@Xenite Country
Dark Revelations
By Skkye Blue
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Shipper Fan Fiction @Xenite Country Dark Revelations |
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Webmaster Note: To make this story load a little easier in your browser, it has been split into several web pages. You will find the link for the part of the story below at the end of each page. Dark Revelations (Chapters 48 thru 51) CHAPTER 48 As soon as Ares’ form materialized in the Great Hall on Mt. Olympus two members of the Olympian elite guards immediately restrained him with chains. The war god knew trying to free himself was useless because the chains had been forged by Hephaestus and could hold any god. A look of indifference was on his face as he watched his two captors disappear into the shadows of the dimly lit hall. It appeared that he was now alone in the great hall but Ares could sense the presence of his fellow gods. He gazed down at the chains wrapped around his muscular frame. "Gee, twice in one day" He muttered to himself. His tone was much louder when he addressed his fellow gods. "Okay, why the chains?" "We wanted to make sure you didn’t get the chance to run off like you did after your *phony* alliance with Dahak." Ares quickly looked up just as Hades’ form appeared out of the shadows. "What are the charges against me this time?" Ares’ tone dripped with disinterest. "You know very well what the charges against you are, Ares." Zeus’ form appeared out of the shadows along with several members of the Council of Twelve. "I warned you what would happen if you disobeyed this council again but in your usual arrogance, you ignored my warnings." "Ares, you are such a fool! Did you really think the actions of your armies on Kos and its neighboring islands would go unnoticed by us?" Athena looked at her brother with disgust. "Oh, I knew the council would find out about the attacks on Kos but that was the least of my worries," Ares said. "None of you wanted to believe me but I was right about Dahak...he controlled those islands and I took the only action I could to save us all." "Ha, now you are trying to convince us that you had *our* welfare in mind when your army mercilessly slaughtered all those innocent people," Apollo said. "We are not fools Ares. As usual, you were only thinking about yourself!" Ares’ confidence was beginning to falter. He was no longer certain that he would be able to skirt around the charges his fellow gods would bring against him. "Those people were not innocent. They were controlled by Dahak." "Enough with the talk about Dahak!" Poseidon snapped. "Ares disobeyed the council, now lets punish him." Athena approached Ares and started walking around his chained form. "I knew this day would come. It looks like all of your deceptions, manipulations and schemes have finally caught up with you, dear brother." She now stood before him with a gloating smile on her face. Ares ignored the Goddess of Wisdom and set his gaze on Artemis and Hermes. "Are you two going to back me up or what?" The Goddess of the Hunt and the Messenger God remained silent as they bowed their heads to avoid Ares’ gaze. "If you are looking for help from Artemis and Hermes...FORGET IT! They have problems of their own," Zeus said. "We know all about their participation in your latest scheme and they will be punished too." Now, with no support, Ares started to panic. "You are acting in haste. I at least deserve a trial." "There is no need for a trial," Hades stated. "You were warned and you just admitted right here, in front of all present, that you disobeyed the wishes of this council. Our only obligation is to decide what your punishment will be." "Guards, remove the prisoner," Zeus commanded. Instantly the two elite guards appeared before the war god and proceeded to escort him from the room. But before the trio could leave, Aphrodite grabbed hold of Ares’ right arm. "It doesn’t look like you’re gonna get out of this one bro but I will try my best to get them to go easy on ya." Ares knew quite a few of the council members had been salivating for a moment like this, so he didn’t think his sister had much of a chance of persuading them to go easy on him but he did appreciate her efforts. "Thanks Aph." He gave his sister a faint smile as the two guards led him from the room so his fellow gods could get down to deciding his fate. ********** "Mom, when is Dad gonna be back?" Lycus looked up at Xena as she sat on the side of his bed, after tucking him in for the night. Since he first arrived at the castle in Macedon, everyday, Lycus had spent time with Ares but for the past two days, that didn’t happen and the little boy found this disturbing. "I don’t know, Lycus," Xena replied with a sigh. "As I told you and your sister, your father is a god with very important responsibilities and that means he could be away for long periods of time. But I am sure whatever the duties are, he will get them done as quickly as he can, so he can come back here." Xena had answered this same question when she had put Lysia to bed and to her relief, the little boy seemed to accept her response just like his sister had done. "Now, you get some sleep." Xena kissed the child on the forehead and then left the bedchamber. Her brow was wrinkled with concern as she headed for her own bedchamber. Xena didn’t want to alarm the children so she kept her own concern for Ares buried. The war god knew that the urgent call to Mt. Olympus met his fellow gods were trying to charge him, yet again, with another offense. He had been pretty confident that he would easily dodge the charges, whatever they might be but things obviously had not gone the way he had expected. Ares had been gone two full days. Xena had tried contacting Artemis and Hermes to find out what was happening on Mt. Olympus but neither deity responded to her calls. She couldn’t deny that she was really starting to worry. Losing Ares now would be devastating for the children. She also couldn’t leave out what a devastating loss it would be for her too. ********** Ares was boiling with anger as the two elite guards led him down the hall, headed for a room deemed *the pit*. This is where the war god would finally learn what fate his fellow gods had decided for him. For the past two days, he had been locked in a cell, located in the deep dark bowels of the building. He didn’t know why they just didn’t put him under house arrest at his plush Olympian residence instead of treating him like a common mortal thug. Despite the anger, the war god had to admit he was surprised it took them two whole days to decide his fate. With gods like Athena and Hades being two of the decision-makers, he figured it would have only taken five minutes tops. There was obviously more to Aphrodite than meets the eye. He had to give his sister credit for giving him two more days before having to face whatever horrible fate they had in store for him. By the time the trio entered *the pit*, Ares had cooled off considerably. He figured an angry outburst would only incite his fellow gods to make his punishment harsher than what he was already sure it would be. The two guards led Ares to the center of the room then moved to the sidelines. The room was circular in shape and the war god had to gaze upward to view his fellow gods who where seated high above and all around him. All sat in pious silence and gazed down at the prisoner as Zeus read the punishment. "Ares, God of War, you have willfully disobeyed a direct order of this Council, so I hereby sentence you to spend the rest of your eternal life in the abyss of Tartarus. Guards take him away." "Wait!" Aphrodite shouted. "I wanna protest this sentencing." "Oh please Aphrodite, you have stalled these proceedings long enough!" Athena snapped. "The abyss of Tartarus is waaaay too extreme...it’s full of nasty Titans," Aphrodite stated. "But Hera is down there too, so there will be at least one friendly face to keep Ares company for all of eternity," Apollo chimed in that got a chuckle out of many seated high around the room. As the guards began to drag him from *the pit*, headed for the Abyss, Ares knew this would be his last chance to save himself. He dreaded having to call on help from this individual but now he had no choice. "There is someone else who can verify what I have told you about Dahak." Grumbles of annoyance could be heard about the room. "We have heard enough about Dahak to last until the next millennium!" Poseidon snapped. Ares ignored his Uncle. "His name is Cyrus. He’s a former Watcher who is here in Greece helping to defeat Dahak." "Guards halt!" Zeus commanded. The guards obeyed the orders of the King of the Gods and brought Ares to a stop. The war god breathed a huge sigh of relief as he turned to gaze up at his father. "Did you say his name is Cyrus?" Zeus asked. "Yes, and he can back up everything that I have told you about Dahak." "Father, do you know this Cyrus?" Athena asked. "I have never met Cyrus but I have heard of him," Zeus replied. "As your brother has said, he is a former Watcher." Mumbles of interest were heard from the other gods upon hearing this news. They had all heard stories about the forefathers of the Titans---the Watchers---but none had ever met one. "Cyrus has offered counsel to many pantheons and over the last few centuries has become the closest confidant of Ahura Mazda." More mumbles of interest were heard from the other gods to learn that the King of the Persian gods had a former Watcher as his counselor. Zeus looked towards his chained son. "I will have this former Watcher brought to Olympus. If he can back up your words you will be spared but if not, to the abyss of Tartarus you will go." ********** On this day, Xena and all of her friends filled Cyrus’ makeshift lab in Ares’ Macedonian fortress. The former Watcher had finally finished translating all of the scrolls that made up the Watchers’ Chronicles. All were seated in the makeshift lab, ready to hear the locations to which they would have to travel to find all of the pieces that made up the weapon that could kill Dahak---the Holy Saber. Xena had eagerly awaited this day but at the moment, all of her thoughts focused on Ares. She knew he obviously had not been able to get out of being punished by the other gods and she was now worried about what they were doing to him. "Are you okay Xena?" Gabrielle placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder as she sat in the chair next to hers. "I’m fine Gabrielle but I am a little nervous about where we will have to go in order to find the saber pieces." "I think everybody is." Gabrielle glanced around at their friends, all busily chatting away about the journeys ahead of them. But silence quickly fell over the assembled group when Cyrus entered the room and stood before them. "You have all been anxiously awaiting my completion of the translation so I will not beat around the bush and tell you all the locations," he began. "According to the translation, the Holy Saber was broken into four pieces, each scattered to a corner of the earth, in a resting place represented by one of the four elements...air, earth, fire and water. One piece of the saber can be found in the north, buried in the caves of Scandinavia. Another piece can be found in the east, high in the mountains of Chin. Another piece can be found in the south, in the volcanic regions of east Africa. And the final piece can be found in