CHAPTER 7

It had been one month since Xena, accompanied by Joxer, had returned to her home village of Amphipolis. Some quiet time was in order for both after two months of non-stop battles with the ruffians of Greece. And for Joxer, he had finally found the one person who he believed could get Xena to release the sorrow she carried within over the loss of Gabrielle. Upon hearing Joxer's summary of Xena's state of mind since the tragedy, Cyrene had tried to talk to her daughter regarding Gabrielle. But Xena made it perfectly clear she would handle her grief in her own way and if Cyrene wanted her to stay, she would not bridge the subject again. After that, Cyrene decided to leave the subject alone, for now anyway, and just enjoy having her daughter home again.

Cyrene did have success in getting Xena out of her leather and armor and into some dresses. Joxer had only seen Xena in the intimidating leather and was truly surprised at how gentle she looked when she dressed like the other village women. He particularly liked a powder blue dress Cyrene gave Xena. It complimented her crystal blue eyes and accentuated her tan skin, not to mention it managed to show off her well-toned body. Joxer knew someone like him had a snowball's chance in Tartarus of being with a woman like Xena but that didn't stop him from having his fantasies. And he did have the consolation of being her "sidekick".

Xena did help her mother with duties around the tavern. She saw to taking care of some much-needed repairs. She also dubbed as a barmaid waiting on tables. Cyrene didn't ask her to cook any meals since that was clearly not her forte' but her skill with a knife was greatly appreciate when vast amounts of meats and vegetables needed to be chopped.

Joxer kept himself busy by helping out as a barkeep. He served the usual, mead, ale, wine and some of his own creations, which the tavern's patrons seemed to like. Joxer was enjoying his stay in Amphipolis but he was becoming restless. Ever since he learned how to use a staff, he now craved the opportunity to use his newfound skills on an opponent. But Amphipolis was the home of Xena, Warrior Princess, and no one dared cause trouble there. Joxer was itching for some excitement that would let him use his new skills but he didn't feel right leaving his friend who, despite protests to the contrary, needed help.

It was midday, and Joxer was tending bar in the tavern, his usual routine nowadays, busily preparing one of his own concoctions for a patron when he heard a woman call out to him.

"Hey barkeep, fix me up with a large mug of ale."

"I'll be with you in a minute." He gave the regular the concoction he ordered, then got the mug of ale for the woman. "Here you go miss." When he set the mug down on the bar, he finally looked at her. The woman had a beautiful tan face. She had short curly blond hair cut in a bob. Her eyes were an exotic light brown. Her lips were full with a pouty look which Joxer thought was sexy.

"Thanks," the woman said in a velvety tone. Her pouty full lips transformed into a warm smile as she stared into Joxer’s brown eyes.

Joxer broke the mutual stare to return to his duties behind the bar. He wondered who the woman was. He had never seen her in the tavern before so she must be just passing through. The woman stayed seated at the bar for a while, so Joxer couldn't get her off his mind. He even took the opportunity when he had to tend to some duties away from the bar to get a better look at her. He could now she was petite in stature but she looked like she could definitely take care of herself if trouble arose. She looked to be in her late teens. Her body was all tan hard muscle, which Joxer could easily see since she wore little. She was dressed in a brown leather halter-top with a short brown skirt to match and brown warrior boots. On her back was a scabbard containing a sword and at her waist was a dagger. The woman now had a plate of chicken to go along with a refill of ale.

"I was told Xena was back in Amphipolis and hung out at this tavern," the woman said to Joxer when he was behind the bar again. She took a couple bites out of the chicken leg she held in a hand. "I haven't seen her since I've been here. Do you know where she is?" she asked in between chewing the chicken in her mouth.

"Xena is taking care of tavern business for her mother and won't be back until later in the day. I'm a friend of Xena's, maybe I can help you."

The woman swallowed the chicken and eyed Joxer curiously. "Where is Xena's blond woman friend, Gabrielle?"

"She died a few months ago," Joxer softly replied.

The woman was clearly taken aback by this news. "I'm sorry to hear that...Xena must be devastated."

"We both are, Gabrielle meant a lot to me too." Joxer eyed the woman curiously. "You certainly seem to know a lot about Xena."

"Well who doesn't? Xena was a feared warlord and now she's an admired hero. Stories about her acts of heroism have spread thanks to Gabrielle's gift as a bard. These stories inspired me to help others. But right now, I'm in need of some help which only Xena can provide."

"Well, I travel with Xena now," he said proudly while sticking out his chest. "I'm Joxer, her new sidekick in her fight against evil, so like I said before, maybe I can help you."

The woman stared Joxer up and down, which made him feel somewhat nervous. "Okay, I guess it couldn't hurt to tell you my problem."

Joxer got a barmaid to cover for him at the bar then led the woman who was carrying her mug of ale and plate of food to a table in a quiet part of the tavern.

"My name is Gwenyth," the woman said once they were seated at a quiet table. "I've been an admirer of Xena's ever since I first heard the stories of how she gave up her life as a warlord and decided to fight for the weak and helpless." The last few morsels of food on her plate were downed along with a quick gulp of ale. "A little over a year ago, I joined an academy in Axion run by Anteros an old Spartan soldier. I was the only female but I was able to hold my own against all the male cadets." There was a large smile filled with pride on her face. "We have a three month break before classes start again so I returned to my home village."

Joxer had been listening to her with genuine interest. He thought the woman looked like she could take care of herself and now that he knew she attended an academy, he was sure of it.

"But enough about me." Gwenyth wiped her hands on a cloth napkin as she got more comfortable in her chair. "You sat at this table to find out about my problem so I guess I better tell you."

Gwenyth came from the village of Mantis, which was located on the remote isle of Kos. Two months ago, she came home to discover several residents of her village were stricken with a mysterious illness. At first they appeared to have flu symptoms, then their bodies were covered with scaly red sores. After the sores, came deep sleep, labored breathing then death. The local healer was baffled by the ailment. As residents continued to die, people panicked when others started to show signs of the mysterious ailment. Prayers and sacrifices were offered to the gods to free them from this plague that had attacked their village but no god responded. Twenty of Mantis' residents were dead and those who remained thought death awaited them too until strangers came to the village.

About a month ago, a group of ten people, men and women came to Mantis. The group claimed to be disciples of Natas, the one true god. Natas had heard their prayers and had sent his disciples to help the village of Mantis. The disciples went to the hospice where all those sick with the illness laid dying. Their leader, who called himself Damon, stood in the middle of the hospice with his head and arms raised and called on the true purity of Natas to free the people from their affliction. Suddenly, there was a light so bright in the hospice that all present had to shield their eyes. As quickly as the light appeared, it vanished. When all unshielded their eyes, those who were sick were now completely healed. The red scaly spots had vanished from their bodies. Those in a deep sleep were now awake. The residents of Mantis rejoiced and were truly grateful to the Disciples and their god Natas.

After the miraculous healing, the Disciples stayed in Mantis. They began teaching the beliefs of their god Natas. Some of the villagers became Disciples of Natas. It seemed with the miraculous recovery from the mysterious illness and with the blessing of Natas, Mantis would go back to being the quiet little village it always was but that was not so. Not long after the arrival of the Disciples of Natas, the volcanoes on the isle started to erupt with no warnings after being dormant for years. What made it so strange, was the eruptions seemed to coincide with the secret initiation ceremonies for new members into the Discipleship. Villagers who became Disciples were acting drastically different. Gwenyth didn't really pay much attention to the changes in other villagers until her sister became a disciple and now behaved like a total stranger.

"I have never been one to be big on the worship of gods and I don't down those who are but I have this bad feeling about the Disciples of Natas," Gwenyth said. "My village has mostly benefited since their arrival but I can't shake the feeling they are too good to be true. That's why I came to Amphipolis looking for Xena." Gwenyth absentmindedly twisted the cloth napkin with her hands. "Being a big admirer, I have tried to keep track of her adventures. I don't know much about her run-ins with this Dahak cult but I do know she was successful in stopping the arrival of the One Great Evil." Joxer had a fearful look on his face at the mention of Dahak and his cult. "I'm not trying to say the Disciples are anything like Dahak's cult but I do believe they are dangerous and will lead my village to ruin," she quickly stated. "When I think of the changes in my sister's behavior, I'm convinced some type of mind control is involved."

"What you have told me has definitely got me interested," Joxer said.

"I know most would dismiss my worries as paranoia. I wouldn't have bothered Xena if I didn't think the Disciples' true motives were sinister. I'm confident in my skills, but I have the good sense to realize I may be in over my head and could use the help of a seasoned veteran in such matters."

"After her run-ins with Dahak, Xena has no love for cults that deceive people," Joxer said. "When she returns, I will fill her in on what you told me. I can guarantee she will check it out at least."

"Well, that is all I am asking for now. I am staying down by the harbor with a friend named Zelus. I will be leaving tomorrow morning and need to hear from Xena by tonight to make arrangements for our passage on a ship to Kos." Gwenyth bid Joxer good-bye then left the tavern.

After Gwenyth left, Joxer buried his face in his hands. He couldn't believe what he had just done. Joxer told this woman Xena would come to Mantis to rid it of this deceitful and possibly dangerous cult when he knew she was in no state of mind to help anyone. In the past month, she still had not dealt with her grief over Gabrielle's death and seemed resided to the idea of staying in Amphipolis indefinitely. Joxer couldn't help himself. What Gwenyth revealed had intrigued him and he was just itching for some excitement after spending a month in the tranquillity of Amphipolis. He also couldn't leave out the fact he thought Gwenyth was very attractive and the part it played in him wanting to help her. Joxer desperately wanted to go to Mantis to check out this cult but knew Gwenyth really wanted Xena's help and would have never accepted just his alone.

Joxer sat for an hour pondering what he should do when he decided to share his dilemma with Cyrene. He found her in the kitchen stirring a huge pot of lamb stew over the hearth. He filled her in on Gwenyth, the Disciples of Natas and how the woman thought they spelled trouble for her village and wanted Xena's help.

"You should go down to where Gwenyth is staying and tell her Xena will not be able to help with this cult problem," Cyrene suggested. "Maybe she can find someone else to help before she leaves the mainland."

"Yeah, you're right Cyrene," Joxer admitted. He went to a table and picked up a big chunk of carrot that hadn't made it into the stew. "I do owe the woman some honesty after she bared all her fears about the safety of her village to me." Joxer shoved the carrot chunk into his mouth as he headed towards the kitchen door to leave for the harbor when he stopped abruptly. "Why should Gwenyth have to find someone else to help her? I can do it." He mumbled while chewing on the carrot pieces in his mouth.

"What did you say?" Cyrene asked.

Joxer swallowed the carrot, then repeated himself. "I said Gwenyth doesn't need to find some else to help her because I can do it."

"Are you sure Joxer? From what you told me, if Gwenyth's fears about the Disciples are correct, they could be very dangerous."

