19 The Banquet

This was their first dinner. It was also their first official meeting as a couple. Ares chose his palace hall whose floors were covered in shiny marble as their banquet area.

The god of war told the Satyr to place a long table made of shiny volcanic rock. Jill sat there next to her husband who occasionally looked at his wife curiously.

Jill was not sure if they're really married right now. Ares referred to her as his wife even though they had never exchanged rings or walked the altar. She also didn't know what wedding rituals were like in ancient Greece? Right now she was worried about many things. After this what will happen?

Portia was completely dressed by the nymphs. She wore a golden silk dress and lavish jewellery. A musk-scented perfume was also splashed on her body, Jill guessed it was Ares' favorite fragrance.

She made sure Portia's body was politely covered. A thin shawl was attached to cover her chest area. No matter how common skimpy clothes were worn by the women around her, She didn't want to flaunt Portia's body easily.

Still, She was very beautiful. The moonlight that penetrated gently into the spacious room hit her white skin, making it seem as if she was gleaming.

Satyrs and nymphs began to arrive a lot, carrying many dishes in their hands. Jill saw that most of the dishes were predominantly red meat. There was a whole deer baked in rosemary, and a large bowl of potatoes and vegetables cooked in butter.

Chewing it made Jill have to use extra effort. The meat was tough and lightly seasoned, but the people around it seemed to enjoy eating it. Jill felt full quickly, the whole meal was very different from what she used to eat during her life as Jill Adelaide.

Jill was a foodie, no matter how busy she was as an actress, she made sure her tongue only tasted good quality food. The girl also often cooks for herself and makes it a hobby.

Now that Jill had confirmed that she would be staying at Ares's castle for a long time, should she go down to the kitchen and cook for herself? Because she felt her stomach would not be able to digest such bland food every day.

"Are you done eating? That's all?" Ares glanced at her in surprise.

Jill, who was still afraid to see the face of God, just nodded silently. That person was very close to her. The scent of his masculine body wafted faintly, briefly breaking her focus. It looks like Ares uses a blend of musk and sandalwood essential oils.

"Hey, look at me. Isn't there something you want to ask your husband?" Ares looked impatient to find her wife who was passive.

"Sorry, as far as I know it's not good to talk while eating." Jill responded in a small voice.

"Ha? Where did that rule come from? It looks like Sparta has a strange habit at their dinner table," Ares protested.

Ares was right, Jill knew nothing about the dining etiquette of the ancient Greek royal family. The era was still considered primitive, in contrast to the more modern medieval times. Maybe dinner activities in the royal family are more flexible as they are today.

Jill could see Ares's subordinates eating with them in the same room. They chatted, joked and laughed. They ate voraciously and devoured all the bland food without any leftovers. Their way through this dinner was quite messy but fun.

"How should I address you, Lord Ares?" Jill ventured to ask.

"No need to speak formally to me, just call me Ares. And your name is Portia right?"

"Yeah, I'm Portia," Jill found it odd because it wasn't her real name.

"Just calling you Ares? No need for 'your highness Ares' or 'Lord Ares'?" The girl confirmed carefully.

"No need, I'm almost three thousand years old. It would be awkward if my own wife called me Lord or something. That would remind us both of the huge age gap right? I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, Portia." He said after downing the water in his silver goblet.

"Then, can I know when the wedding is? because I am confused about my current status, "

Ares looked thoughtful then scratched his chin before answering.

"You know, generally when a father accepts the dowry, it means he has given up his daughter. So, you have become my wife," Ares explained.

"Oh well, it's just that it wasn't what I thought."

"What do you mean?"

"You said this was your first marriage. But I don't see anything special about this. So I doubt if we really are husband and wife?" Said her.

"Oh I see now!" Ares slightly exclaimed.

"What?"

"It turns out you're a little ambitious Portia, you have a war god as your husband and want to announce it all over Olympus right? Basically you want to have a wedding?" The god guessed.

"What?" Jill didn't understand why Ares concluded it like that.

"I do not—"

"It's okay, I know a lot of women like that. I think you deserve a wedding. We'll invite all the gods of Olympus then. Do you want to arrange your own wedding?"

Jill immediately panicked, things got out of control. Why was she asked to be her own wedding planner? On Olympus? With the gods as their guest?

"Just have dinner then!" Jill interrupted.

"What?"

"I don't really like festivities, just celebrate our wedding with dinner that is attended by some close relatives. I'll think about the food," Jill dodged, thinking of an easier way to deal with it.

"Okay, it's up to you," Ares smiled.

He then cleaned his hands with a cloth soaked in warm water and then stretched out his hand.

"Why?"

"I'll show you around," he said.

Jill took the god's hand which was warm and slightly rough. He could see the fresh scars from the grip of the sword. Ares regularly trains and was never satisfied with his current skills. Considering he was nearly three thousand years old he was probably the best swordsman in Greece.

"I'm happy and relieved," Ares said.

"Why?"

"I thought I was going to marry a crybaby and timid girl. Turns out you're quite mature even though you're still very young,"

"Is that a compliment?"

"No, I'm just trying to understand you. I don't know you that well so I don't know if I'll like you enough. Don't worry, if we don't get along I will still be responsible for your life."

"How many times have you been in a relationship with a woman?"

Jill wanted to know because Ares seemed convinced and prepared for the worst ending in their relationship. It's as if he has been through it so many times that he now can guess the scenario of all the relationships he's been in.

"A lot, I'm not going to lie," he replied with a smile.

"I won't pretend to be a saint, let alone seduce you by lying that you're going to be my only woman, or the last woman in my life. I'm an immortal, you have to understand that we can't do that at all." Ares continued.

"I can't expect anything from you?"

"Yes, you better not do it. I don't want you to be disappointed. I want to remember you as the first woman to be my wife. The most beautiful princess of Greece and other good things. I don't want you to turn into a jealous woman and demand attention from me until I have to leave you. It wasn't the first time. I have had so many bad memories with women who didn't know the right way to position themselves," Ares explained.

"The point is, I have to remember to make sure there's no love in our relationship," Jill nodded.

"That's right, Portia. I hope you won't think of me too badly. I married you for fun. from what I hear it seems I have freed you from your father's restraints. Isn't this a good thing?" Ares was still holding the princess' hand and walked around his palace.

It was quite a night and the sound of crickets was loud. Jill could see the clear cloudless sky and the moon giving off a romantic feel without them asking.

Everything was clear now. Portia wasn't having bad luck. The god of war would not torture her. He was instead given a new life that would probably make her happier. Jill felt sorry because the real Portia didn't get to experience all of this.

Their relationship was simple. Ares was just curious about the most beautiful Greek princess and married her. The princess's only job was to please him, at least not to make him angry that he had to kick her out of the palace.

She was like a toy or pet cat of the god of war. But as mere property, she would get luxury and a decent life. Besides, meeting a god face to face was an incredibly rare life experience.

The god of war and Jill had now arrived at the door of the princess's room. Ares dropped her off after dinner while taking a walk and getting to know each other.

"Thanks for dropping me off," Jill nodded and turned around to open her bedroom door.

"What? You're telling me to leave?" Ares asked.

"Huh?"

"I'm going in, isn't it our first night?" He said again.