the west, in the waters beyond the Great Sea. There are maps for each location, with translations on exactly where to find the four pieces." Upon the conclusion of Cyrus revealing the locations of the Holy Saber pieces, the room once again erupted into chatter. Xena rose from her seat and went to stand before her friends, drawing them to silence again. "Since we have already formed are four traveling groups and now that we know the four locations, all that is left is for us to decided who will go where." A few days ago, they all had gotten together to form their four traveling groups. Hercules and Iolaus made up the first group, Autolycus, Salmoneus and Meleager made up the second group, Glaphyra, Darnelle and Draco made up the third group and the fourth group consisted of Xena, Joxer and Cyrus. The Amazons, the centaurs and the Corinthian army would continue to seek out Dahak’s lava plant facilities and destroy them. Ares would be embroiled in the assault on Dahak’s main base of operations. Gabrielle did not comprise any of the groups because she had agreed to Xena’s request to remain in Macedon to watch over the twins. "Iolaus and I will look for the saber piece beyond the Great Sea," Hercules said. "Darnelle, Draco and I can look for the piece in southeast Africa," Glaphyra said. "Us three can go to Chin," Autolycus said as he gazed at the two men who would be joining him---Meleager and Salmoneus. "That leaves Cyrus, Joxer and myself with the northern caves of Scandinavia," Xena said. "Since we have all decided where everyone will be going, we should get together the gear we will need for our journeys." The assembled group had erupted into chatter again as they prepared to leave Cyrus’ makeshift lab when in a burst of rose petals the Goddess of Love’s scantily clad form came into view. "Aphrodite, what are you doing here?" Hercules moved towards his sister. "Hiya Herc." The goddess spotted her brother’s best friend. "Hi Curly." "Hi Aphrodite," Iolaus replied. Aphrodite gazed around at all the people before her. "I really would like to chat and get to know ya all but I only have eyes for a certain former Watcher." "Uh, that would be me." Cyrus hesitantly stepped forward. Aphrodite’s blue eyes gave him the once over. "You’re the first Watcher I have ever met and I must say you are kinda cute." She came over to Cyrus, locking an arm around his. "Thanks," Cyrus softly replied. In all his years of existence, he had never met a woman quite like the Goddess of Love before. "If ya all would excuse us, Cyrus’ help is needed in a major way on Olympus...tootles." The pair instantly vanished in a burst of rose petals. After the pair’s departure, the room erupted into chatter about the sudden appearance of the Goddess of Love and what it all meant. Xena had a pretty good idea of what it all meant and was in deep thought as she moved away from her chatting friends. Whatever trouble Ares had gotten himself into required Cyrus’ assistance to get him out of it. Now she just prayed that Cyrus would be able to do just that. ********** "Once again Cyrus, I want to apologize for dragging you away from important duties to vouch for Ares’ claims but only the word of someone with your high stature could have ever convinced the council of twelve that my wayward son for once was telling the truth." Zeus said. "There is no need to apologize Zeus. I had finished translating the scrolls needed to find Holy Saber so I was more than willing to help straighten out this misunderstanding with Ares," Cyrus said. The former Watcher and the King of the Gods, set their gaze on Ares who stood arm and arm with his sister Aphrodite. The Goddess of Love had a pleased smile on her face. Outwardly Ares had a smile too but on the inside, the war god couldn’t believe that he owed his freedom to Xena’s meddling do-gooder friend. He wondered what the former Watcher would want in return for helping him. When Aphrodite had brought Cyrus to the Great Hall, the former Watcher immediately captured the interest of the others as he gave a detailed synopsis of the events that had occurred since Dahak’s return to the earth. It was a first for the council but all unanimously agreed that Ares’ actions were justified, so the charges against him were dropped. The charges against Artemis and Hermes were dropped too. After dismissing the charges, Zeus had invited Cyrus, Ares and Aphrodite back to his residence on Mt. Olympus. The foursome was in the receiving hall, discussing the events of that day and how to deal with Dahak. "I know Artemis and Hermes are already lending you a hand in your battle against Dahak, Ares. Now the rest of us gods want to help...we will make it an all-out war, the likes of which Dahak has never seen." Zeus said. "Forgive me for butting in here," Cyrus said before Ares could respond to his father’s offer. "But I think it would be a mistake if the other god’s engaged Dahak in an all-out battle." "Why do you think that, Cyrus?" Aphrodite asked. "Right now, Dahak thinks the only Olympian he has to contend with is Ares and I believe it would be to our advantage if he continues to think such," the former Watcher replied. "Until we find the Holy Saber pieces, our major concern should be to find all of those lava plants and not engage Dahak’s minions in a bloodbath that would spread all over Greece." "Cyrus is right." Ares admitted. This got stunned looks from the other three. "Hey, I like a bloodbath just like any war god would but one of this magnitude could wipe out the entire population of Greece and then I would have no one to fight future wars." The stunned looks left the faces of the others upon hearing Ares’ response that only a war god would give. "You can have your trusted priests and priestesses participate on a covert basis in the search for more of Dahak’s lava plant facilities but the rest of you gods should continue to be totally oblivious to Dahak’s actions," Cyrus said. "I guess that means we should continue with the plans we have to celebrate the fifth millennium of our reign?" Aphrodite asked. "By all means, have the celebration and act like you have no idea that Dahak is trying to overthrow you," Cyrus said. The former Watcher stayed a few hours more at Zeus’ Olympian residence answering the questions of the King of the Gods and that of his daughter the Goddess of Love who were very curious about his life as a Watcher. When it was finally time for Cyrus and Ares to head back to the war god’s mountain fortress, Aphrodite embraced the former Watcher in a hug. "Thanks for getting my bro’ out of a major jam." The goddess kissed him on the cheek. "You are very welcome, Aphrodite," Cyrus said with a smile. Zeus and Aphrodite stood with locked arms and watched as Ares and Cyrus disappeared in shards of blue light, headed back to Macedon. When the pair materialized in Macedon, all was quite at the fortress. It was late and all had turned in for the night. The day had been extremely long for Cyrus and since he had no more scrolls to translate this was the first night in a long time where he could go to bed at a reasonably decent hour. The former Watcher said nothing to the god standing next to him and started walking away headed for his bedchamber. "Before you go off to bed Cyrus, there is something I need to say." Cyrus turned around and approached the war god again. "It’s about what you did today..." Ares fidgeted somewhat and had a look of discomfort plastered across his face. "This changes NOTHING between us...I still don’t like you...but I just wanted to say...um...thanks." The last word was barely above a whisper but Cyrus had heard it none the less. The former Watcher’s lips curled into a faint smile. "You’re welcome, Ares." The war god quickly vanished from sight in shards of blue light. Cyrus was still smiling as he made his way to his bedchamber. ********** Ares’ form materialized in his own bedchamber. He was relieved to be back in his fortress and not spending eternity in the abyss of Tartarus. He looked at the roaring fire burning in the hearth then towards his large bed---a smile formed on his handsome face. His bed was not empty---Xena was in it. Dark furs covered her curvaceous form. She lay in the bed with her back to him but her raven tresses shined like silk in the light provided by the roaring fire. Without making a sound, Ares approached the large bed. Xena was definitely asleep and she was not alone in the bed. She had an arm draped protectively around the sleeping form of their daughter, Lysia, who in turn was clutching her favorite doll. A soft smile crossed Ares’ lips. It felt good to come back to his bedchamber and find the two most important females in his life sleeping in his bed. Ares ran a hand through Xena’s hair before bringing it to rest on her shoulder. Lazily, she opened her eyes. When she felt his presence, she turned slightly to face him. A relieved smile formed on her face. "Welcome back," she said in a whisper. "It’s good to be back," he whispered, returning her smile. The god walked around to the other side of the bed and eased himself onto it, lying on his side, so he faced Xena. The two continued to whisper so they wouldn’t wake up Lysia. "I was surprised to come back and find you and Lysia in my bed." "I figured you wouldn’t mind. The children were missing you, so we decided to spend the night in here as a way of being close to you." "Lycus was here too? He’s not now." Ares said. "Our son declared that he was a *big* boy and decided to sleep in his own bed." Ares put a hand to his mouth to keep from chuckling too loud. But the two adults did not whisper softly enough because at that moment, Lysia’s eyes slowly opened. The child’s eyelids fluttered a few times before they focused on Ares’ form. A big smile broke out over the little girl’s face. "Hi Daddy!" "Hi sweetheart and how’s my little princess?" "Fine, now that you’re back." Xena couldn’t help but smile at the exchange between Ares and Lysia. If his warlords could have heard such a conversation, they would have been shaking their heads in disbelief. The war god was certainly full of surprises. "So, I guess everything turned out okay on Mt. Olympus?" Xena asked. "Yes, it did. In fact, from here on out, the other gods will be lending a hand," Ares replied. "That is great to hear because we can certainly use the added help." Ares gazed down at Lysia as he ran a hand through the child’s curly raven locks. "And you my darling daughter and your brother will have a visitor tomorrow." "Who Daddy?" The little girl’s deep brown eyes sparkled with piqued interest. "Your Grandfather Zeus will be stopping by tomorrow. I told him all about you and Lycus and now he can’t wait to meet you both." "Wow!" The child breathed as her brown eyes widened with excitement. Zeus would be the second god she met and he was not only her grandfather but also a King! Lysia wiggled from underneath the sheet and furs covering her body. Clutching her doll in one hand, she crawled to the foot of the bed. "Hey, where are you going?" Xena asked. "Back to my own room." Lysia now stood on the bear skin rug on the floor by the end of the bed. "You don’t have to go back to your room, you can sleep here with us." Ares said. "Nah, since Mommy will be leavin’ tomorrow, ya two should be alone." The little girl had walked over to the bedchamber door and now stood there with it open as she looked at her parents one last time. "Goodnight." Lysia was still clutching