Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ARES
T he agony was unbearable, like a thousand knives twisting in my chest.
To stand by, helpless, as the person I loved was bound to a man I despised with every fiber of my being—it was an unbearable torment beyond words. Every glance, every word exchanged at that cursed ceremony felt like a dagger to my soul. In that moment, I vowed this would not stand. The fire of my wrath would shake even the gods.
Hephaestus. Just his name left a bitter taste in my mouth.
He was a venomous serpent, slithering his way into the highest echelons of power, tightening his grip on authority with every deceitful move.
I knew Zeus had orchestrated this vile union, but deep down, I sensed Hephaestus’ insidious influence, pulling the strings to fulfill his twisted desires.
By marrying the daughter of the most powerful mafia boss in Aeolopolis City, he had cunningly embedded himself into the heart of the Aetos family's empire. It was a calculated move that sent shockwaves through the underworld. Suddenly, he had a seat at the table, rubbing shoulders with the most feared men in the city.
I had to wonder how he planned to juggle his role as vice-president of the Syndicate while managing these volatile ties with the Aetos clan? The question gnawed at me, but I knew the answer in my gut. He wasn’t just ambitious—he was dangerous.
I saw right through his facade.
Beneath his charm and carefully crafted smiles, he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and when his true nature was revealed, blood would spill.
Every evening when I returned to the clubhouse, Hephaestus’s bike was conspicuously absent. Hades had mentioned that he suspected Hephaestus was seeing another woman. The thought of my brother being with someone else while he was still married to Aphrodite struck me with a twisted sense of satisfaction. It felt almost like poetic justice to think of him being unfaithful, as if his actions were a reflection of the emotional turmoil I was forced to endure.
Oh, Aphrodite.
When she first arrived, she was a fragile flower trembling under the harsh winds of our world, her delicate petals battered by the relentless storm.
Titan had told me about his sister—a gentle soul who had been neglected and rejected by those who should have cared for her. And now, she was married to a man who treated her just like everyone else, her suffering echoing the same pain and neglect she had known before.
A week had passed since the wedding, and the atmosphere in the clubhouse had shifted noticeably. Today, we were heading to the Aetos-designated drop-off points, navigating Ouranos's exclusive network of private roads and bridges, built for the sole purpose of facilitating his business transactions.
This was no ordinary delivery; it was our largest and most critical deal yet—transporting a substantial shipment of drugs into his turf. The stakes were higher than ever, and everything had to proceed flawlessly. Any misstep, any sign of negligence, could unravel our business relationship and threaten to dismantle everything we had built.
The winter night breeze cut through the air, making the ocean chill bitter and sharp.
I couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy as Hades lounged comfortably in his sleek Boss Mustang, insulated from the cold that stung my skin.
Apollo, Prometheus, and Athena were crammed in the cargo truck, where the shipment of drugs was securely stowed. Zeus, Hephaestus, and I rode alongside them on our motorcycles, engines roaring against the frigid night.
Our mission was clear and uncompromising: protect the truck at all costs .
I revved the engine, slipped on my gloves, and rubbed my hands together, trying to ward off the cold.
We were just about to head out when I noticed Aphrodite step out of the clubhouse with Artie. I pulled up my mask to shield myself from the chill, but my eyes stayed locked on her.
They stood on the clubhouse porch, watching us. Hephaestus blew Aphrodite a kiss, and I felt my jaw clench as I fought to keep my anger in check. Hades caught my eye, his expression clear; Chill the fuck out.
Zeus scanned the group with a sharp, unwavering intensity, underscoring the importance of a flawless operation. Our safety and success hinged on our precision tonight. With a curt nod, he mounted his bike and roared off into the night, Hephaestus on his heels. The stakes were high, and every move had to be perfect.
I stole one last look at Aphrodite before we rolled out of the compound. Her lips moved slowly, forming a silent message: I love you. The sight tightened my chest, a painful reminder of the distance between us. I inhaled deeply, forcing the thought of her to the back of my mind.
