The Age of Ares Ch. 03

Chapter 3: Love and War

Authors Note: This story is a work of fiction! All sexual participants are 18 or older! If any of my descriptions match a real person, it's purely coincidental! Additionally, there is minimal sex in this chapter. It is categorized as Incest/Taboo only due to the fact that it is part of the overall story.

Quick Recap: My name is Ares Carmichael (Aged 21). Upon returning home after four years, I discovered my father, Charles (Age 48) had turned my childhood home into a harem where he sexually dominates my mom, Vanessa (Age 47), along with my sisters, Artemis (Age 22), Polina (Age 22), Clio (Age 20), and Thalia (Age 20).

When caught, he delivered an ultimatum for me to leave and not speak with my family ever again. Much to the dismay of my mom and sisters, I agreed without knowing the full facts. It was only after my mother convinced my father to let me have limited contact did I learn the full truth, that he was forcing himself onto each of them and recording his activities, posting them on a website called HaremHouse. Upon discovering this deplorable truth, Nicole and I vowed to destroy his little pornographic empire.

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True to his word, my father did indeed have an apartment ready for us within a matter of days. He called my cell phone an hour after we got up for breakfast two days after mom's email. He listed the address as being in the heart of downtown, a half hour away from the hotel, and sent us a cab to drive us there.

When we arrived, Nicole and I stood in awe at the size of our apartment building. It was a semi-modern building and looked to be over 25 stories high. Mom and dad met us at the entrance, meeting us with dad's hazel eyes and mom's green eyes, standing next to a middle-aged slim white gentleman with dark blue eyes, in a business suit and briefcase.

After a short pleasant hello, one where mom tried to hug me but was stopped by dad's stern gaze, we went in and took an elevator to the 20th floor. The apartment itself was on the north corner, with two large windows facing the north and east corners of the city.

At a glance, it had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining area, a living space, and a kitchen. It was also fully furnished with tables, a king-size bed, a couch with reclining seats, and a pool table. Once we were settled in, dad gave us the rundown of our contract.

"Our verbal agreement stands, with some modifications that occurred in the interim." he said, his tone completely business-like, "You have agreed to look for a job within the parameters of your field. In exchange, this apartment's rent and utilities will be paid in full by me over the next five years.

"However, since your mother and sisters were insistent to the point of disobedience, I have allowed you to retain limited contact with them over the next few years. That being said, I have sent a revision to my lawyer," he gestured to the gentleman with the briefcase, "that stipulates the following: I am no longer paying for any groceries you purchase."

"What?!" Nicole and I said at the same time. Mom was also visibly shocked.

Dad grinned, menacingly, "In exchange for your mother and sisters being allowed to speak with you, I have decided it was a fair exchange to decrease the stipend you will receive in our agreement. The original price would have reached past $3500, and will now be reduced to only cover your individual rent and utilities, such as electricity, water, and internet access. You will have to buy food out of pocket."

"Charles, you can't be serious! How are Ares and Nicole supposed to buy food?" asked mom, clutching dad's shoulder.

"I would think the answer is obvious, Vanessa." said dad, not looking at mom, "If they wish to pay for groceries or takeout, then they will have to find employment quickly, like a full-time job in their field, or a part-time job to start off with. That is, of course, the price I have set since you seemed convinced my rules were not set in stone."

"But they haven't even moved in yet!" mom argued, "They don't know the neighborhood, and likely won't find a place to hire them immediately."

"That is neither my fault nor my problem!" dad snapped, "If you had kept your mouth shut, your son would be living on a full belly every night for the next five years! But nooo, you have to maintain contact with your precious little boy, like he's the golden child!"

"DAD!" I snapped, "It's fine! If it lets me speak with my sisters and mom, I will gladly go without grocery bills for a few days!"

Dad glared at me, then smiled, "Excellent." he said simply, before turning to his lawyer, "Richard?"

Richard opened his briefcase and handed me a four-page document. I looked at the heading and silently read over the agreements.

