Hi! This is my first fanfic! I really love the war siblings dynamic, and I for one love a good dose of angst!
This is a tickle fic!
Lee: Athena, Ares
Ler: Ares, Athena
TW FOR MENTION OF A PANIC ATTACK
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A God's Burden
“You're doing better” she said matter-of-factly. As the goddess of war and older sister, Athena had been tasked with training and handling the very energetic and new god of war, Ares. She hadn't spoken to him much, and didn't know too much about him. What she did know was that he had a short temper, he had a huge sweet tooth, he preferred the sword to all other weapons, and he had a soft spot for small, fluffy animals, especially dogs. It was odd, to her, that a god meant to be of such a violent nature could be so soft and carefree, but then again, she didn't have much experience with children.
Athena picked up the spear Ares had been using and tossed it over to him as he pulled himself back to his feet. “But charging in blindly will not always win you the battle.”
“So?” He snapped, frustrated that he had lost yet again. “I'm not all wise and calculating like you are, Athena! What do I have to use but brute force and my own strength?”
Again, the same old tirade. They would spar, Ares would lose, start yelling, and Athena would have to calm him down somehow. She didn't quite understand why he was getting so emotional over this. Surely he knew that the best course of action would be to stop complaining and try again right?
Athena opened her mouth to say the rehearsed line she always gave in response to one of Ares's tantrums when he cut her off. “And don't give me that bullshit about how I need to keep my emotions in check! Not everyone can shut themselves off like you do!”
And with that Ares threw down his spear and stormed out of the arena. Athena didn't know why, but a small part of her felt almost guilty. She tried to reason that he would come to his senses eventually and continue training, but as the day went on, there was no sign of him. Athena quarreled with herself in her head, and the big sister part of her won. “Alright,” she sighed. “Let's go find him.”
…
Ares let out a huff of frustration as he sat down beneath a sprawling olive tree. Why was she always able to best him so easily? He was the god of war for Zeus's sake! He needed to be stronger, faster, better! How else would he catch up to the golden child of the Olympians? How else would he be able to earn just a tiny bit of his father's favor? It was no secret that Athena was the favored one out of all of Zeus's godly children. Never a negative word or action was cast in her direction by him. No, that was saved for his other children, or mortals who displeased him. Ares had heard many stories of cities and towns that had dared to disrespect the king of the gods, only to be struck down by a myriad of disasters.
He shuddered. He'd never admit it, but Zeus scared him. Zeus had a quick temper, a trait he had passed onto his son. He was incredibly prideful and vain, and no one was bold or stupid enough to try to bring him down a notch. Those who tried, were dealt with, severely.
Ares didn't want that to be him. He wanted to get stronger, so he could protect himself, so Zeus wouldn't be able to find fault with him. After all, how could the son of the master of heavens have any imperfections? He didn't want to end up like his brother Hephaestus, thrown off of the mountain due to his imperfect appearance.
Tears began to slip down his face unnoticed as he stressed over whether he would ever be the perfect son, the god of war as he was born to be. He hated this part of him, that got overly emotional and screamed and cried. Crying was a sign of weakness, and he wasn't weak. From day one, he was expected to keep his emotions, aside from rage and bloodlust, in a bottle, never to be seen by anyone but him. And still, he had these moments where those pesky emotions forced their way out in ways that he couldn't control. How did Athena do it so easily? Why her and not him? As his thoughts continued to spiral, he curled up tighter and tighter, and began to breathe faster and faster.
…
Athena roamed the grounds searching for her little brother, but the kid was pretty good at hiding. As she passed by the orchards, she heard a whimpering sound, almost like a wounded animal that was trying to hide from a predator. Instinctively, she went to investigate.
It was all she could do to not let out a gasp when she saw her brother, the brash, headstrong Ares curled up and hyperventilating on the ground, seemingly unaware of the world around him. Shit, she didn't know how to handle him like this! Does she hug him? Tell him to get a hold of himself? Just leave him be? No, none of that seemed right. She wished Hera was here, she'd know what to do. But Hera wasn't there, so Athena needed to do something, and fast.
