Page 49 of Hades

War seems at ease as he cuts down man after man. He slices through them as if they are butter with a grimm smile on his lips. While a little deranged, it is also damn sexy. I may be a little unhinged noticing this as limbs are flying past my head, but watching him do his thing is hot.

Damn, Drevi is really swinging that scythe. One man evades the slice intended for him, a smirk on his lips as he is almost out of reach. Drevi stops him dead in his tracks, literally.

One finger on his elbow and the guy starts to shrivel up into nothing. Once the finger is removed, Drevi lets out a burst of air from his lip and the soldier is nothing more than dust traveling on the wind.

He goes back to assisting War holding the front line, not missing a beat. Pyro steps up closer to his brothers, his gaze on the enemy at hand, when five or six start to howl in pain I know he struck. Boils coat their skin, starting small and increasing in size, until they painfully rupture. The men writhe and scream on the sand, until they suddenly still and fall silent.

Pyro didn’t lay one hand on them.

The Four Horsemen’s powers almost rival my own.

Frank stands to my left, notching arrow after arrow and hitting the men right in between their eyes. Once the soldier falls, he sets loose another at his next target. When his quiver is empty, he drops it and pulls out the sword that was hidden within its strap.

After what seems to be an eternity, I finally get a glance of my prick of a nephew. He thinks he’s capable of leading by hiding behind a literal army. To me, it shows how weak he truly is.

“I wondered when I’d see your ugly face.”

“Careful insulting me, Auntie. I’m my mother's favorite.”

“Ha, that statement just proves how much of an idiot you are.”

A blinding light has me raising my hands to protect my eyes, and then an angelic voice whispers, “Go for his left side. Ares would have you believe he has no weakness.”

Once the words are spoken, the light disappears. I send a silent thank you to Athena, knowing it was her wisdom that was spoken softly. It has been centuries since we trained and I had forgotten he did that.

It seems his mother and the rest of the gods are as done with Ares’ arrogance as I am.

Ares notches an arrow, aiming for War’s head, then lettingit fly. In one swift movement, I’m next to War and the arrow is caught in my hand.

“Nice try, nephew. You were stupid to underestimate me.I am motherfucking Hades,” I yell out with every ounce of determination and venom I possess. As I do, my flaming sword appears in my hand and my crown rests on my head, ablaze with blue fire. More fire licks along my armor and chars the ground under my feet. My form grows to my true height. He wanted a war with me, then he would have it, no holding back.

“You wanted me, well here I am.”

He pushes aside the men he was hiding behind, his bow forgotten for his sword.

As he closes in on me, I raise my sword to greet his.

“I will wipe this sand with you. Neither you nor your men will stop me. The Underworld will be mine,” Ares gloats as he advances and swings his first blow. He has no doubts in his mind that I will fall today.

Stupid, boy.

I easily block it and return the strike, testing the theory that was mumbled to me. It’s clear after a few hits that he does guard his left side. Our swords clink together, blow after blow. With a deafening roar he puts every ounce of strength he possesses into a single strike.

Unlucky for him, I trained Ares, meaning it takes little effort to block his hit. As he puts his weight into the movement, I hook his sword and bring it closer to my head.

Releasing my grip of one hand from the sword, I materialize a dagger, driving it deep into his side. He had no chance of dodging it, the movement unexpected.

I warned him about underestimating me.

His expression is one of pain, sadness, and shock at the realization of what just transpired. The blade falls from his gripas he places both hands over the wound, sinking to his knees before he rests on the desert floor.

Lowering my sword I stand over him, the point of my blade hovering over his manhood. “I should remove this and throw it into the depths of Tartarus. If you think for one second that I was going to just hand the Underworld over, you’ve got another thing coming. This crown of flames belongs onmyhead. When andifI decide to step down, I will pick my successor. So fuck off and go annoy someone else.”

The moment Ares fell, all the fighting stopped and the soldiers fled.

Those cowards.

Turning, I find my men are just staring at me, smiles wide. When they notice I’m looking at them, they begin to clap.

---