War Within the Depths (PercAres)

ep 15.

Warning! This chapter contains explicit and well-detailed graphic descriptions intended for a 18+ audience. 
The reader is solely responsible.

Chapter Fifteen:

Minor gods, nymphs, and even a few of the muses swarmed Aphrodite as she, Ares, and Percy materialized at the entrance to Olympus. 

For a brief moment, Percy grabbed onto the torn collar of Ares’ shirt to steady himself after another journey via Helios’ goblet, then sighed and let go. 

Ares eyed him for a long moment, measuring him, before looking away, as if he had made some kind of decision. 

As the large crowd that had gathered around them dispersed, with Aphrodite among them, Percy found himself blushing as laurel wreaths were placed on his head, and baskets filled with fragrant bread and fruit were handed to him. 

For a moment, he simply stood there beside Ares, until his stomach let out a loud growl, reminding him just how hungry he was. 

“I…” He lifted his eyes to the god beside him, and Ares responded with only his mocking smile. 

“Follow me, loser,” Ares said, and began to walk up one of the many gleaming marble paths around them.

Olympus never failed to fill Percy with awe at its size and beauty. 

Gardens bursting with flowers and greenery stretched everywhere, polished, glittering marble and gold caught his eye, and massive, spectacular statues adorned the area. Minor gods, satyrs, naiads, and beautiful nymphs smiled and waved at him. 

But even though Percy was mesmerized, he couldn’t help but notice the murmurs that followed him as he turned his back, especially when he followed Ares into a massive building of red marble. 

Percy hadn’t had the chance to examine the building from the outside, since Ares had pushed him inside, but once inside, he realized where they were. 

“Wow, so… you call this ‘home’?” he asked, trying to mask his amazement. His eyes darted around the many rooms, the rugs, the statues, the colors, and the grandeur that filled the place. 

“If you insist,” Ares replied. “But I have a few sanctuaries I like more, especially the one in Thrace.” 

Percy studied the god deeply. 

It felt like a lifetime ago since Ares had appeared at Camp Half-Blood and demanded Percy join him on the quest they had gone through together. 

Even farther back than that was the change in Percy’s heart—from that forgotten moment when he had begrudgingly wrapped his arms around Ares’ back on that dreadful motorcycle at the start of their journey, to the uncompromising kiss they had shared just before attacking the Gigantes earlier that morning. 

Even from that specific battle, Percy felt as if months had passed. 

“I’m tired,” he murmured, though there was more than just physical exhaustion in his voice, the kind sleep could not cure. 

Ares gently took hold of Percy’s shoulders, then slowly slid his large hands down the half-blood’s arms. 

“Tomorrow is mid-summer, and the Council of the Gods. Aphrodite is on Olympus, and the quest is over. Let’s shower, eat, and get some rest. You’ll feel much better.” 

Percy had never heard such genuine concern in Ares’ deep voice. 

He lifted his eyes, capturing in his memory the god’s hair, now much longer since the start of the quest, the molten-fire eyes that always entranced him, the rugged lips whose rough texture he knew too well, the broad shoulders, the strong chest, and that radiant skin only gods could afford to have. He hadn’t realized until that moment just how much he had longed to look at Ares like this again.