Chapter Fourteen: The Unforseen Plot Holes

Armenia has always been very fascinating, with art-like structures of towers, forests as enchanted as a fairytale story, monsters roaming around—friendly monsters, and beasts. 

Just like how intriguing each detail of this world had,  what makes it more elegant is the fact that every town they manage to pass through has beautiful roofs, and streets. Everything looks like it came from or straight from human imagination. 

It was a cunning beauty. Armenia, which was divided by three lands—continents, has its reason for division. If the land of mortals is already this beautiful and interesting, the Holy Land—Olympus is above what they call beauty, it's more like high class than anything compared. 

However, unlike the Holy Land as heavenly, Tartarus is more different than hell. It's not a place filled with complete darkness, instead it's a place filled with complete abnormality and death. Everything you touch is either poisonous like snakes, or poisonous as not contagious.

It's more like a home of death itself than hell with fire and insects in description. It's more than hell, it's more bloody than hell. The monsters here look innocent, but they lure people in and fest on either their body or soul. 

That said, Tartarus is not the only place in the land of chaos which exists. Deeper within its boundary lay a big wall of a door, this door exists that connects both Tartarus and the deepest part of it's chaos called "underworld" a place of demons, and devils resides. 

It is also known as the home of the fallen goddess, the exiled child of Zeus, and the twin sister of Ares. 

The Goddess of Wisdom... How could a beautiful Goddess of Wisdom lose herself and become the most dangerous Goddess in all of Armenia? It doesn't make sense doesn't it? Unless the story didn't go as the facts or truth but false. 

The Goddess didn't necessarily fall out for no reason, it's not for that reason as well. It's the fact that she was betrayed that she became corrupted by evil and wickedness. 

A Goddess of Wisdom? For her knowledge and wisdom was always known to be more powerful than anything else. Of course, that is either fact or not. It's a rumor amongst those who spread it, although there are stories stating Athena's hidden wickedness. Others also said that she was possessed by devils and became the Queen of Underworld. 

The most famous story is probably the one where Athena tried to stop Ares who wanted to volunteer and Athena didn't like it. In this story, Athena and Ares didn't have a good relationship. 

It was known amongst the Gods that both twins are always fighting over small things. Like when Athena was one of the leading commanders in the infamous Cold War, and Ares didn't like it. So he tried to steal his sister's spot, which led to Athena's rampant. 

It's a well known story amongst mortal beings. It's not even the true story, but it affected his reputation quite well. Few of his brother and sister conspired in this story, so it was so hard to keep that story down. 

In Armenia, people now know Ares as the son who led his sister to destruction. Although that didn't happen, it was how many mortals saw it, thanks to his sisters and brothers who backstab him. 

The day that happened was also the day of the Camio Gathering that was held in Olympus. The Camio Gathering is one of the famous family gatherings held in the top of the mountains as a traditional event that happens once in a year. 

It's understandable since all of Zeus child's were busy doing something. It's not always that this family of God's are gathering so it's a big event for all of them. 

Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom, as wise as she always was but there is a topic amongst the God's which had been a problem in recent years. This is the rampage of demons in the whole Armenia.

It's where those filthy eating monsters get a little loose on the surface land, it was a natural cause by the existence of a one emerald eye crystal that blooms at the center of Tartarus. This crystal helps the summoning of the demons from the underworld on the surface. 

It's like a gesture of all evil, one that was bloomed from the catastrophe of all monsters in Tartarus that gives life to this devilish crystal. It is a dangerous crystal indeed, it plunges chaos and destruction but who wouldn't know behind it was someone who didn't stop the blooming of this crystal ball. 

Ares who didn't know better wanted to stop the madness, mortal life was in grave danger, amongst all Gods, only Ares understood and cherished mortal's life, he inherited from his father, Zeus. 

He wanted to help and stop those demons, and he volunteered himself. That was in fact a true event, Ares volunteered and it didn't go as he planned. 

Athena refuses him to sacrifice himself. Ares is the God of War, so why did Athena say that? There is this war between the Titan Goddess Gaia, she tried leaving Tartarus but she encountered Ares who was raised to go against all kinds of battles. 

He was loyal to Ares, and her escaping from Tartarus is against his fathers permission. Despite being defeated, Gaia didn't just lose as anyone promptly said. Gaia has been practicing curses since then, so she must be confident that she can curse him. 

Yeah, Gaia won because she uses this cheap trick. Ares was cursed, half of his powers were cursed, ending him living his life as a half mortal being. The curse didn't leave him, but his Godly title remains. 

Gaia may have been put back to her rightful place, in exchange for Ares' sacrifices. Zeus couldn't even cure him, the curse on him was powerful and deadly, it even took half of his immortality. 

Athena didn't want to lose her only brother. In truth, Athena and Ares have the most heartwarming relationship that not all of Zeus' children ever had. It was tempting and envious, but not all of them were like these two. 

They really are twins. 

Ares exclaimed as he sat his shoulders in the tree behind him. "I couldn't even stop her when she left and never came back." 

Beside him, Caleb listens as Ares told him the story about him and Athena, one of the stories that had been forgotten nor had any chance of being cleaned. Waiting for the arrival of the entire army led by Lyrica, and waiting the very moment to meet his daughter, Valerie. 

"I felt useless after being cursed, I couldn't even save anyone nor be useful to my father. It pained me that it came down this tragically, we didn't choose this option—me and my sister. Hades soon came running telling us that Athena had fallen into the abyss of the underworld, through the most voided place amongst it. I never thought I'd believe him—Hades was cunning, and a liar but I always thought he wouldn't dare betray his family—I was wrong, damn wrong."

It's not very often for Ares to tell the truth about Athena himself, not from the rumors without facts. It's because he always believes, which is why it also happens. It didn't take him time to understand what the feeling of being mortal could be this beautiful.

He thought that Athena wouldn't come back, so he decided to take responsibility and live his life as a normal being. A mortal, one who lives in the standard of mortality while being able to feel well, and love well. 

"At that time, I didn't know, so I couldn't resist such a mortal's affection, I couldn't deny nor ignore it. I fell in love with a human, a woman who had accepted me as someone who had fallen out of divinity."

Caleb knew this story. Ares spent his life in the mortal land as a half mortal, he wonders of the vast land of mortals' surface, ignoring the prayers and summoning of other Gods and Goddesses. 

While being a mortal, he became a man who wandered off, selling items, or goods, trading with other nations and eating mortal food. He become so used to mortals life that he ignores calls from his father.

One day in a desert not far from the Westville Kingdom, a famous trading town lies within. It was a typical town, with a bunch of talking people, and even monsters, or animals trading and selling things they have inside their wares. 

Amongst those trade men and women is the most beautiful and heretical Lady Rosalyn Zafri-ne, who always competed with Ares when she discovered that Ares was making at the top of the trading rank. 

It's like a mouse and a rat, being competitive over small things. This is the reason Ares, who had no intention of being stuck in that town ended up living in that town for more than how he remembers.

"Like a mouse chasing after me all day, just because I was top of her rank," Ares giggles and smiles. 

That same old competitive daily life would soon become the bridge to make them closer, but it wasn't as easy as it sounds. "I thought Eros was making fun of me, or worse, his scheming, but I knew well that the God of Love, the Cupid himself, wouldn't have any evil intentions."

He decided to accept that event, and a day has passed by since. Ares still refuses to hear his fathers call, even though Ares decided to marry a mortal being, Zeus was watching, and knew everything that Ares wouldn't tell.