CHAPTER 12

Xena continued her journey through the cave, which would hopefully lead to a way out. Once again, she heard the echo of voices in front of her. She also heard what sounded like running water. The part of the cave where she heard voices opened into a large cavern with several large boulders around its entrance. When she reached the entrance to the cavern, she crouched behind the large boulders to watch the scene in front of her. Lit torches along the walls brightened the cavern. There was also a glow from a pool of red-orange lava, which originated from a lava stream, which fell from an opening in the cavern's stone wall producing a sound similar to running water. The lava bubbled; occasionally a lava stream would shoot up into the air quite a distance before falling back into the pool again. The large cavern was deep in the mountain almost eliminating the rumblings of the nearby volcano. The high priest from the initiation ceremony was speaking to a tall man wearing a black cloak with a large hood, which completely obscured his face. Xena may not have been able to see the tall man's face but she could hear his voice and it was deep in tone and went straight through her. She moved along the boulders to hear their conversation better.

"All is going smoothly my lord," the high priest stated. "We added twenty new members to our ranks tonight and by next week's ceremony, all of level one should be free."

"Excellent," the cloaked figure said in a pleased deep voice. "When all of level one is free, we can move on to the next phase to free the others. Then I will announce my return to the world and watch its inhabitants tremble."

"It shall be as you wish Dark One." The priest bowed to the cloaked figure then left the cavern.

After the high priest left the cavern, the tall cloaked figure stood by the lava pool. Another stream of lava shot into the air then fell back into the pool. "Soon, all of you will be free again and the world as all know it will be no more." As he stood by the lava pool with his back to her, Xena moved from her hiding place behind the boulders and approached him with her sword drawn. She had only taken a few steps when the figure spoke.

"I've been expecting you Xena," the cloaked figure said in a penetrating deep voice.

"Well, I'm glad I didn't disappoint you. So, we finally get to meet. Should I call you Natas or would you prefer Dahak?"

"So, you figured out who I am? I knew you would." The cloaked figure turned around and removed the hood allowing her to see his face.

Xena was surprised by what she saw. She figured since Dahak was the one great evil, he would be a monster, literally. But what she saw in front of her was an attractive being. He had wavy black hair with flecks of gray throughout that came to his shoulders. The skin of his face was a golden light brown color. He had a thin, straight nose, and a rose colored full mouth. She stared into his eyes, which bored into her soul and appeared to mirror her own with their crystal blue color. As Xena's mind registered the sight before her, Dahak spoke again.

"I see you have your sword drawn for a fight. I haven't used a sword in quite a while and probably won't be much of a challenge for you." Dahak pulled out a sword from inside his cloak as he started to walk towards her.

"Oh, I'll be the judge of that." Xena steadily approached Dahak ready to attack.

Xena yelled a loud war cry as she viciously swung her sword at Dahak. He quickly brought his sword up to block the powerful blow causing sparks to fly through the air when the two swords connected. The sound of their swiftly slashing swords reverberated throughout the cavern mixed with the occasional war cry, distant volcanic rumblings and bubbling lava.

As Xena repeatedly slashed her sword, she stared at the being, the focus of her vicious onslaught. She thought there would never be anyone other than Caesar who could garnish all her hatred but Dahak had changed that. Caesar had only tried to kill her. But Dahak and his evil daughter Hope had destroyed what she valued more than her own life, the people she had loved most, Gabrielle and Solan. And their deaths were only the beginning. Now that this evil was in the world, countless more would suffer and die. Hope was dead and now Xena was determined to make sure Dahak joined his evil offspring.

Xena summoned all her strength within to power her attack against Dahak. As her sword slashed at him, Dahak was able to quickly block the blows but he was driven back and headed towards the bubbling lava pool. When her attack had backed him mere inches from the lava pool, he jumped onto the rocky rim surrounding it to avoid her slashing sword. Xena continued her merciless attack, which he now dodged by gracefully jumping around the rocky rim, careful not to lose his balance and fall into the bubbling lava pool.

Dahak decided to use the bubbling lava as a weapon. On his last jump to avoid Xena's sword, he used the rim of the cloak to scoop up some of the lava and threw it at her. She ducked to avoid the lava. Dahak took this opportunity to somersault over her head and land in the middle of the cavern floor. The cloak was now starting to burn so he tossed it aside, revealing a slender muscular form dressed in black leather. With a sinister grin and an extended index finger, he beckoned Xena to join him in the center of the cavern floor, which she did with a devilish grin on her own face. They now stood in the center of the cavern circling each other, waiting to see who would make the next move. As they circled one another, Dahak decided to break the silence.

"I've been an admirer of yours for quite some time Xena."

"Gee, I'm flattered." Xena didn’t take her eyes off Dahak as they continued to circle one another.

"You had exceptional talent as a warlord, the fire, the bloodlust. You left a trail of scorched earth and a landscape littered with body parts."

"I have a new talent now, and it's stopping evil like you." Xena swung her sword with fierce intensity at Dahak's head.

"That really is a shame and a waste." Dahak deftly blocked her sword blow. "When you were the Destroyer of Nations you really were the best and you want to know why?"

"Okay, I'll play along, why?" Xena continued to circle Dahak.

"Because you had a natural born rage, which guided you, made you strong and it was something I appreciated," he passionately replied. "That's why I knew your rage against Caesar would drive you to Britannia and make your blood innocent blonde friend mine."

When Dahak made a reference to Gabrielle, Xena suddenly saw a vision of her curled up on the floor in Dahak's temple in Britannia saying how much it hurt inside. Xena's anger started to rise and she shook her head to clear her thoughts and concentrate on her opponent she was circling. She swung her sword with added force at Dahak again.

"Ooh, I think I hit a nerve," he declared in a mocking tone while blocking her sword. "I have a confession to make. I really wanted Callisto to kill Solan but Hope begged me to let her kill the boy. She wanted payback for the attempt you made on her life in Britannia and I felt as a parent, a child should be indulged."

Again Xena saw a vision but this time it was Solan. His lifeless body was lying on the floor of Kaleipus' hut. Her son had told her he wanted to be with her. She was finally going to be a mother to him when he was taken away forever. Xena's anger was very close to erupting when she again shook her head to clear her thoughts. Dahak's words and the visions they brought stirred the darkness within but she had vowed she would not use its all-consuming power to fight him. This time, she did not attack Dahak but continued to circle him.

"Xena, it's really not good to keep all that anger bottled up inside. You have a right to your dark feelings towards me after everything that I have done. You really should release them," he taunted. Dahak sensed her struggle within and forged ahead with a remark he was sure would send her over the edge. "Now that I am here in the flesh, maybe Gabrielle and I could pick up where we left off in my temple in Britannia." His lips were twisted in a wicked grin. "Oops, I forgot, your little friend is dead. She couldn't live with the part she played in bringing about my return and sacrificed herself to save you and the world. How touching," he said with mock sympathy. Once again Xena saw another vision. Gabrielle had embraced Hope and was about to plunge into the lava pit, when she looked at Xena one last time before she was gone forever.

When the last vision came, Xena let the anger she had been holding back flow freely through her. She let out a loud war cry and went at Dahak with all the energy her anger unleashed. With superhuman strength, she viciously slashed her sword at Dahak driving him back with each powerful blow. Dahak did not appear worried by the merciless assault but seemed to revel in it and continued to speak.

"Ahhh, that's it, give into your anger. Let it flow through you and strengthen you," he crooned in that deep, penetrating voice.

Xena had backed Dahak again into the lava pool and had raised her threatening blade to swiftly bring it slashing down on him. He quickly stopped its deadly decent with his own sword, causing a multitude of sparks to fly and the sound of clashing steel to reverberate loudly throughout the cavern.

"Now I will show you the ultimate power that rage and darkness can give you," he said in a menacing tone, which echoed through her head.

With godly strength, he ferociously shoved Xena and her sword away from him. She almost lost her balance but remained upright as Dahak was immediately upon her. She quickly blocked his deadly blade before it made contact with her midsection. She glanced at Dahak's eyes as he continued his assault against her. Their crystal blue color had been replaced by a blackness that could rival the abyss of Tartarus. Each of Dahak's sword slashes carried such power that when they made contact with Xena's sword, their intensity sent tremors through her whole body. It was like an unstoppable force, like hitting a battering ram, driving her back.

Dahak now swung his sword with lightening quick speed causing the blade to appear like a blur to Xena. It now became difficult for her to ward off the attacks of his menacing sword. One slash made vicious contact with her breastplate almost knocking the wind out of her. Several more slashes nicked at her armor. Another slash cut into her left arm. The next slash came so quick she didn't see it but only felt it as it cut deeply into her right arm, its intensity causing her to drop her sword and fall to the cavern floor. Dahak, his eyes black and cold as he stared down at her, now stood over her with the tip of his sword touching the skin of her throat.

