“Ares!” Someone was calling him. “Ares!... Ares, Ares... Ares!” Silky and feminine, it sounded. He also recognized it.

“Ares...” Again, the voice cried for him. He opened his eyes.

There she stood dressed in all white, her silver hair tumbling over her slender shoulders, and her blue eyes shining with love at him. “Ares!” she exclaimed happily, several silverly tears dripping onto his cheek. He smiled at her and brushed away another tear from her pale cheek.

“It's okay, Raine. You don't have to cry for me. I'm right here,” he said.

She brushed his black hair from his forehead, leaned over, and placed a kiss on his tanned skin. When she lifted her head, the place she touched tingled and bubbled. Ares smiled even more, taking her hand and caressing it with his fingers. Raine looked down at the vampire and smiled; she bent down toward his lips. Ares continued to massage her hand, awaiting her kiss.

Then his fingers grazed her palm and he froze. This was the hand she got a sliver in. This was the hand he cut with his teeth. This was the hand that should have a cut in her skin.

This hand didn't have a cut on it. The vampire pulled her hand in front of his face, blocking Raine's kiss. “Ares​?” she asked, looking hurt. He ignored her. Looking at the hand, he saw that, yes, this hand was unmarred by his teeth. This was not Raine.

He let go of the hand and pushed away from the woman, who was slowly getting angry.

“Ares? Why don't you kiss me?” She asked him, frowning.

“You're not Raine,” he said, moving away from the pretender.

“But I am Raine. I am your lover,” The way she said “lover” sounded like honey on the tongue and rolling down her lips.

“No,” Ares answered, his dark eyes narrowing. The woman's body contorted and wiggled until the real face was revealed: an ugly creature with a large nose and scarred skin. She screamed loudly at a very high pitch and Ares put his hands to ears and clenched his eyes shut. The noise cut through his eardrums; it echoed in his brain and shook his nerves.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” He yelled, as he tried to block out the sound, but it was no use. Even when she stopped screaming the noise still kept pounding inside his head.

Now the creature-like lady was hovering in the air, her anger growing, but then out of the darkness stepped a tall being glowing. On his head was a helmet and a cape flowed from his massive shoulders. He pointed at the woman then swept his hand; the woman shrieked but left anyway.

Ares stared in awe at the being, his ears still pulsing.

“YOU ARE ARES, SON OF THE UNDEAD,” he said.

The vampire nodded with trembling fear. “I AM HADES, GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD. YOU SHOULD NOT BE HERE,” he continued.

Ares bowed his head humbly and said, “My god, I have been sent here on purpose by Apollo, god of light and truth, because I loved his priestess at his temple.”

The god stared at the vampire, he then rubbed his chin in thought and crossed around in the small area. “VAMPIRES ARE OF THE UNDEAD. THEY SHOULD NOT ENTER THE UNDERWORLD UNTIL THE RAYS OF THE SUN CATCHES THEM OR A STAKE IS PLUNGED INTO THEIR HEART. EVEN A GOD MUST REALIZE THAT VAMPIRES CANNOT STAY HERE.”

“What am I to do?”

“YOU MUST BEG FOR FORGIVENESS FROM APOLLO. YOU CAN'T HAVE HIS PRIESTESS, HOWEVER. APOLLO IS A JEALOUS GOD AND HARDLY EVER LETS ANYTHING OF HIS OWN OUT OF HIS REACH. HIS PRIESTESS IS ONE OF HIS FAVORITE POSSESSIONS. YOU WON'T HAVE HER NO MATTER WHAT YOU TRIED.”

“But... I love her,” Ares pleaded, finally gathering the courage to look into the god's eyes.

“BEGONE, ARES OF THE UNDEAD. I HAVE NOT THE POWER TO KEEP YOU HERE, ONLY MOTHER EARTH. GO BACK TO APOLLO, BUT NOT HIS PRIESTESS.”

“I will.”

“GOOD.”

Hades, then raised his hand to the ceiling of darkness and a light shine through onto Ares. It wasn't the sunlight, but the light of the gods. He felt himself being sucked up into the light and out of Hell. When his feet touched solid ground once more, the hole closed up and he found he was in a forest. The leaves and branches protected him from the sunlight as he walked on, not sure where to go or how to get to the temple.

Then, he heard the sound of water splashing! Ares took off running in that direction, his heart pounding. He pushed back branches and avoided rocks until he found a clearing ahead through the tree trunks.

There she was, standing by the well, pouring water from the bucket into a jar of white clay. The sunlight danced on her white hair strands and sparkled on her pale skin. Ares watched in silence with his breath in his throat as she finished pouring the water and put the bucket down the well. Reflected in the rays of the sun, he could see a few drops of water on her cheeks.

Had she been crying? He wanted to go and hug her, but he could not. Hades commanded him not to and the sunlight prevented him from doing it.

Raine disappeared inside the building.

Ares looked at the sun and saw a cloud approaching it; soon he could cross the clearing into the shade of the temple and not be burned by the light. He waited patiently until the cloud passed over the sun then he dashed out over the sand to the stone steps.

Inside, the temple sounded silent as he passed over the cool stone and through the hall. Not a sound could he hear except for the gentle rushing of the wind against the trees outside. He looked inside the kitchen; Raine was not there. Then he checked her bedroom.

She stood with her back to him as she put up her hair into a long braid. Then she bent down to straighten out the wrinkles in the white dress she wore. When she turned around and saw who stood in the doorway, her breath caught and her eyes grew large.

“Ares!” she gasped, her hand to went to her throat. He made no move to hold her.

“I've come to ask Apollo for forgiveness, Raine.” he said quietly, looking her straight in the eye.

