#whatever i very firmly feel like this campaign is going to fall apart quickly so i'm saving her for another campaign.

[arlathen]

aita for being frustrated when my dm gave us the very base skeleton of a campaign premise and asked for our characters and so i gave him a character concept i’m very excited about only for him to expand on the lore more in a way that makes it impossible for my character to exist.

[maiaisbia]

jimon with 42~

“I’m going to save you from the terrible date you’re having.”

Ah… Anon this is probably not what you were thinking of when you sent this request. This ended up having a pretty big focus on identity, with romantic fluff. I had a great time writing it though, so thank you! I hope you enjoy!

from this prompt list | on ao3

It was going on thirty minutes now, and Jace didn’t know how much longer he could take watching the trainwreck. He couldn’t guess which one of them thought a date together would work, but it was clear that it was not going well. Simon looked uncomfortable and Meliorn looked bored.

“Are you going to do something, or am I going to have to get involved?” Maia asked, leaning on the bar across from Jace. “Because I can play the jealous ex lover, but I would really rather not.”

“If I do it, will you promise to stop spitting in my drinks?” Jace joked, glancing at his beer.

“No, but I’ll reduce spit drinks by 50%,” Maia grinned.

“Does that mean 50% less spit in the drinks or half my drinks will be spit free?”

“Let a girl have a little bit of mystery,” she pushed off the counter with a wink and moved to attend to a new customer.

Jace could only shake his head and smile, before downing the rest of his beer. Standing up, he moved to the corner table Simon and Meliorn were sitting at. They both looked up as he approached with relief. Jace didn’t know if he should be worried or flattered.

“Which one of us are you coming to whisk away?” Meliorn asked, resting his chin on his hands and turning his pretty eyes up to Jace. Simon was just watching Jace with a soft smile, a little bit of fang sticking out.

“Ah, Simon,” Jace said, resting a hand on Simon’s shoulder. “Should I even bother coming up with some excuse like a mission he is needed on?”

“No…” Meliorn pouted dramatically now, “Pity you didn’t choose me. One day, Jace.”

“Nah man, you slept with my sister, that’s a no go,” Jace laughed. “Come on Simon, you have a video game to beat my ass at?”

“Yeah, okay!” Simon stood, slipping his coat on. Jace dropped some cash on the table to cover for both their drinks. “Um, see you ‘round Meliorn.”

“Goodbye daylighter,” Meloirn said, waving at them both as Jace ushered Simon out the door.

“See it’s things like that why it wasn’t working!” Simon said, gesturing at Hunters Moon. “He kept calling me daylighter. That’s like. The most uncool pet name ever. Plus who even uses pet names on a first date?”

“I don’t know why you even went on a date with him,” Jace said, and fell in step as Simon turned in the direction of his apartment.

“I don’t either, I guess I haven’t really dated guys in the shadow world and he seemed like a pretty safe start,” Simon said, running a hand through his hair and messing it up. “I dated a couple guys in highschool, so back when I was a mundane. It was pretty common to be queer in the artsy circles I was in, you know? Accepted, normalized. Then I end up a fucking vampire, and it’s a whole new set of rules! Shadowhunters, big no go, though that’s changing a bit. Warlocks, seelies, and vampires? Very accepting. I mean, you can see it in the leadership! Werewolves, pretty much like mundanes. Gotta be careful, some are chill and some are assholes.”

Jace tried to keep up with all that, because Simon’s hands were moving and he was talking pretty fast. But he thought he got it. “So you’re bisexual like Magnus?”

“I identify as pansexual,” Simon caught Jace’s look of confusion and continued. “It’s pretty similar, yeah? Bi you’re attracted to your own and other genders. Gender comes into play in attraction, like people may feel attraction differently towards men vs. women vs. nonbinary folks. Pan, it’s like… gender doesn’t play a big part in your attraction to someone. So in both cases, bi and pan people tend to be able to fall in love with people of any gender, but they feel the attraction to the person or people they love a little differently.”

