Chapter 4: Who I’m Supposed To Be

"That's… Strange… Wasn't I outside?" Sitting up in a bed he could only assume he was placed on, Ares began turning his neck from left to right, hearing loud audible pops with each turn. "Is this a hut? A yurt?" He mumbled to myself.

The floor of the hut/yurt was laid with dirt and gravel having circular clay walls enclosing the space. There wasn't much furniture besides two other wooden beds with straw, a clay fireplace, and a crudely carved wooden table standing no more than two or three feet off the ground.

As he was eyeing the table's construction, a woman's voice startled him entering his ears, "So you're awake young one." Turning his head to the owner of the voice who was at the entrance to the hut/yurt his eyes widened. 'She's beautiful.' He thought. Walking from the entrance and towards him, she placed a wooden bowl of water by his side and began using a cloth to wipe his sweat.

The woman looks no more the thirty having long golden brown hair reaching her lower back that glistens in the flickering fire light of the hut/yurt. She has beautiful ivory skin and her eyes are a gorgeous ocean blue. Her body is that of a goddess portioned perfectly in all the right places.

Smiling softly she continues, "My sons were out on a hunt when they happened across your body in the bushes. They said that you were injured and wanted me to help you. They even claimed you to be a God as they saw golden blood on your person. But when they got here you were perfectly fine. Pristine as ever! I didn't believe them then and still don't believe them now. They swear by the Gods you were so badly injured that your arm was bent abnormally and your eyes swollen. But look, here you are perfectly healthy." She finished with a sigh and her cheeks puffed. 'She looks really cute!'

"Who are you?" He asked, turning to fully face the beauty. "Ahh, pardon me, I am called Ahena and my sons who found you are Dimaus and Krigas. They should be here any, ah, here they are." She said turning to the entrance, a loving smile on her face.

Following her line of sight Ares could see two young boys in the door way of the hut/yurt both having dejected faces. "What's wrong Krigas?" Ahena asked quickly changing her expression to a worried one. "Since sun up we've been searching for game to hunt and yet no matter where we search we cant seem to find anything. All we've found is bone and ravaged animal corpses. We went deeper in search of the more dangerous animals but decided then against it. Well Dimaus here did, I think he was a little scared." Krigas said chuckling lightly knocking his brothers side with his elbow.

Krigas was pale skinned boy standing at five feet three inches who looked about fourteen or fifteen. His frame wasn't overly muscular but he wasn't skinny sporting a healthy athletic build. He had the same ocean blue eyes as his mother and his hair was a darker brown. His face was marked with a red streak covering his right eye coming from his hairline.

"We cant leave mother here to tend to the guest we brought home ourselves, plus, its almost noon and my stomach is about to eat itself." Dimaus finished rubbing his stomach.

Dimaus was similar to his brother in looks and age with the only difference being his height, standing at five feet even, his clean shaven head, and no red mark over his right eye.

"Your such a glutton Dimaus. What will I ever do with you?" Ahena said with a stern voice but if you look at her face it holds a beautiful smile.

Everyone laughed and the atmosphere was pleasant. And like this the day progressed though at times Ares would get a foreboding feeling in the back of his head.

————-

While everyone else was asleep having enjoyed the day and the conversations that ensued, Ares was still awake thinking about the energy he felt that helped him overcome the giant Otus. He felt the energy provided him with unequivocal strength and the knowledge of any fighting style whether it be past, present, or future as well as the means to handle any weapon. But he also knows that just because he knows the, "how to", doesn't mean he would be able to effectively perform a move or wield a weapon let alone his godly strength. He must train first.

Shaking him out of his thoughts Ares started to hear faint screaming coming from outside of the hut/yurt. At first he thought nothing of it but when it became incessant and louder he stood from the bed he was provided and walked to the doorway.

Pushing aside the curtain that was put in place as a makeshift door what Ares saw made him immediately throw up and his warm golden ichor run cold.

On a large green plain, huts/yurts similar to Ahena's were destroyed and on fire with some people running around like headless chickens burning as well. Mounds of rocks with dismembered limbs mixed in between were scattered all about.

