November 18th, 2012

The tour of the villa and gardens ended late that afternoon with the guest house, which overlooked the beach and featured a view of the bay, shimmering in the late afternoon sun like a blue diamond. Though the house was small, it was quaint and cozy, painted in pastel shades of yellow and peach and surrounded by flowering gardens and greenery of its own. The furniture that filled the house was as modern as that in the villa, with upholstery done in muted florals in a soothing palate that gave the interior an air of summer, no matter the season. It was a bright, sunny place, separated from the villa by a small copse of trees and bushes that offered more privacy than could be found at the villa.

Ares had arranged to have a sumptuous dinner set out on the patio that afforded a view of not only the beach and the bay beyond it, but a glorious view of the setting sun. A table for two had been set on the patio, and for the time being, one servant was in attendance to tend to their needs. The meal featured roast lamb, along with roasted potatoes, various cheeses and breads, olives, and a side dish featuring eggplant and zucchini. A bottle of wine was left chilling in a bucket of ice, and there was coffee and cake for dessert.

When, finally, Ayden had been convinced to part from him for a little while, it was to find that a change of clothes had been laid out on the bed in the second bedroom of the little guest house. The dressmaker had been busy, it seemed, if she had managed to alter a dress and provide underwear and shoes in a single day. Less than an hour later, freshened by a shower, she surveyed herself in the full length mirror that stood in a corner, trying to work out if she looked any different. Would her family be able to tell what had happened between herself and Ares, or would that remain her secret for as long as she tried to keep it from them, she wondered. She couldn't see any difference in herself, no real clue that she was a woman after the tender sharing in his temple.

Shaking her head, she banished those thoughts, a tiny smile touching her face as she turned to venture out of the room, toward the patio that was bathed in the setting sunlight. It was ridiculous, how nervous she felt, almost as though this was her first date. Smoothing her hands down over her hips, she stepped out into the pink-touched sunlight, looking around for her ....her lover.

As for Ares, he, too, had changed out of his t-shirt and jeans into a dark violet dress shirt and tailored black slacks, his hair parted and carefully combed to the side. With his natural good looks and chiseled features, he could have passed for a model or a movie star, if one didn't know what he really was. When she stepped out onto the patio, he was busy plucking a late-blooming rose to offer his beloved, though the rose paled in beauty beside her.

The smile that lit her face at the sight of him was brighter and warmer than any sun, touched with a fresh intimacy that no one could take away from them now. Her gaze flickered over him, admiring the way he filled out his chosen clothing, the subtlety with which his garb hinted at the strength and control within him. Drawing in a slow breath, she moved toward him, biting down on her nerves. "You look very handsome."

He turned to face her, smiling warmly as his gaze moved over her, obviously pleased with the beautiful sight before him. He couldn't help but notice the change in her, the way she seemed to glow from the inside out, just because he'd made love to her, or so he assumed. Or was it something more than that' Could she really be falling in love with him' "Ayden," he started, in a hushed voice, almost as though she took his breath away. "You are beautiful."

Her smile flickered, shyly pleased with the compliment even if she didn't quite know how to take one with any kind of grace yet. "It's the dress that's beautiful," she argued quietly. "Some of it is rubbing off on me, I guess."

"No, it's you. The dress only enhances your beauty," he corrected her, stepping closer to offer her the rose he'd been holding in his hand. "For you, who are as lovely as a rose."

The blush that touched her cheeks was no longer innocent, but still sweet in its own way, a sign of the naive heart easily touched by sincere compliments. Her fingers brushed his as she took the rose from his grasp, green eyes never breaking the intimate contact between them as she raised the bloom to her nose to smell the delicate fragrance. "It's beautiful," she told him softly, though her eyes seemed to imply she was talking more about him than the flower in her hand. "Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me, Ayden. It is I who should be thanking you." He offered her an arm to lead her a little away from the patio and the servant who was hovering, awaiting his master's instructions. "Do you like it here?" he asked. "Could you see yourself living here?" He had promised not to pressure her or mention anything about becoming immortal, but he had not made any promises regarding this place.