Xena was battered and the deep large cut in her right arm was agonizingly painful but she had no fear of death. Breathing deeply, she defiantly stared into his face. "What are you waiting for?"

"I don't want to kill you. I want you to join me Xena," he simply stated in that deep voice as his eyes returned to their crystal blue color.

Xena rolled her eyes and sighed. This was just what she needed, another god who wanted her in service to him and after everything he had done to her too. He really had nerve she thought. "Why would I ever join you?"

"Because I'm your father," he simply stated.

Dahak's confession echoed through Xena's head. The confession was not expected and a true shock. But she was not about to reveal this to him. "You are lying." Her face was a mask of stone.

"I am speaking the truth." His voice was calm as he placed his sword back in its scabbard and stepped away from Xena.

When Dahak stepped away from her, Xena slowly inched herself backward, towards a large boulder a few feet away directly behind her to increase the distance between herself and the evil god. She used the boulder to prop herself into a sitting position. Her left hand rested on the large cut on her right arm as blood trickled between her fingers.

"You remind me so much of Cyrene." Dahak saw the startled look on Xena's face at the mention of her mother's name. "She was strong-willed too and that is what attracted me to her." His eyes took on a reminiscent look. "We only had one night together but the memory is still so fresh in my mind. Cyrene is a very passionate woman and such fire..."

"Just shut up about my mother!" Xena yelled.

"I'm sorry. I must be making you very uncomfortable. I forgot children don't like to know about their parents engaging in sex."

"You are not one of my parents," she spat.

"Oh, but I am Xena." A confident smile was planted on his handsome face. "Look inside of you, at the darkness within. Why do you think it has been so hard for you to control? I am known as the Dark One, and as my daughter, you have my blood which makes darkness your true nature."

As Xena listened to Dahak's words, she dismissed them as lies. Controlling her dark side had been a problem, but she had kept it in check with Gabrielle's help. After Gabrielle's death, her dark side threaten to take control again but she had been able to contain it and hopefully for good. No, Dahak was wrong and he was not her father.

Dahak stared at Xena's arm, which he had severely cut with his sword. "Why don't you let me heal that for you?" He started to approach her.

"Stay away from me!" she hissed. There was a threatening look in her eyes. Her left hand, covered in blood, was now holding her chakram and was ready to strike if he took another step.

Dahak halted his approach towards her. "That wound could be life-threatening," he said with genuine concern. By the look on her face, he could tell that prospect didn't bother her in the least. "Look Xena, I could have had you killed after your incessant interference in my attempts to return. Instead, I removed the distractions, which were leading you astray and bringing you into conflict with me. Now you can be your true self."

As Xena listened to Dahak's words, she thought back to what he said during their sword fight, how he had hurt Gabrielle and had Solan killed. Now she understood why he had done those things. He wanted to destroy all the good in her life until there was nothing left but darkness and she would be forced to embrace it. He wasn't her father. He just wanted dark Xena to be a key player in achieving his evil plans. Well, she wasn't going to embrace the darkness. She would fight him to the very end. With a steely gaze and a firm voice she said, "You are not my father and, I will never give into the darkness and join you."

Dahak sighed. "You will accept the truth in time. Keeping the darkness under control will be a continuous struggle because it is your true self and the goodness you have adopted is alien. You will embrace the darkness and take your place by my side as my daughter." The dark finality was clearly audible in his words.

From Dahak's remarks, Xena knew he wasn't going to let her leave the cavern until she swore allegiance to him. Somehow she knew he would know if she pretended to embrace the darkness so she quickly tried to come up with a plan for escape. At that moment, the cavern shook violently as a nearby volcano displayed its awesome power in a fierce eruption causing large rocks to fall from the cavern ceiling. Dahak looked up at the cavern ceiling high above as rocks fell. With his attention diverted, Xena made a move to escape. She normally threw her chakram with her right hand but her right arm was too badly injured to give her the strength needed for a throw. She was still holding her chakram in her left hand and now threw it with all the strength she could muster directly at Dahak who stood a few feet away. The chakram embedded itself deeply into his chest, the impact surprising him and knocking him off balance. As the cavern continued to shake, Xena took what little strength she had left and hurled herself through an opening in the cavern nearby before it was blocked by falling rocks.

Xena landed through the opening in a roll. Ignoring the pain, she quickly got up and ran through the stone passageway but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Joxer unconscious. His hands were tied above his head to a metal hook protruding from the wall. She quickly went to his side and began to revive him.

"Joxer wake up." Xena lightly slapped his face a few times.

Slowly, Joxer began to regain consciousness. "Where am I?" he groaned, momentarily disoriented.

"You are in a cave on Kos. Who did this to you and what happened to Gwenyth?" She retrieved a dagger from one of her boots and cut his hands loose.

Joxer took in his surroundings as memories of what happened came back to him. "Gwenyth and I ran into some of those disciple guys who acted like zombies. We fought them off then ran into another cave. Gwenyth disappeared, then the torch blew out leaving me in the dark. The last thing I remember is feeling a hard object hit me from behind." Joxer slumped to the cave floor now that his hands were free.

"Gwenyth disappeared, then you were hit from behind huh?" Xena crouched by Joxer’s slumped form. "I hate to tell you this Joxer, but Gwenyth was in the Disciples all along and lured me here to walk into Dahak's trap."

"What…you mean this cult really is Dahak's?" he groggily asked with genuine surprise and a touch of fear as he rubbed the bump that had formed on the back of his head.

"I will explain later. Right now we have to get out of here."

She helped Joxer to his feet and they proceeded down the passageway. By the time they reached the other side of the mountain and a way out of the cave, Joxer had regained enough of his bearings to walk on his own. Xena was also starting to feel the effects of her arm injury and would need his help to climb down the mountain to the valley below. It took some time, but they made it down the mountain to the valley below and proceed through the nearby forest.

After walking some distance through the forest, Xena suddenly collapsed. Joxer had a look of fear on his face as he helped her up. She was having a hard time standing so he draped her left arm over his shoulders for support and put his right arm around her waist. Blood from the deep cut in her right arm ran down to touch his bare arm around her waist and that's when he realized how badly hurt she was. Her voice sounded so far away when she spoke to him.

"I can't go any further Joxer," she said weakly.

"Yes you can, just hold onto me." Joxer tried desperately to keep the panic out of his voice. He tightened the grip around Xena's waist, and forged them onward through the forest. Every now and then, Xena's feet would drag along the leaf covered ground and her head started to lean against his right shoulder. "Come on Xena, you have to stay with me." He lightly shook her arm around his neck to bring her back to consciousness. When a low groan escaped her lips he was relieved to know she was still alive.

As they continued walking, Joxer had been scanning the dark denseness of the forest, looking for a place where they could settle down for the rest of the night when he spotted an abandoned cottage and proceeded to it. By the looks of the cottage, no one had lived there in quite some time. Leaves and branches were scattered about the floor. There was a rickety wooden table in the middle of the floor on which sat some dried rotten fruit. Around the table were two chairs in not much better condition. Joxer laid Xena on an old bed with worn sheets and blankets. He gathered the wood debris scattered about the floor, threw it into the cottage's hearth and quickly got a fire going for warmth and light. He then went about seeing to Xena's injuries. There was a cut on her left arm that didn't look too serious. What had Joxer worried was the cut on her right arm. The deep cut ran diagonally across her upper right arm and the blood, which poured from the cut now, had her whole arm covered in blood.

Joxer let the panic he felt before flow freely through him now. He got up from the bed and began pacing the floor. For a month he had craved some action, now he had it and was scared. He had never been in a situation like this before. He had never seen Xena like this. He had to do something or she would die. Just then he heard her moan from where she laid on the old bed. He went and knelt by her side at the bed. Her face was very pale from blood loss. When she sensed his presence, she opened her eyes.

"Where are we?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

"We're in an old cottage I stumbled upon in the woods."

Xena looked into his eyes and saw the fear. "What's wrong Joxer?"

"It's your right arm." His voice started to quiver. Joxer couldn't hide his fear from her and now let it pour out of him as he quickly spoke, "The cut is pretty deep...and…and there's so much blood...I-I don't know what to do...I-I don't want you to die."

Xena was weak from loss of blood but knew she had to calm Joxer down because he was the only one who could tend to her arm. She mustered what little strength she had left before she addressed him. "Joxer, relax and take a deep breath," she whispered in a soothing tone. Joxer did as she commanded. Xena looked into his eyes. "You can do this Joxer," she said firmly. "I believed in you when I sent you to get the Hind's blood dagger and I believe you can tend to my arm. Now you have to believe in yourself."