her doll as she walked out the door, closing it behind her. "Goodnight," Ares and Xena said in unison, both not believing what just happened. "She is one perceptive kid," Ares declared. "Why Ares, whatever do you mean?" Xena playfully asked. "When I first saw you in my bed, I thought about us picking up from the night when Zeus interrupted. But when I saw Lysia in the bed with you, I figured we would have to put it off again...and that was okay...but now that she decided to sleep in her own bed..." "We can indeed pickup from where we left off the other night. Lysia is right. Tomorrow, I will be leaving on a long journey and we don’t know when we will get the chance to do this again." Xena tossed aside the sheet and furs covering her body as she moved towards Ares. "So, we shouldn’t waste any more time." Ares moved towards Xena. The two met in the center of the large bed, their lips joining in a kiss as they embraced each other. A moment later, Ares’ leathers and Xena’s nightgown disappeared as they resumed their lovemaking from the other night. CHAPTER 49 "Ohh," the man groaned when he started to regain consciousness. His whole body was like one giant raw nerve and all he felt was agonizing pain. Cautiously, he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, consisting of shapes and colors that slowly transformed into a clear view of his surroundings. The man was in a large room, and judging by the large columns for support, it was located inside a temple. Lit torches lining the walls provided the only light. The man was in the center of the room, standing atop a large round platform. His arms were raised above his head and tied to a metal pulley. He gazed downward to get a view of his body. The only article of clothing he wore was a loincloth. It was dirty and spotted with dry bloodstains. The man knew the stains were from his own blood for his body was scarred with the lacerations of a whip. "Ohh," he groaned again as he recalled the nightmare of the last three days. The man had been beaten and tortured incessantly---his tormentor only stopping whenever he would lose consciousness. He wondered where his tormentor was now since the torture always restarted whenever he regained consciousness. The man knew his torment would end in only one way and that would be his death. The man was not afraid to die---it was something he had prepared himself for, ever since he made the decision to follow the one true god. The man jumped out of his thoughts when he heard maniacal laughter. It pained him greatly, but he did manage to turn his head, setting his burning gaze on his tormentor. Just like the Olympian god the man despised, he wore black leather. But he was tall, skinny, had pasty white skin and wildly styled black hair. His tormentor was nothing more than a godling and there to do the bidding of the more powerful god----the one he despised. "Ooh I see that look in your eyes," the godling taunted as he strolled over to the circular platform. "If you could...you would kill me but your can’t...not even with that black magic of yours...’cause I’m a god." He puffed out his chest and started laughing hysterically again as he proceeded over to a wall where a whip was hanging. The godling stopped laughing when he held the whip in his hands. He strolled over to one of the large columns and with a flick of his wrist, snapped it with the whip. A crackling sound reverberated throughout the room. "Ooh do I like the sound of that," the godling cooed. His dark eyes gleamed with devilment. "Since you’re awake again, I should get back to work." The godling proceeded over to the circular platform, the whip he held poised for continued torture as he started ascending the platform steps. "You’ve done enough Strife," a disembodied deep voice said as its owner came into view from shards of blue light. "Aw, c’mon Unc...let me have another go at him," Strife pleaded. From his position atop the circular platform the man gazed at the new arrival. He was not the least bit surprised to discover from whom the godling had gotten his orders. It was the Olympian he despised most---Ares. "I said that was enough!" The war god repeated in a firm tone. Strife had a disappointed frown on his face upon hearing his uncle’s words. "I want a word with him alone but when I’m through you can come back." Learning he would be able to come back and finish the job he had started pleased Strife so he now had a smile on his pasty face. "Okay." The godling disappeared in a flash of light. "Minos, Minos, Minos...I overestimated you---you are not as smart as I thought." Ares strolled over to the platform and began to circle it as he gazed up at the prisoner bound atop it. "You knew I had marked you with death after that bond you forced upon me but you just had to make an attempt to try and see Xena and now it will cost you." "I am more than prepared to give my life for Dahak so your sentence of death does not frighten me, Ares!" Minos spat. "But you best remember that you are no longer immune from death and will indeed feel its sting if Xena dies." A chuckle escaped the doomed man’s lips. "As an immortal that’s got to be pretty frightening for you." "Ah Minos, I know with your own death imminent it would give some joy in these fleeting moments of life to know that I will be living in fear of my own demise but that is not the case. I will live for countless eons to come because Xena is now on the road that will lead her directly to me and to her own immortality neutralizing the curse your put on my head. So it looks like I erased your final joy but maybe you can find some comfort in knowing that just like you and your master planned, Xena will rule the world." Ares saw the anger blazing in the priest’s eyes and smiled. "Since you said you are prepared to die, I think it’s time you did just that...Strife, you can come back now." Strife had been waiting for his Uncle’s summons and instantly appeared. An eager smile was on the young god’s face. "It’s time," Ares said. "Yes!" Strife rubbed his hands together excitedly as he made his way over to the raised circular platform. The young god turned a crank on the side of the raised structure. A gasp of surprise escaped Minos’ thin lips as he gazed down to see the wood floor beneath him slide open, revealing a pool of dark blue water. "You’re going to drown me, Ares?" "No, your death won’t be something as delicate as that but you will wish that it were." The war god held up his right hand. A raw slab of meat instantly materialized and now hung from his raised hand. Ares walked over to the pool of water below Minos and tossed the raw meat into it. Suddenly, the water churned with a frenzy of activity as the raw meat was devoured. A few moments later, it settled down. Minos had watched with keen interest the activity below him and for a man prepared to die, his eyes were filled with fear. "You are probably wondering what is the creature in the water that devoured the slab of meat," Ares said. "It’s not one creature but several. They are a species of fish called piranha." "Piranha?" Minos gazed downward trying to get a glimpse of the strange fish. "They are not found in this part of the world. They are found in the rivers of a land far beyond the Great Sea and the unknown waters. Centuries ago, I visited the place. They always did say traveling broadens the mind and boy did it ever on this trip. These fish only grow to be about two feet long and look rather harmless until they open their jaws and you get a look at their razor sharp teeth. I saw a school of these fish attack a herd of cattle crossing a river...they took down three bulls...picked their bones cleaned in a matter of minutes. The fish fascinated me so, that I brought some back to Greece and for centuries have been breeding them so I could always have a school around. The ones in the pool under you are babies. I’ve let them pick apart animals but you will be their first human." "Can I now Unc...can I...can I..." Strife stood impatiently by the controls for the pulley to which Minos’ arms were tied. "Go ahead Strife." A devilish smile appeared on the war god’s face. At times he found his nephew annoying but he did appreciate his enthusiasm over the impending death of a very bothersome mortal. A giddy laugh escaped the lips of the young god as he turned another crank that operated the pulley to which Minos was tied and slowly lowered him to the water. The priest’s eyes were wide with fear and loud gasps escaped his thins lips as he watched the dark blue water get closer and closer. Soon his bare feet touched the water then his legs. The bloody whip lacerations instantly attracted the tiny fish that began nipping at his legs. Minos started screaming in pain. The smile on Ares’ face widened as he prepared to depart the room. "Oh...and Strife..." "Yeah Unc?" Strife gazed at his uncle expectantly. He still continued to turn the crank and Minos was now up to his waist in the water, screaming in agony as the tiny fish repeatedly tore into his flesh. "When the fish have picked him clean please dispose of the bones." "Sure thing Unc." Through the agony of his own pain and the churning of the water now red with his own blood, Minos saw Ares vanish in shards of blue light. After that, his head sunk below the bloody water... Minos violently tossed in his bed until he bolted upright, his hands smacking away the creatures nibbling at his body. Suddenly, his eyes flew open. He was not immersed in water and there were no fish tearing at his flesh. His labored breathing began to subside. It had only been a nightmare of how he had died at the hands of Ares many years ago. The high priest got out of his bed and went over to the room that adjoined his bedchamber---his laboratory. Minos walked over to a table, picked up a large crystal flask and stared at its crimson contents. His thin lips curled into a wicked smile. The priest had heard about the godling, Strife, meeting his end with a dagger laced in Hind’s blood. Now, the godling’s Uncle would join him in death. For in just two days, Minos would finally get his revenge on Ares. ********** Cyrene was humming an old Thracian ballad, as she cut some of the flowers she had growing in a small garden behind the tavern. She laid the flowers in a basket slung over a forearm. She thought the brightly colored blossoms would look so lovely in the vase she bought from a pottery merchant passing through Amphipolis. Cyrene was picking some lilacs when she heard a deep baritone voice from her past that she thought she would never hear again. "Hello Cyrene." She looked up from the flowers to gaze at the unexpected visitor. He looked just as he did when she met him in her youth---tall, dark and handsome. At one time, his appearance had mesmerized her but she had seen the real him and now thought he was the epitome of evil. "What are you doing here Ahriman or should I call you Dahak?" "You, Cyrene, may call me Ahriman," he replied with a smile revealing perfect white teeth. "And I am here to see you, why surely you knew I would come now that I am free again?" "We have nothing to discuss, so just leave!" Cyrene made a move towards the tavern. "Ah, you are still just as fiery as you are beautiful." Ahriman blocked her path. "We have plenty to discuss, we do share a daughter after all." "Just forget about Xena!" Cyrene snapped, her blue eyes blazing with anger. "She wants NOTHING to do with you. She knows you are EVIL and will fight