"I can handle it," Joxer confidently replied. "You have to remember Xena sent me to find the Hind's blood dagger which everyone wanted...Ares, Callisto, and Hope. I found it and safely brought it back to Xena right under all their noses. If I can handle that, Mantis shouldn't be such a problem."

"But what will you tell Gwenyth when she ask where Xena is?"

Joxer's face was twisted in deep thought as he pondered an answer to this inevitable question. He smiled when one came to him. "I will tell her Xena had to take care of other matters first and will join us in Mantis in a few days." He looked at Cyrene who had a skeptical look on her face. "There may not be much to this Natas cult so I should be able to wrap up the whole matter before Gwenyth even realizes Xena is not coming."

Joxer was pretty pleased with the solution to the problem he had created for himself when another worry crept into his head. "I forgot about Xena. I just can't walk out on her when she's in such bad shape."

Cyrene stopped her preparations on the stew and came over to where he stood. "It's all right Joxer. You have your heart set on helping Gwenyth so you should go," she assured him. "You have done all you can for Xena. I let my joy over her being home so long blind me to her serious problem. She is hiding in this village instead of facing her pain and moving past it. I have tiptoed around this subject long enough. I will get Xena to open up about her feelings one way or another." There was a hard look of determination on Cyrene's face when she spoke her last words. Joxer thought solving the problem in Mantis would be far easier than Cyrene getting Xena to face her grief.

"Please don't tell Xena where I've gone or what I am doing." Joxer noticed the uncomfortable look on Cyrene's face about lying to her daughter. He stood in front of her and took her hands in his. "Telling Xena will only cause her to worry when there really is no need. When I wrap up the problem in Mantis I will tell her everything myself."

"I will cover for you," Cyrene said reluctantly.

"Thanks." Joxer had a relieved smile on his face as he gave her a huge hug. He wished Cyrene luck with Xena before he went to his room above the tavern, packed a few things, then headed for the harbor in search of Gwenyth.

When Xena returned from her errand later that day, Cyrene told her Joxer ran into an old friend, a fisherman from an island off the coast and would be spending a few days with him. Xena was glad Joxer was getting away for awhile. She knew Joxer enjoyed his duties as barkeep but she sensed his boredom with Amphipolis' tranquillity. Xena wanted him to have a good time with his friend.

Over the next two days, Xena abandoned her own duties at the tavern. She seemed to have grown restless with the tranquillity of Amphipolis as well. She returned to wearing her leather and armor. Xena spent most of her time with Argo engaging in vigorous rides along the beaches of the Aegean or practicing her sword drills along the cliffs on the outskirts of Amphipolis. Cyrene saw little of Xena during those two days. On the third day after Joxer's departure, Cyrene put her plan in motion to get Xena to finally share her feelings regarding Gabrielle's death. Cyrene spent most of the day preparing one of Xena's favorite dishes. She even cleared the tavern early of its usual patrons to give her time alone with her daughter.

When Xena returned from her drills along the cliffs on the outskirts of Amphipolis, she found the tavern empty of its usual patrons and immediately knew her mother had a plan in the works concerning her. She was about to leave when she got a whiff of the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. Xena recognized the familiar smell and decided to stay. She had her guard up as she sat down at a nearby table. Cyrene came through the kitchen doors with a tray carrying a large pot and a bowl, which she set in front of Xena who lifted the lid.

"Ooh, dumplings with the red stuff inside!" Xena declared with true excitement. "This is one of my favorite dishes!"

"I know it is. The last time you and Gabrielle were here, she told me how much you liked them and gave me the recipe. This is the first time you have been home since then and I decided to give the recipe a try."

"Well, I am glad you did." Xena dished out a sizable portion of the dumplings. "I am starving and this is just the kind of stuff that sticks to your ribs."

"You enjoy them then." Cyrene was still smiling as she departed for the kitchen and let Xena eat in peace. When Xena had finished eating, Cyrene came back into the bar room, sat across from her and spoke with carefully chosen words. "Hiding in Amphipolis is not going to erase the pain of Gabrielle's death. It will destroy you unless you release it and allow yourself to move on with your life."

Xena got up from the table and headed for the tavern's door to leave when Cyrene quickly ran in front of her and now stood blocking her exit.

"Move out of the way, Mother," Xena ordered with a hard look in her eyes.

"I am not moving," Cyrene firmly replied with a hard look of her own. "I realized some time ago you were not meant for the simple village life. I was never more proud than when you left your warlord life to champion just causes. And that is what you should be doing now instead of wasting away in this village. But you can't do that until you put your pains and fears over Gabrielle's death to rest once and for all."

"I knew you had something like this planned when I entered the tavern and saw it empty of the usual patrons so early in the day." Xena began walking around the tavern like a cornered animal. "I should have went with my first instinct and just left but NO I had to be a glutton for punishment and decided to stay when I smelled the dumplings." She went behind the bar and leaned with her hands resting on it. "Joxer had the good sense to stay away from this topic but you just won't drop it will you?" The irritation in Xena's voice was clearly evident.

"I wouldn't be a good mother if I didn't try to help one of my children who is clearly in pain," Cyrene replied in a loving tone. "I know I was too consumed with my own grief when Lyceus was killed to offer you any comfort and that was a mistake. I want to comfort you now, in this time of loss. I am begging you Xena, please share your feelings with me." Tears were forming in Cyrene's eyes with her last words.

Xena didn't intend to make her mother cry. Maybe it was time to finally release all the pain she carried within her the last three months. She bowed her head for a moment then looked up at her mother. "You want to know what I have been feeling? I will tell you." Cyrene seated herself at one of the stools in front of the bar as Xena, in a low voice, began to pour out her heart. "At first, I felt like someone had ripped my beating heart from my chest it hurt so much. Every time I closed my eyes to sleep I would see Gabrielle's face right before she plunged into the lava pit---that look in her eyes." Xena's own eyes were now filled with tears and her voice started to crack. She cleared her throat before she continued. "After the pain came the anger. I was angry with myself for allowing my hatred for Caesar to take us to Britannia and into Dahak's web. I was angry with Dahak for choosing Gabrielle to bear his demon child. I was angry with Hope for not staying dead. I was angry with Ares for his manipulations in this whole mess. I was even angry with Gabrielle for choosing to die in my place."

Xena rested her arms on the bar in front of her and slightly bowed her head. "Now, I have chosen to feel nothing. It is better for me and those around me." Xena looked her mother straight in the eyes. "When Gabrielle plunged into that lava pit, she took all the good in my life with her."

Cyrene took Xena's hands resting on the bar and squeezed them in hers. "You are wrong Xena. You have a goodness within that Gabrielle helped you nurture and it lives on after her death."

Xena removed her hands from her mother's grasp. "At first I thought that was true and tried to continue the good I started with Gabrielle. But in the weeks after her death, I found it harder and harder to stay focused on helping people. Then what I feared most happened." Xena summarized the events of her encounter with Brontes for her mother.

"I understand why your actions would scare you, Xena. What happened was due to all the emotions you have been carrying within since Gabrielle's death and unfortunately they were released in violence. But now you must openly face those emotions and deal with them in a less threatening manner."

"Some time ago, I made a promise to Gabrielle, that if she were to ever die, I wouldn't become a monster again. When I reach within myself now, all I find is the darkness of that monster and it scares me," Xena said. "When I felt my focus starting to crumble, I started overworking myself, taking on every maggot and slimeball Greece had to offer. I was hoping one of them would allow me to keep my promise to Gabrielle by killing me before the monster within could escape again."

Xena's words truly frightened Cyrene. She hadn't felt like this since Xena was driven mad by the Furies and talked of taking her own life. "Letting someone kill you is not the answer. You are strong and will get through this. I will help you---Joxer will help you."

"I am not as strong as everyone thinks," Xena confessed. "Things have happened in the last six months which have brought me to the breaking point and I don't think anyone can help me. I thought coming home would bring back the focus my life needs but it hasn't helped either." Xena came from behind the bar, went to the tavern's door then stopped and faced her mother. "You are right about the dying part, at the hands of another anyway. They always did say if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." Xena quickly exited the tavern.

Cyrene frantically got up from where she sat at the bar, ran to the tavern door and yelled, "Xena come back!" But when she opened the door, Xena was no longer in sight. Cyrene slumped into a chair at a nearby table and buried her face in her hands. She then prayed to the gods, hoping one of them would stop Xena from taking her life.

CHAPTER 8

When Xena left her mother's tavern, she really had no clue as to where she was going. She decided to go to the stables and check on Argo one last time. The mare was nibbling some hay when Xena approached the stall. When Argo saw her mistress approach, she immediately came over and nuzzled her side. Xena returned the gesture of affection by rubbing Argo's face.

"Gabrielle always believed you didn't like her but you miss her too don't you girl?" Argo whinnied and nuzzled her more. She gave Argo an apple from a nearby bag on the floor, which the mare greedily accepted. Joxer's horse Otis was in the stall next to Argo's. The horse saw Xena give Argo an apple and snorted. "It certainly wouldn't be right to leave you out, now would it boy?" She went to his stall and gave him an apple too. She gave him a gentle rub on his brown face then headed for the cliffs on the outskirts of Amphipolis.

When Xena reached the cliffs, she sat in front of a large tree and watched the sun make its decent in the sky. A late summer wind with touches of autumn blew with a slight chill. She listened to the waves of the Aegean as they crashed on the rocks far below the cliff. Xena was lost in her thoughts when she felt a familiar tingle crawl over her skin and let out a sigh of weariness. She did not need this now. "Just go away Ares! I am not in the mood for one of your visits!"

Shards of blue and white light appeared out of nothing, then dispersed, leaving in their place, the tall, dark and stunningly handsome God of War clad in his trademark black leather standing just on the side of the large tree.

"Now Xena, is that really the way to greet an old friend?"

"You are NO friend!" Xena snapped as she now stood facing Ares with contempt in her eyes.

"True...what we have goes beyond friendship," he said in a low husky voice with a devilish grin on his face.

"Why are you here Ares? Why aren't you suffering some painful punishment for selling out the other gods to Dahak?"

"Oh, you would have liked that I'm sure," he smirked. "The other gods did have a severe punishment all planned for my supposed betrayal so I went away until this misunderstanding could be cleared up. I finally got them to see the situation my way but they still didn't like my methods and saw fit to reprimand me, no wars for six months. I am not happy but I do have other projects to occupy my time."

"And it is still a reason to celebrate for you. Once again you dodged receiving what you truly deserve for your never-ending schemes and manipulations."

"I really am surprised at you Xena. I thought you, of all people, would have realized by now I only joined Dahak to find out his plans and make sure they failed. You know I want to be top god and that can't happen if I'm Dahak's lackey."

"So, let me get this straight, you only pretended to join Dahak. And I guess that was also pretending when you joined with Hope to create the Destroyer."

