Welcome to the Party Chapter 15

Welcome to the Party
Chapter 15

Enyo advanced, readying a strike as she said, "Good, let us begin," with that, both swords met, ringing out.

Just as quickly, their thrusts and swings started to gain speed. Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, and Hades nodded in approval.

They had been at it for over an hour, and Enyo's face showed intense irritation. After every few strikes, she began to shake her head.

It was taking all that Ephus had not to grin at her. So, it was as he thought: she wasn't immune even as strong as she was.

Enyo was starting to get frustrated. What was going on in the realms? What was this almost overwhelming desire she was feeling to rip her coverings off herself and Ephus? Then, an even stronger desire to have Ephus buried as deep within her.

Ephus could see that she was more challenging to concentrate the longer they went at it. Though he didn't expect her to surrender, he didn't think she'd remain clear-headed enough for long.

Ares smirked the whole time, turning to sneer at his father and relatives from time to time. They had much more power than they had had in a very long time; he didn't view them as a problem.

Ares shook his head. He could see that neither his sister nor Ephus were struggling. Frankly, he thought, his sister was merely toying with the godling. After an hour, his ire started to rise slightly. He thought, quit playing with the godling.

At that moment, Enyo started to push her speed even higher, hoping to catch Ephus off guard. Whatever this compulsion she was feeling, she needed to finish this quickly before it distracted her too much.

Ephus went in for a close strike when the world froze. Looking at Enyo, he again saw the rather tall, well-muscled male with dark hair and dark clothes appear, Enyo's hand around the male's wrist.

"Hail Aniketos," Ephus said, causing the male to bow. "One of my primary powers is starting to affect Enyo." Here, Ephus turned to Amaunet. "You are far more powerful than I thought not to be affected."

Amaunet was also kneeling, Ephus's hand around her wrist. "We were imbued with many qualities to ensure our punishment was complete," Amaunet explained. "I have felt this compulsion quality that you possess. As much as I would like to partake of you once, we don't have the time it would take."

Ephus nodded his understanding. "I also wish that you might have a chance to be normal just once. Though, as I know, after I fulfill the prophecy, there will be little chance of that."

"You still intend to carry through with your plan?" Aniketos voice stated with shock beside Amaunet.

"Yes, I feel the two of you have suffered far enough." Kneeling beside Amaunet, Ephus continued, "I hope everything I have set in place will allow my wives and children to continue. I do not wish a realm war between the Egyptian and Greek god realms. I know for a fact this world would not survive."

A very shocked Aniketos looked at his startled sister Amaunet. "I... I hadn't thought I would ever hear those words from a god, let alone a godling." The brother and sister knelt, their foreheads on the floor. "We will use all our power to grant all your wishes."

"I realized that when I first met the two of you. We need to finish this between you and me." Ephus said as the brother and sister embraced.

A moment later, a wholly shocked Enyo was staring at a very close Ephus—so close that she was backing away for the first time she could remember.

"I know not how you moved that fast; this has to be some trickery. No one is as fast or faster than my brother and I. I will uncover your deception when..." Enyo was saying, then had the black sword twisted out of her grasp.

With a roar, Ares was diving for the sword, only to have Ephus kick it away. "Uh, uh, uh, a dunce of war, I think not this time," Ephus said.

Ephus felt a weight land on his back as he turned his back on his opponent. Enyo was wailing like a wild animal, reaching for his eyes when his fist met her face. Ares watched in abject horror as his sister was driven into the cave wall and then crumpled to the floor unconscious.

Ares again threw himself at the black sword, laughing in triumph, when his fingers pulled it to him.

Whipping around, he pointed it at Zeus and said, "I should end you now, you pathetic old man."

Ares stepped toward Zeus, stopping when Ephus almost took the sword with a powerful hit from his grasp.

"Hello, a dunce of war; I think we have unfinished business. As I can see, you are still afraid to fight me sending your sister." Ephus said, sneering at Ares.

"HA! I am not afraid. I am smart, and we will meet, though it will be on my terms. When I destroy you, I will enjoy watching the sword drain all you are." Ares looked at his sister, grunting, then back to Ephus, "She served her purpose; kill the bitch if you want."

A gasp drew their attention as a seriously pissed-off Enyo was staring holes in Ares.

"Like you, brother, I do not take betrayal well." Enyo hissed.

Ares laughed, "As the goddess of war, you should be more than familiar with it." Ares sneered at Enyo and then turned his sneer on Ephus. "Enjoy the little victory. The next we meet, I will emerge victorious. I will be the greatest when I stand over your broken form."

Ares swung the sword, causing it to emit a shrill shriek. Thrusting forward, Ephus started to curse when Ares disappeared with a slight pop.

Enyo also tried to vanish, then fell to the cave floor. "What is this? Why am I so weak?"

