Chapter 12: Tartarus

Ares was excited; TOO excited. Halfway on his ride back to Olympus he suddenly realized he was missing the whole reason he ventured out in the first place: Tartarus' fire!

Ares was slightly miffed and rightfully so. Imagine being so close to your desire you can feel it in your hands, taste it even; only to suddenly find out you're no where near where you thought you were.

The ride from then on was, quiet.

Arriving on the back of Primo in front of the cave he left Thanatos at, Ares told Primo to go in. While the cave looked normal upon entry, the further Ares went in, the more it resembled a hellscape.

"Hey Praeco." Ares called to his companion who was nestled in her favorite spot. "By any chance is there a guard here? Like I don't know, maybe a three headed dog?" Ares asked, his voice trying and failing to contain its excitement.

Of course if Cerberus exist he's going to fight it! He is Ares the God of War. And though he hasn't participated such, how could a God of War not, on a visit to Tartarus, fight its most powerful beings. Tartarus! If he didn't have Primo he would have tried to tame Cerberus if he existed yet!

'Imagine walking into a war atop a pitch black, three headed dog that also happens to be thirty feet. The war would be over before it even began. It would be marvelous!' Ares thought, a splitting smile on his face.

Praeco who noticed this spoke softly, "Not that I'm aware of master. I haven't worked with my brother for a while. I'm sorry to say but I know not the happenings of Tartarus." She finished solemnly, her beak turning downwards.

Primo who was now waking by Ares' side grunted and Praeco quickly expressed her thanks. 'I really need to learn how to communicate with him.' Ares thought.

While the trio was walking through the cave they had passed many skeletons strewn about the mossy, red cave walls and wandering souls. Praeco stated that these are souls who have no place in Tartarus or Elysium, forever cursed to walk between worlds.

Exiting the narrow cave halls, the cave space expanded into a magnificent room, the ceilings fifty feet high.

While the narrow cave hallways were covered in a moss that grew red on its walls, the room Ares was in spotless. The walls, floors, and ceilings were black with black stalagmites and stalactites on the floor and ceiling respectively. Patches of red grass were spread throughout the cave floor, some as tall as corn stalks.

Two black, giant stone statues fifty feet in height stand guard over an open gate, each on one side facing each other's direction. They were identical, wearing a helmet that covered the sides of their faces wearing a black cuirass with a skirt, their sandals fashioned up to their shins.

They each had twenty foot broad swords with jagged edges on its sides and a cross guard that had skulls on each end. The swords handles and pommels were covered by the statues hands so any closer inspection was pointless.

Walking up to the statues, Ares gave them a once over. 'They look strong!' He was hoping he was right. He's been itching for a fight like the one against Primo. Sure he sparred with Primo since then but that isn't at the same intensity.

Primo looks at Ares now as a master. There is no way Primo will do anything to hurt his master no matter what he says. There have been times however, when Primo and Ares would spar, and Ares would tell Primo fight to kill. Not wanting to possibly injure his master, no matter hard difficult that maybe, Primo wouldn't comply.

Ares is understanding. He understands what's going through a Primo's mind. If Ares was in Primo's shoes he honestly might think the same way. "Why would I want to hurt my benefactor?"

That's that what Primo is thinking. And once again, Ares understands that. However sometimes Ares just wants to fight. He doesn't know when it happened to him; he doesn't care. The only thing that he wants to do is fight.

As soon as he gets his swords from Brontes; war is inevitable.

"Who seeks entrance into Tartarus?!" The giant on the left spoke, his voice deep and powerful causing the cave to shake a little, dust and small rocks falling.

"Ares." The young God of War answered, his voice resounding through Tartarus. Stalactites began to fall and the ground quacked. Ares had just announced his presence to all of Tartarus, the Underworld, to Hades.

"And what does Ares want in Tartarus?" The right statue asked calmly, it's voice softer but still as powerful.

"Fire." Ares kept it short and sweet. He doesn't have to explain himself to some guards. He is a God. Who are they but mere eternal gatekeepers?

"Fire? And why woul-"

"Before you finish. Who are you to question a God?" Ares asked with an apathetic face, his arm extended towards the left giant, his hand out, thumb extended upwards, and index finger pointed toward it, 'I always wanted to do this.' Ares thought excitedly. "Chaos Finger" A ball of black and red energy formed at the tip of Ares' extended index finger and with the drop of his thumb was released toward the giant.

*BOOM* The entrance to Tartarus shook more violently than when Ares announced his presence in the domain. The remaining stalactites began to fall and the stalagmites on the cave floor to crumble. The screams of unfortunate souls that were caught in the blast could be heard as they suddenly and painfully were evaporated. Where once stood a fifty foot giant was now stood half. Its torso up was completely obliterated, its legs the only thing remaining.

Nodding satisfied at his work, Ares turned his attention to the remaining statue who's stone eyes were wide and locked onto his former partner. "Now, are you going to question me as well? Or can I go and get what I came for? As you could see, I'm impartial on whether you live or die." Ares finished in a bored drawl, his earlier excitement long fading. Not saying a word, the statue who was stuck in a loop of looking at Ares and back to his fallen comrade moved to the side and gestured the trio to go through.

"See that wasn't so hard!" Ares said, jumping back onto Primo. Turning his head upwards slightly Ares spoke, "Praeco, where is the place that easiest to collect this fire I need? Though I've enjoyed myself tremendously on this journey I've grown weary. The faster I get this fire the faster I get my blades." He finished with a sigh.

