Snippet #2264943

Ares.



Cael stared at Athena and slowly blinked his eyes as she went on to explain to him about conflict. He raised his hand as he yawned deeply, and then blurted, "Blah, blah, blah, your incessant prattle is like a fly to bullshit. You and the fly are both drawn to it."


He wrinkled his nose when his sister drew close to his side and whispered in his ear:


A word of caution brother, you've had your conquest, and you've tasted the spoils but beware that your foe is not beaten and simply bides his time. I don't doubt you'll ignore me, but don't say I didn't try.


Grinning arrogantly, Cael whirled as his eyes followed his sister into the banquet room. "Let my foes plot and strategize against me. They will build armies and I will crush them and their dreams of toppling me."


The war god grunted and glanced back to the foyer, realizing that he was the only one standing in it. Frowning and feeling pains of reluctance, Cael sighed irritably and followed the gods into the banquet room to take his seat across and three chairs down from his beloved.



Zeus.



Brandon's brows rose when Apollo stepped forward and angrily dove into a rant of rage and disgust. He, however, listened to his son's feelings while discreetly glancing at his watch every now and then.


Cael sat back in his chair with eyes half-lidded and looking as though he would keel over and die any second. His golden eyes rolled over to the enchanting Aphrodite, throwing himself into his own trap. He had been trying to avoid the goddess all night until then with Apollo's speech setting the uneventful mood. He made faces at the goddess, his eyes rolled back into his head and he slowly sank in his chair as though he had taken a knife to the chest. This dinner was torturous and Apollo's rant just made it worse. Sitting up, his lips stretched into a naughty smile. Who knew the thoughts that were occurring in his mind and putting that look on his face?


Anton only glared at his brother who obviously paid him no mind. Aphrodite hadn't seemed to care for his existence either. It was the last straw. Heeding his uncle's advice, if he had to beat Ares to win back his wife, then he would come up with a device so powerful that Ares would have to submit. The smith, thus zoned out through Apollo's spiel as plans for a super golem began to sketch themselves upon his conscience. It was all he would be able to think about for the entire night and once the dinner was over, he would get to work with his golems and build it.


Dmitri's chin was resting in his palm as he actually listened to Apollo's whining and then finally, the prophecy that had put him into such a tantrum. As he described in explicit detail how each of them would die, the mafia boss's brows rose with intrigue when he explained how he would die with his wife in his arms. Unlike the other gods who were disturbed and snorting their disbelief, Dmitri proudly smiled. It was how he would have hoped to die with his spring flower cradled protectively in his arms. The image was beautiful.


Hardly disturbed by the premonition as the godlings were, Dmitri said, "Your prophecy is interesting. It implies the Titans are stronger now than they were in the last war, but how is unexplained. If they are as they were before, then they stand no match as they did centuries ago. Even more so with my brother's offspring."


Brandon glanced to his older brother. "Hades, you must have known the Titans were missing from Tartarus. Why didn't you alert me?"


Sitting up, Dmitri sat comfortably back in his seat and Bernard set upon his table a plate with a fancy lid on it. He removed the lid as a plume of white steam arose revealing the shrimp linguini with garlic crumbs beneath. Picking up his silver fork, Dmitri calmly answered his brother, "The matters of The Underworld are only of my concern. No one can escape my Underworld of their own free will, so I am curious, which one of us helped them escape."


Brandon frowned in offense and suspicion. "What makes you think one of the gods would free such beasts?"


Slurping a few noodles into his mouth, he lifted his napkin and wiped the sauce from his lips. Smirking, Dmitri replied, "Let's say I've been running my own investigations."


Throwing out his right arm, from his sleeve expelled a plume of black smoke that swirled and billowed into a circle. The smoke then dissolved, revealing its pitch-black center, and from it escaped a chilling breeze--a hole to The Underworld. From the hole, the gods could see the one Titan Hades had imprisoned. The colossal creature wore chains like a straight jacket as it sat on its nubs, missing arms and legs, and wiggling in pain like a worm. The creature sat on the edge of the massive chasm that led to Tartarus and the sight of his brother's sadistic work disturbed Zeus greatly.


"Is that Crius?" Brandon asked in awe.


"Was," Dmitri said simply with a sinister smile. "He had refused to tell me who had set the Titans free, but he did make one mistake. He slipped and said, 'You are a fool to not see the betrayal of your own kin.'"


The dark god turned an eye to the hole and black, gnarled hands rose from the pit of Tartarus to snag Crius's screaming and writhing body to yank it down into a seven day plunge into a belly of eternal nothing.


Brandon's skin crawled. Never would he ever wish to be banished or even visit Tartarus. He stared at his brother wide-eyed as though the man seated at his own table was a stranger. Had The Underworld really warped his brother? He was thankful not to have pulled the wrong straw. Freeing himself from his chilling thoughts, Brandon's expression hardened.


"No doubt Crius's plummet will reach the ears of his brethren. I want for my sons and daughters unacquainted with battle to stay here. I cannot permit you to return to your mortal homes. As Apollo explained this is-"


Brandon's eyes happened to trail over to his son Ares who was practically drooling at the news.


"WAAAAAAR," Cael finished on a hungry breath before he slammed his fists upon the table and roared with excited laughter, "YES! I HAVE WAITED A MILLENIA FOR THIS! FOR CENTURIES THE TITANOMACHY HAS LEFT THE LIPS OF MUSES AS A TALE, AND NOW THE SEQUEL. HIS LEGEND, ARES, THE GOD OF WAR WILL BE TOLD TIME AND TIME AGAIN. THE TITANS SHALL FEAR AND FOREVER REMEMBER THE DAY THEY CROSSED ME! I WILL PAINT THE EARTH WITH THEIR BLOOD!"


Brandon scowled irritably at his son's boisterous boasting. "You will make no moves until I command it or I will bind you until the war is over."


Cael wrinkled his nose at his father and his upper lip turned upward cockily. "Huh, then you might as well admit defeat."


A clash of lightning tore loudly through the sky outside and the rumbling thunder that followed shook the mansion's foundations. The lights flickered and Brandon's eyes flickered wildly with electricity and in white chains, it coursed up and down his arms.


Cael held up his hands in surrender and nonchalantly didn't look his pissed off father in the eyes. "As long as I get to cleave a Titan a new ass to kick, then I will only engage when commanded."


The lightning fizzled out and Brandon sighed in exasperation. Children were sometimes a pain in the ass.


"Athena, I want for you to run an investigation on all of our kin. If you discover who the traitor is, then you have my permission to apprehend god or goddess. You bring them straight to me and do not let him or her escape. Is that clear?"