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There was a slight bustle on Olympus, which came mainly from the temple dedicated to the kings of Olympus, the Great Sanctuary, where the movement of the servants never stopped, going from one side to the other with baskets of flowers, fruits, vegetables and legumes from Demeter's fields, cloths or cleaning materials, or even just performing the basic functions of being part of the court of the king and queen of Olympus, whatever those functions might be.
Despite this bustle, Zeus was calmly seated in a comfortable chair on one of the many available balconies, one of his favorites for its view of the beautiful external landscapes of Olympus, a long scroll in his hands, seemingly completely oblivious to his surroundings. Hera, seated beside him, was embroidering peacefully, for the first time in days not having to bless marriages, births, or worry about the homes of her faithful mortals.
That was one of the few moments when the two were together, calmly enjoying each other's company, without the pressure of the crown, pettiness, or arguments. Zeus even kept a hand on his wife's thigh, absentmindedly touching it as he read, which caused a discreet smile to appear on Hera's face, aware of both her manual labor and the hand that touched her.
Indeed, a wonderful afternoon for the royal couple.
Therefore, upon hearing the heavy sound of approaching footsteps and a malicious laugh that broke that cocoon of peace, Zeus briefly averted his eyes from the scroll, already knowing who he would see even before they appeared in his field of vision.
They being none other than Ares, Eris, and Enyo, the three troublesome children of the kings of Olympus.
Okay, actually, to be fair, they weren't a problem in themselves, but their domains weren't the easiest to handle, even with centuries of experience.
Ares and Enyo were in almost complete armor, their helmets on their backs, along with their spears and shields, ready for war, while Eris floated around them like the restless and irritating little fly that she was. But a very adorable little fly, nonetheless, her hair and dress fluttering around them, chattering nonstop. They were clearly on their way to bring more affliction to mortals, but Ares carried a tray in his hands that didn't quite fit the "ready for war" atmosphere surrounding them.
This made Hera discreetly raise an eyebrow, watching Ares place the tray on the table beside her.
"Aunt Hestia asked me to bring this to you. I'm not a messenger boy, you know? This is Hermes' job!" Ares said, glaring at his mother as if it were her fault.
"Tell that to Hestia," Zeus retorted, observing the tray. Ah, blessed Hestia. It was her tea, complete with scones. "Where are you going now, if I may know and prepare myself for the flood of complaints and prayers for mercy I will soon receive?"
"Lelantine," Ares replied, his chest puffed out with pride. This made Eris even more excited, her hair floating a little wildly as her eyes filled with a glint of cruel happiness.
“Oh, father, you need to see this; I worked hard to instigate this conflict. The magistrate of Chalcis resisted my whispers quite well, but the assembly of Eretria was so easily swayed to chaos that Chalcis had no choice; this conflict is set to cause chaos, disgrace, destruction... it will involve the whole of Greece!” Eris exclaimed, spinning in the air. Her brothers shook their heads, serious, but clearly eager for the conflict they were about to witness. Zeus, on the other hand, could already feel despair threatening to flood his heart.
“What good news.” Zeus groaned, rolling his eyes at the mere thought of the headache this would bring him.
“We’ll probably make several incursions, so don’t expect me at the council for a few years. And if possible, keep your little princess away from it. She only knows how to spoil the fun!”
“You know that’s not going to happen, Ares.”
Ares just rolled his eyes. Yes, he knew, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.
“Have fun or something. Just try not to cause too much chaos down there this time. At least not all at once. The mortals complained a lot last year, and that also means I had to listen to your father complain for days about the three of you!” Hera complained to her three children, already knowing they wouldn’t listen to her because of Eris’s half-hidden smile and the way her hair floated.
Oh, yes, it would be chaos. “Glorious chaos,” as her beloved troublemaker daughter liked to say.
“It wasn’t so bad… it was only for a few hours.” Zeus retorted, turning to the scroll. “But listen to your mother and don’t get too inspired.”
“We don’t promise anything, but we’ll try to make sure there are enough people for the next war.” Enyo spoke with a small, teasing smile that earned a disdainful sound from Hera, before seriousness returned to the goddess’s face. “Okay, we’ve already delivered the tea, said our goodbyes, and we have a whole legion waiting for us. Give us a farewell kiss or something and let’s go! I’ve been warming up for this for days. We’re finally going to have a worthy battle!”
“Okay, okay. I’m the one who should be more excited, not you.” Ares grumbled, rolling his eyes at his sister before turning to his parents.
