Title: The Key Of War

Author: Kate R.

abelard950@aol.com

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.

Rating: R

Pairings: Ares/Joxer, Cupid/Strife, Xander/Spike, Giles/Ethan Hercules/?

Summary: AU Season 7. Something happens and key Girl calls for help.


The Key Of War
by Kate R.


Prologue: The Summoning

"Dawn, look out!" Xander yelled as he saw a Bringer rising up behind her.

This fight sucked. Buffy had led them here and not thought. She had yelled at Giles and claimed credit for everything he did. And this is what came of her not listening: Dawn was about to die. Miracle of miracles, Dawn managed to roll to the side and swing the sword Wesley had given her around in an arc to deflect the blow.

When Wesley had come he looked tired but he had joined their fight. When asked why he wasn't in LA anymore, he simply said: "I made a mistake that no one is inclined to forgive me fo/."

Giles had told them all to drop it.

Xander had.

The coldness in Giles' voice when Buffy was about to push told Xander they were close to Giles snapping. Thankfully, Ethan had turned up and managed to calm him. Xander may not have like the sorcerer but it was obvious Giles trusted him.

They fought on, Spike fighting at his side, having overcome his madness to join them. They fought hard and they were doing their best but two
potentials were dead and it was Buffy's fault.

"XANDER!" Dawn screamed suddenly.

He looked over his shoulder and Caleb slammed him to the ground, reaching towards his eyes with a knife.

"You are the one who sees," Caleb says. "I'm going to take your eyes.

"NOOOOO!!!!" Dawn screamed. "Please someone, save him!"

Her scream seemed to echo and she began to glow green and the cry seemed to go further than the room and yet did not seem to reach it.

Dawn was still the Key, Xander realized. And he had just screamed for help. And, she was answered. A bright light filled the room then, filling it with blinding light and power that fluctuated between Dark Blue, Red, Black, White and Regular Blue.

Xander had no idea why but he suddenly felt they had just been saved

"You Dare?!" a voice roared.

Xander stared as he saw Caleb fall away from him in shock. Everyone stared as Caleb's face took on a look of Terror.

"Leave, now!" the voice roared again and Caleb fled.

Xander stared at the big man who had just saved them and watched as his face showed deep sorrow when he saw the two potentials lying dead. He swallowed and knelt by them both, gently stroking their hair.

"Ares," another of the new people said. "I have them. They are going to Elysium."

"Thank you, uncle," the man said as he then turned to look at Dawn.

She grinned and launched herself at him. "Daddy!" She cried.

"Hello, little one," he said gently. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she whispered against his shoulder. "I got scared. I'm sorry. Not a very good daughter of War am I?"

"Yes, you are," he said to her. "You think I don't get scared? Come now, lets get those of your friends who are alive and leave this place."

"Who are you?" the person Xander blamed for this mess demanded.

Stupid question, even he had figured that out.

"I am Ares," the man said as he turned to face her and his power rolled in like a storm approaching. " And You are a disgrace."



Chapter 1: Gods Above and Below

"Terrific," Ares was muttering as he worked his way through the army that had attacked without his permission. Oh, he was going to kill them for this. Every damn one of them was going to die for daring to do this. This was an orphanage, dammit. He had these children here to take care of them if they lost their parents in the wars. He looked and saw the perpetrator and he growled, going after him.

"What the Tartarus is the matter with you, Hercules?" he yelled. "This is an orphanage! Why are you doing this?"

"Because War should not be taking care of children," he snarled.

"And who else will?" Zeus asked from behind as he grabbed his son. "You know nothing of what is going here. Ares, your father wants you."

"I'll go as soon as I finish here," The God of War said to Zeus as he dragged Hercules away and Ares just released power and killed all of the
soldiers who had dared to attack this place.

He summoned to him Cupid and Strife and Cupid came with Bliss and then he reached for Joxer as well. When his real father wanted him, he usually wanted all of those closest to him in heart and mind as well.

"Welcome," Hades said as Ares hugged him. His real father and the True King of the Gods, was waiting for them. He led them into the dinning hall where there was a veritable feast laid out and they sat. It had been too dangerous for Ares and Hades to be father and Son since Hercules has begun sticking his nose into things but apparently Hades was tired of the Charade.

They all sat and ate and were having a good meal when suddenly, the cry reached them. In words it said: Someone please, save him!" But in power is screamed:

"DADDY!"

And Ares responded. His power lashed out, catching those near him and moving them all to the source of the cry where there was a battle going on. The one who had screamed, he recognized as his daughter Dawn and he saw all the others. In their minds he saw who was responsible for this extremely poorly planned battle and he felt disgust for the Slayer. He reacted though, his presence terrifying Caleb whom he knew and who obviously recognized him.

Caleb stared at him and then ran when he told him to and then Ares turned his attention to the two dead children he realized had the potential to become active Slayers.

He sighed wondering when this had happened.

After Hades told him he would send their souls to Elysium, Ares turned to his daughter Dawn and let her lunge into his arms. She hugged him and then apologized for getting scared and after he told her it was not as if he had never been frightened, he turned to survey the rest of the group.

"I will be removing the potential from several," he said after naming the current Slayer, the one was Dawn's "Sister" a disgrace, and then he looked at the boy, the Bacchai, the other Active Slayer and he frightened girls, several of whom were injured.