to the end to stop you." "I can’t forget about Xena, Cyrene. She is a part of me as I am a part of her. Xena can not keep denying her true self. Her fight against me will bring this to fruition and in the end, she will take her rightful place by my side." "I will kill you myself, before I ever let you get your hands on Xena!" Cyrene lunged at the evil god with the shears she had been using to cut the flowers. Dahak easily removed the shears from her grasp, tossing them aside. He grabbed both her wrists so she couldn’t run away from him. "I didn’t come here to fight with you Cyrene, but to give you a gift." "I don’t want your gift!" Cyrene struggled to free her wrists and was relieved when Ahriman finally released her from his strong grip. "Not even the gift of immortality?" "What are you talking about?" "I can restore your youth...you will never grow old." Ahriman raised a hand, running the back against Cyrene’s face. "I have known many women in my long existence but you are the only one to ever remain in my thoughts...even during all my years of entrapment. I want you with me Cyrene...forever...ruling beside me as my Queen." "Like I told you Ahriman, I don’t want your gift!" Cyrene whipped her face away from his hand. "I am not that impressionable young woman you knew all those years ago. I see you for what you really are...an UGLY MONSTER...and death will be a welcomed paradise compared to an eternity with you!" Ahriman was somewhat angered by Cyrene reminding him that she had gotten a glimpse of his cursed form---the scaly, reptilian form of a serpent---branded on him by The Creator, centuries ago. "The paradise of death that you welcome may come sooner than you think!" He hissed. "Take a good long look at everyone and everything around you Cyrene because soon it won’t be here anymore!" "What do you mean?" "I am on my way to taking my rightful place as ruler of this world again," he replied with a smile. "The people of Greece are displeased with the Olympian gods...their fall is imminent." "I don’t believe you," Cyrene said. "Oh, it’s true all right...my actions have sealed their fate...nothing can stop it now," Ahriman stated with unwavering confidence. "The Olympian pantheon will be the first of many to fall ushering in a New World ruled by one god...ME!" "No...it can’t happen...it won’t happen. Xena will stop you." "Your faith in Xena, greatly impresses me Cyrene. Our daughter is a very remarkable and determined woman but even she can’t stop me and in the end she won’t want to." Ahriman’s crystal blue eyes sparkled with a knowing gleam. Cyrene saw the gleam in his eyes and fear began racing through her body. "You did something to Xena, tell me!" She tightly gripped the evil god by his arms as she gazed up at his face waiting for his response. "Oh, I did something to Xena but nothing that will harm her," he assured. "Xena is about to rediscover how attractive her darkside can be and the mistake it was to ever suppress it." Cyrene released his arms and slightly bowed her head. Concern for her daughter now consumed her thoughts. "This should not be seen as a moment to be feared." Ahriman took hold of her chin and turned her gaze up toward his face again. "Our daughter is about to embrace her true destiny and this time Cyrene, don’t abandon her. Accept her for who she was meant to be...join us." Ahriman lowered his head, moving to claim Cyrene’s lips with a kiss. "Get away from my mother!" Ahriman halted his intentions. Cyrene, ashamed by what she almost let happen, backed away from the evil god. Both turned their gaze towards the man now standing in the garden. "Toris, No!" Cyrene shouted as her son unsheathed the sword at his side and charged the evil god. Ahriman easily disarmed Toris, removing the sword from his grasp and tossing it aside. Toris, now weaponless, again charged the god, who effortlessly pushed him some distance away, knocking him to the ground. Cyrene immediately went to her fallen son’s side. Ahriman stood before the pair kneeling in the dirt. His crystal blue eyes blazed with disgust as he looked at Toris. "You foolish man...you are no match for me! For your mother’s sake, I will let you live." The evil god’s face softened as he turned his gaze toward Cyrene. "You were rather hasty when you dismissed my gift so I will give you more time to think about it." With that said, Ahriman vanished in a flame of fire. "So, that was Xena’s father?" Toris asked. "Yes." Cyrene grabbed hold of her son’s left arm, as they both rose to their feet. About a week after Xena and Gabrielle left for the mountains of Macedon, Toris returned to Amphipolis. Apparently, his younger sister had Hermes deliver a message to him. It wasn’t detailed and only stated that he should return to Amphipolis and stay with their mother. When Toris finally arrived and told his mother about Xena’s message, Cyrene sat her son down and revealed to him her involvement with Ahriman and the god being Xena’s real father. "Mother, right before Ahriman left, he mentioned a gift. What did he mean?" "He offered to grant me immortality." Toris’ eyes widened with surprise. "You did turn him down, right?" "Of course I did," Cyrene quickly replied. "But he said something about you thinking it over, so I guess that means he will be back." Concern for his mother was now etched on Toris’ face. "Don’t worry about me, Toris, I can handle Ahriman just fine," Cyrene assured as she wrapped an arm around her son’s shoulders and pulled him close. "I am more worried about your sister...Ahriman said some things...and I fear she may be waaay in over her head this time." ********** Discord’s petite form materialized in the Halls of War. Her dark eyes quickly scanned the room. Ares was not on his throne and no where in sight. She would just have to search the place until she found him. The goddess proceeded down a stone corridor. Tonight would be the opening festivities to a weeklong celebration honoring the five millennia of Olympian reign. By the time the week came to an end, Dahak would rule and the Olympian gods would be dead---all poisoned by Hind’s blood. But Discord was having second thoughts. She was no longer sure if she wanted to go through with Dahak’s plan. That’s why she had come to the Halls of War. Discord was prepared to inform Ares of her alliance with Dahak and disrupt the evil god’s deadly plans for the festival’s opening. Discord was walking down another corridor when she heard sounds coming from a room up ahead. When she reached the door, the goddess was surprised by what she saw. A little boy stood by a table covered with miniature soldiers. These were not just any soldier replicas---these were a gift to Ares from Mithra, the Persian God of War, given to him when the two pantheons were on friendlier terms. The craftsmanship was impeccable, each soldier unique. Ares cherished the gift and never let another soul touch them, not even Discord. But here they were now, being handled by a child! "Hey kid, what are you doing in here and who said you can play with those soldiers!?!?!?" Discord stormed over to the table and yanked a soldier from the child’s grasp. So engrossed was Lycus with the mock battle he had been acting out with the toy soldiers that he was somewhat startled when another loudly entered the room. It was a woman not much bigger than he was. She was dressed in black leather and lace with wild black hair cascading over her slender shoulders. Her blood red lips were twisted in an angry smirk and were a stark contrast against the pale skin of her face. Lycus was just getting to the best part of the battle and didn’t appreciate her interruption. "Give it back!" The child grabbed for the soldier Discord had taken from him but she held it out of his reach. "No way. I know how special these soldiers are...even I am not allowed to touch them, so what are you doing with the soldiers?" "My Dad said I could play with them." Lycus picked up another miniature soldier from the table. "Your dad?" Discord’s brow furrowed with confusion. "Who’s your dad?" "Ares." The goddess was stunned to hear this news. She approached the child and forcefully grabbed him by his arms. "Lemme go!" Lycus struggled to free himself. "Hold still brat, so I can get a look at your face!" Discord roughly gripped the boy’s chin, tilting his face upward so she could gaze at his features. Oh, he was Ares’ kid all right---the same nose, cheekbones, chin, and he even had the war god’s curly black hair. He didn’t get his crystal blue eyes from Ares though. But there was something familiar about them. Discord’s breath caught in her throat. She narrowed her gaze as she stared down at the child’s face. "Your mother, who is she!?!?!?" The goddess demanded. "Xena." Lycus grimaced from the rough grip on his arms. "Xena." Discord repeated the boy’s response through clenched teeth. She released her hold on the child and stepped away from him. Anger began to darken the features of her porcelain face. In a huff, the goddess quickly vanished in a sparkle of light just as Lysia walked into the room. "Ooh, that was another god...which one was it?" Lysia came over to where her brother stood by the table. "Yeah, it was a goddess but I didn’t get her name." Lycus rubbed his arms where Discord had roughly held him. "Hey, are you okay? What happened?" Lysia placed a small hand on her brother’s shoulder. "I’m okay. That goddess was real mad about somethin’ and she took it out on me." "Well, if she comes near ya again, Daddy will take care of her." Lycus nodded in agreement. ********** Discord angrily paced the floor of her residence on Mt. Olympus. So, Ares’ warrior whore had given him a son. The goddess found it hard to contain the rage she felt within. She finally picked up a marble statuette setting atop a table and viciously hurled it at a mirror, shattering it to pieces. Having released her anger in some form, the goddess now stood there gasping for air. With a hand, she pushed her wild raven tresses off her porcelain face. Discord now realized she had been a fool to have second thoughts about her participation in Dahak’s plans. A small part of her had held out hope that she would get Ares back but her brief visit to the Halls of War and meeting the son he shared with Xena had killed that hope. This child had obviously been hidden away and his surfacing now meant that Xena and Ares must be an item again. The war god had fathered thousands of children that had meant nothing to him but Discord knew this child would be different. His mother was the love of Ares’ life---Xena. For some time now, the goddess knew the war god was in love with the warrior princess but only now was she able to admit this fact. Ares would now show off this child to all of Olympus and groom him for a position of power by his side. But that would not happen---for all the gods would be poisoned and exist no more. And Discord had something special planned for Ares’ precious son. The goddess walked over to a table and with a small key, unlocked one of its drawers. Her blood red lips curled into a wicked smile when she retrieved its contents and held it up for view. It was a crystal flask and contained within it was a deep red liquid. Discord’s smile deepened. She had definitely played it smart when she kept some of the Hind’s blood for herself. CHAPTER 50 On the morning the journeys for the search of the Holy Saber began, Ares transported each traveling party to a location on the outskirts of