Joxer was very moved by the fact that Xena had put such trust in him to find the Hind's blood dagger. And now she had faith in him to save her life, which greatly boosted his confidence to tackle the task, which lay ahead of him. "I can do this."

"Yes you can Joxer. Just keep repeating that to yourself." She stared deeply into Joxer’s brown eyes.

Xena was very weak and tired but was still able to tell Joxer what he would need to tend to her arm. There was an old well in back of the cottage where Joxer retrieved water to put in a cast-iron pot over the fire and some to clean away the blood. As Joxer searched the small cottage looking for items to help with his task, he kept repeating in his head that he could do this, which energized him. There was an old chest at the foot of the bed, which he searched. It contained some old clothes, which Joxer tore for bandages. He also found some twine he could use to stitch the wound and a sharp thin object just the right size to be used as a needle. When Joxer had all the items he needed to tend to the wound, he returned to Xena's side with the remaining water to clean away the blood.

"Hey, it looks like the bleeding has stopped," he said with relief when the arm was clean of the blood.

"That's because there's none left in my body."

"What?" A look of horror was etched on Joxer’s face.

"I'm kidding Joxer."

"Oh...right." Joxer let a soft chuckle escape his lips. It was reassuring to know despite her precarious physical condition, Xena could still make jokes.

Xena softly spoke to Joxer, reassuring him, as he stitched the large cut on her arm. Half way through stitching the cut, Joxer could no longer ignore the fatigue in Xena's voice.

"You should get some sleep Xena. I can finish this by myself."

"Well, if you're sure, I guess I will rest my eyes for a bit. I knew you could do it Joxer." Xena had a faint smile on her face as she stared into his eyes. Then she closed her own.

By the time Joxer had the wound completely stitched closed, Xena was in a deep sleep. Joxer looked at his handiwork and was very pleased with his accomplishment. It was really no different than mending torn clothes he thought. He wrapped the arm in the sterilized bandages he prepared earlier, then took care of the lesser cuts which were a piece of cake compared to his earlier task. He figured Xena would be more comfortable without the armor, so he gently removed it, careful not to wake her. When Joxer was sure all of Xena's needs were tended to, he sat himself in the sturdier of the two chairs in the cottage and rested his head on the old table to get a little sleep.

Joxer was awakened by the loud screech of a bird. His eyes adjusted to the sun's rays pouring through the windows of the cottage. He was somewhat stiff from sleeping in a chair so he stretched to remove some of the kinks in his back and shoulders. The sun was high in the sky, which surprised Joxer. He had slept to midday, no wonder he was starving. He checked on Xena who was in a peaceful sleep. A little color was starting to return to her face. He left the cottage to get them something to eat. He managed to catch a rabbit and collected some edible berries from some bushes in the forest. When Joxer returned to the cottage Xena had awakened.

"How is the arm?"

"It's a little sore and somewhat difficult to move but I will live, thanks to your skill with a needle," she replied with a faint smile.

"I really didn't do anything. I was falling apart and didn't know what to do until you took charge." He bowed his head in a bashful way.

"You are selling yourself short Joxer. All I did was boost belief in yourself. You did all the rest and that's why I'm still here so accept my thanks."

"Well, since you put it that way, you're welcome." Joxer lips transformed into a proud smile.

Joxer roasted the rabbit he caught. Xena didn't have much of an appetite but he did get her to eat a little. He spent the rest of the day watching over her as she drifted in an out of sleep. Over the next two days, Xena's condition slowly improved as did her appetite. She filled Joxer in on her fight with Dahak. Knowing for sure that Dahak had indeed arrived had Joxer scared. He was also having trouble accepting Gwenyth's deception.

"Gwenyth was the only one on Kos, other than you, who knew I was here," Xena said. "Before we went to the caves, the only time she was out of my sight was when we waited for her during our stop at the neighbor's farm. Everyone on this island appears to be in the Disciples, the neighbor included. Gwenyth used the neighbor to inform the others I was here so they would have a trap ready and waiting for me."

"I was such a fool to trust Gwenyth," Joxer said. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have walked into Dahak's trap".

"Don't blame yourself Joxer. I believed Gwenyth too. Dahak and his followers are masters of deception so we must have our guard up at all times now."

Joxer still watched over Xena when she slept and noticed it was no longer peaceful as when they first arrived at the cottage. Something greatly disturbed her which had her tossing most of the time. She mumbled in her sleep too. Joxer was only able to understand one phrase she mumbled, "No, it can't be true...it just can't." Joxer had no clue to its meaning and wondered if it had to do with Gabrielle's death, her fight with Dahak or something else. He also knew better than to pry, so he never mentioned Xena's ramblings when she was awake. She would reveal what was bothering her in her own time.

At daybreak on their third day in the cottage, Xena was awakened by dark thoughts that had begun plaguing her sleep the day after her fight with Dahak. Since her initial meeting with the Dark One, she could now feel a coldness, a darkness, a pure evil like Ares described and it had her unnerved. And most disturbing of all was Dahak's confession about being her father was constantly in her thoughts, disrupting her sleep and slowing her recovery as well. Xena told herself Dahak had spoken lies but her confidence in that belief was crumbling. She kept thinking about what her mother had said about the night she was conceived; her husband was away at war and suddenly one night he was there with her. Could the visitor have been a god disguised in Atrius' form and could he have been Dahak? If Dahak had indeed spoken the truth, there would be too many damning ramifications. Only one person could put this matter to rest for her once and for all, and that was Cyrene.

Slowly, Xena moved into a sitting position and brought her legs to the side of the old bed. She felt lightheaded and sat a few minutes more before standing. She slowly walked to where Joxer had made a makeshift bed from some old blankets he found in the chest, which were wrapped around him as he laid on the floor, softly snoring.

"Wake up Joxer." Xena was kneeling over his sleeping form and tapping a shoulder.

"Wh…what?" he mumbled after turning over and slowly opening his eyes. When he had a clear vision of Xena kneeling over him he quickly sat up. "Is something the matter? Are you in pain?"

"I'm as fine as I can be at the moment. I woke you because I want to leave Kos today."

"I think we should stay a while longer, at least until you are in better shape." Joxer was rubbing his eyes and trying to shake the cobwebs from his mind. He was not use to getting up so early.

"I am not going to get any better in this place. If anything, it's hampering my recovery. Since we now know this whole island is under Dahak's control, we are in danger the longer we stay here."

"They will probably be looking for us if we go to the harbor in Mantis," Joxer said. "So how will we leave the island?"

"Mantis has been crowded with people eager to join the Disciples. We should be able to blend in with the crowd, get to the harbor and board a ship headed for Amphipolis," Xena replied.

Joxer now stood at the foot of the old bed and ruffled through the old chest. "We could use these to hide our identities." He was holding up two gray old cloaks.

Xena had been right about Mantis when they reached the village later that morning. It was overrun with people coming to learn about the Natas, which made it easy for them to move through the crowded streets, undetected by Dahak's followers. When they reached the harbor, Joxer found a ship that was making a stop in Amphipolis, paid for their passage and got Xena safely aboard.

**********

The volcano on Kos had ceased it rumblings and now stood silent as the day's sunlight glistened over the valley. Inside a cavern in one of the mountains, Dahak stood gazing at the bubbling lava pool, as lava streams continued to shoot into the air and fall back into the pool. In his right hand, he held Xena's chakram which he held up to let the glow of the lava reflect off the metal. Damon and Gwenyth entered the cavern and stood behind him.

"Well, did Xena leave Kos?" he casually asked them.

"Yes she did Dark One," Damon replied.

"She and Joxer boarded a ship headed for Amphipolis," Gwenyth replied. "We could have stopped her Dark One."

"That was not necessary." Dahak turned to face Damon and Gwenyth. "I allowed Xena to walk away from our first meeting but she can not run away from the truth. Once again she will embrace her true nature and fulfill her destiny." There was a confident smile on his face.

CHAPTER 13

Cyrene was pleasantly surprised to see Xena and Joxer walk into the tavern but sadly shocked when she saw the physical condition of her daughter. She had dark circles under her eyes, her complexion was deathly pale, and her upper right arm was wrapped in bandages indicating a severe injury. Despite Xena's insistence they needed to talk, Cyrene made her go straight to bed after the local healer examined her arm, she had something to eat and a nice warm bath. Joxer told Cyrene about Gwenyth's deception, Natas really being Dahak, how Xena fought him barely escaping alive, how all of Kos was under Dahak's control and how they had to sneak off the island. Joxer had no clue as to why Xena was so insistent about speaking with Cyrene but guessed it might have something to do with whatever was preventing a restful sleep the past few days. To ensure Xena did get a restful sleep, Cyrene put a sedative in the food she was able to get her to eat. Xena slept for one full day.

