((Contains reference to adult activities.))

Ares' battle with Clotho had been a little anticlimactic, at least, as far as Ares was concerned. He was the God of War, after all, and it hadn't been much of a battle at all, but perhaps for the first time in his immortal existence, he had shown a foe mercy and compassion. What good was it to be a leader in battle if all he knew was death and destruction' It had taken him a long time to learn that lesson, but once learned, it would never be forgotten.

It wasn't hard to find Ayden once he and Clotho were through, and he needed no help from the Archangel Gabriel to do it. Ares had put his mark on her in more ways than one. She was carrying his child, and such was a bond that could not be broken, not by anyone - mortal or immortal. He found her resting, sleeping peacefully in the house the hunters called their home. He made no announcement that he'd arrived back, just simply appeared beside her bed, still dressed in the t-shirt and jeans he had been wearing when he'd left Clotho, though he was no longer bearing the Dagger. Ayden had worried over him for most of the day, finally dragging Sam out to the local donut shop to pass some time before enduring the family dinner. She loved them, truly she did, but Dean was definitely on a roll with the god-baby jokes, not to mention the terrible puns about sleeping with the God of War. She'd taken the first opportunity to disappear into the room that was hers here at the Singer house, finally putting her worry aside to settle down to sleep. But even unconscious, she'd left room for Ares beside her in the bed, one hand outstretched over the space where he should have been, the other resting over the flatness of her abdomen where the seed of their first child had already taken root.

Their first child, to be sure, because if Ares had his way, she'd have at least half a dozen before they were through. He only stood there, watching her quietly for a long moment, admiring her beauty in peaceful repose, almost as if he was debating whether to wake her or let her sleep. Here in this house, he did not feel welcome. This was not his home, nor was it hers really - not anymore. She belonged to him and with him, and though he knew her family loved and cared for her, they would just have to understand that her place was with him now, and his place was not here. He reached out to touch his fingers to hers, light flooding the room only momentarily, and then, in the blink of an eye, she was no longer lying in that sorry excuse for a bed, but resting peacefully amidst the luxury that occupied his villa in Greece. It was later there - or earlier - the sky turning gray with morning as the sun was just starting to make its slow rise over the sea.

The shift from Sioux Falls to the Peloponnese barely seemed to make much impact on the young woman in the bed, her fingers merely curling to try and take hold of his as she stirred gently against the cool sheets that enveloped her in the pre-dawn light that drenched the Greek villa. It was just as well she knew the villa by now, or the brief glimpse of the room as her eyes flickered open would have shocked her into full waking far too quickly. As it was, she yawned, her hand rising to rub her eyes as she stretched slowly, soft eyes blinking open in the dim light. "Ares?" "I am here, my love," he whispered softly, seating himself on the bed beside her. He was still clad in a simple t-shirt and jeans, but his feet were bare, a soft smile on his face in the dim light. He touched her face, fingers in tender caress of her cheek and combing through her dark hair. "I'm sorry I woke you."

She shifted easily to accommodate him, her own hand rising to touch his cheek as she smiled sleepily. "I was worried about you," she told him, though he'd known that before he and Gabriel had disappeared hours before. "Is ....is it done?" She didn't dare ask quite what had happened. Just the fact that he was hale and well was good enough news for her.

"It is done," he confirmed, though he gave her no further details just yet. All of that would be told in time, but right now, he only wanted to remind himself what he was fighting for and what - or more accurately who - he had to live for. "I am sorry I worried you," he apologized, not having to be told to know she had worried over him. She had made that much clear before he'd left.

"I'm glad you're safe." Pushing herself to sit up, she curled her arms around him. As she relaxed against Ares, her tension bled from her body - all the worry and fear she'd been holding all day easing away until she was herself again, holding him close in the grey light of the morning before dawn took hold. "I love you."

