A Whisper of Love

Chapter 14

It was winter Solstice and the pair woke to loud banging on their door. "I'm glad I cut off the foyer to install a wall with a door," Ares grumbled huskily. "But I didn't put it there so people could bang on it." "Why did you cut off your foyer like that," Rose asked, remembering when she first got there, the elevator opened straight into the penthouse, no door. "To allow us privacy, so no one could just walk in on us," Ares said as the banging continued. He got up and put on some sweat pants before going to see who he was going to be stabbing this morning. 

"Why am I not surprised," Ares asked when he saw Hermes and Apollo. "It's Solstice," Hermes declared. "You can't honestly plan on spending most of the day in bed." "I did actually," Ares told him. "Unlike the two of you, I have a beautiful woman to spend the day in bed with." "I actually have a beautiful male and a female," Apollo corrected. "But they're busy with their families, and with us, it's only a friends with benefits thing. I don't do that whole relationship thing like you and Hades." Apollo looked disgusted at the idea of a relationship. Hermes nodded in agreement with Apollo. "Relationships are too complicated. Having a friendship with your woman though, is super easy. Now don't be holding my Rosie captive." 

"I thought I said to not call me Rosie," Rose said as she came to stand beside Ares. He wrapped an arm around her waist, "We have unwanted visitors." "Maybe unwanted to you Ares, but I bet Rosie wants us," Hermes said. "Plus soon Hecate, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hades, Persephone, and Athena will be here." "Why the fuck did you all think it was okay to come to my place for Solstice," Ares asked him. "Because it's been centuries since you've last spent Solstice with us, and we refuse to let you keep Rose from us this year." "And when Zeus shows up to throw a hissy fit because he wasn't invited," Ares asked him. Hermes waved a hand, "Him and Dionysus started drinking at dawn this morning. He'll be too drunk to do anything." Apollo and Hermes each then held up a poker chip, one of Rose's chips and one of Ares'. "We're each calling in a favor to force you to spend it with us," Apollo declared. 

Ares sighed, "Okay. Give us the chance to get dressed." He then slammed the door in their faces and Rose laughed at their complaints. Ares took her to the bedroom. "I was hoping to get you to myself all day, but I guess I should've seen this coming," Ares said as he grabbed his present to her. "Here," he said. She took it and unwrapped it. Inside was a dagger with a gold hilt with a blade as red as a ruby. The sheath was gold with rubies scattered throughout. "I told you, the day you decide to point a knife at me will be the day I propose," he told her. "You now have a special knife to do that with." It was a proposal, yet not a proposal. He was ready to propose at a moments notice, but he wanted to be sure she was ready to accept it when he did. 

"I love it," she whispered softly. "Your present is in the closet in the living room. It's a little big, and I know you rarely open the closet." She went with him to the closet and he pulled out the large wrapped box. He opened it and stood there shocked. It was a sword she had custom made for him. She knew he had many weapons but she also knew that he would cherish and love the one she gave to him. The hilt was red with a gold pommel that had the mark of Ares in red on the pommel. The blade was black with gold Greek symbol on the blade spelling his name. The scabbard for the sword was black with gold and red threading. He didn't say anything. Instead he kissed her deeply. "I will cherish it forever," he said against her lips before kissing her again. 

When the banging on the front door began again Ares glared at the door while Rose laughed softly. She took his hand and pulled him to the room so they could dress. Rose put on a long sleeve red dress that stopped at her knees, and her gold gladiator heels. She pinned her hair up, a curled strand on each side of her face, framing it. She did winged eyeliner with gold eye shadow and red lip stick. Ares wanted to say to hell with everyone and keep the two of them locked in the room, but he refrained. 

He opened the door and saw Artemis had also joined Hermes and Apollo on the other side. "You take forever," Hermes said to him. "That was me actually," Rose said with a smile. "Perfection takes time so it's perfectly fine to wait for you," Hermes said with a smile at her. Ares rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around her waist. Artemis watched the entire situation, finding it amusing. Apollo sat on the couch as the rest of the guests they didn't invite arrived. "You look beautiful," Persephone complimented Rose. Rose smiled, "You do as well." 

"So tell us," Hermes said. "What did the brute get you for Solstice?" "That stays between the two of us," she told him. "Well, what did she give you? Her virginity," Apollo asked Ares curiously. "A sword," Ares said, gesturing to the sword by the tree. "And my lady's virginity is not something we discuss." "You get him something anyone of us could have gotten him, and yet he loves yours the most," Hermes said with a chuckle. "I took the time designing mine," Rose countered. "Not just picked one off a wall." Hermes held his hands up in surrender, "You've got us there Rosie." 

Rose rolled her eyes with the nickname, and gave up with trying to get him to drop it. "So if you drank ambrosia and became one of us, what do you think you'd become the Goddess of," Athena asked curiously. "I hadn't given it much thought," Rose confessed. "She won't be changing until after she graduates," Ares informed them. "So it'll be a little bit before we find out." "It'd be a shame if she's just using you to become a Goddess," Artemis said while moving her hair over her shoulder. "She's different," Hades said. "She could have taken the offer when it was first offered but she turned it down, wanting to wait."

"And because I truly love him," Rose told her, causing Artemis to scoff. "Let's move on to lighter topics instead of accusing my girlfriend of using me," Ares grumbled. Persephone clasped her hands together, "I think it's time for presents."

Wrapped presents then appeared in front of everyone. Most of the presents didn't have much thought put into them, just wanted to see who could give who the better present. Once they left Ares sighed and laid his arms across the back of the couch, "That was a fucking nightmare." Rose laughed softly, "It wasn't that bad." She then went to the room to put it all away.

Ares closed his eyes and sighed. He wanted her to himself all day, not bave his family invade his space. She came out the room, red robe on.

She straddled his lap and he opened his eyes to look at her. He noted her change of attire. "You've got me all to yourself for the rest of the night," she said. "So I thought I'd give you, your last gift." She pulled on the string of the robe and it opened, revealing a sexy red lace lingerie set that had Ares instantly hard.

He let his eyes drink in the sight of her. "Good thing you're still on break, because I will be ensuring you can't walk tomorrow," he said huskily before kissing her. She gave him a wicked smile, "Promise?" He gave her a wicked smile before he spent the rest of the night, making good on his promise.