Title: A Painful truth
Fandom: Hercules The Legendary Journeys/Xena Warrior Princess
Characters: Strife
Prompt: #088 School
Word Count:
Rating:PG13
Summary: There are things that he just should know!
Author's Notes:
Aries stared at his nephew; it was a full five seconds before he could
even form a response. He looked at Strife's blank expression and
wondered what Eris had been thinking having a child for this long and
not even teaching him the basics. This was not included in his list of
necessary training.
"Athena!" The war god bellowed and it took a few moments before the
goddess of war and wisdom appeared.
"You bellowed?"
"He can't read or write," he said pointing at Strife who looked as if
he wanted to melt into the pillar he was leaning against.
Athena raised an eye brow and stared at her brother waiting for the
joke. When she got nothing but an irritated glare she eyed him again.
"You're kidding right?"
"You're wisdom see for yourself," Ares said coldly.
Athena did probing Strife, and sensing a large potential for
intelligence that had barely been touched. "He can learn, I'll give
him that, but if you think I'm teaching someone that old letters you
are out of you mind. Send him to me when he is something I can work
with then maybe I'll teach him histories, philosophy, the wisdom
behind war. You want grammar lessons you are looking at the wrong
goddess. I was born knowing. Shouldn't his mother have taught him?"
"His mother is Eris."
"When was she pregnant?" Ares shrugged the only memories he had of his
nephew of the infant crawling across the temple and Eris sending him
back into his room almost instantly. It was such a brief memory, that
placed with the numerous other visits to Eris' temple the timing was lost.
"You won't teach him?"
"I am wisdom not preschool. Send him to the muses like they do with
all the other kids, who's parents are too busy, isn't that what you
and Aphrodite did with Cupid?"
"Yeah but he already knew the basics, besides he was six. You think he
will be thinking about learning with the muses at that age?"
"He better," Ares said grabbing Strife by the collar and appearing in
the muses' temple. There were a few young gods about and none looked
older than ten. Strife towered over them all as they seemed to be
having some sort of play time. Strife was starring at the red ball a
child was bouncing.
"Ares," Urania said looking at the god with a smile. "Who's your
little friend?"
"My nephew, Strife and your newest student. He can't read or write."
"Ares he's a little old. We won't be inspiring much learning in him."
"Athena claims there's intelligence in him. I have yet to see any sign
of it. He couldn't even teleport. I would mash Eris into a pulp for
dumping him on me but she has vanished for the time being, probably
hiding somewhere laughing at problems she's caused me. You guys are my
last hope."
"We will try, but he will have to be in the class. We don't have time
with everything to be private tutors."
"I understand. Call me if there are any problems."
With that Ares left and Urania smiled at the leather clad teenager. He
was ghastly pale just like his mother, and looked even more so
compared to her own sun kissed features. His blue eyes were focused
beyond him and she glanced and saw him staring at a group of children
playing with a red ball.
"I know you're a little old, what your mom did is just, I don't have
words for it and I'm a muse."
"She popped it," Strife mumbled. "It was a nice ball."
Eyeing the god confused she shook her head as Clio rang the bell that
signaled the end of lunch and play.
"Alright everyone," Urania said pulling Strife forward. "We have a new
student; he will be joining us from now on. This is Strife."
"But he's old!" A child blurted.
"Just have a seat there Strife," Urania said ignoring the outburst.
Strife did as he was told and soon began the lesson on counting and
numbers. By the end of the day Strife could count past a hundred by
ones, twos, fives and tens, he was still trying to master threes. He
watched as Gods began appearing right and left to collect their
children, taking their art from their morning lessons and hugging and
kissing them before vanishing back to their home temple.
"Strife?" He glanced back at Urania and she smiled, despite his age
Strife had simply learned his lesson as if it was the most natural
thing in the world. "Ares said you could go back home when you were done."