"Do I detect jealousy?" Ares asked with a sly grin.

"Don't be ridiculous!" she snapped. "I couldn't care less who you sleep with."

"To put your mind at ease, I was only with Hope to gain Dahak's trust."

Xena sighed and rolled her eyes, "I really don't need to hear this."

"Oh, but you do." Ares moved closer to Xena. "I won't deny I found Hope attractive but she lacked the fire and passion I have come to expect in my partners." Ares gazed deeply into her eyes then brushed her raven hair back with a hand before lightly caressing a cheek. There was a longing in his voice when he spoke his next words. "I just got back today and you were the first person I had to see."

"Am I to be flattered by this? Because I'm not." Xena quickly whipped her face away from his caressing hand. Her crystal blue eyes blazed with coldness and hatred as they focused on the war god’s handsome face.

Ares let a soft chuckle escape his sensuous full lips. Over the years, he had built up considerable tolerance to Xena’s hatred of him and had predicted a rather icy reception considering their last encounter. "Despite my absence, I still kept tabs on your activities. You have been in a sorry state since the little bard's death." Xena rolled her eyes and let out a disgusted sigh as the god continued to speak. "That atonement and hero path you traveled with her wasn't really you and now that it has come to its long overdue end, you can get back to your true talents." There was a smugness to his tone as he folded his muscular arms across his broad chest.

Xena was really in no mood for one of Ares' attempts to get her back. She hadn't forgotten his blatant guilt in her friend’s death and his presence brought her anger against him to the surface. "I always knew you were a shameless, soulless bastard but to come here after the part you played in Gabrielle's death and to think I will just jump back into your warlord fold really is an all time low for you." Xena had moved closer to Ares and now was right in his face. Her gaze spewed daggers of sheer hatred for the dark god before her. When she spoke again, the venom was clear in her voice. "If I had the Hind's blood dagger in my hands right now, I would GLADLY plunge it into your black heart!!!" Trembling with rage, Xena moved some distance from Ares and turned her back to him.

"I will admit I wanted the bothersome blonde to kill Hope in your place but you can't blame me for her death."

Xena faced Ares again with a look of disgust in her eyes for his brazen attempt to deny responsibility. "Gabrielle would still be alive if you hadn't called in the favor she owed. You knew she couldn't let me kill Hope if my death was a guaranteed result. You just admitted to wanting Gabrielle to kill Hope and knowing you like I do, if she died in the process that was even better. Well, she is dead, I'm now alone and you think vulnerable to your manipulations. But I am going to repeat what I once told you, I would rather DIE than come back to you!"

Ares let out a weary sigh before he spoke. "I called in the favor Gabrielle owed me as was my right but she still had free will like all mortals." He stared at Xena who returned his gaze with one that was full of contempt then he continued. "I reminded her what would happen if you killed Hope. Gabrielle told me she accepted your fate but obviously hadn't. But she had accepted Hope having to die. So she chose the option that would keep you alive and ensure Hope's death, she would kill Hope." Xena again turned her back to him but he continued to speak anyway. "My eyes were glued on Gabrielle when she made the move to save your life and kill Hope. She could have easily pushed Hope into the lava pit, instead she chose to embrace Hope and plunge into the lava pit with her. Gabrielle's death had nothing to do with the debt she owed me. She died because of her guilt over the part she played in Dahak's evil. He decided her fate when he chose her to be the vessel to bring his evil child into the world. I won't deny not being the least bit saddened by her death but if you want to blame someone, you better look in Dahak's direction."

Xena bowed her head as she listened to Ares' last words. For the past three months, every night had been a restless sleep as her mind relived that tragic moment in Dahak's temple. In her heart, Xena knew Ares was right. Gabrielle had made a choice and the favor owed Ares was not involved. She made her choice based on what Dahak had done to her. Gabrielle had been specifically chosen to bear Dahak’s evil child. Being the mother, Gabrielle felt responsible for all the evil Hope would bring into the world and that's why she had chosen to die with her daughter. Xena had known Gabrielle still carried guilt about Hope but she hadn't known to what extent until it was too late to do anything. Not recognizing Gabrielle's pain would probably haunt Xena for the rest of her life.

"Look Xena, I didn't come here to fight. I actually need your help."

Xena had a look of true surprise when she turned to face Ares again. "Help you? What makes you think I would ever do that?"

"I know, you despise me too much to ever help me again. But what if I told you that you would not only be helping me but all those pathetic mortals you care so much about?"

"I'm listening."

"Dahak has entered our world." Ares knew he had captured Xena's interest when she moved closer to hear what he had to say. "I don't know how he did it considering Hope is dead and his cult is scattered but somehow he managed to free himself."

"How can you be so sure Dahak's free?" Skepticism was written all over Xena’s face.

"I spent time with him and know his presence. It is a darkness like nothing I have ever felt before and pure evil. For the last week, I have had the same feeling and it's getting stronger which can only mean he is in this world."

"If Dahak is free, you and the other gods should join forces and defeat him," she plainly stated "Why come to me?"

"I figured you would be a lot easier to convince considering your past dealings with Dahak. Besides, you have in your possession the one substance, which can kill any god including him. Speaking of which, where is the Hind's blood dagger you earlier wanted to plunge into my black heart?"

"It's some place where you will never get it," she replied smugly. "I knew the dagger was too dangerous to keep so I gave it back to Hercules. He said he would permanently dispose of it."

Ares knew he had a snowball's chance in Tartarus of getting the Hind's blood dagger from Xena but he just couldn't resist the urge to ask of its whereabouts. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "That's just like my foolish half-brother. I can't deny my disappointment over the loss of the dagger but I do have some other ideas on how we can defeat Dahak."

"What is this ‘we'?"

"Oh come on Xena...we have had our disagreements but we both agree Dahak is evil and must be stopped. We were an unbeatable team in the past, just think of what we will do to Dahak."

"Sorry Ares, but I can't help," Xena flatly stated.

"What do you mean you can't?" Xena's refusal to help really took Ares off guard and the surprise was visible on his face. "Now that Dahak is free, he is going to exterminate all who stood in his way and we are both at the top of that list."

Despite the obvious danger she was in, Xena had a look of indifference on her face after hearing Ares’ warning.

"Since you obviously don't care about your own life, what about all those mortals you have protected for the past three years? You know what awaits them now that Dahak is here. Can Xena the hero really stand by and do nothing?"

"If you are right about Dahak, I know the horror that awaits the world but my involvement would only make matters worse." Ares had a puzzled look on his face in response to her answer so she continued to clarify it. "I have had time to think since my last fight with Dahak's cult. I had to ask myself was my fight with him really worth the personal losses? First Hope kills Solan, then Gabrielle sacrifices herself to atone for the part she thought she played in Dahak's evil." Xena stared into Ares' eyes. Any other time, she would have never made a confession like this because he would have just used it to get her back but now she didn't care and emptied her soul. "The two people who inspired my heart to do good are gone. When I look inside, all I find is darkness and it threatens to consume me again. If I use darkness to fight Dahak, I am afraid I could be lost to it forever and that would be just as dangerous for the world as Dahak's evil."

"You shouldn't fight the darkness but embrace it," Ares firmly stated. "The darkness gives you the thirst for revenge, the fire, the rage, and strength we will certainly need to fight Dahak."

"You have made it plain enough times you want me dark again but the choice is MINE and I would rather die than become that person." Xena suddenly felt very tired and just wanted to go back to her mother's tavern and crawl into her bed. "Talk to the other gods. With their help you certainly won't need little ol' me." Xena started to walk back towards Amphipolis when Ares appeared in front of her.

"I can't let you walk away so easily Xena," he said in a domineering tone. "Do you remember what I told you here on this very cliff? That life has to be taken, beaten and formed into your own image?"

"I remember and I understood what you meant. But the only image I see is dark and that is not what I want my life to be." The weariness in Xena's voice was clearly audible. She stepped around Ares and continued to head for Amphipolis when he appeared in front of her again and pushed her back. She was starting to get angry with him again. "Hey, what is it with you!?" she snapped.

"You will be making a big mistake and I can't let you."

"I am not changing my mind!" Xena said through clenched teeth. "Now move!"

When Ares stood his ground, Xena walked around him and continued towards Amphipolis again. She had only taken a few steps when Ares appeared in front of her again and pushed her back. "All right, that's enough!" Xena declared as she pulled her sword from the scabbard on her back and swung it at Ares who jumped out of the way as he unsheathed his own sword. Xena swiftly swung her sword at Ares again who deftly blocked the incoming blow with his sword.

When Xena left her mother's tavern, she had every intention of ending her life. But as a warrior, suicide was unacceptable so by the time she reached the cliffs, that idea had been abandoned. Since she couldn't die by her own hand and none of the ruffians she encountered had what it took to do the job, she would have to find someone else. As she and Ares continued to cross swords, her contempt for him was at its fever pitch and fueled her attack against him. Once again, he wanted his own way and was trying to bully her into submission. Well, she wasn't having any of it, she said no and meant NO. Ares swiftly swung his sword, which connected ferociously with Xena's. The sound of the connecting metals echoed throughout the cliff-side along with the war cries of the two combatants competing with the sounds of night creatures awakening from their daytime slumber and the crashing waves of the Aegean.

By the look on his face, Xena knew Ares was quite amused by their heated confrontation.

He may be amused now, but she also knew he had a fierce temper. Maybe if she took their confrontation up a few notches he could be goaded into killing her and do what she and others couldn't. With a ferociousness of her own, Xena quickly slashed her sword at Ares' neck, which he quickly blocked. With lightening quick speed, she spun and slashed her sword at his midsection, which he blocked as she spun again and slashed her sword at his legs, which he blocked as well. But Xena saw an opening in his defenses and delivered a swift kick, which connected with his midsection sending him back a few feet. The kick had taken him off guard but he had an impressed grin on his face as he mounted his attack against her. With an intense fierceness, he slashed his sword at her with lightening quick speed multiple times, which she astutely blocked, but the backhand he delivered made contact with her face and took her off balance for a fraction of a second. Ares had a wicked smile on his face which she returned as their swords made contact again.

Ares had meant it when he said, he didn't come for a fight but he couldn't deny the enjoyment he got when their swords first connected. His confrontations with Xena were like no other and always sent his blood surging through every vein in his body. But as their sword fight progressed, he realized her game plan. She wanted to anger him enough where he would kill her. Xena's mental state was far worse than he thought. Ares' earlier amusement had vanished. He had to put a stop to this now. When Xena thrust low at him with her sword he blocked the thrust which sent sparks into the air as the metals connected then swiftly kicked the sword from her grasp sending it flying through the air to be embedded in the trunk of a nearby tree. Before she could mount an attack, with lightening quick speed, he hooked her legs landing her flat on her back. He quickly jumped on top of her, completely covering her body with his own, restraining her movements.

"Get off me!" Xena yelled while squirming beneath Ares' body.

