Welcome to the Party Chapter 18

Welcome to the Party
Chapter 18

Ares and his sons worked for another day to finally get his body back together. Phobos and Deimos fell to the ground, exhausted when the last part was re-attached. Though grateful, he wasn't about to appear weak, thanking them.

Ares tried to figure out how to turn a duel between the godling and himself to his advantage the whole time. There had to be a way that, no matter what happened, he was the victor and the hero. The problem was that many supposed allies had disappeared or been captured.

A curse slipped from his lips when he thought of both his sisters. As much as he had used them, he still had feelings for them—bah, like he would ever admit to anyone, especially them. Fortunately, here he looked at his sons; he still had them.

With a stretch of his arms, Ares tried to summon his power. Another curse escaped his lips, and he could only feel about half his power.

He soon admitted a growl when he got only a little more as he tried to power up. Damnit! That little Egyptian bitch had done some severe damage to him. Another one that he would so enjoy breaking when he took her down.

The problem with that was that Ra was her father. Another head god had some severe power like his father did.

A chuckle came from Ares. True, his father wasn't as strong as she had been, but to Ares, he was useless.

With a plop, Ares sat in the nearest chair. This was going to require a great deal of planning. That bastard demi-god was probably making sure that he had as little time to recover as he could.

Ares again started to chuckle. He was a demi-god, not even a total god, unworthy of the power he held. A truly evil, wicked smile crossed Ares's features. It was about time he, Ares, showed that coward true power.

With a last look at his sons, Ares extended his senses. Ah! Good. The three conflicts he had started were ongoing, though they seemed winding down. Well, he thought, we can't have that; appearing near the first, he quickly began to insight their anger. A sigh escaped his lips as he felt renewed strength flow into him.

Within a few hours, Ares was laughing evilly. It was good that he had all his strength back. Not only that, he could feel it starting to inch higher. This should be fun, he thought as he reached out to find Ephus.

A sick, twisted smile came to Ares. With this added power and his far superior skill, he should hopefully defeat Ephus. That sounded so sweet. It had been long since he had ended a god's existence, let alone a demi-god. To feel the eternal life force drain from a god is so good!

Ephus started to stride toward his home when he felt two whooshes of power. Stepping back, Ephus powered up, not entirely sure of the company about to appear.

A moment later, a male and a female appeared suspiciously, like Dolos and Apate, though these two looked younger.

To his complete surprise, the both of them bowed slightly to him. "Hail Ephus, we do not know what you have done, but we both wish to thank you." Here, the male looked at the female, who nodded. "We also wish to pledge ourselves and our services to you."

Again, Ephus was surprised. "I was not looking to enslave people, servants, or allies. That plus, I wished only to do what was right. I felt what had been done to both of you; it felt right to remove that."

The male's eyes narrowed when Ephus stated, "What may I ask do you desire if you do not wish these things? It has always been the way to..."

"I told you before, I AM NOT LIKE THAT!" This time, Ephus's eyes narrowed. "Don't make me angry, Dolos. You wouldn't like..."

Ephus was stopped short when Dolos doubled over in pain, the elbow of his sister jammed into it.

With a hiss, she started, "I can see that even after what he did and said, with the evidence you feel, you still act like this. Prepare for a long time of pain if I have to keep correcting like a child!"

"But..." Dolos began.

"Shut up, brother. Continue like this. I might have to do that constantly to keep you quiet!" Apate turned to Ephus. "I will have to remind him a lot. It appears he cannot trust his senses. It should only take a thousand years or so," this last Apate said with a smile.

"One can only hope that he will trust them one day. I hope the task I set for the both of you wasn't difficult?" Ephus asked.

Dolos again started to open his mouth, only to grunt in pain as Apate's elbow was again lodged in his stomach.

"Not a word, brother, until you open your stubborn eyes. No, it went far better than we thought it would. The first part of your plan is in place, though I fear the outcome," a sad-looking Apate said.

