Ares And Mia

Chapter 20

"Hep, I'm going to need you to tell me everything about the EOD. Preferably anything about capturing souls inside of it." After Phobus had calmed both me and Ares--through words, he said something about not being able to use his power on gods who were stronger than him--we were all seated comfortably in the Metalworking God's office. 

There was still the faint burn of smoke in my throat, one that stubbornly didn't leave. It felt like a patch of embers were pressed against my esophagus, making every swallow painful. 

"Capturing souls?" 'Hep' echoed, seated at his desk. "What do you mean?" I opened my mouth to speak, but Ares cuts me off immediately. 

"A presence. Whispers coming from the sword." Ares didn't let me have any direct interaction with him for some odd reason. He spoke for me and to me, not letting the other Olympian get a word in. I turned toward Phobus. 

"What does EOD stand for?" I whispered. 

"End Of Days. The sword was forged with impossible materials to acquire, but Ares was able to get them all. Hep requested things that would but him in very difficult situations. The only one I know of is getting blood from all of the Titans, because he asked me to accompany him on that one." I nodded, watching as Hephaestus tapped his chin in thought. 

End Of Days. That's... That's terrifying. Apocalyptic. And slightly... intriguing. 

"It is possible. Just like how enchanted weapons are made, but with... other beings." Hephaestus finally answers, weighing his words carefully. Enchanted weapons? 

I turn to Phobus for an explanation. "Enchanted weapons are the only things that can actually hurt gods. If you tried to stab me with a knife from the human realm, I could heal it immediately. That wouldn't be true if it was vice versa, you would bleed out and probably die." He tilts his clipboard at me. "This is an enchanted weapon. It's made by killing some godly being from our realm." 

"Killing? How does that work?" I glance down at the harmless clipboard that could turn into a spear in the blink of an eye. Was someone's spirit in there...? 

"When you defeat a god and end their life, they leave behind an essence of themselves. The more essences you leave behind, the weaker you would be reborn. You would eventually work your way back to where you were before you died, so most gods don't really care too much about what they leave behind." Hephaestus's and Ares's conversation drowns out into the background. "You can put essences into everyday items, like pens and papers to give them perks, or into weapons. The strength of the weapon would depend on what god you killed, so they can vary."

My eyes flicker around, landing on scattered weapons all around me. "Who did you kill?" Phobus shrugged lightly. 

"Deimos." The God of Fear. "We were competing to see who would be Ares's assistant." Oh. 

"Has Ares died yet?" Phobus nods, before holding up two fingers.

"Twice. Once for the EOD and the other for the sword that he uses now." But doesn't that mean that he had to... kill himself...?

I turn to look at the God of War, who was now smirking widely at the God of Metalworking. 

"Technically, yes, it would be possible for someone else to wield the EOD." Hephaestus rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly hesitant in his words. "Gods typically don't own their own essences, which already makes you an abnormality. But, Ares, I would remind you that enchanted items kill humans twice as fast, but I feel like you already know that." 

The look that Ares gives him is a polar opposite to how he looked before.

The warm room seems to drop a few degrees.