The War God's Woman

38. Eros' Shackle

"I should go back down." Sage mumbled, reluctantly – glancing back at the café. "But are we really ok now? You're not angry, about ... Ezekiel?"

Ares' gaze tightened slightly, but he shook his head.

"I have a gift for you." He told her, changing the subject. "It once belonged to Psyche and was a gift crafted for her by Eros." Ares touched Sage's wrist and suddenly, a bracelet was there. Sage admired the gold ornament. "It was supposed to symbolise his undying love for her. Psyche was human, but when she wore this – the world understood that she was loved by a god."

Sage stroked the delicate design.

"How come you have it?"

"Well..." He hesitated. Thrax snorted, asking for permission to leave. Ares nodded to his warhorse, allowing him to return to the sky. Sage waved goodbye to the beast and Ares smiled. It was pleasant to see that all her fear of Thrax had disappeared.

Still smiling, Ares took Sages hands and place them around his neck. Sage squeaked, her eyes widening as Ares took a step off the roof and they slowly floated down to street level, landing in the alleyway opposite the café.

"Some warning next time." Sage breathlessly chided.

"Noted."

Sage shook her head at his cheeky expression.

"So, why do you have the bracelet?" She prompted.

"A long time ago, Eros went missing. No one could find him. Not on Olympus or on Earth or in the Underworld.  He was presumed dead. I told you before, didn't I? That when a god dies he becomes his true nature. If that happens, the god can never be resurrected or found."

"But now we know that wasn't the case."

"Indeed." Ares assented. Because Eros had appeared on Castle Hill. Which left a lot of unanswered questions...  

"That still doesn't answer my question, though." Sage prodded, disrupting Ares' thoughts. "How come you have the bracelet?"

"I'm Eros' father. I have many of his belongings, kept safe."

"Won't he want this back?"

Ares shrugged.

"After hitting me with an arrow, I'm in no mood to give any of his stuff back – should he return to claim them." Which he hadn't.

Sage released her hold on Ares, now they were firmly on solid ground, and looked down at the bracelet once more.

"What happened to Psyche?" Sage asked, belatedly realising that she'd never asked. What had happened after Eros had cursed the royal bloodline? Ares shrugged. 

They walked out of the alley and paused to wait for a car to go by. The café gleamed in the sunlight, it's walls as pink as cherry blossom. 

"They say that she's in the underworld." Ares answered thoughtfully. "But I've never seen her there." 

They made it to the café but Ares tugged on Sage's hand to stop her from going immediately inside. "The bracelet can be our symbol now. A token that shows my love for you." His eyes glowed as he stared down at her. "Promise me that you'll wear it."