Her hands curled into the crook of his elbow as he drew her away from the one pair of ears that might still overhear them, her smile turning with wry amusement at his questions. He was almost like a child, she realised, in wanting everything now. It was rather an endearing flaw in his character. "Maybe in a year," she answered his question honestly, looking out across the bay that lay dappled with setting sunlight. "I do like it here. It's very easy to imagine living here, with you. Someday."

"I know you would miss your family, but we can visit as often as you like." With a God for a husband, visiting her family would be as simple as snapping his fingers. They'd never have to deal with the crowds or airports or security checks. They could go wherever they wanted anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds. He smiled, pleased with her answer and lifted a hand to touch her cheek. He had promised her and himself that he wouldn't get too far ahead, that he wouldn't talk about the future, but it was hard to resist when all he wanted was her. "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that."

"As happy as you were this afternoon?" Losing that innocence had not made her any less apt to tease him, it seemed, the sparkle in her eyes matching the impish curve of her lips as she echoed his smile, leaning into him as he touched her cheek. "I forgot to ask if there was anything else I should have done, to make a proper sacrifice to my lord Ares."

Perhaps she should not have asked such a thing, as the smile faded from his face and he sobered, taking her question all too seriously. "You could give me your heart," he replied softly. "And I will promise to always keep it safe."

"Don't you dare!" Ayden laughed, poking a finger at what she suspected was a ticklish rib but hadn't yet had the opportunity to find out for certain. "If we're going to make the most of being alone, then I insist you feed me first. Besides, I don't want to waste the effort your people have gone to. It would be rude."

He smirked as she poked at a rib, which proved nothing regarding his ticklishness. "True, it would be a waste of good food, and I wouldn't want you fainting from hunger. I have plans for you later." He flashed a playful smirk before letting go of her hand to pull out a chair for her, like a perfect gentleman.

"Being with you is certainly an education," she teased him in return, her smile widening to a giggling grin as she set herself down in the seat he offered her, self-consciously brushing the hem of her dress back down from where it had fallen significantly higher on her thighs than she had expected.

He said a few words in Greek to the servant, instructing him that they would no longer be needing his services once dinner was served, and the man replied with a nod of his head in acknowledgement as well as a few brief words in return before he went about pouring them each a glass of wine. Ares settled himself in the only remaining chair and turned to face his dinner companion and lover with a soft smile. "So, tell me something about yourself that I might not know."

There was very little he didn't know, considering he'd been watching her ever since her brothers had died saving the world from the Apocalypse, but he thought there must be something about her he didn't know, as well as things she didn't know about him.

She stared at him with smiling disbelief at his gentle inquiry, laughing a little as she tasted the wine that had been poured for them. "How am I supposed to know what you don't know about me?" she asked him playfully over the delicate rim of her glass. "Haven't you been the devil on my shoulder for the last three years?"

"The devil," he echoed, musing quietly to himself. "No, I think not. Not the devil. Not an angel either." The mention of that caused a small frown to touch his lips again, though he did not really want to discuss Gabriel just yet. "Watching someone is not quite the same as knowing what they are thinking, Ayden," he explained, leaning forward and steepling his fingers in front of him, while Dareios went about scooping various foodstuff onto their plates, the aroma of which would make the pickiest stomach growl. "I know very little of your childhood or anything that happened before..." He broke off, not wanting to remind her of her brothers' deaths, though it was probably too late.

"It's a figure of speech, Ares, nothing more," she pointed out gently, her attention distracted from him for a moment to watch the various foods filling her plate. Though the grief she felt for the loss of her brothers was still potent, she sidestepped the welling sense of loss rather than dwell on it. Now was not the time. "There's not that much to tell," she said, though that was patently absurd. If nothing else, there was a story behind the scars on her arms that she would have to share with him at some point.

He sensed some apprehension and reluctance to his question and wondered why. Was it just that she felt awkward talking about herself or had something happened in her past that she didn't want to discuss" "Share with me a happy memory," he prompted, not wanting to stir up any bad memories. He only wanted to know her better.

She smiled, the expression soft on her face as her eyes turned to the past. "My mom is my happiest memory," she told him, fond nostalgia in her voice for the woman who had raised her single-handed. "It was just me and her, my dad never really figured into things. She worked really long hours, and she gave up almost everything for me. My favorite time was on a Sunday, because that was her day off, no matter what, and we'd spend all day together. She'd help me with my homework, or we'd go out. We'd just be together, you know" My whole world revolved around my mom. I won't ever know anyone as brave and kind and strong as she was."

