Just before Athena is able to say anything, Ares appears on the scene. "Ah-hah! I *knew* something was amiss when I saw Hermes appear in the Temple of Cupid. What are you two doing, plotting against me?!?"
Ped raised her left eyebrow at her Patron god, And pulled her head back away from him slightly, as if fearing he was going to infect her with something nasty. Athena merely smiled at Ares. "Well hello brother dear. Can we help you with something?"
"Yes Athena you can. You can tell me why one of *MY* priestesses is more considerate of you, Psyche, and Cupid, than she is of me."
"I can't tell you that. But maybe it's because we treat her as she should be treated, as an equal, not a subordinate."
"A mortal?!? Equal to an Olympian God?!? Perposterous."
Ped smirked behind Ares' back, and she shook with her silent laughter. She *knew* what Athena was getting at, and Ares was falling right into the trap Athena had laid for him. She sensed her was going to turn around, and so she schooled her features into a bland mask. She just blinked questionably when Ares began to stare at her. "Somethign Wrong My Lord Ares?"
Ares grabs her by the arm, and drags her to his chest. "Yes my Darling masseus there is... *YOU* are more trusting of other gods than me... ever since you went on that little trip last year."
"That was *hardly* a little trip My Lord Ares. it clarified many things in my life, including my servitude to you, *and* my fear of accepting my place among my people. As my recent actions have probably informed you, I'm not afraid of being what I was born to do, anymore. As for the trust? They've earned the right to it... you haven't."
"I am your GOD! I don't have to prove anything!"
Ped walked right up to him, and began to poke him in the chest. "Oh REally! Then why did you follow me here? Hmmm? I mean I know I wasn't very secretive in where I went, but that was so Psyche would know what I was doing."
"Why would you want the wife of Cupid to know what you were doing? Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of being one of *his* mistresses?"
Ped gave him a look, one not too disimilar to the one he had gotten from her younger sister last fall, like he was something nasty to be removed from the bottom of her shoe. "Well now that we know you're going to fail the trivia round... What's next for our contestant Athena?"
Athena snorted at what she had just seen transpire between Priestess and God... she hadn't realized until now just *how* hostile Ped and Ares' relationship had grown over the last six (plus) months. "Well Next Ascended Crown Princess Ped... we're going to see if contestant Number one can Glow in the Dark!"
CLIFFHANGER!