His gaze seemed to unfocus for a brief moment, as if his thoughts were lost. And in that brief instant, in that small moment of lapse in judgment, Ares leaned slightly toward Hera, placing a brief kiss on her cheek. The goddess didn’t react immediately, surprise tinging her perfect features. Without hesitation, Ares turned to Zeus, repeating the gesture.
“See you soon, Mḗtēr... Patér.” He said, in such an automatic tone that he almost didn't notice.
In fact, he only realized what he had done when he had already taken about seven steps away, and then it dawned on him, his body tensing as his face flushed red at the silence and the looks of shock and surprise burning his back.
“I… I…” He stammered, unable to find words to justify himself, turning with a furious and embarrassed look to his sisters as they burst into laughter almost immediately, their parents slowly recovering from the surprise.
“Don't say anything, brother.” Eris teased, trying to catch her breath between laughs. “Let us enjoy this to the fullest!”
“Oh, how cute; the great god of war, with kisses and “Mḗtēr" and "Patér”!” Enio teased, his voice heavy with amused mockery. “I never imagined I’d see the day! Are you dying, by any chance? Or did you lose a bet?”
Ares clenched his fists, shame burning into his skin like wildfire. He tried to retort, but the words died before reaching his lips. His sisters’ laughter echoed through the hall, growing louder and louder, and if he didn’t know that, one: attacking Eris was pointless because she would easily turn to smoke, and two: Enyo was quick with her fists, he would have attacked them to silence them.
“Shut up, Eris!” He roared, his tone a mixture of fury and embarrassment. “And you too, Enyo!”
But the effect of his outburst was the opposite of what he desired. The two fell into new waves of laughter. Hera watched the scene with a raised eyebrow, while Zeus looked strangely thoughtful.
“Well, that was… unexpected.” Zeus murmured, touching his face, feeling the kiss as if it had burned his skin, but not in a bad way, just... unexpected.
Ares decided he couldn't stand another second in that room and, turning abruptly, he marched out, his firm steps echoing on the marble floor, as if trying to leave behind what had just happened.
"Don't forget to kiss us next time too!" Eris shouted as she chased after him, still laughing, before the door closed behind the three of them, leaving Hera and Zeus alone.
"Do you think Enyo is right and Ares is ill?" Zeus questioned his wife, still thinking about the gesture of affection.
"Don't be silly, Zeus." Hera gently reprimanded him, returning to her embroidery. There was a moment when silence reigned between them, only the sound of birds in the gardens could be heard between the two. "Maybe he just prepared the ground for when he returns with more problems than you would like."
Zeus let out a weak "ah". Because that made more sense than thinking that Ares, who preferred swallowing nails to showing open affection to his parents, for whatever reason, like a rebellious teenager, would actually kiss them like that, his reaction said otherwise.
But he decided not to think too much about it. Everyone had their occasional quirks, even he, and Ares was no exception. Still, Zeus realized he was distracted when he tried to return to his scroll and found himself reading the same line for the fifth time, still thinking about the kiss.
Such a silly thing... it was just a demonstration of affection, but besides his daughters (and by daughters he meant Hebe and Eileithyia, who were the most affectionate), his sons – men – never showed affection physically. Neither did he, so he didn't understand why he kept thinking about it.
After that episode, Ares acted as if nothing had happened. If he acted that way, then nothing really happened, right? No embarrassing gestures or teasing from his sisters.
However, he felt that something was going on with his parents or, more specifically, with Zeus, who, since that incident, seemed to look at Ares with eyes that were... too expectant. Or analytical.
Ares didn't know and wished he didn't care.
And that almost made him want to leave for the long conflict between the two city-states without having to tell his parents anything.
Almost.
Because if he didn't, he knew his parents might worry about him and the three of them would end up fighting over his disobedience. Ares informing them of his departures was a demand from both of them after he disappeared without a trace, captured by the Aloadae. It was irritating and made him feel like a child, but it was easier to agree than to fight with his parents.
They were just worried, and Ares, mentally fragile at the time, felt touched by their concern. He still felt it, but refused to acknowledge the feeling.
So, he always warned Hera or Zeus, but now, he had to deal with it. With his father and his looks, as if he expected something from him.
The second option, and the worst in his view, was that the war between the two city-states would end soon so he wouldn't have to warn his parents and also hope that the next conflicts would take a while to arise, although, being a god of war, he could already sense some smaller conflicts forming further west.
