Ares
Authors: Edlyn Reynolds
| Ares |
| Gods of Old [1] |
| Edlyn Reynolds |
In book one of the Gods of Old:
A trip of a lifetime, and a journey to save
herself led Ava to Greece.
While looking
through the ancient ruins, she realized a truth so few grasp—sometimes History
isn't always right and Myths are far more than just that.
In possession of a book, which could end a God's
life, she sees things that no other human could—
them
.
The God of War has no sense of humor nor is he a
warm and fuzzy kind of guy.
He's a God and
expects everyone to abide it.
Ares comes
across a human who instantly fascinates him and then pisses him off beyond all
reason the moment she opens her mouth.
Oh, and what a kissable mouth indeed.
Barely containing himself from spanking, Ava, he
leaves the young mortal to her own devices.
Well, at least until they meet again.
All thanks to a meddling brother, he has to
face the only mortal to make his blood boil.
The God of War has faced many obstacles in his
life of immortality and never has he lost a war.
He has no plans of losing this one with the
little mortal woman who is wreaking havoc on a heart he thought was lost.
Everything is in jeopardy when the book falls into
the wrong hands, leaving a few Gods having to work together to get the
answers.
If they don't succeed, the God
of War could lose his first war.
Warning:
Sexually explicit content.
M/F
Ares
Gods of Old
Book One
by Edlyn Reynolds
© Copyright October 2013 JK Publishing, Inc.
ISBN#9781301305940
All cover art and logo © Copyright October 2013 by JK Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Edited by S.M. Crouch
Artwork by JK Publishing, Inc.
Published by JK Publishing, Inc.
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I would like to dedicate this book to my amazing editor, Michelle, as well as some wonderful friends that I have made along this journey. Beverly Price, Shae Shannon, Jess Buffett and Jana Leigh. Thank you all for being there to cheer me on when I needed it.
Would love to hear from you!
Table of Contents
In centuries past, the Gods were worshipped, idolized
,
and immortalized. They were often spiteful, and yet could be just as merciful as any other being.
But, times do change.
In days of old, sacrifices and prayers were offered, and monuments built.
Here in modern times they have been relegated to nothing more than myths and legends.
Their temples now lay in ruins, studied by archaeologists and tourists as mere curiosities of a society long dead. The Gods
'
names are barely mentioned, their deeds mostly forgotten and their lives misconstrued, written incorrectly or, all out lies.
Scholars claim the Gods never truly existed. They say the myths were truly based on humans doing amazing deeds. They would be wrong. Very wrong...
Temple of Ares, Athens - present day
“How long has it been since you’ve been here?” his brother asked.
“Too long to admit,” he said, watching the group of students following their teacher and a guide around the temple.
“If you look over here class you can see what some scholars believe to be the remains of a sacrificial table.” The instructor was pointing to a section of the rubble that had been partially cleared. The area was cordoned off by ropes to keep people from stepping on things they shouldn’t.
Apollo shot him a look and grinned, “Did you ever actually have any sacrifices from the people?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. It’s hard to remember but I don’t think so.” The instructor, the guide and the students couldn’t hear them. They were cloaked between realms. Not really there and yet, there. “My worshippers were all about war, blood and death of their enemies. Not so much with the virginal sacrifices. I won’t say it never happened, because that could well be a lie, but honestly not ringing any bells for me.”
Apollo gave a laugh as they both walked closer to the group. “I must admit, brother,” he tipped his head. “I’m ever so glad today’s fashions are not like they were a mere hundred years past.” He reached out and slid a finger over one girl’s bared belly. She gave a small shiver, not surprising, many humans were sensitive to things they couldn’t see or hear but existed.
“That’s because you’re a man-slut, Apollo,” Ares said.
“Come now, brother.” He gave a huge grin and gestured to the group. “Are you going to tell me you are not enjoying the titillating display of feminine flesh?”
“That would be a lie, brother, and I must say, that it is a bit old. Too many women believe they need to show all to gain affections. There are so few these days who know a hint is sometimes so much more intriguing than the full monty.”
“Oh, excellent movie reference, brother. I didn’t know you had it in you,” Apollo gave a laugh. “I will agree to disagree with you there though. I much prefer to see the wares before I purchase. I need to know just what I am getting.”
“Man-slut,” Ares coughed into his fist.
“Jealous much?” his brother gave a snort. “Really, brother of mine, you should do something about your apparent lack of female companionship. You’re becoming rather... Well, I hate to say this, but you really need to get laid. You’re much too uptight these days, brother.”
Ares threw him the finger, but his attention was on the instructor again.
“This is one of many statues of the God of War, or Ares, as you may better know him. There appear to be a few versions, most denoting a youthful appearance. He was often denoted as naked, wearing nothing but a helm and carrying a sword and shield, or a spear. He was also denoted as being fully armored. Some believe these statues,” the man gestured to the one before them, “were replacements for the originals. That when the Romans invaded and held Greece, they replaced them with ones created more in the appearance of their God, Mar, Ares’ Roman counterpart.”
The instructor turned to face the group. “There are also some scholars that believe this was not the original location for the temple. They believe the Romans actually moved it from its original place to this spot. There are markings on some stones that may give this theory some validity. There is also the fact archaeologists uncovered sites where bases for such temples were found, but no ruins.”
“Alright, well,” Apollo shifted from foot to foot next to him. “This is bloody boring as all get out. I’m going to go and see if I can’t find something a little more fun to do. Catch you later, brother.”
Ares didn’t reply and moments later, Apollo was gone. He continued to track the group. Listening in as the instructor, with the help of the guide, gave the class more information. Not so much about him or his temple in particular, but about the construction process. His brother had been right about one thing, the man was fairly boring in his teachings. He was passionate, but his topic wasn’t of any interest to him personally. Ares knew all about himself. He didn’t care about why or how the humans of the time had built his temple. They had and to his mind, that was the end of the story.
No, he hung around because of a sensation. Something important was about to occur. Perhaps it had occurred already and he was about to find out what it was.
Modern humans thought the Gods: Greek, Roman, Gaelic and so forth, were all myth. They really had no clue whatsoever. No, he was as real as the instructor before him. He was even more real because he’d been around for millennia. He’d watched the first humans take their first steps. He’d watched his father, Zeus, guide the humans through their first years. He had also watched as the humans had thrown aside their beliefs in the Gods to take up a single God.
While he freely admitted he wasn’t anything like he’d been in his heyday. He still was a rather spectacular specimen, or so his mirror told him. He still had infinite powers, likely always would as long as man continued to war with his fellow man. One thing Ares could always count on was man picking a fight with someone else over the silliest of things. Land was a good example. Though in modern days it was more a show of force. Wars were about who had the biggest nukes and wasn’t afraid to use them.
Not like war in his days. War was in the mud, bloody and vile. Hand-to-hand combat, swords, shields and spears. The screams of the wounded clearly heard even over the ringing of blade-to-blade.
His brothers all believed him to be stuck in a rut. He was as modern as the next God. He’d gotten with the times. He’d had to. It’s not like he could run around in a chiton and sandals any more. Beyond that he’d gotten in on the technological age as well. He could work a computer, operate a vehicle, and hold conversation in modern English. Not the only language he spoke, but the one he usually conversed in unless otherwise needed.
Shaking himself from his reverie, Ares jogged to catch up with the group. They were outside and heading along the hill toward the ruins of another temple. He couldn’t recall whose temple it was and it didn’t really matter any more in this day and age.
No, that wasn’t what mattered. What really mattered was figuring out what was coming and why he was picking something up now after all these centuries.