Naked Warrior

PART FOUR

PART FOUR

When Daria awoke the next morning, Ares was already gone. Although she felt extremely well, better than she had in a long time, she sighed heavily at the disappointment of his absence. After she dressed in her battle gear, she left the flat and headed for the main hall to find Balicus. She bounced happily along, thinking to herself that it was, indeed, a beautiful morning.

Once she had located the General, they had breakfast and he took her out on a private field, separate from the where the other soldiers were training. Ares materialized behind the cover of some nearby trees, wang Bng Balicus take Daria through some basic maneuvers. Once their training session was complete, he let Daria take a short break. Ares made his presence known at that time and Daria couldn't hold back a huge grin when she saw him.

Ares motioned to Balicus to walk with him while Daria was resting. Ares reiterated what he expected from Balicus with Daria, and Balicus admitted that Daria had surprised him today. She did have much potential, just as the War God had said.

"Balicus, you should never question me. I have never been wrong when it comes to a warrior, or a woman, for that matter," he chuckled.

"Please, forgive my doubt, my Lord," Balicus said as he bowed his head in respect.

"Done," Ares replied, slapping Balicus on the back. Then he disappeared and re-materialized next to Daria, who was drawing in the dirt with a stick, waiting for the two men to return.

"And how are you feeling today, my dear?" he asked with a sparkle in his eye.

She stood, smiling, and replied, "I feel wonderful today!"

He leaned in and kissed her forehead, taking her in his arms. "Balicus tells me your first day of training went very well. He agrees that you have much potential, my small, great one."

"He really thinks so?"

"Yes, my sweet. As do I. And I am looking forward to seeing how much you have progressed the next time I come to visit."

"The next time? What are you saying, Ares?"

"Daria, I have the business of war to tend to and I am not sure how long it will keep me away. But I didn't want to leave without telling you goodbye first."

He held her shoulders and looked at her face. Her head was down in disappointment of the news, as she suppressed the tears that were threatening to spill from her pretty green eyes.

"I understand," she said. "Thank you for letting me know in person." She finally looked up at his face and forced a convincing smile.

Ares thought it brave of her to not show her true emotions to him. She was strong when it came to dealings of the heart. Those are the kinds of things that separate a good warrior from a great warrior. He returned her smile and pulled her into a long, comforting kiss before releasing her.

"As soon as I can, Daria, I will return." He disappeared, but Daria heard him speaking to her after he was gone. He said, "Be ready for your next lesson when I do."

The words brought back vivid images from the previous night and she chuckled to herself and whispered, "You bet I will!"

Many moons would pass before Daria would see the God of War again.

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Daria was progressing quite well in her training with Balicus. Her strength increased from her daily workouts and she now could easily wield the largest of the swords that Ares had made for her. Although she would never match the strength of most warriors, she had the advantage of being quick due to her small size. Balicus realized this early on in her training, and had changed his lesson plan accordingly. He sent weekly reports keeping Ares up-to-date on her progress through one of his high priests at the local temple in the city. When Balicus heard nothing back from the War God as far as specific instructions for Daria, he proceeded to train her as he best saw fit.

The next trainstepstep for Daria would be on a more interactive level. Balicus wanted to get her on the field with the other soldiers in training. There were just too many important exercises that needed to be done in a group. Still, the general felt a bit apprehensive about Daria being amongst the other men. Ares had made it very clear to him that she NOT be a source of temptation or ridicule for the soldiers. He was already aware of the remarks some of the men threw her direction when she would enter the main hall for meals. Daria would just ignore them, swishing her ass as she passed them by with her head held high. Nonetheless, Balicus had a responsibility to train the young girl and he was going to make sure that his Master was pleased with her outcome.

After her normal warm up exercises and run, Balicus led Daria to the main field where the men's session had already begun. On their walk over, Balicus had briefed Daria on the exercise he had planed for her. She would be fighting three men at once. Balicus motioned to his second in command to send over a group of men for Daria to work with. They were the newest to join in Ares' army. Not having much training themselves, Balicus figured that they were the best choice for her to begin with. All of the trainees worked with mock swords with dulled blades made from a heavy wood. The point of the exercise was to learn to block the advances of the enemy's weapon and escape harm. Each one in the group of four would take turns "defending" them self as the other three attacked.

The three men eyed Daria as they approached. One man whispered to another.

"Oh, look! We get to play with the cold little bitch."

