Title: Growing
Fandom: Hercules The Legendary Journeys/Xena Warrior Princess
Characters: Strife
Prompt: #001 Beginnings
Word Count: 654
Rating:PG
Summary: Things just started out wrong
Author's Notes:

Bouncing a ball around the floor little mischief earned his name as it rolled away from him just as his mother appeared in the temple. One foot appearing on the ball she tripped causing a small squeak from the sitting child. Standing she picked up the offending ball and squeezed it until it burst glaring at trembling lip of her son.

"Look at this mess! You little idiot, I'm sick and tired of all this kid shit. You are officially too old for toys! You will not be like that spoilt brat Cupid, a baby for 200 years with his blond bimbet mother."

Focusing her energies she pointed at the child. "Four years is more than enough! You can talk you can walk, you can feed yourself, now GROW UP."

Letting out a whimper of alarm as he felt pulled like a piece of taffy, the sensation stopped after a few seconds and where once sat a child, now stood a boy of about 16. the tunic he had been wearing that dragged at his knees barely reaching his navel.

Discord eyed him and could see bruises forming everywhere from the impossibly fast growth spurt. Waving her hand she covered him in leather leaving only the tips of his fingers and head visible.

"Ares!"

"What?" The war god snarled.

"You said you would train him once he was of age, here you go."

"Wasn't he…" Ares began sure that he shouldn't have been that old so soon, but he didn't actually remember his age. And it wasn't as if gods had to age like mortals. Look at cupid he has spent ages as a toddler and finished puberty literally overnight.

"…for this." Realizing he had tuned his sister out he focused his attention on her. "Are you backing out? You swore you would train him. Do I have to go to mother with this?"

"Fine whatever, skinny isn't he?"

Discord shrugged. "Make sure he has a room, I don't need him popping in here all hours."

"Whatever, come on kid." Trailing after Ares Strife froze when he vanished and glanced nervously at his mother. Rolling her eyes she sent Strife to Ares' Olympus temple.

Glaring at Strife Ares snarled. "You can't even transport?! What kind of loser did Discord saddle me with?"

Aries dragged Strife by the arm to a wall waving his hand a room appeared and with another wave a shut door appeared.

"Lesson one. Even a five year old can transport! You want to get into your room you will have to transport there. You saw what it looked like so close your eyes and be there. Feel for the room."

Strife closed his eyes, he tried he really did, but then he started forgetting what the room looked like and he hurt from what his mother did plus he was only four. He just wanted to play with his ball…but mommy broke it. He sniffed and Ares lost all patience. Whacking him on the back of the head he turned the boy to face him.

"Are you going to cry? Are you that pathetic?"

Opening the door Ares shoved him in the room and shut the door. "If you want out you'll have to transport to do it. Maybe when you want it enough you will do it, all the food is out here by the way."

After an hour Ares was tired of waiting and went about his business leaving a plate out of Strife ever made it out of the room and as an afterthought set his spell on the door to release in another three hours.

Inside the room Strife tried to teleport for close to an hour never seeing much success. As his stomach rumbled he decided maybe it was a trick and the door would open. Pulling and tugging for another hour he lay down on the small single bed and tried not to cry.
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