Jace nodded, again not sure he was picking up all the nuances but understanding the gist. “Okay man.”

“Too much of a crash course?” Simon asked, nudging Jace with his elbow and grinning.

“Nah,” Jace said, and then huffed. “Okay I’m going to say something and it might sound shitty.”

Simon visibly tensed but nodded. “Okaaayyy? Not ominous at all and I reserve the right to punch you.”

“I always thought my attraction to guys was bleed through from Alec,” he muttered, glancing to Simon. Simon didn’t seem upset, so Jace took a deep breath and tried to explain what he had only ever thought about. “I didn’t live around a lot of people until the Lightwoods adopted me, and I didn’t really think about crushes until years later. Alec and I were bonded pretty young, so I just assumed that when I thought a guy was hot or cute or whatever, it was from him.” Jace snorted, shaking his head. “But you know what I’ve realized since? Alec and I have a completely different taste in dudes. Like he’ll be zeroed in on Magnus and I feel nothing except his distant happiness.”

Jace didn’t add that Simon was probably the last (male) person on Earth Alec would be attracted to. But boy, did Jace find himself watching Simon, smiling at his jokes, feeling butterflies when he was around, all that dumb shit. That was definitely just on Jace.

Simon, to Jace’s surprise and relief, was nodding, “That actually makes sense. You Shadowhunters are such a heteronormative culture… It’d be confusing.”

Jace shook his head. “Well thanks for the validation I guess.”

“Dude,” Simon just rolled his eyes, turning and jogged up the steps to his apartment. Their conversation had certainly killed some time. “I appreciate you trusting me to come out to me.”

“Whatever,” Jace huffed, though he felt oddly lighter. “I don’t know I like any of the labels you’ve said.”

“That’s fine,” Simon held the door open and Jace slipped passed him. The stairs creaked as they went up to the second floor. “You’ll just find what works for you.”

Jace drew the unlock rune before Simon pulled out his keys. Walking in, he found the place was changed from the last time he was there. “There’s a fish tank and it’s cleaner in here.”

“Yeah, if I don’t do my share of the chores Maia makes me pay a bigger portion of the rent,” Simon flopped on the couch. “Which is fair, and a good motivator because I don’t make much from my gigs.” He gestures to the TV setup. “But she’s a great roommate, and Maia means the game and console collection has doubled!”

Jace crouched and flicked through what was there. He didn’t know how it had been so easy to talk to Simon about things he hadn’t ever tried to put into words before. And now they were just going to play games, maybe order out, like nothing had changed.

Because it hadn’t. And that was just what Jace wanted. He slipped Call of Duty into the PS4 (he had started to figure out all the systems), and grabbed two controllers. Tossing one to Simon as he walked to the couch, he whacked at Simon’s legs. “Move over.”

“No,” Simon said, snagged the spot of player one. He remained firmly lying across the whole couch. He lifted his legs up after a moment and Jace sighed. As soon as he sat, he found Simon’s legs in his lap.

Jace didn’t push Simon away, in fact it felt… nice. Jace relaxed, resting his arms on Simon’s legs. “We’re playing the zombie version.”

“Oh player 2, you will be doing whatever I dictate,” Simon said, but selected the zombie campaign anyway. “Aren’t you tired of fighting these types of things?”

Jace shrugged. “I find it weirdly relaxing. No one’s life is actually on the line.”

“That’s fair,” Simon flicked through the options, yawning. As the game loaded, Simon said, “Hey thanks for the save back there. This is a much more fun way to spend the evening.”

“Any time,” Jace said, and took a breath. “For the record, if I took you out on a date, it would have been much better.”

“Oh yeah?” Simon said, and he wasn’t laughing like Jace worried he might. “If we were on a date, what’d we do?”

