Dearest Ares,

I want you to know that I don't regret what happened last night. In fact it was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I had to leave before we were discovered because I am supposed to be a virgin goddess and my father would be furious. Please know that I love you and I always will even if I don't act like it. Please forgive me and despite my declaration we can never see each other in this manner again. No one can ever know, it is the only way to protect from my father's wrath. Don't worry I won't come to you again and I would never betray you to him. You, my love are safe from my father and free of me. I won't be jealous of the other women you bed after me. I understand completely and harbor no ill will toward you. I am simply honored that I was given the joy to have you myself for the time that we were together.

Yours Forever,

Artemis

Ares growled as he crumpled the letter, smoothed it out, and read it again. She was protecting Him!?! She feared for him not herself and as sweet as it sounds it was foolish to think that Zeus would lay a hand on him. Ares was not even Zeus' son much less his subordinate. Zeus maybe king of the gods but he was not king of war. Ares rose from his empty bed to pace his room alternately knocking things over as he passed them. Why had she left? She could have at least asked what he thought of her arrangement, or waited until morning to tell him in person. Damn Dionysus and his parties! This never would have happened if he hadn't drunk too much wine. No, no I don't regret what happened. He began pacing again. Lost in his thoughts he didn't hear Aphrodite enter his room. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his neck in greeting.

"What has you all worked up, love? Maybe you need a work out." Her hand slides up his abdomen and back down past his waist, lower, lower and lower until he stops her. He grips her wrist roughly and throws her onto the bed though he has no intention of joining her. Ares turns to glare ate her, she smiles seductively at him, patting the space on the bed beside her.

"I will only say this once and only once. Leave me now Di, I'm not in the mood."

"But you disappeared after the party last night and I missed you." She slyly slides the straps of her dress down reveling more of her breasts. "I was so cold last night; won't you come over here and warm me up?"

"Go visit your husband in his forge and you'll warm up in no time."

Aphrodite's eyes began to tear up. "Fine but don't you dare darken the entrance to my rooms ever again!" she rose, fixed her dress, slapped Ares squarely in the jaw and then disappeared in her custom pink smoke. Ares rubbed his jaw and laughed cruelly. If he were to appear in her bed right now she would take him in with open arms. If he went on a rampage every time she said that to him the world would be a very desolate place with very few mortals left on it. He returned to his bed and picked up the note Artemis had left him. Looking over every line in hopes of finding some code that meant she wanted to see him again. He growled again as he spotted the tears she had shed thinking of the women he'd bed after her. Ares wanted nothing more than to have been awake to kiss those tears away. He folds the note gently this time and sticks it under his breast plate as he dresses. Leaving his room he searches out Athena, he is in the mood to fight and he knows exactly how to set her off. He finds her in the court yard with Gemini (Apollo& Artemis). As soon as he laid his eyes on Artemis his anger is forgotten and is replaced by longing. He, Ares, the god of war, wants what he cannot have, that was a first. There were few things he wanted, none of which he could not have without the proper effort. Right now he wanted a fight and he intended to have one.

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Aphrodite sat in her room consulting her most potent magic. She would make Ares love her, and destroy anyone in her way. Her room was only lit by the dim glow of candles that lined the walls. As she poured over her books, Eros entered the room. He didn't cough as others would have, he was used to his mother burning incense when she was upset.

"Mother, what troubles you?" Aphrodite didn't even look up at her son. This troubled Eros more than his mother's obvious distress. He waited for minutes of silence before he continued. "Perhaps I can be of some assistance?"

Aphrodite looked up at her son for the first time since he entered the room. Assistance? Yes that was exactly what she needed. She would use her son to get what she wanted and it wouldn't be using him because he offered.

"Come and sit with me my son." She practically purred at him which gave Eros hope that she wasn't as troubled as he'd assumed. "I need you to help your poor mother. Okay son? Mother needs a tiny favor."

"Anything for you, Mother." He pledged eagerly. She smiled at his devotion.

"Go to Ares, son. Follow him, and report back to me on all his doings, who he sees and what he does with those who share his company. I want to know everything."

"Your wishes and whims are my command. Your desires my pleasure to gift to you I hope that my work will be satisfactory. I will report to you at dawn."

Just as quickly as the boy had come, he was gone. Hephaestus limped down the corridor as quietly as he could. He internally wept for his stepson. Eros' blind devotion for his mother kept him from seeing her for what she was, and what she was doing. How sad it was that neither god of love knew what love meant.

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Apollo and Athena were sitting on a bench with Artemis between them. They were slightly concerned because normally Artemis dominates the conversation. Today she is eerily silent and it is incredibly unsettling.

"Hey Lune did you hear anything we just said?" Apollo asked nudging his sister.

"Uh? Um… Athena was telling us about something."

"No, we asked if you had enjoyed the party last night." Athena corrected.

"Party? What party… oh Dionysus' party well I um don't really remember. I had a lot of wine." Artemis lied.

"Ares had a lot of wine too. He was completely wasted." Apollo and Athena laughed at this unknowingly bringing Artemis to tears.

"Lune? What's wrong?" they asked in unison as she became lost in her broken sobs.

"What happened to her?" Apollo asks Athena

"I don't know. But I'll leave you two alone so you can find out." Athena got up from the bench and walked away. She turned back only once to lock eyes with Apollo over his twin's head. A silent promise is made in that instant. They will help her with whatever the problem is, and make it better. Despite her hard exterior the Moon is fragile, and is heartbroken easily.

"Lune what's wrong?" Apollo asked her while rubbing her back.

"I…I…I can't… I promised."

"A secret? Well there are no secrets between twins. Whatever it is you can tell me and then we can keep the secret together."

She clutched to the front of his robes. "Even Athena?"

"Sure kiddo if it's that important to you. We'll keep it between us."

"Promise me. Swear on my life that you won't tell anyone."

"Okay."

"Swear it! Say the words!" Artemis clutched his shirt harder. New angry tears soaked his robes while she waited for his answer.

"Alright then, I swear on your life and mine that I won't tell anyone not even Athena your secret. Now will you tell me?"

She nodded. It would take all day for her to tell him of her night with Ares. Especially through her tears and repeatedly making Apollo promise to keep his mouth shut on the subject. She poured out her soul to her brother then cried herself to sleep in his arms. When her sobs had finally quieted Apollo cursed Ares to the blackest pit in Tartarus. Unaware that Ares himself was doing the same thing. Ares was laid out in a heap in his empty bed. Everything in his room destroyed, shattered into a million pieces. The only thing untouched was the goodbye letter from Artemis. Even his bed posts had chunks missing. Ares laid there on his bed nursing a wound no one would have ever believed he was capable of receiving. A broken heart, his chest felt heavy for the first time in his eternal life. He was for the first time in love, Ares the god of war was in love. The thought of it almost had him laughing, seeing how he barely believed it himself. War loved the Moon.

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Leigh: Okay I tried for longer chapters this time. Slight out of characterness. But I call it creative liberty. Shoot me a review and let me know what you think.