True to his word, dad added the amendment regarding my contact with my mom and sisters. According to the contract, I was limited to one phone call per person per day, with a time limit of one hour. The contract did not allow for multiple call times to add up to an hour, however. Obviously, the contract also reinforced the "no visitation" clause, with the bonus that I wasn't allowed to meet up with my mom or sisters at home, but said nothing about seeing them randomly in public.

Everything else was the same as our verbal agreement. I picked up a pen, and after a glance at mom, who gave me an imperceptible nod, indicating there wasn't anything in the contract that would have been used against me, I signed the contract. I then handed it back to Richard, who stamped it and returned it to his briefcase.

With nothing else, the three adults handed us the house keys and left. Mom lagged and dropped a small parcel she had fished out of her purse as she closed the door.

I walked over and grabbed the parcel. Taking it to the countertop, I opened it up to reveal a burner phone and some sandwiches. So, mom's outrage was fake. She knew about the reduced stipend and made me some sandwiches to keep us fed.

I showed Nicole the burner phone and said, "What do you suppose this is for?"

She shrugged, "No idea." she added.

We decided to leave the phone in a secure place and went about our day, checking LinkedIn and a few job-hunting sites for any updates to our delivered resumés.

We also discussed a few other topics that day, including what we'd do once the sandwiches were gone. I checked on the internet and found a few low-income job postings nearby, including a coffee shop a few blocks away. The two of us agreed it would be a good place to check out in case they were hiring.

Before we did so, however, I quickly checked on my sisters' internet presence. The morning after I had discovered HaremHouse, I thought about the times that I sent my sisters updates and personal messages over the last four years on social media and never heard back from them. At the time, it was disconcerting that my sisters had ignored me.

Now, however, it may have been intentional by dad. If he was broadcasting his daughters' amorous exploits on a website, he may have tried to limit their internet access so they don't accidentally find their naked pictures or videos online themselves, thus destroying his little porn empire.

Once I was on Facebook, I looked up Artemis' profile and activity log, stuff that she publicly shared. To my lack of surprise, it turned out that she hadn't posted anything since graduating high school, not even a prom photo or graduation picture.

I checked Clio and Thalia's profiles too. I didn't bother with Polina since we were never "friends" online. She had essentially blocked me when we got to high school, so there was no way I could look at her stuff. Clio and Thalia's pages were equally blank, with almost nothing over the past two years. It seemed clear that my sisters' internet access was all but cut off when they became dad's playthings.

To know for certain, I double-checked their Instagram pages and discovered that almost all of their photos were gone, including their summer pics from high school. Not just stuff from the last few years; all of it. Not a single trace of their Instagrams had any pictures of them in bikinis, dresses, workout clothes, or selfies. Just small pictures of streets, animals, and stuffed animals.

I knew my sisters like I knew the lyrics to my favorite songs, and I knew they were social butterflies to the nth degree. Like most people in high school and college, they thrived on sharing pictures of themselves and getting all kinds of attention. The lack of any pictures on either social media site screamed that dad was blocking all access to the internet, all likely in an attempt to make sure they didn't rat him out.

For all I knew, Artemis didn't even use her phone anymore since being locked in the house for long hours and banned from wearing any clothes at all. No wonder she didn't inform anyone I was coming home.

In any event, after I logged out of the internet, I grabbed a printed copy of my resumé and followed Nicole out the door. We walked down the block to the coffee shop and saw that it was packed. We waited for a solid twenty minutes before asking to speak with someone who handled hirings and gave them our resumés.

Instantly, the barista, a woman who looked to be around 30, with jet black hair and silver-blue eyes, gave us a desperate smile and skimmed over our resumés for seven seconds before handing them back to us and saying in a loud tone, "You're hired, both of you! Now get back here and grab an apron, we're swamped!"

We did as we were told and quickly got to work. I grabbed a menu and mentally scanned it into my memory, reading everything and memorizing it within a few short minutes. After that, I went to stand next to the barista and took orders, while Nicole nudged someone who was making coffee and started learning how to do what.

Within three hours, the crowd slowly dispersed until there were only a handful of people left. By that time, Nicole had learned how to make seven different types of coffee-related drinks, and I had washed five thousand dishes, all the while listing an endless combination of drink orders.

