DISCLAIMER:
The characters belong to Studios USA and Renaissance Pictures and were used without permission. No copyright infringement was intended and no money was made.

WARNING:
This story contains explicit descriptions of male/male sexual relations.

Sequel to Revenge is Sweet and How Do I Thank Thee?.

You can find more stories by Jess at the Ksmithares Archive.

Send feedback to calayis@yahoo.com

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And Nothing Beats Three
by Jess

"I don't believe you. This is all wrong!" yelled Iphicles, splashing the water in the pool and breaking its calm plane. He began stalking around his war room.

"The Water of Truth does not make mistakes," answered the sprite.

Iphicles turned to face him. "No. He hates Caesar. Ares wouldn't go to him, willingly or otherwise. He wouldn't do that." **To me** he thought to himself.

"He would, and did, to save you from Caesar."

Iphicles didn't want to hear anymore. He was nearing the end of his rope. He grabbed his sword from the table and sheathed it in its scabbard. "The bastard! I'm going to rip his heart our and mount it on a pole for all to see!"

The sprite smiled as he sat in one of the chairs, his legs dangling over the arm. The king was storming around the room, his anger increasing every minute. Suddenly he stopped and looked at the sprite. "You said you could make it happen, so do it," Iphicles said flatly. He turned and stormed out of the room

Thoroughly happy with himself, the sprite grinned. He remained where he was, gleeful at the results he'd achieved. Never did he believe it would've been so easy to get the king into such a state. **Their fight will be one for the ages** he mused to himself. Jumping up out of the chair, he snapped his fingers. A bright light enveloped him and his features changed to once again become his own.

Dressed all in leather with his dark hair a contrast to his pale face, Strife laughed inanely and disappeared in a flash to go await the upcoming battle.

*****

Iphicles arrived at the clearing and dismounted from his horse. He looked around and didn't see anyone, but kept up his guard. He knew the other man wouldn't be long in coming.

The King of Corinth was a magnificent looking man, standing tall with broad shoulders and his golden hair slightly fluttering in the gentle breeze. His muscular bronzed body was dressed in his war-ravaged battle armour. His dark eyes scanned his surroundings, not missing even the slightest movement.

Iphicles tensed up as he heard an approaching horse. Unsheathing his sword, he turned and readied for a fight.

The approaching rider made his way into the clearing. He was alone, per the agreement for both men. At the recognition of seeing Iphicles standing there ready, Caesar's features took on an air of smugness. He, too, was dressed in his battle armour. It was well worn, yet the gold gilt could still be seen in places. Caesar dismounted his horse and withdrew his sword as well. The Emperor of Rome was shorter than the king, but no less muscular.

"Well, this is a surprise," said Caesar nonchalantly.

Iphicles just glared at him. "I don't want to talk to you, you bastard!" He lifted his sword towards the Roman. "I just want to kill you."

"Well, I've never been one to disappoint . . ." Caesar replied. He struck the first blow, but Iphicles was ready and deflected the attack.

The men were matched in skill and strength and the grassy clearing was soon filled with the clanking sounds of metal hitting metal. For every move one would make, the other would defend against it.

"Maybe I won't kill you outright," taunted Caesar. "I hope you liked your chains before; you might be wearing them again soon." He struck a blow to the king's right thigh. Iphicles quickly stepped out of the way, causing Caesar to stumble a bit, his red cape flowing behind him.

"Why?" seethed Iphicles. "So you can force Ares to come to your tent again!!" He charged towards Caesar, trying to hack down the pompous ass that ruled Rome.

Suddenly Caesar saw the realization; he finally understood. "Is that what this is about? Because Ares favoured me for your release?" He laughed aloud and jumped away from Iphicles' next blow. Caesar ceased his defensive tactics and now only countered the furious blows. His laugher only served to agitate the King of Corinth even more. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

Deep down, Iphicles knew Caesar spoke the truth, but he wasn't thinking; he was feeling, and right now he felt great vengeance and furious anger. Caesar, however, wouldn't give up the verbal jabs. "You must be leaving the God of War wanting if he so easily came to my bed," he smirked.

"LIAR!!" Iphicles roared, striking out with more venomous attacks.

Caesar ignored the tirade. "I was sore for days afterwards, but it was definitely worth the effort." He grinned and was deliberate in his remarks, especially when he could see that they struck home.

