chapter two
THE BATTLE OF BABYLON

Babylon　
572 BC　
　

BLOOD, CHAOS, WAR, DEATH . . . these were all things that Ares thrived on. To feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, to feel his weapon open up a vein, to watch blood spill from a wound . . . it was thrilling, to say the least. Ares never thought that he would love anything more than killing, but he was wrong. Over the years they've been on Earth, from the very moment he met Sersi, the woman had changed him. She made him feel something foreign within his heart. And it hadn't taken him long to realize why. It was quite simple, really. He was in love with Sersi.

Glancing to his left, he saw her standing there, in the middle of the garden beyond the gates of the city, bathed in golden sunlight, surrounded by smiling and giggling children, and the sight made his heart soar. No matter where they have gone, children have always taken to the woman, wanting to be around her. There was something about Sersi that drew them in, and Ares understood what that felt like. Because when he wasn't sparring with Thena or killing Deviants, his only desire was to be near Sersi. He craved her presence as much as he did bloodshed.

From some ways away, Ares watched as Sersi plucked a flower from the lively garden. He watched as she leaned down, brushing a young girl's blonde hair from her face before delicately placing the flower behind her ear. Sersi then bopped the child on her nose, erupting youthful giggles from the girl. Ares couldn't help but smile as he watched Sersi give all the little girls some flowers.

Unable to help himself any longer, as he craved to be even closer to the woman that did things to his heart, he entered the gardens. He reached out, plucking a flower from the stems and twirling it between two fingers. Sersi was on her knees now, presenting more flowers to the children crowded around her. "Good morning," he greeted, and the children as well as Sersi turned their heads to look at him.

"Good morning," Sersi echoed. She gave one more flower to a little girl before rising to her feet, though only with the help of Ares, who extended a hand toward her. She took it gratefully, allowing him to help her up from the ground. "Thank you, Ares."

Ares simply smiled in response, his heart racing as she withdrew her hand. Despite the warmer weather, he suddenly felt so cold without the feeling of her skin against his own. But, he ignored the longing he felt in his heart and took a small step away. "How are you this morning?"

"I am well, thank you," Sersi replied kindly, brushing her fingers through a young girl's hair as she spoke. "And you?"

"Quite well." Ares twirled the flower behind his back. He was itching to give it to her.

"I am surprised to find you here," Sersi said.

Ares titled his head. "Why is that?"

"Do you not spend the morning sparring with your sister every day?" Sersi asked. "I did not think that someone such as yourself would take a peaceful stroll through the gardens. I would have thought you would find such peace on a battlefield as I do here."

Soft laughter erupted from his lips. "While I do enjoy the battlefield, there are other things that bring me peace. Going on walks gives me the chance to ponder my thoughts."

"What is it that troubles you?" Sersi asked, curious yet worried at the same time. She had never known him to be a very troubled man. She had assumed nothing could bother him in such a way.

Ares turned away, brushing his fingertips over the petal of a flower. "I have no troubles," he replied. But it was a lie. He did have troubles. He wanted a woman that he could not have. He loved Sersi, but their mission on Earth was not to have a life, it was to save life. To protect the humans from the Deviants. He couldn't give in to the love in his heart, because if he did, what would happen? If he allowed himself to love Sersi, he would be putting humanity at risk.

"You say such things, and yet, you cannot even look me in the eye," Sersi frowned. By now, the children were gone and it was just the two of them left standing in the garden. "If something troubles you, I am here, Ares. You don't have to carry this weight alone, let me carry some of it for you. We are a family, remember? And a family helps each other."

Ares looked up, meeting her worrisome gaze. He shook his head, smiling lightly. "There is nothing wrong, I can assure you. My thoughts are not troubled in any way."

Her brows furrowed. "Then what is it that causes these thoughts of yours?"

"I suppose everything does," Ares shrugged. He still had one arm behind his back, holding the flower he had not yet given to her. "It is often that I wonder how long we will remain on Earth until we can return to our own home . . . how many Deviants are on this planet . . . why they want to hurt the humans in such a way. At times, I even think about us. Our family." He looked deep into her eyes. "I think about you, Sersi."

"Me?" Her voice was just barely a whisper, and her cheeks were flushed with a subtle shade of pink. She sounded almost breathless, and he could relate to such a feeling. He, too, felt like something heavy was sitting upon his chest, making him short of breath.

