Dedicated to Kimbo. You know why
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Part Three
Janeway, Chakotay and the doctor watched Ares and Strife with
interest and curiosity. They wondered about the problem Strife
had mentioned but didn't ask for two reasons. One, none of them
wanted to interrupt the two gods. Secondly, it was obvious that
the God of Mischief didn't want them to know.
Janeway and Chakotay stared in shock and fear as Ares' face
suddenly twisted in fury. He hissed something in a deadly tone of
voice, then vanished in His customary flash of blue light, leaving
Strife to deal with the two mortals and the hologram.
While Janeway and Chakotay stared at Strife in silence, the
doctor decided to ask a few questions. Being a hologram he
wasn't easily impressed by anything. Not even gods. "What
happened?" he asked. "Why did Ares get so angry?"
Strife just barely resisted the urge to sigh as He moved over and
sat down in the chair Ares had occupied when He turned up. He
snickered silently to Himself at the sight of the captain and
commander's openmouthed shock. Then He turned His attention
back to the doctor and answered his question partially. "Someone
is starting a war that Uncle Ares *doesn't* want to happen. That
always pisses Him off."
"So, He went to stop that war," the doctor concluded.
Strife nodded in agreement. "Yes, Uncle is gonna stop that war
whether these people want Him to or not," He said with a cold
smile that sent shivers through the two mortals. They got the
distinct impression that Ares would do something drastic if He
was disobeyed in this matter. Strife's next words confirmed it.
"And if these foolish mortals refuse to cooperate, they'll discover
what it means to anger the God of War. And trust Me, that is
*not* a pleasant experience," He added.
Not even the doctor doubted Strife's words. The look of fury on
Ares' face as He left had been terrifying. He had looked like He
wouldn't hesitate to kill at the slightest provocation.
Strife leaned back in His chair and materialized a goblet of wine.
He took a sip of the wine, then put the cup on the table and
turned His attention back to the other three. "Uncle Ares said that
He was telling you why He fathered Tom," He said.
"Yes, He was," Janeway answered. "But there's something I
don't understand."
Strife lifted a quizzical eyebrow. "What don't you understand?"
Janeway met His eyes for an instant, but like all mortals she
could hold the gaze of a god for long. "Lord Ares told us that
Eugena Paris had two miscarriages after giving birth to her
youngest daughter," she started. When Strife nodded in
confirmation, she asked, "So what made her think that she would
carry this child to term?"
"You must remember that Eugena Paris was Greek," Strife began
His explanation. "She knew that if Uncle Ares agreed to give her
a child, He would also make certain that the baby was born."
"I see," Janeway said thoughtfully.
While Janeway considered this information, Chakotay asked a
question of his own. "Did Lord Ares really have no contact with
His son until Tom turned fifteen?" he asked doubtfully.
Somehow he couldn't imagine that Ares would accept that.
Strife laughed out loud. When He got His amusement under
control, He looked at Chakotay. "You are very perceptive,
Chakotay," He said, then answered the question. "No, Uncle
Ares didn't stay away from Tom until his fifteenth birthday."
"When *did* Ares visit Tom, then?" Janeway asked.
Strife shrugged. "I'm not sure," He answered contemplatively,
"but knowing Uncle Ares, He probably visited Tom every day
since his birth." Mischief glanced at Janeway. "He *is* the God
of War, after all, and able to stay invisible to mortal eyes when
and if He so desires."
"So Ares visited the Paris household to watch Tom every day
until his fifteenth birthday?" Chakotay asked in disbelief.
"No," Strife admitted. "He only came to the Paris household
invisible until Tom was… four or five, I think. After that, Uncle
Ares let Tom see Him." Strife paused to take another drink of
wine, then continued. "Uncle Ares brought Me with Him once,"
He recalled. "Tom must have been… oh, about ten…" He trailed
off into memory.
*****
In the past
With twin flashes of light, Ares and Strife arrived in a child's
bedroom. Ares looked at the curtains to be sure they were closed.
Seeing that they were, He then moved across the floor to the door
and turned the lights on before walking over to sit at the edge of
the child's bed.
For a moment, Ares just sat and watched the face of His sleeping
offspring, fully aware that the God of Mischief still stood in the
middle of the room, scrutinizing Him. Ares ignored His nephew
for the moment as He lifted a hand and gently stroked His son's
blonde curls. "Tommy," He called quietly, attempting to wake
the boy.
Tom just sighed and rolled over to lie on his side. His
subconscious informed him that it wasn't his mother trying to
rouse him, therefore it couldn't be time to get up yet.