“You came back!” she exclaimed happily; throwing herself at him, her arms went about his neck and her mouth kissed his cheek. Ares saw on her neck a bandage had been put there over the wound he inflicted on her; on her palm, where he had cut here, was a wrapping of cloth.

“Ares? What's wrong?” Raine asked, when she stood back to look him in the face. Worry and confusion clouded her beautiful eyes.

“I can't be with you, Raine. I'm a vampire. You're a priestess for Apollo,” He murmured sadly.

“What?!” the said priestess gasped. “But... I...”

“I'm sorry, Raine. I wanted to be by your side for eternity, but Hades, the god of the underworld, commanded me to beg for forgiveness and move on.”

The vampire turned around and took a step to the hall. He was halfway down to the room where Apollo's statue stood when her voice stopped him.

“Wait!” she cried. A pair of arms wrapped around his arm and turned him to face her. “I have to tell you something very important... I love you.”

Ares felt his throat constrict and all his breathing stopped. He bent down and kissed her upturned lips. Then he lifted his head and rubbed her cheek with his thumb and whispered, “I love you, as well.”

Silently, he faced the opposite direction and kept on walking, leaving a broken-hearted woman behind. Each step hurt him in ways he could not describe, but he managed to get to his destination. The statue stood there, blank eyes stared ahead and his curls atop his head.

Ares thumped to the ground on his knees and touched his forehead to the marble floor.

Raine followed her love to the statue room, his steps were silent but deafening to her ears. She watched him hit the floor with his knees and bow to the statue of Apollo. He was mumbling too low for her to hear; his voice broke once.

She watched the glowing being of Apollo step through his statue and stood in front of the vampire. He looked pleased and as well as satisfied with the outcome of the situation. When Ares stopped mumbling, the god said, “I FORGIVE YOU, SON OF THE UNDEAD. GET UP AND NEVER CROSS THIS TEMPLE AGAIN.”

The young man stood up and dipped his body in thanks to the god. He turned to the doorway, but stopped once he caught sight of Raine standing in his way, tears on her cheeks. She could not look him in the eye, because of the way her heart was sobbing. Instead, she walked past him to the glowing god, her head high.

“My lord, I am ready for the purification ceremony,” she mumbled.

Ares watched in horror as she walked right past him to Apollo. Her eyes and cheeks were wet with tears, but she did not look at him. Inside him, he felt a throbbing inside his ribs.

The young woman bowed in front of the god and began to mutter a chant of purification and ceremony. She spoke clearly, but he did not hear them. He saw only the woman he loved walk away and choose to be with her god, when he was about to kiss her good-bye!

Anger flooded his head and pain clutched at his heart. Even though he could not smell blood, his sharp teeth unsheathed and winked in the light.

The vampire lunged for the woman. His daggers cut into her neck as he wrapped his steel-like arms around her and held on. The woman he loved struggled against him, panic rising inside her, but he would not let her go. Warm liquid flooded his mouth and down his throat, warming his body and his bringing his senses back to him.

Raine had quit struggling and let him drink from her, tears of fear falling out of her eyes. Then she saw the vampire take his teeth to his wrist and bring it to her mouth.

“Drink!” he commanded huskily. She brought his bleeding wrist to her lips and sucked on the crimson liquid.

“NO!” Apollo yelled at the two, but he could not stop the transformation happening inside Raine.

Ares watched, a smile growing on his thin lips, as he watched his love drink from him and change into his kind. She began to drink harder and faster, sucking longer on his veins, but he pulled his arm from her, out of her reach. The new vampire whimpered in disappointment, but when his lips landed on hers, her tone changed.

The two clutched at each other, grabbing the other and not letting go. Their love and the blood sparked a new kiss in them. From sweet to passionate, the vampires battled in lips, sharp teeth, and tongues. Raine groaned as he gently nipped her bottom lip. He was kissing hungrily and she returned in fierce power.

Apollo yelled out, “STOP!” They kept on their kissing battle and ignored the god who was growing very angry. Slowly, Ares pulled back and licked his bloody lips. Raine giggled. That was then they noticed the glowing god.

“Apollo, Raine is now a new vampire. You cannot turn her back to what she was before. She has now joined my kind: an daughter of the undead. You have now two choices: keep her as the Priestess of Apollo, or let her be with me for eternity,” Ares smirked at the god.

“Apollo, god of Light and Truth, I have served you for many years. I love Ares, please let me be with him,” Raine asked.

The god waited a long time, thinking over his possibilities and realized how the vampire had gotten the better of him. He was angry, but he could not stay so, “I RELEASE YOU, RAINE FROM THE POSITION OF PRIESTESS. YOU ARE RELEASED FROM ALL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THIS TEMPLE. BEGONE, SON AND DAUGHTER OF THE UNDEAD.”

Raine shrieked in delight and Ares smiled. The two vampires, got up from their place on the floor and bowed humbly to the god. Then they linked hands, walking out of the room, together.

Apollo watched, still slightly angry of how he lost a priestess to a vampire. Sighing, he looked around the statue room and said under his breath, “NOW I NEED TO FIND A NEW PRIESTESS.”

Ares and Raine left under the cloudy sky, their hands still joined. The forest loomed before them, branches over head and the sunlight peeking out of the tree tops.

“Ares?” Raine looked at the man beside her with fear in her eyes. “I've never left the temple in a long time.”

“I know, but you have me now. I will teach you all you need to know out being in the world and being a vampire.” Ares smiled at her. He kissed her, quick and deeply, then pulled back. “Let's go.”

“Yes!” she said happily and the two went off into the woods; two vampires, full of love.

Author's Note: Finally, it's finished. It needs revision, but for now I'll keep it the way it is. Hope y'all liked it!