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In the spirit
of the holiday season Muses Productions, Inc. proudly presents:
A Solstice Carol
A tale of deceit, betrayal and .. a chicken. <g>
Enjoy.
Happy Holidays to all of you. Be careful out there.
Chantal & Freya
*******
Prologue
Hilara, KalliSta and CJane, their noses red like a cherry, their fingers and toes tingling
from the cold, laughed as they ambushed Cowboy Herk, ForgeHerk and Robert with snow balls
as the guys wrestled a huge pine tree from the forest.
CowboyHerk dropped the tree and hid behind it. Quickly collecting an arsenal of snowballs,
all three alphas stood up and let the amazons have it. A full fledge snowball fight was
happening. Laughter and squeals and giggles echoed thru the forest. Suddenly CJane felt a
weird chill run up her spine, as if someone was watching her. She looked left...then
right...then got hit right in the face with a big snowball. Shaking off the strange
feeling, she threw herself back into the fight.
In a cold dark gray castle far away, Ares snapped his fingers and the image of the
snowball fight faded from his view.
"I can't stand this season" Ares growled.
"Everyone acting so silly... singing and smiling all the time! Bahumbug!"
he sneered as he got up and strode into his bedroom. "Maybe if I check on my little
vixen I'll feel better".
A picture soon formed on his wall. Chantal sat behind her desk, a feather quill in her
hand. "I just can't get these numbers to add up" she wailed. "How can I be
missing lousy 3 dinars? I checked...I doubled checked...oh I hate numbers!"
Ares smiled to himself. At least Chantal did not seem to be in the holiday spirit. He
rubbed his hands and sat upon his bed and watched as Chantal twisted strand after strand
of her hair around her fingers while she chewed on the end of the quill.
"Yes...yes...that's it my love...get worked up...I
love when your face gets all red and your back arches". His thoughts were interrupted
by the sound of caroling coming from within the picture. "NOOOOO" he screamed as
he watched a smile flicker across Chantal's face as she ran to her window and threw it
open.
The caroling got louder and he grimaced as he watched Chantal laugh and spin around,
gather her scarf and mittens and run down the stairs to join the caroling.
Getting up quickly, Ares kicked his bed and then bellowed as if in pain.
"&*(*&)**\$%$" he exclaimed. "I CANNOT take this anymore!!" He
raised his fist in the air and from it flew a powerful blue sphere of light. The sphere
traveled faster than sound and then crashed into the big beautiful pine tree that was
being raised in the middle of Sorboland. The tree exploded, pieces scattering everywhere.
The amazons and alphas who were helping were blown backwards by the force. The carolers
lost their sheets of music. Kistik, Feral and Baucis sprinted to catch the flying sheets
before they got all wet. The boxes and boxes of glass ornaments that Hilara ordered
specifically for this tree were
shattered into a million pieces.
A few seconds later, folks were picking themselves off the ground, and helping others next
to them up. Freya called out "Is anyone hurt?" as she grabbed her trusty
clipboard from her fannypack and started writing notes. Soon the Herkspital was full of
amazons waiting for bandaids and boo boo
kisses from Docs Herk, Sov and Kull.
When Sorboland was dark and quiet, a figure appeared next to the ruined tree. Ares
smiled to himself as he viewed the destruction. Picking up a scrap of paper, he
laughed out loud when he read "Tis the season to be" the rest was burned away.
"Tis the season to be miserable" he said to himself as he walked thru the broken
glass. "I ruined their holiday! Now I can get some sleep!" And as quietly as he
appeared, he vanished.
*****
The Plot
The next morning Ares woke up with a satisfied grin upon his face. "I feel
GOOOOD" he bellowed as he remembered the carnage from the night before. "It's
good to be a god"!
Ares couldn't wait to see the disappointed faces of the amazons and his brother's stupid
clones. Making his way to his throne, he picked up a snow globe that had escaped
destruction. Shaking it, he peered inside of it.
His mouth dropped open and sparks flew from his ears. He heard singing...and laughter.
Peering closely he noticed that there was a tree. Not as big as the other tree. Certainly
not as full as the other tree. But a tree. And it was decorated. Not with the shiny glass
ornaments that he blew to
smithereens, but the tree was beautiful nonetheless .
SHerk had donated ALL his bows in ALL assorted colors. He was showing a group of amazons
how to tie the bows correctly.
Rabbit had donated some of her sparkling earrings to hang on the tree. Feral had donated
the diamond necklace that Kull had given her for her birthday.
Aphrael's harpies were scampering up and down the tree, reaching the highest boughs.
"ARRRGGGHHHH!!!" Ares screamed and threw a fire ball at the wall, where it
ricocheted and bounced back at him, blowing him clear across the room.
In the square where the tree was being decorated, the amazons looked up at the sky at the
sound of what they thought was thunder. "That's weird" Melite said.
"Thunder in winter...when the sun is shining." Viking Herk held a piece of
mistletoe over her head, and her thoughts of investigating
were soon forgotten.
****
Back in Are's castle, Strife and Discord were trying not to laugh at the sight of Ares,
his face blackened, clothes in tatters, trying to pick himself up off the floor.
"What are you two sniveling idiots smirking at?" Ares screamed.
"Unc...cool your tool" Strife said with a wicked smile. "If you are so
intent on ruining their holiday, then I know just the thing."
Ares' ears perked up.
Strife, feeling so full of himself because he got Ares' full attention for once, winked at
Discord. Discord raised her hand to slam him, but Ares stopped her.
"Ya know...these amazons...they've been ever so busy. SorboMart has been receiving so
many special shipments. Hilara has her staff working overtime."
Ares leaned forward to hear more.
"What I think" Strife continued...
"I don't care what you think!" Ares bellowed.
Discord added "I didn't know he could think".
"Hey...do you want to hear how you can destroy their holiday once and for all?"
Strife asked belligerently.
Ares waved his hand and mumbled "Continue".
"Okay...so...the way I see it is like this....this holiday...well...its all about
PRESENTS! They give something, they get something. Luckily they like what they get...if
not, they can return it! Of course, never having received a present, I really don't
know... hmmm...why haven't I received a present?"