“Something like this,” Jace said, stabbing a zombie on screen. “Sometimes a fancy restaurant or a movie or something, but mostly just this. I would have planned ahead and brought good beer though, that’d be the difference.”

“You know? That sounds pretty nice,” Simon paused the game. He sat up and pulled his legs away. Before Jace could mourn the loss of contact, Simon was nearly in his face. “We’re all so busy, any downtime is precious.”

“Yeah,” Jace said, and it came out a lot breathier than he wanted. His eyes flick down to Simon’s mouth before quickly looking back at Simon’s eyes. “Um.”

Simon’s smile was soft. “You know what would really salvage my date night?”

“Take out?” Jace asked, but let Simon take the controller out of his hand.

“I was thinking more along the lines of you kissing me,” Simon said, little shrug of his shoulders. “If you wanted to.”

“I could do that,” Jace swallowed.

“Too late, I’m going to kiss you instead,” Simon’s smile was a little lopsided now.

Kissing that smile might just be the best thing Jace had done in a very long while.

[byler-n-harringrove]

Halloween Night (Byler)

Hello everyone! I am so sorry for not posting for very long, school has just started and it's my final year before uni, so it's ramping up and im finding little time to write between school, work and family? ;( I am so sorry, and I will be doing the best I can to keep up requests and keep this moving! The reuqest is: @aspiringlampturtle  Ok oh my gosh hi ok so do you think you could write a lil one shot where the party is trick-or-treating and byler sneaks off (for whatever reason) and they end up confessing to one another?(maybealittlesmooch)? Uhh bonus points if El has a girlfriend but that's not necessary and also I love your writing also maybe something with Dustin just frikkin eating so many 3musketeers? Anyway love you bye thanks

_______________________________________________

Halloween was always the best time of the year for the group, all the candy they could eat, a sleepover at Mike’s and a sugar coma that would last them the whole weekend. They were lucky this year it fell on a Friday meaning they could gorge out for the whole weekend and start a new campaign Mike had written with a Halloween horror twist.

This year their theme was Star Wars. Mike was going as Han Solo, Will was going as Luke Skywalker, Dustin as Chewbaka and Lucas was going as Darth Vader. The girls, on the other hand, we're going as two different versions of Leia, not knowing what else to wear. It had taken the boys a whole month to nag the redhead to wear a matching costume with her girlfriend, but she has finally caved in when Jane had given her girlfriend her puppy eyes.They are all 17 now, it has been years since all of the worries of the gate, and they were living fairly normal lives.

Something that they didn’t expect was Jane and Max hitting it off, soon coming out with one another and started dating roughly a year ago. They were adorable, Lucas was a bit sad, but when Mike realised that their group didn’t care about sexuality, he decided to tell everyone he was bisexual (which he explained to them that he liked both boys and girls). It came out weirdly, one time they were playing DND,  but it didn’t change them as a friend group.

But what he didn’t tell them was that he was crushing hard on his best friend Will Byers.

But, back to Halloween, because Mike was startled when he heard a knock on the door. That would be his friends. He quickly dashes to the fine before his mother or father could, flinging the door open to see all his friends in their costumes, all handmade of course, with Will standing at the front of the group with a warm smile. That smile was already causing butterflies in his stomach.

“Ready to go and get some full-sized chocolate bars?” Will asks, grinning.

It was the first Halloween that Johnathan hadn’t actually been told to follow Will trick or treating, even if he never truly did, so it was almost a celebration of Wills independence and strength. Mike nodded, leaning down and grabbing his pillowcase which he had left beside the door.

“Let’s go! See you Mum, Dad! We’ll be back soon!” Mike called over his shoulder before shutting the door, the group leaving the front yard and started to hit up the surrounding houses before making their way down the street. Before they left the front lawn, he heard a shrill yellow of his mother reminding him to be back by 9, which he always was without fail so he simply rolled his eyes as they took off down the street together.