Suddenly, she remembered something from her time with Pallas, her deceased best friend. Whenever Athena was upset or angry Pallas would take a heavy cloak, meant for colder weather, and drape it over Athena's shoulders. The extra weight would help her calm down and bring her back to reality. Maybe that would work with her brother.
Athena took off the cape she always wore. It wasn't as heavy as Pallas’s cloak, but it would do. She gently wrapped it around Ares's frame, and sat down beside him.
“It's okay, you're okay, I'm here” Athena enveloped him in a hug and tried her best to comfort him. After a while, she heard his broken sobs quiet and his breathing even out. She let go of him and turned him around to face her.
“Ares, you can talk to us. No one is going to hate you for having emotions, and I shouldn't have taught you to force them down. I didn't realize how much it affected you, and for that I am sorry.”
Ares felt a spike of anger at her words. He didn't need any pity. He wasn't some broken child who needed to be coddled and protected. Who was she to insinuate that?!
But then he realized something. Pity wasn't something that Athena did. If she was anything, it was genuine. She didn't believe in sugarcoating or false positives. She wasn't one to sweeten her words to spare hurt feelings. So if she had given words of comfort, he knew she truly meant it.
“I-I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have l-lost my temper again. I just got so angry that I couldn't beat you. How can I be a god of war if I can't fight? How am I supposed to protect others if I can't protect myself? I don't want to be weak!”
There. He said it. As soon as those words left his mouth he froze. On one hand, a tremendous weight lifted off his chest for being able to confide in someone. On the other hand, Athena would never look at him the same way again. He basically admitted to being a weak coward right to her face! He was too scared to look at her. He didn't want to see his sister's face contort into a disgusted sneer-
“Wha-?!” Ares yelped as Athena pulled himself backwards into another tight hug. “What are you doing, let me go!”
“Little brother, I am so proud of you for telling me that. Admitting that you are struggling with something does not make you weak. In fact, it takes a lot of strength and bravery to look at something and realize that you can't always do it alone. I promise you, I will never, ever be angry with you for wanting help or guidance. And I will never be mad at you for feeling the need to express your emotions however you see fit. Just, if you feel the need to throw things around, maybe don't do that in Hephaestus's forge. We don't want a repeat of last time.”
They both laughed at remembering Hephaestus's eyes nearly bug out of his head after returning to a forge that had been destroyed by a very angry 13 year old Ares. It had taken almost two weeks to get everything back in working order. Since then, the arena had a special “Rage Room” for when Ares or someone else needed to let off a little steam.
“Are you feeling better, Ares?” Athena asked.
“Not really.” He answered. He wasn't crying anymore, but there was still a tight knot in his chest.
“Well we can't have that now can we?”
“What do you mehEAN?!” He let out a sharp squeal when Athena's hand suddenly started scribbling into his belly.
“I almost forgot how ticklish you are” Ares's eyes were screwed shut, but he could hear the smirk in her voice.
“Why are you laughing so much? We've only just started, and this isn't even your worst spot.” Athena switched to clawing at his sides, causing him to emit shrill giggles.
“Yohur’e the smahahrt one, figuhure it out!” Now that he was laughing, he was being quite sassy.
“Hey! Don't give me attitude!” Athena scolded, but there was no real bite to her voice.
Her hands spidered up to his ribs, causing his arms to clamp down before those evil hands could get any higher. “Ares give me my hands back.” Athena wiggled her fingers as if trying to pull free, but they both knew she could easily get her hands out if she wanted to.
“You cahan get thehehem yohoursehelf!” Ares laughed. “No, I can’t. They're clearly stuck. Come on, I thought you were smarter than this.”
“You ahare being ridiculohous!” He yelped.
“No, I'm not. Now give me my hands.” Athena said sternly. Trying (and failing) to fight down his giggles, Ares slowly pulled his arms up, only for Athena to dig ruthlessly into his highest ribs, resulting in his arms crashing back down once again.