Strife sniffled. "I have friends...family...." he mumbled as he wandered from
the room.
"The idiot may be on to something" Discord purred as she ran her fingers up and
down Ares' arm. "Why don't I look into this present thing while you clean yourself
up??"
Before Ares could react, Discord disappeared in a puff of black feathers.
******
Taking the guise of a black chicken, Discord pecked her way around Sorboland picking up
bits and pieces of information. There was going to be a great big banquet tonight. Hestia
and her staff were busy in the kitchens preparing a special feast. After the dinner, there
would be dancing and Herk was
going to read "The Night before Solstice". And after that the amazons were going
to exchange presents with each other and the alphas. The presents were being placed all
day in the stockings hanging on the fireplaces’ mantels.
"Ares will be so pleased with me" Discord thought as she made her way over to a
hole in the wall. "Wait til I tell him all the info....he'll thank me...not that
idiot Strife" she clucked to herself.
"CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK! She screamed as someone grabbed her by the leg. SHerk, looking
mighty pleased with himself, said "You naughty chicken! Trying to run away! Hestia
will be so proud of me for capturing part of our holiday feast, maybe she let me lick the
bowls!!" He quickly tied a piece of string around the chicken's legs.
"PUT ME DOWN YOU IDIOT" Discord screamed again! SHerk, surprised that a chicken
could talk, dropped her on her head and ran to find KalliSta for comfort.
Ares, watching Discord hobbling and hopping towards the hole, laughed himself silly.
"She does have a way of making me feel better" he thought. "Maybe I
shouldn't leave her there trussed up". In a flash, Discord was lying before his feet.
"Spoofff...spitt..." she spat out a mouthful of black feathers and looked up at
Ares. "Thank you, my Lord, for bringing me back here". Tugging at the string
around her legs she said "I'll make up for it with the info I have. Now, there’s
this feast they are preparing…"
Ares rubbed his hands with glee. He now had the perfect plan to ruin the amazons' holiday
spirit once and for all. First he would ruin their dinner, then he would destroy what was
dearest to them....their banquet. Ares cackled with delight and called back his minions.
He wanted to do this
job himself.
Disguised as a delivery boy he had no problem accessing the kitchens. In fact, Hygea and
Julie, enticing wenches they are, even offered him a cup of eggnog and a sandwich. He'll
have to remember to pay them back properly for their hospitality. He sat in the warm
kitchen, slowly eating his sandwich and waited until the amazons had left to get ready for
their feast.
The roasted turkeys and chickens were placed in warming trays on a long counter. Ares
stood in front of them and chanted,
"bits of meat,
and bits of bone,
turn yourself into stone."
He laughed as he watched the golden roasted steaming birds turn gray and cold. He rapped
one with his finger....thud....it was rock hard.
Next he made his way to the platters of veggies and fruit. Hands on his hips, he
singsonged,
"Platters of the finest
the amazons have gotten,
now I command you,
make yourself rotten!"
"Oh...this is good" Ares laughed as he watched the fruits and vegetables turn
brown and moldy.
Rubbing his hands together briskly, he walked over to the dessert table. Pies and cakes,
puddings and cookies, all of the sweetest desserts he ever saw. He stuck his finger thru
the frosting of one cake, and slowly licked it off. "Oh....this is gonna
hurt" he thought as he said,
"Cakes and cookies,
being sweet is not your fault,
why not change your sugar
TO SALT!"
Pleased with himself he made himself invisible and waited for the feast to begin.
************
Soon the banquet area was buzzing with amazons and alphaherks, all dressed in their finest
holiday garb. Dessy was admiring Nannyboo's red leather halter and her green leather mini
skirt. "Very festive sis!"
Hestia stood in the kitchen, wringing her hands. Her helpers surrounded her, staring at
the stone turkeys and chickens. "Do you think perhaps you overcooked them??"
Danaan asked helpfully. Everyone's eyes then went to the table full of rotten fruit and
veggies. "What happened here?" Josée asked aloud. "I think Hera is at play
again" Celtic replied.
"At least we still have the desserts" CJ smiled as she picked up a tray of
cookies. "Come on, everyone grab something...maybe everyone will eat so much dessert
they won't have room for dinner!!"
Ares stood quietly, unseen, the corner snickering.
Herkite found Herk under the mistletoe with Nball and explained what had happened. Herk
stood up, whistled and announced "We are going to have a Backwards Dinner
tonight....first dessert and story... then if you still have room for dinner...we'll order
out!!" Whoops and hollers answered him as
CJ led a group of amazons carrying trays of desserts thru the crowd. Herk settled
himself down under the tree, Meg on his right side and Rabbit on his left and began to
read:
'Twas the night before Solstice
When all thru Amazon Row,
Not an alpha Herk was stirring,
not even a red bow.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that Santa Herk soon would be there.
The amazons were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of the Sovereign danced in their heads.
And Melite in her nightie, and Boo in her cap
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
Chantal sprung from her bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, she flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow
Gave a luster of midday to objects below,
When what to her wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature chariot, and eight tiny herk-a-deer.
With a gorgeous buff driver, so lively and perky,
She knew in a moment it was Santa Herky.
He landed in the meadow, and called out by name,
Come Shauna, Angelika, Becca, and Catstale!
Hilara, Castalia, Aphrael, Danaan, and Kallista!
Lisa, CJane, Donna, Weangel and Ap!
Ladylegs, Zuell, Tedras and Storm!
Josee, Kevfriend, Iris, Herkite, and Voluptua!
Astrild and Susan and Hestia and Hygea!
Alata, Paula C, Baucis and Nball!!
To my arms, to my lips,
Come one and come all!
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the meadow the amazons flew
With kisses for SantaHerk and the alphaHerks too!
And then in a twinkling, they appeared by his side
begging and pleading for one little ride.
There was Alcyone, Andi, and Cassel too.
Nyxx, Rheana, SaraQuinn, and Star.
