Journey

At sunset two days later, Kendaa came through the gates of the city, greeting many of her sisters in passing. She sighed wearily. It was good to be home again. And so much had happened...

She headed for her own small hut,meeting up with Chantal, Calee and Lessa on the way.

"Hey sister! Welcome home!" Calee called. Kendaa grinned. Warm hugs were exchanged all round. And since all four warriors had quarters in the same general direction, they walked together, Chantal invited her three sisters to eat at her home that night, an invitation that was taken up with alacrity.

Later that evening Kendaa, freshly bathed and rested, sat at table with Lessa, Calee and Chantal, enjoying the meal prepared by Chantal. They were all laughing over something Calee had said. Kendaa was using her bread to soak up the remains of the delicious stew while Chantal poured refills of ale for them all. It had been pure pleasure to catch up on the doings of the inhabitants of their beloved city.

"So sister, what have you been up to? What took you out of here like Medusa herself was at your tail?" Chantal asked her, replacing the jug of ale on the small bench under the only window in the room.

Kendaa took a long drink from her mug before responding.

"Ares," she quietly told her sisters. Lessa shook her head, replacing her own mug on the table, a slight smile on her face. "There's a surprise. What did he want this time?"

Her sister looked down at the simple wooden table for a long moment.

"Me. He wanted me," she replied in an expressionless voice.

Calee frowned. "What exactly do you mean by that? Surely it wasn't a replay of last time...?"

Kendaa did smile a little at that. "Oh no...it wasn't that simple."

Lessa snorted. "With Ares, nothing's simple."

"Well, that's a fact," Chantal agreed. "So...are you going to tell us what he wanted?"

Her blonde half-dryad sister didn't reply for a moment, instead reaching out to pick a date from the bowl on the table.

"Oh great Zeus!"

Lessa's shocked whisper filled the small dwelling. Chantal and Calee's eyes followed Lessa's eyes and saw what had drawn the shocked words from their sister; the scar on Kendaa's left arm.

Lessa's disbelieving eyes raised themselves to meet Kendaa's resigned ones. "You... It's the one thing you swore you would never do!"

"How did he make you do it?" Calee's voice was flat.

"Let's just say he made me an offer I couldn't refuse." Kendaa's wry smile contained little mirth.

Chantal's face had gone white beneath its healthy tan. "He's wanted you for his army for years. When...?" She couldn't bring herself to frame the question.

Her sister shook her head, frowning. "I don't know, Chantal. He told me he'd send for me when he wanted me in his army. He sent me back here." She shrugged.

Lessa, however, had other concerns. "Why did you do it?" She asked in her characteristic, blunt fashion, her words a harsh challenge.

"I know you! There's no way you would have willingly vowed yourself to him," she continued, her voice containing no small amount of anger.

Kendaa again shook her head, more firmly this time. "Leave it, Lessa. Please?" She asked quietly.

Her sister abruptly rose from her seat and went to pour herself a generous re-fill of ale. Returning to her seat Lessa asked, "Have you given much thought to the consequences of this?"

The half-dryad nodded slowly. "Oh yes."

Lessa threw her hands up in the air in frustrated annoyance.

Calee drained her own mug.

"That scar marks you as one of Ares' favourites," she commented thoughtfully. "What happens if you have to choose between us, your sisters, and your service to Ares?" She asked quietly.

There was a long silence broken only by the crackle of the fire.

The tall blonde Amazon could feel the pain inside her as a living, breathing thing, consuming everything else in its path.

"I don't know," she replied softly, her eyes seeking and finding in turn the eyes of each of her sisters.

Kendaa saw the confusion and disbelief written plain on the faces of all three. No, I can't tell them. They must never know why.

She drained the last of her ale and got to her feet, made her goodnights and quietly left Chantal's home, knowing their eyes followed her.

The night suddenly seemed to grow cold, even though it was the height of spring. She shivered as she made her way through the darkened city to her own dwelling.

Spring turned slowly into summer, and still Kendaa heard nothing from Ares. Instead of beng a cause of relief, his marked absence served to deepen her growing sense of uneasiness. He was up to something, she was sure of it.