"Yeah, we should teach her how to warm up around us men. It's got to be lonely at night, all alone in that big room of hers." They all snickered.

"SILENCE," the General bellowed. "This is not social hour, you slime. This is training, and you are soldiers. And I expect you to act like soldiers. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"Yes, sir," the men said in unison, standing at attention.

Balicus slowly walked around the three men, studying them intently. He poked one man in the back and told him to stand up straight. Then he came around to stop directly in front of them.

"You boys will be working with Daria. There are two rules for you to keep in mind when working with the woman. Rule number one: do not think of Daria as a woman. Think of her as a soldier. Treat her as a soldier. In other words, do not take it easy on her or treat her any less than you would the man standing next to you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Rule number two: if any one of you touches her in any way, other than what would happen in battle, you will not have to answer to me for your misconduct. You will answer to Ares directly. And I don't imagine that he will be very happy about it. To put it mildly, you won't be returning to the training camp again. I'm sure you all get my meaning." Balicus looked at the three men discerningly.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. Now let's get to work."

Daria started off as one of the three attackers. Each taking a turn swinging at the one in the middle. One of the others had gotten in a pretty good hit on the defender on the first blow. That put him out. The next man stepped in the middle. He finally was hit by the same man who had hit the first one, putting him out as well. Now Daria stepped into the ring. She managed to fend off two attacks from each man, but got whacked on the third round.

The group continued this exercise under the scrutiny of Balicus' watchful eye. Suddenly, there was yelling coming from one of the other groups. Apparently the exercise had gotten out of hand with a couple of men and they were heavily engaged in fist-to-fist battle. Balicus ran over to the commotion, leaving Daria amongst her group.

Aaron, one of the three, was a cocky young lad with a chip on his shoulder. He only joined Ares' army because he didn't have anywhere else to go. His father had thrown him out of their home due to his smart mouth and disrespect for his elders. He was constantly causing trouble in their small village and had been known as a bully when he was a youth. The perfect recruit for a solder in the army of Ares, but he was still new and stupid. He made the mistake of starting in on Daria.

"Hey, sweet thing. Why do you keep yourself hidden away from us men?" He moved towards her, ready to grab a piece of her lovely heart-shaped ass, while her attentions were on the fight across the field. Aaron reached his hand out only to have Daria block his "attack" with her wooden sword.

"Ooww! That hurt, BITCH," he scowled. "What's your fucking problem, anyway?"

Daria glared at him. "You are! Didn't your momma ever teach you to ask before you take?" she mocked him.

"I'm a MAN. I don't have to ask to take what I want of a woman." Daria had succeeded in angering the young man and he was moving towards her again. "Come on, guys. Let's teach this little bitch to show us some respect."

The other two followed Aaron. Daria hunched as Balicus had taught her, standing ready for the onset of an attack. One man lunged for her. She quickly evaded him, knocking him to the ground with the handle of her sword and he landed face down in the dirt. Another got behind her and grabbed her free arm, twisting it behind her back. She swiftly flipped the man over her back, grabbing his arm in the process and maneuvering it behind his back now. She pushed him into the tree and he hit his head, infuriating him further.

"OH, the bitch likes it rough! I'll give it to you rough, darlin'!"

All the men were standing again, surrounding her. They moved in on her at once, but Daria surprised them all. She swiftly blocked each move with her weapon, and quickly flipped and rolled out of harms way. When she succeeded to evade the men once again, she ran off the field towards her flat.

Balicus had just caught a glimpse of Daria making a b-line off the field. He looked to the group of men she left behind and smiled slightly when he saw the anger and frustration on their faces. One man was just rising from the ground, brushing himself off and holding his fist in the air at her. It was obvious they had done something that they weren't supposed to be doing. And Daria had put them in their place. But they had been warned, and now they would have to be dealt with. He shook off his amusement and headed towards the men with fury and authority in his eyes, thinking to himself that he was glad Ares wasn't here to see all this misbehavior from his men. What was going on around here today, anyway? He had never seen such recalcitrant behavior from his men before.

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Daria flung her wooden sword across the room. She was fuming from the way those men had treated her. Like some harlot to be used for their pleasure. Just who did they think they were, anyway? She walked around to the other side of the bed where a burlap sack filled with old torn uniform pieces hung from the ceiling. Daria used it to punch on. She found that it helped focus her mind, keeping it off of the way her body yearned for Ares' touch when she was alone at night. And it helped develop more strength in her arms.