"I will when you drop this death wish," he said firmly.

Xena managed to free her arms, which Ares immediately grabbed tightly by both wrists in his strong hands and brought them to rest above her head. Despite the futility of trying to escape, she continued to struggle beneath his body. Ares now held her arms by the wrists with one hand freeing the other. His patience with her was running thin. He held her chin steady with his free hand and with a look of aggravation on his face said, "Damn it Xena! Why must you always be so stubborn!?" Then he kissed her.

The kiss infuriated Xena all the more; increasing her squirming which prompted Ares to deepen the kiss. She tried to scream out of sheer frustration but his mouth on hers muffled it. Realizing that squirming wouldn't get Ares off of her, Xena decided to lie still.

When she finally ceased squirming beneath him, Ares broke the long kiss. He stared deeply into Xena’s crystal blue eyes that sparkled with a fire that aroused him like no other. He maintained the strong grip on her wrists that still rested above her head but released the grip on her chin and began to softly stroke her right cheek with a finger.

Xena had hoped her actions would get Ares to break the kiss but she was surprised when he did so immediately. As she gazed into his deep brown eyes, she saw the desire overflowing in them. She felt his finger caressing her right cheek and could have turned her head away from this light touch but didn’t. Xena was opening her mouth to say something, when Ares began claiming her luscious lips in many short kisses.

As Ares repeatedly kissed her, Xena felt a heat begin to spread throughout her body and her heartbeat quicken. She tried to tell herself it was an energy rush from the earlier fight mixed with anger but she knew better. Ares' lips felt soft against her own and revealed a passionate desire waiting to be released. She felt the hardness of his body as he lay atop her. As the heat within intensified, she slowly began to return Ares' kisses. He set her wrists free from his tight grip. One of her free hands now roamed his back while she ran the fingers of the other through his soft, curly, black hair. Xena was able to remove one of her legs from beneath him and it now hugged his waist. Soft moans could be heard from both as she returned his kisses with a need that matched his. When she allowed herself to give into the desire Ares had awakened within, her brain sprang into action as the voice of reason. Have you forgotten whom you are kissing? This is the arrogant, self-centered God of War - Ares remember? He only views you as a lost possession, a plaything he must reclaim! As Xena's brain screamed reason, the heat within started to cool and she turned her head to avoid his lips.

"We can't do this," she said breathless.

"Yes we can." Ares kissed the soft warm flesh above her breastplate.

"Stop it right now. I mean it!" Xena held Ares away from her with her hands placed firmly on his shoulders.

Ares looked at her face, knew she meant it, let out a disappointed sigh and rolled off her onto the grass. With Ares no longer on top of her, Xena moved into a sitting position, slowed her labored breathing, then stood and walked over to the tree near the cliff's edge where her sword was embedded. When she reached the tree and pulled her sword from its trunk to place in the scabbard on her back, Ares was already behind her.

"That must be some war waging in you now." His tone dripped with amusement.

Xena turned around and eyed Ares with a puzzled expression on her face. "What are you talking about?"

"You despise me yet want me at the same time. One minute, you want to run me through with your sword and the next, you return my kisses with a need that matches my own. The part that wants me came close to declaring victory tonight." There was an air of extreme confidence with his last statement.

Xena now eyed Ares with a bewildered look on her face. "Your conceit never ceases to amaze me."

"Don’t try to cover by bringing up my ego. The kiss felt good and you were into it just as much as I was. Admit it."

Xena walked over to the cliff's edge and now stood with her back to Ares as she gazed at the Aegean, which appeared black with only the moonlight glistening off it. Her raven hair blew in the night wind. "All right, I will admit it, the kiss felt good," she softly confessed. "But that was a momentary lapse in judgment. When I saw the danger our actions could lead to, I had the sense to stop it from going any further."

"Danger use to excite you Xena." Ares now stood behind her on the cliff. "As you know quite well, I can be somewhat dangerous." He glided a finger down one of her arms, getting a shiver out of her. "That was part of your attraction to me and still is."

"I won't deny that use to be true, but I no longer need or want that danger in my life."

"Oh really?" Ares grabbed one of her arms, turned her around and pulled her to him.

"What do you think you are doing?" There was a defiant stare in her eyes.

"I am going to prove you are wrong." Ares held her chin with his other hand and tenderly brushed his lips against hers. He pulled back, stared into her crystal blue eyes a few moments before claiming her lips again but with a deeper kiss.

Xena didn't halt his intentions because she wanted to prove to herself and Ares that she truly did not want him. After the first tender kiss, Xena smiled inwardly. She had felt nothing proving she didn't want him. But when Ares immediately followed that with a deeper kiss, Xena knew she had made a mistake not halting his intentions from the start. Her heartbeat quickened and the heat from before began to spread throughout her body. Her mind sprang into action again; voicing the same reasons as before as to why she should ignore the pleasurable feelings Ares stirred in her. But her body was empowered by the awakened feelings and soon she tuned out the rational thoughts of her mind. Abruptly, Ares broke the kiss and moved to her neck, which he now caressed with soft kisses. As he kissed her neck, he could feel the increase in her pulse rate. Xena's hands had slowly moved up his back and now held him close to her. Ares had a triumphant smile on his face as he moved to an ear, teasing the lobe with soft nibbles.

"Admit it Xena, you want me just as much as I want you," he huskily whispered. Xena didn't speak but he could hear her shallow breathing and feel her hands roaming his back. He stopped teasing her ear as he reclaimed her mouth with his. Xena could no longer deny what she felt and now returned his kisses as she wrapped her arms around his neck, melding their bodies. As the passion of their embrace intensified, their kisses got more demanding, stoking the fires, which burned in both. In between their frenzied kisses, Ares spoke, "Say it, you want me don't you?"

"YESSSS," Xena gasped as she grasped Ares' head with her hands and brought his lips to hers once again. A moment later, they both vanished from the spot in a dazzle of pale blue light.

CHAPTER 9

When Xena opened her eyes, she was no longer on the cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea but in a large room. She broke her embrace with Ares and walked around their new surroundings while his eyes followed her visibly filled with desire. One of the room's stone walls was covered with a mural depicting an intense battle scene. A large mirror with an intricately designed gold frame hung on another wall by a large window through which poured the light of the full moon. A large roaring fire in a hearth, which encompassed almost an entire wall, provided the only other light. Part of the stone floor was covered with an animal skin rug. In one corner was a heated tub. A black and gold lounge chair stood in front of the hearth. There were two tables in the room. On one were several scrolls and on the other sat a wine bottle, a goblet and a bowl of fruit. And last but not least, there was a huge bed against the wall across from the hearth. The bed was covered in blood red silk sheets whose color was accentuated by the flames of the fire. Above the headboard hung an intricately designed shield with two crossed swords beneath it.

After taking in the sights around her, Xena knew where she was, Ares' bedchamber in his fortress located high in the mountains of Macedon. During her time of service to him, she had spent many nights in this room. It had changed a bit, but a lot still remained the same. Xena stood at the foot of the bed. There was a seductive look in her eyes as she beckoned Ares to her with an index finger. When he was in front of her, they stood face to face, and stared into each other’s eyes. Xena tossed aside her sword and chakram as Ares did the same with his own sword. Ares proceeded to pull Xena into an embrace for a kiss when she halted his intentions with her hands placed firmly on his chest. She could feel his heart beating rapidly under one of her palms and knew the intensity of his desire.

"Before this continues, I want to make it clear, this doesn't mean I am coming back to you," she said in a firm tone.

"The thought never crossed my mind," Ares said, anxious to proceed. Xena looked at him with skepticism and a raised eyebrow. "Okay, so the thought did cross my mind but I know it would take more than sex to get you back." Her hands were still planted firmly against his chest indicating she was still hesitant about continuing their activities so he quickly came up with something to ease her mind. "We are just former lovers spending a night together for ‘old time sake’ and nothing more."

Ares' last statement was enough to satisfy Xena. To be honest, she was just as anxious as he was to continue. Besides sharing a lust for battles, both had insatiable appetites for sex in their past relationship. It had always been memorable and explosive. That's why she now let Ares claim her mouth with his tongue. Xena knew she was crossing into dangerous territory if she let her activities with Ares reach their climatic conclusion but at this point, she didn't care. Since Gabrielle's death, she had turned off her emotions to feel anything to keep the darkness at bay. But the kiss with Ares on the cliff had broken through the wall she had built unleashing a desire shared by both which would harm no one if acted upon.

Soft moans could be heard as their tongues parried and their hands frantically roamed over each others bodies. Ares pulled at Xena's clothing. He could have removed her clothes with a single thought but actually removing them with his hands added to his desire. He removed her armor, which fell noiselessly to the rug covered floor. He proceeded on to her armbands, gauntlets and leathers leaving only the light brown shift she wore under her leathers on her body. He stepped back and inspected the form he uncovered, letting his eyes rake over her body. The shift clung to her flat stomach, waist and hips, it accentuated her full breasts, which rose and fell sensuously from her excited breathing. "By the gods, you are beautiful," he said in a low lust-filled tone as his eyes took in the vision before him.

Xena pulled Ares closer. She removed his gauntlets then his vest exposing his chiseled, heavily muscled torso. "You feel just as good as you look," she sensuously drawled while gazing into his deep brown eyes as her hands explored his muscular frame.

Ares softly chuckled as he buried his hands in Xena's hair, pulled her closer to him then hungrily claimed her mouth with his. When the straps of her shift fell from her shoulders, his hands seized upon the opportunity to free her breasts from their confines, which he proceeded to squeeze and caress. Xena arched her back as he moved his mouth to her breasts and teased a nipple with his tongue causing a soft moan to escape her lips. He teased the other nipple before moving back up to bathe her neck in kisses. His hands roamed down her back and now rested on her buttocks, which they firmly squeezed before they found their way underneath her shift to pull down her undergarment. As Ares explored her body, Xena explored his. She ran her hands over the bulging muscles in his arms, over his strong back and firm ass. When she ran her hands up his thighs and proceeded to massage the straining bulge in his crotch, reveled by its large size that she remembered well, he pulled her hands away and huskily whispered, "Not yet, you need this more than I do."

Ares gently pushed Xena into a sitting position at the foot of the bed. He knelt at her feet and pulled her undergarment that was at mid thigh all the way down until it was off. Xena eagerly watched as Ares removed her shin-guards and boots. He knelt between her legs and massaged each with a hand wondering in their softness and silkiness. He proceeded to caress her right leg with feathery light kisses, giving her inner thigh extra attention which sent tingles through her body. When he got to the top of her thigh he moved to her left leg and gave it the same attention. But this time when he got to the top, he moved his head to her crotch. Xena could feel his breath on the sensitive flesh between her legs and held her own as she waited in anticipation. When she felt his tongue lick her most intimate of areas, she gasped. She spread her legs wider to give him better access. With varying speed and pressure, his tongue dragged back and forth, traveling over the bud of her sex with each trip. "Ohh...ahh...your tongue...hasn't lost...umm...its touch," she gasped.

