Ares stormed down the halls of Olympus and entered his own room. He glared at his door. Of course it was made out of bronze instead of gold. The other gods did everything they could to show him how little they thought of him. He'd show them. Some day.

He slammed his door and of course, it dented. He threw his armor onto his bed and let out a loud bellow of rage. "Curse you Athena!" He screamed. She made his ichor boil. She made every fiber in his being seethe in overwhelming hatred for her. She was perfect, and he wasn't. She was loved by all, he only received loathing. They were the same! He couldn't wait for the day when he would have the power of Zeus. The day when he could make her whimper. It would be music to his ears. He would kill her slowly. Take the air from her frail body and glorify the moment she ceased to be. The mere thought of it made his body ache for battle.

Ares ran his fingers through his dark brown hair. He even had the same hair color as Athena. Every time he saw his reflection, he saw her as well. His servants thought he was merely vain because he liked looking at himself in the mirror, but more often than not it was to see her.

He groaned and headed towards his bathroom. His body felt oddly put out and he didn't have time to find a maid. He entered his large bathroom and groaned yet again. Quickly he tore off his robes and stepped into the large pool. A handmaid had been waiting in the corner and he sent her away. As soon as his body settled in the hot water, he felt the tension ease in his sore muscles. He leaned his head back and wet his hair. The hot water felt good against his temples. He closed his vibrant green eyes and tried to rest.

Immediately his mind flew to her. Aphrodite. Ever since they were caught by Hephaestus, he refused to bed her. He would no longer be the fool everyone made fun of at celebration. For too long had he been treated like a five year-old.

"You are the embodiment of a man… yet you act like a boy."

He remembered the words Hades said to him clearly. "It's time you rise to your full splendor."

"Splendor," He said to himself. Athena was born in full splendor. She wasn't born as a small Olympian child. When she sprang from Zeus's head, she was already a woman. She knew everything. She did everything right, unlike him.

"Curse you Athena!" He bellowed again. He wanted to break her. He wanted to see her cry, for once.

Ares sighed and stood from his bath, the crystal clear water falling like glistening tear drops off the god's body. He grabbed his towel and dried himself. It was time to pay a visit to his true father.

The Underworld was just as beautiful and majestic as Olympus itself, yet it was a lot more sinister. Ares walked straight in, shoving all of the unnecessary ghosts that dared to get near him. The mortal spirits knew to stay away from the dark powerful aura that surrounded the god of war. Ares passed Lethe and Mnemosyne without a second glance. He knew the exact path he was taking. The furies taunted him from afar and he only set his jaw.

"Spoken to the great Athene yet?" They screamed in their shrill voices.

"Silence!" Ares bellowed. He turned around and a great gust of air hit them and knocked them into a broken pillar. It crashed down on a few wandering souls. The furies simply cackled once they recovered.

Ares managed to get to Hades's castle without killing or re-killing anyone. He burst through the large double doors, to see his uncle leaning over a dark pool.

"I was expecting your arrival." Hades said solemnly. Ares nodded. He knew better than to speak when not spoken to in front of Hades. The war god had more respect for him than he did his own father.

"Tell me how to make Athena suffer. I want to make her cry!" Ares said with a pound of his fists. The sound of his punch resonated through the halls. The dark overlord rolled his dark eyes and slowly moved towards his ivory throne. Ares tapped his foot impatiently. A while later Hades was only half way there. "Seat yourself old man!" Ares shouted impudently. Hades turned around quickly and with a great gust of air sent him flying into the wall behind him.

"You must learn patience, or you will be useless." Was Hades's only response. He sat down on his throne and faced the recovering Ares. He slowly stood and faced his uncle.

"You want to hurt Athene, you say?" Hades repeated. His all-knowing eyes focused on Ares, and it unsettled him. He coughed uncomfortably.

"Yes." The war god's voice was not as strong as it usually was.

"She is the favorite of Zeus. It will not benefit you." Hades responded. Ares shook his head, his hair fanning out around him. He refused to believe that. He'd been punished by Zeus more than any other god on Olympus. He knew the consequence he would have.

"But I have to! She has ridiculed me for far too long. I am the laughing stock of Olympus because of her!" Ares shouted. Hades stared at him, completely emotionless.

"So hit her where it hurts. With out actually hitting her."

Hours later Ares was once again on Olympus. He'd been pondering over what Hades had advised him to do. How could he truly hurt her? She had no weaknesses. And if she did, she was good at hiding them. Ares stopped pacing when he heard knocking at the door. He didn't bother to open it.

"Would you stop stomping around? I can hear it all the way from my room," He heard a very feminine voice say. He turned around to face Aphrodite, who'd gotten uncomfortably close to him. Ares shook his head.

"What's the matter?" She asked, when she saw his expression. Ares simply fumed.

"Everything's the matter. Now get out of my sight." He said forcefully. Aphrodite clucked her tongue with the roof of her mouth and materialized on the ottoman at the end of his bed.

"Touchy touchy. In a foul mood today?"

"When am I not? Why are you still here?" He was sick and tired of the love goddess trying to tempt him. Before he would have fallen into her trap. Now, under the guidance of The Rich One, he knew not to.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Come now, you can't still be upset over Hepphy's little trick. That was thousands of years ago." Aphrodite spoke light-heartedly, but it had no effect on him.

"I don't fuc—you call him Hepphy?" He asked when he turned around. Aphrodite shrugged. "If you must know, it's because of that blasted Athena. Curse her to Tartarus." Ares said angrily. The air around them suddenly turned cold. It crackled with malice but Aphrodite was the only one affected by it.

"Watch your tongue," Aphrodite said, cold fear settling into her chest. "What did Athena do this time?" She, like many others, wasn't too fond of Athena. She was constantly at her father's side and never knew how to have actual fun, unlike Aphrodite.

"She has refused to speak to the Enrinyes."

"And you're upset over that?"

Ares nodded. Aphrodite rolled her eyes and walked towards him, her soft fingers slowly kneading his shoulders. "I'll speak to them, if you wish. Then all will be solved." Her voice was so soft, Ares almost believed her. But he knew that underneath her feminine exterior she was cold and heartless.

"And risk them ruining your perfect hair?" He challenged. Aphrodite's hands immediately moved from his shoulders.

"Well when you put it that way… What has gotten into you lately? You've been so mean."

"I've always been mean!"

"But not to me." She said in a hurt tone. Ares shrugged her off and refused to look at her.

"Things change." He said. Aphrodite sadly took a few steps away from him. The god of war couldn't see the small tear at the corner of her eyes.

"Yes… I can tell they do. Good bye Ares.."

The door slammed behind her.