@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 40 thru 43) CHAPTER 40 The young woman was on her knees before a large wooden chest. Atop the chest, sat a small ivory statue of the goddess Athena. The woman’s eyes were closed as soft whispers escaped her quickly moving lips. Slowly, she opened her eyes and rose to her feet. The young woman proceeded to remove the silk robe she wore and laid it at the foot of the bed. Her eyes were filled with sadness as a weary sigh escaped her lips. The young woman hoped that Athena would hear her prayers and release her from the nightmare she had been living the last few days. The young woman was about to get into the bed when she heard someone pull open her tent. She quickly turned around to see who had just entered. It was the creator of her nightmare "What do you want Ripheus?" Her tone was filled with loathing as she defiantly gazed at him. Despite the appearance of having a hard exterior, Ripheus knew his presence greatly disturbed her. He smiled inwardly at his power over such a woman. "There’s no need to get snippy, Neaera. I just wanted to see if the tent lived up to your expectations. I know someone of your royal breeding is use to so much more," he said with sarcasm. "The tent is fine, now will you please just go." "It wouldn’t hurt you to show a little more gratitude your highness. You could have been locked up in a cage, sleeping on dirty straw like the rest of your traveling party but I was gracious enough to give you the use of my own tent." "I am not showing you any gratitude, Ripheus. I may have the use of your tent but you never let me forget I am still your prisoner." Neaera was a Princess from the city of Ambracia. She and her traveling party were on their way to rendezvous with her betrothed, King Demetrius of Byzantium when Ripheus and his gang of thugs captured them in an ambush. Now Ripheus was demanding a ransom from King Demetrius for her safe release. "I know you will be happy to hear you won’t be my *prisoner* much longer." Ripheus noticed she perked up upon hearing this news. "I will be meeting with King Demetrius tomorrow. He has agreed to my ransom demands so I will release you to him." Relief flooded Neaera’s being. Tomorrow, this nightmare would end. She would be with Demetrius, back in Byzantium and she would never have to look upon the monster standing before her again. Neaera’s attention turned to Ripheus once again. A lustful smirk was on his face as his dark eyes raked over her body, only covered by a thin sleeping gown. She had seen him look at her that way before but now she began to panic for she feared that he would finally act on the lust that filled him ever since the day of their unfortunate meeting. Neaera quickly grabbed her robe lying at the foot of the bed, put it on, and then slowly moved away from the bed, increasing the distance between herself and her evil captor. "There really is nothing more for us to say to each other, so leave!" Ripheus ignored Neaera’s demand as he continued leering at her form. He lustfully licked his lips as he took a step towards her. "Don’t you even think about it!" She warned, taking a step back. "I’m done thinking about it Neaera...now I’m gonna act!" Ripheus’ started moving towards her in a predatory manner. Panic started to race through Neaera’s body. The princess knew she wouldn’t be able to defend herself against Ripheus ---she was tiny compared to his hulking frame. He would take her by force---but she planned on making it Tartarus for him. "Don’t you touch me!" Neaera backed into a table. She frantically grabbed the objects lying atop it and began hurling them at Ripheus’ steadily approaching form. A guttural laugh escaped Ripheus’ mouth as his powerful arms easily blocked her desperate attack. When he was almost upon her, Neaera made a desperate move to get away from him, but he roughly grabbed her by the arms. "Demetrius will kill you for this!" She spat with anger. "He should thank me. When I return you to him, he won’t be getting a shy virgin for his bride but a very *experienced* woman." Ripheus pulled her struggling form to him as he brought his lips to the soft flesh of her slender neck. Neaera was reviled by his touch. "Stop it...let go of me!!!" The princess continued to squirm in his unwelcome embrace as an evil laugh escaped his lips. "You heard the princess...LET HER GO!!!" Startled upon hearing the voice of another, Ripheus pulled away from Neaera and turned to see who had entered the tent. Standing just inside the tent was an attractive woman of medium height with shoulder length blond hair. She was dressed in leather and in her hands, held out before her in a threatening posture, was a very large sword. Just like Ripheus, Princess Neaera was surprised by the woman’s sudden appearance. But she was relieved the woman had arrived just in time to halt Ripheus’ lustful intentions. The woman moved further into the tent, still holding the sword in a threatening gesture. "You can forget about collecting that ransom Ripheus. It will be of no use where you are going," the woman stated with unwavering certainty. Ripheus wondered how this woman had managed to sneak into his camp without his men catching her. He figured King Demetrius sent her in a last ditch effort to save the princess and not have to pay the ransom. This kind of surprised him---why would Demetrius send a woman when he had an army full of trained soldiers from which to pick? Ripheus gazed intently at the woman. He saw no fear in her eyes, only determination---she was just his type. "You have me at a disadvantage...you know who I am but I don’t know who you are?" Ripheus moved towards the woman, drawing his sword from the scabbard hanging at his waist. "I’m the person who is going to end your days of terrorizing defenseless women." The woman viciously swung her sword at Ripheus’ rapidly approaching form, which he deftly blocked with the blade of his own weapon. "For a chick, you swing a pretty fierce sword," Ripheus commented. "It will almost be a pity having to kill you." He viciously swung his sword at the woman that she reciprocated with a fierce attack of her own. Neaera retreated to a corner of the tent. Her eyes, filled with fear, were fixed on the two combatants as the sound of the clashing steel reverberated in her ears. The princess silently prayed to Athena, asking the goddess to give this unknown woman the strength to defeat her captor. ********** Seven men were sitting around a roaring campfire. The only sounds heard were those of night creatures mixing with the crackles of burning wood. One of the men rose to his feet and approached the fire. He removed a large dagger from his person then proceeded to hack off a hunk of flesh from the deer roasting over the flames. When he had a sizeable piece, the man sat back down among his comrades. "So, do you guys know what you’re gonna do with your share of the ransom loot?" The man bit into the roasted venison, tearing away some with his teeth and began chewing. His eyes fell on his comrades seated about him. "I’m gonna take mine and check out those new casinos in Cyzicus," one man replied. "I’m gonna get my mom that house she wants in Miletos with a great view of the Ionian Sea," another replied. "Aw, who woulda thought that big ol’ Cimon was such a mama’s boy," one man sneered. Most seated around the fire snickered at this remark. "Hey, what’s wrong with me wantin’ to take care of my mom? She’s always been there for me and you’re just jealous ‘cause your mom walked out on you when you were a snotty nose brat!" The other man quickly rose to his feet and Cimon joined him. Both were ready to come to blows. One of their comrades quickly rose and stood between the two. "Will you guys knock it off...this ain’t nuthin’ to fight over." Grumbles in agreement could be heard from the two men before all three retook their seats around the fire. Once again, it grew quiet around the campfire as all concentrated on devouring their share of the roasted venison. One of the men let his gaze fall on the large tent sitting on the outskirts of their camp. "Ripheus has sure been in there a long time, do ya think he got lucky?" The other men glanced over at the large tent. "Nah, we didn’t hear no sounds of a fight or screaming," one man replied. "It ain’t fair that only Ripheus gets a shot with the Princess, what about the rest of us?" One man complained. "Ripheus can have that uppity bitch...I’ll take one of those ladies in waiting." The man glanced over at the cage where Princess Neaera’s traveling companions were being held. Only the women in the traveling party had been spared and now all lay asleep on ground. The men around the campfire fixed their gaze on the cage and leered at the sleeping women. "I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m gonna get laid." One of the men tossed aside the scraps of venison as he rose to his feet. His comrades watched as he adjusted the belt of his pants then proceed towards the cage holding the sleeping women. When the man stood before the cage, he let his gaze fall on the sleeping form of a beautiful woman with red hair. He felt the lustful need rise within him as he removed the key from a pant pocket and quickly unlocked the door. The sound of the door being open awakened the woman. When she gazed upward, the man was inside the cage and standing over her. She tried to move away from him but he grabbed her possessively by the arms and hauled her to her feet. The unexpected movement within the cage had awakened the other captive females who shrank back in fear over the horror they knew awaited their friend and probably them too. Tears began to roll down the woman’s face. "No...please don’t do this," she sobbed. The fear in the woman’s eyes made the man want her even more. "Hey honey, it doesn’t have to be bad...if ya relax, you can enjoy it too." A guttural laugh escaped his lips, mingling with the dirty laughter of his friends still seated around the fire. The man wrapped an arm possessively around the woman’s waist and proceeded to drag her from the cage, to a more secluded spot. The laughter of the men got louder as they watched their comrade drag the frightened woman towards the forest. The pair had just made it to the outlining trees when out of the dark night sky, a man landed before them. The man was tall, with light brown hair. A devilish smile was plastered across his handsome face. His sudden appearance brought the uproarious laughter around the campfire to an abrupt end as all eyes gazed at the stranger. The women in the cage had their gaze fixed on him as well. "I’m afraid you’re gonna have to forget about getting laid tonight." The stranger quickly delivered a chop to the man’s thick neck then a punch to his face. The man was dazed by the blows giving the stranger the opportunity to grab him by the neck and hurl him face first into a nearby tree, knocking him unconscious. The stranger quickly grabbed the frightened woman and placed her behind him. By this time, the man’s comrades around the campfire had risen to their feet. Murderous rage was in their eyes. With swords drawn they headed for the stranger. The stranger had a wicked grin on his face as he drew his own sword and charged his attackers. The woman crouched in fear by a tree as her rescuer took on the six men by himself. Another man appeared on the edge of the clearing. He was tall, with bronze skin and dressed in black leathers. A scar ran down his left cheek but he was still rather attractive. An amused smile was plastered across his face as he leaned against a tree, his gaze fixed on the fight. "Uh Draco, are you going to just watch all night or are you going to give me a hand?" The stranger asked as he used his sword to ward off one man, while he delivered a hard kick to the midsection of another, knocking the man into three of his comrades. "I was just waiting for you to ask Darnelle...you seemed to be having a lot of fun and I didn’t want to intrude." Draco had a devilish grin on his face as he unsheathed his own sword and joined the fight. The two men now had three attackers each to battle. The woman had her arms wrapped tightly about her. Eyes wide with fear, her gaze focused on the battle between the two strangers and the men holding her and the others captive. She shrank back into the shadows of the forest. But the woman jumped in fear when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Someone quickly moved to stand in front of her. "I’m not going to hurt you...I’m here to help," a man assured. The roaring campfire provided enough light for the frightened woman to see his face. The man was older than the other two strangers, probably in his fifties. He was dressed like a warrior. There was grayish white stubble of a beard on his face that matched the color of his hair. "My name is Meleager." The man pulled out a tin flask from inside his shirt. He uncapped it and took a quick sip before recapping it again and tucking it safely away in his shirt. "My friends and I were sent by King Demetrius." Relief flooded the woman’s face and body, which Meleager immediately noticed. "You stay here while I free your friends." Meleager made his way over to the cage and used a small dagger to break the lock on the door. "Okay ladies, everybody out." He held the door open as the grateful women quickly made their way to freedom. ********** Ripheus’ sword ferociously connected with that of his female combatant’s, knocking it from her grasp. A wicked chuckle escaped his lips as he repeatedly slashed his sword at his now weaponless opponent. While ducking the deadly blade, the woman managed to get hold of chair to shield herself from Ripheus’ vicious attack. But each time the slashing sword made contact with the chair, the woman was driven back. With victory seemingly apparent, Ripheus’ confidence grew to mammoth proportions leaving him open to attack which his opponent put to her advantage. She delivered a swift kick to his mid-section, halting the swing of his sword and pushing him away from her. Using all of her strength, the woman whacked Ripheus in the body with the chair, spinning him around. Ripheus now had his back to her, which she viciously whacked with the chair. The force of the blow sent Ripheus stumbling in the direction of where the Princess stood by the bed. Neaera quickly picked up a basin filled with soapy water and hurled the contents directly into the man’s face as he steadily approached her in a dazed state. Ripheus immediately howled in pain from the burning sensation the soapy water had inflicted on his eyes. He