Chapter 27: Who Did It? Nobody!

Silence.

After Ares attempted to goad the remaining Gorgon sister into avenging her fallen one; instead of curses and cries directed at him, all Ares heard was silence.

And then maniacal laughter.

"HAHAHA!"

Her laugh made Ares shiver involuntarily.

'It's so cold and detached. Like she actually enjoyed seeing her sister destroyed.' Ares thought.

Tightening the grip on his blades, Ares readied himself for the inevitable.

"I am not my sister young God." Stheno sneered, slithering out of the temple. "If I wanted you to be, you would be dead already. God or not, at this present moment you are much too young to handle me like you did my sister."

Also 18ft like her sister, but unlike Euryale, Stheno was a beautiful woman. She had red skin and scales on the sides of her face with hissing green snakes for hair that matched her eyes. Like the scales on her face, her lower half was also colored with red scales.

'Shes right. Euryale was strong yes, but her pride and arrogance was her downfall. Her mistake was severely underestimating me. Stheno is much older; more experienced. If myths are correct, she killed more humans than her sisters combined. I might have a chance, a small one at best, but then again, I'm not suicidal. I might be a battle maniac, but I'm not suicidal.'

"What do you want?" Ares asked, still primed to attack if need be.

"Mmmm, I love your hostility." Stheno sultrily said, her forked tongue extending outward.

"No games Gorgon. What do you want?" Ares asked with narrowed eyes.

'Tsk. And I thought the younger ones would be more fun.' Stheno thought.

Pointing to the blades in Ares' possession, Stheno spoke once again.

"Those."

Ares followed to where Stheno's finger pointed, only to contort his face in anger.

Through clenched teeth, Ares growled out his response.

"No."

"Hmph, don't jump to to conclusions, you didn't even let me explain why I needed them. Fine, if I tell you I won't take them from your hands, would you listen?" Stheno asked.

Ares however didn't reply, he only continued to eye her warily, which gave Stheno all the confirmation she needed to continue.

With a happy nod of her head, she continued, "I'm trapped." Her previously gleeful face now solemn.

"Huh?" Was all Ares could say.

He was expecting a lot of things when he learned he would soon confront the Gorgon sisters.

And while Euryale met his expectations, Stheno on the other hand, she completely subverted them.

"How?" Ares asked, his gaze softening and guard loosening.

You might think he's crazy. But something was telling him she was being honest.

Call it intuition, but he knew she meant no harm.

"As you know, my sisters and I are children of the sea, born to the Primordial Sea God, Phorcys, and the Sea Goddess, Ceto. As they were allies of the Titans, in what he saw as saving his daughters, after the Titanomachy, my father gave us to Poseidon for safe keeping to work as priestesses In his temple. At first things were normal. Although he didn't pay as much attention to myself or Euryale has he did Medusa, I didn't think nothing of it. I was simply happy my sisters and I were safe. Until that night. Medusa ran into our shared room, her clothes torn and blood dripping from her thighs. She told us everything. She told us how Poseidon assaulted her in his own sacred temple, not caring as she screamed and begged for him to stop. Then he simply vanished once he was finished. Leaving Medusa sprawled on the temple floors, crying, still pleading for help. I proposed we tell our father, I thought surely he would punish this filthy God. After all, it was his youngest daughter that was assaulted. But I was wrong. Instead of punishing the man who violated his daughter, he punished all three of us instead. My father claimed us, his own flesh and blood, to be lying. And when he finished scolding us, cursed us to forever to slither the earth like the snakes we were. I won't go into the rest. I'm sure you know it." Stheno finished softly.

'Is this really the same Stheno that has killed more than her sisters combined?'

Ares was confused.

For the first time in his existence as the the God of War, his will to fight has diminished.

'It's different and yet the same. The fact that it was their father instead of Athena makes it all the more impactful. Poor girl.' Ares thought. 'It's too bad she was caught in the crossfire.'

"But what does this have to do with my swords?" Ares asked, his guard fully relaxed.

Looking to see if Praeco and Pontes were fine, he noticed they were. It seems they're having a conversation of their own.

Turning back to Stheno, he awaited her response.

"You will kill me." She paused for a bit waiting to see if Ares had anything to say, but he didn't, so she continued. "With your blades, you will stab me in the heart, an when you do, I will force my essence into them where my soul will then dwell. Essentially, I would then become your swords."

"Why?" Ares asked genuinely dumbfounded."Why would you willingly to put your soul in a sword?"

"I'm tired." Stheno sighed. "I been alive for a long time, I've had my share of excitement. If I'm being truthful, I don't want to be here. Like I said before, I'm trapped. This island was one Euryale and I found shortly after Medusa's death. Ever since then however, no matter how many times we attempted to leave the island, we came back. We were once again cursed. Eventually we resigned to our fates and stayed, catching shipwrecked people and daring explorers. I don't know what or who or why someone would want us on this island, but I can't play their game anymore. So young God, kill me and free me of my misery." Stheno finished, extending her arms to the side with her head raised.

"And if it doesn't work?" Ares said, readying he blades to puncture her heart.

It's the least he can do.

Ares could see that she's tired.

That she's had enough.

'This a not what he expected at all.'

Tilting her head down slightly with a smirk evident, Stheno spoke, "Then I die."

With out warning, Ares lunged his blades into Stheno bare chest, piercing her heart.

*BOOM*

A red ring of energy mixed with green spiraled to the sky and expanded outward obliterating the trees, the temple, and most of the surrounding area.

Soon the red and green spiral energy decreased in size and when it was finished resembled a football floating just above the blades.

Gently falling into them, once the soul touched the blades it washed over it, enveloping them in a blinding red and green glow.

After the glow died down, the body of the eldest Gorgon sister, Stheno the Mighty, was no more.

Nothing remained of her body.

Carved into both blades, coiling up and around from their handle to their points, was a red snake with green scales glistening on its back.

"Beautiful." Ares couldn't help but mutter.

The swords vibrated lightly, acknowledging the compliment.

"I see." Ares muttered.

'A Sentient sword huh?' He thought, rotating the blades in his hands.

Sheathing them on his back, Ares looked to his companions.

"Alright guys, Sikelia for sure this time." Ares said chuckling, waking over to Pontes and Praeco who was sitting snugly on his fiery mane.

---

Arriving at the correct island this time, before the trio could land, they heard a loud male voice scream in panic.

"AGHH I CANT SEE! NOBODY HAS STABBED ME!"

"Master?"

"Yes Praeco?"

"Why is he screaming nobody stabbed him if…nobody stabbed him?" Praeco asked with a tilt of her head.

"Because "nobody" actually stabbed him." Ares replied chuckling.

"But-"

"Look." Ares said pointing towards the sea.

As the cyclops Polyphemus was terraforming Sikelia in an attempt to find nobody, said person had already sailed a distance away from the island.

"Is that?"

"It is. This nobody the cyclops speaks of is none other than King Odysseus of Ithaca himself. Not only has he provided me entertainment during the war, he's also made my task of taking Sikelia much easier. I'd have to thank him somehow." Ares said watching the boat sail into the horizon.

"I see." Praeco said as if realizing something. "He's really clever. Why would anyone help someone if they tell them nobody stabbed them? Very clever indeed." Praeco nodded sagely.

"You can land now Pontes. We have an island to conquer."