_

“I can believe, just like always, we got more 3 Musketeers!” Lucas whined loudly as they left the lawn of another house, a couple streets over from the Wheeler’s residence.  No matter what year and the group's hopes, they always seemed to get the same chocolates from the same houses, but that didn't falter Dustin of course.

The group dumped the chocolates into the curly haired boy's pillow sack, Dustin then fishing out the other chocolates and goodies he had gotten and given them to the others in  fair trade. “You guys just haven't gotten a good palate yet, it comes with my stunning good looks after all” Dustin jokes, wiggling his eyebrows and doing his ‘famous’ growl, causing them all to scoff and wave him off.

Mike and Will were travelling at the back of the pack, something they tended to do together whenever they actually were together (so all the time). Mikes eyes continued to glance over at the brunette boy with the bowl haircut, admiring how the street lights gently glimmered in his mud brown eyes as they walked in stride together. Will had decided to skip wearing a blonde wig, as it made his skin turn to a rash, so they had a brown haired Luke Skywalker walking the streets in their group.

But tonight, tonight felt different for Mike. Something in his gut was telling him that there was something in the air, something that was making him gravitate ever stronger towards his Will, it was a gentle hammering of his heart, he felt that maybe, just maybe, Will felt the same way.

Maybe tonight was the night he could try and admit his feelings to the other male, on the greatest night of the year, standing there in their Star Wars outfits in the night where they didn't have to be themselves and they could be whoever and whatever they wanted. It could remove the stress, remove the pressure of having to be straight, it was a night they could express themselves.

So, in Mike’s gut, he knew tonight was the night and he wasn't going to let the opportunity slip through his fingers so easily without taking a shot.

As the other made more distance from Mike and the Will, the taller and curly haired male wrapped his pencil-like fingers around the others narrow wrist, Will looked up. Slight shock and confusion flashed through the boy's eyes, a small tilt to his head further to the side in confusion.

“Is something wrong Mike?”

Something about the boy’s voice was always able to make Mike quiver, but as he shook his head, a small smile reached the taller boys lips, he tugged at Will’s wrist softly as to pull him towards the park they were just about to pass. It was quiet, it was not very well lit so no one could identify them, and it was somewhere Mike could feel himself comfortable about coming out about his feelings.

“Nothing, just, I need to tell you something. A secret” He explains as their feet hit the woodchip, making soft crunches under the boots of their costumes as they walked towards the swings. Hm, how poetic.

Sitting down, Will took the other swing as if by instinct “Are you okay? Something, something hasn't happened has it? I'm sure you could have told me in front of the others…” Will starts to question in both interest and worry.

The other shakes his head, giving a small shadow. For some reason, he couldn't help but found Will’s concern for his well being quite cute, but he felt like it was a sign, or maybe he was just simply reading into the boy too much and it was just Will being a good friend. “I'm promise I'm not dying or anything Will. Its something, I need to tell you first before I could even think about telling anyone else”

Will simply nodded “Well, my all ears. Your best,best friend, I will always be there for you” He explained, pressing his feet against the ground slightly to causing him to slowly swing on the seat.

Mike felt his eye fall downcast as he also found very hard to swallow at that point. What if this all backfired on him, what if Will didn't want to be friends with him anymore because he felt too awkward about it? Would it rip their friend group apart because of it? No, no he couldn't let these stupid fears get a hold of him! He needed to do it now before… Before someone else was lucky enough to scoop Will up from under his nose.

“Mike?”

It snapped him out of his thoughts immediately, causing Mike to look over at the boy beside him and finally swallow the lump in his throat. Just as always, even in the dim light of the playground, worse than that of the street, but he could still roughly make out the boys slowly sharing facial features, those eyes and that bowel cut he was never seeming to grow out of even in his late teens.

“I love you” He sputtered.

Finally! He was able to get the words of his chest before another worry could enter his mind and force him not to. Mike was staring straight into the other boy's eyes, not breaking eye contact as he was simply too scared to move in case he would startle the other boy before he could even reply.