Ares stopped his licking to gaze up at her from his kneeling position between her legs. "And you are just as sweet as I remember," he huskily replied after which he returned to licking her soft flesh.

She leaned back on her hands and let the tensions of the day leave her body. The more her body relaxed the more she was able to respond to Ares' persistent licking and soon the room was filled with the sound of her moans. As Ares continued his pleasurable assault, he lightly ran his hands over her calves, thighs and stomach and up to her bare breasts, which he squeezed. A heat, centered in her nether region began to spread throughout her body as her concentration was consumed with the voyage of his tongue. A throaty moan escaped her lips when Ares plunged his tongue deeply into her, moving in and out, flicking her engorged nub every time. Involuntary gasps escaped her lips. Her nipples hardened into pebbles. Xena didn't know how much more she could take.

One of Ares' muscular arms was wrapped around a thigh as a leg dangled down his back. His head was buried between her legs as he mercilessly licked and sucked her highly stimulated flesh. Xena was now leaning back on one hand as she ran the other through Ares’ hair. Her eyes were closed as the moans pouring from her lips took on a deeper tone. She was now leaning back on both hands and lifted her hips, which brought her mound closer to Ares’ face and the pleasurable torment of his probing tongue. The release she craved came when Ares' ravenous licking and suckling brought her over the edge. Xena cried out in sheer pleasure as her body convulsed in wave after wave of an orgasm. After Ares claimed every drop of the sweet nectar that poured from her with his mouth, he looked up at Xena with a sly smile on his face. By then, she had regained some of her composure to return his gaze. She tossed aside her shift and moved up the bed with a ‘come and get me look' on her face. Ares crawled onto the bed like a panther stalking its prey. When his body was above hers, he removed his leather pants and boots with a thought, then lowered himself onto her body while he claimed her mouth with his.

Xena delighted in the feel of Ares' hard body against her soft warm flesh. She felt his hard staff pressing against her abdomen and rubbed suggestively against it in anticipation of its inevitable penetration of her. Ares reveled in the feel of Xena's body. His strong hands roamed the perfect blend of firm muscles and soft womanly curves. As their desire grew, their kisses and caresses became more demanding as they began to tumble about the bed like gladiatorial combatants, who vied for dominance.

Ares decided to let Xena take control, so on their last tumble he remained on his back with her on top of him. Xena saw she was in control and eagerly forged ahead. She started with his handsome face that she caressed with feathery light kisses before hungrily claiming his sensuous mouth with her own. She moved to his left ear, which she teased with nibbles and licks, the earring as well. She proceeded down his neck to his chest with soft kisses and leisurely licks. Ares' pleasure grew as Xena continued her loving ministrations on his body. She teased one nipple with her tongue while she rubbed the other with her fingers, which stoked the growing fire in his groin. She now sat atop him, straddling his body and let her hands roam his muscular torso. His body had always excited her. It was like sculpted stone. She reveled in the feel of it, the bulging biceps, the well defined pecs covered with black chest hairs and rock hard abs. Xena softly kissed and caressed all of these muscles leaving Ares breathless.

He looked at her with anticipation. She gripped his member, its deep rich color paling her hand, the heat of it warming her skin as blood continued to flow into it, hardening it all the more. Xena opened and closed her fingers with a rhythm that just about drove Ares mad with desire. His swollen member jerked strongly and grew bigger when Xena began to lap it with her tongue. A groan of pleasure escaped Ares’ sensuous mouth as she leisurely licked every inch of his shaft from bottom to top. She caressed it with feathery strokes as she suckled the head, teasing it with her tongue, causing throaty moans to his escape his lips. Ares, now aching from his hardness, wanted to grab hold of her head and thrust himself into her mouth but decided to do it Xena’s way and see what she had planned. When Xena heard his breath coming faster and faster, she pulled her mouth away and moved up to straddle his hips with her eagerly receptive mound just inches from his stiff rod.

Xena had planned on bringing him over the edge with her mouth. But it had been so long since she was with a man and she needed to feel him inside of her NOW. She lowered herself onto his member, taking an inch of him at a time into her, basking in the feel of him as he filled her. Ares reveled in the feel of her warm depths. Together they moaned with the completeness of their union. Xena rose up until only the tip remained inside her then she came back down on his pelvis. She repeated this motion again and again, gradually building to a rhythm. As she rode him, Ares gazed up at her beautiful face and its changing expressions as her pleasure grew. She gazed down at him and let her inner muscles grip him; the moan that escaped his lips increased her own desire. His hands squeezed and caressed her breasts, while his thumbs stimulated her nipples. Xena grabbed his hands in hers and brought them to rest above his head on the plush pillow as her torso now covered his.

"Oh gods," she moaned, when her change in position changed the angle of his penetration. Xena’s hips never strayed from their set rhythm as she hungrily claimed his mouth with hers while adding to the stimulation of her already hard nipples by rubbing them over the hairs on his chests. Ares’ tongue teased the walls of her mouth. With his member thrusting inside of her and his tongue filling her mouth, Xena was close to reaching the breaking point. She expressed her exquisite pleasure in soft whimpers. She was in no hurry for her glorious ride to end. Xena broke her hungry kiss with Ares and sat atop him again. She shook her raven hair out of her face causing it to fall about her shoulders as she slowed the tempo of her strokes to put off her release awhile longer. Ares’ hands now gripped her hips and with each of her downward strokes, drove her harder onto his pelvis, pushing him deeper into her, causing moans and sighs to escape from both.

The light of the full moon cascaded through the large window. The glow of the flames glistened off their bodies and its crackling mingled with the sounds of the couple’s lovemaking as they worked their bodies in a frenzy toward mutual release. Xena increased the tempo and now savagely rose Ares with a relentless rhythm. Faster and faster she moved as she felt her own orgasm growing nearer with each stroke she made, each time she came down on his pelvis and her engorged nub made contact with the base of his shaft, rubbing quickly and deeply before she rose up again. Ares met each of her downward strokes with an upward thrust elevating them both closer to that pinnacle of sheer ecstasy. When the pleasure within reached a level she could no longer control she cried out as she was overtaken by a shuddering orgasm. Its intensity poured out of her like a wave and Ares felt its impact with his last upward thrust bringing about his own satisfied groan of release as he exploded deep inside of her. Gasping, Xena collapsed on top of Ares' heaving chest. His spent member was still inside her, as his strong arms held her tightly against him after the fusion of their powerful energies.

Some time later, Xena rolled off of Ares' body and laid next to him. A pleased sigh escaped her lips. "That...was incredible."

"It certainly was," Ares said with a proud smile. "Care to go at it again?"

"I'm up for it if you are," Xena responded in a sultry tone.

Xena didn't have to say another word, because Ares was on top of her in an instant forcefully claiming her mouth. Their tongues parried for a while until Ares broke the kiss and moved down her body ravenously attacking with kisses and licks. When he reached her breasts, he lavished one peak with kisses before licking the rosy nipple, feeling it harden under the touch of his tongue. He now blew on the moist bud, watched it pucker, before lovingly suckling it. A pleasure-filled sigh escaped Xena's lips. He gave the same attention to the other peak and its rosy nipple sending tingles to her nether region. He made his way down to her abdomen softly licking and sucking her navel. He moved to her mound and gently licked her highly stimulated flesh concentrating on her pleasure spots. He let his tongue enter her, tasting the remnants of his own juices mixed with hers. Moans of pleasure escaped her lips as she arched her back and tightly gripped the headboard behind her. Xena’s passion-filled vocals increased Ares' desire and hardened him the more. When her moans grew throaty, he ceased his licking and moved back on top of her positioning himself between her legs.

As Ares hungrily claimed her mouth with his own, he thrust himself deeply into her. He broke the kiss to stare into her eyes. "Gods, how I've missed you," he whispered before he reclaimed her mouth and began to move within her depths building to a rhythm. Ares thrust his tongue in out of her mouth in perfect timing with the rhythm of his thrusts inside her body. Xena ran her hands up and down his back before gripping his firm ass pulling him deeper inside of her as his thrusting brought her ever closer to the point of no return. When he felt her body beneath him close to erupting, he abruptly pulled away. Xena's body was left waiting and aching for release. She raised her hips to meet his body. When she could stand it no more, he thrust into her again and again, deeper and deeper, at a faster pace. She lavished his face with soft kisses as he vigorously thrust in and out. When she was close to an orgasm again, once more he pulled back. This time he stared into her crystal blue eyes. He saw the look of yearning to have him back inside and waited for her to voice her desire.

"Ares…please," she panted.

Hearing her beg, brought his desire up another notch. He recaptured her mouth as he thrust back into her eager depths. Xena wrapped her arms and legs around him and matched his rhythmic thrusts. As their bodies moved together, their passion soared and this time there was no holding back of Xena’s climax.

"ARES!!!" She screamed in ecstasy as her body was cascaded with orgasms.

"Ahhh," he groaned when he felt the impact of her release on his member deep inside her. Ares continued pounding into her, fusing them into one entity, as another orgasm poured out of her. Xena tightened the grip of her legs around him as her inner muscles pulled---mercilessly gripping and releasing him---finally bringing about his own climax. He grunted in satisfaction as it spiraled out of him while thrusting still deeper into her. His body shuddered as he felt the impact of another orgasm from her body. "Ohhh Xena," he moaned as her inner muscles held him in a pleasurable grip, milking him of his seed to fill her shuddering depths.

Sometime later, Ares held Xena in his arms as she lay against him sleeping with peace and contentment for the first time since the tragic events at Dahak's temple. Her head rested on his chest beside an arm and a leg was draped over his. Ares ran a hand through her hair. He gave her an affectionate squeeze and decided to let her sleep a while longer before waking her to continue their lovemaking.

CHAPTER 10

Telamon and his crew had been at the dig site for three months and had still come up empty. He was beginning to think taking this assignment had been the biggest mistake of his life. Maybe somehow he could bow out of this gracefully with his head in tack. The scrolls saying this was the place could be wrong. Ares wouldn't hold this debacle against him would he? Telamon wished he had kept his cushy job as head priest in Ares' main temple in Thebes. When he thought back to the day Ares gave him this project, which he eagerly accepted, he could kick himself.

Telamon was carrying out his duties as head priest at the Temple of Ares in Thebes as he did each day, when a shimmer of light appeared before him, dispersed and left in its place, his dark lord standing before him dressed in polished black leather. Telamon instantly fell to his knees and bowed his head.

"Arise Telamon," Ares ordered in a rushed tone.

Telamon stood and gazed at his dark lord who was carrying several scrolls in his arms.

"I don't have much time, so pay close attention to what I tell you." Ares walked over to a table and deposited the scrolls. Telamon quickly came to his side.