He sipped at his wine while he listened to her speak of her mother, realizing how much she must have loved her and now missed her. Life really was too short in human years. "She sounds like a lovely woman. I wish I had known her. I am sorry for your loss, Ayden, but I am glad you have good memories to remember her by." He reached across the table to touch her hand in sympathy and reassurance.

Her fingers curled into his as he reached for her hand. It was odd, how her brothers' deaths were so unresolved in her heart, but her mother was at peace there. "I miss her," she confessed softly, without tears, but deep sadness. "In the end, she gave up everything for me - the man she loved, her hopes and her dreams, even her life. I wish she could have seen me graduate, seen me get into Stanford. She would have liked you."

Perhaps it went without saying; perhaps it didn't, but he needed her to know that though her mother was dead, she was not gone completely. Where was she, though' Where had her immortal soul gone in the afterlife" Had she made it to heaven or was she one of those who was waiting in hell for the conflict between heaven and hell, gods and demons and angels to be settled at last' What of Sam and Dean, for that matter" What of Bill" What of all those who had passed on since heaven was in turmoil and Hades had taken control of hell" In that instant, he knew he would have to somehow convince Gabriel to help them and to take control of heaven. He was the only one who could re-establish order out of chaos. "Do you believe in the immortality of the human soul?" he asked her, wanting to give her some shred of hope, even if he couldn't know for sure what had happened to Ayden's mother.

"I don't know," she answered him honestly. "I used to, but it was all tied up with that fairytale of heaven and angels and all the good things in the world. I know that there is such a thing as a soul - I've seen enough people die to know that the body is just a machine, just a vessel to hold what makes us who and what we are. But I don't know what happens to that soul when it leaves. It's just ....gone."

"Should have seen that one coming," she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear. The more she thought about Gabriel, the more she realized that he scared the ever living crap out of her. He did, quite literally, hold her sanity in the palm of his hand, and he obviously resented the fact that she and her family were allied with certain of the Olympians. She didn't trust him to tell her the truth about anything. "Well, then, I guess I'll never know for sure," she shrugged, prepared to dismiss the concern than invite Gabriel to pass comment on her life and her choices. "Can't always get what you want."

"I need his help, Ayden," he continued, figuring he might as well come clean with his plans - and his mother's plans. She was going to find out sooner or later anyway. "And he's the only one who can restore order in heaven." At least, as far as Ares and Hera were concerned. There were plenty of other angels, all of them probably vying for control, but there was only one archangel left, and Gabriel was it.

Ayden bit her lip, her appetite forgotten for a moment as she tried to work out where he was going with this. Did he need her to call the archangel for him, or was he just telling her what was necessary for the balance of heaven and hell" "He can't find me if I don't call for him," she said, unprompted. "Cas put some kind of Enochian junk on my ribs that means angels can't see me."

"Sigils," Ares corrected, apparently knowing all about the marks the angel Castiel had carved on Ayden's ribs, as well as Sam and Dean's. "Not now. I don't need to speak with him now, but soon." He hadn't brought her here to discuss the mess the world was in, but she had a right to know what he had planned. "I spoke with my mother recently," he started. "When I was in the Amazon. My father wants me to finish what we started, put a permanent end to the Fates. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to do that, but I need Gabriel to help me find the Spinner. I am going to offer him a chance to redeem himself, to take control of heaven in exchange for helping me find Clotho. He is the last of his kind, Ayden. If Gabriel can't restore order in heaven, I am not sure anyone can." He told her all of this honestly and matter-of-factly. As much as he'd like to keep all of it from her, he wanted to be honest with her; he owed her that much. If she was going to be his consort one day, he was not going to start their relationship based on lies.

She listened, taking this all in thoughtfully. She could see the wisdom in the idea, however much she hated the thought of Ares going after the last of the Fates without her help. "It makes sense," she said reluctantly. "He's got the power to do it, and let's face it, his sense of self-preservation won't make him stupid enough to say no. It won't be an easy alliance, though. He obviously hates you."