He wrapped her in his embrace, strong arms curling around her to hold her close. He could have assumed any form he desired, but seemed to prefer that of a young man with golden hair and jade green eyes. It was the face of a god, immortal in his youth but with eyes as old as time. "As I love you, agapitos," he told her softly, fingers gently stroking the silk of her hair.

She snorted softly, unable to hear that endearment without recalling her own appalling attempts at saying it the first time he had used that one on her. It was difficult not to smile as she tilted her head back to meet his eyes, drawing her fingers tenderly against his cheek. "I've missed you," she admitted quietly. "I didn't think I would be able to sleep at all without you."

"I wish I could promise that I will never leave you again," he told her, touching his lips to her hair, her temple, her cheek, and finally tilting her chin so that his lips met hers, soft and warm and lingering. "I have missed you, as well. I hope you do not mind that I brought you here, but here is where you belong." He hadn't thought about how her brother might worry when they found her gone, and if he'd known that Dean had been teasing her, the hunter might have felt his fury.

"I know," she promised him softly, sighing into the kisses he gave her with the strange contentment that always seemed to pour through her body whenever he was nearby. "I wouldn't ask you to not do what needs to be done. It was just so fresh from the first hunt when so much could have gone wrong, and you insisted on doing it alone ..." She shook her head, curling against him tenderly. "I should call Ellen when it hits morning over there, so no one worries."

"Call her," he echoed, a little confused before realizing what she meant by that. "Ah, yes. The telephone. A clever invention. Mortals are full of clever inventions, it seems. I wonder if they realize who inspired them." He wasn't really going to take credit for the invention of the telephone - not personally, anyway. "Would you like to go back to sleep?" he asked, though he thought there were far better ways to make use of their time. Sleep could wait.

Lifting her head once again, Ayden raised a brow, wondering why he was asking such a seemingly silly question. After spending an entire day alternately worrying and being teased about him, the last thing she wanted to do now he was with her was sleep. "Inspiration comes from all kinds of sources," she pointed out, choosing to respond to his endearing moment of wittering about phones rather than dignify a silly question with an obvious answer.

"Do I inspire you, love?" he asked, unable to help himself from indulging his ego, just a little. He was a god, after all, or, at the very least, a being so highly advanced as to seem godlike to mere mortals. He moved to his feet, taking her hand and pulling her up with him. First things first - the sun was rising and he wanted to greet the day with her in his arms.

"I hope your brother is not foolish enough to think he can win this alone," he remarked, knowing enough about Dean Winchester to think he might try to do just that. "It would not only be foolish, but suicidal." But her brother was not why he'd brought her here or why he'd brought the subject up. "Ayden, you must understand something. I am not well liked by Poseidon. In fact, I'm sure he would like very much to see me dead. I was responsible for killing one of his sons, and he has never forgiven me for it. Thus far, he's been neutral, but if he comes to find out that I've chosen sides, he very well may choose to ally himself with Hades."

She sighed softly, shaking her head. "I do understand," she assured him. "And I understand that you want to protect me. But I'm a part of this, Ares. More than that, I've been a catalyst for plans being changed at least twice now. Poseidon has access to his own seers, his own diviners. He can't possibly want a world where Hades rules, even to further his own petty vengeance. Olympians are not stupid, love, and he is one of the three most powerful. Sky and sea have always been allied - breaking that alliance would do more damage to the humans Poseidon rules over than anything else he might think to do."

"Perhaps," he admitted, grudgingly. "If I were to choose, I would take you to Olympus and put you in my mother's care until our son is born, but I will not keep you prisoner or force you to away from your family. I can only ask that you be careful and stay away from the conflict as much as possible. Even if Poseidon remains neutral, Hades is a dangerous foe. He will stop at nothing to have what he wants, and now that Persephone is dead, he will want his revenge."

"And his target of choice will be Ni - Jo," she caught herself before she called her sister-in-law by the wrong name for the umpteenth time. "Who is pregnant, and has already proved that Demeter will protect her while she is a new mother. I'm pregnant. I'm under her protection as well. Poseidon and Hades can't touch me until our son is a year old, and by then I'll be an Olympian and able to defend myself."