backed away from the Princess and was turning around when the woman walloped him on the side of the head with the chair. Ripheus fell to his knees and was trying to stand when the woman hit him with the chair several more times until he finally fell unconscious to the ground. A gasp of relief escaped the lips of the Princess as she set the empty basin on a nearby table. "Are you all right your highness?" The woman put aside the chair she was holding and approached the Princess. "I am now." The Princess stared intently at Ripheus, making sure he was indeed unconscious, before finally setting a gaze filled with gratefulness on the woman standing before her. "Thank Athena you arrived when you did. What is your name? I want to make sure you are rewarded." "My name is Glaphyra, and you don’t have to worry about rewarding me. King Demetrius was generous enough. He sent me and my friends to rescue you." ********** Around daybreak, King Demetrius, accompanied by a regiment of the Byzantine army arrived at the campsite. Ripheus and his band of kidnappers were taken into custody by the soldiers and prepared for transport back to Byzantium where they would stand trial for their crimes. A few hours after sunrise, the large party was finally ready to make their journey back to Byzantium. Darnelle, Glaphyra, Draco and Meleager stood by the royal couple as they prepared to depart. "Once again I would like to thank you for returning Neaera safely to me," Demetrius stated. "I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost her." The King gazed adoringly at the woman standing next to him, holding onto his arm. "Are you sure we can’t get you to change your minds and come back with us to Byzantium? We could have a festival in your honor and you could stay for our wedding. It will be taking place in a few weeks." Neaera snuggled closer to Demetrius. "None of us have ever been to Byzantium and really would like to see the city but unfortunately, duty calls," Glaphyra replied before any of the others could respond. "Yes, in the world in which we live, services such as yours are always needed," Demetrius said. "Ah, so true," Darnelle said with a faint smile. "But even people in your line of work need rest and relaxation so just remember that the gates of Byzantium are always open to you," Neaera stated. "We’ll keep that in mind," Draco said. "Farewell my new friends." King Demetrius braced the forearm of each in a gesture of friendship. The foursome watched as King Demetrius helped Neaera onto a horse, then mounted his own. The traveling party was now ready to depart and proceeded to make its way through the forest, which would take them to the road that led to Byzantium. The foursome stood in silence until the large traveling party was out of sight. "I never thought that me, Draco, an ex-warlord, would ever be able to call any King friend." "Yeah, that is strange," Darnelle chuckled. "I am more use to Kings branding me public enemy number one and having a bounty on my head." All four were now chuckling over this comment. Darnelle, Glaphyra, Draco and Meleager had all been traveling together ever since they attended the memorial service the Amazons held for Gabrielle. Darnelle and Glaphyra were the only two of the foursome who knew each other before the memorial service. The former female slaver and the former gladiator/javelin thrower, both acquired their fighting skills when they were under the tutelage of warlord Xena but at different times, so the two never met. The two were introduced to each other, when Xena, now the people’s champion asked for their assistance in defeating one of Ares’ new warlords. Draco had been a fierce warlord who had the hots for Xena but the warrior princess never returned his affections. But that changed when Cupid’s mischievous son Bliss stole his father’s bow and hit the pair with love arrows. When Cupid finally caught up with Bliss, he removed the love spells but Xena convinced him to leave Draco under the influence of the spell. The arrow that hit Draco caused him to fall in love with Gabrielle and he was now determined to win her love by doing good deeds. Those events happened over a year ago and since that time, Xena had Cupid remove the love spell, but Draco had always been a warlord with a semblance of honor so he now did good of his own volition. Meleager, like Draco, was an ex-warlord. But years ago, he froze in battle and took to drinking to cover his shame. The man didn’t regain his self-respect until he helped Gabrielle protect her home village of Potidaea from an evil warlord. All four owed the new path they traveled in life - one of doing good for others - to Xena and Gabrielle. That’s why they all had felt the need to be there to pay their last respects to the bard of Potidaea turned Amazon Queen and support her best friend Xena. The foursome had been together since their fateful meeting in the Amazon nation. "Y’know Glaphyra, I wish you hadn’t been in such a hurry to turn down the King’s offer of staying awhile in Byzantium," Meleager said. "Yeah, we probably would have stayed at the palace." Draco had a faraway look in his eyes and his lips curled into a lusty smile. "I could have been waited on hand and foot by some hot chambermaids." A sigh of disappointment escaped his lips. Glaphyra had a disgusted smirk on her face upon hearing Draco’s comments. "It’s not like I said we would never go to Byzantium...just not right now. We’ve got momentum going and a break right now would just soften up you guys." "Glaphyra is right...we gotta keep active," Darnelle agreed. "But it sure would have been nice to check out that wedding." Glaphyra moved to stand before Darnelle. Amazement danced in her eyes as a smile formed upon her lips. "Why Darnelle, I never figured you were the type to get into the ‘pomp and pageantry’ of a wedding." Draco and Meleager both snickered at this comment. "I don’t...that’s what you women get gaga over." Darnelle had a devilish smile on his face as he gazed at the disgusted frown on the face of the woman standing before him. "But lately, I have been thinking about settling down with one woman and doing the marriage thing." With a hand, Darnelle cupped Glaphyra’s chin, tilting her head upward as he bent down and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss. Draco rolled his eyes as he approached the two lovers, placing a hand on the shoulder of each. "Before you two get all hot and steamy, we still have to decide where we are off to now since we are not going to Byzantium." Darnelle and Glaphyra broke the passionate kiss and turned their gaze toward their friends. Meleager moved closer to his three friends. A thoughtful expression was on his face. "How about that place one of the kidnappers mentioned? Now what was it again? Cyzicus...that was it." "Cyzicus is nothing but a resort town," Glaphyra stated with annoyance. "There’s no work for people like us in such a place." "Maybe not work for us but we could put our dinars to work," Meleager replied. Darnelle knew where Meleager was going with this suggestion and quickly voiced his objections. "Oh no, if you are thinking about gambling our money away in some fancy casino, just forget it." Glaphyra and Draco echoed Darnelle’s protests. "C’mon guys, you can’t hold what happened in Miletos against me," Meleager said. "I know that guy was cheating..." "That may have been the case but you were never able to prove it and lost almost all of our money," Draco injected. Darnelle and Glaphyra nodded in agreement. "And that pretty much soured the rest of us on your gambling skills," Glaphyra added. "Since you are all against my suggestion, then where do you all think we should go?" Meleager asked. Silence fell over the foursome as they all pondered where they should journey to next. "Hey, I don’t know about the rest of you but I don’t want to hang out in the old campsite of the kidnappers another moment, so how about we head on out and decide where we want to go on the road?" Draco suggested. "Good idea," Darnelle said. The four walked over to where their horses were tied to some trees and prepared to depart for parts unknown. They were about to mount their horses when a flash of white light appeared before them. When it dispersed, a tall man of lean muscular build with crop cut blond hair stood in their midst. When Darnelle and Glaphyra had helped Xena defeat a warlord named Agathon, they had an unforgettable encounter with the God of War and from that experience knew this man standing before them was a god. The couple immediately drew their swords and stood in a defensive stance. Their two friends mimicked their actions. The new arrival couldn’t help but chuckle as he gazed at the four holding their weapons, ready to do battle against him - as if their weapons could really do any damage to him. "You can put away your swords. I didn’t come to harm you," the god stated. "Who are you and what do you want?" Glaphyra asked, still brandishing her sword. She knew it wouldn’t be much of a threat to the immortal being standing before them but it was the instinct of a warrior to draw a weapon. Her friends obviously felt the same way because they all still brandished their swords as well. "I am Hermes." "The Messenger God?" Meleager asked. "That’s right and I’ve got messages for all of you...from a mutual friend...Xena." Upon hearing Xena’s name, all four immediately sheathed their swords. None had seen the warrior princess since the Amazon memorial service for Gabrielle and were curious to read the contents of the messages the god had brought them. "You guys all being together certainly made delivery a lot easier." Hermes handed each their individual message. "Now I’m off to deliver more messages." Hermes’ form was engulfed in shards of white light that vanished into nothingness. After the Messenger God’s departure, all four quickly opened their individual messages and began to read them. "Something major must be going down because Xena wants us to meet her in the mountains of Macedon." Draco’s eyes quickly scanned the sheet of parchment in his hands. "And at Ares’ fortress no less," Darnelle added. "I wonder what’s up with that?" Glaphyra asked. Considering the last time she and Darnelle had fought alongside Xena, Ares was the enemy. It seemed rather odd that the warrior princess would ask them to meet her at the war god’s fortress. "I guess we’ll find out when we get there." Meleager mounted his horse as did his comrades. Then all four took off through the woods, headed for the road, which would lead them in the direction of Macedon. ********** Salmoneus focused on the sparkling waters of the Black Sea before setting his gaze on the white stone building sitting on a hill some ways from the golden sands. A pleased sigh escaped his lips. He had finally found the business of his dreams. A few months ago, Salmoneus received word that his Uncle Lycurgus had died and had left him the property he owned in the town of Herakleia. Salmoneus had only met this uncle once when he was a child so he wasn’t that close to him. But he was excited when he learned he was his sole heir so he took off for Herakleia right away. He was disappointed when it turned out the property was a run down inn located along the shore of the Black Sea. Salmoneus pondered his misfortune at a newly opened Casino and ended up winning quite a bit of money which he ended up using to refurbish the run down inn turning it into the jewel of the Black Sea. Salmoneus formed a partnership with the owner of the Casino---a man named Priam. Salmoneus oversaw the hotel and entertainment while Priam oversaw the gambling floor. Now, when the rich of Greece wanted to relax and gamble, they came to Herakleia and they stayed at the best place in town, which Salmoneus was co-owner ---The Odyssey. Salmoneus was still smiling as he gazed at his guests sunning themselves on the beach and frolicking in the waters of the Black Sea. There were only a few weeks of warm weather left but Salmoneus already had activities lined up to keep the guest coming to the Odyssey throughout the fall and winter months. Salmoneus was headed back to the Odyssey when one of his distinguish guests approached him. The man’s name was Brasidas, the owner of the largest gold mine on the isle of Thasos. "Salmoneus, may I have a word with you?" Brasidas asked. "Of, course, I hope you and your wife are enjoying your stay here." "We are having a wonderful time, like we always do," Brasidas replied. "That’s why I wanted to discuss renting your whole establishment during the first month of next spring." Salmoneus face brightened up upon hearing this wonderful news. "You see my daughter, Daphne, will be marrying Diomedes of Cnossus and the Odyssey would be the perfect place to hold the wedding." Diomedes’ family owned the largest forge on the isle of Crete - famous for their manufacturing of weapons and was extremely wealthy in it’s own right. Dinars danced in Salmoneus’ head as he thought of the wealthy connections he would acquire. "I know I speak for Priam too when I say this, but it would truly be an honor for our humble establishment to host such a monumental occasion in the life of your daughter," Salmoneus said doing a good job of containing his glee. He noticed a woman on the beach who appeared to be trying to get their attention. "I think your lovely wife needs to talk to you. How about later, if the both of you came to my office and we discussed this in more detail." "That’s fine with me," Brasidas replied. The two men departed their separate ways. Salmoneus continued his journey towards the Odyssey. He was grinning from ear to ear. After so many failed business ventures, Salmoneus was enjoying basking in the fallout of this long overdue success. Wait until he told his partner Priam that they would be hosting the biggest social event of the season! Salmoneus was about to enter the large white stone building, when he saw a man standing by a wagon that he swore looked vaguely familiar. The man was tall with a bronze complexion and from his dress, appeared to be from the Far East. He wore a royal blue robe with matching pants. Wrapped around his head was a black turban. When the man spotted Salmoneus staring at him, he quickly turned to face the wagon and pretended to be admiring its contents, which were very large plants. Salmoneus was sure this guy was up to no good and quickly approached the man. "Excuse me sir, I am in charge of hospitality at the Odyssey...are you enjoying your stay with us?" Salmoneus intently gazed at the man who still had his back to him. "Um, yes I am...it’s