OF WAR Anthology Novels 1-3

by Lisa Beth Darling

  If nothing else, they certainly fought like Brother and Sister. In fact, whenever someone’s back was turned he was exceedingly mean to her, telling her she was ugly and stupid, most of all that she wasn’t even as good as him, let alone better as the other Olympians seemed to think. Despite the circumstances of her conception, Alena thought Trinity a lovely little girl. She tried to encourage the two to play together more often and pleaded with Raven not to be so mean to Trinity. She told him that he should think of her as a little sister. That, like with Spirit Walker, he should treat her like a little Sister. Raven should watch out for her, help her and guide her, and she would look up to him.

  The only approval Raven wanted was that of his Father and the other adult Olympians. They had a bad influence on Raven. They whispered about him right in front of his face, remarking on how uncharacteristically advanced he was. They talked about him as if he were a demon, and treated him as an outcast.

  Trinity did not. The girl was open to her Brother and seemed to enjoy spending time with Raven; she even went to great lengths in her efforts to please him, but Raven’s attitude remained unchanged. The poor little girl was lonely; there was no one here her age but Raven, and when he wasn’t being outright mean to her he couldn’t be bothered to give her so much as the time of day. Alena was discouraged and she appealed to Ares, telling him she thought Raven should see his Sister more often and be kind to her. He would do that if Ares told him to. Alena also thought it wasn’t a horrible idea if Ares had to spend some time around his Daughter. After all, it wasn’t as if Apollo was stepping up to the plate to be a daddy to her—Apollo just ignored her. Ares was indifferent to her arguments and refused to encourage his Son to have much of anything to do with Trinity.

  Feeling it may be her fault that Ares didn’t want to be openly involved with his youngest daughter, Alena set up play dates for Raven and Trinity. She would arrange for Eros to bring Trinity by when Alena would suddenly find something she had to do outside of the Fortress or upstairs away from them. Ares didn’t soften to the little girl he fathered; instead of watching over them when they were together, he delegated the responsibility to Eros or Onya then left the vicinity.

  The last time Trinity came to visit was over a month ago. Alena tried several times to find out why but answers were vague. She didn’t venture to speak directly to Aphrodite, but kept using Eros as a go-between. All he would tell her was that Trinity didn’t want to come back anymore and his Mother wasn’t about to force her into it. It wasn’t so much what he said but the way Eros said it that made Alena wonder just what Raven had done to Trinity the last time she was here and Ares left them alone together.

  Alena was in the unenviable position of actually feeling sorry for Trinity and even for her Mother. Aphrodite wasn’t faring well; she wandered around with a perpetual frown on her beautiful face, looking haggard and worn. There were no more quick quips from her sharp tongue. Alena nearly missed their colorful banter; she’d rather have that than the hollowness in Aphrodite’s eyes. It seemed that the only thing that brought the Goddess of Love the slightest joy was Trinity, and the two appeared to have a very warm relationship. Worst of all for Aphrodite, she never got back her figure after giving birth. She was still a most desirable and stunning woman, even if she was a little more buxom than before. Vanity being one of the highest priorities in Aphrodite’s life, she lost the flowing sheer robes and push-up halter, opting for a more traditional, if still sexy, toga.

  Alena was starting to think that whatever was really bubbling under the icy surface of Olympus, Aphrodite might just be as a much a victim as anyone. As for the rest of Olympus, well, nothing ever really changed. When All of Eternity stretched out before you, one day just bled into the next and it all became a blur rather than a privilege. Eros was close to Raven and getting closer to Ares; the two had unexpectedly but delightedly warmed to each other, causing Ares to no longer view his oldest Son as a rival for Alena’s affections. The two Brothers went flying nearly every day and Raven just adored it, he always begged for more.

  “I think we’re ready.”

  Alena turned away from the large window in the Throne Room where she’d been daydreaming as she gazed out of the snow to see Ares and Raven standing there. “Oh my, look at you two!” she said with a smile. “Don’t you look handsome and rugged?”