“AthHEnA! Whyhy!” Ares was pretty sure he was dying at this point. Also, if he didn't know better, he'd say his sister was only doing this to punish him for running off earlier. But he did know better. And he knew that his sister just wanted to see him happy. So he didn't fight back too much. After all, he didn't hate it.
Athena started poking around at Ares's neck, as if pushing buttons. Each poke caused him to scrunch up and squeak. “Dohohon't!” Athena would be lying if she said that wasn't the cutest thing she's ever seen. “Stahahap! Whahat are you dohoing?!”
“Don't stop? Wasn’t even planning on it. And to answer your question, I was pressing giggle buttons! Like this one right here!” Athena wiggled a finger into Ares's bellybutton, making him shriek and burst into more happy giggles.
Now, Ares's giggles were adorable, but Athena wanted to kick it up a notch, so she went to grab one of his arms and pull it up to get at his armpits, his death spot, only to be surprised by a sudden shriek, followed by a snort.
Athena couldn't help but cackle at Ares's mortified expression. “What the hell was that?!” She asked through her laughter.
Looking at him again, she realized that har nails had grazed his bicep. She experimentally skitters her nails across the skin, drawing out more high-pitched shrieks and another snort.
Now, Athena isn't usually one to get all mushy. But even she couldn't help but coo over her little brother's reactions.
“Aww, with the way you're acting, your sacred animal should be the pig!” “SHUHUHUT UHUHP!”
Athena dramatically gasped.”Shut up? I so very kindly try to cheer you up and you tell me to shut up? Oh you're in for it now!”
And with that she held him close, and blew a raspberry on his neck.
Ares screamed.
“NAHAHAHAHA! STAHAHAHP!”
“Are you going to apologize for being rude?” Athena asked before blowing another raspberry and scribbling into his stomach again.
“YEHEHES NOW PLEHEASE STOHOHOHP!” Ares wailed.
Athena smiled, and skittered her nails into his armpits while blowing one last raspberry, drawing out another scream and more belly laughs.
She stopped after another minute, and started rubbing away the ghost tickles. Ares slumped back against her, face red and streaked with tears, still giggling.
“Tired buddy?” Athena asked with a smile.
“Mhmn” was all she got in response. Ares turned and wrapped his arms around her. They remained in a hug for a few minutes until Athena moved to get up, only to realize her lovable dork of a brother had fallen asleep on her.
Smiling, she picked him up and carried him to her palace. He needed the rest anyway.
…
(After the events of the Vengeance Saga. Athena has mostly recovered, but has drastically weakened due to the extended bedrest. Apollo recommended that she take walks every day until a little more strength returns, and then she can do a bit more exercise and spar a little.)
The weather was nice today. Not that it was normally bad, it just seemed exceptionally nice today. Zeus must be in a good mood.
Most of the gods were taking the time to enjoy the weather and take a break from their duties (hey, even gods need a break sometimes). But one goddess in particular didn't seem so happy.
Athena was upset. She didn't know why exactly. She hadn't no reason to be sad. She was (almost) fully healed, Odysseus was home, and family drama was at an all-time low. Yet, she still felt uneasy.
Normally she would go spar with Ares or train one of her mortal champions when she felt off, but Apollo stubbornly refused to let her. Something about her overworking herself. She looked around. She saw grass, trees, Hermes in the distance messing with Poseidon again. But no Apollo. “Surely a few hours couldn't hurt” she thought.
Spoiler: a few hours could most definitely hurt.
She had only just finished warming up when she felt a sharp sting, and then the sickening feeling of something flowing down her back. Reaching behind her, her hand came back coated in gold. Athena took two steps towards the arena exit, and then promptly passed out.
She awoke several hours later in the infirmary. Apollo saw she woke up and sighed. “What did I tell you about training? I thought you would have learned after last time!”
