Ares led Skyzo to the back garden and opened the door. Skyzo gave small and quick greetings to everyone else while Ares had Enyo catch him up on the Aejaz situation. Apparently Ares had missed the crucial moment of him confronting both Trixie and Allie after Zhang temporarily let up on him. Aejaz had become a stammering mess when Allie asked him if he wanted Trixie to be a part of his life and, before he could answer, he very nearly fainted when Trixie started asking him if he didn''t want her to be a part of his life. Either way, one answer or the other was going to upset someone and his squirming was supposedly a sight to behold. He wriggled more than a whacky inflatable tube man and stuttered as Golgo would were he to read aloud the sentence ''tutoring in a tutu on Tuesday.'' Trixie bailed him out by planting a kiss on his lips and distracting Allie who picked a fight with her instead. Aejaz was freed from the wrath of Allie and a new course had been set in his romantic life... Albeit without his say so or permission but Ares knew better than to expect to have agency in his love life and that was just something Aejaz was going to have to learn as well. While the catty duo of Allie and Trixie were going at it with one another, hurling insults and derogatory accusations, Zhang demanded a serious conversation with Aejaz and he''d been making him swear repeatedly that Allie was his number one. Aejaz did as was commanded of him to prevent the beatings from returning in full force and that was a summary of everything that Ares needed to be caught up on. Currently, Zhang was talking, at great length, about how he was in the process of getting back together with his own two wives and that Aejaz needed to learn how to be caring of multiple women at the same time... At which point Bellona gave Ares a death glare and very nearly demanded he go and also pay a listen to the lecture. She was clearly trying to tell him something and she was hardly being subtle about it, but that was just one of Bellona''s many charms. Ares liked that she was direct and didn''t force him to go through hoops just to understand what her problem was. If she had one, she would beat him mercilessly and complain to his face!


    In the end, Ares did head over but not for the lecture. His brother was probably going to be trapped by Zhang and forced to listen to him for hours on end at this rate so Ares figured he would bail the poor guy out for now. Zhang would likely stay for the banquet and keep pestering Aejaz later but that was his problem to deal with just as how Ares had to deal with Mako at some point. "Zhang! It''s been a hot minute. I hear you''re getting back together with your wives? Have they changed their minds about the whole Allie thing then?"


    "Hm?" Zhang had been so preoccupied with Aejaz he didn''t notice Ares come creeping up on him. "Ah, yes, now that Allie is older and living her own life they''re more willing to re-enter mine. Our separation was only really a temporary thing and we were still waiting for each other. When Allie moved in here I started going around to check up on them again. Lo and behold, though, I leave for a short while and suddenly Casanova over here is disregarding everything I told him about never finding another woman! I''m not sure if him doing this all unintentionally makes it better or worse! Honestly... How do you put up with this moron? I genuinely believed you were the dumb one, Ares, but it seems I''ve missed the mark entirely. After hearing Trixie''s story I felt sorry for her that someone could be so oblivious... Well whatever. On a somewhat related topic, I''ve heard the rumours that you''ve got nine wives in your future?"


    "Yeah but how do you know that? I get that you''re ''Zhang the quick'' but I thought that was for disseminating rumours, not obtaining them."


    "Oh that? I heard it from Yulo. Because of your fundamental, and future head of the sect, status Yulo wanted all of the elders to be caught up on everything you are and will be. He threw in that bit about the wives at the end as payment for me spreading everything else. Everyone in the sect should either know now or by the end of the week how big a deal you are. The rumours are also spreading in Red Sun which ought to then make their way abroad thanks to the international visitors who''ll take these rumours back with them. Mako''s existence helps with that too because he makes no effort to hide who he is so attaching your name to the reputation he''s already spreading is simple. Anyway, I''m getting side-tracked. You''re gonna have nine wives, right? Can you do me a favour and teach this shmuck about divvying up your time properly and picking a favourite!? I''ve been telling him as such for the last few minutes but his eyes have been glazing over and I don''t think he understands. Hell, I don''t think he''s even listening right now!" Zhang waved his hand in front of Aejaz but the guy had clearly checked out mentally. He''d attempted to zone out during Zhang''s rant and it had worked up until Ares came and distracted Zhang who was now getting a proper look at Aejaz'' current state.


    Ares gave a wry laugh and scratched his chin as he flicked an Echo at his brother to bring him back from la la land... Or tried to anyway... Ares didn''t quite realise it yet because he was starting another conversation with Zhang, but his Echo had been ineffectual! "Uh, Zhang, do you mind if I borrow him for a second? I need him for something and it''s his area of expertise so he''s kind of irreplaceable. You can have him back after and I''ll talk to him about the Trixie situation while I''ve got my mitts on him."