She wailed her right fist into the sack, accompanied by a loud grunt. She held her lower lip between her teeth as she punched the bag again with the same fist, immediately following with her left one. She furiously beat the bag, one punch after another, grunting louder and louder. She was throwing her entire body weight into the punches now. Sweat collected on her brows and ran down the sides of her face. Her hair became damp around her forehead. Suddenly, she felt different, lighter. Like she didn't have her armor on any longer. But it was still on. Still mad, she shrugged it off and continued punching the bag. Again, she felt a strange sensation pass over her like a breeze, and she felt lighter, still. Even a little chilled. She stopped, turned and looked around the room. When she saw nothing, she focused her attention on the bag again, this time delivering a blow to the lower half of it with a sturdy kick.

"THAT's what I'm gonna give you next time you try touching me, swine!" Then suddenly, she felt naked. The sound of a deep voice startled her and she jumped around to face its owner.

"Bravo, my sweet! You were marvelous out there today. You easily defended yourself against those three insolent soldiers. And succeeded in humiliating them in front of the others."

Daria eyes flashed with anger. "YOU were there?" she lashed out.

"Yes, I was there. I saw the entire incident. You did quite well, my sweet." He reached for her cheek, but she pulled away from him.

Daria was clenching and unclenching her fists and gritting her teeth as she kept control over her anger and upset with the God standing before her. He looked amused, which made her even madder.

Ares tilted his head down and peered at her with slightly narrowed eyes. "Something wrong, my pet?"

"YOU were there and did nothing to help me?" She turned around and punched the bag as hard as she could, sending it swaying away from her.

"Help you? During a training exercise? Don't be stupid, Daria," he laughed.

Daria turned her head and looked at him; her mouth open in shock. She couldn't believe that he thought it was okay for those men to treat her that way. Just then the large burlap bag swung back towards her and knocked into her, sending her falling into Ares’ muscular arms.

Ares couldn't help laughing at the small mishap. The look on her face was classic when the sack sent her flying!

"Now that's better, Daria! I was beginning to wonder if you planned on greeting your God the proper way." He had hold of her shoulders and straightened her up and he bent down his head and captured her lips.

Daria lightly struggled against him at first, but within seconds her body wilted and he had to hold her up. He pulled her against his hard chest and moaned deep in his throat, as his tongue slid into her mouth to find its partner in a seductive dance. She felt all her anger melting away.

After a long moment, he broke their kiss and hugged her, stroking her hair. She slipped her arms around his massive mid-section and squeezed him affectionately.

"I missed you . . . a lot," she said softly "I "I know, my sweet. But I'm here now." He pulled her from his body and looked in her mist filled eyes and stroked her cheek. He turned and walked to the bed and sat down facing her.

"So you missed me, huh? Show me how much, Daria. How much did you miss me?" His voice caressed Daria's soul and she was unable to resist him. Without a word, she moved to stand in front of him and removed her armor and then her leathers. She slid the shift off each shoulder and let it fall to the ground at her feet. Ares had leaned back on the bed, propped up on his elbows. His face showed no expression as his eyes slowly dragged over her nude body. Then he smiled wickedly and quickly grabbed her, pulling her on top of him. His clothes disappeared as soon he kissed her and their passion rose up and swallowed them, causing legs to intertwine and arms wrap around other's body as they rolled around on the bed.

Daria had never felt such excitement. She was so happy to see him, she wondered how she could have gotten along without him all those months, without his touch to make her feel alive, feel like a woman. Her excitement grew so strong that she bit his lip and pulled his hair, growling at him in a heated fit of desire.

"Whoa, whoa, little one, not so fast. I'm here to spend the entire afternoon with you."

Daria stopped and looked at him questionably. "Only an afternoon?"

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm a popular and busy God. There's enough of me to go around." He moved to kiss her again but she turned her head and he kissed her cheek instead.

"Do I sense jealousy, Daria?" he teased her. She turned her head back to glare in his eyes and he captured her mouth again, claiming her, taking possession of her lips. Taking full control over her. She had no choice but to surrender to his seduction. She wanted to anyway. She wanted him badly. Ares moved from her lips over a cheek and around her jaw to her neck. He licked up to her ear and whispered that she was making him really hot. Telling her he wanted to lick her entire body and how one look from her made his cock ache for her warm mouth. She shivered in anticipation as his lips descended, carving a path down her neck to one of her perky breasts.