Most of her sisters were by now aware of how things stood between her and Ares, and while many had looked askance at her upon learning of her vow, none had challenged her further on the circumstances that had led to it, or on its possible consequences for Kendaa and her loyalty to the Amazon nation. amazons were known throughout Greece for their acceptance and tolerance of the beliefs and practices of all among their own, as well as those women who came to live among them. If Kendaa had chosen to serve Ares, then so long as that in no way endangered the Amazon nation, it was perfectly acceptable. The one thing that wouldn't be tolerated, however, was a division of loyalty. Amazons cleaved to their own and none other.

It was a hot summer's day when the messenger arrived from Kind Alkmenides of Sithonia, down in the Chalkidice, not all that far a march from the Amazon city.

Queen Ephiny received him, heard the message from his kind, and immediately called an urgent meeting of the full council of the Amazons.

When the council adjourned, word passed through the city that the council had acceded to Alkmenides' request for aid. Sithonia was not large, nor did Sithonian territory contain much that would attract would-be invaders; no great cities, and only a small, but precious amount of arable land. Yet an army had marched into Sithonia and was, when the messenger had left, laying waste to everything in its path. It appeared to be heading for Torone, Alkmenides' coastal stronghold. The messenger had been unable to say just who was leading the army that was attacking his people. No one had gotten close enough to them, and there had been no survivors from the army's attacks so far on Sithonian territory.

The Amazons prepared to go to war to aid their ally. They were ready to ride within two days. While Queen Ephiny took overall command, she assigned joint command of the warriors to Ceallach, Arete, Lessa, Laurissa and Kendaa. It was they who would decide strategy in any fighting, and deploy the warriors.

Kendaa had slung her sword in its scabbard behind her back, slid her warstaff into place in its specially-designed leather slot on the side of her saddle, and was preparing to mount her horse when she saw Ceallach walking rapidly in her direction. "Kendaa! Wait!" The tall Amazon raised enquiring eyebrows. "What's the problem, Ceal?" Her sister came to a halt, explaining rapidly, "Another messenger has arrived from King Alkmenides. The Queen wants us in the Council chamber - now." Kendaa nodded, moving to join Ceal, and together they headed for the Council chamber.

The messenger brought news of great import. Alkmenides' spies had at last learned who was attacking them. The enemy against whom the Amazons were preparing to march was the great army of Ares.

Kendaa of the Amazons finally began to understand what Ares had planned for her. Great bitterness filled her heart. He had well and truly won. The irony of what he had done was not in the least lost on her.

The scar on her arm burned.

In one decisive move, he had made it impossible for her to remain with her sisters.

As the Council members and lead warriors filed out of th chamber, every one of them watching the half-dryad, Kendaa slowly approached the Queen, who was in the process of dismissing the messenger back to Alkmenides with her reply to his message.

"My Queen, I must speak with you most urgently," she said quietly.

Ephiny turned to look at her, eyes cold. She knew as well as Kendaa what this turn of events meant. She waited silently for the warrior to speak.

"My Queen...Ephiny, I can't fight in this battle." The words tasted like the most bitter vinegar as they left her mouth. "I can't fight against Ares' army."

Ephiny looked at her coldly. "Do you know what this means?" She asked without preamble.

Kendaa nodded slowly, her face expressionless. "I must choose between my sisters and the God of War."

Ephiny drew a deep, angry breath. "Yes. You must. And we both know what your vow means, don't we?" The Queen's voice was flat, laying open between them the unthinkable.

The blonde warrior's face was pale. "It means I must leve my sisters and go to him." Her voice held a calmness she was far from feeling.

The Amazon Queen's face was grim now. "It means a lot more than that. Have you forgotten - by our law, any Amazon who refuses to fight with her sisters against someone deemed enemy by the Amazon nation is guilty of disloyalty - treason."

Kendaa drew in a sharp breath. She knew well the laws of her nation, but still she couldn't believe what she was hearing. For years she had been one of the nation's lead warriors, her loyalty beyond question. It still would be - if not for Ares. Now she stood, listening to her Queen stop just short of calling her traitor to her nation.