There was silence for a moment, it hung over them both and Mike felt like he was going to choke on his words if he didn't at least get some type of answer form the other boy because waiting here in suspense was killing his poor little heart.

“I love you too Mike…I just never thought you saw me that way” Came Will’s quiet and small reply, causing Mike to let go of a breath he hadn't realised he was holding while waiting for the other to speak.

Moving forward slowly, as to yet again not try to intimidate or scare Will, Mike found him kneeling in front of Will, who was sitting on the swing and slowly pressed his rather colossal palm against the boy's cheek and slowly curled his fingers around his cheek to accommodate to his jaw and hairline.

Will was smiling, from what Mike could make out, and as he gained enough courage to lean in and finally seal their lips, he knew Will was smiling as he could feel the curving upwards of his lips pressed against his own in the soft, gentle and innocent kiss. It seemed to last more than a few seconds for Mike, but as their lips finally moved away again, the ravenette kept his hand pressed firmly against the others cheek as he let out an airy sigh of relief. Will joined soon after, slinging his arms lazily over the other's shoulders.

“Well, I would love to say “I know” “ Mike stated, trying his best to impersonate Han Solo’s voice which caused another giggle from the other male “But I’m happy I finally got the guts to tell you. After all, best friends, don't like do they?” He didn’t know whether or not to call Will his boyfriend or not.

“Boyfriends don't lie, Mike”

Will said suitably, grinning now, the sparse light bouncing off his pearly whites in the dark night like Mike’s own personal beacon. His own little savour in the waves that was their crazy and hectic life. Nodding, their foreheads gently rested against one another as they fell into a silence, enjoying each other's small embrace and company.

“Will, Mike wh- Found them!” A familiar feminine voice called out, and the boys quickly looked up to see that Jane was standing there a couple meters away from them, soon enough the whole group seamlessly popping up behind her, all eyes kneely trained on the two boys. They both were a bright red (not that anyone could really notice) as their friends started.

“Totally Tubular” Max stated, causing the others to all look at her before the whole group burst out laughing together, moving over to the playground itself and simply all messing around, starting to open their candy. It was a silent acceptance of Mike and Will’s new found relationship, and it meant the world to him.

They sat there together, eating chocolate and lollies sitting on the swings, facing away from the street and shrouded by darkness, fingers interlocked tightly as they smiled, watching their friends and each other.

Yep, Halloween was definitely the best night of the year.

MASTERLIST

[shanastoryteller]

Can you do a gods and monsters based on Ares? (This series is amazing!! Thank you for writing it!!!

a continuation of this

Ares, the God of War, has a throne on Olympus, has followersand temples and tributes.

Ares, the God of War, has the screams of the dead and damnedechoing around in his skull, and has not had a moment’s peace since his fatherdeclared his dominion over battle.

~

He tries to ignore them. He can’t stay on Olympus, notanymore where his father’s proud gaze follows him and he can’t help but flinchfrom it. At first he hides in his mother’s rooms, curling up on her lap andcrying like he hasn’t since he was very small. “I can hear them,” he says,tears dripping down his nose and onto her dress, “I can hear them calling forme.”

She combs her fingers through his hair and drops soft kissesonto his forehead. “I’ll kill him. How dare he – how dare he.”

“You will do no such thing,” he says, and turns so he’slooking up at her. He presses his hand to her cheek, and she leans into histouch. Her eyes are alight with fury and grief, and it soothes him just to seethem. Her eyes are his eyes, are his brother’s eyes. “You are the goddess ofmarriage. To kill your husband would be to kill yourself. Would you make me anorphan, Mother?”

There is a war raging within him now, soldiers and generalsand widows crying out for him, but for now all he is worried about ispreventing a war within his home.

Nothing would tear apart the pantheon so firmly as to pitZeus against Hera.

She doesn’t say anything, but her grasp on his hand becomesalmost painful, so he will take that as agreement.