"Oh," Strife mumbled watching the last family pick up their daughter
and listen to her as she rambled on and on about what she had done
that day and even pointing at Strife before they vanished. Remembering
what Cupid taught him he actually appeared in Ares' temple on the
first try.
"You're back, learn anything?"
Strife's eyes widened. "I…I…learned…I can…count," he whispered.
Ares rolled his eyes. It would take months before Strife would be
really useful to him. But there was no reason to double that time.
"Follow me."
Ares led him to a bare room in the temple where one wall was covered
in weapons. He took two short staffs and tossed on at Strife hitting
him in the chest as it clattered to the floor and Strife whimpered
placing a hand to his chest.
"I couldn't have hurt you," Ares growled and Strife took a step back,
the tone reminding him of his mother. Ares arched his brow and
approached. "Let me see," Ares said tugging at the collar of his
outfit. "How do you take this off?"
"I don't know."
"How do you…" Ares asked, at Strife blank look he continued, "relieve
yourself, you know go?"
"I make it go `way, she didn't like it, said I made the temple smell
and I went too much."
"Where?"
"'way," Strife said with a little waving motion. Ares frowned, knowing
it had to go somewhere and just hoping he never had the luck of
finding out where. Shaking his head he slid a finger down the front of
Strife's chest forcing the leather to fall open. Swearing when he saw
the bruises that covered the boy.
"That bitch," he snarled as he tore off the outfit and revealed more
and more bruises. Some yellowing and fading some bright and stark
against the pale skin. "Apollo," he called and frowned when he heard a
response instead of the immediate arrival of the god. "Yes, just
bruises he can come."
Apollo appeared then holding his young son Asclepius on his hip. He
whistled when he caught sight of the damage. "Training?"
"Discord, I wanted to see if there was anything else."
Apollo nodded knowing that if Ares had resorted to calling his sister
by her position instead of name he was angry. "I guess you wouldn't
worry about a few bruises huh bro?" Placing his son on the ground he
went over to Ares and yanked on his leather pants.
"Up!" Ares lifted the young blond and carried him much like Apollo had
done and as an afterthought had a small stuffed armed war horse appear
in his hand and handed it to his nephew. Asclepius squealed with
delight and shrieked when the horse made a sound as he squeezed it.
Apollo took one look at his son, the noisy toy, back at his son then
settled on Ares, "I hate you." Ares smiled innocently and
materialized some candied fruits. "A lot." Apollo added before
focusing on Strife. Blinking he scanned the young god three times
before falling back in shock.
"Strife, how old are you?" Apollo asked in a strained tone that
brought Ares attention away from Asclepius.
"Four," he replied and both gods shook their heads. Apollo looked pale
and Ares was ready to kill.
"Ares, his bones…gods, it's a miracle he hasn't shattered anything,
they are so thin, if skin wasn't so…he would have been torn apart. She
aged him a good decade and badly I might add."
"Can we change him back?"
"It will take a lot of work, we will need to find Eris, you will have
to talk to Hera, it could kill him, and in the meanwhile I don't want
to try to heal him it might make this permanent. He should be in bed,
when I said his bones were near shattering I meant it."
Ares waved a hand at Strife and he was in soft dark blue cotton pants
and shirt. Asclepius took a look at Strife and pouted. "Down!"
Ares placed him down and watched as he walked over to Strife and
handed him the horse. Strife smiled and hugged it close, stroking the
soft mane.
"Better," Asclepius said and walked over to his father and was
instantly lifted.
"Well you heard him its time for bed," Ares said in a much gentler
tone than he had been using before. Now knowing who he was actually
dealing with he felt somewhat guilty and led Strife to his room
instead of the small closet like room he had given the boy.
Tucking Strife in he noted a small burst of power and a white feather
appeared in his hand held tightly but safely as he fell asleep. Ares
shook his head as he placed the owner of the feather though a smile
tugged at his lips.
He left the room and wondered what Eris deserved for what she did and
hoped it was very painful. He did not abide the destruction of children.