"No, my Queen, I hadn't forgotten," she replied in an empty voice.

Ephiny was speaking again. "You'll remain here, Kendaa, until we return, at which time you'll come before the Council, who will decide your punishment," the Amazon Queen told her expressionlessly. Quietly she added, "I don't need to place you under guard, do I?"

The warrior woman silently shook her head.

Ephiny drew a deep breath. "Why, my sister? What possible reason could you have for giving up everything you've held dear? What possessed you to do it?" She shook her head in true bewilderment.

Kendaa said nothing. There was nothing she could say.

Ephiny left her, and soon afterwards she heard her sisters begin to move out of the city.

She went to the door to watch them go. As they passed, many of them turned to look at her. On many faces she saw anger; on others confusion or disbelief. She waited until the last warriors had filed by, and the city became quiet except for the activity of the older women and children and young girls who had remained behind.

The forest which surrounded much of the Amazon city was a cool, peaceful haven for the half-dryad. She walked quietly among the trees, breathing in the clean, natural scent of the forest. It calmed her spirit. She walked until she was out of sight and sound of the city. Standing in a small clearing, arms hanging loose at her sides, fists balled, she raised her head and cried, "Ares!" in a loud, angry voice.

He didn't come.

Again and again she called his name, but he never appeared.

At length, she slowly shook her head and headed back to the city, deep in thought. She never saw Ares materialise in the spot she had just left, arms folded across his chest, a thoughtful half-smile on his face.

Two weeks passed. Weeks of utter boredom for the Amazon warrior. She offered to help the older women with their tasks but was coldly refused. She took to spending long hours wandering through the cool, silent woodland. It had a calming effect on her as she waited in limbo, facing an unknown future.

At sunset on the fourteenth day, the Amazon warriors returned. They had successfully driven Ares' army from Sithonian territory, largely because Hercules and Iolaus had also joined the battle. Both men returned to the city with the Amazons.

Hercules couldn't believe it when he'd heard what the others had told him about Kendaa. The demi-god and the half-dryad had been close friends for most of their lives, and Hercules refused to believe that she would have willingly given herself completely in service to the God of War. He knew her well, far better than any of her sisters did. While he had known that she had had some involvement with his half-brother, kendaa herself had in the past told him that Tartarous would freeze before she ever joined him, in spite of Ares' persistent pursuit of her.

He had to come to see her for himself, to try and understand what had happened. What could possibily have made her join Ares. On the march back to the city, he'd spoken to several of Kendaa's closest friends among the Amazons, and they were equally at a loss. But they were all in agreement on one thing; Kendaa was keeping something from them.

The Council met the following morning. Kendaa stood before them, and had never felt more alone in her life.

Hercules had sought her out the previous evening, not long after his arrival. He'd tried to talk to her, but in the end had reluctantly agreed to her repeated request to leave. Her good friend's arrival was the law straw. She couldn't possibly tell him what had happened, and she couldn't bear to see the bewilderment in his opalescent blue eyes. As he left, he'd told her they hadn't finished. She had wordlessly nodded in agreement. She knew they had to talk, but she couldn't face it at that particular moment.

Now he stood quietly to one side of the council chamber, leaning against the wall, listening intently to the proceedings.

"Sister, you do realise the gravity of the situation, don't you?" Hebea asked her from her seat at the long table accommodating the council.

"Yes, I know you would be within your rights to - exile me."

Hebea's hand slammed down on the table with sudden violence. "Then why won't you tell us why you chose to vow yourself to Ares - a vow that now overrides your loyalty to your sisters?"

The council member - and Kendaa's good friend - was not known for her limitless patience.

Kendaa shook her head. "I cannot," was all she replied.

Chaerea, another member of the council, and one who had never had a great liking for the half-dryad, eyed her with distaste. "It is well-known among your sisters that you have become one of the favourites of the God of War - that you even carried his child, until you lost it. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that you have chosen to give yourself to him," she insinuated quietly.