At midday on her second day back in Amphipolis, once again, Xena was awakened by nagging thoughts but this time, they were positive. Ever since Dahak's startling revelation, there was something buried in her memory she couldn't remember until now. It was when she and Gabrielle were still in Britannia, after Hope's unexpected birth. It was something about Dahak that Cadbury, a knight of the Pierced Heart, had revealed to her. According to Cadbury, Dahak was an evil being whose existence went back before today's gods or their forefathers. He had existed in the early days of the earth, tried to corrupt humanity but was imprisoned by forces of the light and was trying to free himself once again.

Xena was one of the few mortals who knew about the creation of the earth and the true origin of the gods. Dahak must have been one of these Watchers she was told about who rebelled against the Creator and was subsequently imprisoned. Since Dahak had been imprisoned for centuries, there was no way he could be her father. Xena recalled again what her mother had revealed about the night she was conceived. Cyrene was with a man of flesh and blood, her husband not some flame of fire as was forced upon Gabrielle in Britannia. Dahak admitted to being quite interested in her life so it made sense he would know a lot about her which included her son and her mother but it didn't mean he was her father. His confession of paternity had been nothing more than a sick lie to confuse and rattle her. There really was no need to discuss this subject with her mother now. Xena was feeling truly relieved when Cyrene entered her room carrying a tray of food.

"Well, it's good to see you are up and I won't have to wake you after all." Cyrene had a pleased smile on her face when she set the tray on Xena's lap as she sat propped against the pillows on the bed.

"It was the first time I felt like getting up since I got back." Xena inspected the tray her mother put on her lap. It was loaded with several fruits, vegetables, some bread, roasted chicken and a mug of wine. "Do you really expect me to eat all of this?"

"No," Cyrene replied with a chuckle as she sat on the side of Xena's bed. "I didn't know what you would want so I decided to give you a little bit of everything. I have to get some food in you so your body can start to replace all the blood you lost. You are still quite pale." One of her hands gently caressed her daughter's face. "But you do appear rested, so I guess what had you so disturbed has been resolved?"

"Yes, it has been resolved." Xena put a grape in her mouth. "I kept reliving my fight with Dahak and the vicious things he said which I allowed to get to me. But I now know they were just lies and have put them out of my mind."

"That's good to hear," Cyrene said with a relieved smile. She took hold of Xena's left hand and held it between hers as she stared into her eyes. "If you need to talk, always remember I'm here for you."

"I know you are mom." Xena returned her mother's gaze.

"I hope I'm not interrupting." Joxer came bounding through the door. A huge smile was on his face.

"No, we were just concluding a mother-daughter talk." Cyrene rose from the bedside.

"I just came up to see if you were feeling any better Xena and if you were, maybe sit with you awhile," Joxer said.

"I am feeling better and wouldn't mind the company."

"Great!" Joxer plopped down on the side of the bed and helped himself to some of the vegetables on the tray in Xena's lap. "I can tell you all about the new drink I created. The regulars just love it. I'm calling it the chakram. It leaves you with a whoosh feeling inside."

"I tried it myself, it is rather good," Cyrene said.

"The chakram, huh?" Xena had an eyebrow raised in amusement. "I'll have to try that sometime."

"I know you're gonna love it!" Joxer leaned close to her and spoke in a whisper. "I got this great joke from one of the guys in the tavern but it's kinda raunchy."

On that note, Cyrene left the bedroom. As she closed the door behind her, she heard Xena laughing which was music to her ears. She had a smile on her face as she went down to the tavern.

That night, Xena experienced her first restful sleep since her confrontation with Dahak without the aid of sedatives.

At midday on her third day back, Xena was lounging in her bed. She had awakened that morning from a truly restful sleep. She had even eaten most of the food her mother had brought to her that morning. She was finally starting to recover from the arm injury and was feeling restless staying cooped up in bed. She was not up for arguing with her mother about being out of bed, so she was going to keep herself busy in her room. Xena decided this was the perfect time to read some of Gabrielle's scrolls which she hadn't glanced at since her death. Cyrene had been reading them, so Xena went to her mother's room to retrieve the scrolls. She brought the saddlebag back to her room and dumped its contents onto her bed. While rummaging through the scrolls, trying to decide which one to read, she noticed two folded sheets of parchment. She unfolded one sheet for inspection. It was worn from age and the handwriting was clearly not Gabrielle's. Xena noticed it was a letter addressed to her mother. Cyrene had obviously put the two letters in the saddlebag by mistake. Xena was about to take the letters back to her mother's room when she glanced at the first sentence, was intrigued and read more...

...I was hoping you would have put your unfortunate involvement with that cult behind you. You weren't the first young woman to be captivated by a caddish god and you won't be the last.

Against my better judgment, I did some investigating and got the information about this god you wanted. I hope after you read what I discovered, you will finally be able to bury the past for good and concentrate on raising your three children now that Atrius is gone. If you and the children ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask.

Love,
Uncle Zephyrus

After reading the letter, Xena was surprised to discover her mother had been involved in a cult. What intrigued her most, was her mother's apparent involvement with a god. She wondered what her mother had wanted Uncle Zephyrus to find out about this god. Xena quickly opened the other folded parchment sheet and began to read its contents...

Dear Cyrene,

From what I was able to uncover about this god called Ahriman, you got out of his cult not a moment too soon. Not long after your departure, he started a brutal war with the Persian gods, which you may have heard about there in Greece. The war waged for years, many died, including some of the gods of the Persian pantheon. Ahura Mazda, King of the Persian gods, challenged Ahriman to a sword duel to save what was left of his pantheon and the Persian people. The two gods fought for weeks in the volcanic mountain region of Persia known as Bazman. Ahura Mazda was victorious! Ahriman is now trapped in the earth's heated core for eternity. His cult was broken and scattered to the wind. So you should no longer fear him re-entering your life. He is gone forever.

By the way, Ahriman was known by another name, which was only used among the members of the innermost circle of his cult. The name was Dahak.

What little color that had returned to Xena's face in the last few days was quickly drained as she finished reading the words contained in the old letter. She was in deep thought as she sat back against the pillows on the bed. In her many travels, Xena had ventured to Persia and knew some of the facts behind the brutal war between their gods. She had even met Ahura Mazda, King of the Persian gods, during some heart-wrenching circumstances in her life for which he was partly to blame but still found him to be wise and caring which was rare considering her experience with the gods of Olympus. Xena knew little of this Ahriman, only he was the cause of the brutal war, which almost destroyed Persia, and its pantheon of gods. Now she knew Ahriman and Dahak were one and the same and most disturbing was her mother had been involved with him.

The peace she felt was quickly being replaced by anxiety. Dahak was not imprisoned for many centuries as she was led to believe. He had only been imprisoned since the end of his war with Ahura Mazda and the Persian pantheon. Twenty-nine years ago, around the time of her own conception, Dahak still walked the earth with a flesh and blood body. Dahak had told the truth when he claimed to know her mother. Could he have also been telling the truth when he claimed to be her father? Xena's mind was once again spinning with dark, nagging thoughts. But she would not be tormented with them, as she had been the past few days. Xena was determined to settle this disturbing matter once and for all.

**********

As she busied herself in the kitchen of the tavern, Cyrene thought back to her conversation with Xena the previous day. She was relieved to know disturbing memories of her confrontation with Dahak no longer plagued Xena. Xena had not been the only one unnerved by her initial meeting with the One Great Evil.

Cyrene had used every ounce of strength within her to hold back the anxiety she felt when Joxer had informed her of how Xena was injured on Kos. A fear she had buried long ago had resurfaced. And that fear only increased when Joxer revealed Xena had been greatly shaken after the confrontation with Dahak and insisted upon returning to Amphipolis right away, risking her health, just to talk with her mother. Cyrene was afraid that demon had told Xena things she never wanted her to know, things about herself she hoped to take to her grave. When Xena told her she was dismissing Dahak's words as lies, Cyrene had breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Cyrene now had to find a way to keep Xena away from Dahak so her secret would remain buried. She knew how head strong Xena was and once she fully recovered, she would want to be in the forefront of the fight against him. Maybe she could send word to Hercules. He was the son of Zeus and had connections with the gods, beings far more capable of fighting Dahak, and then Xena could be left out of this mess.

Cyrene thought about the letters her Uncle Zephyrus had written long ago, which she had reread in the last few days, ever since she found out Dahak was back and Xena had fought him. She had held on to those letters long enough and it was time to destroy them.

