The silence between them was dense. Ares's eyes were locked with Hades's, and for a moment, it seemed the words between them still held weight.
But only for a moment.
"I'm not afraid of you." Ares said.
Hades gave him a slow, humorless smile. "That would be your second mistake."
Ares blinked.
And then Hades struck.
It wasn't a punch and it wasn't a blast of magic. One moment, the God of the Dead stood still. The next, he was behind Ares, and the air around them exploded with black fire as a pillar of shadows slammed into the war god's back.
Ares hit the ground hard, sliding across the cold stone like a thrown weapon, sparks flying from his armor.
He rolled with the momentum, sprang to his feet, and unleashed a roar that cracked the stone beneath him. A longsword erupted into his hand in a blaze of red-gold flame. Hades raised his hand, and shadows twisted into the form of a long obsidian spear, tipped with silvered edges glowing faintly blue.