  Today was a very big day; Raven and his Father were going to the island for their first hunting trip. They were going to make camp and do everything the Mortal Way; with their hands, backs and brains, no powers allowed. Raven stood just past Ares’ waist and it wouldn’t be long before he was taller than his mother was. He had a good-sized long bow slung over his bare shoulder along with a full quiver and a dagger in his double-ringed leather belt. (Alena smiled to herself; she’d spent two weeks looking for that belt after Raven decided he liked ‘Kelso’ in “That 70’s Show”.) Two more daggers strapped to his calves below the cuffs of the fading Levi’s, new sword hanging opposite the dagger on his belt. He was a miniature version of his Father; he’d be an exact duplicate if it weren’t for the wide silver streak in his hair, his gray/amber eyes, and the slenderness of his frame. Even now his chest was starting to broaden and ripple, his abs were becoming defined and hard from the workouts with his Father. There was no denying that her little boy would turn into a man any day now as wisps of midnight hair fell upon his wide shoulders.

  “Don’t you think you might like a shirt or some shoes?” Alena asked as she looked down at his large bare feet.

  “There he takes after you,” Ares said as he sauntered over to kiss her cheek.

  She wrapped around his waist and nuzzled her head against his ribs as she looked over at Raven standing there wondering what was taking so long. “Be good for your Father, do what he says and respect what you kill.” Alena wasn’t worried; she knew Raven could handle himself. With him being such an excitable and high-energy boy, Ares tried to focus those energies and harness them in what he considered a positive manner. He did this by teaching the boy the skills of a warrior. Alena, daughter of a warrior and wife to one as well, had no objections and she joined them in the basement daily. Ares wholeheartedly approved, as he believed it was high time Alena worked with her own powers and skills. Even though she was the boy’s mother, since her powers were bound for so long, they were very evenly matched and sparred well together, Raven with spear and she with the staff Ares made for her.

  Having the complete run of the cavernous basement, they sparred and chased each other around as Ares shouted out encouragement and strategies to them. Alena was only a few inches taller than Raven but his arms were already longer than hers, and that gave him an advantage when thrusting and swinging out with the spear. Alena almost always seemed to sense such moves and jumped over the spear as though she were playing double-dutch. The smacking of wood on wood clattered throughout the Fortress. Raven gave it his all, but Alena treated the matches more like a game; when she struck out it wasn’t with all of her force and a few times Ares caught her letting Raven best her. He took great exception to that. An opponent either won or lost in battle; there was no mercy. A few times, late at night in their bed, Alena told him it was good for Raven’s self-esteem if she let him win once or twice, but that only made him angrier as he told her self-esteem was earned and not given like a toy. Raven would learn nothing if she let him win; he had to learn how to be victorious on his own, or when it came time for a real battle he would be unprepared.

  From that night on, Alena won every match between her and Raven, though the last few had been very close and Raven was catching on to his mother’s moves and strategies. It turned sour yesterday as they sparred and Raven chased his mother into the small meat locker where their meat was either cured by smoking or roasted in the huge stone pit. The pit was five feet deep and seven feet across, surrounded on three sides by stone four feet high that came together in an arch at the center. A drop from the top to the bottom wouldn’t prove fatal, but it was certainly deterrent
enough when Raven cornered his mother up there. Alena was going to jump to the top and then down the other side to use the stone walls as cover, but Raven was faster than she thought. By the time her foot landed on the uppermost stone, Raven was already waiting for her on the other side, sharp point of the spear thrust upward toward her throat. “Yield!” Raven commanded, feeling victory in his fingertips for the first time.

  Ares still didn’t know just how she managed it. Alena swung out with one foot as she pivoted on the other, knocking the spear safely away from her as she turned, silver hair flying out behind her like the mane of a steed, to make the jump to the other side and safety. When she came around the corner with her staff at the ready, Raven, angry at having been cheated, let an ice ball five inches thick fly from the palm of his hand to hit her squarely in the jaw. Alena was knocked back by the force, her lips split open, gums bleeding, nose broken. Raven loomed over her, his eyes vacant and empty as he held the sharp spear to her throat. “Yield, bitch.” It was no command—it was a threat.

