Make Love, Not War

Part 11

Ares appeared in Phobos’ temple knowing something was wrong with Joxer. Seeing Joxer lying in the bed with a dagger sticking out of him the War God called out to Hades, Cupid and Phobos for help.

“Not hileaslease wake up! Please come back to me, baby!” Ares screamed out in a mixture of anger and denial even as he removed the dagger with a loud sucking sound.

Having received both his Father’s fear and call for help Phobos appeared panicking, “Dad? What’s happened?”

Spying Joxer Phobos started crying as he cradled Joxer’s prone body knowing he was doing so for himself and for his father. Who would have done this to Joxer? Joxer had never hurt anyone. Phobos couldn’t help but feel it was all his fault. He should have made sure there enough Gods protecting his husband but naively assumed Olympus was safe. He didn’t react when Cupid appeared with anger, rage, and grief radiating from him.

Wrapping his arms around Phobos and Cupid snarled, “Who dared to attack my son? I’m going to kill them, they will pay from taking him from me.”

Hades appeared into the room freezing at the sight of Joxer’s lifeless body, it didn’t make sense. Joxer wasn’t with him and that worried him. Gently he approached the grieving Phobos and Cupid who were cradling Joxer’s body.

“Joxer’s soul isn’t with me. Are you sure he’s dead?” Hades said as soothingly as possible.

Ares snarled, “He stopped fucking breathing a couple of seconds after I got here Hades! Now that means someone’s dead right?”

“I know but please Ares, call Apollo.” Hades said gently seeing how heartbroken the War God was.

Ares nodded as he called out, “Apollo, can you please help me? Jox…Jox is seriously injured.”

Apollo appeared in the room knowing it had to be something fatally serious for Ares to call on him, he could count the number of times Ares had requested his help on one hand. Spying Joxer, he got to work carefully trying to remove the Hinds Blood poison on the knife from Joxer’s body.

“Joxer’s not alive, he hasn’t been dead long only about fifteen seconds. The child has to be born now or she will die.” Apollo said apologetically as he cut into Joxer carefully removing the baby.

Seeing the baby was silent Apollo bit his lip nervously as he couldn’t detect anyns ons of life. Suddenly there was a brief spark of light and then there was the unmistakable sound of crying. Everyone let out a sigh of relief knowing a part of Joxer would survive. Ares knew Joxer would have wanted his child to survive even if he had to die.

“Phobos, here is your daughter. What is her name?” Apollo said as he handed the baby to the shocked, grieving God.

Phobos smiled through his tears, “Her name is Aurora. She’s wonderful.”

Aurora had blue-black wings as was normal for those of the Houses of War and Death. She had a small amount of black hair. Aurora’s eyes were a beautiful and bewitching gold, as they watched the colour changed to a flashing red.

Gently Phobos kissed the top of her head saying, “I’m your father Phobos. Welcome to our worldora.ora. We lovelove you, Sweetheart.”

The room’s attention was drawn to the bed where Joxer was lying when the dead God started to s, hi, his body arching from the bed seconds before he disappeared. Frantically all of the Gods searched with their powers for any trace of the man but he had simply vanished.

Ares said brokenly, “The Fates said we would be together again! I want Jox back. I can’t live without him. Can I go and see him, Hades?”

Hades said quickly, “Ares…Ares! Joxer’s not in my realm. I don’t know where he is. I’m sorry. He’s dead but I can’t feel him anywhere.”

“Who did this to him? Ioingoing to burn them to cinders.” Ares said his body surrounded by a red glow of anger, hate, and sadness.

Phobos reassured him, “We will have our revenge. We need to get Aurora settled first. Dad, can we stay in your temple for a while?”

“Of course. I swear that I will do anything for her just as I will do anything for Joxer.”

Phobos just smiled sadly as they walked into one of the other rooms the baby giggling softly. Joxer had been ripped from their lives, changiveryverything not just on Olympus but in the mortal world. All of Joxer’s family would be affected by the tragedy meaning the Houses of Love, War and Death. There would be no peace for the mortal world until their loved one was avenged.
*******
Hera was startled when her eldest son asked for her presence in Phobos’ temple, her relationship with those of the House of War had always been strained to say the least but she had a feeling something was terribly wrong. Fearing something had happened to the baby, Hera disappeared from her Garden praying to Gaia that everything would be okay.

“What’s happened, Ares?”

Ares gasped out. “J…Jox was attacked. Someone stuck ggergger coated in Hind’s Blood into his heart. He’s never hurt anyone…why would they do that to him? Is it because I love him?”

Cradling her son Hera said soothingly, “Hush, we will find out who hurt him and see they get Olympian Justice. Did the baby die?”

“No, she’s okay. Her name is Aurora, she is beautiful. Are you coming to see her?”

Nodding in response to her son’s question Hera said, “Of course, Son. It’s a beautiful name and fitting since she heralde dae dawn of a new age.”