the Olympian pantheon that would take days off their traveling time. Xena, Cyrus and Joxer were transported to an area north of the Roman territories. Tribes of Germans occupied the land. Due to Cyrus’ vast traveling experience and connections with tribe elders, the trio was able to move quickly through the land, cutting a few days off of their journey. They set up camp in the forest. In another day, they would reach northern waters that they would cross, placing them in the town of Ramshog. Some caves were located just outside of the town and that is where they would find their piece of the Holy Saber. It was a few hours after sunrise and the trio was packing up their campsite to continue on with their journey. Xena was getting the horses ready, Cyrus was packing up the remaining gear around their campsite and Joxer was down at a nearby river replenishing their water supplies. Talon was pretty proud of himself. He was doing a superb job pretending to be Joxer. The fallen Watcher had fooled all that knew the former owner of his new body. A smile creased his lips as he filled the last water skin---Xena’s water skin. He was about to cap it when he suddenly realized he forgot to add that special ingredient. Talon reached within his coat and pulled out the goatskin, Gwenyth had given him. He held it upside down, squeezing several drops of its crimson contents into Xena’s water skin. When the task was completed, he capped Xena’s water skin, then set it with the other two. The goatskin containing the red liquid, he weighed in a hand. A wicked smile crossed Talon’s face. Soon, the goatskin would be empty and that would mean the transformation would be complete. At first, Talon didn’t think the crimson substance was working because Xena seemed to be acting no different than usual. When their journey started, Talon had upped the dosage and now the changes were becoming visible. Xena’s sleep was no longer restful. She was withdrawn and her temper was short. She had even snapped at Cyrus a few times. Talon knew Xena had to be wondering what was wrong with her. She would soon learn what was happening but by then she would fully embrace the changes. Talon retrieved the three water skins and headed back to where he had left his two traveling companions. When he reached the campsite it was clear of their gear. Xena and Cyrus sat on their horses and were ready to resume their journey. "Here’s your water, Cyrus." He held the water skin up for Cyrus to take it as he sat atop Xerxes. "Thanks Joxer." "And here is yours, Xena." He had a smile on his face as he handed Xena the water skin as she sat atop Argo. "Thanks." Xena took the water skin and secured it on the saddle. Joxer strolled over to his trusty steed, Otis, and mounted the animal. "Okay, let’s head on out." Xena led the way on Argo and her two companions followed on their horses. ********** Hercules and Iolaus had been transported to a seaport town in Southern Gaul. It was now under Roman occupation, which like the Greeks worshipped the gods of Olympus. A merchant, devoted to Hermes, had agreed to let them have use of one of his ships and its crew for their journey across the rest of the Great Sea and into unknown waters. "So Herc, what is the name of this ship we are sailing on?" Iolaus asked as the pair walked along the docks. "It’s called the Oasis and it should be around here somewhere." Hercules scanned the many ships tied up in port. "Ah, there it is." The pair approached an impressive looking ship with the name Oasis painted in gold across the bow. The crew was busy moving around the ship, making last minute preparations before their journey. "My ship is a beauty, isn’t it fellas?" A female voice asked from behind them as they stood admiring the ship. Hercules and Iolaus quickly whirled around to see who had addressed them. "Nebula! This certainly is a surprise!" Iolaus said. "What are you doing here?" Hercules asked. Both men took turns grasping her forearm in a greeting of friendship. "I was looking for some new stomping grounds and heard southern Gaul was the place to be so I decided to check it out." She gave her friends the once over. "You two are certainly looking good, especially you monkey man." Nebula ran a hand down Iolaus’ chest. "You’re looking good too," Iolaus replied as he took in the sight of Nebula’s tall toned brown-skinned form. Hercules just grinned as he watched his two friends flirt with one another. "Nebula, you mentioned something about this ship being yours." "That’s right, it is," she replied with a big smile. "But we were told this ship was owned by a merchant named Gordium." "Oh, he use to own this ship but the man’s a lousy card player and lost it to me," Nebula said. "Excuse us, Nebula." Iolaus pulled Hercules aside. "What are we going to do now Herc? We needed that ship to get out into those unknown western waters." "I will just have to call Hermes and he will have to get another one of his merchants to lend us the use of a ship," Hercules replied. Nebula couldn’t help but overhear their conversation and decided to join in. "Uh fellas, if Gordium promised you the use of the Oasis, I would be more than willing to honor it." "You would? Aw wow, that’s great Nebula!" Iolaus had a smile on his face as he walked back over to the attractive pirate woman. "Uh, before you volunteer your ship, we should first tell you where we will be sailing." Hercules stood before his two friends, his gaze fixed on Nebula who looked at him expectantly. "Yeah, Herc is right." Iolaus said. "We have to sail through the uncharted waters west of the Great Sea. "Now, if you want to back out, we will understand. Those waters have not been sailed by many and are a virtual mystery," Hercules said. "You guys should know by now that mysteries are right up my alley, so you can count me in." Nebula proceeded up the plank that led to her newly acquired ship. Hercules and Iolaus followed after her. "Okay men, lift that anchor and get this ship sailing!" Nebula shouted to her crew as she began to stroll the deck. Hercules and Iolaus followed after her to see how they could lend a hand in maintaining the ship. By evening, the ship reached the narrow strait that separated Europe from Africa and would lead them into the mysterious waters of the west. Hercules and Iolaus had joined Nebula in her cabin for dinner. When Nebula had finished her meal, she pushed her empty plate away before looking at the two gentlemen seated around her. "So, are you two going to tell me the reason behind your need to venture into the unknown waters of the west?" "We are looking for something." Iolaus took a quick sip from his mug. "A sword...really a piece of a sword." "And why do you need this piece of a sword...is it part of a treasure?" Nebula leaned forward. Her brown eyes sparkled with piqued interest. "No there’s no treasure involved...just a lot of danger," Iolaus confessed. He turned his gaze toward his best friend. "Herc, I think you would do a better job of filling her in than I would." Nebula now had her gazed fixed on Hercules too as she waited for the demi-god to fill her in on just exactly what was the meaning behind this journey. The demi-god took a deep breath before giving a detailed synopsis regarding Dahak’s arrival, their discovery of his dark plans and their efforts to stop him. "It is before my time but I am somewhat familiar with the details concerning Dahak’s war with Persia," Nebula said once Hercules had given her all of the details. "My homeland is Sumeria, so my people were practically eyewitnesses to the atrocities committed by Dahak and his cult." "Then you know how important it is for us to stop him." Hercules said. "Oh, I do all right and that’s why I want to help you find this sword piece," Nebula said. "We welcome your help," Iolaus said. "We’ve got maps to help us find the sword piece and being a pirate, this should be right up your alley." "Then, to the search." Nebula raised her mug filled with mead. Hercules and Iolaus raised their mugs too. They all smiled before bringing their mugs to their lips. ********** Autolycus, Meleager and Salmoneus had been transported east of the Black Sea. The trio continued east until they reached the land of Chin. Once in Chin, the trio met up with a fellow named Zhen Yu. He had been one of the leaders who had spoken out about the tyranny under the reign of Ming Tien. Zhen Yu was very grateful when Xena freed the people of Chin from Ming Tien’s harsh reign so he was more than willing to honor her request to help her friends reach the mountains of Chin located in the east. Zhen Yu picked a few of his trusted men to accompany them on their journey east. They had been traveling for almost a week when they reached the town of Shu. "We will stop here," Zhen Yu declared as the traveling party made their way down the town’s main street. "Zhen Yu is right." Autolycus quickly scanned the map he was holding. "Shu is just a few days journey west of the Daba Mountains and that’s where we will find our piece of the Holy Saber." "Sounds good to me," Meleager declared. "I’ll take the others and get us some rooms at a local Inn." Meleager urged his horse to trot off down another street. Zhen Yu’s men followed after him on their own horses. Autolycus, Salmoneus and Zhen Yu urged their horses to continue down the main street of the town. There appeared to be some event happening in the town square because many of the town folk could be found there. The trio dismounted their horses, then eased their way through the crowd. When they got to the front of the crowd they could see a large raised platform. A muscular man wearing a black mask and wielding a large ax stood atop the platform. Wails of sorrow poured from some in the crowd, as a bound man was lead up the platform. The man was forced to his knees and his head placed on a block before the man wielding an axe. At that moment a frail looking woman ran out of the crowd. She headed right for a man dressed in fine robes and seated upon a large chair supported by four pallbearers. Before she could reach him, warriors who held out their swords halted her. "Wong Tai, please spare my son, he’s all I’ve got left!" The woman cried. Some warriors stepped forward and dragged the woman back over to the crowd. They deposited her there on the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks. The gathered crowd turned their attention once again to the raised platform. The muscular man wearing the black mask raised the ax he held, high above his head, then swiftly brought it down, cutting off the head of the man kneeling before him. "Ew, gods!" Salmoneus grimaced as he turned his head away. "And I thought executions in Greece were bad." Autolycus shook his head in disgust. "Zhen Yu, do you know why that man was executed?" Salmoneus asked. "From what I was able to pick up from the crowd, he stood up against the local warlord, Wong Tai, he controls this region of Chin. "Ah, the fellow sitting in the large chair with the pallbearers," Autolycus remarked. The trio turned to look at the warlord. He was young in age, probably in his early twenties. His hair was worn in a single black braid that was slug over one shoulder. "Hey Sal, check out the strange pendant around his neck. Is that what I think it is?" Salmoneus squinted his eyes to get a better look at the medallion around the warlord’s neck. He then pulled out a sheet of parchment they had been given by Cyrus. On it was a drawing of