"Get them home," he said to Cupid.

Cupid nodded and Ares gathered Dawn to his chest and she shared with him as Gods can, all that had happened and all that had gone before this latest crisis. What he saw just made him and his father even more disgusted with The Slayer, and that stupid little bitch that thought she had the right to the name witch. If this battle was Buffy's fault, this whole mess was the fault of one Willow Rosenberg for an act of magic so selfish it was not funny. That too would be dealt with. In good time.

Finally, he took Dawn's and he and Hades let her lad them to the house Cupid was already on his way too. They caught up with the group and Ares simply breezed past the girl Willow, slapping her into the wall with his own power.

"Lets talk about responsibility, child," he hissed at her. And the coldness of his voice had everyone in the room backing up a few steps.

"What did I do?" she demanded.

"One," Ares said and Dawn winced at the ice dripping from his voice. She and Cupid were both well aware of what happened when Dad's voice got like that. "You resurrected someone. You preformed Blood magic. You are not a Wiccan, you are not even a witch and Hecate herself has forsaken you to the dark. You are an agent of the first as will be revealed by this dust landing on you. Your skin turning black will show any of you who serve the dark. This entire mess is your fault! You disrupted a balance and no, you will not activate every slayer. I will not allow it! You may tell your mistress that before I kill you."

"Who are you?" Willow demanded as her eyes turned black, revealing her true nature.

"Who am I?" Ares asked. "Why, child, I am Dawn's father. My name is Ares. And you, dear child, have pissed me off something awful."

"Ares," he heard whispered by the man named Giles. "The Father of Slayers."

There was shocked silence for a moment followed by exclamations of: "WHAT?!?!"


Chapter 2: Explanations and Choices

He was standing in the back yard hammering things with blasts of power. He was angry and this was the safest way for him to blow off his rage. He would go back in presently and explain the Father of Slayers to the children but the way it was looking none of those children would ever be activated and Buffy was going to be De-activated. If he deactivated her, the balance would be restored to what it should have been and then he would slowly but surely get things back on line to the way it had been before the Way changed everything and screwed it to Tartarus. He sighed, blowing off one more charge before he walked back into the house where everyone was sitting and waiting.

"Yes," he said before anyone opened their mouths, "I AM the Father of Slayers."

"But---." The potential named Kennedy began.

"Shut up," Ares bit out. "All I have to say to the lot of you with the attitudes who think you are better than anyone else is 'It will NEVER be you.' I'll erase the damn lines and start again before I see any of you selfish little brats activated. The Slayer is not a god given right children. It's a gift. A gift with responsibilities. There should be only one Slayer right now until I undo the shit the Way did. You, miss Rosenberg, will sit the hell down and shut the hell up. Aunt Hecate is pissed enough with you. Now, from what I understand Buffy died twice. After the first time she should have been left. That is the way of it boy, thanks to your religion. I will fix that but at this time I do not have the energy to spare as all of my energy going to reestablishing the balance and eliminating the First's threat."

"But she's Buffy," the boy, Xander began.

Ares sighed and shook his head. "You do not understand, child. A Balance in all things. When one dies another is called thanks to the Way screwing things up. Buffy should have been left. She was tired then, I can see it. Until I can get things back on track that is the way it must be or else what is happening now is the result. Gods all, how could he have mistaken you for the one who sees? That's him."

Ares was pointing at Ethan now and Ethan looked confused.

"Outside to inside showed what people were in their heart of hearts, Ethan. Buffy was a frightened girl who did not want the responsibility. That I understand. The Slayer is also supposed to be a choice. Not an imperative. She should never have been forced to take it. Faith, come here. Do you wish to continue until I can find someone who wants and deserves it?"

"Yeah," Faith said finally. "I'll take it until you find someone else. Then....then can I take Wes and make him whole again?"

Ares then looked at Wesley and sighed, beckoning him over. "Your other father is going to kill us all, you know," he said.

Wesley looked at Ares and then his eyes seemed to clear and he just stared, as he understood.

"Whatever happened to damage you this much, Wes, Pol is going to be even more furious than I am. Ripper, Dawn, come hug your brother hello."

Kennedy stared as the old guy as she called Giles moved forward and when Ares touched him, he too seemed to have a fog lifted from his mind.

"Now we just need to deal with The First Evil and then I can take you three home. Of course that will be after I deal with the mess that's been made of the lines."

"You can't deny me my right," Kennedy yelled."

"Your right? Little girl, this is not a right. It's a gift!" Ares sent her flying away form him and then turned to Faith. "You are my chosen warrior for now. As I see it needs to be done, you will be it until I find another. Faith, my Slayer of Evil, take this as your weapon and be ready to sue it." And so speaking, Ares produced the Chackram and placed in Faith's hands. "By this Symbol, You are my only chosen one. Hear me, Eve; I have countered all that you hoped to have happen. Give it up now or be destroyed."

There was an unholy scream as Ares felt the world snap back into alignment and then he sighed and all was quiet for a few minutes before Xander spoke.

"What do you mean I'm not the one who sees?"

"Tartarus save me form fools and morons," Ares muttered. Looked like it would have to be the long, slow explanation for the mentally challenged. This was going to be fun,,,,Not.

END PART 2