At the end of another two hours, the barista thanked us for our help, gave us a wad of cash, and said, "If this is how you guys handle the first day with no experience, I am more than willing to have you guys here all the time! How about we do a real interview?"

We both agreed and sat down. The barista introduced herself as Diana, and we had a lengthy conversation about our lack of experience but were able to retain information and memorize procedures. Diane asked why we weren't looking for a job in the corporate world, to which I replied that we had just moved into an apartment and couldn't afford food at the time, so we needed a quick job to hold us over until we got a big-paying job.

Diana smiled and said, "Well, until you get a job that pays more, I'm more than happy to keep you guys on. I just have one question!"

"What's that?" I asked.

"Are you guys exclusive?" Diana asked, smirking.

Nicole and I looked at each other, "We're engaged, and I don't think it's wise to sleep with your boss, especially after just getting hired!" Nicole said, "But the offer was nice, and if we end up leaving before we get married, we might consider it."

Over the next few days, our routine was pretty standard. We woke up, went out for a run around the block, went back to our new apartment, fucked in the shower, then went to work at the coffee shop. We worked for six to eight hours each day, taking lunch breaks where Diana made us sandwiches, soup, or salads, and gave us what she called the "Engaged Couple" special: Work long hours and get a plate of food for free.

As for our war against my dad, we had little to no contact with my mom and sisters since we moved in. The burner phone stayed quiet ever since mom had left, and after I restored my sisters to my contacts list, I tried calling them each once per day. But, to my surprise, not a single person picked up. That only reinforced my thought that dad was limiting their access to their phones and other devices.

It was two weeks when I received a call from anyone. I was working a shift in the back when my locker started making noise. Knowing my phone was there, I took a fifteen-minute break, grabbed my phone, and went out back near the dumpsters.

"Hello?" I said, switching the call on.

"Ares? Thank god!" came the voice of Clio, her voice slightly deeper than Thalia's, "I kept trying to get a chance to call you, but dad wouldn't budge!"

"What do you mean, he wouldn't budge?" I asked, "We have a written agreement. I get an hour per person per day!"

"He said that to placate you!" said Clio, "He's confiscated our phones so we can't call you, and he uses the landline for his business calls! I only managed to make this call because he went into his office for something!"

"Regardless, it's good to hear your voice." I said, "Hey, listen. I'm sorry I made you upset back at home. I wasn't aware of your situation!"

There was a pause, "What situation are you talking about?" she asked.

I hesitated, "You know...being fucked by dad at all hours?" I added.

"Where did you get that idea from?" asked Clio, "We're learning how to please a man! Daddy's teaching us how to make love to our future husbands!"

"Clio, I saw what he was doing." I explained, "He was fucking you hard from behind and slapping your ass. Guys like that don't make love. They use you for their pleasure!"

"And how would you know? When was the last time you had sex?" she asked me, angrily.

"This morning, in the shower." I said, honestly, "With my fiancé."

There was a long silence, before Clio said, "Fiancé?"

"Yeah, Nicole and I are engaged." I said, "She was the girl standing next to me when I yelled at dad to get off of Thalia."

There was another long pause, and I had to check my watch to make sure it wasn't passing the fifteen-minute mark. I still had seven minutes.

"Congratulations." said Clio, curtly, "I'm happy for you."

I paused, "You don't sound too happy." I said, "You sound pretty pissed off."

"Is that a surprise?" she said, "I mean, I always thought we'd..."

"Thought we'd what?" I said, "Clio, you can't expect me to have been harboring feelings for you, right? We're siblings, I don't think of you that way!"

I knew it was a mistake the moment I said it. Clio let out a screeching sound that made my ears ring. The next thing I knew, I heard a clattering sound and echoing footsteps on hardwood steps. There was silence for a long time before someone else's voice came through the receiver.

"What was that about?" asked Polina.

"Hi, Pol, it's Ares." I said, "I was just talking with Clio and..."

But before I could continue, I heard the beeping sound of the call being ended.

