Ares: (Gods of Old Book 1) (15 page)

“And, if rumor has it, you may meet another of my siblings tonight too. Apollo will be there, who you know. But it sounds like he’s bringing his twin along, she’s a little strange but okay. Don’t take anything she says too personally; she’s a little bitter since the whole breakup with her latest guy.”

“Ah, gotcha. That’s Aphrodite, right?” She was trying to recall the mythos correctly. “And don’t worry, I won’t take it too personally, but I might need you to remind me of that.” She likely would take things personally.
It was simply who she was, but if he reminded her, then life would be good.

“Artemis, actually,” he chuckled. “Apollo is the Sun God and Artemis is the Moon Goddess. Fraternal twins, polar opposites in looks and personalities; and abilities too,” he grinned at her. “She’s a little cranky because her latest boy toy just wanted to bed her. She gets very annoyed by shit like that.”

“Ah, gotcha.” She snickered and asked, “So she wants love too? I think that’s great. Love is an amazing thing,” she murmured softly. “I do feel for her, though, it’s not good, at all, to want love, to need it and to not be able to find it” She understood that feeling.

“Actually, to be honest, I have no clue what she wants. Neither does Apollo, even though he does try to help her out about once every decade. So far to no avail,” he muttered. “Hopefully, she’ll find what she’s looking for soon; she’s been driving us all crazy for the last millennia.”

“When she’s ready she will figure it out,” she assured him. “I promise you. When that time comes, she will figure it all out.” Shrugging Ava asked, “Will we get to see some shows and stuff like that while we’re there?”

“Absolutely. We’ll make a weekend of it and enjoy the city. You can gamble a little; we can do some restaurants and shows.” He kissed her lightly. “Dion says I’m not allowed to gamble anymore. Something about being a bad sport when I lose or some such crap. Personally, I think he just hated having to pay me when I won.”

That had her laughing, and she shook her head. “Then I likely shouldn’t let him know that I can count cards faster than a pro. I’m seriously freaky good with card counting, and I’m actually pretty good at guessing the roulette numbers as well.” Dion was going to ban her from gambling too; she just knew it. “Think you can help me hide that part of it so that we can give him a bit of a hard time for a little while?”

“Of course, I can,” he grinned. “Now, why don’t you scoot back into your seat and finish your meal. Then we’ll go and do something for the day; whatever you want to celebrate our engagement. But tonight, you’re all mine. I plan on you being extremely relaxed as soon as the sun goes down.”

She couldn't help grinning and looking at her ring. “I think that we should go somewhere that we haven’t been before to celebrate our engagement. I can’t think of where that would be, but I know that you will think of a place for us, won’t you?”

“Somewhere we’ve never been before,” he stared at her. “Are we talking a country, state, province, city, or a restaurant? Because if we’re talking a country, we’re screwed; unless they’ve suddenly got restaurants in Antarctica.”

“I’m talking take me to somewhere that will blow my mind. Take me somewhere that I’ve never been and will enjoy with you tremendously. Doesn’t matter where, just take me?” she asked quietly. “That’s all that I ask for. Just take me somewhere that we can enjoy our celebration, together?”

“That I can do,” he nodded. “One more question though before I decide. Do you want relaxed or more dressed up with the bling on, location?” he asked quietly. “So, do you want high-end, sexy in heels, dining or jeans, shit kickers, and relaxation?”

“All your choice. I said yes, and now you need to make it over the top special. I trust wherever you want to go and however you want me dressed. So anything goes tonight, Ares. Anything. Make your mind go into the deepest recesses and pull out a fantasy that you want and make it happen for us both.”

“Oh darling, you shouldn’t give me such huge allowances. I have some pretty deep recesses, sweetness. You may not like what I end up pulling out of there.” He was grinning big at her, just enough to make her a little nervous. “I’ll keep you decent, but that’s all I’m promising you.”

“Do whatever you want, baby, because I’m willing and ready to take anything that you have to give. I want, and I need to see the dark parts of your life; well not dark so much as kinky. Give me what you can give me. I want your everything.”

“Alright, that I can do. But you need to finish your lunch so I can think about this. We’ll go down to the beach for a couple hours and play in the surf. Then, when we come back, we will get you dressed. I think I know where I want to take you; it’s different, but I think you’ll like it.”

