ares hadn't made an attempt on the brat's life in the past three years! As far as he knew the child was alive still unless he'd gone and gotten himself killed during the battle. If that had happened then the god of war was only indirectly responsible due to cause and effect. Surely that hadn't happened? Hephaestus hadn't been pleasant but it wasn't a 'my only child is dead because of you' type of anger.

Along with his fear was regret and an overwhelming self-loathing. His crime was out there and now Persephone knew he'd had a hand in Aphrodite's child's abduction. Hadn't she been on the her friend's side when it came to the brat during the one time they discussed it? Of course she hadn't known that Ares had stolen the child, stripped him of his godhood and placed him with the mortals. Would she regret now that she'd allowed herself to feel for him? That he loved her? He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to that question but the urge was there to look at her. Turning slightly to catch a glimpse of her, he took in her posture and searched her gaze the best he could for the brief second he allowed himself to indulge in. Seeing none of what he'd thought he would see, he ripped his gaze away lest he drop his mask and give both himself and Persephone away.

Shifting his gaze to Aphrodite he stared at her wondering if she really hated him this much. While he and Aphrodite were two sides of the same coin, he hadn't thought her capable of this. He knew she was vindictive and that he would pay dearly when she found out he'd taken her son, but he hadn't imagined that she would involve the Erinyes or his father. The simmering anger went up a couple degrees as he recalled how much rage he'd felt when he'd learned the timing of the brat's conception. How much his skin had crawled and he'd wanted to confront her after speaking with the Fates before he'd made his decision to remove the newest deity from Olympus. He should have walked away then instead of waiting for her to learn of his crime and dismissing him. She was the only one he'd thought he'd ever be able to have or would accept him at the time.

As the Erinyes came closer Ares wanted to flinch back but couldn't move because of the chains! "Wait, wait, wait." he tried to move his hands up but couldn't and only caused himself pain and for the chains to rattle. "I didn't kill the brat, he's still alive so no nepoticide! You can't condemn me for that. I haven't tried to whack the kid the past three years!"

They halted but then after a silent communication that was rather creepy, they continued towards him and stated that his crimes still stood. It was decreed that he would be stripped of his godhood as he'd done to his victim. As such he would be banished from Olympus during the duration of his punishment. For the tiniest moment Ares' utter hatred flashed in his eyes as he glared at his father before he shut his eyes, hands clenching as he reined in his emotions that wanted to boil over and erupt. Opening his eyes dark humor was expressed in his face and when he spoke, body language arrogant once more. Laughing, he kept his gaze on the king of the gods. "You'll reinstate my godhood within a week."

Ares knew that it would be more like a month as his father would rather make his son suffer than admit the truth and give in. There was no one else to take up his mantle. Not singularly.

"Wait, wait, wait. I didn't kill the brat, he's still alive so no nepoticide! You can't condemn me for that. I haven't tried to whack the kid the past three years!"

If she weren't preoccupied with being terrified on his behalf, she would have groaned in exasperation. That was his defense? That he hadn't tried to kill the boy recently?

If she hadn't known any better, she would have said that he didn't care about how things turned out and was running his mouth to have whatever satisfaction he could before the Erinyes got their hands on him. It wouldn't have been out of character for him, but his protests did manage to stall the Erinyes' approach, so she supposed she shouldn't complain. The three sisters stared at one another in silent communication before speaking as one to inform Ares that his crimes still merited punishment.

As much as the sound of three speaking in perfect unison sent a shiver up her spine, the message they conveyed was enough to make her exhale silently in relief. They weren't going to torment him, merely strip him of his godhood. She knew he wasn't happy, as evidenced by the bitter edge to his tone when he answered that they'd be reinstating his godhood within the week, but she could have kissed every one of the sisters at that moment.

There wouldn't have been anything to do if the Erinyes had driven him mad. She had yet to hear of anyone recovering from having their sanity stripped away by the sisters, but Ares' banishment offered opportunities. At least he'd still be more or less whole, if slightly more fragile than he usually was, and they could work with that. She might even be able to visit him if she was careful - a thought that made the vice around her chest loosen ever-so-slightly.

As for Ares himself, she wasn't sure what would happen between them. He'd promised that his feelings wouldn't change, but she also knew that being stripped of his divinity would deal a blow to his pride that would take time to heal. He wouldn't blame her, per se, but she feared that visiting him would only serve as an unpleasant reminder of what he'd lost. The only way she could be sure would be to wait and find out, but in the meantime, she focused on being grateful for the fact that he wasn't currently screaming in pain and would be able to help her puzzle out a way to make things right again.