Ephus nodded sadly, "As do I, though this may be the only way. I have already spoken with Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hera, though I don't think she can assist. The strange thing is I haven't been able to contact Hestia."

"You might have trouble there, she..." Apate said, her elbow poised near her brother's stomach.

There was a massive whoosh of power as a red-headed goddess appeared, looking very much like Hera appeared.

"I came as soon as I could, though. I cannot stay long. The fires of Olympus do not tend themselves." She had to do a double take as she suddenly stared at Ephus. "By the holy ground of Olympus! What is this overwhelming power that I feel?" A look at Apate showed that the lovely, younger-looking goddess was also feeling it.

With a groan, Apate waved her hand as she and her brother vanished. Hestia nodded, a groan of lust escaping her lips as she turned back to Ephus.

"I don't know where this compulsion is from; I must have you!" Shredding her clothes, she reached aggressively for Ephus, who held out a hand, causing her to whine.

"Follow me," Ephus then led her to the small building near his home. "I will help you; it will be my way, though; lay down." Ephus nodded, and she quickly did as he told her. Removing his clothes, he saw that she was starting to pant faster and faster. This turned into a yelp, then a scream when Ephus kissed her ample breasts, then her lips.

"I have never felt this before; I feel such a need to have you in me, to complete me," Hestia said in a panting voice filled with desire and lust.

Without saying a word, Ephus started too slowly. Agonizingly, work his way down her neck, again lavishing attention on her taunt peaks. Another scream escaped her lips when he took each of them. Moving lower, he stopped momentarily at her belly button, causing her to gasp, trying to rise off the floor.

Finally, he reached the small thatch of hair that covered her sex. Diving right in, Hestia's eyes went wide as she felt a feeling flow through her like nothing she'd ever felt. It was at that moment that Ephus stopped his face in shock.

"Hestia? I cannot go further. I did not realize you were pure. I cannot do this, not like this, with this power." Concentrating, Ephus passed a hand over Hestia, shaking for a moment. Ephus nodded and then passed another hand over her. Hestia immediately dressed, staring at herself and Ephus.

"By all the powers of the realm! Was I bare before you?" Hestia asked, to which Ephus nodded. "Then I am no longer pure, am I? It has been said that there is nothing harder to change than the mind of a human male when sex is involved."

When Hestia lowered her head, Ephus cleared his throat, gaining Hestia's attention.

"I did nothing more than use my mouth. I apologize that you cannot remember everything. You no longer have anything to fear from me; you are the only one. Not even my mate is completely immune as you are." Ephus said.

Hestia's eyes went wide as she ran a hand between her legs, then a shout of joy as she kissed Ephus.

"For this ultimate gift you have bestowed upon me, if you need me as you do, my sisters and brothers call out. I owe you a debt I can only hope to repay; I was completely powerless to you." With a bow, she said, "Again, I thank you." Then, she was gone in a moment.

Ephus shook his head as he again started toward his home. Several more whooshes of power had him shaking his head. Then, as before, several more whooshes of power let him know he had even more company. This time, though, he was smiling, as it was his Egyptian wives. At first, he thought that Hera and Isis also appeared.

Ephus crossed his arms as he thought, crap, now what? Looking at the sea of females there, he wondered what was now.

Surprisingly enough, Hera and Isis stepped forward. "Son," Isis started; crap, Ephus thought again, this must be big for her to call me that. "We have ascertained that Enyo's power is far lower than Sekhmet's when you punished her. You know the problems she is having."

"I know that she and her brother tried to kill you. I know she deserves to be punished; you have not been a god for long. The small amount of power you granted her has helped, though not enough. We are afraid that she might expire or suffer the malady that Sekhmet did." Hera added.

"Son, can you grant her a bit more? Perhaps a bit more than Sekhmet? There is nothing major like being able to move or make full-fledged attacks. Can you please up her power some more?" Isis continued.

