The princess of Ares

2

When he woke up, he wanted to retire, return to the temple of Apollo and forget that he had helped the god of war. But he was still injured. The order had been to heal his wounds, completely, hadn't he?

The god was still asleep, he was not surprised, he was seriously injured. He had small wounds and lacerations all over his body, although the one on his abdomen was the worst, the others also demanded care.

The muse sighed and began to treat the small wounds on her face. She was sewing one into her brow when the god's eyes, golden as the sun opened and glared at her. 

She pulled away from him as far as she could, but again, she had his arm trapped.

- I ... I was just ... trying to ...

- Who are you? - His voice made the hair on the back of the muse's neck stand up.

- I am Daria ... my lord - she forced herself to curtsy, she gritted her teeth, she always did, she was not a servant, she was a muse. And it should be treated as such. She hated having to pay respect to the gods as if they were better than her.

- Who sent you?

- Apollo ... by order of his mother.

- Apollo? Are you one of his muses?

- So is.

The god grunted and stood up, not without cursing due to the pain. 

- I'm not done with his wound yet.

- I know.

Even so, he did not care, he reached a small silver table and poured himself ambrosia, drank it in one gulp, and poured himself some more.

Daria watched him do it about three times before going back to her side and letting her finish her work. He looked better, the ambrosia made the gods regain strength quickly.

I groan at the stabbing pain as the muse resumed her task.

- I'm sorry. - Said the redhead with a grimace.

- Okay, I've endured much worse pain.

- I know- Daria whispered, remembering the wound on her abdomen.

The muse continued with her work of healing the god's wounds. It went from his lacerated face to his chest, to his abdomen, and...

The god threw the blanket that was tied around his waist revealing his entire nakedness. 

The muse gulped and tried not to show her nervousness. He couldn't, his hands immediately started shaking.

The god smirked, causing the muse to frown and "forget" to be careful.

- So, a muse. What do you do doing the servants' work? I thought that Apollo's collection was treated with the same care as himself.

She glared at him, servitude? Collection? She was none of that.

- The queen goddess ordered a muse to be brought to her. From then on I don't know anything. - She released sour.

He looked at her with a frown. She was not like the other muses, so willing to attend to the gods, she seemed, annoyed. Maybe it wasn't caring, maybe it was the god she had to attend to that was bothering her.

He got up when the woman finished and served more ambrosia.

-You'll stay tonight too, I'll need someone to clean and sell my wounds tomorrow. That would make her learn, he thought.

She clenched her jaw and didn't say a word. The god approached her slowly, with that air of superiority so typical of him, and lifted her chin so that she could see him in the eyes.

- In agreement?

- Yes. 

The muse looked at the window with melancholy. The fruit on her plate was intact and the god of war was looking at her with a frown.

- Won't you eat?

- I'm not hungry.

- Would you rather be outside jumping and dancing in the rain? That is what the muses do, right?

- You mistake us for nymphs. 

- Ah yes, nymphs, those creatures are truly maddening. What do the muses do then?

- The muses, we are art, we give mortals the inspiration they need to create it.

- Ah, of course, art, that unnecessary thing in which mortals waste so much time.

She got up and seriously thought about slapping him. But just because she was a rebel did not mean she was stupid, that man could kill her just by squeezing her between his hands. He withdrew from the room in anger. How dare he? How dare he make fun of her like that, of what she was?

After a few moments, I hear the heavy footsteps of the god.

-You will sleep here. - He said pointing to a sofa next to the window - And don't even think about escaping through the window, nobody can get out unless I decide to.

- I can't get out of Olympus in any case. Even if you decide, it would have to be Zeus who approved. - She released scathing and haughty, if he wasn't going to respect her, she didn't have to respect him. Who was he after all? just a huge god of war, a great ignorant barbarian.

He frowned.

- Zeus? King Zeus himself? And what have you done to deserve such honor? - He released ironically.

- I have not done anything. It's my nature that prevents him from trusting me, and he's right because the moment he gets careless, I'll run away ... and this time they won't be able to catch me.

- You say you want to leave Apollo? - Ares had never heard that a muse did not want to be with Apollo, he was her patron, right?

- I was not born for the confinement. - He said looking at the garden where birds, butterflies, fireflies, and all kinds of creatures lived in freedom.

- Why's that? - Asked the god trying not to seem too involved in the conversation.

She didn't answer anymore, he hated being left with the word in his mouth. But he was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as he lay down. My jaw clenched as he felt the burning in his abdomen. He looked down and found the girl's concentrated face.

- So the muses know how to heal wounds? - He asked trying to divert his thoughts from the pain.

- I don't know if all of them, I learned thanks to my mother. Every time I did some mischief as a child, my punishment was to spend my afternoons with the healer. I attended births, wounds, and broken wings.

- Who is your mother? - I ask again thinking about the goddesses. He couldn't remember any goddess on Olympus who looked like him. The muse hesitated a bit, stopped moving her hands.

- Morinda. - The muse answered, looking up slowly, daring him to mock?

- Morinda? The queen of the fairies? - He released something skeptical.

She nodded and went back to her work. So that's why she didn't act like the other muses and that's why she looked so ... different from the other goddesses.

- How ... how did you end up here? I mean, I know that for fairies, confinement is ... the worst.

-So is. Unfortunately for me, Dionisio is my father. I'm bound to stay here because of my part of him.

Ares understood what the girl was referring to when she assured her that she would escape at the first opportunity. Fae were not tame creatures, they were wild and free, like birds, if you held them for too long, they ended up perishing. Locking up a fairy was like ripping the wings off a butterfly.

He decided not to say more, he understood that it was a difficult situation for the redhead. After a few more minutes, the muse finished her work.

- Well, the wounds are almost closed, I think that by tomorrow you will be as good as new. It's time for me to go.

Ares nodded. He didn't say thank you and she didn't say more. The muse emerged from the war god's chambers with her fiery hair flying behind her. And both left the meeting as something past, which would not be repeated.

XXX

- Are you okay? We were so worried about you. - Nastia said as soon as she saw her arrive at the temple of Apollo.

- I'm fine, I can take care of myself.

- Yes, sure, but ... it's Ares, the god of war. The bravest and cruelest of the gods. We were afraid ... you ...

- Okay, I was too weak to do more than complain and insult me.

- Well, I'm glad you're here, safe and sound.

Daría smiled, she was beginning to feel the temple as her home, it was not like being free in its forests but at least the other muses were courteous to her and they did not make her less for not being entirely Olympian. He thought that in the temple of Apollo he would finally have a well-deserved rest until the brown muse gave him the news.

- Party? Tonight? Oh no, I'm so tired today.

- I know, I'm sorry, but it's the weekly meeting of Apollo and his brothers and ...

- Yes, I had forgotten. It's just that I'm very tired.

The other muses entered at that moment, the muse of the drama looked at her and almost began to cry. 

- Oh, my dear girl. We have been so worried about you.

- I'm fine, I only had to tend to a barbarian for a few hours. In which I spend most of my time asleep. Truth be told, it wasn't that bad. Not like I expected and ...

- What wasn't so bad? - Asked the muse of the drama- Oh, my girl. You're having a breakdown.

I take her by the arms and lead her to the tub where the others began to massage and bathe her.

Daría was going to claim that she was fine but when she saw the attention she received, she looked at them with teary eyes and said:

- Oh, it was so horrible, that horrible monster looked at me ugly ... 

- Shhh, honey, you're safe now.

Nastia rolled her eyes when she saw the performance of the muses and left there, there was still much to prepare for the meeting.