What the fuck? Polina hung up on me? Shrugging, I pocketed my phone and went back inside to finish my shift.

Later that night, I was sitting on the couch, browsing my laptop when Nicole came into the room, carrying a bowl of kettle chips.

"Compliments from the coffee shop," she said, handing me the bowl, "So, are we going to talk about your phone call?"

I sighed and put away my laptop, "Apparently, my father is manipulating the contract by not letting my sisters use their phones." I said, "And apparently, my family was into incest long before my dad fucked my sisters."

"What do you mean?" asked Nicole.

I sighed, "Clio, it seems, has a crush on me." I said, "Or did. She's probably hurt to her core right now since I mentioned we were engaged."

Nicole was quiet for a moment before she asked, "Clio and Thalia are a year younger than you, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"And when did you start hanging around them?" she asked.

I shrugged, "First grade, I guess." I said, "That was around the time that Artemis and Polina started ignoring me, choosing their girlfriends over me."

"So, your little sisters had someone to play dolls with, or have tea parties, hang around them, and show them the love and support your older sisters didn't, since they were socializing with other girls." Nicole added, "You know, like a boyfriend."

I looked at her, puzzled, "You think it's that simple?" I asked, "I started hanging around them, playing with their dolls. And that was enough for them to fall in love with me?"

"No, it was the attention you gave them." said Nicole, "Think about it. You spend your life hanging around your older sisters, Then, all of a sudden, your older sisters shove you away. You're devastated, so you circle and give your younger sisters much-needed attention. Attention, that you previously didn't give them because you were focused on your older sisters."

I thought for a moment and then shook my head, "I'm still a little confused." I said.

Nicole sighed, "Then how about this: You grew up as the middle child. In a sibling power structure, meaning that Artemis and Polina were in charge whenever your parents were away. As such, they were the leaders, while you and your sisters were the followers, meaning you listened to their rules, and they rewarded you with love and attention.

"When they started ignoring you, you became the de facto leader of your younger sisters. Meaning they, Clio and Thalia, listened to you and you rewarded them with love and attention. Combine that with the efforts you made to show that love and attention, and they started seeing you as more than a brother. That kind of love could only grow into something more."

"But they ignored me when I was away at university!" I countered.

Nicole shook her head, "No, they didn't!" She said, "They tried to keep in contact with you. It was your dad that made the effort to erase you from their lives, but their love for you persisted. You heard Thalia when your dad fucked her. She was begging him to be gentle, just like you were gentle. When Clio hugged you, it wasn't a plea for you to stay and be her brother, it was a plea for you to stay and save her from the abusive father.

"You were the one thing in their life that was worth being alive, and when your dad sent you away, it was like they were left alone with only themselves for company. Two older girls barely acknowledged them and a father decided to fuck them without asking for permission."

I sat back, stunned, "You're right. And I just destroyed them again. I must be the densest brother in existence!" I said.

Nicole hugged me, "Not the densest, just as dense as everyone else." she said, soothingly, "And who knows, maybe when we free them, they'll go back to loving you!"

"If we free them." I said, "I have no idea how we're going to do anything!"

"Well, what do we know so far?" Nicole asked, changing the subject.

I sighed, "We know that my dad set up his goals from an early point, starting with removing my footprint from the house." I explained, "Basically, he was removing all trace of another male presence in the house, making him the only one they'd be aware of. Next, he seduced his oldest, meaning he is calculating and patient, but after he had them, he unraveled somewhat and started to become unpredictable."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning once he started having sex and demanding full nudity from his daughters, he started to become chaotic." I said, "I think we're looking at someone who knows what they're doing is dangerous but isn't in a position to care, since he has exerted near total control over the household.

"I think he has punishments in place for disobedience. We don't know what those punishments are, aside from spankings. What we need to do is learn all we can about his methods of control and how he makes my sisters and mom obey him."

"Agreed. But how?" Nicole asked, wearily.

I handed her the bowl and picked up my laptop again, "With this." I said, showing her the subscription page of HaremHouse. "There seem to be three levels of the subscription service. Basic access, Preferred access, and Premium access."