The Olympus Syndicate roared through the city streets, our thunderous presence breathing life into the night. The darkness around us was a canvas for our unleashed warrior spirits. I took my place at the front of the group, fully aware that every risk we took carried its own set of consequences.
My restless mind thrived in the chaos we willingly embraced.
The Aetherion Bridge, stretching across Neptune’s Abyss, offered an alternative route into the next city which bypassed the main highway.
It was the perfect place to dispose of a body—Neptune’s powerful currents would carry anything far into the ocean, making recovery impossible. I knew this all too well, having delivered more than a few bodies to those unforgiving depths.
Hephaestus and Zeus led the way, with Hades driving the Mustang. I rode alongside him, while the cargo truck followed close behind. The bridge, spanning about a third of a mile, loomed ahead. We came to a stop, the dim city lights fading in comparison to the radiant silver moon that guided our path.
“Where are they?” Hades shouted over the roar of the engine as I pulled up beside him and removed my mask.
“Not here,” Zeus growled, his voice tinged with frustration.
The plan was to meet Zeus’s brother, my uncle Poseidon, on the bridge. He had significant power and served as leader of our group out in Arcadia.
Ironically, Zeus and Poseidon could never get along. Hades often had to step in and mediate between them. This sibling rivalry had been a longstanding issue, causing tension and conflict within our groups. That said, we had been collaborating with them recently, thanks to Hephaestus. He had been working behind the scenes, establishing a connection that seemed to hold promise for our collective goals.
Even with these developments, I couldn’t shake the nagging suspicion that something was being concealed. The true nature of our mission felt shrouded in secrecy, and I was left with a growing sense of being intentionally kept in the dark. The shadow of unresolved conflict and hidden agendas loomed over our collaboration, leaving me with a gnawing unease.
“Poseidon is always late,” Hades muttered through clenched teeth, his fingers pressing into his temples in frustration.
“It’s only been five minutes,” Apollo’s voice was steady, but it did little to ease the mounting tension.
I killed the engine and dismounted my motorcycle, a sense of dread prickling my skin. My heart beat heavily in my chest, a warning that something was amiss. I felt like I needed to be cautious as I stood next to Zeus.
“Where are they?” I demanded, my voice taut with frustration.
“He’ll be here. You know how he is,” Zeus replied, leaning against his chopper with an air of forced calm, his arms folded tightly.
My gaze flickered to Hephaestus, who stood apart, his hands trembling slightly.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked sharply, and he shot me a look that sent a chill down my spine. His pupils were unnervingly dilated, his eyes dark and hollow, as if some dark force had taken hold of him.
“It’s cold,” he said, his voice low and jagged, his jaw clenched tightly.
In the blink of an eye, bullets began raining down upon us from the far end of the bridge. Instinctively, we crouched low, adrenaline surging as the sharp crack of gunfire echoed through the night. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat drowned out by the relentless echoes of violence that surrounded us.
Through the blur, my eyes locked onto a black car speeding toward us, windows down, gunmen leaning out and unloading a storm of bullets our way.
Zeus was sprawled on the ground, motionless.
Without hesitation, Hephaestus retaliated by returning fire. I rushed to Zeus’s side, summoned every ounce of strength I could, and dragged him toward the waiting cargo truck. Once we came into their sightline, Athena and Prometheus hopped out to help me.
“Where is he hit?” Athena roared, the sound of bullets and the current mayhem drowning out all other sound.
“I don’t know, just get him to the fucking hospital!” I growled as rage engulfed me, but for once, the rage didn’t own me—I owned it.
I yanked out my gun and fired, emptying round after round into the night.
The car screeched away, but I kept shooting, desperate for just one hit. Every second dragged, each pull of the trigger feeling slower than the last. But nothing. The bullets missed their mark, and rage boiled inside me.
Hades yanked at my arm, but I barely registered it.
The wail of sirens blurred with everything else, their screeching overwhelming his voice. My eyes were still locked on the tail lights disappearing into the distance. They got lucky this time. Next time, though, there would be no escape. No mercy.