"Let us hope that this war is over by then," Ares replied with a worried and perhaps slightly annoyed frown. He could find no flaw in her logic, though he'd tried. If he had his way, he'd hide her away and keep her safe until this whole thing was over - assuming they were successful in defeating Hades. He would not allow himself to believe they would not be.

She curled her arms about his waist, leaning into him with another soft sigh. "It's only a matter of time before it's all over," she told him confidently. "We have the weapon now. Hades knows he is going to be hunted from this point on; it's difficult to plan an offense when you're stuck in defense. Even I know that."

He softened as her arms went around him, relieved that she did not want to argue with him, unlike most of his former lovers - or perhaps it because he had changed after his countless years of exile. Whatever it was, he did not wish to argue with her; he only wished to keep her safe. "Do not underestimate Hades, my love. He will find a way to see us all destroyed if we do not destroy him first. I know your brother has no reason to trust me, but I will do everything in my power to help defeat Hades." Not only for her sake, but for all of Humanity.

"I won't underestimate him," she promised, giving him this small victory in the wake of his giving her freedom while the war was going on. "Just don't forget to live while all this is happening, okay' There's no point fighting if what you're fighting for gets lost in the need to see it all ended."

"I am fighting for you," he told her without hesitation. "For you and our child and all of Humanity. He is a worthy foe, but he has made a grave mistake in opposing my father." Though Zeus had yet to make himself known, it was safe to assume he was not pleased with his brother.

She smiled gently, stroking his cheek as she gazed up at him. "He lost the last time through your father's cunning and guile," she pointed out, proving that she had been doing a little research of her own since they had met and grown close, trying to understand a little of the truly astonishing man that was suddenly the center of her world. "He isn't going to win through force of arms this time."

"We will not let him win," Ares replied vehemently, but then he sighed, realizing the sun was rising in the sky, and he had done nothing but talk about the conflict ahead. "I'm sorry, beloved. I did not mean to upset you, and I did not bring you here to talk of war. I only want you to know that I will do everything in my power to protect you and our child. I love you both. You are everything to me." He touched his forehead to hers, even as the sun blazed in the Eastern sky.

Ayden's smiled reflected the gentle gold of the sunrise as she looked up at him, stroking her hands now up and down his back, simply content to just be there with him, far away from the tension and conflict in this place that was his. And then ....her brain caught up with her ears. She blinked, her head lurching back for a moment as she stared up at Ares, her mouth open in astonishment. "What do you mean, our son""

He smiled as her brain caught up with her ears and she at last realized the little hint he had dropped regarding their unborn child. He had wondered how long it would take her to realize it, and she had not disappointed him. "I mean that the child you are carrying inside you is a boy. Did you not know?" he asked, as if he was surprised she, too, did not know this. He brushed his fingers against her cheek to push her hair back from her face in a tender, loving gesture. "A son, beloved. Our son."

Her jaw dropped as he asked her that question, torn between shock that he already knew they were going to have a boy and mind-boggled astonishment that he thought she should already know herself. "Uh ....most humans don't know until they get a scan at 12 weeks whether they're having a boy or a girl," she heard herself say, truly amazed by this little revelation. "H-how do you know" Can you see him?"

"No, but do you forget, dearest' He is not only a human child. He is the child of a god." This didn't quite answer her question, however. He moved to a knee, his arms going around her as he pressed his cheek to the flat of her belly, as if by doing so, he could sense the child growing inside her, as small and new as it was. "I do not need to see him or hear him to know he is my son. I can feel him, beloved. Soon, you will be able to feel him, too."

She blinked, watching as he lowered to his knee, his cheek resting warm against the flat of her belly. Her fingers combed into the wheat of his hair, tinged with true gold by the sunrise, reveling in the soft feeling that came with knowing somewhere inside her, his son was growing. "I get the feeling you're not just talking about morning sickness here."

