It is 6 o'clock in the morning; Ares wakes up looking like he hasn't slept a wink. After violently rubbing his eyes, He turns to the alarm clock on his right to check the time.
He gets out of bed and looks around for his bath robe but realizes it's in the other room currently being occupied by the uninvited guest.
Ares rolls his eyes and walks to the wardrobe, takes out a towel and shower cap and makes his way to the bathroom.
A few minutes later, he steps out of the shower with the towel round his waist and another around his neck.
He takes out a pair of blue ripped jeans and a black top, dresses up and walks out into the living room. To his amazement, Ben was already at the table with a few books and a bowl of cereal beside him.
"Why are you up so early?" Ares says as he ties his hair up into a ponytail and walks towards the table.
Ben turns around "I should be asking you the same thing. Also, why are you all dressed up? Are you going out?"
"I owe you no explanation whatsoever" Ares says as he picks up Ben's cereal and takes a few spoonfuls off of it.
He looks down to the papers and books in front of Ben and asks "Found anything?"
"No not really, I'm just putting together everything I've gotten since I arrived. There isn't much going on, but it's a start"
"What's a start? You have zero clues" Ares says with his mouth full.
Ben covers his face in despair.
"Is this her?" Ares says as he pulls out a picture sticking out from under the papers.
"Yeah…" Ben replied, sounding tired.
He picks up the picture to take a closer look.
Ben rubs his palm over his head and face anxiously.
"I don't have any leads and it's so frustrating"
"You would if you spent less time eating cereal and actually looking for her"
"You do make a valid point" Ben says as he rubs his chin in agreement, raising his head up to look at Ares.
Ares sets down the picture and leans at the edge of the table.
"I know a guy; he knows his way around the town and he gets me all the information I need so he could be useful"
"Why do you have an Intel guy? Also, why are you only mentioning this now?"
"You're asking why I have servants who serve me?" Ares asks rhetorically as dusts his nails with a proud look on his face.
Ben lets out a loud laugh.
"Why don't we go meet him?"
"We will but not today"
"What? Why?"
"Not today. I've got somewhere important to be"
"But this is important too"
"Need I remind you, Ben… you'd still be sitting here clueless if I hadn't taken it upon myself to help, out of the sheer abundance of my kindness and empathy?"
"Forgive me my liege. For feeble-minded mortals like myself cannot comprehend your greatness and are unworthy of your mercies" Ben says gulping down his laugh and bowing to Ares.
"I do not blame you, for it is the mortal flaw"
"Uh huh" Ben says as he bursts out laughing.
"When are you leaving?" Ben asks as he has finally gotten a grip of himself.
"Now"
"Can I come with?"
"No!"
"Why?"
"Because you can't. It's super important and top secret so I can't have a mortal tagging along" Ares says as he drops the bowl of cereal on to the table and then proceeds to the front door.
"I'll be back by dusk; try not to burn down the house or worse"
"What could be worse than burning down the house?" Ben mumbles.
"I don't know you're full of surprises" Ares says, waving Ben goodbye.
A few minutes after Ares had left, there was an immediate change in the look on Ben's face. It is a stern and worried look which was a sharp contrast from the emotion he showed shortly before. He looks down to the table as he takes out a crumbled piece of paper which he had secretly slipped into the pile of books while Ares wasn't looking.
The paper had nothing on it except the inscription of the word 'Rothwood'. He takes the paper and raises it to his face as he eagerly looks at it. His brows fold, his eyes are fixed on the piece of paper, his face shows nothing but a sombre expression.
"What were you trying to tell me, what?"
He closes his eyes as though he was deep in thought for a while then exhales, opens his eyes and folds the paper returning it to its position between the books.
He stands up, gulps down what's left of his now soggy cereal, stacks the books and places them on the small mahogany shelf by the kitchen cabinet and returns for his cereal bowl. He picks up the bowl and spoon and turns towards the direction of the kitchen when he is suddenly alarmed by a frightening bang.
He turns around to look.
"Reynold?".