And if it had come to this point for the god of war to wish for a pause in mortal conflicts, then it was because he was at a critical point, but in his defense, this game between his parents had been going on for almost four months already. He was going crazy with a game whose rules he had no idea about, or what game exactly they were playing.
And that day was no different.
The war for Lelantine was punctual, so Ares came and went at irregular times. The last skirmish was three weeks ago, time that mortals were using to recover and resupply, forming new alliances and preparing their war plans. He was about to return there for another skirmish, and upon entering the main hall, Ares immediately felt the weight of those eyes upon him.
Zeus was seated on his throne, surrounded by his three usual attendants: Kratos, Bia, and Zelus, their posture impeccable, the white cloak falling over their broad shoulders, their ears attentive. The king of the gods seemed the living image of power, but his eyes, falling upon Ares, betrayed the seriousness of his expression, shining with that same disconcerting expectation.
Hera, beside Zeus, cast a more restrained glance at her son, but still seemed to be waiting for something.
The three titans stopped talking, looking at Ares, who stood before the thrones, his mouth dry.
Zeus said nothing. He merely observed him, as if waiting for Ares to take the initiative. Of what, not even the gods knew. At least not him.
“I’m going to war…” Ares began, his voice firm but heavy with uncertainty. Zeus continued to stare at him, without saying a word. The glint in his eyes seemed to intensify, and Ares felt a drop of sweat slide down his neck. What on earth did his father want? “You know, the war between Chalcis and Eretria.”
“I see. How long will you be gone this time?” Zeus asked him.
“I think we’ll be gone for a few months. Something big is coming and… um… that’s it. A few months.”
“Okay. Is that all?”
“Uh… yes?” It was meant to be an affirmative statement, but it sounded more like a question.
“Are you sure? You’re not forgetting anything, Ares?” This time it was Hera who questioned him, and Ares looked at her, lost. No, he hadn’t forgotten anything. Had he?
“No; I haven’t forgotten anything.”
“Ah.” Zeus let out a slightly disappointed sound. And once again silence fell between them, leaving a certain awkwardness, especially with the presence of the three titans.
He waited for a command, a gesture, anything to indicate what his father expected of him. Perhaps even some request that wouldn't be fully fulfilled so he wouldn't overdo it, or something like that.
But nothing came. Only that look, as if Zeus were silently shouting something Ares couldn't hear. And now, everyone was looking at him, and the discomfort Ares felt was almost physical.
Ares couldn't take it anymore. He straightened his shoulders, gave a short greeting, and turned to leave, feeling everyone's eyes, but especially Zeus's, fixed on his back.
Ares was pacing back and forth in his room, his thoughts a chaotic mess he couldn't organize, trying to imagine what might be happening with his parents, especially his father, who was the most... incisive in his gaze. The king of the gods, normally so direct in his wishes and orders, wasn't saying a word about what he wanted from Ares, and that was driving him crazy.
To the point that he couldn't even enjoy the moment he should be having with Aphrodite, who watched him pace back and forth with a slightly annoyed air.
"Ares, darling. Come to bed! Why are you so... tense?" she asked, turning on the bed, all sensual and beautiful, while her lover lay there, going crazy. And it wasn't with her. What a thing.
"I'm not tense!" he replied, biting his left index finger, his dry tone contradicting his words.
Aphrodite raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, an amused smile appearing on her lips. “Are those your parents? They’ve been staring at you quite a bit lately, especially Zeus, with that strange look.”
Ares stopped mid-blow, frowning.
“You noticed that too?” he asked, trying to hide his relief at knowing he wasn’t imagining things. “My father — my mother too, but my father is the worst — is driving me crazy! I feel like he wants to tell me something, but he doesn’t say anything! Well, he asks me some obvious questions and I’m trying to remember if I forgot anything, but I haven’t forgotten anything. And I’m freaking out here!”
“And you said you weren’t tense…”
“And I’m not! I’m going crazy, which are totally different things!” Ares argued, making Aphrodite roll her eyes affectionately before approaching Ares, pulling him by the shoulders until Ares sat on the bed, allowing her to wrap her arms around him, her body pressing against his.
“Luckily for you, I noticed.” Half of Olympus must have noticed, although at this point, I'd say it's more like all of Olympus.” Aphrodite said with a teasing little smile. She studied him for a moment before continuing. “And I think I know what he wants.”
Ares narrowed his eyes, suspicious.
“Then tell me already!”
“Well, a little black-winged bird told me about your… goodbye kiss to your parents a while back.” Aphrodite hummed, making Ares groan and shrink back in embarrassment. He knew very well who this “little black-winged bird” was, and he would have a little chat with Eris later, the little gossip. “I bet he wants you to do it again.”