"Morning sickness," he repeated with a small chuckle. "No, though there will be that. It is not an easy task to carry the child of a god." He turned his head so that he could press an affectionate, protective kiss against her belly, as flat as it was and covered in a silly pattern made of some sort of soft fabric.

Ayden laughed with him. "Well, I wasn't expecting it to be a walk in the park," she assured him, although it wasn't exactly encouraging to note that she was probably in for the pregnancy from hell. At least she wouldn't have to put up with the aftermath without being supercharged, first - that was something, at least. "Please tell me I'm going to be able to rely on the standard stuff to ease some of it."

He drew her shirt back to glory in the lovely view which had been hiding beneath the ridiculously-printed cloth. "A tempting thought, but to keep you so, I would need to keep you prisoner, and that would not suit you at all. If I could, I would keep you safe here forever, but even that is a form of imprisonment." He said all this between kisses, his lips straying from hers to leave a trail of kisses against her throat as his hands deftly worked to remove what remained of her clothing.

Barely a week before, she'd been completely untouched, with no knowledge of what it was to be loved like this. And yet here she was, almost purring in the arms of a man - a god - who had not only stolen her heart, but given her the promise of more than a simple mortal lifetime in which to love him. Perhaps it would take time for the blushes to fade, for the shyness about her own form to ease away under his eyes, but time was something they definitely had to share. As his lips traveled, her hands were not idle, drawing the thin cloth of his t-shirt upward to unveil the very real form of a Greek God - one that was hers to explore, to touch, to learn everything she could. It was a heady thought, that, to know he was as much hers as she was his. "If you were imprisoned with me, I don't think it would be much of a punishment ..."

"I think such an imprisonment would be more reward than punishment," he remarked, but the time for talk was over. There would be plenty of time for talk later. All he wanted right now was to cover her in kisses and caresses, to make her know unequivocally that he loved her, not only with a body that was youthful and unblemished and more than able, but with a heart that beat stronger and truer than any mortal man's. For a being who was famous for his savagery in war, he was the tenderest and most attentive of lovers, making sure her every need and desire was satisfied before he thought of himself - needs and desires she may have only dreamed possible.

If his staff hadn't suspected their master was returned before dawn, by the time Ares was done, they definitely knew he was back in residence. Ayden was not what you might call restrained when it came to expressing herself in his arms, sharing her delight in him with whoever might be within earshot - and given that the balcony door was still open, that could well have included the outskirts of the town a few miles away, too. And yet even when he was done, she was not, turning the tables with enthusiasm, if not skill, wanting to share that feeling with him. She knew he struggled with himself, his nature, and his past; this was her chance to prove to him unequivocally that, no matter who had broken his heart or cast him aside, she would never follow in their footsteps.

As far as Ares was concerned, her enthusiasm was far more valued than any skill she might possess. Skill could and would be learned with time, but desire and enthusiasm were not traits that could be learned. They were the product of an open heart and a desire to live and love life. It seemed to him that she had given him a new-found reason to live and had opened his heart once again to welcome her love.

Even when they were done, sated for now in each other's presence, Ayden couldn't help blushing at the realization of how intimate they were, dissolving into embarrassed giggles as she cuddled into him, hiding her face in his shoulder. Some of it was a release of the anxiety she'd been holding all day, yet this eruption of laughter was likely to be a big part of his life for a long time to come.

As joyous a sound as her laughter was to his ears, he was not quite sure what to make of it. No woman before had laughed in his presence, not during such a moment as this, and he wasn't sure if she was laughing at him or laughing for pure joy. If it was the latter, he could completely understand as he never felt so happy or so free as he did when he was with her. "You laugh at me now. Perhaps you would care to tell me what you find so amusing?" he asked, curiously, no anger in his voice as he tipped her chin toward him so he could search her blushing face and the loveliness of her eyes that seemed to dance with amusement.