  Before Ares could shout to his Son that was enough, a great gust of wind swirled around in the small room. It blew back his hair and then pushed against him with such force he had to fight to stand his place. Alena’s beautiful gray eyes closed as her arms splayed out at her sides, one with the palm open and the other choking the staff. The point of the spear wavered in the strong wind as Raven struggled to stay pitched forward as the growing gale threatened to lift him off his knees and toss him across the room. Raven countered, his young hands glowing with an eerie blue light as they began freezing to the staff, the new ice ball growing between them. This one was twice the size of the other and if he hit her with it at this close range, Raven might well kill his mother.

  Without any warning, the wind seemed to turn on Alena; it lifted her body upward from the small of her back to her shoulders, bringing her throat dangerously close to the tip of the spear. Suddenly her eyes opened to reveal only the whites. As though she could see through them, they shifted to Raven’s hands and then back to his face. Amazingly, Alena’s lips turned into a cold grin that fixed Raven’s stare to her face while she lifted the staff and then brought it crashing down to the marble floor with such force the echo was deafening. Raven flew off her. The staff left his stunned hand, the ice ball retreated, and he hit the stones of the fire pit with such force that they shattered. Before the boy or his Father knew what was happening, Alena, her eyes still showing only the whites, was standing over Raven with her staff pointing at his throat and her foot on his heart. “Yield,” she whispered as the wind whipped around them, tossing bits of dust into Ares’ eyes.

  Angry at having had victory snatched so cruelly from his grasp, Raven stared up her as he shielded his eyes from the biting wind. “Uncle,” he spat.

  It took a few moments but the wind subsided, Alena stumbled backward on unsteady feet before the whites of her eyes rolled down and she looked out at the world through those luminescent pearls of gray.

  “Wow,” Ares muttered, stroking his beard trying to digest everything he’d seen. Magick was not normally part of Alena and Raven’s sparring routine; she was afraid to use it even though he’d tried to tell her that he could counter any damage she might do. No matter what he did he couldn’t coax her into it, so magick was off-limits when they sparred. Today when Raven unexpectedly threatened her with it, Alena didn’t hesitate to answer the call.

  Catching her breath and feeling a wave of nausea wash over her, Alena looked down at Raven, who looked up her angry and afraid. “Are you ok?” She reached out a hand to him but Raven batted it away.

  “Fine, mom.” Jumping to his feet in a quick move, he brushed off the dirt and debris from his bare skin. Instead of stepping up and congratulating his mother, when she turned her back to him to look at Ares, Raven let an ice ball fly from his hand to strike her in the back of the head, splitting it open as it brought her to her knees. “Take that, you whore.”

  Ares didn’t hesitate, he didn’t even know he was doing it; all he did know was that one moment Raven was standing there with that snide smug look on his face and the next he was screaming as flames surrounded him. He stumbled in the fire a few moments before turning his whole body to ice and putting out the flames. When Raven returned to normal, he was lightly singed but otherwise unharmed. “Don’t ever do that again, boy.”

  Alena took to bed for the rest of the day, saying she was tired. The wounds on her face and back of her head still hadn’t healed. As she stood here in the foyer saying her good-byes, her lip was caked with a scab, her nose slightly bent, and the wound at the back of her head just beginning to heal over.

  Raven rolled his eyes and groaned as he mumbled, “Yeah, sure, mom.”

  Spirit Walker, who was also going on this trip, taught Raven some respect for life; now it was Ares’ turn to teach him respect for death. “Bring me home a boar or something we can roast,” she encouraged and tried not to let her eyes mist over as she stared at the boy so quickly becoming a man. “Something tasty.” She’d kiss him but she knew Raven wouldn’t like that and instead she just ran the tips of her fingers across the silver streak in his hair.

  “Ok,” he said in a stronger voice.

  Alena would like to go with them but there would be other hunting trips. This trip was planned just for Father and Son. Raven was acting out more and more as he got older, and Ares felt it necessary for the two of them to have some good old-fashioned bonding time. Alena agreed. Raven was a very high-energy boy, nearly 24/7 he charged around the Fortress with all of energy of runaway freight train.