~

He can only stay away for so long. He must go to whoeverinvokes him most strongly, to who builds him the biggest altars, to whoprovides the largest sacrifice. He is not a god who is lucky enough to be ableto watch his domain from afar, to simply provide blessings and guidance. Thescreaming inside of him quiets only when he joins them on the battlefield, onlywhen he is in the thick of it with a sword in his hand is it quiet enough forhim to think.

Only when his battle fury turns the tide of a war is he,even just briefly, free from the crushing weight of his followers and hisdomain.

He does not get to choose which side to support. Whoeverworships him more, whatever side invokes his name the strongest is the one whogets his aid.

He shows up sobbing at his mother’s door, whole bodyvibrating in pain because the soldiers shout his name in a glorious chorus andhe should be with them now, but instead he’s here. Hera grabs his upper arms tokeep him upright, eyes wide and concerned.

“I don’t want them to win,” he confesses, the words makinghis lips burn, “the soldiers are simply soldiers, but the generals and lordsand kings seek glory for money, for profit, for nothing but selfishness. Theirenemies only want to live.”

“I will take care of it,” she swears to him, and he has noidea how she expects to do that. Yet he trusts she’ll find a way, because shealways does. He comes to his mother, asking her to help him, and she alwayshas. “Now go, before you are hurt even more.”

He goes.

~

Hera had no influence on the battlefield.

But it is not solely the battlefield where tributes aremade.

She is the goddess of marriage and family.

She goes to wives and husbands, to sons and daughters, tosisters and brothers. She whispers in their ears, speaks of devotion andfealty, makes them all wail for their missing family members caught up in a warnone of them wanted.

Hera brings their grief and desperation to the fore, untilthey’re nearly mad with their need to have their family brought home.

They build a temple to Ares, sacrifice gold and food andanything of value they can spare. They cry prayers over hearth fires, and burnmessages to the god of war to bring their family members home.

~

The tides change. He’s midway through the battle when the hefeels the shift, when he realizes his mother somehow did as she promised and heno longer has to fight for these people, that now he can fight against them.

He doesn’t want to fight at all. But if he must, then atleast he can fight for those he believes in.

Ares doesn’t allow himself to fall into bitterness or angerat his father often. But he wishes, not for the first time, that Zeus had namedhim the god of justice, of peace, of fairness, of loyalty. That Zeus had namedhim the god of something he believed in, something he could believe in fightingfor.

All war does is kill good men and women, all it does is breedresentment and anger in the victors and losers both.

Although. Ares is of the opinions that wars never have anytrue victors. Just people that lose less than the people they’re fighting.

~

There is a lull. No one is invoking him powerfully enoughthat he can’t ignore their cries.

He goes to Haephestus’s volcano and slides into a magmapool, the burning heat of the lava the perfect temperature to work out theknots of stress in his back and thighs.

“It’s unnerving to see you in there,” his brother says, andAres opens his eyes to see Hephaestus looking down at him in concern. “You looktired.”

Permanent purple bruises have formed under his eyes. He can’tremember the last time he saw himself without them. Everything hurts, it alwayshurts, even when there is peace there are people who covet war and call out tohim and it tears at him whenever he leaves a tribute unanswered. He’s exhaustedand rode hard, stretched so thin that he’s terrified he’ll snap at any moment.

He looks at Hephaestus’s concern and admits to him somethinghe hasn’t told anyone, something he’s too afraid to say to his mother just incase she decides to smite Zeus for it. “I think that these wars might bekilling me.”

His brother’s face goes tight, but he doesn’t say anything.That’s all right. Ares hadn’t expected him to – there really is nothing to say.

He wonders if the screams will still find him in death.

~

“I need a favor,” Hephaestus says the next time Athena comesto visit, wringing his hands, anxious in a way he usually doesn’t let anyonesee.

Athena tilts her head to side. “I’m listening.”

