The Gatekeeper's Sons Page 36

  Chapter Thirty-Six: Ambush

  At the gates of Mount Olympus, Than and his sisters had amassed an army to recapture McAdams from Ares and his sons. Than’s heart thudded with fierce determination, for he knew that if Therese could not avenge her parents’ death upon McAdams, she would never be his bride.

  As soon as the Furies had left Peshawar, they had flown straight to their cousin Hermes, who had further solicited help from Demeter, Persephone, and Hecate.

  But their greatest ally was Aphrodite, who stood in all her beauty, waiting for Ares, who loved her.

  She was also the mother of Phobos and Deimos, who obeyed her.

  When the god of war appeared at the gates with his sons and the prisoner, ready for battle, he was caught off guard by the beautiful sight of his one true love.

  “Go, boys,” Aphrodite said. “This is between Ares and me.”

  Phobos and Deimos vanished.

  “Will you betray me?” Ares said gently.

  “What you do is wrong, my love,” Aphrodite said.

  “No. What you do is wrong. Don’t interfere. Humans can never rise to greatness without the challenges of the gods! Now stand back and let me through, you coddlers!”

  Ares made to charge, but at once, Than and his sisters and his mother and grandmother, along with Hermes and Hecate, descended upon him in a cloud of determination and will, and it took every one of them to bind back the arms of the god of war and recapture McAdams.

  Ares roared and pulled free and jumped up into the sky above them and laughed. “Take him. I have a better prisoner.”

  At that moment, Than heard Therese’s cries from below. With bitter hatred, he narrowed his eyes at the god of war and shouted, “What have you done?”

  “You’ll soon discover.” Ares disappeared.