The tall blonde warrior turned to gaze levelly at Chaerea. "You may think as you will, Chaerea," she replied, her own voice expressionless.

Chantal stood, pain written on her face. "Kendaa...my sister, I beg you to tell us why you did this thing."

Kendaa stood mute before one of her closest friends. She couldn't reply - she didn't dare. How could she tell them that she had traded her life for 20 of theirs? All Amazons, without exception, were fiercely proud. Twenty of them would be shamed if they knew that another had given herself in their place.

"If you refuse to tell us why you have betrayed your loyalty to our nation, then the only option is exile!" Chaerea was barking sharply.

Tension in the council chamber was high. The woman before them was one of their most formidable warriors, well-liked and respected by many of her sisters. It was unthinkable that her loyalty had come into question. Never before had they faced such a situation.

Slowly, tiredly, the Amazon Queen rose to her feet. "Chaerea, you are not in command here. The Council will now retire to discuss this and make a judgment." She turned to the half-dryad. "Kendaa, go from us. We must consider this matter. We will send for you when a decision has been reached."

Kendaa nodded, bowing slightly. "As you wish, my Queen."

As she left the chamber, her eyes found Hercules'. He was looking at her in disbelief and shaking his head. She paled before the look on his face.

Hercules followed her to her hut, where he found her standing staring absently out the window at nothing in particular, her arms crossed.

She turned when he entered, his tall frame suddenly making her small hut even smaller.

For a moment they simply gazed at each other, the demi-god in disbelief; Kendaa unable to say anything. Finally Hercules could no longer stand it.

"Kendaa, why did you do it? What can you possibly see in Ares? He thrives on blood lust and cruelty. He's responsible for sending countless men and women to their deaths!"

The Amazon moved to sit on the bench that lay against the wall, her hands on either side of her taking her weight.

For a moment she didn't reply.

At length, she slowly shook her head and smiled mirthlessly. "I don't understand it either, Hercules. I hate what he stands for; he infuriates me more often than not; he..." She stopped, staring absently down at her boots.

"And yet in Mitraea... He tried to save my life, even though he could have died for it. And when we were in that cell..."

She again came to a halt, thinking back. She was remembering his harsh kindness after she lost her child, and even more, his more recent, unfathomable kindness in bringing Eirene to her.

Looking up, she added, her voice reflective, "You know, Hercules, if Ares had been born a mortal, he would have been a good man; a man of strong principles."

Hercules didn't miss the note of sad wistfulness in her voice. He looked at his friend with new and sudden understanding. So that's the way of it. Oh Kendaa..

He moved a little closer, easing his tall frame down beside her.

"But he's not a mortal. He's the God of War," he said quietly. "Kendaa what did he do to you? How did he force you to vow yourself to him? I know you - there's no way you would have done it freely."

"Hercules, please... Don't ask me that." Her voice trembled slightly.

The demi-god reached out and turned her to face him.

"Do you want to be proclaimed outcast by your sisters? To be exiled?" He asked her harshly.

Silently she shook her head.

"Then tell me, at least. What did he use to force you to pledge yourself to him?"

In sudden agitation, she pulled free from him and went to stand facing the window, her hands on her hips.

Hercules also rose, and moved to stand behind her, his arms around her, his chin resting gently on her crown.

She found she could no longer keep it to herself. The dam burst at last. Her words almost a whisper, Kendaa told him. "There was a battle. Twenty of my sisters were fighting some barbarians from the north." She felt Hercules draw in his breath. So he had heard about the strange battle.

"They would all have died; they were heavily outnumbered. Ares offered to help them - to even things. The price was me," she finished simply.

She turned in Hercules' arms to look into his shocked and angry face.

"Hercules, I think Ares had planned this all along - to make it impossible for me to stay here. But you can't tell my sisters what happened. Please..."

"Ah brother - ever the comforter, I see."

The taunting voice broke on them with shattering suddenness.

Hercules released Kendaa and turned to Ares.

"What are you doing here Ares? Haven't you done enough already?"

The God of War smiled pleasantly. "It's good to see you too, brother," he told Hercules mockingly. "Now, remove your hands from my warrior," he snarled softly.