Skeezix, Herkfan, Sabrina, and Themis.
Mystalia, Cleavules, Debbie and Areia.
Cokie, Deeva, Ilaya, and Julie.
Amazons came from all directions,
and all they wanted to do was hoolie.
As Chantal turned around and drew in her head,
Ares appeared, all dressed in red.
Santa Herk was dressed all in fur from his toes to his hips,
and his chest was covered with markings from amazon lips.
His blue eyes, how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry.
His droll sexy mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the fake beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a tight tush and a washboard hard tummy,
and the amazons all thought oh to taste him how yummy.
He was handsome and tall, not at all like an elf,
And Freya laughed when she saw him, in spite of herself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
had all the amazons thinking they want him in bed.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and kissed all the amazons, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
presented them each with a deep ruby rose.
He sprang to his chariot, and gave a wolf whistle,
and away he flew like the down of a thistle.
But we heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,
Happy Solstice to all,
and to all a good night!
[note: Twas the Night was plagiarized Solstice '98 and was left as is]
Spellbound by Herk's commanding voice, not one bite was taken during the reading. Now that
it was over, and the amazons returned to earth, wiping that glazed look from their faces,
they realized they were ravenous and dug into the desserts with gusto.
Sounds like:
"Pa-toooooh-eeee"!
"Ick!!"
"Yuck!!"
Echoed thru the night. Ares doubled over with laughter as he watched amazon after amazon
take a bite of something and then spit it out...some discreetly into their napkins,
others, well... just spit it out on their plates.
"This is priceless...I'm am toooo good" Ares said to himself. "I'm sure
they are not so happy anymore!" He made his way thru the amazons, waiting to hear
them moan and groan and denounce Solstice.
But what he heard amazed him...and made him angrier than ever.
Aphrael said she'd hurry to her hut and get the homemade fudge that she had hidden from
the harpies to share. Feral volunteered her chocolate chip cookies. Nani offered her
chocolate covered strawberries. Castalia and YIolaus appeared with caramel popcorn they
had made.
Startled by a burst of blue smoke Ares made when he disappeared, Jamie, dropped the tin of
taffy she was carrying.
********
Back in his temple Ares was fuming. "This is not funny. It's not nice to outwit
the God of War." Pacing Ares let out a angry yell. "Noise, noise, happy noise! I
hate Solstice! STRIFE!!!!!!!"
Strife popped into the temple lying on a bed with a refugee of Tartarus feeding him
grapes. "What's up Unc? I'm kinda busy here.. you know.." Strife winked and made
lewd noises.
"Enough!! Did I give you any indication that I care about *your* life?" Ares
bellowed.
Strife became still. "Do I assume that Discord's little plan didn't work? Well uncle,
this is what happens when you don't use professional help." Strife was gloating.
Ares pointed to the wall in front of Strife. In a flash, the weapons resting on the wall
flew towards the cocky young god. The poor grape feeder shrieked as she was hit and
disappeared in a flash of blue light. Strife pulled a spear out of himself. Slowly.
"Nice try Unc, but so beneath your powers.
Let's see if I can save the day for you."
Sitting crossed-legged on the bed, Strife closed his eyes. "So the feast bust was a
.. bust." Strife giggled loudly. "Never trust a chicken to do a god's job,
uncle." A few seconds later Strife was seeing stars and lying at the bottom of the
weapon's wall. "What did I say?" Strife rubbed his neck.
"I poisoned their food you fool.. not Discord." Ares sat discouraged on his
throne.
"But the idea came from Discord, Unc. You can't achieve success with a bad idea. Food
they can replace, easy. These amazons are great cooks but presents, gifts--now these are
irreplaceable. Some worked weeks on theirs. Now if you want to stop Solstice you take away
the presents." Strife got up
and moved behind Ares' throne.
"What a wonderfully awful idea. I like it. Let's do it." Ares snapped his
fingers. "And I know just what to do!" Ares laughed wickedly.
"I need a change of clothes." Ares chuckled. "Red leather pants. Tight red
leather pants. And a long tail red leather coat." Ares stood and moved to the large
mirror. "What's missing?"
"Oh a hat maybe uncle?" Strife laughed.
"I am not putting on that ridiculous hat with the red pompom," Ares said,
looking at his reflection. "Something is missing."
"Euh unc, I'm sure if you were planning to get the amazons to sit on your lap the no
shirt look would be a smash, but to steal the loot.. not a good idea."
"You think. I rather like the look. With this coat and pants I look just like Saint
Nick! I'll keep it." Ares sneered.
"Duh. And X-rated Saint Nick maybe..." Strife mumbled.
"Now all I need is a reindeer." Ares looked around. But there were no reindeer
to be found in the God of War's temple.
"Oh, what am I thinking. I can make one." Ares threw a bolt of light. A huge
reindeer appeared. It had a red nose. "No that's not me. If I can't find a
reindeer worthy of the God of War, I'll make one." Ares snapped his fingers and some
red lead rope materialized in his hand. "STRIFE!!!!!!"
"You called unc." Strife eyed the red pipe worriedly.
Ares grabbed Strife by the neck then proceeded to tied the red rope around Strife's head.
"There! I have my reindeer. Giddy up Catastrophe !!!" Ares laughed and both gods
popped out of the temple.
Both reappeared in the ballroom at KSHQ. All was quiet. Some of the amazons were dreaming
sweet dreams of AlphaHerks. A few were having hot dreams of the God of War or the Golden
Hunter. On the mantels of the fireplaces hung dozens of Christmas stockings.
Ares marched near the first fireplace. "Look at these. Pathetic."
Strife repeated "Pathetic!!"
Ares picked up the first stocking. "Danaan. What did she get?" Ares' hand dove
into the stocking and pulled out a can of whipped cream out along with a card.
"Whipped cream? Oh.. and a card for a nice little rendezvous with Kingie. Now we
can't have that can we?!
Strife shook his head. "Nope. How about we exchange the whipped cream for shaving
cream?"
"Good idea. They'll choke on the taste." Ares zapped the whipped cream and
replaced it with shaving cream.