Athena flopped onto her back with a huff, wincing when the now open wound was pressed on. She turned back onto her side and responded “I was only going to be there for a little while. I didn't expect it to open back up.”
Apollo sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Athena, I know you want to get back out there, and do whatever it is you do. Train another mortal champion, inspire another tactician, or even just spend time with Odysseus again. Don't give me that look, I know you've been sneaking down to the mortal plane. But you seriously need to rest. Immortal as you are, your body needs time to recover.”
Athena shook her head. “I’m fine, Apollo. You don't need to keep me here. I shouldn't just be sitting here uselessly.”
Apollo took one look at his sister's tear-filled eyes and felt his resolve crumble. He took a breath before continuing. “Athena. My dear sister. I love you, but you are the biggest hypocrite I have ever known.”
Athena looked up at him shocked. “Apollo, what the hell?! I am not a hypocrite!”
Apollo just gave her The Look™️. “Really? Just last month you were the one to manhandle Dionysus in here after he decided to push Ares’s buttons one too many times. And the time before that, when Hermes decided to taunt Poseidon by stealing and hiding his trident. If you and Zeus hadn't intervened I don't think even I could have fixed him up.”
Athena’s shiver at the mention of her father’s name did not go unnoticed. Apollo’s tone and expression softened. “Please Athena. I know you always like to be the one to take care of us, but now let me take care of you.”
Athena weighed the pros and cons. On one hand, she really just wanted to get out of bed and pretend this all had never happened. But on the other hand, she knew that it was the most rational and logical thing to stay put and let herself heal. So why was she so against it?
Surely she could handle herself. Apollo didn't need to waste his time on her, not after all that he’s already done. She didn't want to burden him any longer.
Apollo recognized Athena’s internal debate and tapped her forehead to bring her back to the present. “Hey. I know what you're thinking. You are not a burden. I am literally the god of healing. This is my job. And more importantly, you're my sister, and I want you to be happy and healthy. And if that means you have to stay in the infirmary for now, then so be it. I really do care about you, and so do the others. We don't want to see you hurt yourself because you're too proud to admit that you need help. So stop being so stubborn and let me help you.”
It was like he read her mind. Somehow, her (literal) ray-of-sunshine brother knew exactly what she needed to hear at that moment. Athena felt the anxiety and uneasiness in her chest die down, and smiled. “Thank you, brother.”
Apollo smiled back at her. “Of course, sister. Now, you look exhausted. Try to get some sleep, I'll come back to check on you in a few hours. And if you need anything, Iaso and Panacea should be around.”
With that, Apollo left, and Athena closed her eyes.
Hours later, she awoke to a commotion on the other side of the door.
“I’m afraid I can't let you in, Lord Apollo said she needs to rest.”
“I don't care what that sunshiney dolt said! I want to see my sister!”
The door swung open to reveal a ticked-off Ares and a frustrated Iaso. She turned on her heel and stormed off, presumably to get Apollo.
Ares sauntered in and plopped down with a grin in the chair at Athena’s bedside. “So what’s this I heard about you not taking medical advice seriously?”
“Really Ares? You did the same thing last week. If Apollo hadn't gotten Hera to chew you out then you never would have listened. Now, I was already scolded once, so I don't want to hear it.” She turned to her other side, a scowl on her face. She clearly was not in the mood to deal with her currently very smug brother.
“Oh come on Thena, lighten up! I wasn't gonna scold you. Unlike one of our siblings, I don't have a stick up my ass all the time.”
Athena let out a bark of laughter. It was very true that Apollo could sometimes rival her in terms of stubbornness. She turned back to face Ares. At least she could lie on her back now without any pain. “So what are you doing here? You rarely seek me out these days, and when you do, it's either to argue or to spar. I am in no shape to do either right now, so why did you come to see me?”
Ares looked almost hurt. “Can I not come visit my sister just to spend time with her?” His voice dropped to almost a whisper, as if afraid to speak. “I just wanted to make sure you were ok. When I heard you were in the infirmary again, I got scared. Especially after…” His voice trailed off.