    "... Hm. I wasn''t quite done with the fool just yet but sure. He listens to you way more than he ever will me. That doesn''t mean I''m giving up, mind you! If he thinks he can ignore me then he''ll soon realise the error of his ways! I may be Zhang the quick but I plan on slowly taking my time with this two-timing-son-in-law son-of-a-bitch!... As an aside, in addition to you speaking with Aejaz about this matter, can I also trouble you to make me some food? It''s been a while since I''ve had your cooking and I''m practically chomping at the bit for some. It would be such a waste to come here during a banquet and leave with an empty stomach."


    "Yeah, sure. I''ll come and ask you for your preference in a second when I''m done with this spaced out buffoon." Ares had to flick a second Echo at his brother because the first one didn''t even make a dent in Aejaz. Ares had flicked so many Echoes at Aejaz to grab his attention in recent times that he was starting to become immune! In order to overcome this setback Ares decided he was going to start imbuing his Echoes with annihilation mana! That ought to get a reaction out of the shmuck! Luckily for Aejaz, though, the second normal Echo woke him up out of his stupor so the Annihilation Echo wasn''t deployed just yet. Before Aejaz could wrap his head around what was happening Ares dragged him away to the side and introduced him to Skyzo.


    "Aejaz, this is my brother. Well one of them anyway. Like you, he''s an assassin. Unlike you, he''s a good one."


    Skyzo bowed his head and gave a greeting. "Hello. Given that Ares cherishes you as a brother, know that the rest of the family shall too. I hope we can all get along in the future... On that note, please stop glancing at my spatial ring. There isn''t much in there but I was planning on using it to buy flowers and orange-chocolates for Pele, so please refrain."


    Aejaz whistled to himself before clearing his throat and joining his hands together in a clap. "Well I was definitely not planning on doing anything untoward, no sir! I''ve heard about you and your siblings from Ares so I''m vaguely aware of who you all are and I see no reason we can''t get along... Although I may struggle with Verv... I really don''t make for a good chew toy and I would rather not have a guy around me picking fights all the time. I got enough on my plate with Ares beating my ass every now and then as is..."


    "Hm, Verv only challenges people who he thinks are tough. Maintain a weak fa?ade and he''ll leave you well enough alone. Also, he''ll more likely be distracted with Ares anyhow so you should be in the clear. Still, if you show off during the international he may take notice of you. Scar and I do try keeping him in check but if he ever truly lets loose he becomes a real pain to stop even for us. In the worst case scenario, play dead and maybe he''ll stop biting you eventually... Maybe?"


    "... I''d really rather not get mauled at all... And here I thought Ares was bad. I''ll have to start coming up with defensive measures."


    "Speaking of ''measures'', Ares suggested I come by your way and ask you for advice on something I''ve been pondering. It''s assassination related but only tangentially. It''s more about garnering people''s attention. He said you were quite vain, I apologise but that was his wording and not mine, so my question to you is how can I get more people to look at me? It''s not that I want the attention, absolutely not, I just get stronger the more I''m looked at thanks to my magic, you see."


    Aejaz put on his thinking cap and went over all the showboating strategies he had tucked away in the recesses of his brain. Eventually, Aejaz landed on an idea he figured would do Skyzo some good! "Create clones?"


    "I already do. Of my enemy though, not of myself."


    "Can you not do that?" Aejaz'' idea had been thwarted! But still, there were plenty more ideas where that came from and he was only scratching the surface of his attention grabbing antics!


    "I can it just doesn''t work. The enemy has to see me, a clone of me doesn''t count unfortunately."


    "Oh, then that''s simple! Ice magic!"


    "Ice?"


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Yep, Ice... You aren''t using dedication cultivation are you?"


    "No, standard right now. I should have access to the water pillar as I don''t have a weak affiliation to it. What''s the point of ice?"


    "Mirrors! You''ve already got plenty of ways to make more enemies look at you but it sounds like you could do with more ways to make enemies look at more of you! As the real you is being reflected each time you''re spotted in a mirror it should work. It also pairs well with the whole assassination theme, right? If you could trap someone in a hall of mirrors not only would your strength increase explosively but then you can disorient your opponent too. Also the ice will chill your opponent and make them slower as an added bonus. Win Win!"