Just as he suckled the nipple between his lips, Balicus barged through the door. He was out of breath and panting from the brisk run to the flat.

"My Lord, My Lord!"

Ares didn't remove his mouth from Daria's chest. He shot out an arm towards Balicus, sending a bolt of lightening at him. Balicus dove for the floor, covering his head with his hands and he heard the bolt whiz overhead and explode into the wall.

Ares rose to a sitting position. "Balicus - what did I tell you about interrupting me when I'm here visiting Daria?" He sent another bolt of lightening, this one purposely missing him, hitting the floor beside him and leaving behind a burnt mark.

"I know, my Lord, but this is important or I never would have . . ."

Ares cut him off. "It better be, Balicus. It better be damned important."

"It's the men, sire."

"The men? What are you talking about?"

"They're all fighting each other on the field."

Ares rolled his eyes. "Balicus, isn't that what they're suppose to be doing? Fighting."

"Yes, sire . . . I mean no. I mean they're fighting, fighting. My men and I can't keep them under control. They're like wild savages."

"Did something happen to cause this?"

"I don't know, my lord. It started off with one pair fighting, then another started up and another, now they're all fighting out there. Their sw hav have all turned from wood to metal."

Ares scrambled to his feet and looked at Daria. "Stay here, I'll be right back," and he disappeared.

Balicus had already exited the flat and had run back onto the battlefield, fully engaged in battle with the others. Ares had reappeared on the edge of the field std stood there observing the scene, trying to figure out what was happening. Suddenly, he saw Daria rush past him with sword in hand. She was screaming.

"I'LL SEND YOU ALL TO TARTARUS!" She held her weapon above her head, ready to strike.

Ares quickly grabbed her by her waist and pulled her back against him.

"Oh, no you don't. I told you to stay put, young lady."

She was kicking and waiving her arms. "Let go of me. I wanted chop off some heads. I'M GONNA KILL ALL OF YOU BASTARDS." Her eyes never left the fighting on the battlefield and he could see the rage t flt flowed through her body and took her over.

It turned Ares on to see his sweet little Daria filled with such bloodlust. But he knew this wasn't really coming from her. Ares knew one of the other Gods must have done something to his army to cause this. But who? Why? He would find out.

With a thought, he sent Daria back to her flat and secured the door so she couldn't get out. It only enraged her further when she couldn't get outside and join the battle. She took her sword and attacked the hanging burlap sack until there was nothing left but shreds of material on the floor, cursing Ares' name the entire time.

Ares waved his hand at the soldiers and everyone froze dead in their tracks. He looked around. More than half of his men were down. They had been fighting with such brutality, the carnage was excessive. If this had been a true battle against one of his enemies, he would have relished the sight before him, absorbing the rage and anger in each thrust of a sword. Urging his men on to kill, pulverize, have no mercy. But this was not a real war. This was some cruel trick on him and he was royally pissed off now.

Then in the distant trees, he spotted movement. It was a dear and he knew right away who it was.

"ARTIMIS! SHOW YOURSELF."

A flash of yellow light and his sister, the Goddess of the Hunt, appeared.

"What do you want, brother? I've got to make an appearance at an Amazon ritual in 20 minutes," she sighed, never once looking the God of War in the face.

"Why are you spying on me? Is this your doing?"

She looked up and out over the field, and snickered. "Nope. But I wish I had thought of it. What better way to disable an army than turn it against itself! Brilliant." She smiled at her brother.

"Then who?" he demanded.

"How should I know? Which God have you pissed off lately?"

"Who haven't I pissed off would be an easier question," he half-joked.

"Well, if that's all, I have to go. Happy hunting," she mocked and disappeared in an echo of laughter.

"Bitch," Ares mumbled under his breath. He sighed heavily. Now he would have to go to Olympus to find out. And he was so looking forward to spending the day with Daria. ‘Daria,’ he thought and then he appeared in her room. She was passed out on the floor, sitting next to the shreds of her punching bag with her back against the bed and her sword still in hand. She obviously had expelled her rage and then fell into exhaustion. He wished he could have seen it. What a sight she must have been. He picked her up and set her on the bed and covered her. He kissed her forehead and spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, little one, but I have to go and take care of this little situation. I will come back to see you as soon as I can." He disappeared in a flash of blue and white light with Olympus as his next stop.