Spluttering for a moment to try and get her mouth under control, she grinned up at him, brushing the tip of her nose to his. "It's just ....two weeks ago, I'd never even been kissed," she managed finally. "And now I'm engaged, and pregnant, and ....and I'm still embarrassed about being naked around you when there's a part of you inside me all the time." She snickered, hugging her arms tighter about him. "And I'm happy. Even with everything going on, I'm really happy, maybe for the first time."

He laughed with her, relieved that it was only happiness that was making her laugh and not some fault or weakness she had found in him. He rolled atop her, sliding his hands against her arms until he had pinned her wrists above her head, unable to hide his rekindled desire with her so close. "If I kept you here as my prisoner, you could remain naked always with me inside you," he teased, dipping his head to leave another trail of soft kisses against her throat. If no one interrupted, it was likely to be afternoon before they ate breakfast.

Pinned in place, Ayden's giggles faded into a fresh wave of tender sighing, only too happy to be his prisoner, even if it was only going to last a day. She did, however, yelp like a child and try to scramble to cover herself when a hand knocked on the door, a male voice that sounded suspiciously like Darios making some kind of inquiry as politely as possible.

As much as he wanted to shout for his servants to go away and leave them alone, he knew that Ayden, at least, needed to eat - especially if she was to keep up her strength to endure any further lovemaking. Besides, there was another growing inside her now, as tiny and new as he was, who was dependent on her for sustenance. Ares growled in annoyance and rolled sideways, tucking the blankets up over them both, mostly for the sake of her modesty than for his own. He was a Greek god, after all, and the Greeks were proud of their bodies. Clothing was such an encumbrance. "Come in!" he called, reluctantly.

To his credit, Darios entered with his eyes fixed firmly on the floor, and they remained there throughout his brief visit into Ares' inner sanctum. He was only there to ask if they wanted breakfast brought to them, anyway, privately praying that his sister would have to bring the tray. As this little conversation was going on, Ayden was giggling again, virtually invisible beneath the blankets but for the spread of her hair over the pillow.

"Please pardon my lover, Darios. It seems she has a fit of the giggles. I cannot fathom what she finds so amusing that she cannot stop laughing. Perhaps I should give her good reason to laugh. What do you think?" he asked of his most-trusted personal servant. But he didn't wait for an answer, instead burrowing beneath the covers to give his young lover something worthy of laughing about.

It was hard to say what came faster, the squeal of Ayden's laughter as she wriggled under the blankets or the slam of the door as Darios made his escape. "Ares!" Snickering, she batted at his hands, too tied up in the blankets to be able to escape at all.

"I wish that this war was over so that I could marry you now. Today. This very moment!" Ares proclaimed, uncaring who overheard, mortal or immortal. "I love you, Ayden, as the stars love the sky," he said with a sigh as he settled himself beside her again, the blankets twisted between them. "I wish this day could last forever. Will you stay here while I visit with my father? I promise I won't be long," he told her hopefully.

It took a moment for her to calm down after that, inching close to brush her lips to his, flushed cheeks, flyaway hair, and all. "Of course I will," she promised him fondly. "And if we could get married today, I would be right there with you." Her fingers gently traced his jaw, always marveling that this wonderful man saw anything in her to love at all. "Dean will kill me if he doesn't get to play dad and give me away, though."

He could not hide the disappointment from his face, but he did not think two weeks was too much to ask. At least, it was sooner than a year. Perhaps if she hadn't been with child, he would have been more patient, but this wasn't just about the two of them anymore, and a war was coming that threatened not only their lives, but their very existence. "Very well. It is not so much to ask. A fortnight, then. Will that be enough time to make the necessary arrangements?" he asked hopefully.