a lovely place you’ve got here," the man quickly replied in a thick accent, that Salmoneus could not place. He moved to stand next to the man and gazed at him intently. The man felt Salmoneus’ eyes upon him and became fidgety. He reached out a hand and touched a large fiery-orange petal on one of the plants in the wagon before him. "These plants must be only native to your country...I have never seen anything like them before." "Actually, I don’t know where the plants originate," Salmoneus replied taking his focus away from the strange man to gaze upon the plants. "I just liked the bright orange color of the flowers and thought it would compliment the Odyssey’s decor. Besides, the man was selling them dirt cheap...I’m having a plant placed in every bedroom of the hotel." Salmoneus fixed his gaze on the strange man once again. He was sure he had seen him before. The strange man felt Salmoneus’ gaze upon him again. He nervously ran a finger over his neatly trimmed moustache. When the man made that gesture, Salmoneus knew exactly who it was. "Autolycus, is that you?" He moved closer to the man. "You must have me confused with some one else. My name is Icbar and I’m from Damascus...now if you’ll excuse me." The man started walking away. "You can’t fool me Autolycus, I know it’s you!" Salmoneus roughly grabbed hold of the man’s right arm and escorted him around a corner of the building out of sight from other hotel guests. "Hey, what do you think you are doing!?!?!? I will see the owner about this and have you fired!!!" The man protested in a thick accent. "You can voice your complaints right now...’cause you are talking to the owner." "You own this place?" The man asked with true surprise, no longer with a thick accent. "That’s right." Salmoneus yanked the turban off the man’s head, smudging the brown makeup on the man’s face and knocking the phony beard from his chin. He glared angrily at the now exposed face of the King of Thieves. "If you are here to rob my guests you can just forget it!" Salmoneus proceeded to escort Autolycus off the premises. "Hey, wait a minute. I am not here to rob your guests." Autolycus managed to bring his forced departure to a halt. But Salmoeus gazed at him with suspicion in his eyes. "Not directly anyway...I was just trying to cozy up to that one guest you were talking with earlier." "Brasidas?" "Yeah, he owns this huge gold mine on Thasos and I was trying to convince him to give me a tour. While I was there, I planned on taking a few nuggets...he certainly has plenty and won’t miss them. Salmoneus glared at him with disgust before grabbing one of Autolycus’ arms and proceeding with throwing the King of Thieves off his property. "C’mon Sal, don’t be like this...I’ll even give you a few of the nuggets." "As you can see, I have a legitimate business and don’t need your stolen gold." "Yes, you have done rather well for yourself...that’s why you shouldn’t stand in the way of your ol’ pal doing the same." "Brasidas is a valued guest who I plan on doing plenty of business with in the future and I am not going to let you ruin that for me." The pair had finally reached the back gate of the Odyssey and Salmoneus was about to toss Autolycus into the street when a flash of white light appeared before them. When it dispersed, in it’s place stood Hermes. Salmoneus knew the being before them was a god but he had no idea which one. As soon as Autolycus saw the god, fear raced through his body. "Hey Herm, I hope there are no hard feelings about me stealing your sandals. I did return them to you and in perfect condition." "I am not here about my sandals. But just make sure you never do it again." Hermes had a stern look on his face as he gazed at Autolycus. But then his face softened. "I’ve got a message for you." Hermes handed Autolycus the message addressed to him then the god vanished as quickly as he had appeared. Curious to know who had sent him a message, Autolycus unfolded the parchment and quickly read its contents. "Who is it from and what does it say?" Salmoneus was just as curious as Auto to know who would have a god deliver a message to the King of Thieves. "It’s from the lovely Xena...she wants me to meet her at Ares’ fortress in the mountains of Macedon." Autolycus had a look of apprehension on his face. Considering his last encounter with the God of War, he was not up to facing him again. But Xena was a friend so he would honor her request. "Why would Xena want to see you?" Salmoneus had a puzzled expression on his face. "Because I am obviously one of the few people Xena can count on in a crisis." Autolycus ran a finger over his moustache. "Well, I’m off to Macedon." "Wait! I’m coming with you," Salmoneus said. "But you have The Odyssey to run." "Oh, I have a partner and he can run this place without me for awhile. Xena is my friend too and I want to help." "That’s real nice of you Sal but there is probably quite a bit of danger involved. You should stay here and run your hotel and leave the dare deviling to adventuresome types like Xena and myself." Autolycus proceeded through the back gate of The Odyssey. "It will take you forever to get to Macedon on foot. I have a horse I would gladly lone to you but I will have to come along too." Autolycus came to a stop and turned to face Salmoneus again. "Okay, you can come but just don’t get in the way." CHAPTER 41 The squawks of seagulls soaring through the clear blue sky mixed with the boisterous laughter of the threesome as they frolicked in the warm turquoise waters of the Great Sea. Lycus and Lysia were enjoying yet another day at the beach in Syracuse. A teenager named Cassie was there with them. Her full name was Cassiopeia but everyone called her Cassie for short. She was a young priestess from the Temple of Ares who watched over the children during their stay on the isle of Sicily. The threesome eventually left the waters for the golden sands of the beach. Cassie lay on her stomach upon a blanket to soak up some sunrays, while the children made creatures out of the sand. With a finger, Lycus drew scales on the body of the sea monster he had created out of the sand. "I don’t like the beach anymore. I wanna go back to the castle in Macedon and check out the snow." "Daddy told me that right now is not a good time for us to be at the castle in Macedon but when it is, he will take us there." Lysia put some seaweed to act as hair around the head of the mermaid she had formed out of the sand. "Xena should be there by then too and we will get to see her." Lycus was still very angry with Xena and didn’t care about seeing her. "I don’t wanna wait...I wanna go now!" He smashed a small fist right through the middle of the sand sea monster he had just created. "Well ya can’t ‘cause Daddy is the only one who can take us there," Lysia said. "Nah uh, Cassie could take us back," he replied. "No she can’t, Cassie is mortal. Only gods can do that poppin’ in and out stuff," Lysia said. Lycus took a quick glance in the direction where Cassie lay on the blanket. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be fast asleep. He turned his gaze once again towards his sister. When he addressed her, he spoke in hushed tones. "The other night, when Dad came to see us, right before he left, I saw him with Cassie." Lysia moved closer to hear what her brother had to say. "He gave her this red crystal stone and told her to have it with her at all times. If there was any trouble, and she couldn’t reach him, she would be able to use the stone to take us to another place that was safe." Lysia knew instantly what her brother had in mind. "With this red stone, we can pop in and out just like Daddy does and you want it so we can go back to Macedon." "Uh-huh." A wicked grin was etched on the boy’s face. "Now all we havta do is find out where Cassie put it. Dad told her to carry it at all times so it’s gotta be here." Cautiously and quietly, the twins approached the reed basket situated at the foot of the blanket where Cassie lay sleeping. They pulled out the contents of the basket, setting them upon the golden sand. A pleased smile crossed the lips of both children when they found what they were looking for. With a small hand, Lycus grasped the red crystal stone and held it up. Lysia moved closer to her brother. "Now, how do we get it to work?" she asked. "Dad told Cassie that ya had to place your hands on the stone then think about where ya want to go," Lycus replied. Lysia placed a small hand on the red crystal stone alongside her brother’s. Both children closed their eyes and focused their thoughts on the castle in Macedon. The children silently sat in deep concentration for a few moments before they both were engulfed in shards of red light. It was at that exact moment that Cassie awoke from her nap. The young teen immediately turned over and bolted upright when she saw the twins engulfed in the red light. Cassie instantly moved towards the children. "Hey, what are you two doing???" The young priestess placed a hand on Lycus’ right shoulder. Cassie was also now engulfed in shards of red light. A few moments later, the trio vanished into nothingness headed for the castle located in the snowy mountains of Macedon. ********** Cyrus looked from the old scroll he was translating and set his gaze on the dark haired woman sitting across the table from him. She nervously drummed the fingers of one hand on the table as she read what he had translated thus far into Greek. Cyrus finally had the opportunity to meet Gabrielle and had been very moved when he heard the story of her miraculous resurrection. The two had shared their concerns for Xena and both were at a loss over what their friend should do regarding the dilemma with the children and Ares. It pained Cyrus to see Xena this way. The former Watcher knew as hard as she tried to keep her focus on destroying Dahak her thoughts kept drifting back to the children and what must be going through their minds now that they knew the truth about their parents. "You really are making great progress Cyrus. How much more is there to be translated?" "According to what I have translated thus far, the Holy Saber was broken into four pieces and each sent to a corner of the earth. I have translated the scrolls for two of those locations so I just have to translate the scrolls for the two remaining ones." "Good, the sooner you do that, the sooner we can find the Holy Saber and rid the world of Dahak permanently." Xena rose from her chair and began inspecting the many scrolls and books lining the shelves of a stone wall. "Um Xena, have you spoken to Ares since the night you arrived?" "No, I haven’t seen him at all since that night and I prefer to keep it that way." She picked up a book from the shelf and absentmindedly began flipping through the pages. When she looked up to gaze at Cyrus, there was a thoughtful glint in her crystal blue eyes. "Some of the servants have kept me informed of his comings and goings. I know he visits with the children. I wonder what he has told them about why I left them with you." Xena’s brow wrinkled with worry. Cyrus’ face was riddled with sympathy as he gazed at his friend. He wanted so desperately to help with her dilemma. "Why don’t you try talking to Ares again? It’s been five days...maybe he has softened and will drop the stipulation he made for you to see the children." "There’s no way in Tartarus Ares would do that Cyrus. He’s holding the winning hand...and knows it. Right now, he’s just waiting for me to fold and I don’t think he will have to wait much longer." Xena had shared with Cyrus her fears about accepting Ares’ offer and becoming immortal. He didn’t want her to have to make such a decision with her back against the wall. "I’ve been doing some thinking and there may be a way around Ares’ stipulation." Xena quickly put the old book she held back on the shelf and came back over to the table where Cyrus was seated. "I’m listening." Her eyes sparkled with piqued interest as she leaned with her hands on the tabletop. "You and I both believe that the star birthmark on Lysia’s right arm ties her to the Holy Saber and she may play some part in uncovering the locations of the pieces," Cyrus said. "Which means that Ares will have to bring her out of hiding if he wants us to have any chance of defeating Dahak." Xena now had a devilish grin on her face "I think it’s time I had a word with Ares." ********** A caravan of horses rhythmically trotted their way up the snow covered mountain trail. "Hey Herc, how much further is it?" Autolycus asked. "Not that much...we should reach the castle by midday," Hercules replied. "I can certainly see why Ares built his fortress in these mountains," Iolaus said. "Yeah, you would have to be suicidal to launch an attack up here," Draco said. All three traveling parties making their way to Ares’ fortress had arrived around the same time at the foot of the Macedonian Mountains. Before ascending the rocky, snowy peaks, all had some stories to exchange. Everyone was blown away and highly concerned over Dahak’s arrival in the world. But everyone was happy to hear Joxer’s news about Gabrielle’s miraculous resurrection. Hercules led the caravan and brought it to a stop when they reached the bluish translucent wall running across the length of the narrow mountain trail. "What in Tartarus is that?" Ephiny asked. It was the question running through the minds of all in the caravan as they gazed at the translucent wall. Hercules dismounted his horse and moved closer to the phenomenon. "It’s a gate Ares created to keep unwanted guests from traveling up the mountain." "Let me guess, if we touch that...we die?" Salmoneus asked. "You guessed right," Hercules replied. "Then how will we continue up the mountain?" Glaphyra asked. "We will just have to get Ares to open the gate for us." Hercules raised his head toward the heavens and bellowed the name of his war god half-brother. "ARES!!!" ********** Penelope was in her lord’s bedchamber, changing the sheets on the large bed when an image appeared in the mirror hanging on a stone wall. The maid walked over to the large mirror and stood before it, her gaze fixed on the image. It was the trail on that very mountain that led to her lord’s fortress. A caravan of people was at the gate. She recognized the one calling for her lord --- it was his mortal half-brother Hercules. Penelope knew her lord despised his brother and would have never invited him to his fortress. Xena had to be the one who asked for Hercules to come there. She figured it had to do with fighting the common enemy Xena had told her about. Penelope