Ares shrugged, unperturbed by this bit of information, which came as no great surprise. In a way, he felt almost sorry for Gabriel. Though Ares might not be basking in his father's favor at the moment, he was taking steps to redeem himself in his father's eyes. "Enemy of my enemy and all that," Ares remarked, offhandedly.

"Is an *ss," she completed the platitude, but there was a faint smirk on her lips as she did so. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for Gabriel hovering over her, not at all. She just wished it had never started. "Thank you for telling me. I know you didn't have to, but I appreciate knowing."

"Of course I had to," he disagreed. "I want no secrets between us, Ayden. No secrets and no lies. I will need you to summon Gabriel for me before we return to Sioux Falls. Hopefully, he will listen to reason." Otherwise, Ares was on his own, and looking for Clotho would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Of course, if Ayden had been in complete control of her visions, she would probably have been able to pinpoint Clotho for him herself, but that control was likely still several years away for her. She had to go along with his decision to involve Gabriel, and trust that neither one would do something stupid and get themselves killed. "But that won't be for another day yet, will it?" she pointed out quietly. "I don't want worrying about him to get in the way of this. We don't have much time together."

There was that smile of his again, as warm and bright as sunshine on a sunny summer day, but there was some sadness behind it, some worry. They only had one more day together before he had to return her to Sioux Falls, before her brother and his wife returned from their quest, before her family got worried and started searching for her. "That is why we are here, at the guest house. So that we can be alone to enjoy what remains of our time together." He didn't mean for it to sound so final, but they both knew the danger that awaited him.

"Good. There are all kinds of things we can do with that privacy, after all." A decidedly cheeky smirk flickered across her face as she returned to her meal, though her appetite was close to sated already. The food was richer than she was used to, prepared in more olive oil than her stomach had been subjected to thus far. It was unspoken, but she was trusting him not to close the deal properly until after he came back from his admittedly dangerous solo mission. He was a god; surely he had control over whether or not his sperm scored a home run or not.

"Such as play chess?" he asked, teasing her back, showing that he did possess a sense of humor, even if it was rare to show itself. He was just about finished with his dinner, as well, though the wine was another matter. Coffee and dessert could wait a while. The sun was starting to set, setting the sky on fire in varying shades of gold and orange and red.

She giggled softly even as her gaze slipped from his, turning to look out over the bay as it lit up in flaming hue to match the brilliance of the sky. "I don't know how to play chess," she told him a little shyly, absentmindedly running the tip of her finger around the edge of her wine glass. "I could probably manage Snap, though, if you've got a pack of cards."

"Snap," he echoed. "I'm afraid I am unfamiliar with that game, but there may be a deck of cards at the villa, if you want to teach me." He assumed she did not. There were, after all, much better things to do when they had so little time left to enjoy together. He drained the glass of wine and rose to his feet. "Walk with me?" he asked, offering her a hand.

The smile that crossed her face as he offered her his hand was filled with the very recent memory of the last walk they had taken together, her fingers sliding easily into his grasp as she abandoned what was left of her wine to rise onto her own feet and join him. "I think I can live without playing games."

"I suppose," he replied, uncertainly. His own conquests had not been all that unusual. He wore a thoughtful, puzzled look on his face, wondering if there was something he'd missed all these years, something that mortals knew of lovemaking that he did not. Perhaps it had been too long, after all. Almost in order to save himself from embarrassment, he took hold of her hand again and started onto the beach.

Drawn along once again, Ayden leaned into him as they walked, stroking her free hand against his arm. "Did you know there's only two animals on Earth that have sex for reasons besides making more of themselves?" she mused quietly, not entirely sure where she was going with this comment, or that she was right. "One of them is a chimp, but they don't have sex for pleasure or to bond. It's an alternative to fighting for them. Humans are the only ones who indulge in sex purely for the joy of it. Isn't that odd?"

"I suppose," he repeated, with that thoughtful look still on his face. She wasn't precisely correct. The Olympians made love for pleasure, but they weren't the same as humans or any other living creature on Earth. "Did you know that Lucifer fell from heaven in part because he wanted to cavort with mortals?" It might not be a completely relevant question, but there was a good chance she didn't know that little tidbit. And once again, he didn't realize that Lucifer was as naughty a word as Michael.

