The Heart of War (74 page)

Alena was surprised and a bit taken aback. “You don’t want a big Greek wedding? Breaking plates and ouzo and people shouting out ‘umpa’?” Her brow began to crease.

“Though I admit I have absorbed much of the culture, again, technically…I am not Greek.”

“What are you?”

Ares ran his hand across her cheek and then through her hair as his head bobbed up and down his shoulders in thought. “An Olympian.”

She wanted to ask just exactly what that meant and where he really came from but then discovered it didn’t matter. The only thing that did matter was that they were together. Ares was right; they were married simply because they said they were married. What was a marriage ceremony anyway? Nothing more than two people making a verbal agreement. "Maybe something small. You and me on our beach at sunset, that's all I want."

“Perfect. Tomorrow is not soon enough for me but I will wait for you."

"Oh, well now, would you look at that?" Alena asked as she pretended to open an invisible book in her hands. "My calendar seems to be free tomorrow, right around sunset."  

“You can’t help. You can’t do anything,” she said as those gray eyes narrowed on him.  Ares sat back in the bed and folded his arms over his chest as he waited.  Alena looked around the bedroom room, seeing they were still alone and feeling a bit foolish.  “I’d like a Coke, please.  Cold with ice...please,” she added quickly.

Anything in the world she wanted and Alena asked for a Coke.  He liked a low-maintenance woman.  “You’re so polite,” he complimented.

On the table next to her with its warmly burning oil lamp, out of thin air appeared a tall glass of icy cold Coca-Cola.  Wasn’t that just the Coolest Trick in the World?  Alena picked it up with much anticipation and disbelief, brought it to her lips, and drank down of the sweet goodness.  Her throat worked and worked until the glass was half-empty and then it worked some more.  “Ahhhhhh.”  She let out a satisfied sigh as held the glass close to her breasts and closed her eyes.  “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I had one of these?  They do not export to Ceres Agar.”  The last time she’d had a Coke she was, “At Fenway Park watching the Red Sox play the Yankees,” she whispered and then opened her eyes as the memory wandered through her mind.  She had a hot dog with mustard, onions, and relish, a salted pretzel, a bag of peanuts, and two large Coca-Cola’s that day.

“The who did what?” Ares asked in confusion.  “What’s a Fenway Park?”

“Maybe, one day soon, while you’re fulfilling your promise to show me this world,” Alena reached for his hand.  “I can show you mine.”

Ares was still confused though the idea seemed to make Alena very happy; he could see that from the sudden rush of color in her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes.  “I saw no park at the camp,” he muttered, wondering how he would have missed such a thing if it had been there.  Not to mention the camp was no longer.  “Why would you want to go there?”

“Not the camp. 
Boston
,” Alena said a bit indignantly.  “I had a life you know, for a while it was a very good life, before…all of…this.”  She waved her hand in the air at her surroundings.  “The Red Sox are a baseball team; Fenway Park is where they play when they’re at home…in
Boston
.  That’s in
Massachusetts
which is in…”

“The United States of America.  I told you before; I don’t need a geography lesson,” he scoffed. “Do they have…popcorn there?  At Fenway Park.”

“Yes, and hot dogs and beer, and pretzels, and Coke, and peanuts, and funny little hats.”  A strange thought crossed her mind, it made her drop her eyes down his torso, and then back up again as she bit down on her bottom lip and her eyebrow raised on her forehead.

“What? What are you looking at?”

“They sell uniforms, too,” she said dreamily.  “I’d think you’d look really good in one.  I’m not sure they come in your size but…I could alter it for you.”

“Could you?”  Ares looked down at himself, the bottom half of him clad in his ever-present black leather while his chest was bare and then he looked up at her over the top of his eyes.  “Well then we’ll just have to go to Boston and get one.”  He took the hand still holding on to his and brought to his mouth to brush is lips over it.  “It’s getting late.  You should rest now.  We have a big day tomorrow.”  Not to mention the fact that the way she was staring at him was making him horny and Ares had it in his mind to wait until after their wedding to make love with her again.  His wait could be long, Alena might not be ready to come to him for some weeks or months to come, not after what Cernunnos had done.  Not to mention what Ares himself had done prior. That wound was still awaiting healing. Waiting was not Ares’ strong suit especially when it came to sex but he had the sneaking suspicion that it would be worth it.