wanted to let Hercules and the others through the gate but she didn’t know how. At that moment, Penelope saw a male servant walk by the open door of her lord’s bedchamber. "Troilus, get in here, I need your help." Troilus had been in service to Ares since he was a teenager and was one of the few mortals the god fully trusted. "What is it Penelope?" "See those people in the mirror. They are on the trail and you are one of the few besides Lord Ares who knows how to open the gate." Troilus gazed intently at the image in the mirror. "No can do Pen...that big fella in the front is Lord Ares’ half-brother, Hercules. You know as well as I do how much he hates him so he certainly wouldn’t want him in here." "I know all that but I’m sure Xena is the one who called him and the others here. She and Lord Ares are fighting a common enemy and she obviously asked for Hercules’ help." Troilus remained where he stood, still refusing to open the gate. "Look Troilus, you know how special Xena still is to Lord Ares. If she invited Hercules here it’s gotta be okay with our lord...so you better open the gate!" An annoyed sigh escaped the lips of Troilus but he figured the chambermaid was probably right. The man walked over to the large unused hearth and placed a hand on a large stone above the archway. The back wall of the hearth slid open and Troilus disappeared inside. Upon two stone pedestals about two feet apart sat two blue crystals. Running between the two crystals was a blue beam of light. Troilus picked up a board, from which the fire repellant fortress doors were made and held it between the two crystals, breaking the blue beam. "Hey Troilus, whatever you did worked, because the gate is gone. Hercules and the others are moving up the mountain again," Penelope informed him from her position in front of the large mirror. When the caravan had passed through where the gate had been, Troilus removed the board, re-establishing the blue beam and returning the translucent gate to the mountain path once again. ********** Gabrielle fiercely swung her staff, connecting hard with the one held by her opponent. She quickly spun, swinging her staff low, connecting with the back of her opponent’s knees bring the woman down. Gabrielle swiftly swung her staff again, knocking the staff of her opponent’s from the woman’s grasp. "Okay, I give up," the woman gasped from her vulnerable position on the stone floor. Gabrielle had a smile on her face as she lowered her staff then extended a hand, helping the young woman to her feet. "Thanks for sparring with me, Ismene." Ismene was one of Ares’ young priestesses who had the privilege of doing service at the Macedonian fortress. Gabrielle and the young priestess were in one of the large halls used for training in the skills of war. The stone walls were covered with images of how to properly hold various weapons. "Hey, don’t mention it but I thought you said you were pretty rusty with a staff." The young priestess eyed Gabrielle suspiciously. "That’s the honest truth...I haven’t picked one up in months but I guess I remember a lot more than I thought." "Well, I better go soak my sore body in a nice warm bath, then I will attend to my duties before the high priestess has my head on a silver platter." "I’m sorry if I hurt you," Gabrielle sheepishly replied. "No, you didn’t hurt me," Ismene said with a faint smile. "By tomorrow, I should be ready for you." "You’re on then." Gabrielle now had a smile on her own face as she watched the young priestess exit the large hall. Gabrielle was still smiling as she twirled the staff in her hands. She approached a large window and set her gaze on the snowy scenery. Gabrielle stopped twirling the staff when she caught sight of three figures moving about a hill on the mountainside. They were distinctly human, all wrapped up in fur coats to protect them from the cold. One figure was somewhat taller than the other two that appeared to be children. "I wonder if those two smaller figures could be the twins," Gabrielle murmured to herself. She remembered Xena telling her that Ares had sent the twins to another place. But Ares wasn’t above telling a lie. There was only one way to find out if that was indeed the twins. ********** "Okay Cassie, the last snow person is ready, so we can put the clothes on now." Lysia rubbed her small glove-covered hands over the body of one of the two snow children. "Here’s an old dress you can put on the snow girl." Cassie handed Lysia an old dress they got from one of the maids quarters in the castle. Cassie was very angry with the twins after they had discovered the red crystal and transported all three back to the castle in Macedon. The young priestess knew Lord Ares did not want the children there at this time and was very worried about what he would do if he discovered they were back in Macedon. But the children had convinced Cassie that they could at least stay the whole afternoon. Ares visited the children twice a day. He spent the mornings with them and a few hours before they went to bed. The twins had convinced the young teen that they could be safely back in Syracuse before Ares ever got there and he would never have to know about their trip to Macedon. The threesome had cautiously moved about the castle, making sure the servants did not see them. They changed out of their bathing suits, put on some warmer clothes and coats then headed out to the snow. While Lysia and Cassie made a family out of the snow, Lycus was busy having his own fun. "Woohoo...awesome!" The child declared as he zoomed down a snow-covered hill on a snowboard. As he neared the bottom of the hill, Lycus spotted someone headed for him. "Uh-oh." The child figured it was probably a servant from the castle. Whoever it was would tell their father they were here and Cassie would be in BIG trouble. When the snowboard reached the bottom of the hill, Lycus brought it to a stop, spraying snow in the air, which landed all over the person standing at the bottom of the hill. "Oops, sorry ‘bout that. It’s my first time on one of these things and I’m still workin’ on how to stop it." "It’s okay." Gabrielle brushed the snow from her fur coat as she gazed into the face of the child standing before her. His eyes instantly mesmerized her---they were crystal blue in color---just like Xena’s. "Hey, I know who you are." The little boy’s face broke into a smile revealing dimples that Gabrielle had seen many times on the face of Ares. "You’re the lady I saw with Xena." Gabrielle figured the twins must have been present when Ares was monitoring their journey to Macedon. "That was me all right...my name is Gabrielle and you must be Lycus." Lycus nodded an answer of yes. "Your name is the same as Xena’s friend who died." "I AM that friend who died." Gabrielle saw the child’s eyes widen in amazement. "It’s a long story that I can explain to you later. Is your sister here with you?" "She’s on the other side of the hill." Lycus picked up the snowboard and started up the hill. Gabrielle followed after him. ********** Lysia and Cassie were putting the last of the clothes on the snow family when they spotted Lycus coming over the hill with another person following close behind him. Fear over being discovered raced through the body of the young priestess as she watch the pair steadily approached them. "That’s Cassie and this is my sister Lysia," Lycus said when the pair finally reached the two girls. "Hey Lysia, this is the lady we saw with Xena...her name is Gabrielle...and guess what? She’s the same one who died." Gabrielle instantly saw how much the little girl looked like her best friend. The child had Ares’ brown eyes and curly black hair but the rest of her features she clearly inherited from Xena. Lysia gazed at her brother suspiciously. "Ya shouldn’t tell fibs like that Lycus." "Lycus is telling the truth." Gabrielle saw the little girl’s brown eyes immediately widen with amazement. Once again she said, "It’s a long story that I can explain to you both later." "If you’re here, that means Xena is too!" Lysia said with excitement. "Yes she is and I know she is dying to see you two." Gabrielle proceeded to usher the children towards the castle. "I can’t let you do that." Cassie stood before the trio, blocking their path. "Cassie is right," Lycus said. "We tricked her into bringing us back here." "Yeah, if we go in there and Daddy sees us, he will punish Cassie," Lysia said. Gabrielle gazed at the young priestess and saw the fear in her eyes. "You have nothing to worry about Cassie. I will make sure that Ares does not punish you for the children being back in Macedon." Cassie saw the confidence in Gabrielle’s green eyes and had faith that she would do just that. ********** "But Ares, just a few moments ago you admitted to seeing the birthmark on Lysia’s arm and how much it matches the four-pointed star on Dahak’s former sword. None of us can deny the crucial part Lysia plays in us finding that sword." "We don’t know that for sure Xena. I have read what Cyrus has translated thus far and NOTHING indicates that Lysia will be needed in finding the sword. The star birthmark may be nothing more than a coincidence." "Oh c’mon Ares, I know you don’t believe that anymore than I do!" The war god narrowed his gaze as suspicion crept into his eyes. "I know what you are up to Xena. You are using Lysia’s possible connection to the Holy Saber to get around the stipulation I set up for you to be able to see the children." "Look Ares, if Lysia can help us find that sword you can’t keep her or Lycus hidden away forever...you could be jeopardizing the WHOLE WORLD!!!" "FORGET IT XENA!!! There is NO WAY I am going to let you take my daughter and my son away from me!!!" Xena was boiling with anger now and realized the decision to talk to Ares had been a BIG mistake. "They are MY children too and I have just as many rights to them as you do!!!" "You forfeited your rights to the children when you hid them from me and left them with your meddling friend Cyrus!!!" Ares roughly grabbed Xena by her upper arms and gazed hard into her eyes. "If you want those rights restored, you know what you have to do!" "All right Ares that’s enough!" The war god, along with Xena quickly turned to see who had entered the throne room. Hercules stood in the archway along with several other people. "We heard you bellowing all the way down the hall." Hercules stepped into the room. "Let Xena go!" "As usual little brother, you are sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. This is between me and Xena so BUTT OUT!!!" With godly quickness, Ares had moved away from Xena and headed straight for Hercules. His large sword was already drawn which he fiercely swung at the neck of the demi-god. With a quickness of his own, Hercules ducked the oncoming deadly blade. Ares swung his sword several more times at Hercules before the demi-god knocked it from his grasp. The two combatants now went toe to toe without weapons ---- each exchanging punches and kicks. Xena and the others stood on the sidelines and watched the battle. Ares delivered two hard punches to Hercules’ midsection. "Ouch, do they always greet each other like this?" Glaphyra asked while grimacing. Ares prepared to deliver another punch to Hercules’ midsection but the demi-god blocked it and punched the war god directly in the face. "It’s the only way they ever greet each other," Iolaus wearily replied. Ares now had a choke hold on Hercules. "Shouldn’t we try to stop them? They could kill each other," Meleager said. "And how in Tartarus do you propose we break up a fight between a god and a demi-god?" Darnelle asked. Meleager had no answer and remained silent. Hercules finally broke the chokehold by delivering a hard punch to Ares’ midsection. "I think they are evenly matched and can’t kill each other, so we might as well wait until they grow tired of fighting," Autolycus suggested. "Well, I’ve had about enough of this sibling rivalry. There are important matters at hand here and this is nothing but a waste of time." Xena stepped in front of the others. "ARES...HERCULES...I WANT YOU TO STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!!!" The two combatants ignored Xena’s command and continued to pummel each other. Above the cries and grunts of the two combatants, all heard the sounds of running footsteps heading towards the throne room. All looked in the direction of the archway to see two small children and two young women enter the throne room. "Lysia---Lycus!" Xena cried with pure joy over seeing the twins. Lysia immediately went over to Xena but Lycus was enthralled with the fight and moved to get a better view. Xena squatted down and embraced the little girl in a big hug when she stood before her. "Oh, you don’t know how happy I am to see you!" When they broke the hug, Xena held the child’s face between her hands. "I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you or Lycus...I truly thought I was doing what was best for you both." "I was real mad at ya when I first found out but now I am just happy to have a mommy." Lysia’s face broke into a smile. "You don’t know how relieved I am to hear that." Xena embraced her daughter once again in a hug. Gabrielle had made her way through the others and now stood beside her best friend. "Xena, we have to put a stop to this fight." "I tried Gabrielle but they won’t listen to me." "Um, maybe I could stop them." "If you think you’re up to it…give it a try." A devilish smile crossed Xena’s face as she thought about what her friend had planned. "Okay, here I go." In a somewhat hesitant gesture, Gabrielle raised both hands. Her face was riddled with deep concentration as each hand released an energy bolt that hit both combatants with such force that they were thrown high against a stone wall then dropped hard to the stone floor below. All in the throne room had shocked expressions on their faces as they looked first at the two men slumped on the floor then to Gabrielle. "Oh gods, I didn’t mean to do that," Gabrielle said in an apologetic tone. Both hands flew up to her mouth for she was just as shocked as the others were. "That’s all right Gabrielle. You will get the hang of those powers one of these days," Xena jested. "But you did succeed at stopping the fight." Groans of pain poured from the mouths of the fallen combatants. When they slowly rose to their feet, both were still somewhat dazed. "Wow! What was that?" Hercules groggily groaned. "Yeah," Ares added in a hoarse voice. "I had Gabrielle blast you both," Xena said. "It was the only way to put an end to your ridiculous fight." Lycus