"Next one. CJ.. let's see what's in that one. Oh, a fur blanket. It's from
NorseHerk.. how quaint. How about we sprinkle this rug--" Ares started.
"with some itching powder, Unc.." Strife replied with a sneer. "Now,
that would rub them the wrong way!"
"Good 'awful' idea Catastrophe."
Hanging next to CJ's was Dessy's stocking. Inside Ares found a moon rock ankle bracelet
along with a card for a moonlight stroll with Herk.
"So romantic, brother. So suave, so sickening. ENOUGH. Enough of these gifts and
sappy presents. Bah humbug. ENOUGH!" In a rage, Ares zapped off all of the stockings
and reduced to cinder all the presents.
"Wooo hoooo Uncle. Now that's what I call power." Strife shook his head with
glee.
Turning Ares was about to zap Strife too when he caught a reflection in the flames of the
fireplace.
"Haven't changed a bit, have you Ares? Beware of the ghosts. You may get what's
coming to you."
"Callisto?" Ares asked. But the reflection vanished. Ares shook his head.
"Too much sappiness gives me nightmares. Let's roll, Catastrophe." Both gods
disappeared in a flash, leaving dust and ashes behind.
*********
Callisto's Ghost
Back at his castle, Ares got ready to turn in for the night. Pleased with himself, he
couldn't wait for dawn to see the faces of Sorboland when they discovered that Solstice
had been thoroughly destroyed. But, he couldn't shake this odd feeling he had.
So odd was the feeling that he even went over to his bedchamber door and double bolted
it....something he hadn't done since he was a little child. What was that he saw in the
flames he wondered. Callisto? Why? Lordy, he missed that gal...she could really show
him a good fight. Shaking his head to clear it, he climbed into bed. And lay there. And
turned over. And tossed. And punched his pillow. And kicked off the blankets. And
turned over again. His eyes came to rest on the snowglobe. "Weird" he thought as
he watched the snowflakes gently fall inside the globe. "WEIRD!!" he sprang from
his bed and grabbed the globe. "No one is shaking it...why is snow falling?" he
thought as he glanced worriedly around his room.
Someone was rattling his door. 'Oh man, I know I shouldn't have had that last cup of
eggnog' he thought. "Good thing I locked that door....no one...man or god can get
in!" he said with satisfaction as he sank back on his pillows.
"Good thing I'm not man or god....but ghost" an apparition said as it glided
thru the locked door and stopped in front of Ares' bed.
It took Ares a few seconds to figure out what he was seeing, as he could see right thru
the ghost. He saw wispy outlines of blond hair, black leather, boots.
"Callisto??" he whispered. "Bah humbug! You're dead and I'm never ever
having Strife's dragon eggnog again!" He dove under the blankets.
"Yoohoo, Ares...come out and play" Callisto giggled.
"No...go away!"
Callisto's ghost sat on the side of Ares' bed and patted the blankets. "I've much to
tell you, oh god of war, and you'd be wise to listen." She reached under the blankets
and grabbed him "although scaring you like this is quite the rush!"
"YOU are not *scaring* me" Ares snapped as he sat up in bed, the blankets
falling to his waist.
CallistoGhost ran her fingers across his bare chest, so slight was her touch that he could
hardly feel it, but it left a trail of ice around his already hardened heart and he looked
at her intently. For the first time he noticed the chains wrapped around her.
"To avoid an eternity like mine, listen. You will be visited tonight by three ghosts.
Heed what they tell you Ares." CallistoGhost began to fade away.
"Wait!" Ares cried...why three...why can't you?"
"Expect the first at the stroke of one" CallistoGhost said as she disappeared.
*****
Ghost of Solstice Past
Ares stared at the spot where CallistoGhost vanished. His heart was beginning to beat
normally again. And he was getting mad.
"How dare that dead skinny wench come into my bedchambers!! Who does she think she
is?? Like I am so afraid.... I'm shaking!" He sneered as he got up and drew his
bed curtains tightly closed. "A ghost...at one o'clock... yeah right!" But he
snuck a glance at the clock and was dismayed to see that
it was already after midnight.
"I'm not waiting for any damn ghost!" he growled as he punched his pillow and
settled in for the night. He closed his eyes tightly.
The clock struck half past 12. He squeezed his eyes tighter.
The clock struck three quarters. Ares broke out into a sweat.
Finally, the clock struck one. Ares sneaked one eye open. Nothing.
He opened his other eye. Nothing.
He sat straight up in bed and looked around. Nothing.
He burst into laughter. "I knew it was a dream...no ghost would dare to visit
me...uninvited"! Feeling sure of himself, he swung his legs out of bed and stepped
right on someone's toes. Startled he jumped back just as a hand opened his bed curtains.
He found himself staring in SHerk's face.
"You!" he yelled. "You simpleton! What are you doing in my castle?? Why
didn't my guards stop you?? You are not a ghost!!"
SHerk just stared back at him.
Ares noticed that SHerk's feet were not touching the ground. Rather, he seemed to float.
He wore a white tunic tied with a red ribbon that seemed to glow.
"Oh, this is good" Ares thought. "And to think I was
af...afr....concern.... wondering.. yes wondering about this ghost business."
"Soo....you are the Ghost I was warned about?" Ares gloated, then shouted
"Boo!" and laughed.
"Yes, I am the Ghost of Solstice Past" SHerkGhost answered.
"Oh...I'm soooo scared" Ares replied. "Good, show me some past stuff...like
Zeus' mistakes for starters."
"I am the Ghost of your past" SHerkGhost replied and he held out his hand.
Ares glanced at the hand and then back at SHerk's face.
"Take my hand" SHerkGhost commanded.
Ares snorted and poked his finger at the hand. He was surprised that his hand was strongly
grasped and his feet rose from the floor. Together they glided thru the window and into
the starlit sky.
"Wow...kewl trick...you think you could show me how to do that"? Ares asked but
the Spirit said nothing.
Soon Ares spotted a building he thought he recognized.
"Isn't that...isn't that my old school??" he asked.