Ares didn't have to finish his sentence for Athena to know what he was talking about. It's been months, but the events of that day still burn fresh in their minds. Memories of the arena, of lighting, of white-hot, searing pain, then nothing.
For Ares, memories of fear that was almost paralyzing. That left him unable to do anything but ask “Is she dead?” He's lost count of how many times he cursed his own name or cried himself to sleep since that day, wishing he had these strength to help her, to run over there, hell, he'd fight Zeus if it meant his sister didn't have to suffer the way she did. They had their quarrels, but everyone knew that Zeus had gone too far.
But instead he had stood there, staring at the charred body of his sister and mentor, the one who had taught him everything he knew, watching as she was struck down again and again, just to get back up once more. Watching as she reached the dias and desperately grabbed their father's hand, and begged. His proud, stoic sister, begging on her knees. And then he watched as the last of her strength disappeared, and she collapsed.
He never wanted to see her like that again. He had spend every day in the infirmary with her until she woke up. Every day for almost two months. When she finally opened her eyes, he was there, with Apollo and Aphrodite. He remembered that day clearly. He remembered he had been arguing over her medical treatment, debating over the proper way to dress her wounds. Only to hear Athena's voice softly correct them both. He remembered his eyes filling with tears when he looked over and saw that her eyes were open. He remembered hugging her tightly, then letting go after remembering she was still injured. He had stayed and talked with her for hours afterwards. Well, he talked and she listened, her voice was really raspy and talking was painful. He updated her on everything that had happened while she was gone, about Odysseus being released, about Poseidon, about the slaughtering of the suitors and the family reunion. He was practically vibrating with excitement as he told her about how right she was about the bloodshed, and how sorry he was about ever doubting her mortal (and his son, Telemachus killed his fair share of suitors too). Apollo eventually has to physically remove him so Athena couldn't rest, but he continued to come every day until she could walk again.
Smiling sadly at the memory, his expression darkened. He hated seeing her hurt, and he hated it more when she did it to herself. Yes, he could chew her out about how stupid she was, but that wouldn't do either of them any favors. Instead, he had a better idea.
He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, and then Apollo yanking him by the ear.
“OW! LET ME GO YOU POMPOUS BITCH!”
“I TOLD YOU SHE NEEDS TO REST! YOU BOTH ARE TERRIBLE AT LISTENING!”
Athena watched her brothers argue with the expression of the oldest sibling who is absolutely done with this shit, before getting up with a sigh (no pain yay) and knocking their heads together.
“Both of you shut up. Yelling won't solve anything. Apollo, he was just here to check on me. Ares, we talked about calling your siblings bitches. Now, both of you apologize and be done with it.”
The brothers grumbled out half-hearted apologies to each other and rubbed the sore spot on their heads. Apollo sighed and turned to his sister. “Athena, I can see that you are able to stand now, you can leave after I do one more examination. Ares, if you must stay, you can wait outside.”
Ares walked out the door and sat down in the hall, waiting for Apollo to finish. Around 10 minutes later, Athena walked out the door, sporting fresh bandages and after bottles of assorted liquids and pills. Most likely painkillers of some kind, just in case.
“So where are you off to now?” He asked.
“I need to bring these back to my palace, then I'm probably just going to take a walk.” She responded, shifting the bottles in her arms.
Ares took two of them, smirking at Athena's squawk of protest. “Relax, I'm just helping you out. You'd probably drop one if you tried to carry that many by yourself.” Athena scowled, but thanked him for the assistance. Her arms did feel weak, as much as she hated to admit it, she did need the help.
Arriving at Athena's palace, the siblings went to her bedroom to set the bottles down. Athena frowned at the haphazard way her brother had carelessly left them on the nightstand, and took a minute to organize them.
Ares watched in amusement. “Sis, they're just a few bottles, you don't need to arrange them down to the millimeter.”
Athena scoffed. “Brother, you know I cannot just leave them disorganized. Everything must be in its place.”