Hercules gave a short, angry laugh. 'Your warrior? Kendaa isn't yours, Ares. You forced her to vow herself to you. That was pretty low, even for you. And you knew her well enough to know that once she made that vow, she'd never betray it. You counted on it! Now she's in an intolerable position, caught between you and her sisters. Let her go!"

"In your dreams, brother," the god told the demi-god, still in that soft, deadly voice. "She's mine and she'll stay mine."

Kendaa was seething. With three steps she stood between them. "I can speak for myself," she bit out between clenched teeth. "I don't need either of you to speak for me or speak of me as if I weren't here."

If the situation hadn't been so serious, it would almost have been funny. The God of War and the demi-god turned in unison to look at the Amazon in surprise.

Her temper was still up. "You both hate each other so much, that a third party just pales into insignificance whenever you meet!" She threw at them, unmindful that she was haranguing her best friend, who happened to be the strongest man alive, and the fearsome God of War, who likewise happened to be her sworn Lord.

In fury, she suddenly threw her hands up in the air and stalked to stand under the window, glaring at them both, her eyes the familiar battle-ready forest green.

Ares quirked an eyebrow in her direction. "Well, my sweet, I'm pleased to see you've lost none of your..spirit," he told her with a pleasant smile, his words carrying meaning only to Kendaa.

She paled, but said nothing, standing taut and expressionless now, in complete contrast to her mood of minutes before.

"Hercules, I'll face whatever decision my sisters make and abide by it. I appreciate your concern and caring, but there's nothing you can do," she calmly told the Son of Zeus, while Ares grinned in malicious triumph at his brother.

But Hercules wasn't done. "Oh isn't there?" He said softly, his eyes on Ares. "I want to talk with you - alone," he told his brother.

"With pleasure," the God of War told him, accompanying the cold words with an abrupt wave of his hand which saw them both disappear from Kendaa's presence.

The tall, dark God of War raised an enquiring brow, his left hand resting idly on the hilt of the sword that hung at his waist. "Well?"

Hercules stared with hot anger at his brother. "Ares, release Kendaa from her vow," he again demanded.

"Not a chance," Ares replied nastily. "What's mine, stays mine."

The demi-god took a deep, calming breath. "Loyalty is something Kendaa values highly. And she values it because it's one of the few things in life that can be freely given. You've taken that freedom from her, marked her as yours and forced her to your service. But because of her loyalty, no matter what you do to her, she'll never break that vow. Does that make you proud?"

Ares crossed his arms. "Is there a point to this?" He asked, his tone a study in boredom.

Hercules shook his head in disbelief. "You don't care, do you? You honestly don't care at all. That woman is probably the only person alive who has ever had anything even resembling warm feelings for you."

Ares blinked slowly at that, his face expressionless, but his head went up, and Hercules pushed on. "Did you really think that she would have wanted to carry your child...that she would have grieved so terribly for its loss, if she hadn't had any feelings for you? And you repay her like this? By, by taking her freedom from her - the very thing a dryad holds most precious."

The face of the God of War was thunderous. "Be warned brother," he told Hercules softly, unfolding his arms and lowering his hand so it was once again curled around the hilt of his sword.

Hercules was too angry to stop. "What is it with you, Ares? Why can't you open yourself to anything but hate, cruelty and blood lust?"

But suddenly Hercules somehow, intuitively knew. For the first time in his life, he began to understand his brother. "It's because the God of War can't ever feel anything but cold rage, hate and blood lust, isn't it? That's the nature of your godhood," he answered himself in quiet comprehension, wondering why he'd never seen it before. Perhaps, he thought, because I've been too busy reacting to him and all the things he does.

"But it's even more than that, isn't it? You've never known what it is to love and be loved for yourself. That's why you can't bear it when others find love. And now, you've forced Kendaa to surrender herself to you because you wanted her so badly. The terrible irony is - in taking her by force, you've lost her." Hercules could almost have felt pity for his half-brother as the full import of what he had just said began to sink in.