Cyrene left the kitchen and headed for her bedroom. Once there, she frantically searched her room looking for the two old letters but couldn't find them. Cyrene then remembered she had been reading them when she also had been inspecting Gabrielle's scrolls. She must have accidentally put the letters in with the scrolls. Cyrene searched for the saddlebag containing the scrolls but could not find it. She could swear she saw it earlier that morning. Panic hit her when she realized Xena, probably feeling restless, took the scrolls back to her own bedroom for reading. She nervously started pacing the floor of her room. What if Xena read those letters? Cyrene knew worrying was not going to remedy the situation. She calmed down and thought positive. Maybe Xena hadn't even noticed the letters. Cyrene left her room and headed for Xena's. She slowly opened the door. She glanced over at the bed and saw Xena sleeping peacefully under the blankets. She quietly entered the room and walked over to the saddlebag she saw sitting atop a table. Cyrene quietly removed the contents of the saddlebag as she searched for the letters.

"What are you looking for Mother?" Xena was now sitting up in the bed.

"Gods, you scared me Xena!" Cyrene placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart as she quickly turned to face her daughter. She had to calm herself down before she spoke again. "Something of mine got mixed in with the scrolls and I was trying to find it without disturbing you."

"Would it happen to be these?" Xena was holding two folded slips of parchment in her right hand.

"Yes, that's it…did you read them?" Cyrene already knew by the look on Xena's face she had read their contents but asked the question anyway.

"Yes," Xena flatly replied. She moved from the pillows and now sat on the side of the bed facing her mother. "After reading these letters, I must share with you what Dahak told me on Kos."

"What exactly did he tell you?" Cyrene did her best to remain calm.

"First of all, he claimed to know you...quite well in fact." Xena stared hard into her mother's eyes. "Then he claimed to be my father."

"And you believed him?" The shock in Cyrene's voice matched the look on her face.

"I didn't want to but after reading these letters, I can't shake the feeling he may have spoken the truth."

Cyrene came over to where Xena sat on the side of the bed and held her daughter's face in her hands. "Dahak is the master of lies. You said it yourself, he was trying to upset you and it appears he has succeeded." She ran a hand through Xena's hair. "Since you read the letters, I will admit it, I knew a Persian god named Ahriman but at the time I didn't know he used the name Dahak. I got caught up in his cult but when I discovered his true intentions, I left. Like most gods, he was quite attractive and caught the eye of many young women in the cult myself included. I did flirt with him but nothing ever happened between us."

"Why didn't you tell me you were a member of Dahak's cult?"

"Because I was ashamed to have been taken in by his false words of love and peace," Cyrene softly replied.

"But I wouldn't have held it against you, not after the choices I've made in my own life."

"It was a volatile time from my past Xena and something I wanted to forget."

"Then why did you keep the letters Uncle Zephyrus sent about Ahriman? And why did you write to him dredging up a part of your life you claim you wanted to forget?"

"It was a mistake to keep the letters and I should have destroyed them long ago." Cyrene moved away from Xena and stood against the wall behind her. "When I wrote to Zephyrus about Ahriman, I wasn't thinking clearly, Atrius was gone and I now had three children to raise all by myself."

"According to Uncle Zephyrus' letter, you were afraid Ahriman would re-enter your life, years after you had left his cult. Why was that?"

"I told you, Ahriman, as I knew him then, had a thing for me. But the feeling was clearly not mutual on my part. My only wanting to flirt probably bruised his ego and he wanted to get even. You know how petty the gods can be."

"But what made you think he would come for you after several years had passed? You were a married woman with three children."

"I can't explain why I felt that way. I was unfamiliar with gods and didn't really know what kind of action to expect from one," Cyrene quickly replied.

"In one of the letters, Uncle Zephyrus made mention of Atrius being gone. You wrote to Uncle Zephyrus after you killed Atrius."

"What are you getting at Xena?"

"I was remembering what you said about the night you killed Atrius to protect me. You said Atrius came home after leaving the Temple of Ares, angry, drunk and determined to kill me. But what memories I have of my father are of me riding atop his horse with him and his singing to me. He clearly adored me. So why would he come home one night and decide out of the blue to kill me?"

"He was drunk and wanted to sacrifice you to Ares," Cyrene replied.

"I know Ares, and child sacrifices are not his style," Xena firmly stated. "Atrius could have been driven to murder me if he believed you had betrayed him and I was the child of another."

"That's ridiculous," Cyrene snapped.

"No it isn't," Xena firmly replied. "Ares made a comment to me regarding Atrius' murder about a jealous man trying to punish his wife by hurting the child."

"And you are going to believe what Ares says?"

"For once, I believe Ares was speaking the truth," Xena replied. "Let's take the little scenario I laid out for The Furies regarding my father's identity and put in the name Dahak."

"I wish you would just drop this Xena." Cyrene began to nervously pace the floor. "On the night you were conceived, Atrius came home from war, my husband, NOT Dahak."

"I led warriors mom, and they just don't up and leave the battlefield to be with their wives."

"I know my own husband and it was him with me that night, not some god and certainly NOT Dahak." Cyrene nervously twisted the skirt of her dress in her hands.

"Dahak would have come to you as an exact likeness of Atrius. You were probably so relieved your husband had returned alive from battle, that the oddity of him suddenly being home didn't enter your mind, not until later anyway."

"No, that's not how it was at all," Cyrene said firmly.

"It all makes sense to me now." Xena got up from the bed and now stood in front of her mother. "Ahriman...Dahak...whatever you want to call him, was riding high because he had killed several members of the Persian pantheon and was winning the war. He decided some downtime was in order and decided to spend it with the fairer sex. You must have made some impression on him mother for him to come to Greece and visit you in the form of your husband."

"That is ridiculous!" Cyrene said.

"You ended up pregnant with me and you innocently thought by your husband until that night, years later, when he came home drunk from the Temple of Ares."

"I want you to stop this right now," Cyrene demanded.

Xena ignored her mother's demand and continued with her theory. "Atrius somehow discovered what happened while he was still away at war. My guess is that Ares found out and told him. Atrius came home that night determined to make you pay for your betrayal by killing me which you prevented when you killed him." Xena grabbed her mother's arms and stared into her eyes. "You were haunted by Atrius' word's that night. You knew whoever visited you in his likeness had to be a god and the first one that came to your mind was Ahriman. You were afraid if he knew about me, he would re-enter your life so you wrote Uncle Zephyrus for information about his whereabouts. When he told you Ahriman was imprisoned for eternity, you were relieved, your secret would be buried forever, so you thought."

"Why are you doing this to yourself and me?" Cyrene removed her arms from Xena's tight grasp. "Dahak's words are LIES!"

"No mother, Dahak's words are the TRUTH. You are the one who is lying!"

Cyrene raised a hand to slap her daughter's face for such blatant disrespect but was halted when Xena caught her hand before it reached her face. When Xena released her hand, Cyrene moved away from her and now stood facing the room's only window. Her body was starting to tremble.

"That's why you were rereading Uncle Zephyrus' old letters." Xena stared at her mother's back. "You were terrified when you found out I had met Dahak. You were afraid he had revealed what you have been hiding from me all these years...that he is my real father. Admit it."

"All right, it's true!" Cyrene sobbed as she turned to face Xena. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Dahak is your father!" Sobbing profusely, she leaned against the wall by the window and slowly sank to the floor where she buried her face in her hands.

Xena immediately went to her mother's side. Cyrene held Xena's legs tightly as she stood over her. Her body shook as tears poured from her eyes, some in sadness and some in relief that the secret she had held for so long was finally out in the open. "I was only trying to protect you Xena. I really believed it was best you never know that demon was your father." Cyrene looked up at Xena from where she sat on the floor. Her eyes were watery and starting to redden from crying. "Once again, you had to suffer because of my past actions. Can you ever forgive me?"

Xena removed her legs from her mother's grasp, sat down beside her and held her tightly. "There is nothing to forgive. You were only trying to protect me and I understand why you didn't tell me," Xena said softly. "What happened was not your fault mother. You were another victim on Dahak's long list just like Gabrielle." Xena sat there and held her mother as the older woman continued to softly cry. They had been sitting on the floor for some time, when Cyrene ceased her crying and decided to reveal to Xena a part of her life she thought would remain buried forever.