Ares resisted the urge to sigh Himself, raised His voice slightly
and tried again. "Tommy. Wake up." This time He got a reaction.
Tom's eyes fluttered, then opened and he looked up at the God of
War, smiling when his tired mind registered the identity of his
visitor. "Ares," he said, sitting up. Then he maneuvered himself
into War's arms for his usual hug.
Ares wrapped His arms around Tom and held the boy to Him in a
gentle hug. After a moment, He loosened the embrace and drew
back enough to meet Tom's eyes. Unlike other mortals, Ares'
son was able to meet and hold War's gaze for longer periods of
time. "Tommy, I brought someone to meet you," He said with a
glance towards His nephew.
Tom turned his head and saw the tall man standing in the middle
of his bedroom. He slid out of Ares' hold and crawled out of his
bed. Once he was standing on the floor, he walked over to the
stranger, Ares following behind him. "My name is Tom," he said
when he reached the man. "Who are you?"
Strife looked down at His cousin with a smile. "I'm Strife."
Tom cocked his head with a slight frown marring his smooth
forehead. That answer wasn't good enough in his opinion. "What
are You god of?" came the next question.
Strife's eyes sparkled with amusement. "How do you know that
I'm a god?" He parried.
The look on Tom's face clearly said that *that* was the stupidest
question he'd ever heard. "If You weren't a god, my daddy
wouldn't have brought you here," he said with the confidence of
someone who knows they're right. Then he repeated his
question. "What are You the god of?"
Strife hid His surprise with difficulty and glanced at His uncle.
The shock on Ares' face told Him that the God of War hadn't
broken His promise to the boy's mother. After a brief moment,
Strife shrugged it off. It wasn't His problem. He turned His
attention back to Tom. "I'm the God of Mischief," He replied.
Tom considered this for awhile, then asked, "So if I need help
with some trick, You're the one I should ask?"
Mischief laughed. "That's right. You like to play tricks on
people, don't you?"
Tom beamed at Strife. "Yeah. It's so much fun," he answered,
then frowned again. "Unless they find out it was me. Then it isn't
fun."
"No, I suppose not," Strife agreed, then He winked. "Next time
you wanna play a trick on someone, let Me know. I'll make sure
no one knows that you did it," He promised.
"Really?" Tom asked, his whole face lighting up in joy when
Strife nodded 'yes'.
Ares had listened in silence to the conversation between His
nephew and His son. Now He decided to break in and ask a
question of His own. "Tommy?"
Tom turned and looked up at his beloved daddy. "Yes?"
"Who told you that I'm your father?" Ares asked with a slight
frown of concern. If any of the other gods or goddesses had told
him….
Tom's blue eyes widened in obvious surprise. "No one told me,"
he answered.
Ares' frown deepened. "Then how did you know?"
A worried expression appeared on Tom's face. "I don't know. I
just do."
*****
Strife went silent, still amazed that Tom had known who his real
father was. He picked up His goblet and drank the last of his
wine, then looked at His audience. They seemed as stunned as
He had felt twenty years earlier when His cousin had revealed his
knowledge of his paternity.
The doctor's office was quiet for several minutes while Janeway,
Chakotay and the EMH tried to digest this piece of information.
"Tom knew who his biological father was, without anyone
telling him?" Janeway finally asked, wanting to make sure she
hadn't heard things.
Strife nodded in confirmation. "He told Us that he had known for
years," He replied. "Tom actually knew that Uncle Ares was his
father from the first time he met Him."
Before anyone could comment on this, the office door opened
and Eris entered, looking exhausted. She glanced at the
foursome, noting that Strife, not Ares, was keeping the two
mortals and their holographic doctor company. "Tom's change
is complete," She informed them. "She should awaken in about
an hour."
Janeway blinked in surprise. "That was fast," she said, getting a
nod of agreement from her first officer.
"Not really," the doctor answered. "We've been in here for four
hours," he told his superior officers, not needing to check the
chronometer.
"It seems much shorter," Janeway remarked, then frowned in
concern. "What about the ship?"
Eris smiled tiredly. "Tuvok has the bridge," She said. "And Ares
made certain that you won't run into any problems in the near
future."
"That's very kind of Him," Janeway said as she rose from her
chair.
"Kind?" Eris repeated. "I suppose it is. Now, come with Me."
She turned and left the office again, this time followed by
Janeway, Chakotay, the doctor and the God of Mischief.
The End