Ares unrolled a scroll containing a map. "Some objects of great value are buried in the seaside caves just outside the city of Abdera." He put an index finger on its location on the map. Abdera was located east of Macedon along the coast of the north Aegean Sea.

"This is what we are looking for." Ares unrolled another scroll, which contained a drawing of a gold chest. Telamon intently gazed at the drawing, committing it to memory. Around the sides of the chest was strange writing Telamon didn't recognize. On top of the chest was a four-pointed star with a pair of large bird wings underneath and more of the strange writing.

"The chest looks ancient." Telamon continued to inspect the drawing.

"There are twelve chests in all matching this drawing and they were buried eons ago, before the town of Abdera ever existed." Ares rolled up the two scrolls and handed them to Telamon. "The retrieval of these chests is of the utmost importance to me, so I am putting you in charge of the search Telamon."

"Thank you lord Ares." Telamon bowed his head. "I am honored by your trust in me and will not let you down."

"I already have your digging crew picked out and they will arrive at this temple tomorrow. I want this project to begin as soon as possible."

"As you wish," Telamon said.

"I will be away for an indefinite length of time." Ares produced a sheet of parchment, which he handed to Telamon. "That is a special prayer. You can recite it to get in touch with me but only when you have made significant progress in the search."

"Of course lord Ares."

"All the information you need to locate the gold chests can be found in the scrolls I am leaving in your care. Until all twelve are found, their retrieval will be your top priority. Don't disappoint me." With his last statement, Ares vanished.

The unscheduled meeting with Ares three months ago seemed a lifetime ago now. Telamon wondered how much more time would be given to the project before Ares would call it a bust and sent everyone home. His faith in finding the twelve chests was fading but his digging crew was still optimistic. The work was divided into shifts so the digging went on nonstop. Telamon's crew had been picked by Ares himself and consisted of eager young warriors itching to make a name for themselves and looking for easy money. When Ares told them about twelve chests made of pure gold buried near Abdera, they couldn't resist. The warriors could have the gold chests. Ares only wanted the contents, which they would consider worthless.

The full moon was high in the night sky and the tide of the Aegean fully engulfed the beach near Abdera. Telamon was in his tent located on a large cliff outside of Abdera looking at maps deciding where they should conduct their next dig. Once this assignment was over, he never wanted to see another beach again. He had lived in Thebes his whole life and didn't like life by the sea. Crawling around in damp caves left him chilled to the bone so he was always cold. Telamon was exhausted from the day's work and was about to turn in for the night when one of the young warriors came running into his tent.

"Priest Telamon! Come quick! We found something!" the young warrior excitedly cried as he hurried out of the tent with Telamon in tow.

They headed for the edge of the cliff where they climbed down a rope ladder to the beach below, which led to the caves where the digging was being conducted. The tide had rolled in so they were up to their knees in seawater as they made their way to the cave. When they got to the cave, the other men on the shift were crowded around something in one of the corners. When the young warrior and Telamon approached, the diggers parted so Telamon could see their find. Sitting on a rock was a gold chest, which looked like the one Ares had showed him in the scroll. Telamon quickly went to the chest, ran his hands over it and smiled.

"Men, we finally did it!" he said overjoyed while looking at the triumphant faces of the men around him. "Take this chest to my tent," he ordered. "I must contact Lord Ares at once and report our find."

**********

When Ares awoke her, Xena didn't think their passion the first time around would be topped but they surpassed it. Each had a need that was more raw and wilder. No words were spoken as their bodies communicated for them, rhythmically moving together in sensual unity, the thrusting, the welcomed pounding, pushing both closer toward magnificent release. The cries of pleasure came from their very souls. When the tension that was building within finally erupted, they cried out in unbridled ecstasy as powerful energies rippled through their bodies again and again fusing them into one. They embraced each other to still their trembling bodies in the afterglow.

Xena was now thoroughly exhausted and fell into a deep sleep in Ares' arms. Being a god, Ares could go for weeks without sleep so he watched over Xena as she slumbered and relived their night together in his mind. When Ares came to Xena on the cliff, the most he hoped for was an alliance against Dahak. A night of unbridled passion with his warrior princess was the farthest thought from his mind and a welcomed surprise. He didn't get the alliance like he wanted but that could change after the night they spent together.

It felt so good having Xena in his arms again, to feel her soft warm body cling to his as she slept. Ares' pleasant thoughts about Xena were suddenly interrupted by a priority prayer, which started ringing through his head. "Damn," he whispered under his breath. He didn't want anything to interrupt his time with Xena. He closed his eyes to concentrate on who was sending it. When he got a mental picture of the sender, he opened his eyes and whispered the name, "Telamon." He was the high priest in charge of the special project near Abdera. Ares had told Telamon to only contact him when he could report significant progress. Well, he must have found something so Ares decided to check it out.

Ares gently lifted Xena off him and laid her on the bed, careful not to wake her. He got out of the bed and with a thought, his body was once again covered in black leather. He pulled the blood red silk sheets covering Xena's sleeping form closer around her before he sat on the side of the bed and gazed at her sleeping face. He took a hand and ran the fingers down one of her cheeks before lightly planting a kiss on her forehead. Then he vanished in a soft shimmer of light headed for Abdera.

**********

The gold chest sat on a table in Telamon's tent, as the high priest was on bent knees with his head bowed reciting the special prayer that Ares gave him to report important findings. Telamon couldn't wait to see the pleased look on his lord's face when he showed him the chest. After reciting the prayer a few times, Telamon looked up and saw his dark lord standing before him. He was wearing his trademark black leather and on his face was a look of annoyance.

"You better have something of significance to report Telamon, because I was in the middle of a very important development and don't appreciate being called away." Ares’ tone was very demanding as he folded his well-muscled arms across his broad chest.

"I am sorry to disturb you Lord Ares." Telamon nervously rose from his kneeling position. "But we did make an important find, it's one of the twelve gold chests." Telamon pointed to the table on the other side of the tent where the chest was set.

Ares went over to the table and inspected the chest. He opened the lid and gazed at the contents inside, which were very old, scrolls. He picked them up and carefully inspected them, unrolling some to check the writing. The earlier look of annoyance was no longer on his face. He was pleased with what he saw.

"Great work Telamon! I knew you would come through for me."

"Th-Thank you m-my lord," Telamon replied, stammering a little "I live only to serve you."

"How is it going finding the other chests?" Ares ignored Telamon's words of allegiance as he continued to inspect the scrolls.

"We are still looking for them my lord...around the clock."

"Good." Ares turned to face Telamon. "If that's all you have for now, I will just take the contents of this chest and be on my way. You know how to reach me when you find the others."

"Of course Lord Ares."

At that moment a young warrior ran into Telamon' s tent and was about to speak when he saw Ares, stopped dead in his tracks and bowed his head. "Lord Ares, I didn't know you were here I'll come back..."

"It's all right," Ares interrupted. "Go ahead and state why you came in here."

Looking at both Ares and Telamon, the young warrior spoke, "We just found three more gold chests." The excitement of the find was evident on the young warrior's face.

Ares looked at Telamon. "It looks like I will be staying a while longer."

**********

As the rays of the morning sun poured through the large window of the bedchamber, Xena treated herself to a bubble bath in the chamber's heated tub. The warm water added to the exhilarated state of her body. Her night with Ares was a pleasurable reminder of just how amorous he could be with his lovemaking. He had a power; an intensity that enabled her body to reach levels of passion no mortal lover could ever evoke. She sunk lower in the tub, reveling in the feel of the warm water against her skin, still basking in the afterglow.

Xena's thoughts drifted back to the previous night. She searched within her soul and had not one regret over her night with Ares. At that moment in her life, it served a great purpose. Their night of passion had invigorated her very being. The dark cloud of despair that had hung over her head since Gabrielle's death was finally lifting. She actually had the confidence in herself to keep her dark side at bay, maybe forever. She started to feel like Gabrielle was still there, in her heart, still guiding her down the right path. She would continue what she started with Gabrielle three years ago and make her proud. Xena had to chuckle when she thought of the irony of the situation. The one person who wanted her dark side to be dominant again had unwittingly helped to suppress it, enabling her to stay on the right path. As she thought of Ares, she wondered where he had gone. She hoped he was not off starting a war, which would break the condition, set up by the other gods.

After the long hot bath, Xena got dressed. She was standing in front of the large mirror brushing her hair when she saw Ares' image shimmer into sight directly behind her in the mirror. "I was wondering when you would return." She stopped brushing her hair and turned to face him. "I was gearing myself up for the long hike down the Macedonian mountains to get back to Amphipolis," she jested.

Ares embraced her and gently kissed her lips, then looked into her crystal blue eyes. "I wanted to be here when you woke but there was a pressing matter, which took longer than I thought." He fully released Xena from his embrace and she went over to the lounge chair and sat on the end.

"Will this pressing matter lead to war?" she asked in a curious tone.

"No. It's one of those non-war projects I told you about."

Xena couldn't detect any deceit in his demeanor and decided he was being truthful.

Ares looked at the hairbrush lying on the chair next to her, then noticed the bread, cheeses and fruits on one of the tables. "I see you got what was necessary to take care of your needs and something for breakfast."

"The servants were very helpful in those departments," she replied. "I was surprised to see some of the same people from my warlord days are still here."

"Good help is hard to find and once you do, you hold onto it." Ares noticed the change in Xena's disposition. Her crystal blue eyes had an added sparkle to them. "I see your state of mind has vastly improved since our meeting on the cliff."

"Yes it has." Xena’s face beamed with a smile. "I want to thank you."

"There is no need to thank me, Xena. I can't take all the credit. It takes two and you were fabulous." There was a look of remembrance in his eyes.

"I wasn't referring to the sex, although it truly was out of this world," she said. "What I am talking about goes beyond the passion brought by lovemaking. Last night led to a rebirth for me. You saw my state of mind on the cliff, broken and defeated…I wanted to die." She could see she had Ares' undivided attention as she continued to speak. "When I got up this morning, I was rejuvenated. For the first time in three months, I looked forward to what the day would bring. I also regained the confidence I need to battle the demons within and continue the good I started with Gabrielle." Ares did not look too pleased when he heard her last statement. "That's why I was thanking you." Xena got up from the lounge chair, walked over to Ares and stood facing him. She took both his hands in hers and affectionately squeezed them. "My night with you was the catalyst which helped me take charge of my life again."

"It's good to know the tough and fiery Xena is back and if I played a part in her return, I am glad. Does this mean you will ally yourself with me against Dahak?"

"I'm leaning that way but there are some other matters I must first put to rest," she replied. Before Ares returned, Xena had thought a lot about what he said concerning Dahak's arrival. The One Great Evil probably expected her to bow out of the battle against him after suffering two shattering losses, first her son then her best friend. She would not give him such satisfaction and would be there in the fight against him. But before she could give Ares a definite answer, she had to settle a few things with Cyrene. Her mother had probably worried about her all night and she had to put her mind at ease. "I still think you should talk to the other gods."