Suddenly, Hades grabbed my face, pulling me from my haze. “Ares, we need to go! Now!” His voice cut through, snapping me back to reality.
My father’s condition weighed heavily on me, his presence a stark reminder of the betrayal and danger surrounding us.
My thoughts were a chaotic swirl of fear and anger as I raced through the frosty night, the reality of his critical state sinking in with every beat of my pounding heart. I pulled up to the hospital and parked in the emergency bay. A paramedic shouted at me as I dismounted my motorcycle and raced towards the hospital doors.
“Sir! Please stop! You’re bleeding!” They exclaimed, rushing towards me.
Ignoring her plea, I said, “I need to find my father. They brought him here. He was shot.” I side-stepped the paramedic and entered the hospital through the automatic doors.
“Athena!” My voice roared down the hallway, people turned their heads toward me. “Athena!” I repeated, frantically searching for her.
“Sir! You’re bleeding—you need to see a doctor.” An older nurse hurried over to me.
“I’m not the one who’s been shot!” I protested, but all of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. My sides throbbed with an intensity that stole my breath.
I looked down and saw blood spreading across my shirt. Time slowed, as I came to a startling realization; I was hit.
The nurse called for assistance, while the others placed me on a gurney. Panic rushed through my veins, a cold paralyzing fear that gripped my heart.
With each breath, the pain intensified, a relentless pressure crushing my chest and making it feel like my lungs were failing to keep up. My vision swayed and darkened at the edges, blurring the world around me.
Just as I felt myself losing grip on reality, Aphrodite emerged from the haze. Her curls draped over her shoulder; her hazel eyes illuminated by a soft, ethereal light framing her face.
This wasn’t the end, it couldn’t be.
A sharp pain in my ribs jolted me awake. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked around the sterile hospital room. Aphrodite sat on the edge of my bed. I attempted to get my bearings, but everything was blurry. I pressed my hands to my head. “What happened?”
Aphrodite gently touched my chest and gave me a small smile, her eyes swollen. Her skin was pale, and her lips were deep red.
Was I in heaven? My fingers grazed her cheek, yearning to kiss her.
“You were shot in the ribs. You’re lucky they were able to remove the bullet and stabilize you in time.”
“You have nine lives, kid.” Hades leaned on the door frame with his arms crossed against his chest, a slight smirk on his lips. Aphrodite let out a forced laugh, but tears quickly took over.
“You were out for two days,” she confessed.
“Dad?” I asked, glancing at Hades, but Aphrodite placed her hands on my chest.
“You need to keep calm, Ares,” she said, reaching for my face and diverting my attention with those enormous eyes.
Hades sighed. “Zeus is in a coma.” He explained how Zeus had suffered a cerebral contusion. The bullet grazed his head, causing internal bleeding within the brain, making it swell. “They were uncertain at first, but it’s likely he’ll wake up.”
I felt my heart squeeze painfully in my chest. I had never experienced this kind of sensation because of my dad before. When my mom passed away, my grief had spiraled into a furious, reckless anger that drove me to lash out in ways I hadn't anticipated. It was a storm of emotions that consumed me. But this, this was different.
The depth of my feelings for my father, the fear and helplessness, was a new kind of anguish I hadn't expected. It was as if the grief and worry were tangling together, creating a raw, intense ache that was both bewildering and overwhelming .
I pulled Aphrodite into an embrace, burying my face in her neck, overwhelmed by the pain shooting through my ribs and the flood of emotions that came with it. As her fingers traced gentle lines through my hair, I tilted my face upward, feeling the warmth of her breath as her lips moved closer to mine.
“I have to leave before Hephaestus catches us together,” she whispered.
Hades attempted to avert his gaze. “I’ll keep watch.” I couldn’t wait any longer, the urge to kiss her lips was overwhelming. The taste of her was intoxicating, a blend of sweetness and fire that ignited every part of me.