Ares ran across the lawn and into the Palace. His father had just returned from The War. They had won against the Giants who had lay siege on Olympus. Across the massive corridors, he cruised through them with unrelenting stamina only to hit someone as he approached a corner. "Watch where you're going, Ares." Hestia chided.
She was her favorite aunt. She always had the temperament to put up with his antics. Unlike her other aunt and sometimes his mother, Aunt Hestia also never turned him away, and right now she reached down to pick him up from the floor.
Ares quickly jumped back—he may be young but—he wasn't that young. He hastily picked the left hallway and broke into a sprint while laughing at Hestia's mock growl, "come back here, you little rascal."
Ares knew he couldn't outrun her if she wanted it, but that wouldn't stop him from trying. With a thirty-meter head start, he could work something out. Just as he was thinking, he heard her footsteps picking up speed.
Giving a quick glance over his shoulder, he saw Hestia coming after him. He gave out a small shriek before going full sprint hoping he would last long enough to reach the end of the hallway. His prayers were answered as he made it to the end of the hallway with still a good portion of a lead.
Ares took the giant flight of stairs, one at a time for his four and a half-feet frame. He came to the end of the first flight and into the first corridor he could find, this one was filled with several rooms, and he picked the first one he could see. It was one of the many guest chambers inside the colossal palace.
To anyone new to the palace, they would be lost entirely for days if not weeks before they even came close to becoming familiar with the rows upon rows of hallways that connected the hundreds of rooms; some of which were also interconnected.
Fortunately for him, he'd been living in the palace for over ten years, and by now he knew every room like the back of his hand.
For a moment he was alone, and the only sound he could pick out was that of his pounding heart; his back against the large doors. He didn't wait for long though when he heard a voice that he almost missed at first, but he heard it again.
It took him a good five seconds to figure out it was someone moaning; a woman to be precise. Opening his eyes, he glanced at the direction of the sound, and he was able to see two figures. He couldn't make out their faces but rather their movements behind curtains of the big canopy bed.
One of the figures had their head buried in the other figure's chest. Their hands holding the second figure in place. The second figure appeared to be feebly pushing against the first figure, but it wasn't enough to warrant a struggle. Out of curiosity, he slowly moved towards the bed. Halfway towards it, he was once again able to pick out vague sounds. But the more he got closer the clearer he could hear until he could now listen to them; it was barely a whisper. "Please…your wife…she will find us. She's going to kill me—" The second figure spoke mid-gasps in a feminine voice.
"I masked our sounds, you could scream all you feel like, no one outside of this room will hear us. Don't worry about my wife, no harm shall come towards you; you have my word." A deep male voice proclaimed.
Ares' heart froze, his legs rooted to the floor. A flurry of emotions swept his mind but the most prominent being anger. Without thinking, he grabbed the curtain and pulled it with all his might. There he was, his idol.
The person he adored and pretty much worshiped the ground he walked on. Still donned in his battle armor, had his hands around someone else he knew wasn't his mother. The two figures turned to look at the intruder, and for a moment Ares thought his father would rip his head off judging by the look of pure fury he had.
It was however quickly replaced by a calm, calculating expression complimented with a smile. "Son, how did you get here? Never mind." He said before getting out the bed and grabbing his hand. "Come with me, there are lots of stories to tell you. We won the war."
For a moment Ares didn't budge, his eyes completely fixed on the woman who by now had her hands on her chest; trying all she could to cover her ample bosom. He twisted his arm, freeing it and immediately lunged for the bewildered woman.
He was almost at her throat when he felt large, muscular arms grabbing his waist and yanking him back until he was pressed against his attacker's chest. An arm snaked its way around his waist and held him firmly in place.
"Let me go!"
"Now Ares, calm down."
"No! Let me go. MOTHER!" Ares screamed.
The door opened but it wasn't his mother, it was Hestia who walked in.
"Found—" Her words were cut short once she had the time to take in the scene.