Ephus smirked as his legs wobbled a bit. "You didn't study the weapon you were using. Didn't you even recognize the Caspian God killer?"

Enyo's eyes went wide, a small gasp escaping her lips. "I see, still, with you holding the sister sword of it, it was the logical choice."

"No, the logical choice was not to engage in this battle in the first place," Ephus said honestly.

Enyo took a deep breath, sniffing the air. "You smell like a godling, sometimes like a god. I had heard that you had kept many of your human thoughts. Strange others that attained any measure of godhood were worse than the actual gods."

Ephus could only shake his head at her words. "I am sorry to disappoint you." He said snidely. "I believe in far more than the petty ways of the gods."

"So, as a human, I take it that you will destroy me. That is so typical of the human wor..." Enyo started.

"You are so wrong," Ephus started interrupting Enyo. "Here's a little trick I learned in the Egyptian god realm."

Reaching out, Ephus laid a hand on Enyo's shoulder. A few moments later, he removed his hand, nodding to Zeus.

"Well," Enyo said, "I see that was a bunch of bragging. I'll see you after I settle with Ares I..." Enyo stated that a look of horror appeared on her face. Waving her hand, a look of almost desperation mixed with a look of horror. "What have you done to me!" She shouted at Ephus.

Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, and Hade's faces looked astonished. "Astounding! I can feel no real power from her at all." Zeus said, all of them turning to stare at Ephus. "You... you removed all her powers?"

"No, I cannot take what is natural for her. I can block it, but I cannot remove it. Though I was told the last time I did this, it felt like they had been removed," Ephus explained.

Enraged, Enyo ran toward Ephus, her nails out like daggers. Ephus raised a hand, stopping Enyo from being cold and unable to move.

"You can't do this to me! Without my powers, I will die!" An angry Enyo spit.

Ephus waved a hand at her, brushing her off, "You'll be fine; it's just 'til this Ares business is over."

This time, her look of anger was replaced with one of horror.

A moment later, there were several whooshes of power. Aphrodite, Artemis, and Athena are on one side, and Bast and Sekhmet lead Ephus's Egyptian wives on the other.

Sekhmet did a double take as she stared at Enyo. "My, my, you must have pissed Ephus off for him to bind you so. He did that to me; it sucks bad, huh? If you're good, he'll let you go soon, though in your case? Who knows?" Sekhmet laughed for a moment when Enyo appeared even more worried.

Laughing even harder, Sekhmet shook her head at Enyo. "You're serious? He'd leave me like this? How could he be so cruel?" A shocked Enyo said.

Sekhmet smiled for a moment longer, and then her face became deadly serious. "No, our husband is nowhere as cruel as you and your brother. He might leave you this way far longer to teach you the error of your ways."

Enyo was still panting, and the panic was evident on her face when Sekhmet finished. For a moment, Enyo growled at Sekhmet, "This will not end well for either of us."

Sekhmet smiled as she looked Enyo in the eyes. "For you, no, it may not. For me, I am one of his wives. At day's end, I know where I stand."

Ephus could only shake his head at this exchange, then turned his attention towards Zeus and his siblings.

"I am sorry; I had thought it would be over here and now. Once again, it appears that Ares had another way out; I had hoped that he was trapped with all of you here. Now it appears I will have to go with my other plan." Ephus told all of them.

Zeus and the others could only stare at Ephus. "Even with your advanced skills, I fear they won't be enough. This is a difficult position you are putting yourself in." Zeus said, the worry apparent on his face.

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, some that I hope will work better than this one. We'll see; I will have to force his hand, though. I'm afraid he'll be more dangerous, lashing out like a cornered beast when he finds no escape." Ephus explained.

"Husband," Bast said as she stepped forward. "You need to make sure that you are ready. This Ares is more dangerous than any you have faced before. If you are hurt, I am afraid it will ignite a war that has not been seen since the defeat of the Titans in the Greek realm."

Ephus pulled all of his wives to him, holding them close. "I love all of you. I wish this weren't necessary, but unfortunately, it is the only way with one like Ares."

As Ephus released all of them, though, Serket remained near quietly, waiting for Ephus to notice her. Ephus was about to walk to the Greek gods to discuss more with them when he noticed Serket waiting.

A wide smile crossed his face as he remembered their last conversation. "Hello, my Serket. Is there anything you wish to talk to me about?" Barely nodding, she whispered far too low for Ephus to hear. "I'm sorry, Serket, I didn't hear you."

Walking much closer, Serket again said shallowly, "I wish to make a child with me before you leave. I am afraid, as it has always hurt, my sisters informed me that this would not be the case with you. Please, husband, I feel so incomplete when I am with you. Please help complete me."

Ephus turned to see his other five Egyptian wives with broad smiles on their faces. Looking at each, they all, in turn, nodded yes to him, then vanished.

Serket's eyes popped open wide when Ephus whispered in her ear. Her head snapped up to stare into his eyes, and then she nodded yes vigorously.