the Saber. "Holy Hera, it is!" He breathed. Zhen Yu quickly looked over Salmoneus’ shoulder at the drawing then the medallion around the warlord’s neck. "Hey, that looks like a piece from the sword you are looking for." "Yes," Autolycus and Salmoneus wearily said in unison. The trio quickly made their way through the crowd, found their horses and headed for the town Inn to rejoin their friends. ********** "So, let me get this straight..." Meleager was lounging on a bed, that consisted of a sleeping mat on the floor---the custom in Chin, gazing at his two friends seated at a table in the room of the Inn where they were staying. "The piece of the Holy Saber that we are suppose to find waaay up in the Daba Mountains is not there because it belongs to the local warlord whose wearing it around his neck." "I wonder how he got it?" Salmoneus asked. "Oh, who cares how he got it," Autolycus said. "What matters is getting it away from him." At that moment Zhen Yu came through the door and seated himself at the table with Autolycus and Salmoneus. "What were you able to find out?" Salmoneus asked. "Apparently as a child, Wong Tai was heavy into mountain climbing and was always wandering around the Daba Mountains. That’s how he came across the sword piece. On the day he found the sword piece, he got caught up in a fight between to warring warlords. Well, one of the warriors involved in the fight threw a dagger at another but Wong Tai happened to be in the line of fire. The dagger hit him in the chest but didn’t break the skin because the sword piece was in a shirt pocket and the metal it is made out of deflected the dagger. Ever since that incident, Wong Tai has worn the sword piece as a good luck charm around his neck." "This is just great, how will we get the sword piece from him now?" Meleager asked. "He will never part with it." "Calm down Meleager, don’t get yourself all worked up in a tizzy." Autolycus rose from his chair and started to pace the floor. "But he’s right Auto," Salmoneus said. "It’s going to be awfully hard to get that sword piece now. A warlord has it and he’s got a slew or warriors protecting him. We don’t want to end up like that poor fellow we saw lose his head this afternoon." Salmoneus swallowed hard and rubbed his neck in an uncomfortable fashion. "Hey, when we agreed to help Xena with this Dahak mess, we knew it would be dangerous so don’t start getting all chicken now," Autolycus said. "So, a warlord is wearing the sword piece we need as a lucky charm...big deal. We have our own...and it’s me." "You???" Meleager and Salmoneus said in unison before breaking out into laughter. "Hey, what’s so funny?" Zhen Yu curiously gazed at the two laughing men who were now holding their sides. "Pay no attention to them Zhen Yu," Autolycus said. "They may be laughing now but they know I am the only one with the talent for a job like this." Zhen Yu’s brow was furrowed with confusion after hearing Autolycus’ words. "My new friend, back in Greece, I am known as the King of Thieves and soon I will be known as that in Chin too." Autolycus had a smile on his face as he checked out his reflection in a mirror. "Yeah." He ran his fingers over his moustache. "That sword piece is as good as ours." ********** Darnelle, Glaphyra and Draco were transported to one of the southern most Greek isles in the Great Sea where they sought passage on a ship that took them to Egypt. Once there, they traveled to the palace and met with Queen Cleopatra. To show her gratitude for Xena’s disruption of an assassination attempt on her life, the Queen would provide a guide for Xena’s friends for their trip to southeast Africa. Their guide was a man named Ahkmim. His family had served the Pharaohs of Egypt for centuries and his loyalty to his Queen was unquestionable. The trio, along with their guide Ahkmim and two other men boarded a barge that took them down the Nile, through the lands of Nubia and Kush. It took them over a week, traveling through barren deserts and thick jungles but the group eventually reached the volcanic mountains of southeast Africa, the resting place for a piece of the Holy Saber. The traveling party set up camp for the night near a river at the base of the mountain range. Ahkmim was studying the maps that Cyrus had created, deciding the best route they should take when they resumed their journey. The men that Ahkmim had selected to accompany them on their journey were busy setting up their camp. "Hey Glaphyra...Draco and I are going to hunt us some food, you want to come along?" Darnelle asked. "Nah, I’m going to take advantage of being near this river and take a bath." "Just make sure there are no crocodiles," Draco said. "I already checked with Ahkmim and he said this river is crocodile free, so when you guys see me later, I will be nice and clean." Glaphyra took off in the direction of the river. When Glaphyra reached the river, she discarded her clothing and quickly jumped in the cool water. Her skin had felt so grimy from the jungle heat and the cool waters of the river were greatly welcomed. She dunk her head under the water, letting her hair get wet. Glaphyra floated around on her back for awhile, just enjoying the soothing cool waters. The sun was beginning to descend in the sky when she started to head for the riverbank. She was putting on her clothes, when a man jumped out of the nearby foliage grabbing hold of her and pulling her to him. He was tall, brown-skinned with short black hair. He wore only a loincloth made of some animal skin and his face was decorated with red and green paint. When the man spoke, Glaphyra could not understand his language. The man had dark brown eyes that gazed at her in awe. He was very fascinated by her blond hair that he touched with a hand. "Let go of me!" Glaphyra struggled to free herself but the man’s grip was too strong. The man spoke some more in that language that Glaphyra didn’t understand as one of his big hands began to roam her partially clothed body. This caused her to struggle even more for freedom. Suddenly, the man lifted her off the ground, laid her form across a broad shoulder, then proceeded to take off through the jungle. "Darnelle! Draco! Help me!" Glaphyra screamed as the man started running through the jungle. The man hadn’t gone much further when Darnelle stepped out from behind him hitting the guy in the back of the head. The man stumbled a bit and tried to continue running when Draco stepped out in front of him, landing a punch to his face. The man lost his grip on Glaphyra who was slung over a shoulder as he fell to the ground. Glaphyra fell to the ground too and was helped up by Darnelle. Draco approached the man who was still lying on the ground. When Draco knelt over the man, he quickly bolted upright, piercing Draco’s left arm with a sharp object. "Ouch!" Draco yelled as he jumped away from the man who immediately took off into the thick jungle, quickly disappearing from sight. Darnelle and Glaphyra were immediately at their friend’s side. "Are you okay?" Darnelle asked. "Yeah, I think so," Draco grunted as his friends helped him to his feet. "That puncture on your left arm is bleeding pretty bad." Glaphyra stated with concern. Darnelle handed him a cloth to wrap around the wound. The trio heard someone moving through the thick jungle foliage and quickly turned to see if their big friend had come back. But all three sighed with relief when they saw Ahkmim and the others from their traveling party. "What happened?" Ahkmim asked. "It appears a native of this region tried to carry Glaphyra off against her will and we stopped him," Darnelle replied. Ahkmim gazed at Draco’s bandaged arm. "You’re hurt, let me have a look at that." Ahkmim carefully removed the bandage on Draco’s arm and inspected the wound. "We must get you back to the campsite...this is no ordinary wound...you were struck with a poison dart." "Poison!!!" Draco, Darnelle and Glaphyra said in unison. "God’s Akhmim can you help him?" Darnelle now had a concerned look on his face that matched the one on Glaphyra’s. "I can if I get the herbs I need to break down the poison before it spreads through his system." "Where can you get these herbs?" Draco asked. "Fortunate for you what I need can be found about a mile from our camp, down river." Ahkmim looked to the two men who had accompanied them. "Buto and Soleb." The two men stepped forward. "You must go down river and bring back the root of the Nimbuki plant, now hurry!" The two men quickly departed for their destination. "We must get Draco back to the camp and make sure he gets some rest." Ahkmim gently took hold of Draco’s injured arm and Glaphyra the other as they prepared to head back to their campsite. Darnelle spotted an object lying on the ground and went to retrieve it. "Hey Ahkmim, do you by any chance know what this is?" Darnelle held up the object he had found. Ahkmim let go of Draco’s arm, went over to Darnelle and took hold of the object. "This is an amulet worn by the Simbutu warriors." "That guy who tried to carry me off must have dropped it," Glaphyra said. "Oh, this is not good," Ahkmim sighed. "What’s wrong?" Darnelle asked. "The Simbutus are said to be cannibals." "Gee, and I thought he was trying to run-off with Glaphyra because he wanted her for his girlfriend when he probably only wanted to have her for dinner," Darnelle jested. "Ha-ha-ha...very funny Darnelle," Glaphyra stated with sarcasm. "This whole area must be their territory and I heard they don’t like trespassers. We must get back to our campsite and pray that Simbutu warrior doesn’t come back with friends." Ahkmim reclaimed Draco’s injured arm and along with Glaphyra head back for their campsite. "I knew this wouldn’t be a pleasure trip but I never thought I would have to protect myself from being someone’s meal," Darnelle stated as he walked behind the trio. "I sure hope the others are fairing out better than us," Draco said. CHAPTER 51 Ares ran a hand through the woman’s brown shoulder length hair. A look of sadness was in his deep brown eyes as he gazed down at her unconscious face. "Oh Artemis," he wearily sighed. The war god lifted his sister’s unconscious form and proceeded to carry her down a long white marble corridor. When Ares reached the end of the corridor, it opened up into a large circular room where a centaur, stood waiting. The war god placed his sister’s form into the muscular outstretched arms of the centaur. "Cephalus, place my sister with the others." "Yes, lord Ares." Cephalus turned and carrying Artemis’ unconscious form departed the circular room. Ares stood there a moment more before going about the necessary task. Yesterday had begun the weeklong celebration in honor of the five millennia of Olympian rule. All the gods of Olympus had gathered together in their ethereal realm for the opening festivities. Ambrosia wine had been served to toast the celebration. Soon after everyone had drank the wine they all fell ill. It didn’t take long for the gods to discover that they had been poisoned with Hind’s blood. Fortunate for Ares, he had only made a brief appearance at the opening festivities and left before the toast with Ambrosia wine so he escaped being poisoned. The war god knew Dahak was behind the poisoning but wondered where he had gotten Hind’s blood since the golden creatures were extinct. And to make matters worse, Dahak had destroyed some villages using thunderbolts---Zeus’ trademark. This act increased the