~

Ares is resting, the moon high as he lays back in the middleof the battle camp and tries to quiet the cries in his head enough to catcheven an hour of sleep.

“War is not just about fighting, about blood and battle.”

His eyes pop open and he looks over to see Athena sitting byhis side. He pushes himself up cautiously. “Sorry?”

“You should pay more attention to the generals,” she says, “warisn’t won with blood. It’s won with strategy. With planning, with tactics.”

“I don’t know much about all that,” he admits, “it’s enoughof a struggle just to keep up with the soldiers.”

Her face softens, “I know. That’s why I’m here. No oneexpects to win wars alone, Ares.”

This is how Athena, goddess of knowledge and weaving,becomes a goddess of war. She is a master of strategy, of planning campaigns,of ensuring that a victory on the battlefield remains a victory at home.

Some of his tributes go to her. Some people pray to Athenanow instead of him.

He still hears the screaming. He still doesn’t sleep.

But it relieves just enough pressure that it feels like hecan breathe again.

~

Ares and Athena are not the only names that get invoked onthe battlefield.

Hades’s name has constantly been on their lips. They damntheir enemies to a torturous afterlife, to thrice the pain and suffering theyreceive on the battlefield.

He tries to ignore it. It is not his domain. But the more hehears it, that more it stabs at him. Most of these people are soldiers. Cursinggenerals is well enough, but most soldiers didn’t choose to be here. He didn’t choose to be here.

Ares has never been to the underworld. It’s the one placehis mother never let him venture.

He knows that the smart thing to do would be to go to hisbrother and ask him to speak to Hecate, the woman who raised him. Or even Hadeshimself – he doesn’t know how well Hephaestus knows the gods of the underworld.For all that he grew up there, he doesn’t speak of it much.

But if Hades’s wrath is to fall on anyone, Ares would ratherit be him.

It’s easy enough to follow the souls of recently departedsoldiers to the River Styx. Charon presses a hand to his shoulder and asks, “Whatbusiness do you have here, God of War?”

“I knew a child who was called Kore,” he answers, and hedoesn’t expect this to work, but he hopes it will. “I wish to speak to a womanwho calls herself Persephone.”

He can’t see Charon’s face, but the air around him turnsthoughtful. “It is summer. The Lady is with her mother.”

Oh.

He’d forgotten about that.

“Then I request an audience with her husband,” he says, andhe clasps his hands behind his back so that Charon can’t see them shaking. Hecan’t turn into a mess here. People are screaming in his mind, but he can’t letit get to him here, not if he wants anyone to take him seriously, not if hewants to help his fellow soldiers instead of hurting them.

“You are not dead, and so I cannot ferry you across theStyx,” Charon says, almost apologetically. “But – hold on.” He turns to theriver, “Goddess Styx, could you come here?”

A little girl with skin even darker than Hephaestus’s andeyes and hair of soft grey appears in front of them. “Yes?”

Charon points to him, “He wishes to speak to our lord.”

Styx turns her grey eyes on him, and he can’t help but feelunnerved. She circles him, looking him up and down, seemingly looking into him.“Very well,” she says at last. She moves her arms together, then apart. Twosides of the river flow in opposite directions so that a dry walking path isrevealed in the river bed. “Move quickly. The longer I maintain a break in myriver, the longer things besides you may be able to sneak across.”

“Thank you,” he gives her a shallow bow, and then goessprinting across the riverbed. It takes him longer than it should – the riveris not overly wide, and it should be quick, but it seems like he runs nearly anhour to reach the other side. He heaves himself onto shore, panting, and assoon as he’s across the river comes crashing together once more, flowing backinto the proper direction.