stepped out of the crowd and excitedly approached his father. "Ya woulda won Dad if Gabrielle hadn’t stopped the fight. This guy...whoever he is, was no match for ya." "The name’s Hercules," the demigod stated as he tried to clear the fog from his head that the hit from the bolt of energy had created. "Wow! You’re Hercules!" Now Lycus was truly disappointed that Gabrielle had stopped the fight. The bolt that hit Ares left him just as groggy as Hercules. "Lycus what are you doing here? You are suppose to..." The war god stopped mid-sentence when he spotted the young priestess standing among the others. The fog lifted to be replaced by dark fury. "CASSIOPEIA!!!" The young priestess shrank back in fear upon hearing the tone of her Lord’s voice. "Ares, don’t you even think about harming that sweet girl or I will blast you again!" Gabrielle threatened. The war god was not scared of Gabrielle but decided to let the young priestess’ disobedience slide this time. "Lycus." Xena stepped away from the others and approached her son. When she stood before him, she reached out a hand to touch his face but he backed away from her. "Don’t ya touch me!" Anger and hurt was in his eyes. The child stared at her a few moments more before bolting from the throne room. "Lycus, come back!" Xena ran over to the archway. By the time she got there, Lycus was out of sight. She slightly bowed her head as tears started to form in her eyes. Gabrielle approached her friend and placed a comforting hand on a shoulder. "Don’t worry Xena, you will make him understand." "Lycus just has a hard head," Lysia added. The little girl now stood next to Xena. "He was a lot madder than I was but he did tell me how cool it was to have ya as a mom." Upon hearing the child’s words a faint smile crossed Xena’s lips. "I better go find him." She quickly wiped away the tears that had started running down her cheeks as she proceeded down the long hallway. Xena hadn’t gotten far when she felt someone grab her left arm. She turned around to see Ares standing there. "Let me talk to him." "You’ve done enough already," Xena said through gritted teeth, her eyes blazing with anger for the war god. "Now, let me go!" Ares released his hold on Xena’s arm. A look of regret was on his face. "For what it’s worth, I never tried to turn the twins against you." Xena remained silent and only glared at Ares. She turned her back to him and quickly made her way down the hall. ********** "Gods does that kid move fast." Xena pulled open the door that led outside and was immediately hit with frosty air. She wore no coat and just ignored the cold as she stepped outside. There were small boot prints in the snow that went up a hill towards a patch of pine trees. The boot prints stopped at one of the pine trees. Xena gazed upward. She couldn’t see Lycus in the tree but figured he was hiding up there somewhere. "I know you are in the tree Lycus and I am not going back inside until you come down." "Just go away...I don’t wanna talk to ya!!!" The child yelled from somewhere high in the pine tree. "Lycus, if you would just let me explain..." "That night in the forest, I toldja how much I wannit a mom and dad and ya said NOTHING. Ya only wanna talk now ‘cause Ares told us the truth. Ya were NEVER gonna say A THING!!!" Hearing the pain in her son’s voice---that she had caused---just about broke Xena’s heart and brought tears to her eyes again. "Yes, you are right...I never planned on telling you and your sister that I am your mother." "But WHY??? Ya didn’t want us?" "Oh no baby...I wanted to keep you both...I planned on keeping you both...but I just couldn’t escape the life I was living." Xena wiped the tears from her face before she continued to speak. "I was trying to spare you and your sister from the stigma of having someone like me for a mother...I’ve done a lot of terrible things." "What kinda things?" Lycus lowered his position in the tree to where Xena could see him. As Xena gazed up at Lycus, she could see the desperation in her son’s eyes. The child wanted so badly to understand why she had left them in the care of another. She took a deep breath before revealing to her son the horrors of her past. "I led armies that wiped out entire villages---I left children around your own age without fathers and sometimes mothers---my name was feared by all---and as the God of War, your father blessed my actions." Xena rubbed her bare arms to warm them in the cold. "My life was nothing but war, bloodlust and death---I couldn’t expose you and your sister to such a dark existence. I didn’t think there was a chance for me to be good. But I wasn’t going to ruin it for the two of you and that’s why I left you both with Cyrus---he would make sure you both grew up to be decent people---something I had given up long ago on ever being." Lycus jumped from the tree and noiselessly landed on the snow in front of Xena. "But you are a good person now---Joxer read us the stories---you’re a hero." "Yes, people do view me as a hero now but I still have a long way to go before the good outweighs the crimes of my past." "I guess that means ya want me and Lysia to go back to India, huh?" The boy had a disappointed look on his face. "Now that the truth is out in the open, it would not be right to send you back." "So, that means ya want us to stay?" The child cocked his to the side as he waited for her answer. "Yes, I do." Xena hesitated a moment before she continued. "And if you will have me, I would like to be your mom." She stretched out a hand. Lycus stood there a few moments, just staring at her outstretched hand. With some hesitation he approached her and placed a small hand in hers. Together, they walked back to the castle. CHAPTER 42 When Xena and Lycus re-entered the castle, she took the child to the kitchen where Lysia and Cassie were having lunch. Xena stayed with them awhile before rejoining the others who were still in Ares’ throne room. Upon reaching the throne room, Xena was greeted by Gabrielle and Hercules. "So, how did it go with Lycus?" Gabrielle asked. "We’ve got a bumpy road ahead of us but he is willing to give me a chance to be his mother," Xena replied with a faint smile. "It’s a start in the right direction and I know in the end you two will be fine." Gabrielle squeezed one of Xena’s hands in a comforting gesture then rejoined the others so Hercules could talk to Xena alone. "Gabrielle filled me on what’s going on with you and Ares and I just wanted to let you know that you can count on my help in getting the twins away from him." "Thanks Hercules but that won’t be necessary." "Why not...surely you know it would be a mistake to allow Ares to remain in the lives of the children?" "I’m not so sure about that anymore." Xena had a look of apprehension on her face. Hercules could not believe what he just heard. "But Xena, you know as well as I do that Ares is a MONSTER and if given the opportunity, he will twist those two children into monsters just like himself. For their sakes, we have to get them away from him." "Look Hercules, you won’t get any arguments out of me regarding Ares’ character, but getting the children away from him is easier said then done." Upon hearing Xena’s words, the demi-god had a puzzled expression on his face. "The children have already started to bond with him...they are calling him "Daddy" for Zeus’ sake. I am trying to establish my own relationship with the children right now. If I were to rip Ares out of their lives, I would ruin any chance of doing that." "So, does this mean you will just stand by and let Ares corrupt them?" "No, I will let Ares be a father to the twins but I will watch him closely and nip in the bud any underlying plans he may have for them." By the look on the demi-god’s face, Xena could see that he did not like the situation in the least and thought she was making a big mistake. "For now, it’s the best I can do, Hercules. Besides, we all will be consumed with defeating Dahak, including Ares, so he won’t have much time to think about corrupting the children." "I guess I have to take that as consolation." Hercules stated with a faint smile. "C’mon, we better join the others." Xena took hold of a muscular arm and led the demi-god over to their friends. Ares sat upon his throne with an annoyed look on his face as the many mortals about him continued their chatter. When Xena and Hercules separated, he quickly made his way over to her. Xena responded before Ares even had a chance to address her. "Lycus and I talked. It will take some time to rebuild the trust but he is willing to give me a chance." "You may not believe me but I am glad to hear that," Ares said. After her talk with Lycus, Xena’s anger towards the war god had cooled considerably. "No, I believe you." Ares moved closer to Xena. "So, what were you and my do-gooder brother talking about?" "Hercules was just reminding me of what a monster you are and how it was imperative to get the children away from you before they are permanently damaged." "And you agreed with him of course." There was an annoyed smirk on the god’s face. "With some of it but even I can’t deny the bond you have already formed with the children, so I am willing to give you a shot at being a Daddy." Upon hearing Xena’s words, a smile broke out over the god’s handsome face. "But I will be keeping a close eye on you for any underlying schemes you may try to hatch." "I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Xena." The chatter among the others had grown louder. "So, what did I miss?" Xena glanced over at her friends. "They are exchanging stories. Ephiny was recounting for everyone the Amazons’ encounter in the forest with Dahak’s cult and some strange plants being grown in an old barn near Mycenae." "Hmm...sounds interesting." Xena proceeded to join her friends and Ares followed. "Gods, Ephiny, that is really sick...using human blood to feed plants," Gabrielle said with disgust. "As if killing people to free Dahak wasn’t bad enough, now they are killing people to feed plants." Autolycus ran a finger over his moustache. His brow was furrowed with bafflement. "Dahak’s cult just gets weirder and weirder," Glaphyra said. The others nodded and mumbled in agreement. "If you thought that was weird, wait ‘til you hear this," Solari said. "The barn housing these plants caught on fire and created the strangest ash...it attacked us?" "You’ve got to be kidding?" Darnelle huffed. "No, she’s not," Ephiny replied. "The ash killed one of Dahak’s followers we managed to capture." "But he didn’t stay dead," Solari added. "He ran off into the woods shouting something about we’re free." The room grew quiet as all pondered this bizarre set of events just revealed to them. "What you described sounds like demon possession," Ares stated, breaking the silence in the room. Mumbles and murmurs of surprise could be heard about the room as the god continued. "My warriors experienced similar events after an attack on Kos and the neighboring islands." Xena was surprised to hear this news. "You didn’t tell me you were attacking Kos." "After you told me about your confrontation with Dahak there and his control over the isle’s inhabitants, I thought it was crucial to slow down his progress so I ordered the attack." "So, what happened?" Hercules asked. All in the room focused their gaze on the war god, waiting to hear his response. A frown of discomfort appeared on Ares’ face as he prepared to admit his miscalculation to all present. "The warriors were burning the bodies of the island’s dead when they were attacked by an eerie black smoke. I ended up losing almost all of my warriors...their bodies are now inhabited by the demons that previous resided in the bodies of the isle’s residents...they are all under Dahak’s control." Upon hearing Ares’ comments, the room erupted into active chatter. "This is just great!" Draco sarcastically replied. "How are we suppose to defeat Dahak now? We kill his followers and the demons in them take up residence in our bodies." Many mumbled in agreement with the former warlord’s sentiments. Xena moved to stand in the midst of her friends and raised her hands to quiet everyone down. "Hey people, I know it looks like Dahak is in a win-win situation but we can’t give in to negative thoughts." "Xena is right," Ares said. "Cyrus knows all about this dilemma and is already working on a solution." "I would still like to know how those strange plants fit into Dahak’s equation," Hercules said. "Maybe examining one will give us the answers." Solari was holding a gray sack and retrieved from within it, parts of the strange plant that was salvaged from the burnt remains of the old barn near Mycenae. "Hey, let me see that." Salmoneus had a look of remembrance on his face as he walked over to Solari. He gazed intently at the remnants of a large orange flower on the mutilated plant. "That looks like the plants that were at your place," Autolycus added. He came over to Salmoneus and also started inspecting the plant. "You mean you guys have also seen this strange plant?" Xena asked. "Yeah, there was a merchant selling these in Herakleia. I liked the orange flowers and he was selling them dirt cheap, so I bought a wagon load to put in the rooms of The Odyssey." "They were so cheap because this merchant obviously wants these plants in the hands of as many people as possible," Glaphyra stated. "He seemed like such a nice guy too and didn’t look anything like a Dahak fanatic." Salmoneus was still fiddling with the large orange flower. Xena walked over to the trio and started inspecting the plant remains. "These plants must play a crucial part in Dahak’s takeover of Greece." Xena took the sack containing the plant remains from Solari. "Joxer, I want you to take this to Cyrus. Tell him to put aside the scrolls and examine this ASAP." "Sure thing Xena." Joxer took the sack from Xena and departed the throne room headed for Cyrus. "Salmoneus, do you know where we might be able to find this merchant?" Xena asked. "He didn’t have a place in Herakleia but someone on my staff said they would see him ride out of town every night, headed in the direction of some old Thracian ruins...so I guess he is staying there." Xena had a disturbed look on her face as she slightly bowed her head. "This merchant is probably using the old ruins for the same purpose as the old barn in Mycenae," Hercules said. "It’s a smart move on Dahak’s part," Ares said. "My mother was the patron goddess of Herakleia but the city doesn’t get much attention from Olympus since her entrapment in the abyss of Tartarus." The war god glared at his demi-god