The spirit nodded.
"I remember...when I was a boy...Zeus sent me there to learn. Look...there I am"
Ares pointed to a young lad dressed in black leather knickers.
"I was a snappy dresser even then!" he boasted. He watched as the young Ares was
approached by two other boys, one with sun kissed brown hair, the other golden.
"Why, it's Hercules and Iolaus," Ares whispered. "Look how skinny Herk was
then, and Iolaus...so short. I could beat them up even then!"
He heard VeryYoungHerk invite VeryYoungAres to come home with him and VeryYoung Iolaus for
a Solstice Celebration. He watched himself sneer at them and tell them that he had better
things to do.
Then he watched VeryYoungAres sit there and wait....and wait. For surely Zeus and Hera
would put aside their differences and come get him for the holidays.
He tightened his grasp on the Spirit's hand as he watched year after year flow by and the
boy got bigger and older and still no one came.
"Poor boy" he sighed and the Spirit nodded again.
"I wish..." Ares began, but before he could finish his sentence, he was back in
his bed. "I wish...what?" he thought. "I wish these ghosts would leave me
alone!" and he laid back upon his pillows.
*****
Ghost of Solstice Present
In Ares' temple, a victory celebration was in progress. Strife was eating grapes from one
of the furies' lips. Deimos was licking Dragon's eggnog off the bellybutton of another
fury. Discord, in chicken form, was trying to eat the fallen crumbs. Ares sat still on his
throne, looking at Alecto dancing.
He sighed loudly. So loudly it woke him up.
Ares sat up in bed trying to get his thoughts together. A dream--it was all a dream.
"What now? Another ghost?" Ares sneered. "Bring him on!" Ares laid
back down on his black silk sheets.. "Spirits of Solstice! No problem. I am the God
of war. I fear no one. Let the bell toll. I am not afraid Callisto." Ares was
prepared for almost anything.
The bell struck and nothing happened. "AH!" Ares chuckled. "No Spirit of
Solstice here! I'm going back to sleep." Turning, Ares punched his pillow.
"Okay, sleep."
After five minutes of tossing and turning, Ares sat up in bed again. "A glass of warm
wine will put a stop to this nonsense.." Ares got up, grabbed his black silk robe and
made his way to the door. The moment Ares' hand was on the lock a deep voice called him by
his name and ordered him to enter.
Ares froze. "No one orders the God of War around. Well, almost no one." Ares
thought of Dahok's short reign of power. Ares stood still. He waited a few minutes,
then entered.
It was the great Halls of War. There was no doubt about that. But it had been transformed.
At the center was a huge fireplace and fire burning in it. The walls and ceilings were
filled with black marble but they had a mirror quality to them. Crisp leaves of holly,
mistletoe and ivy decorated them.
Silent servants walked past him, bringing food. At the center sat Herkules. Glorious to
see, holding a wine glass. A sinister smile appeared on his beautiful mouth. "Come
in, Ares, come in. Let's have a reunion, brother."
Ares advanced cautiously and examine this Spirit. Something was off. Ares met the Spirit's
eyes. They were icy. Freezing blue eyes. Ares shivered.
"I am the Ghost of Solstice Present" announce the Spirit but you can call me
DahokHerk. And Ares? You may kneel." DahokHerk chuckled.
Ares sneered.
"You thought you had seen the last of me didn't you?" DahokHerk rose and walked
to Ares, putting a hand on the god's shoulder.
Ares felt the icy finger of nothingness touch his shoulder.
"I said 'kneel'." Against his will, Ares felt his knees give up. Ares found
himself kneeling on the black marble floor of his temple.
"Now let me teach you a lesson, brother. And let's hope you profit from it."
As these words were spoken the Halls of War vanished. No more fire, mistletoe, holly or
ivy.
Ares found himself in the center of KSHQ. Everywhere amazons were running and singing
solstice songs. Boo was working on the last touches of the KSHQ Solstice web page.
"Look Meg, if you click here, SHerk's red bows disappear."
"Wow. Nice. What does a click on this bow do?" Meg asked as she clicked. Meg
blushed and sighed. "Oh, I see. Nice place to hang the red hat, Boo."
"Well, you know, I can think of a better use for that than hanging the hat."
Melite laughed behind Meg. "Here's the ivy you wanted for the ballroom, Meg."
DahokHerk walked right thru Melite and continued on.
"They are still celebrating despite the burned tree, the stolen presents.Amazing. And
totally annoying. Why bring me here? To make me hurl? Of course you want me to get
sick."
DahokHerk raised an eyebrow. "You can learn from your error, can you Ares? Let's see
if you can learn a new trick."
DahokHerk grabbed Ares by the sleeve and they were suddenly outside of the grand ballroom
where Ephiny, Angie and Zareta were wrapping small boxes.
"Replacing the presents with a gift auction was a good idea and the money will go to
get toys for the children." Ephiny cut the final ribbon.
"And having Herk dress up as Saint Nick for the amazons' nephews and nieces will be
fun,too." replied Zareta.
"Fun for the amazons too. I gotta sit in Saint Nick's lap. Just gotta," said
Angie with a big smile.
Ares' jaw was twitching. "That's it. I'm outta here. This is a nightmare. I have to
wake up. I know. Pinch me." Ares looked at DahokHerk.
DahokHerk's hand moved towards Ares.
"Hey, that was a figure of speech. Back off Ghost!"
DahokHerk just shrugged. "Now, don't you see that your feeble attempts are useless?
You cannot defeat the Spirit of Solstice. Give up."
Ares gave DahokHerk a blank stare. "Give up! Give up! The God of War never gives up.
I'll never give up. Never."
"This was a waste of my time." DahokHerk gave Ares a push and threw him
across the room.
Ares woke up lying on the cold black marble floor of his bedroom chamber.
******
Ghost of Solstice Present
In Ares' temple, a victory celebration was in progress. Strife was eating grapes from one
of the furies' lips. Deimos was licking Dragon's eggnog off the bellybutton of another
fury. Discord, in chicken form, was trying to eat the fallen crumbs. Ares sat still on his
throne, looking at Alecto dancing.