Ares sighed impatiently. “Well, when you are done, come meet me outside. We're going for a walk. I know if I leave you to your own devices you'll forget. For all your wisdom, you are terrible at self-care.”
Athena bit back the retort she had, not wanting to be drawn back into their earlier squabble. After what seemed like an eternity (if you asked Ares, in reality it was only about five minutes), Athena stepped outside to meet her brother for their walk.
Wandering for a bit, they came across a clearing after passing through a dense wooded area. Athena recognized it as an old practice area, one that she and her siblings would meet at to hone their abilities or play. The grooves in the trees and patches of dirt were remnants of sword swings, wrestling matches, and rouge magic. The branches held memories of stargazing, long chats, and whispered secrets. The leaves hustled with the sound of laughter and screaming. A fond smile crept onto her face. Yes, there were many memories here indeed.
Athena didn't have to look over to know that Ares has a similar expression. Wordlessly, they walked over to an old olive tree. The branches were barren, long past the days of bearing any fruit, but the leaves still provided plenty of shade to rest in. Still in silence, they sat down next to each other.
“It's been a while since we were here. I can hardly remember the last time I sat under this tree.” Ares spoke after a while.
Athena grinned. “I remember it quite well. As I recall, you were having a bit of a tantrum and I had to calm you down.”
Ares bonked his head back against the tree bark. “Don't remind me of that.” He groaned, his cheeks already darkening from a faint blush.
“Aww, why? It worked didn't it?” Athena cooed, a smug grin still adorning her face.
Ares wanted to wipe that grin right off her face. But he didn't want to hurt her. He mulled over his options. Headlock? No, she was too fast. Wrestling match? No, she might get injured again, and then he'd have Apollo on his ass. He thought back again to that one afternoon and a smile began to form. Oh,yes, that would work perfectly.
“Thena, don't think I'm going to forget about you injuring yourself so carelessly. I think it's my turn to teach you a lesson. But since words will not be effective, I have another idea.”
Athena blinked. One second she was next to Ares, and the next he had pulled her in front of him, her back against his chest, and her arms pinned to her sides.
She caught on immediately. “Ares, dohon't you evehen think about ihit!”
“Aww, giggling already, I haven't even started! I thought you were the stoic one!” Ah yes. His sister's greatest weakness. Anticipation.
“Now remind me. Where is your worst spot? Is it your stomach? Or maybe your knees? Or could it be your sides? Or maybe…”
In her flustered state, Athena didn't notice one of Ares's hands sneaking up to her shoulders.
“... right here.” Ares quickly scribbled on her shoulder blades for a second before stopping, causing Athena to let out a giggly shriek. She yanked a hand free and slapped it over her mouth in a feeble attempt to muffle her giggles.
“Oh no, we can't have you muffling those adorable giggles of yours!” Ares teased, using one hand to hold both of hers and his other to dig into her exposed side.
“AHAREHEHES!”
“Yes that is my name! Don’t wear it out!” Ares laughed at his own joke as Athena groaned through her own laughter.
“Thahat is a teherrible joke! Apollo is fuhunnier than you!” Athena, even like this, was still finding the energy to sass him.
“Now that was just rude! I tell great jokes! And if it was so bad, then why are you laughing? Look at yourself, you can't stop!” As he said this, he spidered all over her stomach and sides. Not her worst spot, but still enough to make her jump around like a fish out of water.
Ares decided a change of positions was in order. He couldn't have Athena injured herself thrashing around like this. He gently maneuvered her to lie on her stomach, then straddled her waist and pinned her hands down with his knees.
“Ares what on earth are you doing? Get off!”
“No can do sis! Can't have you hurting yourself wiggling like a worm!”
“I'll hurt you if you don't get off of me!” Anyone else would be scared at this point, but Ares knew Athena well enough to know she didn't hate this as much as she made it seem.
“Aww Thena, it's just us. You don't have to present to hate this. Come on, we both know you secretly love it.”
