Chapter 25
Freya
I woke up but I wasn't completely awake. I felt as if I didn't have enough strength to open my eyes or even lift my head. My mother ran her fingers through my hair laying next to me on the bed like she did when I was a child.
"Eva?" Ares knocked at the door.
"Shhhh, she's a sleep", my mother answered softly. I heard the door open and close. I heard his heavy footsteps against the hardwood floors come closer to me.
"I know you don't want to hear it. But we must speak", my mother ignored him not even shifting her weight to face him,"We know beside and has a proclivity for snakes. I can connect the dots".
"I kept her safe for over two decades. And it all came crashing down the second you took her away from me---"
"Eva, just listen---"
"Enough. These are my children, Ares. My only reason for being, my everything and you.... I don't want to hear anything unless it's action. And we both know you don't have it in you. Not anymore", bbuuuurrrnnnnn.
I wanted to open my eyes and back up my mom but I couldn't. I was rocked into a wave of blackness falling deep into a familiar web.
Ares
It would be lie to say her words didn't cut me deeper than any wound I had ever felt. "Would you have me fight the whole of Olympus?"
"For children? Yes", she spoke with disappointment laced in her voice,"Cecilia and Freya are the most precious gift you will ever receive. How could you not fight for them when they need you the most? How could you not even try? They've all written you off from Zeus, to Hera, to even Aphrodite. But I didn't. You know what they he to them. And yet you stand here and tell me to listen. I'll listen when you show me a man worth listening to".
And there was the final kill. She was the mother of my children and the only person that dared try to put me in my place. Eva knew the fine line I walked as far as Olympus was concerned. I couldn't just attack and kill Poseidon. There was a time I would have done just that but but now the tables have turned. The Zeus could easily put a target on all of their backs and it wouldn't be long before we all went down.
There was nothing I could say in this moment to make her even look at me so I left the room. I could easily solve this problem with my face. I could take on Poseidon or anyone. But now I'm not so blood-hungry to see that every action has a consequence.
I'm no as tactful as Athena. I hit it down the stairs and passed up Cecilia's consort carrying an arm full of blankets.
But I could move pieces.
"Boy, where's the other one?"
He stopped in his tracks and turned to face me,"First of all, I have a name, it's Alaric, we've met. And secondly do I look like a dumbass's keeper?"
"And you know who I am and you will answer my question!" I shouted demanding respect.
"Nah", he bored.
"Are you dumb? I could destroy you with a whisper".
"
Am I really worth destroying? Remember you're trying to build a relationship with your daughters. You know my future wife and soon to be mother of my children. And unassigned best friend/godkiller. Am I really worth all the trouble and backlash you're going to get from killing me?" He had a point not that I would let him have that satisfaction.
