"Ares," Sage stared up at him, her eyes wide and pleading. "It's not my fault I'm like this."
The shadows seeped from Ares' face, returning him to the handsome god she was used to. He gazed down at her, his eyes glowing like the embers in a dying fire.
"You were going to kill me."
Sage bowed her head, guilt churning in her gut.
Ares clawed at his chest and his deep voice trembled. "I loved you."
"Because of an arrow."
"Because of you!" Tears slid down Ares' face. "Because you made me love you. You, with your strength, your poise, your dignity." He let his tears fall over her and the fire finally completely left his eyes, leaving them black and lifeless. "My feelings were real, Sage. The arrow only confused them – it didn't create them."
Sage shook her head. She didn't want to hear this. The floorboards creaked as Ares swept past her.
"Where are you going?" She asked, unable to stop herself. Ares was heading for the door, his back to her. He didn't stop.
"I can't be here. I can't look at you right now."
Sage winced and closed her eyes.
The door slammed shut behind Ares and Sage flinched. She bowed her head, overcome by broken sobs.
What had Aphrodite's curse done to her? She was a monster.
Ares soared through the night sky. Cold air assaulted his skin but he didn't feel its cruel sting. His heart was in splinters. Sage didn't love him, not only that – she'd tried to kill him. He replayed in his mind again and again, the awful moment, when she'd locked eyes with him and thrust the blade, attempting to pierce his heart.
Ares scrunched his eyes shut and roared. Everything was over. As he soared higher and higher, he felt like the world was crashing around him. He'd lost Sage. She'd never love him. She never had.
Sage stood in the plush apartment. Around her, everything was polished and gleaming. A chandelier twinkled from the high ceiling, casting rainbows of light across the wood wall panelling. Candles flickered from the coffee table, their sweet scent filling the room. The bust of an old admiral dominated the entryway, with umbrella's propped up against its base. The admiral's blank eyes seemed to sneer disapprovingly at her.
Sage felt a small child. She didn't belong here. She'd grown up in a tower block with social services breathing down her mother's neck. She should be back in her tiny apartment, with the damp walls and a landlord that wouldn't pick up the phone. A fairy-tale had brought her to this castle in the clouds. A fairy-tale had given her a handsome man with superpowers, to fall helplessly in love with her.
And now, standing alone, with Sophia unmoving on the floor, Sage could see how warped her fairy-tale was. She'd always thought that she was a good person, living a hard life. Now, she'd gone so far as attempted murder. She was no princess. She was one of the bad guys. She was the broken crack in the fairy-tale.
Sage pulled out her phone and found Jaz's name in her short contact list. He picked up on the first ring.
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The War God's Woman
العاطفيةAres, the God of War, is exiled from Olympus. In the modern world, he encounters Sage - a young woman being stalked by a dangerous gangster. They should have parted ways. But a love arrow, shot by Eros, changes everything...