The two men continued their rather one-sided battle. Iphicles would attack and Caesar would just counter and move away. Both had various cuts and scraps on their arms, legs and faces, and each was becoming winded.

They had worn a track throughout the clearing. The grass was trampled and there were several chunks missing from some of the trees.

Iphicles' eyes burned with flames of hatred as he watched Caesar jump up on part of the rock formation with jutted out of the ground. "You stay away from Ares," he barked.

Caesar looked down from the rocks, completely giddy with his newfound discoveries. "My dear king," he began mockingly. "Are you jealous of what Ares and I shared?"

Iphicles didn't respond, but Caesar's words halted him in his tracks. He need not speak for his face betrayed his true feelings.

Caesar slowly and carefully made his way down off the rocks. He watched Iphicles, who still fumed, yet just stood there; he made no effort at an attack. Caesar rested against the rocks, Iphicles a mere foot in front him. "Or are you jealous because it was him instead of you?"

With lightning quick moves, and before Iphicles could respond or react, Caesar closed the gap between them and captured the fellow ruler's mouth in a hungry kiss. Iphicles struggled against the assault, but Caesar was determined and pressed on. Dropping his sword to the ground, Caesar's powerful hands laced their way through Iphicles' curls.

Iphicles dropped his own sword as well. His hands found their way to Caesar's narrow hips. He finally allowed Caesar's tongue access to his own and each man got their first taste of each other.

*****

"YOU DID WHAT?!" thundered Ares leaping from his great throne towards his nephew.

"I thought you'd be happy, Unc. If they fight and it becomes personal, their armies will continue to fight on," replied Strife, dodging around the pillars of the Great Hall of War, trying to avoid his uncle's clutches and fireballs.

"Did it ever occur to you that they could kill each other?"

Strife shrugged his shoulders emphatically. He hadn't.

"I don't want either of them dead," Ares exclaimed, finally getting his hands of his imbecilic nephew. "Strife. What did you tell them?" He held Strife a good foot off the floor.

Strife did what he always did when he faced Ares' wrath, which was often. He panicked and started to ramble. "I showed the king what happened the last time you met Caesar, and I told Caesar if he went along, he would get more of the same." A nervous grin spread across his pale face.

Ares' fury was evident. The veins in this neck and forehead distended and looked to be on the verge of bursting. "WHAT?"

"Pretty good show, too. You and the Roman emperor, doing a little sheet exploration," said Strife, forgetting the precarious position he was in. Ares tightened his grip on Strife. Normally he would enjoy pummeling his errant nephew, but now Ares needed to find Iphicles and Caesar.

"Where are they?"

Strife struggled for breath, but managed to get out "A clearing. Out between Corinth and Caesar's camp."

Ares, using his mighty strength, flung Strife across the hall and disappeared in a flash to find the two men who'd invaded his soul.

*****

As the breeze whipped Caesar's red cape around the two men, Caesar continued to kiss Iphicles hard. He had managed to remove the king's armour and remaining garments. His hands roamed and caressed Iphicles' sweat-covered, hard muscular chest.

Iphicles reveled in the sensations he was experiencing. Then he began to quickly divest Caesar of his own armour and various bits of clothing. They had moved into a small alcove among the rocks and Caesar moved Iphicles to lie down in the grass upon his red cape.

Caesar held Iphicles' shoulders, lessening the pressure of the kiss, but not the intensity. Both men were struggling to regain their breath, yet not wanting this to end. Caesar moved to gently cover the king's body with his own. Skin pressed skin; their cocks strained against one another.

Iphicles reared up strongly, willing to finish if off then and there. Caesar wouldn't hear of it and once again crushed his lips to Iphicles', now completely pinning the king to the ground. "You don't want it over before we even start," struggled out Caesar, separating from Iphicles' single-minded tongue, which was trying to lance his own.

Caesar smiled and began laying a trail down the king's chest, all the way to his throbbing, straining cock. Being the tease that he was, Caesar moved to his upper thigh, alternating between feather kisses and continuing the trail with his tongue. Caesar moved on to the sacs between his legs, sucking with slight pressure. As Iphicles squirmed underneath him, Caesar took him completely into his waiting mouth.

Iphicles was running a pure instinct alone. He arched up, nearly wrenching his back. A feral growl erupted from deep inside his chest. Caesar knew exactly what to do, and when. Licking, laving, sucking, squeezing, he drove Iphicles to the edge of insanity. Iphicles continued to groan and tried to push himself further and further into Caesar's hot, wet mouth.