“Her name was chosen by The Fates.” Phobos said as the pair walked into the room where Cupid was gently cradling the now sleeping baby.

“It is a fitting name nonetheless. She is beautiful, how are you feeling?”

Amazed at her for even asking Phobos glared at her, “I am full of anger, pain and grief. I want someone to investigate the attack on Joxer otherwise we will deal with this ourselves.”

Knowing her dark family would leave the mortal world in ruins Hera nodded in agreement, it was the only way to save the mortals from being destroyed. She cooed at her great granddaughter for a few seconds delighting in the baby giggles and laughs. The Queen of the Gods froze in shock when Aurora started shaking before being covered in a purple glow. All the Gods had ton awn away as the light burned their eyes.

When everyone turned back to lat tat the baby they were shocked to find Aurora had aged. Aurora was standing before them now a beautiful teenager. The girl had a slim build; as tall as Xena with a mischievous smirk on her face eerily similar to Strife’s.

Standing Aurora smiled at them saying, “Its nice to finally be able to talk to you. Don’t worry about Papa. He will be back, I can feel it.”

“We love you so much, Aurora. My name is Phobos and I’m your other Daddy.” Phobos said with a nervous smile, laughing when his daughter hugged him tightly.

The girl smiled, “I know, Dad. Ares, the holder of my Papa’s heart. I love you Grandpa. I want that slut who killed my Papa to pay.”

“You know who killed my Jox? How?” Ares asked confused by the turn of events.

Aurora nodded sadly, “I’m an empath. I felt Papa’s shock, confusion, and fear. Accompanying these feelings was a strong image of his murderer. It was his former friend, the Amazon Bard. I think her name is Gabrielle.”

Ares snarled, “That brain-dead, bitter, bitch! I wish I had killed her when I had the chance!”

Phobos said sadly, “Jox thought she was his friend. He would have been in a mood for years if you had hurt her. I can’t believe she would do that to her friend.”

Cupid explained, “He was only her friend when she could use him to make herself look and feel better. It gavr a r a sense of importance to have Joxer following her around.”

Aurora ignored them all as she called forth, “I Aurora, Goddess of Destruction call forth The Furies to punish my father’s killer.”

There was a flash of light seconds before three women appeared dressed in red dresses, which left a large amount of their bodies on display. Although they didn’t appear threatening, these three were feared throughout Greece.

“You called us forth, Aurora. Why do you seek our help?”

Aurora took a deep breath as she explained, “My father was attacked and killed while in his temple on Olympus. His name was Joxer, God of Absent Lovers. I was inside him when he was killed and I have seen the identity of his killer. It was a former friend of his, Gabrielle an Amazon Bard favoured by Apollo. I ask for the Furies to punish his murderer.”

The avenger of murder Tisiphone smiled cruelly, “She will be punished, Aurora. I vow we will not allow his murderer to go free. We know Gabrielle, the daughter of Deimos many people have spoken about her crimes. She will be punished with insanity, it will only pass when she freely admits and repents her crime.”

“Thank you.” Ares said shocking the others in the room as the war god hardly ever thanked anyone least of all the Furies.

“It is fitting in these circumstances. Now we must go and deliver her punishment.” The three furies said together as they disappeared in a flash of red.

“I need to go and see Gaia, she’s calling to me.” Aurora said with a small grin.

Ares looked at his family before saying, “We’ll come with you.”

“I need to do this alone but you should get ready. This meeting I fear will be the beginning of the end,” Aurora said with a small smile as she disappeared.
*******
Tisiphone smirked at her sisters as they appeared in Phobos’ gardens where the Amazon and Warrior Princess were sitting talking. They were going to give the bard a long overdue punishment and no one could stop them.

Tisiphone smiled cruelly as she said, “Gabrielle, Queen of the Grecian Amazons we have foyou you guilty of one of the most heinous of crimes – the murder of a family member. Judgement has been sought and will be delivered.”

Xena snarled, “What in Hades are you talking about? Gabrielle would never kill anyone least of all a family member.”

The Furies all laughed coldly saying together, “Gabrielle killed her cousin by marriage. Joxer, God of Absent Lovers. We have a witness to the crime. Before you think of accusing our witness of lying, we can assure you thhe the told the truth. Now your punishment is insanity. You will only be relieved of your punishment when you confess and truly repent for your crimes.”

There was a flash of light as The Furies inflicted their punishment before removing the pair from Olympus, keeping them around would just cause problems. They wanted the bard to suffer not be killed as the majority of the Olympians would seek to do.

Zeus watched the scene from his temple. He would have to work quickly to ensure no one suspected him, his inferior son would kill him if for killing the man Ares foolishly believed himself to love. At least his plan had worked partly, the annoying Joxer was dead, but the usurper was still alive. Zeus knew he couldn’t act against Aurora now with the Houses of Death, Love, and War protecting her.

End Part 11