He sighed loudly. So loudly it woke him up.
Ares sat up in bed trying to get his thoughts together. A dream--it was all a dream.
"What now? Another ghost?" Ares sneered. "Bring him on!" Ares laid
back down on his black silk sheets.. "Spirits of Solstice! No problem. I am the God
of war. I fear no one. Let the bell toll. I am not afraid Callisto." Ares was
prepared for almost anything.
The bell struck and nothing happened. "AH!" Ares chuckled. "No Spirit of
Solstice here! I'm going back to sleep." Turning, Ares punched his pillow.
"Okay, sleep."
After five minutes of tossing and turning, Ares sat up in bed again. "A glass of warm
wine will put a stop to this nonsense.." Ares got up, grabbed his black silk robe and
made his way to the door. The moment Ares' hand was on the lock a deep voice called him by
his name and ordered him to enter.
Ares froze. "No one orders the God of War around. Well, almost no one." Ares
thought of Dahok's short reign of power. Ares stood still. He waited a few minutes,
then entered.
It was the great Halls of War. There was no doubt about that. But it had been transformed.
At the center was a huge fireplace and fire burning in it. The walls and ceilings were
filled with black marble but they had a mirror quality to them. Crisp leaves of holly,
mistletoe and ivy decorated them.
Silent servants walked past him, bringing food. At the center sat Herkules. Glorious to
see, holding a wine glass. A sinister smile appeared on his beautiful mouth. "Come
in, Ares, come in. Let's have a reunion, brother."
Ares advanced cautiously and examine this Spirit. Something was off. Ares met the Spirit's
eyes. They were icy. Freezing blue eyes. Ares shivered.
"I am the Ghost of Solstice Present" announce the Spirit but you can call me
DahokHerk. And Ares? You may kneel." DahokHerk chuckled.
Ares sneered.
"You thought you had seen the last of me didn't you?" DahokHerk rose and
walked to Ares, putting a hand on the god's shoulder.
Ares felt the icy finger of nothingness touch his shoulder.
"I said 'kneel'." Against his will, Ares felt his knees give up. Ares found
himself kneeling on the black marble floor of his temple.
"Now let me teach you a lesson, brother. And let's hope you profit from it."
As these words were spoken the Halls of War vanished. No more fire, mistletoe, holly or
ivy.
Ares found himself in the center of KSHQ. Everywhere amazons were running and singing
solstice songs. Boo was working on the last touches of the KSHQ Solstice web page.
"Look Meg, if you click here, SHerk's red bows disappear."
"Wow. Nice. What does a click on this bow do?" Meg asked as she clicked. Meg
blushed and sighed. "Oh, I see. Nice place to hang the red hat, Boo."
"Well, you know, I can think of a better use for that than hanging the hat."
Melite laughed behind Meg. "Here's the ivy you wanted for the ballroom, Meg."
DahokHerk walked right thru Melite and continued on.
"They are still celebrating despite the burned tree, the stolen presents. Amazing.
And totally annoying. Why bring me here? To make me hurl? Of course you want me to get
sick."
DahokHerk raised an eyebrow. "You can learn from your error, can you Ares? Let's see
if you can learn a new trick."
DahokHerk grabbed Ares by the sleeve and they were suddenly outside of the grand ballroom
where Ephiny, Angie and Zareta were wrapping small boxes.
"Replacing the presents with a gift auction was a good idea and the money will go to
get toys for the children." Ephiny cut the final ribbon.
"And having Herk dress up as Saint Nick for the amazons' nephews and nieces will be
fun,too." replied Zareta.
"Fun for the amazons too. I gotta sit in Saint Nick's lap. Just gotta," said
Angie with a big smile.
Ares' jaw was twitching. "That's it. I'm outta here. This is a nightmare. I have to
wake up. I know. Pinch me." Ares looked at DahokHerk.
DahokHerk's hand moved towards Ares.
"Hey, that was a figure of speech. Back off Ghost!"
DahokHerk just shrugged. "Now, don't you see that your feeble attempts are useless?
You cannot defeat the Spirit of Solstice. Give up."
Ares gave DahokHerk a blank stare. "Give up! Give up! The God of War never gives up.
I'll never give up. Never."
"This was a waste of my time." DahokHerk gave Ares a push and threw him across
the room.
Ares woke up lying on the cold black marble floor of his bedroom chamber.
******
Ghost of Solstice Future
Ares shook his head. He was freezing. Sitting up, he pulled his knees towards him and
rubbed his neck. Then he snapped his fingers. Fire torches lit. Slowing getting up, Ares
turned around and froze.
"Good morning Sunshine. Sleep well?" Sitting on his bed, The Sovereign was
giving him a sinister smile. Pulling back the black hood that covered his head, Sov
laughed. But the laugh never reach his eyes. Cold, calculating, blue ice eyes.
Facing his nemesis, Ares' heart jumped but he quickly recovered. "Don't tell me.
Spirit of Solstice future? Right? This is just great. Welcome to my nightmare!"
Ares started to pace. "Who invited you to the party? And if I may complain, this
party sucks! I must be losing my mind. That's it! You are
such a figment of my imagination. Too much fun makes Ares a very crazy god." Ares
mumbled to myself.
"Oh yeah, this is gonna be so good!" SovGhost whispered then rose. "So
Ares, gotta tell you, love the digs." SovGhost gestured to the bedchamber. "Love
the all black motif." Sov gave an appreciative nod to the GOW. "But you
are not in Sorboland now, pal. You're in my yard. And I rule here." Sov's tone was
dangerous.
Ares stopped pacing. "You must be joking. So let's just cut the crap. What do you
want Ghost?" Ares was all smug.
"You are so way out of your league little God. You have no idea what you messed with.
Solstice spirit is a power beyond your petty parlor tricks." Sov snapped his fingers.
A crystal pool appeared.
"Now who's doing parlor tricks? If I hadn't killed you once already I would do it
again." Ares was getting a little annoyed.