half-brother. Hercules felt no guilt over the part he played in Hera’s imprisonment and ignored the glares of his half-brother. All felt the tension quickly rising between the two siblings again and it was Xena who took it upon herself to prevent it from erupting into another brawl by keeping the discussion on the topic at hand. "If the Thracian ruins are being used as a ‘greenhouse’, people are probably being rounded up for plant food." A chill went through most at such a horrible thought. "We must stop them," Gabrielle firmly stated. The others in the room nodded in agreement. ********** Before an attack could be launched against Dahak’s facility in the Thracian ruins outside of Herakleia, a way would have to be found to protect the group from demon possession. This task was left to Cyrus. Not long before sundown, Cyrus discovered a way to protect the group from demon corruption when they battled Dahak’s possessed legions. The former Watcher called a meeting in one of the castle’s large rooms he was now using as a laboratory. "This is the best I could do with the little time I had," the former Watcher began before the assembled group. "So long as it protects us from demon possession is all that matters," Xena said. The others mumbled in agreement. "I am certain it will give you the protection you need," Cyrus assured. The group grew silent again as the former Watcher elaborated with more details. "I had Zethus melt down some weapons of mine that I always carry with me...they date back to my days as a Watcher." Cyrus held up an intricately designed dagger for all to see. "These weapons were crafted from a metal not found on earth but only in the realm of the Creator...a realm of purity and goodness." Cyrus now held a bag in one hand. "This metal of light has the power to protect you from the darkness of these demons." He passed out the contents of the bag to the gathered group. "I had Zethus fashion the metal into medallions of the four pointed star of light. Wearing these will protect you from Dahak’s dark minions." Each member of the group now wore a four-pointed star medallion around their necks. After the meeting with Cyrus concluded, the group made last minute preparations for the attack on the Thracian ruins. But one member of the group had other matters to attend to elsewhere. Joxer was on one of the upper floors, near the bedchambers waiting in the shadows for the maid to finish her duties. The woman finally exited the bedchamber, closing the door behind her. Joxer made sure the maid was out of sight before making his way to the bedchamber door and stepping inside. He walked around the room taking in the opulence around him. The large four-poster bed covered in silver silk sheets and soft black warm furs---the polished wood furniture, glistening in the flames of the roaring hearth fire---white polar bearskin rugs thrown about the floor. Talon hadn’t seen such comforts since he was a Watcher and took part in the stewardship of the Earth. Since taking control of Joxer’s body, Talon had spent all his nights in bedrolls on the hard forest floor. He hoped the bedchamber assigned to him was half as nice as this one. Talon decided it was time to get down to the task that had brought him to the bedchamber. He walked over to the bedside table. From inside his shirt, he retrieved the bloated goatskin given to him by Gwenyth. Talon uncapped the goatskin. An evil chuckle escaped the lips of the fallen Watcher as he poured some of the crimson liquid into the pitcher containing water that sat atop the bedside table. The water in the pitcher bubbled a bit before settling down and returning to its clear consistency. With his task complete, Talon softly crept from the bedchamber and proceeded to rejoin the others as they made ready their attack on Dahak’s facility in the Thracian ruins. ********** It was after sundown when Ares transported the group to Herakleia. Salmoneus, Autolycus and Meleager were left there to round up all the strange plants at The Odyssey and the other places throughout the city, they might be. The others headed for the Thracian ruins in the forest outside Herakleia. Stories passed down for generations about the forest around the ruins being haunted kept most of the local residents away and was an added bonus for Dahak’s followers who didn’t want people snooping around. When the group reached the ruins, they hid in the foliage of the surrounding area. Using the aether to hide his presence, Ares explored the ruins to get an exact account of the number of followers the group would be up against. The ruins consisted of several small structures surrounding a very large one. Torches for light were lit here and there as people dressed in black robes went about their duties. "I’ve counted about seventeen men," Iolaus stated from his crouched position in the foliage. "Yeah, that’s the number I got too," Darnelle stated. "Get ready to add to those numbers because here comes company," Glaphyra said. Two covered wagons made their way down the dirt covered road that lead to the ruins. The wagons came to a stop in front of one of the smaller structures. Six men, all dressed in black jumped down from the wagons and began unloading the contents. Their comrades already there, lent a hand. "You can now raise that number to twenty-three," Draco said. "And we still don’t know how many are inside the ruins," Ephiny said. "You are out numbered by seven to one," a disembodied deep familiar voice declared. In shards of blue and white light, Ares’ leather clad muscular form came into view next to Xena. "I counted another forty men inside the various structures," the god continued. "And it appears Xena was right about the importance of this place. The large structure there has three floors all loaded with those strange plants---they are to be transported throughout Greece." "All those plants need food, did you find out where the supply is kept?" Hercules asked. "Ah, yes I did, dear brother," Ares replied with a devilish grin. "Fifty prisoners are being kept in that small structure behind the largest one. There are no guards but the door is locked." "Before we even attack those ruins, we must free those people," Gabrielle said. "Yeah, we don’t want the demons to have backup bodies to jump in," Joxer said. "Don’t worry, we will make sure those people are no where around when the fighting starts," Xena assured. "Being a hero is up the alley of all present except me, so this is where I will make my exit." Ares made ready to disappear from sight. "Not so fast mister!" Xena grabbed one of his arms, halting the god’s departure. "Considering the odds are not in our favor, we could use your help." "Since you are the one doing the asking Xena, I’ll stay." A devilish grin was plastered on the god’s face again. "Good." Gabrielle stepped forward. "You can start by zapping all the prisoners to safety." "I may be lending a hand but it doesn’t mean I will take orders from you!" Ares’ tone had a touch of threat to it. "If you are going to be helping Ares, you better remember that this is a team effort and there must be cooperation," Hercules said. It was bad enough that Xena’s resurrected friend was just as irritating as ever but now Ares had to contend with his meddling do-gooder half-brother. This is not at all what the war god had planned when he formed an alliance with Xena. Ares made a threatening move towards Hercules. Xena knew Ares’ temper was on a short fuse tonight and made a move to halt his intentions of violence towards his half-brother. "Hercules is right." Xena stood in front of Ares, blocking his path. "If our team is to accomplish its goal, we have to get those people to safety." She fixed her gaze on the god’s face. "Sorry Xena...I would if I could but I can’t." Ares folded his arms across his chest. "What do you mean you cant? You zapped us here," Iolaus said. The others gathered stared at the war god, their eyes conveying the same question Iolaus had just voiced. Ares rolled his eyes and sighed before responding. "Olympus and the gods of Persia are embroiled in a major dispute regarding control of certain regions and this happens to be one of them. And since our authority is in question, my control over the aether here is rather shaky." "Does this mean we will have to use the usual mortal modes of transportation to return to Macedon?" Darnelle asked. "It was hard maintaining control over the aether when I returned here, so for now, we are stuck but by the time we are ready to depart, I should be able to transport us out." "What about your other powers, are they gone too?" Draco asked. "For now, they are still intact." "Good, that means you can still help out." Xena’s brow was furrowed in deep thought. ********** A proud smile crossed the face of Anaximenes as he glanced around at the new supplies of lava plant bulbs and the rich volcanic earth in which they would grow. Of all the priests vying for the coveted position, he, Anaximenes, had been given the job of overseeing the largest installation for the cultivating of the lava plants. Once they reached maturity, the plants would be shipped out to all of Greece. Anaximenes was still smiling as he closed the back door of the wagon. "Okay, you can move it on out!" The now empty wagon made its way down the trail along with the other one. Soon, both disappeared from sight in the thick foliage of the forest. "Okay men, let’s get the last of these supplies into storage building Beta," Anaximenes ordered. Hauling the large wooden crates in their arms, the men headed for the old ruin designated as building Beta. They had just reached the doorway when a huge fireball appeared out of the black night sky hovering above them. "Hey, look at that! What is it!?!?" One of the men exclaimed. All stopped dead in their tracks and gazed up with wonderment at the huge fireball. The sudden brightness caught the attention of those inside the ruins and they immediately came out to see this unusual phenomenon. Anaximenes was just as fascinated as his men were. "It must be Lord Dahak!" He quickly dropped to his knees, bowing his head. The others gathered, followed the lead of their superior and mimicked his actions. ********** Gabrielle, Glaphyra and Joxer cautiously approached the old ruin housing the prisoners. Glaphyra used a sword to break the lock on the main door, then all proceeded inside. A few lit torches provided enough light for the trio to view the captives. Men and women wearing tattered and dirty clothes sat upon the straw covered ground with bound hands and feet. "We better move fast---we don’t have much time." Gabrielle pulled out a dagger and began cutting away the bonds of captives. Joxer and Glaphyra did the same. Most of the captives had accepted their fate of death and were truly surprised that they were being rescued. "Thank you," one woman said in a hoarse voice as she gazed up at Joxer with gratefulness in her eyes. A faint smile crossed Joxer’s lips as he helped the woman to her feet then ushered her to the door along with the others. ********** Hercules pushed some leaves out of the way as he crouched on a large branch high up in a tree. He looked to his friend in the tree next to him. "Okay pal, are you ready?" "As ready as I’ll ever be," Iolaus replied. The two wagons that had left the old ruins were making their way down the tree line path. When the wagons were directly beneath them, Hercules and Iolaus jumped from the trees, landing on both drivers. There was a brief struggle before they managed to toss both drivers to the ground unconscious. Each then directed both wagons off the trail and through the trees, back towards the old Thracian ruins. The wagons were not that far from the ruins, when Hercules and Iolaus spotted the freed captives along with their three friends. They immediately brought the wagons to a stop. "Okay, everyone into the wagons," Gabrielle ordered. The freed captives were quickly loaded into both wagons. When all were safely aboard, Gabrielle and Joxer sat on the driver’s bench in one and Glaphyra on the other. "Now you guys get these people out of here as fast as you can," Hercules ordered. Glaphyra urged the horse hitched to the wagon to take off through the woods. Gabrielle and Joxer followed close behind in the other wagon. Hercules and Iolaus watched until both wagons disappeared in the denseness of the forest. "We better give Xena and the others a hand." Iolaus nodded in agreement. The pair quickly headed back towards the old ruins. ********** With the large ruin now empty of Dahak’s followers, Xena, Ephiny, Solari, Darnelle and Draco made their way inside. They quickly took in their surroundings. The first floor had row after row of the strange large plants growing in rich earth. There were two more floors above just like the first. "We better get to work." Xena went up the stairs leading to the upper floors. Ephiny and Solari followed her while Darnelle and Draco took care of the first floor. Xena left Ephiny and Solari on the second floor while she took care of the third. ********** All of Dahak’s followers were still on bent knees with bowed heads, so no one saw the other being who took form out of a flame of fire. The new arrival’s face twisted in anger when he saw the spectacle before him. He quickly raised a hand, releasing a bolt of energy that hit the mesmerizing ball of fire. The fireball quickly dispersed, revealing the form of the God of War who immediately fell to the ground. Those on bent knees quickly raised their bowed heads and stared in fear because they knew whom the new arrival was and what they had let happen. "You fools!" He angrily shouted. "They distracted you so they could destroy the lava plants." All turned towards the large stone ruin. Smoke was starting to pour from windows on the second floor. "Go protect the plants now!" Followers rose from their knees and immediately headed towards the large stone structure. Ares still lay on the ground. The energy hit had left him severely dazed and in a weakened state. The war god let his eyes focus on the man standing over him. He was very tall and dressed in black leather with a black cape billowing down his back. He had shoulder length black hair with gray streaks running throughout it. His eyes were crystal-blue in color, just like Xena’s. Ares’ own eyes widened when he realized who was standing before him. "Dahak!" He breathed. "Ah Ares, we finally get to meet face to face." Dahak’s full rose colored lips curled into an evil smile. Ares raised a hand to direct an energy ball at Dahak but nothing happened. The war god had a look of surprise