Unlacing her fingers, she sat up straighter in her chair and placed her hands on the smooth, curved arms. Her palms burned with returning blood flow, but she paid it no mind as she shot Ares a look that pointedly asked Ares to hold his tongue, just this once, for his own sake. The less he aggravated the assembled deities in the room, the better the chance that she might be able to talk someone around to leniency. He wouldn't like it, but that had never stopped her before. She'd already spent a lovely afternoon with Hermes gossiping about all but one aspect of the current situation over tea - payment-in-kind for his theft of Artemis' bow and arrow - so she wasn't above going against his wishes to help him.

One thing at a time, she reminded herself, exhaling through her nose as she rolled her shoulders back and settled herself more comfortably in her seat. There will be time for plans and loopholes later.

"Will he have a mind in a week?" Came the question from the Erinyes that caused Ares to shiver in dread feeling sick. "It all depends on what we see in your head."

"Oh trust me, that's not really a place you want to be," he replied back on instinct and falling back on his defensive sarcasm. He knew that the whole point of stripping him of his godhood was because his father didn't want a mad god running around which could be quite dangerous.

Before he could try and lean away he was in their clutches and trying to keep his breaths even as the pain started. That he was sure he could handle at least for awhile. Fighting them he knew caused greater pain, which was why he hadn't any intention fighting them when it came to what they wanted to know about his crime he was being accused of. It was a different story when it came to his other...pursuits. What he hadn't expected or known was what it was like to have one of them drawing information from him forcefully. While he might logically want to yield up the information they wanted, instinctively he fought it with everything he had. Jerking trying to get out of their clutches, Ares had to shut his eyes and once again his hands were clenched but not from anger.

They saw the liaison between himself and Aphrodite that led him to doubt the validity of her child being his. His trip to the Fates just before the child was born and finding out that it was not his but her husband's. The revulsion and rage when he'd learned the exact timing. The plan that he'd formulated then went through with. Manipulating circumstances so that the boy was left alone, stripping the boy of his godhood before any protections could be placed, and taking him to an island where he left him for whatever would cross his path first. In Ares' thinking the kid was better off before he could be used as a tool by the gods to turn him against his mother or worse yet, if Zeus ever got his hands on the new deity.

Everything wanted to come out after that and Ares fought it. He was not showing them that! Perhaps they feared damaging him without meaning to. Perhaps they got what they needed because they released him. Breathing harshly he panted as his knees nearly buckled on him and he was left to stand on his own as the Erinyes moved away from him. Ashen and feeling rather sick, Ares didn't move trying to pull himself back together and almost missed the fate pronounced for him.

It seemed her relaxation had been premature. She'd been so focused on Ares' seemingly delayed punishment that she'd nearly forgotten the Erinyes had yet to see the truth of the matter. They would sentence him as surely as the sun would rise in the east, but to what degree was determined by the severity of his crimes and his reasons. There was a genuine possibility that he would still end up mad, or dangerously mortal and ill, but only time would tell.

One of the sisters gripped his head, and Persephone very nearly looked away as Ares jerked - trying to escape what she could only imagine was an intensely painful invasion of the worst kind - as his hands curled into fists so tight that his knuckles whitened under the skin. Instead, she forced her gaze to remain on him. Perhaps it was a foolish notion, but it felt disloyal to do so - as though she was ignoring his pain just like every other deity in the room. It was all she could safely to do show her solidarity with him without the risk of exposure - the other gods would likely attribute her focus to some morbid curiosity that came from living in the Underworld for so many months at a time.

Hoping that he wouldn't fight too hard was a pointless endeavor. Every being in the universe, perhaps even the Erinyes themselves, was hardwired to resist such an invasion. She'd never experienced it herself, but she could only imagine that having another being rifling through your thoughts as though they were a photo album or encyclopedia was deeply disturbing. Ares was faring better than most; she had to admit - she'd often heard of those subjected to the Erinyes touch falling to their knees long before the examination was over. There was a grim kind of pride she felt when Ares righted himself instead of sinking to the ground when the Erinyes had seen all they needed to see. Of course he was strong - he was Ares - but she doubted that any other member of the Pantheon could have held up so long.

She wished she could go to him and at least prop him up until he could right himself, but she forced herself to remain in her seat. She was supposed to be impartial to him, and she doubted he'd enjoy having to be propped up by the Queen of the Underworld in front of the rest of the Pantheon. He'd already had his mind invaded, and he was soon to be mortal again - even a small slight to his pride might add insult to injury.

The verdict came soon after, and Persephone held her breath. In her head, she hoped that what the Erinyes had seen mirrored her own experience with his actions towards the boy - that he was a threat to Olympus, no matter how much his parents loved him. Zeus would use him mercilessly to meet his ends, and the boy would suffer for it. Ares hadn't done the right thing, but he hadn't done the wrong thing either.

