Chapter 375 - 375

Ea returned back to consciousness slowly, his eyelids blinking, his vision slightly blurry. The first fave he came to recognize, see it's characteristics clearly was the one of the beautiful king. Allias was standing close to him, so close he could feel his breath landing on his cheek and was inspecting him with those bright green eyes of his that were filled with worry. 

He wasn't really used to being so close to him. He took a second though, still in a daze and half asleep to observe him better. No wrinkles, no signs of aging even though he was thousands years old. He was breathing slowly, his lips slightly parted a very beautiful pink color, like a rose and his skin was a bit tanned. All Avgee elves had a golden shimmer to their skin in comparison with the Disee ones that were deadly pale. Maybe because they had such a strong connection to the sun. 

"So pretty." Ea mumbled with a foolish smile and heard Allias' refreshing chuckle. 

"He is fine." The king said and took a step back with a faint smile on his face and Ea as he started gaining consciousness he blushed, embarrassed about what he had said. His eyes immediately landed on Theseus who was staring at him with a cocked eyebrow and smiled. 

"So what happened?" Mark asked and Ea completely returned to the present. Ares, he remembered it clearly. Mute, locked in that golden cage. Just the thought of it made his heart ache, he realized. He looked at Amelia, the woman was thinking. She had told him in that dream that she had found him so did she seem so concerned.

"What's wrong?" Ea asked "You told me you found him." The smell elf stated.

"I thought I did. But the location, I think I might be mistaken. It is very absurd. " She said and Allias tilted her head to the side. 

"Where are they?" Theseus asked her.

"They are...here." Amelia told them and all of them turned completely silent.

"In the castle?" Mark asked dramatically and Asmodeus was heard sighon behind him. He placed his palm on Mark's shoulder and forced him to turn around.

"Not here dear, in the area. In the elf kingdom." The demon corrected him.

"Why are you looking at me as if I am stupid?" Mark asked, crossong his arms over his chest with a suspicious glare landing right on Asmodeus. If looks could kill this would definitely be a strong slap.

"I am not." The demon answered with a cheeky smile.

"How about I order you to go burry yourself underneath some kind of tree. How would that sound?"

"It sounds like abuse of power." Asmodeus told him and Mark smiled devilishly.

"It is." 

"Excuse me, about Ares!" Ea exclaimed and all eyes were turned on him. "What do you mean he is here?" 

"As the demon said, he is in the elf kingdom. It is surprising though because didn't you think it's absurd?" Amelia asked, rubbing her chin. Allias didn't have to think for long, he believed he already knew the answer.

"He wanted to outsmart us. He probably believed we would search for Ares immediately and think that he was in the demonic capital. That Vines would be hiding somewhere there. That would give him time." Allias told them and Theseus nodded.

"Well, the best hiding place it's always the most obvious one." The general added, his voice cold as he realized that soon he would get to meet the one who took his brother away. His body tensed as his thoughts traveled to all the vicious things he would do that monster without a drop of guilt. 

"Did you get to see the exact location?" Ea asked Amelia and the woman nodded. She hesitated for a bit to say it, as her big eyes met with his.

"The Avgee ruins. He is hiding there." She revealed and Allias' fist was clenched on his side, his knuckles turning paler from the force, just a bit more and he would draw blood from the places his nails pierced brutally his skin.

"How dare he..." He mumbled. The Avgee ruins were a sacred place for the elves. More than historical monuments it was the place where their brothers and sisters had died, when hallf of a nation had gone extinct. Someone needed to be a very lowly creature to get in there and do something like that. But well, this was Vines they were talking about, at the end of the day they shouldn't be that surprised. 

"So now what do we do?" Mark asked.

"We will first send a scouting troop. Access the danger..." Theseus began saying, laying out a solid stragedy for them to follow so they wouldn't regret it later. He was interrupted though by a very angry king.

"Get ready. We will go and kill him now." Allias said and Theseus looked at him with a frown. 

"Allias, I do not think that this is a good idea. I want to get Ares back too but Vines is strong. We are limited. We can't go all out. You are forbidden and we can't have the Avgee ruins getting destroyed." 

"I shall not have another elf get hurt there. I will not see elf blood get spilled there anymore. I will not allow Ares to suffer all alone in that place and Vines, he needs to pay for taking him away, for hurting all of us and for disrespecting our sacred land. Am I clear?" He asked him, staring at him strictly. His tone was cold and steady, a very obvious order as Theseus nodded. "Good, go get ready we will be leaving on an hour and you Amelia, please do some research about the spell. A maid will lead you to our library. There are many magic contexts you might find useful there." Allias said and nodded his head. A soldier immediately rushed in at his signal. "Get ready some weapons. Call a maid to lead our guest to the library. Always have three soldiers watch her at all times." He said not caring thag Amelia was listening. The woman looked at him her expression showing surprise.

"Really? Do you think that's needed?" She asked him.

"I am not stupid and I do not trust anyone. No offense." He said "what are you waiting for? Go..." He told everyone and started walking heading to his room. Theseus followed close behind him, silent.

"Allias, your people's land..."

"I don't think we should be talking about it now." The king said as he opened the heavy door. He walked inside the warm room and headed towards one of the closets. He opened the double doors, they were made from wood, polished nicely with carvings of plants on the front, and in their view came a few weapons that they kept there just in case they needed them. 

He grabbed a sword, cold and heavy and threw it towards Theseus. The general grabbed it in the air with no difficulty at all, his reflexes at top state and watched as Allias took out his spear. It was a beautiful weapon, if someone looked at it he would be troubled about how something so delicate could bring so much death. He still remembered when he was teaching the king to throw it. His shyness, his fear to harm someone and his purity. Not though it was clasped tightly inside his grip, his muscles flexing as he stretched his arm in a throwing motion and as Theseus watched him he realized that so much time had passed since then. So many things had changed but Allias was still as beautiful in his eyes. He smiled faintly and took a few steps towards him.

"We will punish him. For everything that he has done." Theseus told him as he stood behind him, shielding his back with his body and placing his palm on top of his closed fist. They were holding the spear together and Allias breathed in felling his body close. "I promise." 

"I don't want the people I care about to be in pain anymore. You, Ea, Ares you are my family. I should be protecting you." Allias said. He had a very saddened expression on his face, Theseus though while he stood behind him he couldn't see it. He kissed his neck gently, his lips grazing the soft skin.

"You are, you always have been." 

"This is the second time Ares gets kidnapped. I think this will bring him down...I can't stop thinking about it. Everything that will follow..."

"It's going to be alright. Ares is strong, he will get through this and all of us will help him. Also, about what happens next, we have the gods by our side. The royal Disee family had powerful friends." Theseus said with a smirk and Allias scoffed.

"I've always been wondering, Ares is named after the war god but why is it that your parent's friends were Apollo and Artemis?" He asked him.

"Well, the truth is that Apollo lost a bet." He said and tried to hold in his laughter.