"I am getting far better, though I do at times have the fear return. You are the only one who can bring me back to normal. As the one who has gone through this, don't let him end up like me." Sekhmet chimed in.

Ephus could only shake his head; damn, they were trying a three-pronged attack. Damn it, it was starting to work too. Finally sighing, Ephus said, "All right, bring her here."

All three females before him smiled wide, and a small pop with Enyo appeared on the ground before him. Reaching out, Ephus was astounded by what he felt. The amount of pain he felt, plus Enyo, had no healing power. Rapidly fixing that, he saw Enyo smile, and then a sigh of relief left her.

A few moments later, Enyo stood, flexing her arms and legs. Then she flexed what power she had.

Enyo said in an almost too low voice to hear, "Thank you. The pain is gone now." She drew a small fireball and threw it, watching as it fizzled out a second after it left her hand. The same happened with her water, lightning, and wind attacks. Bowing to Ephus, she moved beside Hera.

"We both thank you, Ephus," Isis said. Then Hera and Enyo disappeared. A moment later, he 'heard' Hera. I also wish to thank you for what you did for my sister, Hestia. You have garnered more respect than you know.

Ephus chuckled a moment. If doing the right thing gets this for him, then by all means, he will keep doing it.

He then turned to look at his six goddess wives, Sekhmet, with a giant smile on her face.

"You have done a great thing, husband, Sekhmet said. The rest of his wives nodded their agreement, each coming to kiss him and vanishing passionately. Bast, as usual, was the last as she kissed him far longer than the rest.

"I am still watching you, husband; I am working on increasing my power. If you are harmed, there will be nowhere to hide nor anything that will stand in my way; with your other wives' power added to mine, I feel there will be nothing left of the war god. Still, husband, be cautious." Bast said as she kissed Ephus with a passion he felt was melting everything around them.

With a turn, Ephus was about to take a step when he felt another familiar power approach. Again, shaking his head, he made a chair to sit in. Less than a minute later, Eris appeared to bow low to him.

"Master," she said, her lips trembling. "I am here to receive the punishment I deserve; I failed you, master I..."

Ephus almost growled, then quickly quieted when he saw her start to tremble.

Ephus said in a low, soft voice, "I have told you before that I will not punish you. I cannot help you do the best that you can. Besides, I know that Ares didn't feel the increase in your power. I am glad of that; I am afraid he would have tried to end you."

A startled Eris looked up into Ephus' eyes, seeing nothing but the truth and... something else. Though unsure, she had never seen the look he directed toward her. This brought something strange to her face, a genuine smile she felt deep within.

"I know that you instructed me not to call you master, master. I am struggling with it; I am trying as you told me, mas... sir." Eris said, smiling at herself, catching the mistake.

Ephus also smiled. " You have greatly improved Eris. I fear I have another mission for you if you wish to take it."

A bow to the floor had Ephus slightly groaning, "Anything I can do to help you master. I will do the best I can m... sir."

With a smile, Ephus leaned over to whisper in her ear. With a massive smile, she nodded vigorously and popped out.

Ephus nodded as he started to stand and shook his head as he sat. There was no point; he was sure there were a few more out there who were coming to see him. Sure enough, Hephaestus appeared less than a minute later.

A slight smirk on his face, Ephus smiled at Hephaestus.

"I have repaired the armor that I originally made you. I have also hardened it to resist the metal of the blades more. I have never seen anything the blades can't cut, though this is the closest I have seen. No sword I have can penetrate, let alone cut this." Hephaestus said pride was showing on his face.

"I thank you, Hephaestus; I know it will serve me well," Ephus said, seeing Hephaestus’s chest swell more from the praise. Bowing slightly to Ephus, Hephaestus quickly vanished.

Ephus turned when he heard a door open. Seeing his human wife and son, they walked a short distance to him.

Making another chair appear, Ephus explained what had been happening with the many visitors. This was as close as he had made it to the house.