Cyrene admitted to being on the wild side in her youth. She was stubborn and didn't want her parents controlling her life. They wanted her to find a young man in Amphipolis and get married but Cyrene wanted some excitement. When Cyrene was 16, she convinced her parents to let her live with her Uncle Zephyrus, a spice merchant, who lived in Sardis, located in Lydia. Sardis was a cosmopolitan city. Because it was located along the trade route, the city boasted a very diverse population. There were Greeks, Persians, Syrians, Romans, Hebrews, Arabs and Egyptians, all living together, blending their different customs. Cyrene really thought this was the place for her. She sampled all of the diverse cultures located in Sardis, even the different religious sects, but one in particular captured her interest.

The sect had its origins in Persia but was establishing a religious base in Sardis. Its members worshipped a god quite different from those of Greece. The Olympians struck fear in their worshippers with their infamous pettiness and cruelty. Ahriman was the name of the god worshipped by the sect. He appeared to genuinely care for mortals. He provided comfort to the mourning, food for the hungry and cures for the sick. In return he only asked that you love him and share the love shown you with others.

Cyrene became an active member in the sect, assuming a lot of responsibility, which gave her the opportunity to finally, meet the god Ahriman. She had never met anyone so intelligent, sensitive and handsome in her young life. The other young women in the sect were fawning over Ahriman, competing for his affections. Cyrene refused to behave that way and was very surprised to find out a sophisticated, all-powerful god, who could have anyone he wanted, was attracted to her, a naive Greek girl from Amphipolis. Cyrene spent many hours with Ahriman, talking of her hopes, her dreams and was truly surprised by his genuine interest in her life. Her time in Sardis and with Ahriman had opened up a world Cyrene had never known existed.

Cyrene had been in Sardis one year when she made the decision to stay permanently and spread the teachings of Ahriman. She knew her parents would not be happy when they heard but it was her life and she would live it as she saw fit. Cyrene wanted to share her decision with Ahriman and went to his temple in Sardis. The temple was empty except for Ahriman and a priest. They were embroiled in an intense discussion so Cyrene decided to leave until she heard the dark tone of their conversation. They talked about war, overthrowing the Persian pantheon of gods and using the sect's faithful to usher in an age of darkness.

Cyrene was horrified by what she heard and confronted Ahriman. He thought she was too young to fully understand. Ahriman had never allowed himself to feel for anyone until he met her and wanted her with him when he ruled the world. Cyrene now saw how evil he truly was and was going back to Amphipolis. Ahriman would not permit it. Cyrene would do as she pleased and was about to leave the temple when he roughly grabbed her. That's when she saw him change and it scared her. His crystal blue eyes became yellow and his golden light brown skin turned greenish brown in color and scaly in texture. When Ahriman looked at his hands holding her arms and saw the change, he released her, turned his back to her and told her to leave. Cyrene did as he asked. A few days after that incident, she started her journey back to Amphipolis. She decided to do as her parents wished, find a husband and have children.

"I married Atrius a year after I returned to Amphipolis," Cyrene said softly. "I put my time with Ahriman in Sardis behind me and devoted my life to caring for my husband and my children. I truly believed Ahriman was out of my life for good until that night which ended with me killing Atrius."

Xena braced herself as she prepared to hear her mother give full disclosure of the night she partly knew already.

Xena and her brothers were asleep when Atrius came home from the Temple of Ares, reeking of mead, in a foul mood and rambling Xena had to die by Ares' orders. Cyrene was not going to let him sacrifice their daughter to the God of War. Xena was not being killed as a sacrifice to Ares but to pay for Cyrene's deception, Atrius revealed. Ares informed him of Cyrene's past with an evil god before their marriage. Atrius was told about this god visiting Cyrene when he was away at war, around the time that Xena was conceived, so she was in truth, not his child but the child of this god. The girl had to die to erase her mother's crime of adultery and to prevent her real father's evil from engulfing the world. Cyrene thought he was talking nonsense and wouldn't let him kill Xena. Atrius was willing to kill her too then. When Atrius went to sharpen his sword, Cyrene tried to stop him with an ax, which she ended up using to take his life to protect Xena.

"I tried to dismiss Atrius' words as drunken ramblings but knew in my heart he had spoken the truth," Cyrene said. "I looked at your eyes and finally allowed myself to see just how much they favored Ahriman's. When I accepted it was indeed Ahriman who had visited me on the night you were conceived, I was terrified that he would discover your existence so I wrote Uncle Zephyrus requesting he do some checking into Ahriman for me. I was relieved when he wrote Ahriman was imprisoned forever. I truly thought it best that the identity of your real father remain buried forever."

As Xena listened to her mother unburden her soul, the ramifications of her father's true identity weighed heavily on her thoughts. Her father had raped her best friend and had his own grandson killed. Her son's killer was her half-sister, a thought that caused her head to ache. Dahak was known as the One Great Evil. Xena always believed Hope was a vessel for evil. She now shared the same father with Hope. Did this mean she was evil too? Dahak said as his daughter, darkness was her true nature and she was fighting a losing battle trying to suppress it. Was he right?

"After you were certain Ahriman was my father and I went on to commit such heinous acts, did you ever regret not letting Atrius kill me?"

"By the gods, no Xena. I had just about given up hope you would abandon your warlord life but I never wished you were dead. I hated the acts you committed but I still loved you. When you came back home three years ago, and I realized you were sincere about wanting to change your life I was so relieved. My Xena had finally come back." Cyrene gazed at Xena's face and saw the confusion and distress etched in her features. She held Xena's face in her hands and said in a comforting voice, "Always remember Xena, you are still my daughter and I love you." She brushed Xena's hair back from her face. "We will get through this together." She kissed Xena's forehead.

Cyrene actually felt some relief in having revealed a secret she had held for so long. But she knew the pain, which laid ahead for Xena, now that she knew the truth. "I think we both have had enough excitement for one day," Cyrene declared as she stood. Xena now stood beside her. "I don't want this news about Dahak to upset you so that it hampers your recovery. You should go back to bed." Cyrene took hold of Xena's left hand and led her back to the bed. Xena got in the bed without uttering a word; there was a blank stare on her face.

Xena's present state worried Cyrene. She went to the kitchen, poured some milk into a mug, added a sleeping powder then quickly returned to her daughter's bedroom. The blank look remained on Xena's face as she took the mug from her mother, put it to her lips and slowly began to drink it. Her eyelids were heavy after only drinking half of the milk. When she emptied the mug, Xena was well on her way to sleep as she laid her head on the pillow. The rays of the afternoon sun poured through the window but they didn't hamper the deep sleep Xena entered.

CHAPTER 14

Xena awoke with a start. She stretched her right arm over the blankets and felt silkiness underneath. She looked at the blanket covering her body and immediately bolted upright in the bed. Xena was not covered with a blanket, but a black silk sheet. The pillow behind her was covered with black silk as well. She looked at her right arm and ran her left hand over it. The large stitched cut was gone. She looked around the bed which was surrounded by a shear black curtain. Xena got out of the bed and pulled open the curtain. She was in a large room, which appeared to be in a temple. The floor and the walls were marble. There were large marble columns for support throughout the room. There was a pool at one end of the room filled with lava. Xena went over to the pool and gazed into its orange-red depths. There appeared to be many pairs of gleaming red eyes moving through the lava staring at her. She could swear she heard low moans of agony. Startled, she backed away. She heard the sound of torches being ignited behind her and then a deep voice.

"I see you have finally awakened."

She quickly turned around and looked up at a set of large marble steps that led to a throne. On each side of the throne, were two large torches. On the throne sat Dahak. He was wearing black leather, which molded to his slender muscular form.

"Father?" With hesitation, Xena approached the large marble steps.

"Ah Ah Ah," Dahak said, causing Xena to halt her approach. "First you must be made presentable." He clapped his hands together twice and four women in white togas appeared before Xena. They took hold of her arms and she was going to shake them off when Dahak spoke. "Go with them Xena, they will dress you more appropriately." Xena grudgingly did as he commanded and let the women take her behind a dressing curtain in the room. As the women dressed her, Dahak continued to speak.

"You called me father. I knew after our meeting, you would return to Amphipolis to talk with your mother who confirmed I indeed spoke the truth." There was an air of extreme confidence in his tone. "Ah Cyrene, she was the only woman who ever sparked something inside me. That's why I took time out from war to visit her in the form of her husband." His voice carried a reminiscent tone. "I was not aware our night together had produced a child for more than fifteen years."

Xena was intrigued by this news as Dahak proceeded to reveal how he found out about her. He lost a sword fight with Ahura Mazda, King of the Persian gods, and was trapped in lava not long after she was conceived. With his absence, his cult was dispersed throughout the land. The only person he ever told about his time with her mother was a high priest named Minos who settled in Amphipolis as a jewelry merchant a few years after the cult's dispersion. One day, Cyrene came into his shop with Xena who was about five at the time. When Minos saw her eyes, he knew she was the child of his imprisoned lord. Minos spent the next several years watching over Xena as she grew to adulthood. During the early years of his entrapment, Minos could not communicate with him. Minos studied the black arts for years and finally mastered the ability to communicate with his imprisoned lord. Dahak first learned of her existence right before the attack on her village by Cortese's army.

