He reached out his hand to touch the invisible arm that was always there. Air past between his fingers. He frowned.

"Ares?" His voice was little more than a whisper.

Herc waited for a moment wondering what his brother's game was this time. They'd been together secretly for years, but their chances to be together had become few and far between. He smiled. His Ares was always playful and he loved the games his devious mind came up with. He rolled his head, relieving the tension in his back as he waited.

He glanced around wondering what his lover was planning. His gaze rose to the wall hanging over his head. He frowned realizing it was a copy of one that hung above Hera's throne on Olympus.

"Did you think that I was close to no one but you?"

He turned to see an angry Ares leaning against a nearby pillar. His eyes narrowed on his lover's face. He was more than angry... he was hurt.

"Ares.."

"Don't!" The roar echoed through the room. He steps were almost jerky as he crossed the space. "Don't pretend to care."

Hercules glared at his brother. This was the same god who'd made him promise never to tell anyone about them. This was the god who never let him say that he loved him. "You know I care, you bastard."

"I'm not the bastard here, brother." The sneer in his voice made Hercules ache to smack him. It was the tone that he knew hid the lover he'd come to see.

"Look, if you're not at least talk to me, then I'm out of here." He waited, hoping Ares would open up. He knew his lover wasn't mad about those shots he and Iolaus had made at him. It usually amused his brother.

"Isn't that just like you? Make trouble then leave someone else to deal with it."

He glared harder. "What that is supposed to mean?"

Ares didn't answer. Stiff movements took him to the throne. He threw himself down into a supposedly casual sprawl, but Hercules saw the tension in every line of his body. "Ares, what's wrong?"

Hercules didn't think he would get an answer but it was worth a try. He moved closer to his sullen brother and waited. His keen hearing caught the almost inaudible sigh, and knew he'd won. His hand brushed the clothe on the alter. It was silk. Hercules pushed it aside and moved to sit. he knew from long experience after battles that Ares would not speak until he was ready.

"I think I always knew, but I let myself ignore it; let myself beleive the lie."

Nothing more came. He shifted on the hard stone. He wasn't exactly sure what it was Ares was talking about. Then he noticed that his lover's eyes were locked on the tapestry.

"Hera's lie?"

A harsh laugh filled the room. "No. The lie I told myself. The lie that she loved me."

Hercules swallowed. He was angry about his parent's reconsilliation "Hera does love you. You're her favorite."

"No. I am her favorite weapon against Zeus. I actually thought that her interest and time were real, not some illusion." Another laugh echoed off the walls. "Maybe I should become the God of Fools."

"Ares.." He wasn't sure what to say. His lover, while deeply emotional, had always been so in control that he wasn't sure how to comfort him. Just as he'd been unable to find the words when he'd thrown Hera in the Abyss.

"NO! This is your fault. You put them together and now she won't need me! Neither of them need me now."

Hercules rolled behind the alter, barely escaping the sudden fireball aimed at his head. He huddled there listening to Ares' rage. The stone was blasted over and over again. Only the fact that the builder was very ingenious kept it whole.

"It's your fault Hera doesn't need me anymore. Your fault Hera doesn't want me anymore. Zeus doesn't want me anymore. Cupid and Evander don't need me."

Silence filled the air as both men realized what had been said. Hercules slowly came up to see Ares slumped in his chair. "No one needs me."

The dejected tone in his voice brought his lover to his side in a moment. Hercules didn't think, merely pulling his brother up and into his arms, rocking him like a child. Murmuring all the time, "*I* need you."

Ares clung to him like a desperate man. He supposed the god might be. For Ares to speak of his oldest and younest child, the sons most and least like him, was rare. He knew that Cupid barely acknowledged Ares as his elder let alone parent. As for Evander...

He pressed a gentle kiss to the almost feverish brow of his lover, awed and ashamed that he'd never thought of now hurt Ares was by the acts of others. Himslef included.

His lips also brushed the bridge of his nose, his cheek, chin and finally lips. Heat rose quickly between them, even as the kiss remained chaste.

It didn't stay that way for long. Ares' tongue nudged Hercules lips. Moments later, his back pressed to the silk covered alter. Hercules pulled back, gasping for air. His mind wondered over how Ares could turn even a kiss into a battle. That didn't stop him from going on the attack. His hands gripped the god's thighs and hefted him onto the cool stone, as he mouth latched onto the hot spot below his adam's apple. He grinned at the noises his lover began to make.

He moved away slightly to look at the already flushed face of his lover. Grinding his hips into the Ares', he began to lap at the roof of his mouth as he gasp at the sensation. His lover's hands clutched at his shirt. His own were entangled in dark curls. He pulled back and waited. Finally, Ares opened his yes and glared at him. He smiled in response. "I *need* you. I *love* you. Let me show you."