'He shall be stripped of his godhood and banished to the mortal realm. For his actions against the son of Aphrodite and Hephaestus, he shall suffer illness so that he may understand the effects of his actions in stripping the boy of his godhood.'

The eerily synchronous voices of the Erinyes rang off of the high ceilings, and though the rest of the pantheon seemed off-put by their verdict, Persephone found it hard to feel anything but relief. Ares would be horrified, but she'd expected to leave the room with her heart in pieces as Ares' mad laughter rang out behind her. This outcome, at least, was workable. Illness was treatable, and mortality could be replaced with divinity if she played her cards right.

Watching Ares, she tried to communicate with her eyes again. All will be well. We'll get through this. Trust me.

Whether or not he heard her internal pleas was an entirely different matter.

"He shall be stripped of his godhood and banished to the mortal realm. For his actions against the son of Aphrodite and Hephaestus, he shall suffer illness so that he may understand the effects of his actions in stripping the boy of his godhood."

Blinking, Ares tried to wrap his mind around the words he heard. Banishment wasn't a big deal, or rather hadn't been before. There were places he could go and things to do. It had been centuries since his last one and he knew just how the world had changed. It was not a pleasant place and all of Ares' haunts were gone. Even if he had wanted to go to the few remaining to sulk, there wasn't a way to get there as a mortal.

'Ilness?!' There was a sense of foreboding in the one word. As a god he'd never been sick or subjected to anything remotely physically debilitating. Having seen the condition of some mortals he was not thrilled with their ruling. To be banished and he'd get ill?

"Time out. What kind of illness are we talking about?" He wanted to know annoyed.

Having given their ruling the Erinyes only gave a creepy, "You shall see."

Scowling at where they had been, he silently fumed. The other gods were murmuring but he wasn't listening or paying attention. Mentally he was going over everything and realizing that it would be much harder than the last time. It also put his plans on the back burner. Unable to stop himself, he glanced over at where Hades and a certain goddess were sitting. An impudent smirk crossed his face as he asked, "Does your banishment cover my death? If I die down there, you won't let me into the Underworld? Isn't that a dereliction of your duty?"

"Then you should endevour not to die. Should you, nephew?" Hades' response was actually amusing to the war god.

Zeus called everyone back to order before commanding Hermes to proceed with the conclussion of the trial. Once again, Ares was only half listening. Mortal. He was to be mortal again. Mortal and undefined illness. This was humiliation atop humiliation. Banished to the mortal realm..wait what?!

Zeroing in his attention he was horrified and furious to hear his sentence was to last fifteen years! That had to be wrong. There was no chance they could survive without someone taking on War for that long. There was a reason Athena couldn't take the mantle of War with her other titles. As much as the gods despised him, they needed him. He not only inspired bloodlust and such but he also controlled it.

Had his father finally gone completely insane? Who was he planning on...? Oh, that was rich. A dark chuckle welled up and he started to laugh as he realized what his father planned. It wasn't going to work. At least he found a silver lining. He was still grinning and laughing when he was 'escorted' out with the other gods likely thinking he'd cracked.

Ares, please.

Persephone wished they were alone, if only so that she could at least attempt to prevent the God of War from digging his own metaphorical grave. Even burying her head in her hands so that she wouldn't scold him aloud for being reckless was out of the question, lest someone notice the exasperated gesture. He did seem determined to make things harder for himself, even going as far as goading Hades about potential side-effects of his ban.

"Does your banishment cover my death? If I die down there, you won't let me into the Underworld? Isn't that a dereliction of your duty?"

Hades' reply was equally sarcastic as he suggested that Ares ought to avoid dying while mortal to avoid finding out. With her husband's attention fixed on Ares, Persephone took the time to shoot Ares a look that strongly suggested he keep his mouth shut for both of their sakes. The last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself by voicing her exasperation with his antics, and the last thing he needed was to aggravate the other deities to the point that they'd disregard any suggestions of clemency on principle.

Even if he didn't annoy everyone else in the room, she knew that to try to earn him some goodwill and a reduced sentence was going to be an uphill battle. The members of the pantheon were like elephants - they didn't forget, and they had an unfortunate propensity for trampling all over anyone who got in their way. Being crushed underfoot before she could even plead Ares' case would be frustrating, to say the least.

I love you, you idiot, but please behave yourself, just this once.

He was distracted, particularly by the length of his sentence, so she doubted he'd caught her look. The point was proven when he began to laugh at some unheard joke, ignoring attempts to escort him from the chamber. The sound made her jump, and for a split second wonder if the Erinyes' invasion had affected his mind. A look at his eyes revealed bitter amusement untainted by madness, and she relaxed slightly.