"Aye," he nodded, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. He pulled his arm out from behind his back and presented Sersi with the flower he had picked. Her eyes fell from his own, looking down at his hand. A smile touched her lips and she reached out to grab it, bringing the flower to her nose and inhaling the sweet scent.

"What thoughts do you have of me?" Sersi asked, twirling the flower between her fingers as she kept it close to her heart.

"Our mission was to protect this world and its people from the Deviants, and to help them evolve as time goes on," Ares began. "Ajak had told us that we are not to get attached, that we are not allowed to interfere unless Deviants are involved. But you care about them. You love humans despite everything we have seen them do. You love them despite their flaws. I admire that about you, Sersi. And I⎯⎯" Ares stopped talking the moment he heard people shouting in the distance.

Brows furrowed, they turned, watching as Thena and Phastos rushed over to the castle, their faces twisted with panicked expressions. Phastos met Ikaris halfway, explaining something to the man while Thena conjured a golden spear and shield. Something was wrong. When they heard a loud screech followed by thunderous footsteps against sand, they both realized what the problem was. Deviants were coming. And by the sounds of it, there wasn't just one, it was a horde of them.

"Oh no," Sersi gasped.

Ares didn't waste a breath. He turned, meeting her worried eyes. "Go," he demanded. She was not a fighter. Sersi's power was not made for the battlefield, it was to help the world evolve. He wanted to make sure that she was safe before he joined the fight. "Get everyone inside the gates! Get them to safety!"

When Sersi didn't budge, Ares stepped in her line of vision. "Sersi, you must get out of here, it isn't safe for you! Get the humans inside the gates and get everyone to safety. Now!"

With a nod, Sersi was off.

The moment she was gone, Ares turned to face the carnage, his eyes hardening. He counted six Deviants. Five were beastly creatures with vicious teeth and quick legs. The sixth one had wings and was terrorizing the humans from above. He watched as Ikaris leapt from the ground, attacking the creature before it could swoop down and kill an innocent mother and her two children that were cowering in fear.

The humans ran for the gates as the Deviants demolished the city and ruined their gardens and crops. They screamed and sobbed in terror as Thena, Gilgamesh, Ikaris, Kingo, Makkari, and Kali fought to protect them. Ares glanced once more at the gates, and when he saw Sersi and Eleos standing by the entrance and ushering people inside, he knew that she would be safe there. So, he turned away, conjuring a sword and quickly joining the chaos.

He dove beneath a Deviant as the snarling creature charged at him, and just as he got back up on his feet, Kingo blasted it with the energy from his fingertips. It stumbled, but the Deviant wasn't dead. Ares lifted his sword, slashing the golden blade across the creature's side. Blood oozed from the wound, but still, the creature lived. And it was not only in pain, but it was full of rage, snarling at them.

The Deviant swung its sharp claws at Ares, but the God of War rolled out of the way. Kingo blasted it again, and it snarled. Ares got up from the ground and swung his blade again, this time carving a deep gash near its throat. Blood sprayed his face, but he didn't care. He just licked his lips and kept fighting, fueled by the adrenaline and bloodlust.

As the Deviant stumbled around, blood gushing from the open wound on its neck, Ares slid across the sand, slicing his sword across the back of its legs, which finally brought the creature to the ground. Kingo blasted it a few more times, distracting it long enough for Ares to leap upon its back and drive his sword deep into its skull.

The creature, now dead, collapsed to the ground. Ares leapt off its back, swiftly landing on the sand. He glanced at Kingo and found his fellow Eternal wearing a pout. "That one was mine, you know."

Ares twirled his sword with a smirk. "It didn't look like you had it handled to me," he shrugged. Kingo rolled his eyes and ran off to help Gilgamesh with another Deviant.

The God of War glanced around him, pausing when he saw a young girl trip and fall on her way toward the gates. A massive Deviant with a long tail had noticed her fall as well, and quickly dashed over. With a tight grip on his sword, Ares ran over to save the child before she could be harmed. Or worse, be killed by the menacing creature.

The little girl looked no older than eight and she was absolutely terrified. She was trembling and crying as she lay in the sand, the Deviant snarling down at her with sharp teeth and thick saliva dropping from its mouth. Ares leapt in front of the child, swinging his golden blade into the creature's face. He clenched his jaw, but before he could do anything, Kali had arrived.

