God of War, Ares: Guardian

by Brandon Chen

  “Satisfied?” Ra called from behind Ares, standing on the rooftop behind the god.

  Ares turned to the sun deity and smiled. “Yes. Thank you, Ra, for the opportunity to save the people and correct my mistake. During my battle with Ahriman, I lost control and there was a lot of collateral damage.”

  “Ah, yes. I know,” Ra said with a chuckle. “I saw.”

  “You see a lot of things, don’t you?” Ares smirked.

  “I do, yes.” Ra winked. “You know, Ares, the other gods are quite impressed with you. You could’ve wished for anything. Unlimited wealth, incredible power, a title, recognition … but you chose to save humans. The gods don’t value human life as highly as you do.” Ra walked forward and patted Ares on the shoulder. “However, I am very proud of you, Darien. You have grown to become a better god than I ever could’ve imagined. Sometimes being a good god isn’t just about having the most power. It’s about making the best decisions with the power that you already have.”

  Ares nodded and smiled. “I’ll carry those words with me forever, Ra. I never really got the chance to properly thank you for the power and opportunity that you bestowed upon me in the Lost Sands five years ago. You saved my life and helped me meet a great friend of mine.”

  “Amon, right?” Ra said and reached out, poking his index finger to Ares’ heart. “I can feel your sorrow. You think that Amon’s gone? Being petrified does not mean that he has perished, Ares. Come, take my hand,” he said, holding his hand out to Ares. “I’ll show you.”

  Show me what? Ares hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking Ra’s hand. There was a flash of light that detonated before eyes and he felt himself being lifted upward. A fast gust of wind rushed into his face and Ares suddenly found himself standing on a lush meadow of green grass. His heart was pounding and he looked up to see that it was nighttime. His eyes widened when he saw that there were three massive moons in the night sky. And the sky wasn’t black as it was back in Terrador. Instead, it was a mixture of purple, dark blue, and white, creating an amalgam of brilliant lights that streamed across the sky. In the far distance there were mountains that stretched upward with peaks that were blanketed entirely in snow, something that Ares had only read about in books.

  A brisk breeze gusted through the valley and Ares closed his eyes, letting the wind blow back his blonde hair. He inhaled the fresh air, smiling. “Where are we?” Ares turned to Ra.

  “This is Heaven, the world of the gods,” Ra said, folding his arms. “This is where all of the gods live.” He pointed to one mountain in particular that was much taller than the rest, its peak vanishing into the clouds. “That is Mount Olympus, where your pantheon of gods gathers. Come, I will escort you there. I know that your new family is waiting to meet you,” he said, turning to begin walking across the verdant field of grass towards the mountain in the distance.

  Gods? Meeting me? Ares’ body stiffened and he exhaled, shaking his head slowly. “This is a lot, you know. For the past couple of years, I’ve just been living in the desert. I didn’t even thinking about meeting other humans and now I’m going off to go and meet legendary gods. I don’t know, I’m just a little nervous.”

  Ra stopped and raised an eyebrow at Ares. “You’re the Hellas god of war, what do you have to be nervous about? Besides … you have a great Guardian to protect you if anything goes wrong.”

  Ares blinked, confused for a moment. Suddenly he was flicked in the back of the head, and went flipping through the air. He crashed down on the dirt several feet away. The boy’s head popped up from the ground, sputtering blades of grass from his mouth. He turned angrily at whoever had assaulted him and his eyes widened when he saw that Amon was standing there, snorting air from the two holes in his face that were supposed to be his nostrils.

  Miss me, Ares? Amon grumbled, reaching up and pounding his chest with a heavy thump.

  Ares’ eyes lit up with elation and he raced forward, tears gleaming in the corners of his eyes as he wrapped his arms around the gigantic rock golem’s tough leg. He squeezed the rock tightly, never wanting to let go. “It’s never the same without you, big guy. Of course, I missed you.”

  Amon got down on one knee and wrapped his giant rocky arms around the god and embraced him lightly. I missed you too, friend. Mithra freed me from my petrified stone form. I am quite grateful to him.

  Ares grinned as he pulled back from the hug. “I’ll be sure to thank that old bastard the next time I see him then! Oh, and did he tell you that I beat up Ahriman? You wouldn’t believe how hard I knocked him down!” The boy simulated swift punches in the air. He lowered his hands to his side and chuckled. “I want to thank you, Amon.”