Children, men, women; no one safe from the devastation. It was then Ares heard an all too familiar voice, "So you are here Little Prince! It seems having that bitches scent wasn't just for my pleasure!" Screamed the voice of Ephialtes walking towards him from the front, each of his steps shaking the area, stepping on the unfortunate who couldn't get away in time. Ares heard more screams and turned slightly behind him to see the blind Otus widely swinging his arms, destroying more huts/yurts, all the while laughing with glee.

He was about turn and confront Ephialtes when he heard a voice he wish he didn't.

"What's going on? Oh my Zeus what is this?!" Ahena asked shakily, watching people and homes be destroyed.

"You need to get your sons out of here now!" Ares screamed positioning himself in front of Ahena and her hut/yurt.

"What! No! If we leave, you are coming with us!" Ahena vehemently refused, grabbing Ares' arm. But just as she was going to pull him into her arms he pulled her into his, jumping away from the hut/yurt being barley missed by a giant foot crashing down on it.

*SQUELCH*

Ahena's screams were comparable to that of a banshee warning of a horrible death, "NOOOOO!!". She ripped herself from Ares' grasp and ran towards a puddle of blood and bones, all that remains of her boys.

While Ares stood frozen at the sight of what just occurred and Ahena was frantically trying to scoop up the remainder of her children, both were unaware of Ephialtes who was just appeared behind Ares.

Punching Ares the through air causing him to land on a pile of rubble and bodies Ephialtes proceeded to walk towards the mumbling Ahena.

Not even registering the mammoth shadow looming over her, Ahena's attention was solely on the growing puddle of blood. Even when Ephialtes wrapped his fingers around her body and was guided to his mouth, she only focused on the puddle of her sons mumbling there names.

*CRUCNH*

Ares watched in horror as the people who took care of him, provided him with shelter, and even fed him, died because of him. "It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault." Ares kept repeating those words over and over his hands grasping his hair pulling tighter each time.

"Aww, is the Wittle Pwince upset because we killed his human friends? Boohoo!" Ephialtes mocked followed by his brother Otus laughing heartily.

Ares hearing this snapped. These people had shown him nothing but kindness and all he did was gift them death in return. "How foolish." Ares mumbled to himself. Slowly rising from the rubble and bodies he was the thrown into, the air around Ares changed. Black and red wisps of energy flew from out of his body and around it; burning it and essentially reforming it.

Dying down, the black and red energy revealed where once stood a boy now stood an eight foot man with golden locks reaching his lower back. His body looked like it was sculpted by the finest artisan to ever live with his muscles big and pronounced.

"They were right. I am a God."

Not giving Ephialtes or Otus any time to comment on his transformation he immediately blurred from existence and reappeared in front of the blind Otus kicking his right knee back pushing his bone to the other side. Not finished yet Ares ripped the now exposed bone from Otus' leg and climbed on his back before jumping off and using the bone, stabbing it in his neck and dragging it down breaking his spleen and ripping his back open.

"AGGGHHHHH!!!" Otus' screamed loudly but not for long as Ares switched his hold on the bone to a reverse grip and slashed Otus' throat.

"YOU BASTARD!" Ephialtes swung at his brothers killer attempting to decapitate him. Bending his body at a ninety degree angle Ares dodged Ephialtes attempt to decapitate him and used his momentum to grab the giants overextended arm breaking his elbow from the back.

Falling to one knee gripping elbow Ephialtes was in pain but refused to scream. Gathering his remaining strength and swearing to himself he would kill the Little Prince no matter what, he attempted to stand and dodge an oncoming slash aimed for his neck but it proved futile. One moment he felt perfectly fine thinking the slash missed and was going to counterattack but the next he felt a searing pain. He attempted to scream this time but couldn't. The last thing he felt was regret. Regret in unleashing this horrific golden haired monster.

Ares stood in the midst of fire and bloodshed staring blankly at the hut/yurt he stayed in only for a night and day. "I'm sorry… I should have known. Mortals and Gods can never intermingle…"

Walking over to the pile of what used Ahena's hut/yurt Ares dropped to his knees. He didn't shed any tears just tightened his already clenched fist. "No more games." Ares said through gritted teeth his head towards the sky. "I will be who I'm supposed to be! I will be-"

Suddenly a deep and raspy male voice interrupted him, "Mother is inserted in you Ares, son of the Queen of Gods Hera. Come, we mustn't keep her waiting."

Before he could ask any questions or even turn to look at who was speaking to him he blacked out, exhausted mentally and physically.