Spoilers for Passions of the Gods Book 2: Desires of Olympus
There are poems in abundance about the priceless love a mother has for her child. But where are the soliloquies about a father's love?
The longer I spend immersed in writing the Passions of the Gods series, the more fascinated I become with the relationship between King Zeus and Prince Ares. It is a dynamic shaped by pride, expectation, and the quiet wounds that linger between fathers and sons.
Ironically, despite the many scenes throughout my story that hint at the friction between them, Zeus and Ares do not share a scene alone together until Book Two. By the time I reached that moment, I knew the wait had to matter. And so, I gave them a long chapter that allows the built-up tension between them to fully breathe.
The scene takes place in Ares' war temple, overlooking a vast war table carved with figures that mark battle lines and shifting territories. The two gods stand over it like generals surveying the world. They argue over past conflicts as they debate the moves needed to secure their future.
But beneath their discussion of strategy, something far more intimate reveals itself: family trauma.
Not long into their first meeting after Hephaestus' unexpected return to Olympus, Ares is quick to remind the King of his unspeakable past when Zeus mentions him:
"I will not drag Hephaestus into your mess. The poor god has suffered enough," said Zeus.
"By your hands."
Zeus glared at Ares. "What can I say to defend myself? Your mother's tongue has already poisoned you against me."
"If I had not my mother's tongue, I would still have my eyes," said Ares. "Even though I was a mere tot, I still remember everything."
"There is no need for you to harbor resentment against me. Hephaestus has already forgiven me."
"Hephaestus can easily forgive you because he cannot miss what he never had."
Zeus' broad shoulders lowered slightly, the breath in his chest growing heavier. "What will it take for you to forgive me?" he asked at last.
Ares leaned back from the table. For the first time in the conversation, hurt crossed his face. "Restitution."
"What do I owe you?"
Ares' eyes turned darker. "Every second I lost with my mother.”
(Passions of the Gods, Book 2: Desires of Olympus)
Through their back-and-forth, old, faded scars remain impossible to ignore. And although Zeus speaks to a grown god, there are still fleeting glimpses of the wounded child Ares once was, a hurt that not even ambrosia could heal.
Prince Ares fiercely embraces the independence that comes with godhood, yet he hesitates when it comes to completing the next stage of life.
At one point in the conversation, Zeus tells him:
"It is well for you to have a wife."
Ares leaned back. The fire in his voice dimmed slightly. "Is having a wife well for you?"
"Yes," Zeus answered without pause.
Ares' gaze dropped to the board, his fingers brushing a war piece shaped like a lion. Then he lifted his eyes to meet his father's. "Has it been well for your wife?"
Zeus did not answer.
(Passions of the Gods, Book 2: Desires of Olympus)
A familiar story unfolds in that moment: the child who has grown into adulthood yet refuses to repeat the mistakes he witnessed his parents make.
Yet Ares is not merely a son struggling with family history. He is the Prince of the Gods, heir to Olympus itself. With that title comes an obligation to strengthen and expand his parents' kingdom.
And there is only one way for him to do that.
He must do the very thing he dreads more than standing alone on a battlefield against a thousand warriors.
And just like the classic Greek tales, the more Ares tries to outrun fate, the faster it delivers him to his destiny.
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