"Master there is no easy place to collect the fire. Like Gaia, Tartarus is an element. The only way to get its fire is to go through its deepest pits. There you will be able to acquire what you seek." Praeco explained to her master.

"Ugh, fine." Ares sighed, mumbling something else under his breath.

After encountering the guards, the trio hasn't run into anymore roadblocks honestly surprising, and upsetting Ares. 'This isn't fun at all! Where are the Titans? Are they still much deeper in? Hecatoncheries? Why isn't the whole Underworld coming defend itself from an intruder? Why isn't Hades coming to greet me?! I WANT A REFUND!' Ares thought to himself. The more he thought about how unlike his imagination Tartarus was the tighter he squeezed onto his poor steed's hair.

"Master we're here." Praeco announced, knocking Ares out of his thoughts and receiving a grateful grunt from Primo.

Orange fire mixed with red and blue flames licked wildly on surface of a lake. Red grass surrounds the fiery lake with flowers that burn perpetually. Like the rest of the cave the ceilings and floors bore stalactites and stalagmites with the only difference being they dripped causing black pools of water to form on the ground.

"Now what?" Ares asked in a contemplative tone, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Allow me master." Praeco said giddily. Jumping off of Ares' head, she transformed mid air back into her human form.

Over the weeks Ares and Praeco have known each other, though short, Praeco has grown considerably. When Ares met her, she and her sisters stood at a height of 5ft even and had a sickly appearance. Now standing at 5ft6in, Praeco no longer had a sickly appearance. Instead her body has filled out and her hair thicker and longer reaching her calfs. 'All thanks to master.' She always tells herself.

Now at the edge of the lake with the chalice in hand, Praeco began chanting something and the fire that was on the lake seemed to respond. The dancing fire stagnated and suddenly rushed to the edge were Praeco was standing.

As the intensity of Praeco's chant increased the fire began to spiral and form a gradually growing tendril of fire. Growing big enough, the tendril bent creating an arc towards the chalice filling it to the brim with orange, red, and blue flames.

With the chalice full Praeco halted her chant and the fire went back to its original state. Turning a round with a smile on her face, Praeco was about to speak when her smile dropped and eyes widened. Standing behind her master is none other than the Lord of the Underworld himself, Hades.

Wearing a crown black in color and a foot height it makes his already tall frame even taller with him standing at 9ft even. His hair was as black as Nyx's cloak matching his full beard. Hades's skin was ghostly pale almost translucent with the sclera's of his eyes black and his pupils blue.

He was dressed in a gray cloth shirt covered by a long, black flowing cloak that hung on one shoulder attached together with a skull, the tail ends of his cloak dragging behind him. In his right hand, standing at the same height as him, was his golden bident made by Brontes himself.

Ares, noticing the quick change in facial expression, turned his head in the direction Praeco's was frozen already having a guess as to who it is. Fully turning to the subject of her gaze Ares smiled. "Finally, I was wondering when you were going to show up." Ares said walking and stopping a foot in front of Hades.

"You destroyed my guard son of Hera." Hades said, his voice low and regal.

"Your guard needed to learn his place Hades. A mere gate keeper has no right to question me. NO ONE, has the right to question me. But, I have a suggestion; a sign of good faith of you will. If I were you, I would get a dog to guard the gates. The more heads the better." Ares haughtily retorted, using his height to his advantage, smiling and looking down at Hades.

Hades narrowed his eyes but said nothing. 'I was arrogant once too.' He thought. "What do you need the fire of this place for?" Hades asked Ares, the latter smiling wider upon hearing the question. Seeing this Hades once again narrowed his eyes following up his previous question with another, "What is so amusing son of Hera?" A gradually increasing pressure could be felt by all in Tartarus with each word Hades spoke. Releasing a pressure of his own, Ares smile now resembling a cheshire cats spoke, "Im pretty sure thats what your guard was going to ask before I destroyed him."

The silence that came after that statement was unnerving for Praeco and Primo. Both wanted to help there master but they knew this was a fight they couldn't handle right now.

"Your still too young to fight me boy." It was Hades who spoke, the pressure he was emitting now gone, and small amused smile on his face. "HAHAHA! Soon come Hades. Soon I will be back for our battle. And when I do, it will be glorious! A fight spoken of throughout the ages!" Ares finished posing dramatically, his arms extended to his side, head facing the ceiling.

"That it would be." Hades said with a smile. "Go, even though I asked, I have no need to know why you need the fire of Tartarus, though I might have an idea. I just simply thought it polite to introduce myself, even though you intruded on, and destroyed parts of my domain." He finished, turning around and walking back to wherever he came from. "I'm glad to see Thanatos has such a capable ally." Hades mumbled softly to himself.

"By any chance, is there a closer exit? Wait, better yet, do you have a way to go straight to Olympus?" Ares asked almost desperately. He really wants to get his weapons forged. He's earned them!

"Haha, I was wondering when you were going to ask." Hades said not even looking back. Waving is left arm to the side a blue portal the same color as his eyes opened up. "Now off you go." Hades said now almost out of Ares' vision.

"FINALLY!!" Ares shouted, grabbing Primo and Praeco, pulling them both under his arms, and sprinting though the portal, Praeco trying her hardest not to spill the undying fire.

"BRONTES!!!"