  Now that his mind and body were developing so well, Young Master Raven began acting out in odd ways that no one could control or predict.

  A few nights ago, Ares and Alena left Raven in the Fortress while they went to enjoy a leisurely meal and a stage-play in Paris. As always, when they left, Onya was in charge of the house and Raven, who took the opportunity to begin testing his boundaries again. One of his new favorite things was treating Onya and the other women as objects. Raven made it clear he thought they should wait on him hand and foot, that whatever he or Spirit Walker wanted should be brought to him immediately and without question.

  First he told Onya the meal she cooked for him, hamburgers with macaroni and cheese, Raven’s favorite, wasn’t good enough. He made her grill him a steak. After devouring it with his bare hands and Onya repeatedly telling him to use his manners along with his knife and fork, upon rising from his seat at the dinner table and leaving a mess behind, he turned to her. “Are you fuckable? You sure felt it.” He held his hands out in front of him with the palms cupped upward as though he were holding two invisible melons.

  Two nights before, Raven came into the bathroom while Onya was bathing and demanded to see her, to touch her, and have her touch him. When she wouldn’t comply, he jumped into the tub and started pawing at her. He was hard to fight off; he was so strong like Ares, but when he locked those serpent-like eyes to yours it was impossible to look away as you felt him probing around in there, beckoning and bending you to his will. She managed to escape with Raven only making it to second base. She should have told Ares or Alena but, in the end, she was afraid of Raven and of crossing him. There was no telling what the boy would do in order to get even.

  However, if Onya had known she wasn’t going to be the last woman Raven accosted she might have spoken up. She did tell Eros about it as she laid naked, warm in the softness of his wings. Eros held her close listening with intensity and sympathy as he soothed her.

  When the Lord and Lady of the house decided to go out tonight, Onya wanted to protest because she didn’t want to be left alone with the petulant boy. “Excuse me?” Onya returned in shock and disgust. “That’s very rude.”

  Maybe it was but he wanted to know more and in the end, “You hav’ta answer me. I’m Ares’ Son.” He watched her eyes grow wide as she balked again. He stood there leering openly at her, undressing her with his young eyes, and noting how pretty she
was, younger than his mother was, she had nice big tits, round hips, and “You fuck my Father?”

  “Raven! If you say that again I’ll wash your mouth out with soap.”

  “Try it.” His strange eyes narrowed on hers. “You did until Mom married him. Now you don’t, but you wish you still did.” His eyes scanned away from her falling face to the door as he thought about the other two women down the hall getting ready to call it a night. “Them too, huh?”

  The boy’s serpent eyes seemed to be boring a hole straight through her skull and into her mind as he started to skip around, picking for the memories he wanted to see. “Raven! Stop! Yes, Ares was my lover and theirs too, but that’s over now. Now we’re—”

  “Slaves, like mom is,” he remarked in a cold voice. “You do what Dad and me say.”

  “Do I? Well, we’ll see what your parents have to say about that.” Onya began clearing the table when Raven came up from behind her and grabbed her ass. In shock and disgust, Onya jumped, and in the process a crystal pitcher fell out of her hand and shattered on the marble floor.

  “Don’t you touch me like that!” she shrieked as she turned around. “I’ll tell your Father what you did the other night.”

  Onya’s threat didn’t deter Raven. “You suck cock?”

  “That’s it! I see you’ve opted for a mouth full of soap, ok, it was your choice.” Onya, her hand dripping with spilled milk, grabbed Raven by the ear lobe and dragged him to the kitchen sink. In a swift move, the hand mercilessly pulling his ear and making him stumble along sideways clamped down on the scruff of his neck and pushed him forward over the sink while the other hand grabbed the bar of soap and turned on the water. When Raven refused to open his mouth, she gave his hair a hard yank, which caused his mouth to open in protest. She shoved the bar of soap into it and began swirling it around on his tongue while he wriggled and started to choke. “How’s that? Better? Taste good?”