Ares’s face instantly turned red, and he almost jumped out of bed, staring at Aphrodite in shock. “What? No! It can’t be that. That’s… that’s ridiculous!”
Aphrodite shrugged, a mischievous smile on her lips.
“It’s just a theory, but it makes sense, doesn’t it? You’ve never seen him look at you like that before that goodbye. Think about it.”
“But why would he want… that?! It’s strange. Too affectionate.” Ares shuddered at the mere thought of kissing his parents again. He really had a lapse of madness that day. It was Enyo’s fault; she was the one who told them to say goodbye with kisses and more, and he did. Why he did it was another story, but he did it.
And now his parents wanted that kiss again? From him?! His father, especially? Ares could understand his mother. She was a woman, and women were more affectionate, even his mother, even though sometimes she gave the impression of being a beautiful marble statue. But his father?!
“Now that we’ve cleared that up, can we turn your attention to me, please? I’ve been missing you for a few days. And I’m eager to kill you.”
Ares turned to Aphrodite, gazed into her eyes that blended a beautiful shade of pink over the soft blue, like a sky at dawn, and smiled mischievously, grabbing Aphrodite by the waist and pulling her onto his lap, her long, pink, curly hair flowing in the air as she let out a lovely laugh.
“Well, with you asking like that…”
When Ares kissed her, he decided he would worry about his parents' strangeness later. At that moment, Ares had a goddess of love to please, and he was more than interested in her to forget the rest of the world. Especially his parents and their eccentricities.
But of course, things couldn't stay as they were. Sooner or later, one side would give in, and Ares knew, as always, that it would be him. Okay, Ares was used to losing, and to be honest with himself, however uncomfortable it was, he didn't care that much about this defeat. It was embarrassing, but at the same time, it didn't feel like a defeat.
Ares decided not to think about it too much. Feelings were Aphrodite's thing, and he usually made a point of thinking about them when he wanted to please her. Besides, it always seemed too embarrassing for him to deal with.
So, the sooner he ended it, the better. Even better if everything went back to normal, before that stupid kiss.
Then, a few days later, when the three chaotic siblings once again found themselves ready to leave for Lelantine, Ares was already prepared to admit defeat and enter into his parents' game, hoping that Aphrodite was right and that he wouldn't humiliate himself even more.
"Ah, children!" Zeus exclaimed when he saw them enter the throne room. "Leaving again?"
“Don’t call us children, father. Honestly; it makes it sound like you’re letting us go play!” Enyo complained to Zeus with a small grimace, which Zeus ignored, provoking her back.
“And aren’t you?”
“Haven’t you tired of this dispute yet? How many years do you intend to keep up this game of yours? It’s been almost a year already.” Hera asked.
“Ah, but we’ve barely begun. Our bet is that we can drag it out for at least 10 years!” Eris replied, laughing, her hair swirling wildly with her diabolical laughter.
Zeus let out a “hmmm,” looking at Ares with that same look, expecting something from him, his blue orbs almost shining with anticipation, and Ares felt every fiber of his being scream at him not to do it. It was humiliating. It was embarrassing. But Zeus’s gaze was destroying him inside. He needed to end it. He came this time ready for it, and he'd better be right, or he'd throw his helmet at his father. King or not.
And as if she knew what he was thinking, the goddess of destruction nudged him in the back with her elbow, propelling him forward.
“Go on, little brother. Be a good son.”
Ares grimaced at her before turning to his parents, rolling his eyes, making up his mind.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and stopped before Zeus. The king of the gods said nothing, but the glint in his eyes seemed to intensify, much to his dismay. Ares felt his face begin to heat up.
“Ugh. Patér...” he murmured, barely able to hear his own voice.
Before he could hesitate any longer, he leaned in and briefly touched his lips to Zeus's cheek. As he pulled away, he felt the heavy air in the hall disappear, replaced by something much lighter. Zeus was smiling, and the gleam in his eyes was now one of complete satisfaction.
Ares took a step back, but then noticed Hera beside Zeus. The queen of Olympus was now staring at him with the same expectation, a small, amused smile threatening to appear on her face. Oh, of course she would want that too.
Mothers...
He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering all his patience. “Mḗtēr...” he said, leaning in to repeat the gesture with Hera.
The satisfied smile she gave him was identical to Zeus's, and Ares could finally step back, ignoring his sisters' giggles.