    "I see, that does sound highly effective. Thank you for the suggestion. I''d been stuck for some time now wondering how to improve myself but this seems like the perfect tool to add to my arsenal. This will undoubtedly come in handy. I have no way of paying you back right now but should you ever need assistance in the future I shall do my best to aid you. Of course as a family member I would regardless but I''ll be sure to go the extra mile if and when possible. I''m rather excited to try this idea out so I''m going to borrow a cultivation room and work on creating the foundation of the art. Ares, could I bother you to knock on the door when the food is ready? The more I envision the art the more I feel like I''m a step closer to enlightenment. I might get carried away if someone doesn''t drag me out of my thoughts."


    Ares pat Aejaz on the back as a job well done as he responded to Skyzo. "Of course. Feel free to use the room however you see fit and for as long as you need. You can even eat in there if you want. Getting stronger is more important than being present for the banquet, we''ll have an entire lifetime and then some to see each other. Plus you''re technically here anyway so that''s more than enough for me to be content... Although Calla might want you out at some point for a family photo, I don''t think any of us can avoid that..."


    "I wouldn''t want to miss it anyway. I know how much stuff like that means to Calla so even if I don''t care for it much I'''' be sure to do it anyway."


    With another goodbye exchanged between Aejaz and Skyzo, the revenant assassin went inside to enter the cultivation room and work on his new art. As for Ares, he turned to Aejaz and sighed deeply. "So, you''re in a similar position to me now, eh? I know you copy me a lot but this is starting to get excessive!"


    Aejaz threw his head back and groaned. "Oh, come on. It''s not like I even had a say in the matter!"


    "Yeah, guess what? Neither did I! Well so? How are you feeling about it? Man to man, non-judgemental, I won''t relay anything you say to Zhang, Allie, or Trixie. Are you happy with this outcome, yay or nay?"


    "... I don''t really know but I''m leaning more towards yes. I''ve always really liked Trixie and to see my crush from years ago come to fruition is a dream come true... It''s just that I feel guilty towards Allie you know? Like I want to be over the moon right now but I''m worried that if I show it Allie I will feel like crap."


    "At least you''re being honest. I don''t think you could be handling it better than you are. Worrying about Allie''s feelings means you very much still care for her and being happy about Trixie means you aren''t secretly against all of this so... You aren''t really doing anything wrong? This seems like the kind of thing that will settle in due time as long as you don''t do anything stupid like accidentally call either of them the wrong name in the bedroom."


    "... That was oddly specific... Ares, have you fucked up?"


    "What? Hell no I have not! Well I have just not in that way... As if I would call either of my wives by the wrong name you doofus! It was just an example! An example! Ah whatever. Look, the point I''m making is that you''re in the clear provided you don''t screw anything major up. Just shut up and be a good boy for now and you''ll come out the other side unscathed. Allie should be your priority right now and you should focus on showing her that you still care by showering her with attention. Allie isn''t someone like Enyo, she needs to hear it directly from you that she''s still VIP numero uno, capiche? If you''re allocating time between them, try and keep it about 75 / 25 in favour of Allie for now. Raise or lower that amount based on her overall mood and Trixie''s... Although it might be hard to tell with Trixie, she''s got a good poker face."


    "I mean, I was a bit busy getting chewed out by Zhang but I''m pretty sure I saw you getting headbutt by Bellona because you failed to do precisely that..."


    "No, see, I made a huge mistake. Bellona and Enyo have reversed roles in my situation and I didn''t take that into consideration. I needed to give Enyo less attention and Bellona more. I know that now with the benefit of hindsight and I can see where I went wrong. I''m trying to help you out here so you don''t make a similar mistake. Although now that you mention it, there''s still a bit of time before the food''s ready so I''m going to go spend it with Bellona. She is a violent woman and one best not angered so if she catches me idling about when I could be hanging around her there will be serious consequences for my inattentiveness. If I can summarise my advice to you, keep a ''somewhat concerned and sympathetic, wrapped up in a light hearted bubble'' kind of look on your face."


    "What on earth does that even look like?!"


    "Hell if I know. It''s your job to figure it out, not mine. Believe me I do not envy you. If Enyo had been a different kind of woman I would have already gone through the exact same thing you are right now. Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for you, I didn''t so I have no idea how to bring about that look. The best I could do is get you away from Zhang for a while and now... Now you''re on your own. Be brave, brother!" Ares left Aejaz to to figure out his own problems because this was something even Ares couldn''t help him with. To prevent his brother from desperately chasing after him like he was about to, Ares veered course and passed by Zhang, curbing Aejaz'' will to walk in that direction. It was a dirty manoeuvre but an effective one as Ares safely made it to Bellona who was by her lonesome. Appa and Enyo had gone inside to go chat with the matriarchs but Bellona had stayed out here, presumably hoping to get some alone time with Ares even though she hadn''t outright said it.


