The War God's Woman 2

73. Ares vs Typhon

"You brought him  here?!" Hephaestus stared at Sage, wondering if she'd lost her mind or just wanted him dead.

"Ares is here to talk. Just talk." She soothed, standing between the two gods. Hephaestus looked unconvinced. His instincts warned him to grab Electra and escape. But then Ares surprised him, by saying one word.

"Brother."

The tone of the war god's voice made Hephaestus freeze. There was a tenderness and uncertainty in Ares – something that Hephaestus had never seen before. 

"You really want to talk?"

Ares nodded. 

"I remember the night mother threw you from Olympus."

Hephaestus flinched.

"I didn't think-"

"I pretended not to know."

Ares sighed and ran a hand through his tawny hair. "I pretended a lot of things. But the truth is that I never forgot. I had nightmares of it as a child, every night. I'd dream that mother tossed me down the mountain instead and that I shattered on the rocks. I'd wake up screaming."

Sage blinked. She stepped out of the way and settled at the edge of the room, listening to every word – her heart pounding.

"I started to fear her." Ares continued. "It got so bad that I ran away. That was how the giants found me and imprisoned me when I was a young. None of the gods knew where I'd gone, so they had no idea how to find me." Ares shuddered, his gaze temporarily lost and distant.

With a rougher voice he continued.

"When I returned to Olympus, older. I no longer tolerated fear. I strove to impress my mother, to make her proud and adore me. Rumours about you circulated the court, but I could see that they upset her. So pretended not to hear them. As you know, she embraced you once your talent for jewellery and craftsmanship become renown."

"She never embraced me." Hephaestus interjected.  "She merely wanted me to make her beautiful accessories. I was told, very clearly, to remain beneath the mountain. To hide my ugly face and this." He slapped the side of his bad leg. The bitterness in Hephaestus' voice made Sage wince. She glanced quickly at Ares, unsure how he would react.

"She was wrong, to blame you for your injuries – when it was her that caused them. And I'm sorry, that I never told her that. That I never told you that. The pain and misery between you both, I should have tried to fix it. Then, perhaps, things might have been different."

A heavy silence settled over the room. 

"Thank you." Hephaestus looked uncomfortable but sincere. Ares frowned, confused.

"Thank you? I thought you would blame me longer. After, what happened between me and your wife..."

"No man ever refused Aphrodite. I stopped hating her lovers long ago." Hephaestus dismissed. 

Besides, he had a new perspective these days. Hephaestus glanced across at Sage before quickly looking away. He understood now what it was like to want your brother's woman.

Sage bit her lip, hope blossoming in her chest. This was great, the brothers were talking. And for Hephaestus at least, this was real. Sage crossed her fingers.  Maybe, just maybe, Ares would forgive her for this.