He was about to say more when four immense powers approached him. Then, Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, and Demeter appeared. Ephus only nodded his head as he shook the hand of each god and goddess. A small smile crossed his lips as he saw the shock on their faces.

"Yes, to answer your question, all four of you are powered almost completely. The next time, Ares will not fare as well." Ephus said.

"I take it, then. Do you wish to continue with the plan as you stated?" Zeus asked.

"Yes, I am afraid it is the only way. Even with my power, I will have a hard time doing this. There is still a great chance I could fail." A now sad-looking Ephus said.

"I, for one, don't like it," Hades spat, "There has to be another..."

"Believe me, I have tried a very great many different ways. In all, he escapes, and it is a hundred times worse. No, it must be this way; there is far more depending on this than ending Ares' terror." Ephus said.

Quinn, Ephus' human wife, looked back and forth, not liking what she heard. Then again, she'd never really enjoyed many of Ephus' plans, though it usually turned out well. From what she was hearing? She damn sure hope that was the case this time.

She looked at Ephus. He was holding his son very close, love shining in his eyes. She was worried this was so different from any other time he went out to help. What in the hell was he planning? Why did she feel that she wouldn't like it if she did?

All four gods rose to leave, then turned back, "Though I know that Hera has already thanked you, we also wish to. You have honored our family and our sister. We are not about to forget that." Zeus said, all four slightly bowing to Ephus, and then all vanished.

"Are you ready to go in?" Quinn asked.

"Soon, I feel I still have one or two more yet," Ephus told her.

"Alright, we'll be there when you finish," Quinn told him.

Ephus nodded as he sat to await more guests. With a sigh, he nodded as he felt another power approaching. A moment later, Thoth and Anhur appeared before him.

"My, my," Thoth said, "it appears that you are most popular today, brother." A large smile spread across his face. "I have come to get the information I could not see, may I?" Ephus nodded as Thoth touched his head for a moment and then smiled. "Very wise brother, so many visitors today."

"Enough, brother Thoth; Ephus and I have a business to attend to." Anhur spit out impatiently.

Thoth shook his head as he started to put his arm up. He suddenly stopped, slightly shocked at the shake of Ephus's head. "Alright, brother Ephus, Anhur," bowing to both, he was gone in seconds.

"You have progressed very well, brother Ephus. I intend to teach you all I know as quickly as I can. As you know, we have been doing this for a long time. The fact that you have learned all you have is a perfect sign." Anhur said, a strange smile on his face.

Shit, Ephus thought, Anhur is about to get killed seriously. They went at it for the next few hours, their training slowly starting to go faster and faster 'til they were nothing but a blur.

Ephus held up his hand, stopping Anhur. Three powers appeared not far from them; Aphrodite, Athena, and Artemis stood back as they saw the two males training.

With a sigh, Anhur said, "Go finish quickly; you are just getting to the point that you are almost a challenge to me, thereby making you far more deadly indeed."

Both bowed to each other and then Ephus approached the three goddesses. "I thought that I wouldn't see any of you 'til I was finished with Ares."

"We all had to come to warn you. Ares is complete again. He has also started to increase his power. We can feel the four conflicts he started from which he draws power," Athena said.

Ephus nodded. He figured Ares would try to increase his power in some way. "I guess it's about time I end all of this."

Putting a hand to his head, Ephus started talking to everyone he'd met that day. After getting all their answers, he nodded.

Again, Ephus put his hand to his head. Ares! You dunce of wear! I think it's about time we ended this. All can hear this, so if you refuse, all will know what a coward you are. Meet me tomorrow on the battlefield of your oldest conflict. I will be there; I suggest you be also. Are you too afraid to face a better sword? A small smile came to Ephus's lips as he heard Ares angrily reply.

I will be there, godling, as will your defeat at the hands of an actual sword master. Then, all went quiet. Ephus took a breath; he hoped he was ready in time.


To be continued