Caesar ran his hand up Iphicles' sweat-covered chest to cover his mouth. Iphicles took the initiative and began sucking on the emperor's fingers. Caesar thrust them in and out; Iphicles made them wetter and wetter.

After a while, Caesar removed his fingers from Iphicles' hot mouth to place them beneath the king. He quickly moved one, then two inside him. Iphicles bucked up as Caesar manipulated his sensitive area, while continuing to lick and suck the pre-cum juices from Iphicles' cock.

Iphicles bucked wildly and came hard and fast into Caesar's waiting mouth. Caesar didn't stop what he was doing and was ready for it and continued to milk Iphicles until his orgasm subsided, then he gathered some of the warm seed in his hand.

Without giving Iphicles time to recover, Caesar rolled him over on to his stomach. He applied his own throbbing, nearly painful erection with Iphicles' cum. Without pretense, he pushed into the king, his smoldering canal welcoming and engulfing Caesar completely.

Iphicles cried out in what could only be called a guttural animalistic moan. Caesar sucked air through his clenched teeth. He lied down over Iphicles' perfect bronze back, sucking on his shoulder and moving up his neck to the point just behind his ear. Iphicles' whole body was sensitized to every touch, every movement. He pushed back into Caesar with every earth shattering thrust.

Caesar's hand inched its way down to Iphicles' thigh, caressing the muscular planes before moving on and lacing his fingers around Iphicles' once again hardness. He quickly began pumping the leaking member to match his own thrusts.

"Oh, gods," moaned Iphicles, sweat dripping off his forehead. His golden curls were damp and plastering his face. He could feel himself losing control and he panted, trying to gasp for air when his muscles tensed and he came hard, coating Caesar's hand as well as his own chest with his warm, slick seed.

"Aaaaaaaaah. Gods, don't stop." Iphicles' orgasm moved through his body milking Caesar and triggering his own release.

"I . . . . Oh . . . . aaaah . . . ," cried out Caesar in a strangled voice. He came hard and violently deep within the king's welcoming body. Caesar collapsed upon Iphicles' back after filling the Corinthian entirely. His head nestled on Iphicles' shoulder, enjoying the gentle contact.

Both men were satiated and exhausted.

Iphicles pulled away from Caesar and rolled onto his back. He grasped Caesar's shoulders, pulling his down parallel to his own body and captured his mouth in a lazy kiss.

*****

With a great flash of light, Ares found his way to the clearing where Caesar and Iphicles lay. The sight that met his eyes shocked him to his core. Various pieces of battle armour were thrown around the grass with other pieces of clothing adding to the clutter. And finally he saw the two men—his lovers: one by choice, the other by need—together in the rock outcropping.

Iphicles and Caesar had moved on to their sides, Caesar's arms around Iphicles and dotting his shoulder and back with kisses. Caesar's red cape was loosely draped across their lower torsos.

Ares fumed as he stormed towards the duo. "What in Hades are you doing?" he bellowed.

They were startled out of their little world with a shock. Iphicles had a look of unremitting fear on his face, while Caesar just looked up at Ares, grinning knowingly, but not removing his hand from Iphicles' hip.

"I thought you'd be killing one another and I find you in post-fucking bliss," Ares continued, his eyes boring holes into both men.

"Don't be angry, Ares. I was merely showing his highness here what he missed out on the last time you and I saw each other," said Caesar.

Ares looked at Iphicles, who didn't deny what Caesar claimed. He leaned back against Caesar who stroked Iphicles' chest. Ares didn't say a word. He just turned around, fuming, and prepared to leave. But Caesar wouldn't let him go.

"Now that you're here, we can end the animosity between the three of us," offered Caesar, a look of inviting and sheer joy on his face, the hidden meaning of his words all too obvious.

Ares turned back around and looked at Iphicles, ignoring Caesar. Iphicles nodded in agreement of what Caesar was suggesting. In a flash, Ares transported the trio to the bedchamber of his temple. Caesar and Iphicles sat on the bed while Ares stood at its edge. The Roman emperor took the plunge and captured Iphicles' mouth yet again in a hot, passionate, steamy kiss. Iphicles leaned into the kiss, but was a bit cautious with the war god standing right behind them.