Xena remembered the jewelry merchant named Minos. He had always been so nice to her and now she knew why. Finding out he was Dahak's priest was a surprise but she remembered Dahak and his followers were masters of deception. If Minos had never settled in Amphipolis, Dahak would have never known about her and Gabrielle and Solan would still be alive. The thought made her grimace.

After the women dressed Xena, she came from behind the curtain. Her hair was in a thick braid down her back. Her entire body was covered in black leather, which molded sensuously to her womanly curves. She wore shiny black boots. On each thigh was a golden holster that contained deadly daggers. Around her waist was a gold belt with a scabbard, which at the moment was empty.

"I have a special sword for that scabbard I will give to you later." Dahak gazed at her new attire. "Ah, you are a vision, beautiful but deadly." He proceeded down the marble steps with a long black cape flowing behind him. He clapped his hands together twice and the four women who dressed Xena disappeared. When he reached Xena, he held out his right hand and her chakram appeared in it. "That was pretty ingenious of you to use this to incapacitate me."

Xena took the chakram and hooked it on the belt around her waist. "Where am I?" There was a hard look in her eyes.

"Somewhere remote and free of interference from those who wish to disrupt my plans," Dahak casually replied. "I figured now that you have accepted the truth, we could have a father - daughter talk." There was a smile on his face revealing perfect white teeth.

"I have accepted the fact you are my sire. But you are not my father in the true sense."

"You are right," he conceded. "I was imprisoned during your childhood and not there to give the guidance only a father can. But I am here for you now."

"I don't need or want you," she hissed.

"I see you are still quite hostile about this subject. I thought you might have some questions for me but if you want to leave, I won't try to stop you."

Now that she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Dahak was her father, many thoughts raced through her mind. Xena had to admit she did have many questions for which only he could provide the answers. "I will stay...for the moment."

"Splendid! I think we would both be more comfortable outside."

Dahak took Xena's right hand and in a flame of fire, they disappeared to reappear in a forest. They were in a grassy clearing surrounded by trees. Xena walked around, taking in her surroundings and keeping her distance from Dahak. The sun shined brightly. A mild wind blew through the grassy clearing. Fluffy white clouds moved slowly across the blue sky. The sounds of life could be heard from the dense trees surrounding the grassy clearing.

"It took me some time to recover from my loss at the hands of Ahura Mazda. My body was no more and my conscience roamed the heated rock beneath the earth." Dahak’s gaze followed Xena as she walked around the clearing. "As the years passed, my rage grew and it strengthen me. I remained trapped and bodiless but I still had power. Finding out about you rekindled the goal I had held for all my years of entrapment, freedom. One of the Olympian gods found out about you as well, Ares." The contempt for the war god was clearly audible when he spoke his name.

"He discovered you were my daughter several years earlier and tried to end your life. After the attempt failed, he decided to make use of you in his own plans for world domination," he continued. "When he found out about my imminent return, I figured he might try to disrupt my plans with another attempt on your life. He could not afford a father and daughter alliance which could end his quest for worldwide power so I found a way to make sure he never tried to kill you again." There was a gleeful gleam in his eyes with this last statement.

"But Ares had more guts than I thought. He killed Minos, my only contact with the outside world at the time, which delayed my arrival and prevented you from knowing I was your father. I had other devoted followers whom eventually made contact with me but by then, I had been weakened by confrontations with others that, like Ares, wanted to prevent my return. By the time I regained my strength, you had turned your back on your true heritage and were fighting for what was good and just. I made the decision to create another child but I couldn't give up on you. That's why I chose your friend to be the vessel to bring the child into the world. It was the first step in getting you to return to your true self. You fought what you knew to be true in your heart for a long time. But the fighting must now stop and acceptance take hold."

Xena had been silent as she listened to Dahak's words. Hearing how he and Ares had been in a tug-of-war for her services in their dark plans increased her contempt for all gods. But Dahak's last statement prompted her to voice the one question, which had weighed on her mind since she had accepted the fact he was indeed her father.

"What makes you think I would ever join you after what you did to Gabrielle and Solan, your own grandson?"

"Xena, there are two types of people in this world, the strong and the weak," Dahak stated. "The strong are those who don't limit themselves to established guidelines of right and wrong. They are driven by their wills, their desires that give them unbeatable power over others. Society has chosen to label these people bad because they aren't afraid to do what needs to be done to get what they want. Now we come to the weak. They are labeled good and held up as models of inspiration for all. They choose to burden themselves with do's and don'ts…rights and wrongs. These people believe the world will be a paradise if there is love and peace. I was around when the earth was the blissful paradise these fools crave and it was sickening. There was no passion, fire, or desire in humanity. All were weak and obviously bored with their loving, peaceful existence or they would have never been attracted to my teachings. I appealed to humanity's baser instincts. I never judged mankind. I taught them to act on their desires, which were labeled wrong. They would finally reach their true potential that love and peace would never allow."

"For someone who is sickened by the goodness of peace and love, you certainly don't mind using such attributes to lure people into your web," Xena said.

"I use what is familiar to people, what is drilled into their heads since childhood as what they should strive to be," he said. "But then I tear down the familiar, like their belief in the gods. I reveal the hypocrisy of these beings that have the nerve to judge the actions of humanity when they don't limit themselves to rights and wrongs. The gods are powerful because they aren't stifled by rules. I reveal to mortals, they can have power too, if they abandon society's restrictive teachings. Those who follow me will have the shackles of long held conformities removed and gain strength when they make their desires reality. You know, that was the problem with your friend Gabrielle. She chose to cling to what had been drilled into her head since childhood, peace, love, and all that goodness stuff. In the end, her beliefs in love and peace failed her. They were weak and didn't provide her with the strength to fight her enemy and that's why she chose death."

"Gabrielle was the strongest person I ever knew and so were her beliefs!" Xena snapped. "You tried to corrupt her with your evil when you chose her to bear your child. You fear people like her because they have the power to destroy you." Xena stared into his eyes, which mirrored her own. "Gabrielle's belief in love and peace gave me the strength to fight evil when I could find none within me."

"Her beliefs in love and peace were turning you into a sentimental fool!" he angrily stated. "And now that she's dead, you can forget about this ridiculous path of atonement and go back to your true glory…conquest and ultimate power."

"That would fit right in with your dark plans. Is that why Solan had to die? Was he also an obstacle in the way of me achieving my ‘true potential'?"

Dahak let out a weary sigh. "Solan's death was most unfortunate but necessary. He did not carry enough of my blood to make him useful to me. He had too much goodness embedded in his being and it could never be fully removed, it made him who he was. That inherent goodness was one of the reasons you fought to make this world a better place for him. You wanted his light to outshine the darkness of your past. That is why his light had to be extinguished. With his death, you were on the road to embracing your true nature in darkness again and would have if not for the momentary interference from those of the light. But that will never happen again, because I have grown too strong for even them to stop."

Xena looked at the being in front of her and wondered how she could have ever come from someone so cold, dark…pure evil. He spoke of Gabrielle and Solan as weak, insignificant casualties in the war between good and evil. Her disgust and contempt were so strong, she could no longer look at this heartless, soulless god, her own father and turned her back to him.

"Look Xena, I know you find my words upsetting but you have to hear them. You will never be able to achieve the goodness of your son or friend because it isn't really you and you shouldn't want what they had anyway," he stated flatly. "You are like me Xena, driven by your dark will to do what you want, forsaking all others. Since their deaths, you have tried to deny what you truly are but you can no longer do that. You must accept it, embrace it."

Dahak now stood directly behind Xena and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. She wanted to shake his hands away but for some reason couldn't move her body. Dahak began to speak to her again in a deep hypnotic tone.

"It is the darkness within that makes you strong and you get that from me." His deep voice flowed through her body and the darkness within responded to his call and began to stir in her. She closed her eyes at the sensation it caused. "Yes, that's it. Don't fight it. Let the darkness within caress your soul," he said in soothing voice. "It was this darkness, the fire, the anger and the murderous rage which made you the Destroyer of Nations and made people tremble at the sound of your name. It made you strong and invincible and it can again if you let it." Xena felt a dark force surging through her entire body. She opened her eyes, which now had a fiery redness at the center of their crystal blue color. "Now use the power darkness gives you," Dahak commanded.