From where he was on the other side of the bed Ares blew a puff of air out of his cheeks, no more than what might be needed to extinguish a nearby birthday candle. The oil lamp on Alena’s side of the bed went out and the fire in the hearth died down as he brought the blanket around her.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Where The Past Meets The Present

1

 The Wedding of the God of War and his Little Fey turned out to be a less intimate occasion than they had originally planned.  Keeping such a thing—or anything at all—secret on Olympus was nearly impossible.  In the morning Ares went to his mother, Hera, and told her what was about to happen.  He first swore her to secrecy and then swore to her that he would return to Olympus with Alena in a reasonable period of time.  After a slightly extended honeymoon.  Hera could hardly contain herself at the news; while she stopped short of actually saying she was sworn to silence, she did put her hand over her mouth and nod her agreement.  Ares deserved this chance at happiness; if Zeus knew of it then he might try to ruin it.  Eros and Apollo were also on the list of Likely Suspects with Aphrodite at the bottom.

This left Athena, Poseidon, Hades, the Nymphs, Cerci, Morpheus, and the Faeries.

Hera felt that at least a small gathering of people should be there to witness the end of Ares’ exceedingly long-held bachelorhood.  Before she went to spread the word, she sent her own servants Calliope and Clio (Muse of Epic Poetry and History, respectively) to Ares’ island and instructed them to make a bountiful feast, to create beautiful decorations and gather flowers and herbs for the momentous occasion.  The Great Mother did not want to intrude upon what was desired to be a very personal ceremony, but she did think it worthy of celebrating.  It was late in the day when she went to each of those still on Olympus, save Zeus, and informed of them of what was about to happen.  She told each they were not to interfere; she would look very unfavorably upon anyone who attempted to spoil the occasion.  However, if they in their hearts wanted to wish the newly married couple well then they should attend.

Nearing sundown, Ares found Alena nervously pacing around in his throne room.  She was muttering to herself and wringing her hands in between puffs of breath.  She had been struck with morning sickness most of the day and spent her the hours since dawn either in bed or over the toilet retching.  “You want to put this off?  This is too much pressure for you.”

No, she most definitely did not want to postpone their wedding.  That was the one solid conclusion she’d come to as she anxiously paced about the room for the last hour.  She wanted to marry Ares.  She wanted to be his Wife and have his Children.  She wanted a life with him.  When she was not in bed or hunched over the toilet today she had been able to try out the Ask And Ye Shall Receive aspect of Olympus.  Ares once told her that in a few years she would not marvel at the things he did any longer, they would become old hat to her.  She didn’t think so; neither did she think that she would become accustomed to asking for something and having it simply appear in front of her.  It was like living on the Starship Enterprise and having the Replicator make you whatever you desired.  It felt odd, unreal.

Yet there were a few small items Alena wanted to have on this day-of-days were it possible and Olympus presented them to her simply because she had asked for them.  Every woman dreams of her wedding day; although Alena’s life had been long and some of it painful, she was no different in that respect.  Always had she held out the small hope that she would find True Love one day and marry a wonderful man. 

Today was that day.

There was so much more to consider than their happiness.  “They hate me,” she confessed quietly.

Ares let out a snort.  “They hate me, too.”  He walked over to her and took her hands in his to keep her still and stop the endless walking; four steps to the right, quick turn, four steps to the left, repeat.  “So what?”

“They think I’m not good enough for you.”  Alena held tighter to his hands and looked up at him.  “I’m not, you know.”

“It is I who is not worthy of you and your kind and brave heart.”  He brought her hands to his lips and kissed them before holding them to his cheek.  The motion forced Alena to stand up on her tiptoes to comply with is sweetness.  “Forget them.  We are all that matters here.  Besides, I think my Mother rather favors you and in her you have a most powerful ally.”