Ares, on the other hand, had never hated Hercules more than at that moment. His teeth bared in a snarl, his hand went back, preparing to throw a bolt at the tall, golden-haired demi-god, so unlike him in appearance and nature.

The air was filled with the crackle of ozone.

With the greatest restraint, Ares stayed his hand, letting it fall slowly to his side. He shook his head. No, not now. Zeus would make sure he regretted any impetuous action. The rage in him was a living, breathing thing. Somewhere, somehow, mortals would pay for Hercules' words.

"One day, brother, I promise you, I'll make you regret you were ever born," he swore in a deadly voice, before disappearing from Hercules' sight.

Hercules stared for a long moment at the space the god had just vacated before slowly shaking his head and heading back to the city.

Kendaa was sitting on the bench deep in thought, her head bowed, when Ares reappeared in the hut. The Amazon was so immersed in her thoughts that at first she wasn't aware that Ares had returned. This gave the God of War a brief opportunity to observe her without himself being observed. He supposed he could have simply made himself invisible, but just then he really couldn't be bothered.

Her face was filled with pain. He couldn't see her eyes, but her whole body was held stiffly, as if bearing a wound too deep to be borne.

He opened his senses.

And cringed at the depths of pain he felt in her. He'd done this to her, no one else. His mouth twisted in wry acknowledgment. Dark liquid eyes suddenly filled with feeling. Because he was the God of War, he did what was necessary. The warm, difficult feelings receded into his dark depths - but not entirely. Not this time. He found he didn't want them to.

"Kendaa," came the quiet, calm voice.

Her head shot up. She saw himself standing some five feet in front of her, his face expressionless.

She looked up into his face. In those dark eyes she read her fate, and slowly rose to meet it. So he too, had come to find the situation intolerable. And the God of War didn't deal at all well with problematic mortals.

She knew she was facing her death. At that moment Kendaa of the Amazons hated the God of War with every fibre of her being. The black rage that almost always consumed her during battle was nothing to what filled her emptiness now.

He had taken all she had ever freely given him; always he'd taken from her. And when what she had to give wasn't enough, he'd forcibly taken even more - her very freedom. How dared he...? Too well she knew the answer to that. He dared because he was a god - one of the twelve enthroned gods of Olympus, and could do as he pleased with mere mortals.

The rage was a guttural, tight, soundless snarl in her throat.

At that moment, the several kindnesses he had done for her meant nothing. In any case, each time he'd sought to gain an advantage from them. Curse his black heart. In the end, he was really no better than his evil mother. And curse the wretched attraction she had so long felt for him. I should have left him to rot in his chains and his mortality in Mitraea. Out of all the people I could have come to - love - why did it have to be him? She was horrified. Gods...is that what I feel for him? Love? NO! I can't love him! He's taken everything from me. And now he's going to take my life. Well, curse him; I won't beg him for my life. At least I'll be free of him, wherever I end up.

Her head went up; she stood tall, proud and erect before him, her eyes locked with his now.

Somewhere close by, she heard one of her sisters hail another. On the roof of the hut, a bird had alighted and was flapping its wings as it settled. Strange how, in the face of violence and death, life went on its unhurried, indifferent way.

Almost in slow motion, she saw his hand come up. A bright mote of energy left him and came at her. Then she was gasping in stunned surprise, because it centred itself on the scar on her left arm - the scar he had made.

Something was building inside her, like a whirlwind. Around and around it swirled, driving her almost to scream. Her head went back and her legs began to fold under her. She staggered and violently reached out for the table and held on, doggedly willing herself to remain conscious. Then, something was...riven from deep within her.

Very slowly the world righted itself. And she felt a curious emptiness deep inside; an emptiness that had until that moment, she suddenly realised, been slowly filling with the spirit of the God of War.

But that strange sense of presence was now gone.

She carefully stood upright, taking a deep breath as she did so.

A warm tingling had filled her, and was slowly fading. When she looked down at her arm, her eyes widened.

The scar was gone - her skin was once again unblemished.

She raised incredulous, stunned eyes to him.

"You're free. You need feel no loyalty or ties at all to me," he told her, his voice devoid of expression, his dark eyes cold.