She'd never witnessed someone having their divinity stripped away, but she expected it wasn't pleasant. She wished she could follow to make sure Ares was alright but was also ever so slightly glad that she wouldn't have to watch him go through something unpleasant that she couldn't stop.

Let the games begin. The thought made her sigh, drawing the attention of Hades, who gazed at her blankly.

"Are you tired, wife?"

'Tired' didn't touch the bone-deep exhaustion she felt from being both terrified and nearly ecstatic throughout the trial. She wished she could nap, but she suspected she'd have to find Ares sooner than later. If he was going to become ill, she wanted to make sure he was okay.

"Very." Her reply sounded as wan as she felt, and in response, he stood and offered her his arm.

"You can rest when we arrive back at the palace."

She could have, but it wasn't very likely. Smiling at her husband to cover her intentions, she allowed him to lead her from the chamber.

Tempered rage burned within the god's chest as he was  made to wait upon his father's pleasure to see and speak with him. He supposed he should be grateful for this small act of assumed mercy. Instead of losing his godhood in front of the rest of the Olympians, it was to be done in private by his father's hand. That was why it was such a shock to see not his father, but his mother enter the room alone. Unable to hide his surprise, suspicion, and confusion he wondered, "Does father know you're here?"

A look he knew well was his answer. It was the expression she gave him whenever she'd thought he should know the answer or was being purposefully obstinate. That did nothing to alleviate his wariness. He'd avoided his mother's gaze during the farce of a trial because he'd known he'd receive no help from her. If he was truthful he'd never expected any from her nor did he warrant any. Not after all the times that he could have helped her and never did over the centuries when it came to her disputes with Zeus. That was why he wasn't sure why she was here instead of his father unless she was to be the one to make him mortal? A quick glance out of his peripheral vision showed that Hephaestus was equally confused as to why she was there or why she dismissed him to talk with Ares alone.

Arching a brow, Ares watched the goddess with great care as she stared expressionlessly at him before commented, "Your father wasn't happy that you were banned from the Underworld."

"That breaks my heart," he deadpanned. He knew exactly why his father was upset with Hades over that ruling, but Ares' emotions had been mixed on that and remained so.

"Hmmm," she hummed still scrutinizing him. Instincts and warning bells were going off in his head and his senses as he tried to figure out what her game was. "You should thank the Fates that Mnemosyne refuses to take sides."

Paling, Ares' jaw clenched knowing that if the goddess of Memory had been at the trial or had been swayed by his father then he would have been in worse trouble. A person was the sum of their memories, a god more so. "Is that all?"

A sneer curled his lip as she confirmed a suspicion he'd had when he'd been given little to no warning about his trial when his mother stated, "He also wants your sword."

"He's not getting it." His father could look but he wouldn't find it. He was not allowing his 'replacement' to touch his sword. Nor did he even want it in his father's hands however briefly. His mother seemed to have expected that response and said nothing. All she did was nod and then turned to go leaving her son confused. He had little time to think as soon as she left Hephaestus was back but accompanied by their father. Husband and wife exchanged indecipherable looks before Zeus wasted little time stripping him of his godhood causing his son to collapse to the ground, not recalling it hurting this much last time. Once he was mortal the chains were useless and fell off as they were made to contain a god's powers not a mortal.

"Its almost nightfall in the mortal realm and its a long walk to the entrance, so I suggest you start," Zeus so 'helpfully' commented. Glaring, Ares said nothing as he stood with as much dignity as he could suppressing the intense hatred he felt. As petty as ever, his father was going to make him do the walk of shame rather than just dumping him in a random location. How 'thoughtful' of him.

"Am I allowed to change first?" Ares inquired unable to contain the sarcasm. "This is hardly proper attire to appear in the mortal realm in."

"Its already been arranged," was the less then helpful answer. It did little to ease his suspicions when Hephaestus shoved a bag into his hands and stomach causing his breath to leave him in a whoof of air. Pained, Ares quipped, "I didn't know you cared."

Glaring at him, the blacksmith replied, "It was mother."

That made no sense and scared Ares a bit and he nearly dropped it as if it was covered in acid as he held it as far away form him as he could with narrowed eyes.

"Dress or go as you are but be gone," Zeus commanded.

'Don't get your toga in a twist.' Eyeing the bag, Ares opened it and arched a brow at what he saw then shrugged, zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder. He'd change in the elevator and see what else his mother had packed since he really didn't want any nasty surprises.

It was strange, Olympus had been 'home' for thousands of years and he'd wanted to get away for a very long time. And now he was being forcefully expelled from it. Ares wasn't sure how he should feel or exactly what he was feeling at that moment. Not until he was standing at the base of the Empire State Building...in snow. "Great. I dropped the brat off on a nice warm beach. I get cold asphalt and snow."