Hera did seem to take a shine to her and Alena liked Great Mother.  “Yes, you’re right.  Why are you always right?”

Again, Ares snorted and then chuckled.  “I’m not.  Often.  But not always.”  He looked toward the windows here in his home.  “The sun is starting its descent.  Is your calendar still free?”

A wave of peacefulness washed over her and made her heart slow yet beat harder at the same time.  “Yes.  Still free.  Still yours if you want me.”

Ares looped her arm through his and made a warm fur coat appear around her.  “Let’s go.”

“Oh, wait,” she stammered.  “Can…can I…do it?”

Standing there, Ares considered the question; could Alena, now that her Powers were discovered and beginning to grow, teleport herself from place to place? “I don’t know,” he admitted finally.  “But let’s wait a while, hmmm?  What’s the rush?  I like taking you around.”

Alena looked back over her shoulder.  “Me too, it’s just that, well, there are a few things I wanted to bring and…”

“Get them,” Ares invited and let go of her arm.

Alena stood there shifting from one foot to the other and looking back at the table behind her.  On it was the usual items: flatware, utensils, fruits, and a hump of fur under which were the things Alena Asked For and Received earlier in the day.  “You’ll think it’s silly but…I don’t want you to see them.  It’s bad luck,” she admitted.

“Bad luck?” Ares intoned as he looked in the direction of her stare.  “Well, I think we’ve had enough of that.”  He pointed over to the lump on the table.  “Go and get whatever it is.  I promise I won’t look.”

“All right.”  She scampered over to the table, wrapped her package up tight so that Ares could not make out the contents and then followed him to the Gates of Olympus.  “It’s so cold here.  Does it ever get warm?”

“No,” Ares said almost sadly.  “You won’t find any green, either; we are far above the timberline.  Nothing but biting winds and cold snow all year long.”

If that was the case, Alena really didn’t understand why the Olympians lived here when there were so many more pleasant places on Earth.  Standing at the massive glowing wrought iron gates that guarded the entrance to Olympus, Ares turned to her.  “Once this place was beautiful.  It thrived with life, flowers, trees, and animals, all you could desire.  That time is long gone.  This is all that remains, this silence and this ice.”  He pushed the doors open wide and they stepped through to a strange place where they seemed to stand on nothing at all.  All around was black and empty.

“What happened?” Alena asked as the Gates closed behind them.

“The same as happened to Cernunnos and the Others; people stopped believing,” Ares replied.  “After that, my Family allowed themselves to be left behind by this world.”

Alena felt his arm wrap around her shoulder, she switched her package to the other hand and slipped her arm around his waist.  The feeling of being turned into a rubber band came to her as they made the trip from the top of the mountain to Ares’ island far below.  Instinctively, upon arrival, Alena turned her face upward toward the setting sun and let it warm her as she wiggled her toes in the sand and took in the crashing of the ocean waves.  It was better here than on Olympus.  She didn’t understand why the Olympians didn’t find themselves each an island where they could live happily and warmly for the rest of their days.

“It seems we’re expected.”

Alena looked back toward the cliffs.  “Oh my!” she exclaimed as she took in the sight of long tables of food and drink, chairs with big soft cushions of red and purple, and flowers everywhere in bouquets, wreaths, and garlands.  “You told them.”

“Just my Mother, who obviously cannot keep a secret,” Ares mused.  “Go on inside and get ready.”

Alena balked again.  “Oh, no, you go, I’ll catch up in a little bit.  I’m going to use my…my old room.  You use the bedroom.”

“What are you up to?” Ares asked as his eyes narrowed on her.  “This part of your little secret satchel there?”

“Go on.  Shoo.”

Ares kissed her cheek before he walked away, wondering what she was doing and what was in store for him when he returned.  Alena watched him go across the beach, stop to sample the foods offered to unknown guests, and then made his way up the stairs in the cliff face.  She kept waiting even when Ares thought he was safe from her view high up on the cliff top near the entrance to the cave. However, Alena stood her ground, waved to him, and then tittered when she watched him turn his back and go inside.