Ares turned to shut the door and when he turned back, Iphicles had Caesar on his back and was deeply sucking on of his nipples, making the emperor gasp. Both men looked up to Ares and, as if by some unspoken word, they ceased what they were doing and got up. Ares took Iphicles in a powerful embrace while Caesar wrapped himself around Iphicles from the back.

Iphicles' mind swirled at the feel of both cocks against his body — one against his stomach, still encased in leather, the other, hot, pulsing flesh against his firm ass. He raised up to kiss Ares and thrust his tongue deep into the God of War's mouth. Caesar was sucking and kissing his neck and behind his ears, while his hands rubbed Iphicles' nipples to hard peaks.

Iphicles struggled to remove Ares' vest, but not fast enough for his taste. He broke away and mumbled, "damn it, Ares, you're wearing too much. A little help here." The men were enveloped in a white light and when it dimmed, Ares stood as the others, naked and quite aroused.

"By the heavens," Caesar exclaimed. "You are truly glorious."

Moving as if one being, they fell onto the middle of the bed, it's crimson red silk sheets a vivid contrast to the bronze bodies laying atop them. Ares, on his back, swiftly pulled Iphicles down, impaling him inside Ares' ass. Iphicles groaned, throwing his head back and grasping Ares' shoulder for support.

Before Iphicles had a chance to recover, Caesar grasped his hips and plunged himself deep within the king's waiting body. Iphicles was growing dizzy with the sheer enormity of it all. Ares captured his mouth in a soul-searing kiss, while Caesar sucked and nibbled his earlobes.

Caesar slowly began thrusting into Iphicles, causing him to buck harshly into Ares. Ares thrust down and he and Caesar began trying to match one another thrust for thrust, with Iphicles caught in the middle. Harder and faster they moved. All three were covered with sweat and their skin was flushed. They grunted & groaned and panted & moaned as they all reached their peaks. Caesar reached around and grasped Ares' weeping cock and began to pump him hard and fast.

Iphicles couldn't hold on any longer and gave into his passion. He climaxed harder than he could remember and spilled his seed deep into Ares. Iphicles squeezed Ares' shoulders so hard as he came, they'd have left nasty bruises if Ares wasn't immortal.

Iphicles' violent shudderings triggered Ares' own and he bucked up into Caesar's hand, releasing his immortal seed all over his chest. Caesar followed quickly, filling Iphicles, replenishing what he'd lost. He bit down on his shoulder, drawing blood as his own orgasm ripped through his body.

They all collapsed on their sides in a heap of heat, sweat, blood, and semen, none able to voice a coherent sound. Iphicles leaned in and kissed Ares, and in seeing this, Caesar raised himself up and kissed Iphicles as well, adding his tongue to Iphicles' crowded mouth.

"God," was all Iphicles could get out, not venturing to try and say any more.

"Unbelievable," gasped Caesar, resting his head against Iphicles' back.

"We should stop fighting more often," offered Ares.

A few minutes went by and Caesar began rubbing Iphicles' nipples again. Iphicles turned over to face Caesar and dipped his own head to capture one of Caesar's own nipples with his mouth. Both men found themselves hard again, as did Ares as he watched them.

Iphicles pushed Caesar onto his back and drove hard into him, causing both of them to cry out in ecstasy. He looked deep into Caesar's dark smoldering eyes, and then suddenly his own went wide in surprise.

"What the . . . ?" But Caesar soon got his answer as he saw the dark curly head of Ares in behind Iphicles. Ares entered Iphicles quick and clean, grasping his narrow hips. Knowing none of them would last too long this time, Ares set a jarring and wild pace and soon the three were moving as one. Ares captured Caesar's jutting cock with one of his hands and stroked it fiercely.

All too quickly Iphicles came hard inside Caesar, who himself exploded all over their chests and Ares' hand. Iphicles felt himself filled again with semen as Ares came strong and hard, as all three men climaxed together in raw, life-affirming, all-consuming lust.

They collapsed into the silk sheets once again. Caesar grinned. "I think Iphicles and I should try to kill each other move often."

Iphicles looked back to Ares. "I suppose this means I'll have to thank you again. You did, after all, save me from Caesar."

Ares tightened his arm around Iphicles' hip. "Don't worry. I always collect on my debts. Always."

Continue on to the sequel No Vengeance for the Wicked