Xena threw out both hands, unleashing a large fireball, which hit a tree in the distance setting it to flames. She moved around the clearing, repeating this action several times until burning trees surrounded them. Xena looked at her hands; the burning trees surrounding them and a sinister smile crossed her face. She felt the darkness surging through her body, warming her, strengthening her and she reveled in it.

Dahak now stood by her side with a pleased smile on his face. "You have only scratched the surface of the power darkness can give you. There's so much more you can have."

Dahak waved a hand in the air and the burning trees vanished leaving them standing in a treeless grassy field. He now faced Xena and held out his right hand, a sword instantly materialized in it. He held out his left hand and a large necklace appeared it. The necklace was round with a design similar to the one on her chakram and in the center was a red substance, which appeared to be blood. Dahak poured the red substance on the sword he held in his right hand. "This is the blood of a Golden Hind, the only substance that can kill a god."

"This must be the pendant Callisto lost. I'm not surprised you managed to get your hands on it."

"It is that very pendant," Dahak admitted. The sword's blade seemed to absorb the blood and now had a red tint. Dahak gave Xena the sword. "I know what you desire most is my death, and I am giving you the opportunity to make that a reality."

Slowly he backed some distance away from her. He removed the cape he wore, tossed it in the air and it disappeared into nothingness. He unsheathed his own sword from its scabbard. When he held up his sword, the blade had a red tint like the sword Xena held.

"My sword is covered in Hind's blood as well and being half-god, it will kill you too." Dahak began to twirl his sword around. "I figured I'd up the stakes. Since you would rather die than join me, you will, if I win our sword fight."

Dahak let out a deafening yell and charged Xena with his sword poised for attack. She met him halfway with a war cry of her own, and her sword mightily slashing. The rays of the afternoon sun poured down on the grassy field, the blue sky was clear of the earlier puffy white clouds and the wind had picked up speed as it blew around the combatants, father and daughter in their fight to the death. The sound of clashing steel echoed throughout the grassy field.

"I was only toying with you, testing you in the caves on Kos but this time it's for real," Dahak said in a deadly serious tone and a fierceness in his crystal blue eyes as he viciously swung his sword at Xena with all his godly strength. Her sword met his in a hail of sparks, backed by the power of darkness surging through her body.

In the past, Xena had always been able to use the darkness as an edge over an opponent but this time that may not be possible. The darkness within her came from the opponent she was facing, her own father and she stood a good chance of losing. Dahak unleashed all the power of his darkness with each deadly slash of his sword. Xena managed to block his sword with her own but was still driven back. He let out a loud yell and with godly strength guiding his sword, knocked her sword from her hands, sending it some distance from the pair.

"Come on Xena, you are going to have to tap the darkness better than that if you expect to defeat me," he warned while continuing to swing his sword at her.

She managed to dodge the blade of his sword but one vicious swing did manage to cut through the leather across her chest barely missing her flesh.

"Now that was a close one," he said. "If the Hind's blood just penetrates your skin, you are finished."

Xena focused on his sword which movements had picked up speed. She continued to dodge him, looking for an opening in his defenses and when one presented itself, attacked with a back hand to his face and a couple of swift kicks to his chest. But they only slowed him down for a fraction of a second when he delivered a hard punch to her face with his free hand drawing blood from her mouth and impeding her defenses. With her still dazed from the blow to her face, he used the flat of his sword to quickly hook her legs knocking her flat on her back.

"I guess what I did to Gabrielle and Solan wasn't enough to power your darkness to victory," he said with a touch of disappointment in his voice as he brought his sword down upon her for the deathblow.

Dahak's mentioning of Gabrielle and Solan was enough to raise Xena's rage again and allow the darkness within to give her the power she needed. His sword was mere inches from her chest when she caught it between her hands halting its descent. Dahak tried to push his sword forward through her chest to no avail. Xena let out a yell and with all her strength, tossed Dahak and his sword some distance from her. She removed four daggers from their holsters around her thighs and threw them into Dahak's chest. She quickly stood and used the dark power surging through her to beckon her sword to return to her hand.

"I see you managed to channel the darkness to obey your commands but it still remains to be seen if you can beat me." Dahak’s eyes began to glow a fiery red as the four daggers embedded in his chest flew out of him and headed directly for Xena. She easily swatted the daggers away with her sword before charging Dahak.

The darkness within had completely taken over and now guided her movements. She felt its power surging through every vein in her body and reveled in it. The darkness from her past have never felt like this, all-encompassing. Her sword slashed with Dahak's in a dark driven fury, which started to overpower him. He slagged in his defenses which gave her the opportunity to deliver a devastating kick to his face then midsection which knocked the wind out of him and drove him back. He was quite dazed, and slashed his sword at her on sheer instinct which she easily blocked. His defenses were still wide open which allowed her to deliver a hard backhand to his face then a swift punch to his right arm but he maintained a grip on the sword in his right hand. Dahak executed a hard kick, which made contact with her midsection and knocked her away from him but she immediately was back with her vicious assault against him. Dahak managed to ward off the deadly attack of Xena's sword covered in Hind's blood but she still penetrated his defenses and got off several punches to his face which left his vision spinning, severely impeding his reaction time. This allowed Xena to fiercely slash her sword through his right wrist.

Dahak screamed in agony as his hand and sword fell to the grass below. On hearing his painful outcry, a sinister smile crossed Xena's face as the darkness surging through her went up a notch. Xena pummeled Dahak's face with her left fist, before delivering several kicks to his midsection and legs almost taking the evil god off his feet. She succeeded in knocking him down when she used her sword to quickly hook his legs. Xena stood over the being she despised most of all on the earth with a look of pure hatred as she drove her sword with strength fueled by darkness through his chest into the earth beneath him. Xena expected Dahak to die but he didn't. He lay on the grass with her sword through his chest and let out a deep evil laugh. Truly stunned, Xena backed away from him as the laugh got louder, echoing through the grassy field.

"You made it to the finish line, my dear," Dahak said when he stopped laughing.

With his left hand, he pulled her sword from his chest and proceeded to stand. The hole in his chest disappeared like it never existed. He held out his right arm and looked at the bloody stump where his right hand use to be. Slowly, a hand formed to take the place of the one he just lost. "That feels a lot better," he said after the hand was fully formed and he wiggled his fingers around.

"I saw you cover my sword in Hind's blood, you should be dead," she said softly. "It was just more deception."

"Quite true my dear," he said casually. "Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on real Hind's blood but I figured if I got you to believe I had, you would not be able to resist the urge to kill me. It was the crucial step to get you to let the darkness within emerge, after that, you willingly let it guide you."

Xena gazed at Dahak with pure hatred and contempt in her eyes.

"Be honest Xena, you enjoyed the feeling the emergence in total darkness created. I felt it surging through you, caressing your soul. When it rules, you don't think about anyone or anything, only its power." He had moved and now stood directly in front of her. "You certainly weren't thinking about avenging the people you lost but how good the darkness felt and you wanted more." He stared directly into her eyes, which mirrored his own. "The exercise I constructed here was only done to get you to see what you are missing when you resist what you truly are. You don't need to atone for your past. When you do that, you are saying you will live by the rules set up by others and that's not you. You are like me and will answer to no one." He held her face in his hands. "I ruled this earth before today's gods or the Titans. I am only reclaiming what was wrongfully taken from me. You must take your place by my side and reclaim what rightfully belongs to you as well."

As Xena gazed up into Dahak's eyes, she thought about what had just happened. She had to admit the darkness within had a familiarity, comfortableness the goodness she had to struggle to keep didn't have and probably never would. The darkness was still surging through her body right now. It felt good and she reveled in it, embraced it.

Dahak released her face and stepped away from her. He held out his right hand and a dagger materialized in it. He pulled back the leather sleeve on his left arm and cut his flesh with the dagger. The dagger disappeared to be replaced by a goblet, which he used to catch the blood, which dripped from the cut. When the goblet was filled, the cut sealed like it never existed.

"Take this goblet," he commanded. Xena obeyed his command. "When you drink my blood, you will kill any trace of humanity in you and become immortal in total darkness."

Xena stared at the goblet in her hands and its crimson contents. Is this really what she wanted to do? She had sworn she would never let herself be ruled by darkness again. But she had never felt anything like this before, so powerful and all encompassing. Now that she had experienced pure darkness, she couldn't let the feeling end. Xena brought the goblet to her lips and began to drink Dahak's blood.

"Yes, that's it, drink," Dahak said reassuringly. "When you empty the goblet you will claim your birthright and become the Goddess of Destruction."

Xena had drunk half of Dahak's blood in the goblet when a loud voice could be heard throughout the grassy field calling to her.

"XENA, HEAR ME! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!"

Xena started to feel a pounding in her head; the voice repeated the phrase louder than the last time.