on his face. Dahak threw back his head, an evil laugh escaping his lips. When he finally gazed at the fallen war god again, his face was deadly serious. "I will deal with you later!" Then Dahak vanished in a flame of fire. "Damn, that energy hit I took must be dampening my powers," Ares muttered to himself. But at the moment, that was the least of his worries. Now knowing he was nothing but an imposter, some of Dahak’s followers charged him with swords drawn. "I guess I’ll have to do this the old fashion way." The war god quickly rose to his feet, unsheathing his sword in the process. ********** Ephiny and Solari quickly descended the stairs to the first floor and were met by Darnelle and Draco. "Did you take care of the second floor?" Draco asked. "Yeah," Ephiny replied somewhat out of breath. "We cut down all the plants before burning them." Solari fingered the medallion hanging around her neck. "These things must be working because we haven’t been attacked by any demons --- there was an eerie black smoke but it just went off in search of hosts elsewhere." Darnelle gazed at the plants he and Draco had cut to pieces. "We better get to work on setting these ablaze too." "Hey, where’s Xena?" Draco asked. "Xena told us not to worry about her, she has her escape planned and we are to burn all of the plants," Ephiny replied. Darnelle figured Xena knew what she was doing and decided to do what she ordered. They were just removing some of the lit torches from the wall, to use to destroy the plants, when Dahak’s followers entered the building. "Death to our enemies!" Some shouted as they charged the foursome with drawn swords. Darnelle and Draco quickly tossed the lit torches on the mutilated plants, setting them ablaze before joining Ephiny and Solari in warding off the attack. The four managed to dispose of their attackers and flee to safety from the fire quickly consuming the first floor. ********** With her sword cutting thick stem after thick stem, Xena hacked her way through the many rows of plants on the third floor. By the time she had all the plants cut down, thick black smoke was rising from the lower floors. Xena quickly retrieved a lit torch from the wall. She was about to toss it onto the mutilated plants, when in a flame of fire, Dahak’s form took shape several feet in front of her. "Hello Xena." "Hello Father." Xena’s lips curled into a devilish smile. "Did you come to watch all your plans go up in smoke?" A sigh of indifference escaped the lips of the evil god. "Destroying this facility will not deter me from my destiny---to rule this world once again." "Your only destiny is to DIE and this is just the first step to making sure that happens," she hissed. "You can’t win Xena. There are already thousands of plants being scattered throughout Greece --- the Olympian pantheon is just the first of many that will crumble in my wake." "Such over confidence is not a good thing, Father." "I could say the same for you, my dear." Dahak stared hard into the eyes of the woman before him. They mirrored his own with their crystal blue color and at the moment were filled with a fierce determination. "It’s not too late to join me Xena." "I will NEVER join you!" She spat. "Ah, stubborn ‘til the end. It could mean your death. But if I can’t have you, there is always Lycus and Lysia." Xena’s eyes widened upon Dahak mentioning her children. "They are quite young but my blood has made them powerful and not being fully grounded in a silly moral code yet, they will be easy to corrupt." Xena narrowed the gaze of her eyes. "I will KILL you before I let you get any where near them!!!" "Your threats are meaningless because the children are already MINE!" With godlike speed, Xena quickly threw her chakram directly at Dahak. But the round metal object only hit the air, since Dahak quickly vanished in a flame of fire. The echo of his evil laughter was all that remained. The chakram bounced off a wall and Xena caught it when it returned to her. She attached it to her waist as she quickly looked around her. There was no need to set the third floor ablaze because the fires on the two lower floors had quickly spread to the third floor. The short confrontation with Dahak had also given the fire enough time to destroy her escape route. Huge flames were lapping up the stairway so she could not use that as an escape route either. Xena found a cloth that she drenched in a nearby barrel of water. She squeezed out the excess water, put the cloth around her nose and mouth then proceeded to search for another way out. ********** Ares was still fighting Dahak’s minions but he now had reinforcements. Hercules and Iolaus had made their way through the forest to lend a hand. Darnelle, Draco, Ephiny and Solari followed after that. All, including Hercules, were using swords to battle Dahak’s followers. When deathblows were struck the demons inhabiting some of the bodies went for their attackers but the medallions they wore protected them from possession. With no new hosts to inhabit, the demons lost their strength, and the earth absorbed their energy. When all the followers lay dead, everyone turned their attention toward the large burning ruin. "Where’s Xena?" Ares began frantically searching around. "She told us to set the fires...she had another way out," Ephiny replied. "Something must have gone wrong because she’s not here," Iolaus said. "She must still be inside!" Hercules quickly headed for burning ruin and prepared to go inside. But Ares had followed right after him and halted his brother’s intention. "No, you stay here...I’ll get her." Ares quickly made his way into the burning structure before Hercules could voice protests. The moment he entered the building, Ares was immediately overcome by thick black smoke and began to cough. He still didn’t feel like himself, meaning his powers were still on the blink, and he was vulnerable to being harmed or possibly killed. But at the moment, all that mattered was finding Xena. Despite the smoke obscuring his vision, Ares was able to find the stairs. But deadly flames had already demolished the lower steps. Making a run for it, Ares leaped into the air, grasping the remaining upper steps with his hands. He managed to haul himself onto the second floor. The steps leading to the third floor were still intact but flames surrounded them. Ares managed to find an old blanket, which he drenched with water contained in a nearby barrel. He then covered himself with it and quickly made his way up the stairs to the third floor. The rapidly moving flames had traveled up the walls and were now starting to consume the ceiling. Thick black smoke made it difficult for Ares to see. "Xena...Xena where are you?" He yelled while frantically searching the third floor, all the while dodging burning beams that started falling from the ceiling. Ares was able to make out a form standing in front of the room’s only window. The opening was too small for an adult to squeeze through but the fire had loosened the stone around the window and Xena was pulling it away, in an attempt to make the opening larger. But her extended exposure to the thick smoke, was weakening her and her attempts to knock the stone away slowing down. Xena was about to collapse from smoke inhalation when Ares came up behind her preventing her fall to the floor. "Just hold on to me." Ares wrapped an arm around Xena’s waist to keep her upright. With his other hand, he knocked away the stone enlarging the window. He stuck out his head and called to the others. "Hey, up here!" The others heard his cries and now stood looking up at the window. "Get something to cushion our jump." The six below found a wagon filled with hay that they maneuvered over to the burning structure. When the wagon was in position, Xena jumped to safety and Ares followed after her. Ephiny and Solari helped Xena from the wagon. "Are you okay?" Ephiny asked. "Yes...I just gotta...little too much...smoke," Xena replied in between coughs. She turned towards the war god who was climbing out of the wagon. "Ares, you have to take me back to Macedon right away. Dahak was here and he said he was going after the twins." "Dahak!" Iolaus exclaimed. "He was here?" Darnelle asked. "Yeah, I saw him too," Ares replied. "He zapped me screwing up my powers but I feel fine now, even control of the aether is back. But the kids are safe Xena. Not even Dahak could get through the barriers I have around that fortress." "If you don’t mind, I would like to see that they are indeed safe for myself, so please take me back now." A weary sigh escaped the war god’s lips as he grasped Xena’s right arm. The pair immediately vanished in shards of blue and white light. CHAPTER 43 Xena quickly turned the large golden knob, opened the door and stepped into the bedchamber. A large black mastiff that sniffed her over before licking a hand immediately greeted her. Xena ran a hand over the dog’s fur back before heading over to the large bed. The large dog headed over to the bed too and without disturbing the sleeping child, lay down at the foot of the bed. A soft smile crossed Xena’s lips as she gazed down at the face of her daughter who slept peacefully in the large bed. Lysia clutched her favorite doll that Xena had returned to her earlier that day. She pulled the furs covering the bed closer around the child before softly planting a kiss atop her head. She gazed at the little girl’s sleeping form a few moments more before she quietly exited the bedchamber. Xena was just closing the bedchamber door, when Ares exited the bedchamber directly across the hall. "I take it Lysia is okay?" The war god asked. "Yes, she’s sleeping peacefully. How about Lycus?" "He’s doing the same. There’s a roaring fire in the hearth plus lit candles to keep away bad dreams." A pleased smile was etched on the god’s face. "I guess you were right after all and I should have ignored Dahak’s threat." Xena started walking down the hall. Ares walked next to her. "Nothing Dahak says should ever be taken lightly so your reaction was understandable." "And thanks for pulling my butt out of those burning ruins." Xena came to a stop and stared incredulously at the god standing next to her. "You are certainly full of surprises---your powers were not functioning---you were vulnerable to possible injury...death even---and you leaped into a burning building to save little ol’ me." "I couldn’t let you die Xena. It would have meant my death too." Xena disgustedly rolled her eyes after this statement. "Both our deaths would have also had an adverse effect on the children. It would have been too traumatic for them to lose their parents after just finding them." Ares gazed intently at her face. "With you now being able to see the twins, I hope you haven’t discarded the idea of becoming immortal." "Despite your attempt at blackmail, I am still considering your offer. Why, each morning, I gaze at the apple of immortality sitting in that black box upon my dresser," she replied with a sly smile. "Well, I wish you would stop gazing and just eat it already but I do have the patience and the confidence that in the end, you will." Ares moved closer to her. "Why should the children ever have to face the possibility of losing their parents?" He brought a hand up to her face and softly caressed a cheek. Xena quickly moved away from his caressing hand. "Just because I am still considering your offer of immortality and supporting your role as father to the twins does not mean that there will be any romantic liaison between us." "But even you Xena, can not deny the bond we share." "The only bond between us of interest to ME is the children. For their sakes, I will do my best to get along with you but forget any ideas you may have of pushing it beyond those bounds." With those last words, Xena made her way down the hall, headed for her own bedchamber. The war god’s deep brown eyes followed her departing form. "So, our only bond you care about is the children, huh? You can keep telling yourself that is the case all you want Xena, but you know that’s not true," Ares said to himself. "I know all too well how strong the attraction between us is and you can not deny it forever, so I will just wait." ********** Minos was standing before a long table in his laboratory. The exalted high priest poured wine into two goblets. A congratulatory smile creased his sinister face as he raised the goblet he now held in a hand. "To you Dark One and your never-ending brilliance." Minos took a sip from the goblet. "Ah, yes, tonight’s activities did proceed without a single flaw." Dahak took a sip of the wine from the goblet he now held. "Xena and her friends are probably basking in their victory over us when little do they know they removed a thorn from my side by destroying those plants." "I’ve heard it said that revenge is a dish best served cold," Minos commented. "That is SO true." An evil chuckle escaped Dahak’s lips before he took another sip from the goblet. When Dahak was known as the Chief Guardian Metatron, a group of Watchers, who had fully participated in corrupting the Earth, tried to get into the good graces of the Creator again by turning the Chief Guardian over to him for punishment. The Creator did punish Metatron but the turncoat fallen Watchers were punished as well and imprisoned in the earth’s heated core along with the others. Centuries later, when Metatron, now known as Dahak, was imprisoned in the earth’s heated core, these now bodiless spirits wanted to get in his good graces and take part in the escape from the fiery prison they knew he was planning. When Dahak finally gained his freedom, he freed these turncoats along with those who had remained loyal to him but he had never forgotten their betrayal. And now, after so many centuries, he was finally able to make them pay. When Xena and her friends burned the plants cultivating at the Thracian ruins, the demons residing in them had no unprotected bodies in which to seek residence, so they were absorbed by the earth and existed NO MORE. "The faithful who survived our humbling *defeat* are very fearful of what will happen to them for allowing the loss of such a vital facility," Minos jokingly stated. "I’ll let them shake a little longer by ranting and raving about their incompetence but no one will be fatally punished. That should really surprise them." "Too bad we didn’t take Anaximenes into our confidence and tell him our true intentions. The man was so distraught over his *failure* that he slit his own throat," Minos said with a touch of regret. "Yes, that is a pity," Dahak sighed. "But his death will