“What is this, Ares? Some kind of new ritual?!” Enyo questioned, patting his right shoulder, to which Ares merely grunted before facing their parents.
“Don’t expect this every time. It’s outrageous!” He protested.
“We’ll think about your case, Ares.” Hera replied calmly.
Ares rolled his eyes and, looking at his sisters, especially Eris, who was spinning in the air, he smiled, thinking that at least he wasn’t the only one sharing that embarrassment.
Quickly he grabbed his two sisters and pulled them to stand in front of him, holding them by one shoulder and placing his head between them.
“What are you waiting for? Give our parents a goodbye kiss too and let’s go!”
“What?!” They both exclaimed, shocked, not expecting that.
“Listen here, you blockhead—” Enyo began, but Hera interrupted him, looking very pleased.
“Our daughters, wanting to say goodbye so affectionately? Why, I would never refuse such a thing. Would you refuse, Zeus?” She looked at him with that knowing look, which Zeus returned, briefly holding her hand.
“Of course not, my dear. I would never refuse anything from our children, even less such a gesture.” Then he turned to them, smiling slightly, and it was possible to see the playful mischief shining in his eyes from afar. “I don’t even remember the last time we had the pleasure of receiving something like this from our daughters, do you remember?”
“I’m afraid not, husband. After all, they are all so independent…” Hera sighed.
“And you won’t—”
“We will, sister, are you really going to reject our parents? That wouldn’t be very honorable, would it? After all, we have to be good children!” Ares interrupted Enyo, staring at her with a provocative smile, ignoring the look that promised pain later.
“That was treacherous, Ares…” Eris stared at him, before breaking into a wide smile, laughing. “I liked it!”
And for that reason alone, Eris floated to her parents, circling around them before kissing her mother and then her father. She spat, as if she had tasted something unpleasant, but soon smiled again, looking at them with eyes that shone like a kaleidoscope before returning to their usual gray.
“Goodbye Mother, goodbye Father!”
“Goodbye, darling. Take care.” Hera smiled at her, before looking at Enyo. “And then?”
Realizing that he had been defeated, Enyo grumbled and rolled his eyes, but marched to his parents, glaring at them with defensive and feigned fury. “You are annoying, you know that?!”
“Of course I do, Enyo. That’s the fun of it.” Zeus replied.
Huffing, the goddess of destruction kissed her father and then her mother, muttering “Patér and mḗtēr” quickly before turning away, bumping Ares on the shoulder as she passed him.
“Satisfied, idiot?” She muttered to him, walking away without waiting for a reply.
Ares shrugged, but finally turned to his parents, his smile fading, though not replaced by anger. “Well, you know, we’ll be gone for months, don’t expect me at the council, even if we go easy on you down there; things haven’t even started to heat up. And you’d better not expect this to happen again next time. I’m serious!” It was meant to be a threat, but Ares would have to be Cronos for his parents to feel threatened, especially Zeus.
“We’ll take that into consideration, Ares. But who knows; maybe we can make it a tradition.”
“In your dreams!” Ares retorted. “I only did it because you were becoming unbearable. Don’t expect me to do it again, father. I mean it!” And grunting to himself, he walked away.
As soon as the great doors of the hall closed and they found themselves alone, the two began to laugh, Hera being the first to lose her composure, although her laughter was discreet.
“Did you see their faces, Zeus? I told you Ares wouldn’t last more than three months!”
“I should have known better than to bet against you, Hera. But I must say I didn’t expect the girls to get involved in this.” Zeus chuckled softly to himself, amused. “You know, I wouldn’t mind if we made this a tradition. At the very least, we’d have some fun.”
“Wouldn’t you get a little tired of it after a while? They go out quite a lot, after all. And I don’t want them to feel like it’s an obligation.” Hera asked, and Zeus really pondered this. He thought about immortality with those farewells from time to time, about hearing his children call him pater more often and receiving a little affection.
It didn't seem bad. In fact, deep down, he realized he would like that.
"Well, I think as guardians of the home, it doesn't hurt to introduce some new traditions into our own house, right? I bet that, in less than two years, we can make it so normal that they won't even notice!"
Husband and wife looked at each other, smiling to themselves, Hera leaning a little more towards Zeus.
"Oh, well, I bet it will take three. The girls won't fall for that easily. Not Enyo."
"Then it's a bet, my dear." Zeus determined, kissing her briefly. Yes, he really enjoyed playing that little game with his children and was more than willing to extend it for a little while longer. As a father, he thought it wouldn't hurt to use his children for some innocent fun.