discontent among the mortals with the gods of Olympus. Dahak had made it appear as if Zeus had destroyed whole villages, killing hundreds of innocent people all for the amusement of celebrating their five thousand-year reign. Right now, the other gods were still alive but they wouldn’t be for long if an antidote for the Hind’s blood poisoning wasn’t found. For centuries, Ares had desired the demise of his fellow gods and with it now being a possible reality, the war god was actually sad. Despite all his disagreements with the other gods, they were his family and try as he did to deny it he would miss them. That’s why Ares was now determined to make sure they did indeed live. He did not want Dahak to strike at the gods in this weakened state, so he had all of them moved from Mt. Olympus and taken to the caves located beneath his mountain fortress in Macedon. The move had gone well, except for one problem---Zeus was missing. The King of the Gods had been poisoned like the others but he had not slipped into unconsciousness yet. Ares knew that Dahak was responsible for his father’s disappearance. Now he feared what the evil god had in store for Zeus. ********** In the town of Assiros, a large angry mob had gathered in the town square, shouting cheers in agreement with the man standing before them. "To the Olympians, we are nothing more than figures on a chessboard...to be played with and discarded at their whim," the man declared. The people gathered around him shouted in agreement. "Look at how they celebrated their five thousands years of reigning over us...Zeus destroyed ten villages with thunderbolts." Shouts of anger are heard from the crowd. "For centuries, the gods of Olympus have taken for granted the worship of the people of Greece. But I am hear to tell you that worship will end today!" Again the people shouted in agreement with the man. "From this day forward, the people of Greece will not have their fates dictated by hypocritical, murdering, self-centered gods. We will be the masters of our own destinies." Again, the people shouted in agreement with the man. "But first, we must punish the gods of Olympus for their numerous crimes against the people of Greece." The crowd parted as two men ushered an older man, his hands bound with chains, to the center of the town square. The man wore a robe made of the finest silk. His shoulder length hair was snowy white along with a closely trimmed moustache and beard. He appeared to be disoriented and having trouble standing, so the two men were practically dragging him to the center of the square. As all eyes followed the trio, someone in the crowd shouted, "It’s Zeus!" Chatter erupted in the crowd as all realized that it was indeed the King of the Gods who stood before them, bound in chains. "That’s right, this is the once all powerful Zeus!" The man’s tone was mocking and his eyes burned with contempt as he gazed at the King of the Gods. "But it appears he did a bit too much celebrating and has lost the use of his powers. That’s why we were able to capture and bind him with ordinary chains." The man stretched out an arm, pointing a finger at the people gathered around him. "Now all of you will get to decide his fate." "Kill him!" One man in the crowd shouted. "Yeah, death to Zeus!" Another shouted. Soon the whole crowd was caught up in a chant of "Death to Zeus! Death to Zeus!" The King of the Gods looked like an ordinary old man as he stood in silence listening to the crowd of people demand his death. But he seemed to be oblivious to the chants because a disoriented look was still plastered on his very pale face. "It looks like we stopped in the right town to rest the horses." Aurora’s gaze was fixed on the bound old man standing at the center of the town square. "But that rest will have to be cut short because we found who we are looking for and now we have to get him out of here before these people kill him." Solari glanced at the angry crowd around them. The Amazons had gotten word that Dahak had kidnapped Zeus and were told to be on the look out for the King. Aurora and Solari had stopped in Assiros to rest their horses before continuing their journey when they came across this hate rally for the Olympians taking place in the town square. The two Amazons quickly formulated a plan to rescue Zeus. Solari and Aurora had made sure a nearby building was entirely empty before they started throwing lit torches through the structure’s windows. It didn’t take long for the structure to be consumed by the spreading flames. ********** "How should we kill Zeus?" The man asked the crowd. "We should hang him!" Someone shouted from the crowd. "Nah, hanging is too good for him!" Another shouted in the crowd. "It’s a pity we can’t kill him with his own thunderbolts!" One of Zeus’ captors shouted. This got a laugh from many in the crowd. "We could burn him at the stake!" Someone shouted in the crowd. "That would be the closest match to his thunderbolts burning people alive in their homes," the man said. "So, burning at the stake it will be!" The crowd shouted in agreement. "Look everyone...the schoolhouse is on fire!" Someone shouted. All turned to gaze at the schoolhouse being consumed by flames that threatened to spread to nearby structures. "We must put it out before it spreads!" Many in the crowd took off to get the water wagons. With the crowd now distracted by the fire, Solari and Aurora made their move to save the King of the Gods. Aurora took care of the two men who had brought Zeus to the town square while Solari went to rescue the King. The two men were no matches for the Amazon. With a few punches and kicks to their faces and bodies, both men lay on the ground unconscious. The man who had incited the crowd stood by the disoriented Zeus. One of his hands gripped Zeus by the arm while the other brandished a sword, ready to ward of Solari. "Shame on you!" Solari easily kicked the sword from the man’s grasp. The man stood there with a surprise look on his face that quickly turned to anger. He released his hold on the weakened god and charged Solari, swinging a fist. The Amazon easily dodged the blow as she delivered a hard one of her own to the man’s stomach. The man was doubled over and gasping for breath when Solari grabbed him by the scruff of his collar. "You should have joined your fellow townsfolk in putting out that fire." She shoved the man headfirst into a wooden pole planted in the town square. The man fell to the ground unconscious. Aurora had already removed the chains binding Zeus’ hands. "We have to get you out of here." Solari took hold of Zeus’ right arm and along with Aurora led the weakened disoriented god to where they had left their horses. The town folk were too busy trying to extinguish the spreading fire to even notice the two Amazons and the King of the Gods who walked right by them to their waiting horses. They got Zeus safely atop one of the horses. Solari rode with Zeus while Aurora mounted the other horse. Without looking back, the trio quickly departed the town of Assiros. ********** Gabrielle removed the cloth from the basin of cool water. She wrung out the excess water, then placed the cloth on the forehead of the woman lying before her. A faint smile crossed her lips as she gazed at the woman’s flushed face. Despite the woman’s dire condition she still radiated with divinity. The smile faded from the bard’s face as she brushed aside a dark brown lock of hair from the woman’s cheek. She had always wanted to meet the Goddess of Wisdom, but not like this. Athena lay in a coma due to Hind’s blood poisoning. Gabrielle looked around to all the other beds set up in the caves under Ares’ mountain fortress. Each was filled with a god, lying in comas just like Athena. Some of the servants from Ares’ fortress moved about the beds, tending to the incapacitated deities. All of them would die if an antidote was not found. A sigh of fatigue escaped Gabrielle’s lips as she rose to her feet. It was time for her to head on up to the castle and spend some time with the twins. The children knew something was taking place under the castle and were curious to find out just what but Gabrielle made sure they never went down there. She figured they were too young for such sights. The bard was walking between the many occupied beds when in a burst of pink rose petals the Goddess of Love appeared before her. Aphrodite’s blue eyes were filled with tears as she quickly scanned the beds around her. She put a hand to her mouth to keep a wail of sorrow from escaping her pink lips. When she finally noticed Gabrielle, she quickly moved to stand before the bard. "I came as soon as I heard...this is just awful," the goddess sniffed. Out of nothing, she produced a pink silk handkerchief and began dabbing at the tears, which now rolled down her face. "Aphrodite, it’s good to see you walking around and healthy," Gabrielle said with relief. "I was beginning to think that Ares was the only one who escaped the Hind’s blood." "So, Ar is okay too huh? That is good to hear. But I guess the rest of my family..." Aphrodite looked around at all the occupied beds again. "Have all been poisoned?" "I’m afraid so," Gabrielle replied in a grim tone. "It appears Dahak managed to get his hands on Hind’s blood and used it to taint the wine served at the fifth millennium celebration held on Mt. Olympus." "That damn Dahak!" The Goddess of Love growled. "If only we had listened to Ar months ago...none of this would be happening." She wiped away the new tears that began forming in her eyes. A soft smile formed on her face as she gazed at Gabrielle. "Hey sweetpea, I never did tell you how great I think it is that you are alive again." "Thanks, it’s good to be back." Gabrielle let a soft smile crease her own lips. "Uh hon, could you show me in which beds I can find Cupie and Hephie?" Aphrodite asked. "Sure." Gabrielle took the goddess by the arm and led her over to the beds containing her husband and her son. The two gods lay in beds right next to each other. The servants tending to them moved aside when Gabrielle and Aphrodite approached. Each god was very pale, their foreheads beaded with drops of sweat. "Oh Cupie," Aphrodite sighed with sadness as she put the handkerchief she held to her mouth. She ran a slender hand through her son’s blond hair. Gabrielle stood silently nearby, her face etched with sympathy for the Goddess of Love. Aphrodite turned her attention to Hephaestus, who lay in the bed next to her son. She sat on the side of the bed, held one of his pale clammy hands in hers as she gazed at his comatose face. "You have to come back to me Hephie, so I can tell you I didn’t mean the things that I said." Aphrodite turned toward Gabrielle. "Y’see, Hephie and I had this major fight, it was really about nothing...we said some awful things to each other. That’s why I skipped the opening celebration. I was still so mad at Hephie and didn’t want to run into him at the party. I wished he had a lousy time at the party...but nothing like...like this." The goddess bowed her blond head and began to weep. Gabrielle approached Aphrodite, putting her arms around her in a comforting gesture. "I’m sure deep down inside, Hephaestus knows you didn’t mean the things you said." She ran a hand through the goddess’ blond tresses. "We will find the antidote to the Hind’s blood poison and Cupid and Hephaestus will be as good new...as will the others," she assured. "I was about to go up to the