  Amon tilted his head to the side. For what?

  Ares held out his fist. “For always being there for me. Even when you’re a frozen statue, I know you’re still there with me.”

  Amon grunted and reached out, lightly tapping his fist to Ares’ knuckles. You’re acting awfully soft right now, Ares. You’re scaring me. But of course I’ll always be there for you. You’re my best friend, after all.

  The god of war put his hands on his hips and beamed. “That’s never going to change.” He held out his fist, smiling up at his friend.

  Amon snorted and bumped his giant, rocky fist against Ares’. It’s good to be back.

  “Now that the two of you have been reunited, I believe that it’s time for us to get going, no?” Ra said, motioning for Ares and Amon to follow him towards Olympus. “There are many gods that are awaiting your arrival.”

  Ares and Amon exchanged quick glances before trudging after Ra. Ares exhaled, feeling his heart rate beginning to pick up pace as he walked across the green meadow, crushing grass underneath his boots. Things are going to change after this, aren’t they? I’m not going to be just a hermit deity that hides out in the Lost Sands. I’m going to be a part of a pantheon of gods that are just like me! Maybe they’re even stronger. The journey that I just endured surely was nothing compared to what’s ahead because I have the weirdest feeling that this just the beginning.

  My name is Ares and I am Hellas’ new god of war.

  ***

  Bator leaned forward, his heart pounding. He stared at the stub where his hand had been only hours before. It was healed and the blood had stopped hemorrhaging from the wound, but his hand was permanently gone. The irritating cheers of thousands of elated men filled his ears, but Bator’s head was lowered as he trudged through the streets of Persepolis.

  He staggered into a dark alleyway, allowing the shadows to swallow him in blackness. The man’s face contorted into a furious scowl as he breathed heavily from his nose. Pressing one palm against a dirty wall, Bator limped through the alleyway alone. However, he spotted a flicker of movement above him and watched as a graceful man descended from the sky and landed in the center of the alley in front of the weary mercenary.

  The mysterious figure had lengthy black hair with spiked golden earrings that hung from both lobes of his ears. He had a dark robe that was thrown over a red shirt the color of a burning flame. The man smiled slightly as he looked at Bator with his flashy emerald eyes. “Oh, look. A one-eyed man. You remind me a bit of another god that I know, Odin. Have you heard of him?”

  “I haven’t heard of such a deity before,” Bator growled.

  “Such rage radiates from you,” the man said with a light chuckle filled with glee as he slowly paced around Bator. “Hatred forged clearly from an event that has scarred you, no? Something that cannot be undone. I recognize that look in your eye. You’re suffering.”

  “What do you know of suffering?” Bator grumbled, keeping his eye trained on the stranger. His hand went to his sheathed sickle and he clenched his jaw. “Who are you?”

  “My name is Loki. I am a god from the Aesir pantheon,” the man said with a gentle bow. A slow, mischievous smile cracked across his lips. “I have come with a particular proposition for you, mortal.”

  “A proposition?”

&nb
sp; “Your thirst for vengeance is far too clear. I can see the bloodlust in the reflection of your eye. You hate someone, right? After all, they’re the one who did this to you.” Loki waved to Bator’s stump of an arm. The mercenary lowered his head. “But I can grant you strength beyond any ordinary human. Strength to do anything you want. What do you want?”

  Bator’s eye lit up and he gaped at the god, his arms trembling. “I desire power. Power to destroy my enemies. Power to bring me wealth. Power to destroy … Tetsu Hayashi!” He grinded his teeth, his single hand balling up into a fist that was clutched so tightly that his knuckles were pure white.

  Loki grinned wickedly and reached down to his belt, unsheathing a tiny knife that looked like it was used to spread butter. He twirled it and jabbed the glistening blade into his wrist. The weapon bit into his skin, causing dark-red blood to ooze from the self-inflicted wound. The twinkling fluid trickled down the god’s arm and Loki thrust the injury close to Bator, who flinched. “Then drink. Become mine. I will grant you the power that you seek. But in exchange … you will become my God Slayer.”

  About the Author

  Brandon Chen is a freshman at New York University and a self-published author. He has been writing stories since about the age of twelve. His two current novels consist of the first two installments of the Age of Darkness series. He intends on continuing writing books in the young adult fantasy genre for his readers to enjoy.