"Nothing happened here," Zeus said, and Hestia nodded.
Ares wanted to protest again, but the world began rushing by as he was fed too much information, he ended up closing his eyes and tried to erase all the flurry images that he experienced.
"Open your eyes son." Ares did as he was told. They were on a shore at a place he had no recollection of.
"Where are we?"
"Somewhere south of home."
"Why father?"
"You needed some fresh air and time to cool off, trust me, it's best to make your decisions with a cooler head. Unlike you, I learned that the hard way."
"Why are you doing this to mother?"
"I don't know son…boredom, curiosity, or maybe I'm compensating for something. The cosmos isn't as simple as you might think Ares."
"That's not good enough, I'm telling mother."
"And then what? She will likely kill her but still be angry for the next decade if not a century. As much as you may hate it, Maia doesn't deserve to die. Not to mention, tomorrow is a big day for you. Your mother is happy and looking forward to your Awakening." Zeus said, he was crouched, and his eyes were now level with Ares' small stature.
"Promise me you won't do it again?"
"I won't."
"No, swear by River Styx."
"Ares, I'm the god of oaths, my promise alone is enough. You have to trust me."
"Okay."
...
Ares was seated on a raised seat designed just for him next to his mother. He looked at all the faces gathered in the great chamber. His father, also seated next to him to his left rose up and picked up his golden chalice.
"To victory!" He raised his goblet, and several others raised theirs in unison.
"To victory!"
Sat next to his father was Athena, his older sister. Next to her was Herakles his mortal brother followed by Dionysus who was seated next to his Aunt Demeter and finally at the furthest end opposite to his father was the Mighty Poseidon.
On his mother's side was Aphrodite; beautiful as ever, The Moirai; all three of them. They were followed by Hades; a rare sight. Hekate was the last one before you went back to Poseidon. These were his father's most trusted generals that helped him win the war, they all formed the Council of Gods.
"Moving forward. Today I want you all to welcome a new member to the council," Zeus paused to look at Ares.
Taking it as his cue, Ares rose to his feet. "I'm ready for my Awakening father."
"Good, for tonight you shall rise amongst our ranks and take your place at the table."
The Awakening was something all Second-Generation Olympians went through. It determined what god you were; both power and aspects. It was one of the most critical moments in a young god's life. Unlike the first gods, the new gods could bypass the period it takes them to naturally wake into their powers.
It happened to Dionysus when Zeus was trying to hide him from Hera, he was a lot older than Ares was currently, when he jumped into River Styx to get away, whatever happened from there on, only Zeus and Hera know. But what everyone found out was the mystical properties of Styx awakened a god's power, regardless of age.
It had been used since then on three other gods after Dionysus and was now a rite of passage. The ceremony itself took place in the Tartarus. It involved taking a dunk into The Styx and whatever happened from there on was something only the Fates could tell.
After the small celebration, a much bigger one was held in the great hall with dignitaries from across the cosmos in attendance, hundreds of gods and invited Supernatural alike joined in on the festivities. Wine and ambrosia flowed as gods immersed themselves into unrestrained hedonism as they let go of their worries just for a day.
To Ares, time flowed differently. His body was in a constant state of angst. As much as he looked forward to the ceremony, he couldn't help but dread the possibility of being a disappointment. That wasn't without reason, he came from a very powerful bloodline.
Son of two First-Generation Olympians who also happen to be the children of the most powerful Titan in existence. He had some very big shoes to fill. His sister Athena already filled hers, she was one of the most powerful if not the most powerful Second-Generation Olympian. But her powers developed the old-fashioned way. Dionysus, on the other hand, came from virtually nothing but a tragic origin and still, he fought his way up the ranks to be worthy of a place alongside the bigwigs who called the shots in the universe.
It was now his turn, and the best he could do was second guess his potential. His father needed someone mighty, and he was sure as Hades not going to disappoint. On the bright side, he'd be the youngest god in history to undergo The Awakening.