"So much hate and blackness. Not that I don't approve. I do. And if I could start
over again I would to it the same way. But I digress. You messed with something you
shouldn't have.. No gods are allowed to mess with ancient magic. Remember. Kronos Stone.
Serena. Herk coming from the future to save her. What a softie that brother of ours,"
Sov had a whimsical look on his face.
"This is to weird. I need to wake up." Ares tried to walk out. SovGhost grabbed
him by the shoulder. "I'll give you weird. Look into the pool." Ares struggled
but somehow he had lost his powers. SovGhost was stronger.
"Go ahead fight me. I'll enjoy ripping out your small intestine and using it as a
jump rope. Finally." Sov turned Ares' face towards the pool. Ares felt as if he was
drowning.
Ares found himself in the great hall. Again the Halls of War but different. Checking the
surrounding, he found SovGhost sitting on the steps of the throne. "Come. Sit. Watch.
Learn. Ordinarily when someone annoys me I gotta hurt them. So I shall enjoy this."
Ares started to move towards the throne when he was stopped dead by a blue flash of light.
He saw himself. Well, a future version of himself. "Short hair. I like it." Ares
laughed. "I still look good."
The Ares from the future sat on his throne, drummed his fingers and asked out loud
"Now, what part of the universe do I destroy and tame today?"
Ares whooped. "I knew it! I am the King of the Universe!!! Herk, eat your
heart out!"
"Modest and gracious are you? But I would continue to watch," SovGhost replied.
"STRIFE!!!" Ares of the Future yelled.
Strife in a flash of light appeared. "You called Uncle? What can I do for you?"
Strife was dressed in a bureaucrat-style costume.
"Is there a rebellion that needs to be tamed? A revolt to squash?" Ares of the
future looked terribly bored.
"Uncle, uncle, uncle. Ever since you got rid of Herk and all of his alpha clones in
the glorious War of alpha, no revolts, no rebellions. And after your Alliance with your
half brother the Sovereign."
Ares turned and stared at SovGhost. "Not one of my best moves. So sue me."
SovGhost shrugged.
"No men, gods or women dared revolt and after your following betrayal of said half
Brother even the amazons he had taken from you didn't rebel."
"Oh okay.. but it's soooo boring. I have nothing to plot against. Nothing to
challenge me. I need a project to sink my teeth into."
"Sorry Uncle. No can do. Out of my jurisdiction. I'm just the surveyor of the lands,
you know." Strife left in a flash.
Ares of the future sighed then yelled "DISCORD!!!!!"
Discord appeared in a flurry of black feather.
"I see I didn't fix that little *problem* of hers." Ares chuckled.
"You rang, Ares. Make it quick. I have no time for this. Being the Goddess of War, I
have a treaty to negotiate, betrayals to organize. You know, stuff to do. What do
you want this time?" Discord was tapping her foot and rolling her eyes.
"Was is this? Does she have a death wish?" Ares hissed.
"I want to play. I'm bored. I want to be God of War again!" Ares of the future
whined.
"Oh by the gods.. someone shoot him!" Ares was appalled.
"Oh, I like it. Can I really shoot him?" SovGhost asked cheerily.
Ares gave SovGhost the evil eye. "Just you try--it's probably a tactic to trap the
chicken goddess." Ares replied in a hopeful tone.
"Oh, Ares you are King of the Universe stop your whining. And grow up." Discord
popped out.
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I want to have some fun!" Ares of the future was stomping his
foot.
"UNCLE!!! You just had to ask. We didn't finish our game of Go Fish!" Deimos
jumped from behind the throne.
"Do you have the cards?" Ares of the Future looked excited.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Ares was shattered. "How can this happen? I take
over the universe and I turn into .. into.. this.. How is that possible?" Ares asked
a bored SovGhost.
"Well I wish I didn't have to say 'You should have known better' but "You should
have known better!!! First, you eradicate Solstice then you destroy all your challengers.
How can you not be bored? When I ruled I personally gave money to the rebellion so
they would fight me. You are a pitiful excuse for a god." SovGhost laughed at Ares.
"How can I avoid this? Tell me." Ares begged.
"Well, if I save you from this so-called life.. do I get to choose how I kill you
later?" SovGhost hissed. "But alas, it's beyond my control. You have to find
this answer alone."
Ares asked again "How can I avoid this.. please I need to know.."
SovGhost started to fade away. "It beyond my control.. you have to find it yourself
Ares.. I doubt very much that you will figure it out.. see in you in Hades bro."
SovGhost vanished along with the Halls of War.
Ares found himself sitting by the wall of his bedchamber. He was numb. And frantic.
"Callisto, you disturbed, nit wit blond.. you got me into this. Get me out!!!"
CallistoGhost suddenly materialized near Ares. "Poor Ares. You still have a chance
you know. You can change. There's still time. Time is over for me. But not for you.
There is still a way open. Think about it." CallistoGhost then faded away.
"Think about it.. think about it.. I have distilled everything to one single
principle in my life.. win or die. And it seems winning leads directly to dying. I have to
find another way.. I have to find another way."
******
Ares suddenly found himself back in his bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.
"Whoa...what a trip that was" he thought as the night's events replayed thru his
head. "Callisto, Sherk...brrrr DahakHerk...and SovGhost!" Then, as he remembered
his attempts to ruin the amazon's solstice celebration, he sprang from his bed! Pacing to
and fro, he chewed a nail. He paused in front of the window and ran his fingers thru his
hair. He began to pace again, muttering
"what to do...what to do??"
A jingling sound caught his attention and he glanced at the snowglobe. He could see the
sun beginning to rise over the Solstice Tree and Aphrael's harpies struggling to finish
decorating it. A light bulb went on over his head! He quickly shimmied into his
tight red leather pants and strapped on
his boots. Adjusting his tight red leather jacket over his bare chest, he checked
himself out in the mirror. "What's missing?" he thought as he laughed...yes he
laughed. It was a merry ol' laugh too. He thought and he thought, then he wiggled his
nose, and a red hat with a white pompom appeared on his head.