    Ares sat on the grass, folded his legs, and pat them repeatedly as he looked at her with a smile. "Come take a seat."


    Looking down at her absentee husband, Bellona was conflicted. On the one hand she wanted to sit, on the other she hadn''t completely forgiven him yet and was having trouble getting over it even though she claimed to already be beyond it all. In the end the choice wasn''t hers to make as Ares pulled her in by whipping the Stygian Zephyr around her and pulling her down on top of him. Ares had slightly misjudged the angle of Bellona''s fall, however, and she squashed him against the ground. From underneath her chest, Bellona could hear Ares weakly mutter that ''now he was the flat one''. Her eyes twitched as she leaned up to let him breathe before headbutting him again.


    Thwack


    "Ow! Bellona, what are you? A ram?! I mean I prefer it to when you were punching me but this isn''t particularly enjoyable either you know!"


    "Then stop making jokes at the expense of my body you bastard!" Bellona shuffled until she was sitting comfortably on Ares lap facing away from him. She heard Ares chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her and spoke into her ear.


    "Bellona, you know I like your body the way it is, you don''t need to be offended."


    "How could I not be, you stupid moron?!"


    "Are you offended if I tell you that you have a nice ass?"


    "What? No?"


    "Then what''s the difference? I''ve joked about your chest countless times but I don''t think I''ve ever directly said it''s a bad thing, have I? I don''t think anything larger would suit you anyway."


    "Hmph. You say that now but Enyo''s informed me of what a beast you are. I give it a week or two before you ask me to use my magic on them and make them bigger."


    "No, really no. And you know I wouldn''t either... Although Enyo might ask you to do that but she''s a special case."


    "... Really? I''m not sure I trust you..."


    "I mean, if you ever wanted to then whatever but me personally? Nope. You aren''t a fizzy drink Bellona, being flat is not a problem. Anyway, we''ve spent long enough on this topic so let''s move on."


    "Why are you moving on so quickly you rat bastard? Are you lying? Is your guilty conscience driving you away from this conversation?! I knew it! Liar!"


    Ares struggled to hold onto Bellona who was attempting to break free from his grasp. "Bellona! Stop this madness! I''m only changing the topic because of what you said earlier!"


    The wiggling stopped and Bellona gave Ares a narrow gaze over her shoulder. "Me? What did I say?"


    "That the time we spent in the bedroom was longer than the dance we had. Spending all our time talking about such things isn''t right because you told me not to treat you the way I do Enyo. She''s the sex pest, not you. I only want to discuss your flat chest with you until you feel comfortable with it and then move on. I have to go serve the food in a while and I don''t want our entire conversation to be about that."


    Bellona settled down and leant backward against Ares now that she realised he was making a good point and not just fleeing a conversation he didn''t really agree with from the bottom of his heart. His cold, wife abandoning heart!... And she was doing it again... She really hadn''t been able to get her emotions in check since she learnt about Candy. Now that she sat down and actually thought about it, she knew the reason why... Even though she hated having to confront Ares about this, even if she really didn''t want to hear the answer, she had to ask and know now before it ate away at her. "... Ares... I knew from the start I wasn''t going to be the favourite... I knew that but... Am I going to be the least favourite?"


    "What?!" Ares'' first, gut, reaction was to be incredibly offended and even a little angry Bellona would suggest a thing but he decided to hear her out before he solved whatever misunderstanding this silly woman had come to.


    "Well, you know... With Enyo you were interested in her from the start, right? And now it''s the same with Candy... I''m the only one you didn''t care for out the gate and I know you''ve been somewhat forced into this relationship. I don''t doubt you love me, I never have, but I just feel like our relationship hasn''t blossomed the way your other ones have... And I don''t know that it ever can. It just feels like the odds are stacked against me. First you fell in love with Enyo before I met you, then I had to get pity to ever be allowed near you, then you had no say in the matter and I was thrust on you by my sister out of sympathy, then I found out I was related to you, and now Candy... It just never ends... I guess I''m not mad at you for being busy, I know that''s why you haven''t been around me lately... I''m mad because with every passing issue I just can''t help but feel less and less important to you. Like if I disappeared tomorrow would it even make a difference?"


    Thwack!


    This time, it was Ares'' turn to headbutt Bellona! It seemed Ares was going to have to spend a bit of time clearing the air with this silly woman because she''d clearly become delusional as a result of this entire fiasco. Bellona had a bone to pick with Ares? Well now Ares had one to pick with Bellona!