Athena felt her face flush and for one was at a loss for words. She refused to let him have the satisfaction of admitting that he was right, but if she could see the look on his face, she'd see the smirk of someone who already knew he was right.
“Alright, too much talking, not enough laughing.” Ares said before digging into her ribs.
Athena squeaked before trying to bury her face into her shoulder while also trying to hug her arms as close to her sides as possible. It wasn't working out too well.
Ares looked down at his sister and felt a pang of adoration. They both knew she needed this. And he was all too happy to help. Besides, it was fun knocking her down a peg or two, and he was finally getting his revenge from all those years ago.
He reached a hand up to flutter against her neck and ears and had to hold himself back from audibly cooing at the result. Athena practically melted and her giggles became intermingled with what could only be described as content owl sounds. Gently brushing her hair out of the way exposed her flushed face, her scrunched eyes and nose, and wide, happy smile. It was very rare to see Athena like this, and gods damn it, he was going to savor every second!
“Thena, I almost forgot how cute you are! A smile suits you better than a scowl.” Ares teased again, smiling even wider when he saw her try to hide her face again.
“I'him not cuhute!” Athena tried to protest, but was almost cut off by more of her own giggles when she felt a finger swipe over the shell of her ear.
At this point she had completely stopped fighting, so Ares decided to pull out the big guns. He began quickly and lightly swiping up and down her spine while clawing at her shoulder blades.
Athena screamed.
“WHAHAIT! STAHAHAHP!”
“ Athena, with these dramatics, it's a wonder you don't spend more time with Hermes or Dionysus. You'd fit right in with those two.”
Ares knew she could handle a lot more.
“Now, if I remember correctly, if I do this..”
He pinched at her ribs before spidering all over her back.
“Then these should come out!”
As if on cue, two huge owl wings sprung out from Athena’s shoulders. Ares grinned. He had made Athena lose control of her powers enough to trigger her wings to come out. He had to fight down a wider smile as he lightly combed his hands through the feathers. They were really soft, and tickled his hands a bit.
He watched in amusement as the wings fluffed up and shuddered as he dragged through the feathers again. He looked down at Athena and saw her entire form was tense and shaking with suppressed laughter. Not on his watch.
With absolutely zero warning, he raked through the wings, making sure to dig right into the muscles of the wings for maximum reaction, and was nearly thrown off from how hard Athena bucked.
“NAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOT THE WIHIHIHNGS! AHARES PLEHEASE!”
Yeah, Athena’s wings were horrifically ticklish. A fact her siblings, especially one particular war god, loved to exploit. Athena had hoped Ares had forgotten about that, but she wasn't that lucky.
Ares regained his balance and lightened his touch a bit. Athena was still squealing and laughing her heart out, but at least she wouldn't scream so loud all of Olympus would hear. He loved embarrassing his siblings, but he wanted her to keep some of her dignity.
Athena was in hell. Every touch on her wings was like sparks firing throughout her body. She couldn't remember the last time she was tickled like this. Well, the way she was feeling, she couldn't remember much of anything. It's been a while since she could laugh freely. Being born out of Zeus's head as an adult had stolen the childhood her siblings could experience and left her without a lot of the memories they had. The closest thing she had to that was her time with Pallas, but that was taken away all too soon. Even in her frenzied state, she felt her mind begin to spiral.
A sudden buzzing sensation on her spine yanked her out of the dark headspace. Ares smiled at her from where he had just blown a raspberry right between her wings. “C'mon, no looking sad! I know you were thinking unhappy thoughts and that is not allowed right now!” Ares's goofy declaration completely wiped any residual sadness Athena felt left over and replaced it with a giddy, fuzzy feeling.
Ares continued to rake through the wings and blow raspberries, occasionally reaching down to scribbled on her sides or ribs, cutting through the harsh laughter with sweet giggles and even the occasional snort. Ares learned that if he squeezed her hips, she would let out a squeal, if he dug into the spaces in her ribs, she would snort, and gently tracing her sides produced absolutely adorable giggles.
