Excerpt of Child of War-A God is Born by Lisa Beth Darling

Alena wasn't exactly new to the act of childbirth, she'd aided in the arrival of many babies in Ceres Agar and even before that, but it didn't prepare her for this. Up until now, she had a vague understanding of the agony involved in giving birth, or thought she did. This was like no pain she'd ever felt before; it was torturous yet it was also beautiful and filled with hopeful anticipation. Something deep within her seemed to take over her mind, telling her what to do. If he were here--where he should be--Ares would call it 'instinct'.

Certain help would never arrive in time, Alena allowed that instinct to take over. She began pushing as she gasped for breath and sweat ran into her eyes. With her knees up by her shoulders, she could nearly see between her splayed legs but as hard as she pushed, Raven's head did not emerge. He didn't even seem to move downward as she dug in with her heels and gave it all she had with the next contraction. Feeling as though her abdomen was caught in some wicked vice holding her in its unyielding grip, Alena bore down, throwing her head back against the foot board as she held onto her knees hoping for extra leverage. Blood and fluids ushered forth but Raven did not. Instead of making his way down the birth canal, Raven continued his struggle to claw his way through his mother's stomach as though he knew that was his only true way out.

"A-Ares!" She screamed without any force of breath. "Where are you?" He picked a fine time to run down to the mortal world for a gallon of milk.

Her Son was not going to wait for his Father or his Grandmother to come aid in his arrival. The contractions were so close together it felt like they never ended. Just one long burst of unending agony as she struggled to give birth and Raven fought her from inside. One hand on her knee, she tried to ease the baby downward with the other hand while she bore down again. "I know it's t-t-tight but puh-lease."

Raven wasn't having any of it; he punched upward with a force so brutal it knocked her hand away from her belly. Then continued on, stretching upward, until her undulating stomach looked like the Gut-Buster scene in 'Alien' and she was certain he would just explode out of her the way the slimy little alien had done leaving a gaping bloody hole where her innards had once been.

"N-no! D-down!" Tears streaming down her ashen cheeks, Alena tried again to coax the baby downward as she pushed and prayed with all of her might. More blood and fluid expelled and then, under her hand, she felt Raven move downward. "G-good, good boy, good," she stuttered as she tried to catch her breath. Wiping her silver hair away from her sweaty brow, she prepared to push again with the next contraction but suddenly found her body rising into the air. Looking up with startled eyes she saw Ares, he was lifting her off the floor and putting her on the bed. "I th- ough-t you'd n-never--make it."

"I'm here. I'm here." he soothed, looking at the bloody puddle on the floor. "Everything's going to be all right now."

"This place is disgusting. Why would you ever bring her down here?" Hera openly complained as she gave her surroundings a quick glance.

"I cleaned it, Mother!"

Letting out a grunt, she gave Ares a shove. "Get out of my way." Before she could maneuver between Alena's open legs to get a bead on the situation, another contraction hit. Alena bore down hard. "Stop, stop, stop," Hera commanded. "Don't push, Alena."

"I have to--"

"Stop I know it's hard, I know, but don't push." Hera looked up from between Alena's legs where Raven was just beginning to crown to Ares. "Why did you wait so long to come get me?" she hissed. "You knew how important this is!"

Panic rising within him as he tried to stay calm and hold Alena close he roared at her through lips thinner than a dime. "Do what you have to, Mother."

"It's too late." Alena had done what any woman in her position would do and she pushed with each contraction until the boy dropped just enough to get his head past those slender hips, but his shoulders were too wide to make the same squeeze and now Raven was stuck in her pelvis. Opening Alena's womb would do them no good. Pulling the boy back through the narrow opening would only result in injury to him and her. On the verge of losing her Grandson, the only thing the grand Goddess of All the Olympian Gods could do was stand here and watch both of them pass into the Underworld.

Not believing his Mother, Ares left Alena's side to stand at the end of the bed and inspect the precarious situation. As they stood there watching Alena writhe in agony as she tried to hold back the urge to push, they saw Raven's feet push upward. The little toes curled as though they were fists as he started slamming them against the inside of Alena's womb. Listening to Alena's near silent screams and seeing her face gnarl and twist in a way he never wanted to see again, his Warrior's Mind hit upon a plan. For a split- second, he tried to talk himself out of it but in his heart he knew it was the only way to save them. Reaching out cautiously with one hand, he held to it Alena's cheek as he stared into her stormy eyes. "Do you love me?"

What a question! Here she was in the deepest clutches of labor with his Son and Ares wanted to know if she loved him? If this wasn't love, what was it? "Y-yes."

He leaned in further as his hand slid down to her hip where the other was waiting on the opposite site. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"I love you, Alena." With that, Ares planted his lips over hers. In one brutal but mercifully swift motion, he pushed down on her hips with all of his strength and did the unthinkable. With a loud snap, her slender hips cracked open like a clam shell. His mouth over hers silenced the shriek of utter agony that went through her.

The way to freedom suddenly open, Raven began making his way toward it with much haste. But he couldn't do it alone.

"You have to help," Hera said as she stared down at the scene in disbelief. Alena was in far too much pain to push. "Hurry, put your hand on her stomach, gently guide him down. Gently."