The woman had planted herself firmly on the ground before opening her mouth and releasing a fatal scream. The Deviant howled loudly in pain and Kali, while screaming, made a gesture with her hand for them to run. Ares turned, scooping the child into his arms, and he ran for the gates.

The little girl trembled in his arms the entire way. She clung to him, crying into his neck. Ares did his best to soothe the child, but he wasn't very good at such things. When he finally made it to the gates, he found Gilgamesh at the entrance standing guard while Sersi and Eleos continued to usher people inside. He called out her name and she turned to look at him, eyes widening at the sight of the child in his arms.

"What happened? Is she alright?" Sersi asked as Ares placed the child into her arms. She held the girl close, running a hand up and down her back soothingly. She then saw the blood on him. "Are . . . are you alright?"

"She's fine," Ares replied. "Just scared. She was separated from her parents, left alone out there. And don't worry about me, I'm not hurt." Hearing a thud, Ares turned and conjured a sword to protect them as Sersi ducked behind his body. There was another Deviant, and this one was massive. It stood at a much taller height than the others and had horns protruding from its head. He glanced over his shoulder at Sersi, "Take the girl and get inside!"

Sersi nodded and ran inside the gates as the child clung to her neck. Once she was inside, Eleos and Cythera closed the gates upon Ajak's command. And as Sersi held onto the child and kept running until she knew the little girl would be safe, she prayed that her family and the humans would be safe.

Outside the gates, Ares twirled his sword. The Deviant charged at them and Gilgamesh punched it in the face. The impact sent the creature right over their heads and into the gate. It laid there for a moment, but was quick to get back up. The creature charged again, throwing Gilgamesh away before turning on Ares with a mighty roar. The God of War swung his sword through the air, connecting with the flesh of the creature's thigh, though not enough to wound the Deviant deeply. This one was tougher than the other ones, he noted.

Ares attacked it again and again, and finally, he made the creature bleed, if only at the cost of being thrown backwards when it swung at him with a vicious snarl. He rolled across the sand a few times, grunting, before rising to his feet and spitting out some blood. Ares clenched his jaw and ran for the Deviant. It was the last one in the city, the strongest one of them all, but he wasn't going to give up until it joined the others in death.

The others had joined the fight by now. Ikaris and Kingo blasted it with their energy, and Gilgamesh used his strength to throw Thena onto its back. And Kali was being helped into a sitting position nearby by Makkari, who wore a worried expression as she looked down at the woman's wound. Kali had obviously been injured in battle, but hopefully it wasn't bad and Ajak could heal her in time.

Ares rushed past Gilgamesh, sliding across the sand and slicing his sword across the creature's legs. He kept swinging until he finally drew enough blood to slow the creature down considerably. Thena chopped off its horns and Kingo blasted it, causing the creature to stumble and howl loudly. Thena leapt off its back and Ares steadied her. The siblings stood side by side, prepared to attack again. But it was Gilgamesh that gave the final blow with a solid punch that had the Deviant crumbling against the gates.

"Well done, everyone," Ikaris praised.

Makkari rushed over then, eyes wide and bloodied hands moving with urgency. "Kali is badly hurt," she signed.

Ikaris looked over her shoulder, his piercing eyes searching for Kali amidst the carnage. He found the dark-skinned Eternal sitting in the sand, one hand gripping her side as she grimaced in pain. There was blood gushing from the wound, spilling out from between her fingertips. He nodded with urgency. "Let's get her to Ajak."

Makkari and Ikaris ran over to Kali. He lifted the injured woman into his arms and carried her through the gates that Kingo had opened up again, a worrisome Makkari following in pursuit. Gilgamesh was nearby, using his strength to drag the corpse away from the entrance so everyone could get through.

Knowing that Kali would be in good hands with Ajak, the others remained outside the gates, taking in the carnage with grim expressions. Kingo looked around, shaking his head, hands on his hips. "What a mess."

"We should get started," Gilgamesh said, and with a nod, everyone got to work cleaning up the city, disposing the dead bodies and taking the injured inside the gates to be cared for.

a/n: not the bloodthirsty god of war giving our girl a flower, like he is so soft for this woman in a way that ikaris can never compare 🥺 anyways, i hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are excited for some more! the next chapter will be present day and then we'll continue going back and fourth between past and present to build up their history and relationship together