"I will talk to the other gods, although I doubt it will do much good," he grumbled. "I wanted a firm yes from you but I have enough patience to wait." There was now a smile on his face. "Now if you are ready to go home, I will send you back."

"Yes I am."

"Before you go, there was something else I had to say."

Xena looked at Ares expectantly.

Ares pulled Xena into an embrace and kissed her one last time. When he leisurely broke the kiss he stared into her crystal blue eyes. "That's my way of saying I enjoyed last night and if you ever want to get together for ‘old time sake' you know how to reach me," he said in a low husky voice.

"I will keep the offer in mind," Xena replied in a sultry tone.

Now with a sly grin on his face, Ares released Xena and sent her back to Amphipolis.

**********

Back and forth, back and forth walked Cyrene as she paced the floor of her tavern. The sun had risen a few hours ago, but she hadn't bothered to get dress yet and still wore her nightgown. Her eyes were red from crying and lack of sleep. Her head throbbed from the tension headache, which had plagued her all night. Maybe she should have run out after Xena and tried to stop her, she thought. What if Xena jumped from the cliffs and her body had been washed out into the Aegean Sea?

Abruptly, Cyrene stopped her pacing and stood in the center of the tavern. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her fingers against her temples. She had to stop thinking negative. Xena could have just needed time to clear her head. She could have bunked down for the night in the woods. After all, she was quite use to sleeping under the stars. Cyrene was trying to replace her negative thoughts with positive ones when she heard the creak of the tavern's main door. Quickly opening her eyes, she turned towards the door. The worry she had felt a moment ago was replaced with pure relief.

"Thank the gods you're all right Xena!" Cyrene embraced her daughter in a big hug. "You certainly are a sight for tired, red eyes."

"I'm sorry I worried you mom." Xena returned her mother's tight embrace. "I hope you didn't stay up half the night because of me."

"Well, I did just that. When you stormed out of here last night, I thought it would be the last time I would see you alive. But fortunately, I was wrong. Where did you go?"

"I went to the cliffs." Xena took a seat at a nearby table and was joined by Cyrene. "Despite my running out of here last night, it really did me some good to finally share all the emotions that had been swelling inside me these past few months. I finally put my fears and pain out in the open and am now ready to deal with them."

As she sat across the table from Xena, Cyrene had a big smile on her face upon hearing her daughter's words. "Well, I'm glad our little talk helped." She noticed the added glow in Xena's cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes. "So, what happened after you reached the cliffs?"

"I sat under a large tree and did some much need soul searching. It was painful but I let my mind relive the day Gabrielle was taken from me forever. She chose to die in my place because she believed the world would be better off if I remained in it. Since that awful day, I have been haunted by the fact that someone like Gabrielle, so full of good and love for others would value my life, someone with the blood of thousands on her hands, above her own. No matter the situation, Gabrielle always had faith I would do the right thing when I sometimes had none. She died for that faith and for the last three months, I feared that faith had been misplaced." Cyrene took Xena's hands, which lay, on the table in hers. "My dark side taking control again was part of a larger fear and that was failure. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to live up to the faith Gabrielle had in me. I thought ending my life would prevent me from failing her but that would have been far worse. I finally realized dying would mean Gabrielle sacrificing her life was done in vain. I have to go on living. That's what she would want."

Cyrene's heart was now overcome with pure joy. The tension headache, which had plagued her all night, was even starting to clear. "Oh Xena, you don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that."

"I don't just want to live, I want to continue the good I started with Gabrielle. I still have my fears but Gabrielle was a great teacher and the lessons she taught live on inside me. Confidence in myself is also coming back and with it, I will conquer these fears plus keep the inner demons buried as well."

"I'm going to hate to see you leave, but I realize Gabrielle lives on in what you do now and it is the best medicine to heal your grief." Cyrene’s eyes were becoming misty. "Now that you will be helping people again, I might as well tell you where Joxer really went." Cyrene revealed to Xena, everything Joxer had told her regarding Gwenyth, the Disciples and their mysterious god called Natas.

"Joxer made me promise not to tell you but over the past few days, I haven't been able to shake the feeling he has gotten in over his head taking on this cult by himself."

"You did the right thing telling me mom." As Xena’s mind absorbed what her mother had revealed, she couldn't help but think back to what Ares had said about Dahak being in this world now. "I know Joxer wants to prove he can tackle a situation without me, but he may have gotten himself involved in something far more serious than he can handle."

"Do you think Joxer could be in danger investigating this cult?" The worry Cyrene had felt earlier was starting to return.

"If my suspicions about this cult are correct, he very well could be. I must get to Mantis as soon as possible."

As she stood up from the table, Xena felt guilty as she looked at her mother. Cyrene had obviously been up most of the night worrying about her and she was the worse for wear. She gently put a hand on one of her mother's shoulders. "I want you to go back to bed and get some rest. You can have one of the hires open up for you later."

"I will be just fine Xena," Cyrene assured. "I don't want you to feel bad. Worrying about your children comes along with motherhood and I have become quite a pro." There was a slight smile on her face before she took a firm stance. "Now you should be running along to the harbor. You have to get to Kos and make sure Joxer is all right."

Xena knew there was no arguing with her mother so she kissed her on a cheek then left the tavern and headed for the harbor. There, she boarded a ship, which would take her to the isle of Kos.

CHAPTER 11

The volcanoes on the isle of Thera continued their rumblings, which made it unsafe for the inhabitants to return to their villages but the perfect place for Dahak's main base of operations.

Without the worry of discovery by overly curious villagers and his enemies oblivious to his return, Dahak rebuilt his strength and formulated a strategy. With the help of his exalted high priest Minos, Dahak began the implementation of his dark plan which when completed, would encompass the whole world in his evil.

Dahak was in one of the temple's smaller rooms. He lay on a marble table, his greenish-brown scaly body free of the black cloak and totally exposed. But the table on which he laid was shrouded entirely behind a thick black curtain. He was in deep meditation, which was needed for the tedious task of restoring his body to its true form. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't take long for his true form to return. But being without a body for so long had lengthened the transformation process. His arms, chest and face were already covered with smooth golden brown skin and the rest of his body would soon be as well. The meditation was all consuming, but Dahak still had a strong sense of the world around him. Minos had entered the room and now stood on the other side of the curtain waiting for his dark lord to acknowledge his presence.

"You may speak Minos," Dahak said in a deep raspy voice from behind the thick black curtain.

"My lord, there is still nothing to report about Hope's whereabouts. Should we continue the search?"

"No," Dahak firmly replied. "Hope now knows of my arrival and will come to me. What is your progress on freeing the others?"

"The operation is running smoothly. The largest island is under our control and the smaller surrounding ones are soon to follow. The Olympian gods show no interest in our activities so we can now move on to the major cities."

"Hold off on the major cities a while longer," Dahak ordered. "I have something else planned for them and don't want our activities uncovered by the gods."

"It will be as you wish Dark One."

"I will choose when the Olympian gods know of my return and when they do, it will be their doom," Dahak said.

Minos could not see his dark lord's face but knew there was a sinister smile on his lips and had to smile himself.

**********

High above Greece, the senior gods of the ruling council gathered on Olympus for their monthly meeting to report on the state of the Pantheon and the condition of the mortals who worshipped them. These meetings were held in the large, white marbled Great Hall. The members sat at a large, extensively carved, wood table made of mahogany which stood out in stark contrast to the glistening white marble. The members of the council sat in large mahogany wood chairs with red velvet padding on the seats and backs. Each chair's back had a carved symbol on the top, which represented the council member who occupied the chair.

The ruling council was made up of twelve deities, six gods and six goddesses. Zeus as King of the Gods presided over the council meetings and sat at the head of the table. Hera, his wife and Queen of the Gods, normally occupied the chair at the other end of the table but it was empty since she remained trapped in the abyss of Tartarus after losing a confrontation with Zeus' demigod son Hercules. The other ten members of the ruling council sat at their places around the table. The five goddess were: Athena - goddess of wisdom and war, Artemis - goddess of the hunt and moon, Aphrodite - goddess of love, Demeter - goddess of grain and fertility and Hestia - goddess of the hearth and domestic life. The gods were: Poseidon - god of the Sea, Hades - lord of the dead and ruler of the underworld, Ares - god of war, Apollo - god of prophecy and atonement and Hermes - god of riches, trade and good fortune.

Each deity reported on the state of his or her individual domains. There were no unusual events to report from the mortal world, just the typical day to day drudgery of being human: some sickness, a few diseases, and famine here and there. The one area that was silent was human conflict. Because of the condition Ares agreed to, there was no war in the entire territory over which the Olympian pantheon had authority. Mortals had all the other discomforts of their lesser existence but they could not complain there was no peace. Most of the gods seated at the table reported discontentment of the mortals who worshipped them and really seemed at a loss over what to do. Since his ability to instigate war was squelched, Ares really didn't have anything new to report so he spoke last at the meeting.

"You have all seen to making my reports short with your condition of no war for six months but the peace mortals are enjoying will be short-lived now that Dahak has entered our world."

Gasps of shock mixed with mumblings were heard around the table in response to Ares' statement.

Athena took it upon herself to speak for the others around the table. "Ares, what are you trying to pull now? Everyone at this table knows Dahak's latest attempt to re-enter the world was stopped by Xena. Besides, he has been trapped for so long that his powers have obviously been drastically reduced for him to be stopped by a mere mortal. Dahak is not free and I don't believe he ever was a true threat to us."

Ares rolled his eyes. Athena may be the goddess of wisdom, but sometimes she could be so dense and this was one of those times. "Xena is mortal but an extraordinary one. She stopped one of Dahak's attempts to re-enter the world but he is persistent and has unfortunately returned." Ares let his eyes wander over his fellow gods and goddesses seated around the table. "Has everyone forgotten the trouble Dahak caused in Persia? He almost succeeded in wiping out that pantheon of gods." This last statement caused nervous chatter around the table. "For months, I warned you about Dahak but you all chose to ignore me. Since Dahak was able to free himself, he has obviously grown stronger and will now set about undermining our authority." More nervous chatter is heard around the table as Ares continued to speak. "There may be no wars, but most of you still reported discontentment among the simple mortals which he will surely use to his advantage. Ordinarily, I would say let the mortals get what they deserve but sitting back and doing nothing will bring about our own downfall therefore we must stop him before he builds a stronghold."

Athena was now clapping as Ares finished his statement. "I must say dear brother, that was truly one of your better performances. You actually seemed sincere as you tried to scare us into believing Dahak is free." Athena looked around the table at her fellow gods and goddesses. "He's just trying to get us worked up in a panic so we will lift the six months no war condition. I knew he'd pull a stunt like this, just not so soon."

Ares was about to shoot off a venomous retort at his sister when Aphrodite chimed in. "Geesh Athena, take a chill pill. I think Ar is telling the truth and we gotta defend ourselves or face a total wipeout."