He decided to finally leave her wings alone and give her a breather. Athena, after a few minutes of giggling, retracted her wings, before closing her eyes and breathing heavily. Ares reached down and traced her arms, drawing out more giggles.
He got up and off of her before pulling her into a bear hug. Athena relaxed into the hug and they both just sat there for a moment, before Ares whispered “I'm not done with you just yet” before blowing a raspberry on the side of her neck and scribbling frantically all over her torso.
“WhaHaIT NOhohO!” Her laughter was laced with all sorts of sounds. Giggles, snorts, random owl sounds, it was all there. Ares finally decided she had enough and finished off with another raspberry on the other side of her neck.
He just held her as the giggles began to die down. He waited until she had fully relaxed before moving again, this time propping her up against his side with his arm around her shoulders. He was surprised to see her curled up a bit and cuddle into his side.
“Tired sis?” He asked with a smile.
“Mhmm.” She mumbled before yawning. Athena closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep in her brother's arms, a small smile still on her face.
Ares watched her sleep with a small smile that matched her own, but his was tinged with concern. Athena hadn't slept well in ages, not since that day in the arena. He really hoped she would be able to rest, even for just a little bit.
Gods, he missed this. Just messing with his siblings, not a care or responsibility in the world. Not fighting with them, or spending every waking moment treading on eggshells around their father's quick temper. Not dealing with one problem after the next, with no respite. But he shouldn't get to greedy. Sure, it's been eons since he had time like that, but at least he had time like that at all. Athena never had time to just be a kid and explore the world. What kind of brother was he to let that happen? Ares vowed to himself to make sure his sister would get to experience all that she missed out on. He would see to it personally.
But for now, he was a bit tired. As his eyes closed, he felt Athena stir for a moment, and then relax again. He wrapped both arms around her protectively. “I won't let anyone or anything hurt you ever again.” He thought as sleep finally overtook him.
…
“It's nice to see them not fighting for once.”
“I agree Apollo, maybe we should just let them be. Athena rarely gets to sleep, and Ares never looks this peaceful.” Artemis sighed. “I know it's getting late. I'll keep an eye on them from the moon chariot. You don't have to worry about them.
“But-”
“Yes I know you can't help it. But trust me brother. I will take care of them for the night. Just let them rest. And as for you, go get some rest too. I know you haven't really been sleeping since the first time Athena reopened her wound.”
“How did you know?”
“We're twins, Apollo. I know these things about you. You criticized Athena for it, but just like her, you'd kill yourself to help others. I know you want nothing more than to help her. But you need to be able to help yourself first. So take the night. Get some sleep. Take care of yourself for once. I got them.”
“... Alright.”
“Goodnight brother.”
“Artemis!”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
Artemis just smiled, as radiant as a full moon. “Of course, brother.”
Apollo returned to his home, and was able to sleep through the night for the first time in a while. Under the watchful eye of their younger sister, Ares and Athena both slept peacefully until the light of Dawn danced on the horizon.
Ares was the first one to wake, blinking a few times and gathering his bearings. He shifted, but felt a weight on him. He looked down, and smiled in surprise and adoration when he saw Athena, still asleep, holding onto him tightly. He was awake, but he supposed he could stay a little while longer.
Later Athena would remark that it was the best sleep she had in a very long time. She didn't remember Ares carrying her back to her palace, or Aphrodite helping Apollo change her bandages. She didn't remember all of her siblings gather in her room as she continued to sleep, tidying up and making sure everything was nice and tidy, just the way she liked it. She didn't remember Hermes bringing a hand carved wooden owl, a gift from Odysseus, and a card from Telemachus. But she awoke to the changes, and to her siblings all there, with some food. They all had a picnic in her room, and spent some time forgetting about their duties, their responsibilities, their quarrels. And they talked, and laughed. They swapped stories, and shared memories. And none of them mentioned it, but there was something different in the air that day. Something fresh. A new chapter for all of them.