She nodded, hating herself for the disappointment in his eyes but not prepared to rush into what was supposed to be one of the biggest days in her lifetime without thinking it over and making some of those decisions for herself. That, and despite Ares' insistence that his staff wouldn't think twice, she knew she would feel more comfortable if they, too, were allowed to take a hand in their master's wedding, with a date to work toward. "I know it isn't exactly what you want, baby, but I think I need it to be a little bit, well, normal," she admitted awkwardly. "I feel enough of an outsider here without the people who work here looking at me strangely because everything was implausibly rushed. And our families deserve a little warning before they have to get dressed up, too."

"I suppose so," he admitted with a pout, wondering if she thought him a fool for being so spontaneous with regard to such an important and once-in-a-lifetime occasion. "It is true I have had many lovers, Ayden, but I have never taken a wife. I have never loved a woman so much that I have wished to make her my wife, not until now." He was certain he'd told her this before, but for some reason, it seemed important he do so again.

It was her turn now to stroke his lips with her fingertip, smiling gently. "How many times do I need to tell you, sweetie?" she asked him softly. "I'm not going anywhere. I know how I feel about you, and I know it isn't going to change. You're immortal. Two weeks is nothing, and even if we did go through with it today, rushed and leaving ourselves open to suspicion from your staff and the locals, even that wouldn't change anything, not really. I love you. I'm always going to love you. I'm carrying your son. Taking a little bit of time is more about keeping this place safe, making sure that no one unfriendly learns that this is where you reside. Two weeks, that's all."

"Yes, all right," he agreed, knowing she was right, his troubled heart comforted by her gentle touch and her soft reassurance. "I am an impatient fool, I know, and you are wise beyond your years, sweet Ayden. I'm sorry. I did not mean to rush you. I have been lonely too long, I suppose." He took her hand and touched it to his lips. A fortnight - fourteen days. It was not so much to ask, after all.

"And besides," she added with a cheeky hint to her smile, "why would I want to marry you on the same day you make your triumphal return to Olympus" You should get to celebrate that before you have to play the mortal bridegroom." Her thumb tweaked the end of his nose teasingly, promising with her brevity that even if he wasn't confident of his reception before his father, she was.

"Yes, well ....That needn't be today. I have not been summoned as yet, and my father is not one for surprises." Though he might find the Hind's Blood Dagger an interesting, if dangerous, surprise. It was proof of a sort of his latest deeds. "I should really get dressed before I make my triumphant return, don't you think?" he asked, only partly in jest. He wasn't stalling exactly, but the thought of facing his father again after all these years of being exiled was a little worrying, even if his mother had assured him that his father was ready to receive him.

She laughed, curling her arms around him. "Breakfast first," his currently mortal Seer of a pregnant fiancee told him, smooching his cheek with impish enthusiasm. "And then maybe I'll let you get out of bed. Maybe."

"Hmm, and what if my father summons me while we are otherwise indisposed?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her close, kissing her lips softly and slowly, as if they had all the time in the world.

Grinning beneath his kissing lips, she paused, savoring that languid closeness for all she was worth before offering her solution to that problem. "You'll just have to pull your pants up and leave me hanging," she teased him, every nuance of her being warm with tender affection. "And make it up to me when you get back."

"Mm, but first breakfast on the veranda," he mused aloud, even as he rolled her onto her back to cover her once more in soft kisses and caresses. Perhaps they wouldn't be married today, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to make love to her again and again, as often as time allowed. He secretly vowed that before he was through, he would leave her completely satiated, trembling with pleasure and whispering his name on her lips.

It might well take him all day and all night, with Ayden doing her damnedest to leave him in the same state if she possibly could, but it would be a full cycle of the Earth worth spending in such a way. The promise was there; two hours, two days, or two weeks, it was the blink of an eye to an immortal. Before the winter solstice, Ares would finally have a wife he had chosen for himself, a woman who loved him for the man he was, not the divine concept he represented. It was worth waiting for.

((Just a quick dip back into the romance, but you never know, it might inspire us! Many thanks to Ares' player!))