“That sounds good to me. I look forward to it.” She began to eat once more, her hand tilting and turning as she ate so that she could admire the ring. Grinning she shook her head and said, “I can’t believe how perfect it is. How did you know just what I’d like?”

“Because I’ve gotten to know you, Ava; at least enough to have had a clue what sort of jewelry you would like to have. And I did a little reconnaissance too. That day you went shopping, and we split up, I sort of followed you past the jewelry joint and noted what caught your eye and what you sneered or rolled your eyes at.” He leaned over and touched her ring, “I think I did rather well, if I do say so myself.”

“You did more than rather well, you did stunningly well,” she said with a grin. Her hand tightened on his, and she squeezed it before letting it go to continue to eat. “Now I have to find something to surprise you with, and I have no idea what in the world that will be.”

“You don’t need to get me anything, love. I have the greatest treasure there is, you,” he smiled at her. “I doubt you could top that. Especially since you are unique, one of a kind, and all the more precious because of your love for me.”

That had her sighing, and she shook her head. “How you never found someone to marry before me I’ll never know, but I’m glad that you didn’t. I’m happy that you remained a bachelor, and that you’re mine, because otherwise, I would have had to fight for you.” It was mostly a tease. Mostly.

“I think you could do it too,” he chuckled. Shaking his head, Ares leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out. “But I couldn’t marry just anyone, Ava. I hadn’t found the one person that was put in this universe just for me. Who would understand and fit me in ways no one else ever could.”

“And now that you’ve you put a ring on me, I love it.” She wasn’t shy to say that to him at all. “Because I’m the only one that would ever fit you perfectly. I’m your forever girl, and everyone else was just-” She shrugged, “Well, they were temporary fixes while you waited on me to be born in the perfect time frame; the perfect time in your life.”

“Precisely,” he nodded. But he was watching her with a wary expression. “You seem to be looking at all of this very philosophically, love. I’m not sure if I’m impressed or slightly terrified by how well you’re looking at it.”

“Well, a girl has to be able to accept things in life.” She leaned in closer to him and whispered, “But now that I’m here there will never be a need for a temporary fix. Ever. Now that I’m in your life, I should be all that you need. Right?”

“Absolutely,” he nodded again. “You’re everything I’ll ever need or want, Ava. There is no one that could understand me as well as you seem to. No one that cares for me as much as you do. Everyone else in my life either wants something from me or wants me to do things for them. You, you love me for me. That is an incredibly precious gift in my world.”

“You can bet that I do. You’re incredible.” She leaned in and brushed her nose to his. “I think you are amazing. The only thing I want from you is your happiness, my happiness, and your body. Oh, definitely your body.” And his mind, his heart, his wit, she wanted everything from him.

“You have it, darling; everything. It’s all yours. I’m all yours. Just as I know that you’re all mine,” he smiled. Kissing her lightly he let out a happy sigh. “Quit stalling; finish eating and then we’re going to the beach. I think it’s time to show you who’s master of the sand castle builders union around these here parts.”

“Well then let’s get our butts out to the sand. I’m done,” she assured him. “I was just lingering in case you wanted to eat more. I’ve actually had all the food that I’m going to eat so if you wouldn’t mind tidying up, we can get out of here.”

Laughing he snapped his fingers and cleaned up the kitchen. “Go and grab your suit, love. You have ten minutes, and then we’re out of here. Don’t forget your sunscreen this time, though,” he warned leaning forward to kiss her. Standing, he pulled her up and urged her to the stairs, “Go, quick like an adorable bunny with a wolf hot on her fluffy tail.”

That had her grinning, and she raced off, bounding up the stairs as fast as she could, feeling him coming after her as she ran. Snagging her suit and sunscreen she stripped quickly and pulled on her suit. Sunscreen in hand, she raced back down. “All right, I’m ready if you will just get us the towels, please? Nice thick, long, fluffy ones that we both can lay on?”

“Already have them waiting in the basket with the water and snacks. I also put your hat in there, and I’m bringing an umbrella too, just in case it actually gets as sweltering as they are predicting. If it does, I say we go visit my uncle; it’ll be cooler in his realm then up here.”