Hercules hands moved slowly down to the clasp of his vest. He slolwy eased it off, exposing his perfect chest. He smiled at the nipple ring. His teeth clamped onto the warm metal. His gentle tugs rung harsh moans from the god beneath him. All the time he slowly teased the laces to the tight leather pants. He eased the clothe to the edge of his hips and paused to gently massage the sensitive skin there.

"I can do that a lot faster," Ares panted.

Hercules chuckled against his chest, causing a louder moan. "It's not as fun."

He slowly eased the leather down his lover's legs, stopping at the knees. Ares had this thing about other people touching his boots or feet, so he trusted his brother to take it from there. He was pleasantly surprised when Ares used his god power to take everything off, the mortal way.

"My turn," Ares growled and vanquished Hercules' clothing. The sound he made was part moan at the feel of flesh on flesh, part laugh at his lover's imaptience.

Hercules smiled. the feel of his lover against him was like othing else. Heat and power radiated form his being. His lips traced the long line of Ares' neck, slowly tasting the sweat that began to form there. His mouth moved across his shoulder, lips and tongue playing along his skin, before he paused to send a smoky glance Ares' way.

It was then that he realized how hot the air was becoming and look away from the god. Every flame in the room was flaring wildly. He looked back into the almost embarassed face of his lover. "For me?"

Ares' hands, that hand been gripping his shoulders, moved to his hips, pulling him harder to him, causing them both to moan. There bodies were perfectly aligned and Hercules could but grip his lover's arms as he rolled his hips in a way that always drove the demi-god crazy. "Yeah. You like?"

All he heard was his own panting breath as Ares's hand moved to his ass. He stopped breathing when fingers began to trace his cleft, teasing around his opening. Suddenly warm oil fill the samll hallow at the small of his back and began to run downward. His hands slid off his lover's arms as he shook from the sensations, to land flat on the stone.

His head fell against Ares' shoulder. He felt as if his skin were on fire everywhere they touched. He loved the sudden roughness of his lover's touch. It was always like that. It was a huge turn on to know that his lover could hurt to him anytime he wanted, but never did. Not enough in their little scuffles over the years.

One of his favorite things was to watch the powerful flex of Ares' muscles, he see and not just sense the inherent strange, and understand the extreme control, to know that his touch could test... stretch that control. That was why he forced his eyes open to stare almost sightlesslly down the tanned expanse of skin.

Hercules was so absorbed in the wonder of his lover, that he almost forgot about his own aching flesh. That all changed when jst the tip of Ares' finger slipped inside him, bringing a little warmed oil with. He whimpered as his whole being became centered on that invading digit.

His sounds turned into cries quickly as Ares continued to perpare him with almost teasing slowness. First one finger, then half, then the barest tip tip, then a sharp probe to his pleasure spot, then two finger, back to one and so on in a seemingly endless rhythm. He also rolled his hips keeping up a constant stimulation on Hercules' rapidly overloading senses.

Somehow, he found enough conherency to fit a sentence into his needy cries. "Please... I need.... you... so much."

A moment later, he found himself the one seated on the alter with his lover between his thighs. Ares' erection nudged at his stretched opening. The gods hips moved slowly so that the sensitve skin around it was stimulated, causing louder cries from the man beneath them. One look at the urgent face of his lover and Hercules thrust his hips to capture the tip of it.

Both moaned at the feel of it. His hips were grabbed, hard enough to bruise, but he didn't care, as his lover began a slow gentle thrusting. His lover pulled him to him, so he no longer half-lay on the stone, but was wrapped wholey around Ares. He whimpered and begged and strained in his lover's hold, trying to get more, sure that if he didn't he'd be the first man to die of pleasure.

Despite his pleas and the need etched on his own face, Ares kept it slow for what Hercules thought to be a lifetime. It was only at the end of it, when he was sure his heart and lungs would give out from the exertion, did he look into the eye's of his lover.

The utter joy and contentment shocked him. It took a moment for his fevered mind to realize that he was the one that put it there. That knowledge rushed through him followed closely by the most amazing completeion of his life, but he fought the latter, wanting the moment to last forever. He screamed, giving up the fight and bringing his lover with him.

They slid to the floor in an exhausted heap. Hercules smiled as he suddenly felt a mattress appear beneath them. As they fought for breath, a long peaceful silence filled the chamber. Hercules couldn't remember feeling his content in a long time.

The moment stretched, until Ares let out a long, shuddering sigh. "Do you know that this was my first temple here on the mortal plane? Mother made it for me, all but the throne. I thought it was a gift of affection. It wasn't. Just something to offset the temple Zeus made for me on Olympus."

He tightened his hold on Ares, hoping his lover understood that he would be there to comfort him. He knew it was a small gesture, but all he could come up with.

"It's always been my favorite, though it is small." He pulled slightly away from the embrace, dislodging them. He stared intently into Hercules' eyes.

"Ares.." What could he say to erase past pain?

A finger touched his lips. "It always will be, but now for a much better reason."