The War God's Woman

18. The Goddess of Love

Ares picked up Sage, carrying her weight easily, and pushed off from the ground. They shot up into the sky and the wind rushed violently passed them, swallowing Sage's shrieks. She clung onto Ares' neck, feeling like she'd left her stomach on the ground. Her teeth chattered together and the rush of cold air paralysed her. The city lights shone vividly below but she scrunched her eyes shut, unable to enjoy the view.

Ares swerved suddenly. His grip tightened around Sage and he could feel her heart pounding against his chest. A barrage of sparrows buffeted into them, their little claws and beaks smacking against Ares' shields. He dealt with them mercilessly, frying the little birds. It was easy, like a human squishing ants. He landed nimbly on the ground and set Sage down onto her feet. She cringed away from the crispy feathers that were fluttering down from the sky like snowfall.

"This is the old dock," she exclaimed, recognising their dismal surroundings. "Are we safe here?"

Ares shook his head a fraction, his keen gaze fixed on the sky.

"Not exactly." His eyes narrowed. Aphrodite was circling overhead, camouflaged from human eyes. Ares' observed the goddess' graceful movements. She was burdened by something. What was she carrying?

"Why have we stopped then?" Sage asked, giving up on trying to see what he was looking at. The docks was an eerie place, it's derelict warehouses cloaked in shadows. "We should keep moving."

"We're not running away."

"Why not?" Sage was outraged. He was the one who had told her Aphrodite was a threat and that her life was in danger.

Ares' jaw twitched, a flicker of emotion passing over his face but only for a moment – before his soldier's mask was back in place.

"Because I am the war god, and I will not run."

"But when we flew off-"

"It was to pick a strategic battleground."

"This is strategic?" She stared around at the deserted dock. But then she registered his choice of words. Battleground. Sage tensed, her nerves on a knife edge. Ares intended to fight. But what happened if he didn't win? She stopped scanning in the area and focused instead on the war god at her side. She'd seen him lift a car over his head, pet a horse that breathed fire and fly over the city - surely he undefeatable. Right?  

Ares clicked his tongue. He'd been wrong, the question wasn't what was Aphrodite carrying, but who.

"Stay behind me." He directed. Sage had no intention of disobeying. Something heavy dropped from the sky, seeming to appear out of nowhere. Sage flinched and cowered behind Ares. He didn't react to the thing's sudden appearance. "Stay." He repeated, and he took the precaution of putting a hand on Sage's arm to keep her in place.

Sage stared at the fallen object, no – not an object – a person. She took half a step forward and Ares' grip on her arm tightened. "No."

"But that's..." As she was talking, the person who had been dropped from the sky groaned and rolled onto his back. He rubbed his head, seeming confused by what had just happened. "Ezekiel."

On saying his name, the gangster's head snapped up and his gaze met hers.

"Sage?"