"Perfect!" he cried and zapped himself right next to the Solstice Tree. The camp
was still quiet, "everyone must still be sleeping" he thought. "I still
have time!"
Quickly he hurried from hut to hut, zapping the stockings that hung by the fireplace,
filling them with gifts. He peeked in at each sleeping amazons and blew them a kiss. A new
necklace for Jamie, a new quill and paper for Baucis. Castalia gets a new sword. A new
gown and dancing shoes for Astrild.
Binky needs a new bow, Celtic some furs, Kistik a bronco, Herkite a hot tub.
In Freya's hut, Sov awoke with a start and growled when he saw Ares peeking in. But before he could mutter a word, Ares flew to the bed and clasped him around the neck. "Sov, my friend...I may call you that, can't I? I wish you and yours a very Happy Solstice!" Sov watched in total disbelief as Ares zapped Freya's stocking full of gifts and then yelped when Ares grabbed his head and loudly kissed him on the forehead and with a wink disappeared.
Next stop was Melite's hut where she and VikingHerk were just getting
arous...ummm...awake. Melite shrieked when Ares appeared but he silenced her with a kiss.
"You are looking beautiful today luv" he whispered and turning to VikingHerk, he
grabbed his hand in a hearty handshake. "Happy Solstice to you!!" He quickly
zapped Melite's stocking full of gifts.
Merrily, he zoomed from hut to hut, then to the kitchens where he zapped in tons of
holiday foods.
His next stop was Chantal's hut and he giggled (yes giggled!) as he silently opened the
door. He could see Chantal pacing back and forth and he strained to hear what she was
saying.
"I can't believe him! How could he?? If I ever...ever see him again, I'll...."
and she made a chopping motion thru the air.
Ares appeared with a "POOF" by her side, scaring the bejeebies out of her.
"Who has gotten you so upset?" he cooed as he bent to nuzzle her neck.
***WHACK*** her fist slammed into his stomach.
"oooophhhhhhffff" he doubled over.
"ARES!! How dare you! How dare you show your face to me!!"
**SLAM** Chantal's foot came down on his.
"Don't you think I know what you did? How could you ruin Solstice??"
"B..b...but" Ares began.
Chantal, fire in her eyes, pushed Ares backwards til he sat down hard on a chair.
"Don't you dare 'But me' Ares! Of all the things you did, this is the worst....and I
thought you couldn't do anything more evil than killing Sov!!!"
"BBBBB-bbbut"
Chantal pointed her finger in his face. "The tree...I saw the tree...and I suspected,
but I didn't say a word. The amazons thought it was Hera. Then the feast...all that
food!!" She poked him in the chest. "Then the presents! But I've got news for
you buster, you CANNOT ruin Solstice because Solstice
comes from here," and she held her hand over her heart.
"I know," Ares whispered.
Just then the sound of laughter and caroling filled the air. Amazons and alphas were
calling solstice greetings to one another as they gathered around the tree.
"You know?" Chantal whispered.
Ares nodded and took her hand and they stood looking out of the window. Nannyboo hurried
by, eager to show everyone her new laptop that she found in her stocking. Hilara whizzed
by on her new skis. Zarata and Dessy compared jewelry and waved happily at Ares and
Chantal.
"Where'd the gifts come from?" Chantal asked....then looked at Ares who grinned
back.
"Shall we my dear?" he asked as he held out a beautiful red cape for her.
****
In the ballroom, SaintNickHerk was enjoying cooing, singing and playing with the little
ones.. Justin was playing with his Herk action figures. Alissa was practicing her tae kwan
do moves with Iolaus and beating him. Pika, sitting on SaintNickHerk's lap, was smiling.
The karaoke machine was on. Castalia, singing Jingle Bell Rock with YIolaus, was getting
whistles and claps. Baucis was waiting in the wings waiting to go on with GHerk. They were
deciding between "White Solstice" or "Little DrummerBoy".
Ares walking in with Chantal on his arm. The music stops. Everyone stared at this very
strange SaintNick. "Karaoke! Cool!" Ares jumped on stage, smiled at Cas
and asked "May I, dear?"
Castalia was stunned but gave Ares the mike. With a wave of a hand, the music changed and
"Have yourself a Merry little solstice" started. Ares surprised everyone. He had
a beautiful voice. Every amazon grabbed herself an alpha, cuddled and listened to the
beautiful song.
When the song ended encore was shouted. Ares blushed then winked and started
on the "12 days of Solstice".
On twelfth day of Solstice the Amazons received:
Twelve....Alpha Herk dancing
Eleven... white gauzy sheets flowing
Ten... hours with Ares (oups... that's for me <eg>)
Nine... Hunter's tricks (that's for Castalia and all Iolausians on the list)
Eight... hours of screaming (courtesy of Sov of course <eg>)
Seven ... hours of posing with only grapes <eg>
Six... drinks of lemonade
Five...reeeddd bows (with SHerk of course <vbg>)
Four...red hot dreams
Three... butterfly kisses
Two... boo boo episodes...
And Herk singing under the pear tree...
Ares bowed and zapped the mike into Iolaus’ hands.
"What do you want me to do with this?"
Cokie bent her head and whispered "sing for me, please?"
Iolaus’ smiled and started to sing acapella "Silent Night".
All the amazons and the alphas cheered as the last note ended.
"Well, I think it's your turn Herk.." Iolaus gave Herk the mike.
Herk gave Iolaus a shy smile and cleared his throat. The ballroom became silent. It was so
rare a treat to have Herk sing.
As Herk started "I'll be home for Solstice", Ares notice CallistoGhost sitting
in a corner of the ballroom. She gave him a smile and faded away.
******
Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas to all of you.
Authors' Notes:
The Night before Solstice was written last year by Freya. So the names are from last year.
The 12 days of Solstice was written last year by Chantal. So the names are from last year.
We shamelessly took the plots from Dr. Seuss "The Grinch That Stole
Christmas" and Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and tortured Ares with
them. <BEG>
hohoho and mistletoe,
Chantal and Freya and their assorted muses ;)