Ares And Mia

Chapter 19

"I've never heard of a weapon speaking to a mortal before. Has this happened before?" I shook my head, watching him from the seat on the couch. Ares picked up the sword, running his fingers along the blade, inspecting it. "I don't want to risk you touching it and disintegrating into ash, so stay put." 

I blinked at him. "Because it'll mess with the prophecy?" I had wondered what would happen if I simply wasn't able to make the choice. Would another person have to fulfill the role or would I just have to make my decision on my death bed? 

Ares paused, then averted his silver eyes. "Of course." I nodded along. 

At least the God of War guaranteed my survival... until the prophecy is resolved... 

What happens after...? 

"We can ask Hephaestus, he'll probably know something of use." Ares cuts off my train of thought, plunging me back into reality. Hephaestus... the god known for his blacksmithing skills. 

Wasn't he the guy who punched Ares when I first arrived at Olympus? Have they made up that quick?

The God of War sets the sword back down on the display, the metal clinking against the iron supports. The sound sends a shiver down my spine, rattling against my bones. This... This was so weird... "If you want, Phobus can actually bring you to see him now." 

When he speaks again, I realize that he's no longer next to the sword, but sitting at his desk. The fountain pen in his hand was already signing another document, one that I could already see was compact with words in fine text. God or not, I guess even he had deadlines. 

I don't want to bother him while he's working... "Sure." Ares snaps his fingers and I see someone materialize. My eyes widened as Phobus, holding onto his clipboard, came into view. 

"Sir, you've called?" His eyes flit over to me for a second, before landing back on Ares. I rise to my feet, still a bit surprised. Did that really just happen? 

"Escort her to Hephaestus. Knowing Poseidon, he'll probably aim to attack her within the next few hours, hoping to catch us off guard. You have permission to use the necessary force to neutralize any threats." Neutralize. That was just a fancy word for kill. What in the world did Poseidon want with me? 

"Yes sir." Phobus nods toward the door and I follow him out, slightly unnerved by his formal tone. I fall into step with him, walking down the hall with a leisurely pace. "I heard that you and Hera really kicked it off at the dinner party." 

I exhale, running a hand through my hair, feeling more at ease with his light words. "I hope. Honestly, I felt like she was... looking for something. I'm not sure." We turned a corner, leading to another corridor. 

It was as if we were moving through realms. Onyx and silver morphed into earthly colors, copper and tungsten studding the walls. The lavish walls turned into plain canvases, with a influx of paintings. Portraits, scenery, and creatures came into view, a startling contrast to the rooms before. 

"Every Olympian gets to customize their spaces." Phobus noticed my interest of the change, turning the corner to another hallway. "Every branch is unique to their inhabit--" 

Everything seemed to slow down around me. 

The God of Panic pushes me behind him, before throwing his clipboard at a figure that I hadn't caught sight of yet. In the same breath, the clipboard lengthened into a spear... cutting cleanly through the skull of a creature that pixelated into view upon impact. 

All of that happened in less than two seconds. 

My jaw dropped, my eyes never leaving the new corpse on the ground. It was invisible?! "How..."