castle, you should come with me." Gabrielle helped Aphrodite to her feet. She kept an arm of comfort around the goddess’ shoulders as they made their way to the stairs that led to the fortress above. ********** "Damn it...I can’t believe it’s all gone!!!" Discord angrily pounded her fists on a table. The petite goddess gazed about the room in which she stood. The place looked like it had been hit by a cyclone. Chairs were tossed about the room and drawers from tables laid about the floor. This was one of the rooms in her own residence and it now mirrored all the others, like it had been it by a cyclone. The goddess had frantically searched one room after another and each time came up empty. Just like all the other structures on Mt. Olympus, the ambrosia she kept in her own residence was gone! Discord’s breathing was heavy as she began to pace the floor. Her brow furrowed with deep thought as she brushed aside the wild raven tresses now hanging in her face. It was obvious who had taken all of the ambrosia, now she just had to discover where he had hidden the famed food of the gods. Discord was brought out of her thoughts about the ambrosia when she heard a familiar deep voice. "YOU!!! Why does this not surprise me?" The goddess turned to see Ares’ black leather clad form leaning against the doorframe, his muscular arms folded across his broad chest. "I don’t know what you are talking about," the goddess replied in an innocent tone. "Oh yes you do---your walking around and being unscathed by Hind’s blood poison is proof of that!" Ares proceeded into the room and stopped some feet away from where Discord stood. "My not being poisoned only proves that I made the right choice, just as you did by not attending the fifth millennium celebration." "Oh, cut the bullshit Discord! Dahak needed someone inside the Olympian pantheon to do his dirty work and that someone was YOU---you are the one who spiked the ambrosia wine with Hind’s blood!" "Me!?!?!? You are the more likely candidate for such a role!!!" She huffed. "After all, you did betray Olympus once before to team up with Dahak and you could have easily done it again!" "My alliance with Dahak was a ruse," the war god calmly stated. "Only someone filled with jealousy, bent on revenge and completely STUPID...all three characteristics that you, my dear, possess, would ally themselves with the One Great Evil." Discord’s porcelain face darkened and she was now seething with anger. "Oh, I allied myself with Dahak all right and it was the wisest choice I ever made," Discord proudly admitted. "He’s smarter than you, more ruthless than you and...he’s even a better lover than you!" Her blood red lips curled into a wicked smile as she placed her hands on her hips. "Dahak has played you for a FOOL, Discord! He used you to bring down Olympus and now that you have served your purpose, he will dispose of you right along with the rest of us!" Ares started to lessen the distance between him and the goddess. Upon hearing Ares’ words, the smile on Discord’s face faltered, but came quickly back into place when she started backing away from the approaching war god. "Don’t you think that idea has crossed my mind? That’s why I’ve taken precautions to protect myself." "If you are talking about the Hind’s blood...it can’t kill Dahak. As I told you, the only thing that will kill him is the Holy Saber." Ares let his features soften as he continued to speak. "It’s not too late for you to re-establish your loyalties to the family. Just give me the Hind’s blood I know you kept for yourself. It’s needed to create an antidote to cure the other gods." "Since when did you start caring about the well-being of the other gods?" With lightening quick speed, Discord hurled a fireball directly at Ares. The war god dove out of way, seeking safety behind an overturned table. Discord shot off several more fireballs before fleeing the room. Ares came from behind the table and ran over to the door. The war god held out his hand, that emitted a glow from a ball of energy. He only intended to stun Discord with a hit because he needed her alive to find out where she had hidden the Hind’s blood. As the war god prepared to hurl the energy ball at the goddess’ retreating form, he was hit from behind with a ball of energy. The energy ball hit Ares on the right side and to his surprise was agonizingly painful. He had a pretty good idea who had thrown the ball but he turned anyway to see who it was. Dahak stood in the center of the room. He was dressed, as he was when Ares had first seen him face to face in Herakleia---black leather covering a slender muscular form, shiny black leather boots, and a black cape billowing down his broad back. Ares ignored the pain in his side as he addressed Dahak. "You certainly are brazen to be walking around Mt. Olympus." "Since the gods of Olympus will soon be no more, I’d figured it was time to check out my new home." Dahak had a wicked grin on his face, revealing perfect white teeth. But the smile quickly faded as his handsome features darkened. "It appears you have gotten a reprieve from the Hind’s blood poison but I’m afraid that’s about to come to an end." Dahak raised a hand and hurled another energy ball at Ares. Still feeling the pain of the first hit and not wanting to feel that again, Ares quickly vanished in shards of blue light. ********** Gabrielle invited Aphrodite to have dinner with her and the twins at Ares’ fortress. Spending time with her newfound niece and nephew actually brightened the mood of the Goddess of Love. Gabrielle decided to go back down to the caves under the fortress. She left Aphrodite engrossed with entertaining the children with a tale of how she unified two kingdoms with love between a prince and a princess. When she finally reached the caves, the bard was informed by one of the servants that the state of the comatose gods had not changed but two of her Amazon sisters had arrived since her departure. She found them in one of the smaller caves. "Solari...Aurora! What are you two doing here?" Gabrielle embraced each Amazon in a hug. "We brought Zeus here," Solari replied. "The Hind’s blood poison has left him weakened and disoriented. We found him with a mob of angry villagers." "And not a moment too soon. They were about to burn him at the stake," Aurora added. "Thank goodness you found him," Gabrielle said with true relief. "Where is he now?" "We placed him in the largest of the caves. Ares is with him right now." Gabrielle excused herself and went to the larger cave. She found the war god standing over the bed his father now occupied. Quietly she approached and stood beside him. Ares gave a sideward glance in her direction before speaking. "He was awake when the Amazons brought him here but since then he has slipped into a coma...just like the others." The war god moved away from the bed containing his father and moved to stand by the bed containing the comatose form of his half-brother Hermes. Gabrielle remained by Zeus’ bedside and gazed at the war god. She would swear his brown eyes were welling up with tears as he ran a hand over his brother’s blond hair. His lips were curled downward in a sad frown. "Dahak had a spy on Mt. Olympus." "Who was it?" Gabrielle asked. "Discord," Ares replied as he turned to face the bard. His cool demeanor was firmly back in place. "Discord!" Gabrielle was truly surprised by this news. "I know she hangs out with you, so she can be quite a bi…" Gabrielle stopped herself from finishing that sentence and went another route. "Why would Discord ally herself with Dahak?" "I think it was mainly out of jealousy...you see, I essentially tossed her aside for another and this was her way of getting back at me plus there’s the power angle." Gabrielle had a pretty good idea who the other was that Ares had ditched Discord for but decided now was not the time to bridge that subject. "I found her trashing her own place. She was looking for the ambrosia...and oh was she mad that I had confiscated it all." "Why did you take all of the ambrosia?" Gabrielle asked. "When I saw how the other gods were poisoned, I knew Dahak had to have a spy on Mt. Olympus. I also started thinking that they might make a move to grab the ambrosia and turn Dahak’s ol’ buddies who are now walking around in mortal bodies into gods. It’s not the power they had in their Watcher bodies but it’s the closest they will ever get." Ares left his brother’s side, went over to a large boulder and carefully seated himself upon, trying not to grimace. But the discomfort he was obviously feeling did not go unnoticed by Gabrielle. "Are you okay?" "I’m...fine," he replied not too convincingly. "No you’re not." Gabrielle walked over to where the god uncomfortably sat on the boulder. "I told you I’m fine so just leave me alone and go tend to the gods who really need it." Ares had his left hand protectively resting on his right side. "No, I won’t." Gabrielle removed his hand, to her surprise, without much protest. She knew the god was injured but the leather was in the way. "Please, remove the sword belt." A weary sigh escaped Ares’ lips as he removed his sword belt. Gabrielle proceeded to open his leather vest but stopped when Ares winced. She resumed opening the vest but with more gentleness. When she finally had it open, a gasp of shock escaped her lips. "Gods Ares, this looks awful!" Running along the war god’s right side and partially onto his stomach was a deep red burn that was covered with blisters. "If you think this looks bad, you should see the hole in my other vest." A chuckle escaped his lips that soon turned to a groan of pain because the slightest movement made his side hurt. "You should have told me you were injured so I could take care of this." Gabrielle went over to a table, retrieved some cloths sitting atop it and brought them back over to the war god. "There was nothing you could do. This wound should heal itself anyway." "You need to remove your vest so I can bandage it." Ares remained silent but rolled his eyes as he removed the vest. Gabrielle proceeded to wrap a roll of cloth around his midsection. "Why do you have this wound anyway? I thought god’s couldn’t be injured." "Normally we can’t but Dahak is responsible for this wound." "Dahak!!!" "After I confronted Discord, she tried to flee by hurling energy balls at me. When I tried to reciprocate, her evil boyfriend hit me from behind with an energy ball. Dahak was there to check out his new digs and I vanished before he had a chance to hit me with another ball." "There...all done," Gabrielle declared when she had the wound bandaged. She handed the god his vest. Ares gazed down at her handiwork before putting back on his vest. "I guess you learned this from Xena." "As a matter of fact I did." Gabrielle let a faint smile crease her lips as she handed Ares his sword belt. "Dahak may be a fallen Watcher but he still possesses powers that surpass even us gods." Ares refastened the sword belt around his waist. "This wound should heal by itself but it will just take some time." He winced slightly as he rose off the boulder and to his feet. The smile had faded from Gabrielle’s face. "Dahak is winning, isn’t he?" "The gods of Olympus lay dying and the people are discontented more than ever, so yeah, he is winning," Ares admitted. "But when Xena and the others return with the pieces of the Holy Saber, the tide will turn in our favor."
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