And now I'm free of her too. Irritating mortal! Perhaps it would have been best to simply destroy her. At least then she wouldn't still be walking this miserable mortal world reminding me... He was stirring himself up into a fury. Far better to feel fury than the feelings that had been trying to make their unwelcome presence felt. A curse on this wanting her! There's rage in her. It's dying now, but I can still feel it. She's magnificent. I could take her here, now...and it would be...Hades take her! Will she never leave?

In the suspended, daunting silence the tall blonde Amazon woman gazed at him, trying to divine what had prompted him to such an unprecedented action, but he stood absolute in his power, and totally unreadable.

She thought briefly about asking for the reason, but it would have been a futile question; she knew Ares would never tell her why. At length, her own face now similarly expressionless, she slowly headed for the door. Without a word, he stepped aside to allow her to pass, the silence unbroken as she left the hut.

Later that morning, Ares stood, cloaked in invisibility, as Kendaa again faced the Amazon Council.

He watched as the blonde Amazon warrior triumphantly raised her unblemished left arm before her sisters, a wide, glad smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with happiness and relief.

Her action was greeted with cries of astonishment and joy by her sisters.

His own face closed and moody, Ares left them to their celebrations.

Kendaa, free of a total commitment to the God of War, was exonerated by her sisters. She had made Hercules promise to never reveal what she had told him about her bargain with Ares in order to save the lives of so many of her sisters. And her sisters accepted that while she would never disclose what had occurred between herself and the dark Lord of War, she was now again free to serve her nation with an undivided loyalty.

Two moons later, on the night of the half-moon, Ares was seated in the throne room of his northern temple. He had just returned from watching a small war in Thessaly between two rather moronic warlords intent on destroying each other. A pointless exercise, really, and a waste of perfectly good warriors. Neither warlord possessed anything remotely resembling intelligence. They'd both died, of course, as had most of their armies. Still, it had been a mildly amusing diversion.

"Lord Ares?"

The Temple attendant had entered unobtrusively and was quietly waiting for a response from the God of War.

Ares raised dark eyebrows in query. "What?"

"My Lord, there's a petitioner at your altar."

Ares shrugged. "So? Take note of whatever it is they want and I'll deal with it later."

The Attendant cleared his throat nervously. "Forgive me, My Lord, but perhaps you should see this one for yourself."

The God of War frowned in irritation. He stared at his servant for a long moment before sighing and rising from his throne.

He reappeared in the chamber containing the main altar to find a cloaked and hooded figure on its knees before his altar, head bowed.

"Well?" He demanded impatiently. "You petitioned me - here I am. What is it you want?"

The figure slowly rose and turned to face him, features obscured by the hood and the dancing shadows created by the flickering candlelight.

Hands slowly reached up to pull back the concealing hood, a shimmering mane of golden blonde hair tumbling loose in the process.

Ares stiffened, his eyes widening in uncharacteristic surprise.

Kendaa stood before him, green eyes luminous in a pale face.

Neither said anything for a long moment.

It was the half-dryad who broke the silence, her voice quiet and even. "My Lord, I'm here for my period of Temple service."

He couldn't help it; his mouth parted slightly in even greater surprise, although his face remained unreadable. As had happened so often before when dealing with the mortal woman before him, anger conveniently surfaced.

"You are without doubt one of the most perverse, annoying mortals ever to grace the face of the earth!" He told her, his voice a quiet snarl.

She took a moment to digest that, before moving slightly closer to him.

"Would you have me leave then, My Lord?" She asked, still in that same quiet, calm voice.

He glared at her.

"You're not going anywhere," he told her in a soft, cold tone, reaching out and hauling her roughly against him, his mouth taking hers captive in an action meant to punish. Yet there was terrible yearning in the lips that now plundered hers so ruthlessly. She willingly, joyfully submitted.

As the half-moon began to wane, Kendaa of the Amazons freely gave of herself to the fierce, dark God of War.

And Ares, for the first time in his long, cold existence, began to learn what it was like to be truly loved for no other reason than he was who he was.