“That sounds good. Who's your uncle?” she asked as they walked toward the beach. “I can’t think of where it might be cooler; unless there’s snow involved.”

“Hades,” he said with a grin. “And yes, it’s supposed to get that hot today. Thus, why we’re going early. We’ll come back before it really gets baking, get you dressed up, and then I will take you out for dinner.”

“Oh, good Lord, seriously?” That’s right! She had forgotten that Hades was one of Zeus’s brothers, likely the only one that could truly take the ‘big God’ out if push came to shove. “Didn’t he trick Demeter’s daughter into becoming his wife? How is that working out for him?”

Ares sucked air through his teeth and waved his hands looking around frantically. After a moment, he let out a long sigh and shook his head. “Never, ever mention Hades in the same sentence as those two psychotic bitches. Demeter tricked him into wedding her daughter, and the shit hit the fan centuries ago. He only got out of the contract about two hundred years ago. Unfortunately, it’s still a bit of a sore spot.”

“What? Seriously?” Ava’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head, “Holy shit, how in the hell could they have tricked someone like him? I mean, whoa. Even in the book of the Gods that my family has they have it as him tricking her, not the other way around. This is epic, and holy hell, I bet that man was ready to tear them apart piece by piece wasn’t he?”

“He’s just relieved that he’s gotten away from them. Demeter had plans that involved getting rid of Hades entirely. Which, considering he is his realm and his realm is him, wouldn’t really have worked out well for anyone. That kind of power vacuum tends to make even the humans notice; no offense, darling mine,” he smiled her way. “But he’s a child of the Titan’s, which means that while you might dupe him for a time, he will figure it out, he will get even, and then; then he’ll make you pay for the rest of existence.”

“Right, so stay on his good side,” Ava said with a grin. “I would hate to be those two women. I hope that he’s making them pay, and pay a great deal for what they did to him and tried to do to him.” She was sure that he likely did; it was either that or he was so happy to be away from them that he simply walked away never to look back.

“Never mention his marriage, never mention those two names, and you are golden. Plus, I think he’ll like you. I love and adore you, so the least he can do is like you,” Ares pointed out with a chuckle. “Alright, beach, let’s go, woman.”

“Beach, you betcha,” she said happily and slipped her hand into his. “I can’t wait to see you in the water. Do you think that you can maybe put a bubble around us or something, so we can see all kinds of fun things under the water and not have to worry about drowning?”

“Of course, I can, but we’ll need to be out far enough that casual divers or snorkelers don’t see us. So maybe we should take a boat out,” he suggested. “Then we won’t need to worry about sand in places sand shouldn’t go.”

“That sounds good to me,” she grinned and added, “And it means that we will be able to make some wild monkey lovin’ on the deck of the ship after we have had an undersea adventure.” She hesitated and asked, “Your uncle, Poseidon, won’t mind, will he?”

“I think you are a little nymphomaniac,” he said with a smirk. “Ah, my work is done here.” Chuckling he pulled her toward the bag of items. Wrapping his arms around her, he shrugged. “Poseidon’s cool with people in his space. As long as you don’t dump crap into his oceans or destroy anything, he will leave us be. I should mention that if you spot a mermaid or merman, try to ignore them. They like to lure humans to their deaths and get some seriously sick pleasure from it. They are like the demented tricksters of the sea.”

“They’re real?” Holy hell, the things she was learning about life! “Wow. Alright, so if I see one I just need to hold on tightly to you so that they don’t kill me, right?” she asked with a grin. “Because I really don’t want to die. I really love living, and I think that you might destroy the oceans if one of them did that to me so we will stay together, so that doesn’t happen; deal?”

“Yeah, they’re real, and yes, good plan. Don’t need my uncle riding my ass for the rest of time because I evaporated all the salt water off the planet. That and you humans would whine and snivel for eons; it would just be bad. If you get the chance to meet Poseidon, thank him for creating the twisted little shits, will you? He ignores the rest of us for pointing out his seriously off the wall issues that showed up clearly in the merpeople.”

Ava shrugged and laughed, “Maybe he just needs to get laid,” Ava said with a laugh. “Maybe we should possibly hook him up with one of those dating websites or something like that. Maybe he just needs a good woman, or man, in his life?”