serve as an example to the others and let them know that failure will not be tolerated by me." The remorseful look left the face of the high priest to be replaced by a devilish glint. "I wish I could have been there to see the look on Ares’ face when he realized who you were." "Oh, he was surprised to see me all right but even more so when he discovered that energy bolt he absorbed cut off his powers." "I don’t know why you didn’t kill him then and there." The high priest’s mouth poked out in a disappointed pout. "You really must learn from my example Minos and work on being patient. Ares will get what he truly deserves, all in good time." "As always, you are right Dark One." An evil chuckle escaped Minos’ lips as he thought about the Hind’s blood they had in their possession. Dahak knew what his priest was thinking and that got an evil chuckle from his own lips. "Now that our enemies believe they have struck a major blow to our plans, it will increase their confidence in their *eventual* victory over us so our next move will catch them completely off guard and insure OUR victory." After returning with Xena to Macedon to confirm the safety of the twins, Ares went back to Herakleia to retrieve her friends. Their mission had been a complete success---all the plants in Herakleia had been rounded up and destroyed---Dahak’s facilities at the Thracian ruins were a complete loss---and the prisoners had been freed and taken to safety. Once returning to massive fortress in the Macedonian Mountains, all in the group were assigned bedchambers. After exchanging stories about the night’s events, most had gone off to bed. Left wired from the harrowing events of that evening, Gabrielle found it difficult to sleep. The bard had ended up in the kitchen where she fixed herself a mug of warm milk, hoping it would help her sleep. Gabrielle had no idea how long she strolled the floors of the massive castle before she ended up in one of its many large rooms, looking out a window that ran the entire length of a stone wall. Considering the room contained no hearth with a roaring fire, Gabrielle should have been freezing as she stood gazing out the large window but she wasn’t. Somehow, using godly magic of course, Ares was able to warm the room without the use of hearth fires. But Gabrielle really had no interest in how the room was warmed as she gazed out at the spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. A full moon was the only constellation in the clear night sky. Its light bounced off the unblemished white snow that blanketed the surrounding mountains. A comfortable sigh escaped Gabrielle’s lips before she took another sip from the mug she held. "A dinar for your thoughts." A familiar male voice said from behind her. Gabrielle turned. A warm smile creased her lips as she saw Joxer step out of the shadows and stand by her at the large window. "You can’t sleep either, huh Joxer?" "No, I can’t, and it’s not for lack of trying on my part. The bed in my room is the softest I have ever had...I should be sleeping like a baby but I keep reliving the events of tonight." "Yeah, me too." Gabrielle took another sip of the warm milk from the mug she held in her hands. Since arriving in Macedon, Talon had been waiting for such an opportunity when he could be alone with Gabrielle. Now he would get the chance to let the lovely bard know how ‘Joxer’ really felt about her. The fallen Watcher was also confident that he would get to *show* her too. "Um Gabrielle, there is something I have to tell ya." Joxer took the cup from Gabrielle’s hands and set it on the windowsill. He grasped her arms with his hands as he stared into her green eyes. "What is it Joxer?" Gabrielle knew from the look on his face that whatever it was he had to tell her was very serious. Joxer cleared his throat before he began. "Even though we beat Dahak tonight and didn’t lose anybody, we may not be so lucky the next time around..." "Oh Joxer, don’t talk like that." "I know, it’s something no one wants to talk about but it could happen. It did the last time we fought Dahak...we lost you." Joxer raised a hand up to her cheek. "But thanks to Hope you are back with us." A smile broke out over his face, which Gabrielle returned. Joxer lowered his hand as the smile faded from his face to be replaced with a serious look. "Losing you made me realize you’ve got to live for the here and now...don’t hold anything back...especially from those you care about the most." From the look in Joxer’s eyes and the words pouring from his mouth, Gabrielle knew he was about to make a confession of sorts in regards to her. But at the moment she was in no frame of mind to handle such a declaration and didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Gabrielle feigned a yawn. "Oh...um...sorry about that Joxer. I guess the warm milk did the trick so I’ll be going off to bed now." "But you haven’t heard what I have to say." Joxer maintained his firm grip on her arms halting her quick departure. "Really Joxer you can tell me some..." "I love you Gabrielle." Joxer quickly stated cutting her off mid-sentence. She stood there staring at him with her lips slightly parted. "I’ve been in love with you for quite a while now, but a woman like you wouldn’t show interest in a guy like me...I was a bumbling, stammering hero-wannabe." "But that’s not true, any woman would have been proud to have you, Joxer." "But you are not just any woman and the old Joxer wasn’t good enough for you," he softly stated as he placed his hands on her shoulders. For once, the bard found herself speechless as she gazed up into Joxer’s brown eyes. "It took your dying for me to change into a man worthy of you. I use to feel sorry for myself, that the woman I did this all for was not here to see it but now that you are, I’m not going to waste another minute hiding my feelings for you." Joxer quickly claimed Gabrielle’s lips in a brutal kiss. Gabrielle had not been at all prepared to deal with Joxer’s confession of love so she was completely flabbergasted by his present actions. And to her surprise, he was turning out to be a pretty good kisser but no matter how good it felt, she did not want this to be happening. She tried to gently pull away but he tightened his embrace. Gabrielle was becoming angry when he tried forcing his tongue into her mouth and his hands began groping her body. Joxer’s aggressive behavior dismissed Gabrielle’s concerns for niceties. She forcefully wrenched herself free from his unwanted embrace. Both now stood there, she with a look of shock and he with a look of surprise, as they both gasped for air. Gabrielle raised a hand and slapped Joxer hard across the face. "DON’T you EVER do that again!!!" She turned her back to him and made a quick exit from the room. Joxer stood there, rubbing his injured cheek with a hand, his gaze fixed on Gabrielle’s retreating form. This had not gone at all the way Talon had expected. The fallen Watcher figured his seduction of the bard would be easy. She had certainly welcomed his flirtations when they sat on that bench in the wagon, leading those freed prisoners to safety. The bard had laughed at his humor that lightened the tense atmosphere and had even put an arm around him adding a slight hug. Talon was so sure her actions meant that she wanted this shmuck Joxer. Such an egotistical being like Talon never thought he would have to admit to such a failure but all those centuries of being trapped in the earth’s heated core may have dampened his ability to clearly read the opposite sex. He had definitely misinterpreted the bard’s responses to his covert advances. Talon knew he had to repair the damage he had done or his masquerade as *Joxer* could come to an abrupt end. "Gabrielle, Wait!" He bolted from the room and ran down the hall. She was quite a distance ahead of him so he had to bridge the gap by quickening his pace. Gabrielle heard him call out to her and his sudden footsteps behind her so she quickened her own pace, as she yelled at him. "If *that* is what I can expect from the *new and improved Joxer*, I DON’T WANT TO KNOW HIM!!!" Joxer was finally close enough to reach a hand out to touch her shoulder, "Please, Gabrielle..." "GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!!!" The bard spat as she whirled around, throwing a punch at him. "Whoa!" Joxer jumped back avoiding the punch, while raising his hands in a gesture of submission. Gabrielle had halted her hasty exit and now stood staring at the man she thought was a friend. "Gods Joxer, you are the LAST man I thought would EVER act like that." She shook her head in disgust. "I don’t even know who you are any more." Hurt was visible in her green eyes as she gazed him up and down. Talon knew he would have to pull off a flawless performance if he wanted to fix the snafu he had created. "I am so sorry Gabrielle. You’ve got to believe me when I say you are the last person I would ever want to hurt." A look of shame and remorse was in his eyes. "But that’s EXACTLY what you did Joxer, by trying to force your affections on me and after confessing *love* no less." "I know...I acted like the scum you and Xena have fought against for three years." Joxer slightly bowed his head and looked more shameful. "What really has me baffled is why you would even try something like *that*? It is SOOO not like you." "I don’t even know why myself." Joxer started to nervously shift from foot to foot. "But it probably has to do with the fear I have had ever since Xena told me that Dahak was free." "You want to tell me about it?" Gabrielle put a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring manner. Talon smiled inwardly. The bard’s anger had dissipated and she was now offering *him* comfort. But the fallen Watcher knew his butt wasn’t out of the fire yet, so he had to take his performance to the next level. "For most of the time you have known me Gabrielle, I have talked about being a hero but I never really had any deeds to back up my big words." "That is true Joxer but you have helped out Xena and me from time to time and you certainly saved the day when you found the Hind’s blood dagger and gave it to Xena." "Yeah, finding the dagger was the first time I didn’t mess up but I wouldn’t say it saved the day since we ended up losing you. And being the slow-wit that I am, it took you dying for me to finally back up my heroic words with actions. After all this time, I finally asked Xena to teach me how to fight." "From what Xena has told me, you have become very skilled with a staff. I am still working on bringing back my skill level and would love to spar with you." "I would like that too." Joxer let a faint smile cross his lips. "Fighting alongside Xena has been great. I now have actions to back up my words...I’ve fought warlords, slavers and robbers. I was all set to help Xena fight against Dahak too but now I realize I am way out of my league." "What do you mean Joxer?" "Being a real hero is all so new to me. I am still learning to control the fear I get when fighting humans so I don’t see how I stand any chance whatsoever fighting against these demons. I am so afraid I am not going to live to see this battle to the end and that’s why I came on to you like I did. I was hoping my confession would make you feel the same way about me, so I could experience love at least one time before my life would end. I now see it was wrong of me to expect you feel the same way I do." Letting his shoulders slouch, Joxer turned to leave. Gabrielle empathized with the fear Joxer felt and wanted to ease it in some way. "Oh Joxer, wait a minute." She placed a hand on his shoulder, halting his departure. He turned to face her again. "You are not the only one who has fear regarding our battle with Dahak." "Oh yeah, like Xena is scared of Dahak," he snorted with sarcasm. "And I guess Hercules and Ares are too, right?" "Fear has no boundaries Joxer. At some time in our lives we all feel it...even people like Xena...Hercules and even a god like Ares. If the truth were to be known, all of us are probably just as scared as you are." "That may be true, but none of you would have acted the way I did." Joxer’s lips twisted into a painful frown as he stared at Gabrielle’s face. "I acted like a BIG JERK and I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted nothing to do with me again." "Hey, I don’t hate you." Gabrielle held his hands in hers. "I believe your love for me is genuine and I love you too..." Joxer’s face brightened upon hearing her words. "But only as a friend." His face quickly fell again. "That doesn’t mean my love for you can’t evolve beyond friendship but you can’t force me to feel something that at the moment I don’t." "You’re right Gabrielle, it was wrong of me to assume you would feel the same way I do and I just hope that you can accept my sincerest apology and we can go on being friends." "I accept your apology Joxer and would like very much to continue being your friend." Gabrielle had a warm smile on her face as she gazed at Joxer. He returned her smile with one of his own. The pair continued their walk down the hall, chatting and laughing along the way. They soon found themselves on the floor of Gabrielle’s bedchamber, standing just outside the door. "I think that warm milk finally did the trick and I will actually be able to get some sleep now." Gabrielle turned the knob and opened the door. "Yeah, I’m going to turn in too, goodnight Gabrielle." "Goodnight Joxer." Gabrielle stepped into the bedchamber. "Um Gabrielle..." "Yes Joxer?" "You mentioned needing a sparring partner to get your staff skills up to speed again...I could work out with you tomorrow." "I already have a partner...a young priestess but I think her working out with me has gotten her in trouble with her superiors...she’s been neglecting her duties...so I would be glad to work out with you." "Great, I will come by your room tomorrow, before breakfast." Joxer had a pleased smile on his face. "I’ll see you then...goodnight." Gabrielle had a warm smile on her face. "Goodnight." Gabrielle was still smiling as she closed her bedchamber door. Joxer was still smiling himself as he proceeded down the hall to his own bedchamber. The fallen Watcher congratulated himself on yet another fine performance. ‘You still got it ol’ boy, you managed to pull your butt out of a very hot fire.’ Talon was use to women immediately melting under his charms so he would have to take a different approach with Gabrielle. But he was confident that in the end, she would melt just like all the others.
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