18 Carnage

Ares wiped blood away from the corners of his mouth. He was safe in the camp, but thousands of people were fighting outside, risking their lives.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed, "Where are our Champions?"

"Hercules, Theseus, and Bellerophon are battling Nyx, Perseus is, once again, dueling Medusa, and all the others are all involved in fights of their own," the messenger said, slightly cowering from the god's fury.

"What about the next one? When can we have him?"

"Your father says that he will come in three months." A frozen silence descended upon the group.

"We're not going to last that long," Ares said, bitterly shaking his head.

"Father says that we'll have reinforcements from the Norse," Athena chipped in.

"The Norse? They can barely hold their own land in the North. They can't afford to send many troops, and they won't arrive any time soon. We can only expect help from the Egyptians. The Middle is closer, and no rifts have opened, yet," Apollo stated.

"We need Hermes. Tell him to seek help from the Egyptians."

"Good," Ares said, "I'll be off then."

"Goodbye."

Ares strode out of the tent, and then rushed towards the carnage just a kilometer away.

**********

The cries of pain filled the land. Demons were everywhere, swarming over the battered soldiers. As Ares scanned the field, looking for where he was needed the most, he couldn't find any. Soldiers were falling everywhere. Ares filled with rage. He had trained these people since they were children and knows each of their names by heart.

"For Olympus!" He shouted, unsheathed his sword, and then charged into the center.

A flying Demon noticed him first. It was a Skystriker. Ares lifted his shield to take the first hit. The Skystriker crashed resoundingly onto the shield, but Ares stood as still as a rock. And then, with a swift slice, the Skystriker's Hellfire was absorbed.

However, the action instantly attracted the attention of three Demons nearby. Bloodwick, Ares thought. He swung his sword, and then chanted a spell, "Terra seque."

A mound of dirt rose up from the floor. It split into three different parts, compacted itself, and then shaped itself into spikes. Ares waved his sword, and then the spikes flew, embedding themselves inside the bodies of the Bloodwicks.

The act of killing three Demons angered others. Suddenly, ten wolflike Demons were approaching Ares, surrounding him on all sides.

Ares calmly looked around. A Demon charged first, and then the other nine followed. Ares reacted. He ran straight towards the leader, and then suddenly, slid under its giant underbelly. Ares stood up, and then grabbed the leader, chucking it with appalling force towards another Demon wolf. The other wolf was caught completely unaware, and then was smashed in the head. The two wolves flew away, incapacitated.

The eight remaining wolves looked towards Ares with a bit more fear. However, they couldn't stop now. They acted in unison, sprinting towards Ares to overwhelm him. Ares looked nonchalant. He dashed towards the closest, and then sliced it in half. Another wolf was very close, and opened its mouth to bit Ares, who managed to dodge it, and then sending a stab into the Hellfire of the Demon.

Ares then immediately rolled. Three claws missed him by a millimeter. Three wolves pounced at him. One grazed Ares, but his armor deflected it. Not even a small scratch appeared. Ares thanked Hephaestus secretly. This armor has saved him times and times before but has never shown any sign of wear.

The wolf grabbed onto Ares, who shook him off. It sailed through the air, and then landed with a solid thump.

Then Ares stood still. His eyes grew redder and redder. Power fluctuated from him. An inescapable feeling of death and an acrid smell of blood surrounded all of the Demons on the battlefield, stopping them in their tracks.

**********

Back at the camp, everyone suddenly stared towards where Ares was.

"He used his Vorshmin's ability."

"Yes. This battle is won, but we won't have much time to recover. A rift has appeared near Helios' castle. We have to go there."

"Aren't Jason, Orpheus, and Odysseus there? They can hold for at least five days."

"True. However, we need to destroy the rift as fast as possible. Demeter, you go."

"Yes."

**********

Ares' power erupted. Unstoppable shockwaves were released. The earth shook, and the sky seemed as if it was going to collapse. Then time seemed to stop. Every single Demon on the battlefield was killed simultaneously. They disintegrated, ashes slowly floating down.

Ares fell to the floor. His sword was stuck into the ground, supporting Ares. He breathed heavily, completely helpless. And then he rose again, slowly limping back towards camp.