~

He makes it to Hades’s palace, but once again it takeslonger than it seems it should. It takes too long, he’s been away from thebattle field too long, and it shows. He tries to pull himself together, he’scome too far to fall apart now, but it seems to be a wasted effort. Thescreaming of people crying his name is so loud he can’t hear anything else, andit paralyzes him, he can’t move, he can’t feel, his muscles are tense enough tosnap because he needs to answer thepeople calling for him, but he can’tthere’s no easy way out of the underworld so he’s just stuck here –

Suddenly it all cuts off to a dull roar, and he gasps as hecomes back to himself, squeezing his eyes shut to keep from crying. Hands cuphis face, and calloused thumbs wipe the tears from his cheeks. “You must beAres,” a soft voice says, “Charon said you were coming. Are you all right?”

He forces his eyes open, and Hades, King of the Dead, swimsinto focus. “How are you doing that?”

“Doing what?” his eyebrows dip together. “What are you doinghere?”

He grabs Hades’s hands, and pulls them from is his face, butleaves their fingers tangled together. Luckily Hades doesn’t pull away. Aresdoesn’t know what would happen if he did. “I – I know that they invoke you topunish their enemies, on the battlefield. They dedicate some of the pyres toyou and ask you to burn their enemies in death, for eternity.”

“I hear them,” he says, “I know what they say.”

“Try not to,” he begs, and he can hear the screaming still,he’s shaking and can’t stop and he wanted to appear strong while asking the godof the dead for a favor but he’s barely able to keep standing. “I know they askof it, I know they erect tributes and we must all answer the call of our names,but they’re not evil. They – some of them are, I mean, but don’t – try not to –please,” he ends on, and it’s just not fair that the soldiers must continuefighting after their death. Most of them hadn’t wanted to fight while they werealive.

Hades still looks confused, and Ares will beg if he has to,he knows it’s hard to go against what worshipers demand but this is important.He’s about to try again when Hades says, “I am the god of the death, lord ofthe underworld. Ares, I hear their cries but I am not bound by them. I rule thedead. The dead do not rule me.”

He stares. He – he’s never heard of something like thatbefore. He answers the call of war because he must, his mother is bound by thechains of her marriage because she is the goddess of family. Demeter’s power isfrom the earth and of the earth, and when it suffers she suffers, even Poseidonis not immune to the sea’s temperament. Their powers are all double edged, halfblessing and half curse.

“Oh,” he settles on finally. “Kore – I mean, Persephone?” Theytell tales of the punishments she inflicts on those that have upset her. Heknew her as a child, and he’s less surprised than most by what she became.

“My wife does what pleases her, and nothing else,” Hadesanswers. Ares doesn’t understand. She is Queen of Life and Death, how can thatnot pull at her, how does it not twist her into a shape she doesn’t recognize?

“Okay,” he says, and he has to leave, but at least he no longerhas to worry so much after fallen soldiers. “I apologize for the intrusion. Ishould go.”

Hades slides his hands up his arms, and settles at hisshoulders, and oh, Ares becomes distracted enough by those hands on him thatfor a moment it’s almost quiet in his own head. “If you like. You may stay aswell. It seems as if you could use some rest.”

He drops his head forward on Hades’s shoulder, and he likesthe solidity of him, the undercurrent of strength and power he gives off. He’snever met the man before, this is entirely inappropriate, but when Hades’shands settle onto his hips he wants nothing more than curl up in his arms andignore the war for a little while.

Hades feels like peace. He’d forgotten what that felt like. “Ican’t stay.”

The god of the dead presses a kiss to the edge of his jaw thatignites something in Ares that has been absent since before he was declared the god of war. Hewonders what Hades would do if he kissed him properly, he wonders if he pulledoff his blood and war stained clothes if Hades would touch his too-hot skin. “ThenI request that you return,” the god of death says.

He shouldn’t. The time he manages to not be on a battlefieldshould be spent with his mother, or Hephaestus. He shifts enough to press theirforeheads together. He looks into Hades’s dark eyes, and says, “I will.”

Ares returns to the midst of war feeling lighter than he hasin a long time.

gods and monsters series, part xviii

read more of the gods and monsters series here