She stopped abruptly, sighing as he mentioned yet another angel that had done a great deal of harm. "Baby," she said quietly, so careful not to sound sad or angry that she didn't even notice the endearment she opened with, "mentioning the things that murdered my family is kind of a mood killer, you know" Probably best not to bring them up in conversation at all, unless you want me to cry all over you again."

"It is?" he asked, arching a brow at her, clearing not having considered this before. He had only been mentioning what he thought of as fact, not realizing how it might have affected her until she pointed it out. He frowned, looking a little ashamed and embarrassed at his mistake. But of course, mentioning Dean and Sam and those who'd been responsible for their deaths would be painful for her. Why hadn't he realize it earlier" "I'm sorry, Ayden. It didn't occur to me."

"I know." She squeezed his hand, managing a faint smile to try and reassure him, but her eyes slid away, turning to look out over the sea as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky painted with fading red and orange. It was hard not to remember the moment she'd lost everything whenever certain names were mentioned, and for a moment her vision swam, tears threatening to fall and reopen old wounds she had been ignoring for years. But she wouldn't do that, not to him. He hadn't known.

He circled her in his embrace, easing around behind her to wrap his arms around her waist, leaning close to touch his cheek to hers as the sun dipped lower on the horizon. "Your brothers and mother must be in heaven, Ayden. I'm certain of it," he told her quietly in an attempt to comfort and reassure her. "I know it is hard to believe, but I have lost some loved ones over the years, as well. Children, mostly. One of my sons was killed in battle." Though he may not have been the most faithful of lovers, let it never be said that Ares had not been a loving father. He loved each of his children and still felt the loss of those who were gone. He wanted her to know that, though he was immortal, he, too, had suffered his share of grief.

She leaned back into his arms, forgetting the beautiful view as her head turned toward his, eyes closing, resting her forehead against his jaw as she smoothed her hands over his arms at her waist. "No parent should ever have to bury their child," she murmured, not wanting to spout condolences, or express an apology for his loss. To her, they always sounded false, the platitudes that people clung to in the wake of a bereavement. Her palm gently touched his cheek as she breathed him in. "I didn't mean to suggest that you don't know how it feels," she added quietly. "I just ....it's still raw, and I'm still scared. It's just something that's going to take time for me, that's all." She sighed impatiently. "Everything takes time."

"If you wish to talk about them, I don't mind listening," he assured her as he held her close, the last rays of daylight quickly fading below the horizon, the sun seemingly sinking into the ocean. "You will be safe in Sioux Falls," he reassured her, not quite realizing she was probably more scared for the safety of her loved ones - himself included - than for herself. "It gets easier with time, but I still miss them sometimes."

"What's the point in being safe if no one else is?" she asked quietly, but there was no rancor in her words. It was just a plain statement of fact. But he had helped her greatly by pointing out that her visions were as useful when they didn't come as when they did; she wasn't so inclined to worry quite so much. "I don't think I'll ever stop missing my mom, and Sam, and Dean. I mean, the old Dean. This Dean is still my brother, but it's not the same."

Ares listened quietly and patiently while Ayden let go of some of the grief and the worries she'd been carrying on her shoulders, understanding her grief as much as he could without being human. "Give him time, Ayden. He is not of this world. You are as much a stranger to him as he is to you, perhaps more. He has lost everything, just as you have. But you can find strength in each other, and perhaps in time, you will become as close to him as you were to the Dean you lost."

"I hope so," she breathed out carefully, turning her eyes to the last of the setting sun's rays as they faded over the sea. "I let myself get my hopes up, even though I told myself not to. Dean, my Dean ....he needed me, he needed to have a little sister to look after, and Sam did, too. But this Dean ..." She shook her head, unhappy with herself for even feeling this, much less sharing it. "He doesn't need me. He's got Nim, and Ellen and Bobby. None of them need me; I'm just another person to worry about, another person who can get hurt. More responsibility, on top of everything else."

Ares arched a brow, realizing something that perhaps Ayden had not, something she might not be able or ready to realize. "You're wrong, Ayden. He does need you, and for the very same reasons that you need him."

She frowned, twisting her head to look up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"