"It figures you would believe him," Athena sneered. "I have always believed that your numerous dalliances with men were shrinking your mind and you provide proof of that every time you open your mouth to voice your so-called opinions."

Ares sat back and watched with an amused look on his face as his two sisters continued their verbal assault on one another.

"You know Athena, some time with a man might do you some good." Aphrodite retorted. "It might even liven up that stale wisdom of yours and who knows…it might even help you in the looks department but you could never be the knockout I am."

It appeared an all out cat fight was about to take place between the two goddesses when Zeus took it upon himself to halt it from continuing any further by asking the question which had been on the minds of most gathered since Ares made his shocking statement. "Ares, how do you know Dahak has entered our world?"

"I know this because I have felt his presence." Some around the table snickered at this remark.

"No one else at this table has felt Dahak's presence," Poseidon stated. "How come you are the only one who has?"

"I can't really say why only I can feel his presence...maybe it's because I'm the only one in this room who has spent time with Dahak. He has a coldness...a darkness...a pure evil like no other. In the past week, the feeling has intensified which can only mean Dahak has returned and his threat can no longer be ignored by Olympus." Ares gazed around the table at his fellow gods and goddess. "Even Xena heeded my warnings when I informed her of Dahak's return."

Positive murmurings are heard at the mention of the famed warrior woman's name.

"Ordinarily Ares, your former Chosen backing you up would have given you my support," Artemis said. "But I have been watching her since the death of my Amazon Queen. Gabrielle was the anchor, which kept her grounded in goodness to fight the evils of this world. Since Gabrielle's death, she seems to have lost her focus and is very close to going down the dark path she once traveled with you. Everyone at this table is quite familiar with your obsessive goal to get Xena back in your warrior fold. The recent dark state of her mind has obviously made her more pliable to your words and has allowed you to reach the goal which has eluded you for three years."

More murmurings were heard around the table, when Hades decided to add his two dinars to the discussion. "You say you can feel Dahak's presence because you spent time with him. And why is that? Because you pretended to join him so you could disrupt his plans," Hades said. "The only reason this council decided to believe your reasons for the phony alliance with Dahak is because we know you all too well. It has always been your goal to be head god and actually joining Dahak would have disrupted that. That's why you couldn't deny your intentions for the Hind's blood dagger Hercules gave Xena which weighed heavily in this council's decision to reprimand you with no war for six months. How can you expect us to trust your word about Dahak when you have done so many things to undermine the very authority of this pantheon and grab all the power for yourself?" Mumbles in agreement with Hades' statements are heard around the table.

"Hades is right," Poseidon said. "We can't forget Ares' other attempt to get Hind's blood from the other world which cost Strife his life. No one can deny he planned on keeping us in line or maybe even killing us by using the Hind's blood." Mumblings in agreement with Poseidon's comments are heard around the table.

"You are all missing the point. This is not about me and my so-called misdeeds. It is about Dahak's threat to us all and putting aside our petty differences to fight him."

"That's where you are wrong Ares," Hades stated. "It is about you and all the ways you have deceived and undermined this council in the past in your attempts to obtain power. Athena has a point and this may be just a scheme to get us to lift the no-war for six months condition." Hades stared hard into his nephew’s eyes as he sat across from him at the table. "Xena has helped me on past occasions so I know of her strengths. But she is still mortal and for her to stop Dahak so easily means he can't be the threat you have made him out to be. You are going to have to give more than a ‘feeling' if you expect me and others at this table to believe you." There were mumblings at the table mostly in favor of Hades' comments.

"I'm afraid Hades is right Ares," Zeus said. "Considering your past deeds which are quite memorable to all present, you will have to provide this council with solid proof of Dahak's arrival before we can believe you." More mumblings are heard in agreement with the King of the gods.

"You are all being fools!" Ares said, trying to control his temper. "I am not going to sit back while Dahak plots my destruction."

"You better not be formulating some scheme that will anger this council or you will be punished severely with no chance of a reprieve," Zeus said in a very firm tone. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Yeah, crystal clear," Ares said through gritted teeth.

When Zeus adjourned the meeting, Ares stormed out of the Great Hall and headed for his residence on Olympus. When he got inside, he released the anger he held within by tossing about the room busts that sat atop stone pedestals. Lying in marble chunks about the floor were the busts of Hector, Achilles, Ajax and Agamemnon. When Ares stood before the bust of Alexander the Great, he decided to let it remain in tack and instead collapsed on a nearby lounge chair where he just sulked.

Ares had been sitting there for a while when Discord appeared in a puff of smoke behind the chair. The goddess was dressed in black leather and lace which made her porcelain white skin stand out all the more. Her long black hair hung loose and wild down to her waist. From behind the chair, she stood and began to massage Ares' shoulders.

"I heard about what happened at the council meeting." Discord glanced around at the marble chunks lying about the floor as she loosened the tension in Ares’ broad shoulders. "Those pompous, self-righteous fools chose to ignore your warnings about Dahak until you can provide hard proof. What are you going to do?" She stopped massaging his shoulders and sat facing him on the lounge chair.

"I am going to move ahead with the plan I have been working on to stop Dahak for good," Ares firmly replied. "I did what Xena suggested and talked to the other gods. They chose not to believe me so they are on their own. I know she will eventually agree to the alliance I suggested so it will just be me and her taking on Dahak."

"Xena! I figured she would want your head on a silver platter after what happened at Dahak's temple. How did you ever manage to get her to agree to an alliance with you?" A touch of jealousy could be heard in her voice.

"Oh, she was fuming with rage when I showed up and very stubborn at first. But eventually, I got her to come around." There was a sly grin on his face and a faraway look in his eyes.

"So that's where you went on your first day back." Discord noticed the look in Ares' eyes and decided to change the subject. "Well, enough about Xena," the goddess stated flatly. "Let me take your mind off of that unproductive meeting." Discord was playing the seductress as she glided a finger with a long red nail up Ares' chest and moved in for a kiss.

Ares halted her intentions by grasping her arms and holding her away from him. He had a look of annoyance on his face. "I am not interested."

"Why not? Is it because you got your fill with Xena the other night?" Discord had an intense jealousy regarding Ares' involvement with anyone and Xena was at the very top of that list. She knew if she continued, the war god’s wrath may be brought down upon her but Discord had never been one to bite her tongue and she wasn’t about to start now. "I saw the look in your eyes. You slept with her didn't you?" She asked in a venomous tone.

"Don't start with me!" Ares growled as his anger started to return. He got up from the lounge chair to increase the distance between himself and the jealous goddess.

Discord had grown tired of Ares’ fixation with the warrior princess. For three years now, he had tried to get her back with no success. It was time for him to face reality---cut his losses and seek conquests elsewhere.

"So, you got her back in your bed for one night, BIG DEAL!" she snapped. "That only happened because she's been an emotional wreck ever since her friend's death. It won't change ANYTHING---she's still not coming back. But that won't discourage you will it?" Discord’s dark eyes glared at Ares with a mixture of curiosity and disgust. "Honestly, the way you act sometimes---if I didn't know you so well, I would swear you're in lo..."

"Enough!!!" Ares mentally chastised himself for having Artemis restore Discord’s body. At this moment, she was getting on his last nerve. She was so much easier to deal with as a chicken. "Xena is NOT a topic open for discussion. You have overstayed your welcome and better GO!" There was a threatening look in his eyes.

Discord got the message loud and clear. With a huff, she left in shards of blinding light.

**********

Discord was fuming with rage when she left Ares' residence on Olympus. She decided to go to the one place that had a calming effect on her, the gardens near Hera's temple in the city of Argos. Since her mother's entrapment in the abyss of Tartarus, Discord took to tending the gardens and spent a lot of time there. The gardens were a haven for her mother's favorite bird, the peacock. The scents of the many flowers in bloom filled the air.

As she sat on a marble bench, Discord lost herself in dark thoughts. Damn Ares! Damn Xena! If Ares had finally reclaimed the warrior woman that was just fine with her! His precious Xena was mortal after all and would eventually die. When that day came, Ares would come crawling back to her and she would make him pay! Discord's mind drifted further as she thought of ways to make Ares suffer when the time came so she didn't sense the figure behind her until he spoke.

"A beautiful goddess like you shouldn't fret over a god like Ares," a baritone voice said from behind Discord.

Startled, Discord jumped up from the marble bench and turned around to see who had just spoken. She was mesmerized by what she saw. Standing not that far from the marble bench, next to a rose bush, was a stunningly attractive man. He was slightly taller than Ares. He had wavy black hair with flecks of gray that framed his face and came to his shoulders. The beauty of his face could match that of any god on Olympus. It was perfectly shaped. The skin was smooth and golden light brown in color. He had crystal blue eyes, which seemed to stare right through to her soul. His nose was slender and straight. He had a full sensuous mouth, which was rosy in color. He wore black leather that clung to his slender muscular form. He wore polished black leather boots, which gleamed in the sunlight. Billowing down his back, was a long black cape. At his waist, hung a sword whose black and gold hilt was the only part visible above its scabbard casing. On the middle finger of his left hand, was a ring in the shape of a dragon's head.

As Discord's eyes took in the vision before her, she finally found her voice to address the handsome intruder. "This garden is off limits to mortals," she said with as much authority as she could muster at the moment.

"I am not mortal," the stranger plainly stated in a baritone voice that sent chills through Discord's body.

"You're not?" she asked curiously. "If you are immortal, how come I have never seen you before?"

"I arrived in Greece not that long ago. I heard about the beauty of Hera's gardens in Argos and decided to come see them."

"Oh," was all Discord could say as she lost her voice again.

"When I entered the gardens, I could sense your anger and your thoughts. It is a gift from my immortality." The handsome stranger now had a smile on his face that revealed perfect white teeth. He walked over to Discord and stood in front of her. Being petite, she had to gaze upward to look into his face. The stranger grasped her hands in his and brought them up to his lips as he proceeded to lightly kiss their backs. When the stranger's soft lips touched her hands, a shiver went through her whole body. "Ares isn't good enough for you," the handsome stranger said when he stopped kissing her hands.

"How do you know about Ares?...About Me?" she asked in a breathless, quivering tone. She was losing herself in the depths of the stranger's crystal blue eyes.

"I told you it is a gift I inherited with immortality. I have to go now." He let go of Discord's hands and moved away from her.

When the stranger let go of her hands, Discord's mind started to clear and she anxiously spoke. "Wait! Who are you? Will I ever see you again?"

"I am someone who wants to be your friend," the stranger stated with a smile. "And you will see me again." The stranger then vanished in a flame of fire.

Her legs somewhat shaky, Discord sat on the marble bench again. As her mind relived this unusual encounter, she looked at her hands which the stranger had kissed and could still feel the sensation of his lips on her skin.

Chapters 12 - 16

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