"I have to talk to them, then we can go where you would like. Is that agreeable with you?" Ephus asked.

"Husb... husband, if I am with you, then almost anywhere will be fine," Serket said, her confidence growing slightly.

Ephus smiled at her as he nodded, then walked to Zeus and his siblings. After only a few minutes, he returned gently, taking Serket's hand while smiling at her, then both vanishing.

A few thousand miles away, an enraged Ares was killing dozens of people, slicing most into several pieces. Still pissed, he then appeared amid the war he'd started weeks ago.

A twisted, evil smile crossed his features as he moved forward, slicing into everything before him. Feeling the pull of battle, Ares kept going, cutting a wide swath of death and destruction across the battlefield.

Ares reached the battlefield's edge, returning the way he'd come. Taking a deep breath, he savored the thick smell of blood in the air.

As Ares watched, all that fell from his blade slowly reformed. Cursing, he looked at the black sword and replaced it in its sheath. Another wicked smile crossed his face when he drew a double-edged sword.

Ares looked at the sword, running his index finger along it, drawing blood from it. Putting the finger in his mouth, Ares savored the taste of his blood as he took a step forward. They were almost reformed.

Laughing like a maniacal dictator, Ares started to walk through the newly reformed humans. With another madman-sounding laugh, Ares began cutting and slicing through everything he met.

Everyone he met he kept seeing the face of Ephus. Here, he beheaded Ephus, cut Ephus in two, and then many more pieces. Everywhere he went, he saw only the face of Ephus as he destroyed the bodies before him, doing excessive damage.

An hour later, he still felt heavy anger, but now he was going far faster. Reaching the end, he turned, expecting a rush of humans, only to find that he'd cut all the humans far more than he'd thought.

Ares started to curse; he could see that it would be almost half an hour before even half were reformed. He could still feel the anger within, though this little activity had reduced it by a fraction.

Sitting on a throne, he'd made appear; he went deep into thought. He had to lead the godling into a trap he couldn't escape or call for help.

It was almost time to return to the battle when an idea hit Ares. Snapping his fingers, he appeared in yet another cave, this one more lavishly furnished. Pointing at the space before him, he felt the ground shake momentarily, and then Dolos appeared. Only a few seconds later, Apate also appeared.

Less than a minute after their appearance, both Deimos and Phobos popped into view. Both appeared to have the hell beaten out of them, both falling to the floor.

"What has happened to the both of you?" Ares Demanded.

Deimos spoke up after Phobos tried a few times to speak. "Uncle Hades ambushed us, then not long after Hephaestus appeared. They were stronger than we thought they'd be. Phobos managed to get several hits on Hephaestus, to no avail. He seems to have a newer, tougher armor; Phobos barely scratched it."

Ares nodded. This was good information. If his uncle and brother were involved, it might get complicated.

Looking at Dolos and Apate, another plan started to form. "I need the two of you to lead Ephus to me. I believe I have just the place to end this finally."

"Why should we help you?" Dolos said. "The last time we went after him, I lost the use of my arm for a few weeks. This one is far more dangerous than you led us to believe. I have half a mind..."

Anger flashed across Ares's face as he twisted with his hand. Dolos started to choke as he fell to his knees.

Ares started to laugh with sadistic glee as he made a twisting motion with his other hand. Apate started to scream out, getting louder and louder with each passing moment.

Ares dropped his hands, and the brother and sister hit the floor with a dull thud.

"I think that both of you have forgotten your places, enslaved people! You will do this if you wish to be free of the bonds I have with you." Ares sneered at them.

Dolos gasps, growling at Ares, "The humans have a saying, which I feel is appropriate. Fuck you, Ares!

Ares's head jerked back. This was unexpected, hmm, perhaps. Waving a hand before Dolos and Apate, Ares watched their eyes open wide.

Then Dolos' eyes narrowed, "No, I still say fuck you, Ares."

Ares sighed. He hated to do this; again, Ares waved his hand before the brother and sister. This time, both of their heads snapped toward Ares.

"I am willing to release those bonds, one major one. Once the godling is destroyed, we can see about releasing the rest."

Dolos didn't trust Ares, though they were a little more free of him and still had quite a few bonds.

Ares held his hand out to Dolos. Dolos only looked at it. He wasn't about to fall into another trap like that.

"I will never trust you like that again, Ares. I can already see that you are trying to figure out how to get those bonds back. We will help you, though as for trust, don't count on it," Dolos spit out.

Ephus and Serket appeared in the small building near his and his human wife's house. Ephus turned to look at Serket, seeing the young goddess tremble.

"I am sorry that you are afraid, my Serket; I do not wish to instill fear in you," Ephus said.

"No, husband," she whispered. "it is not fear; I am excited for the first time." She told a now shocked Ephus.


To be continued