Gabrielle nearly fainted. In all their wondering and everything they had been through, she never imagined Xena in a life-threatening situation without her being there. Ares grabbed her because her knees were about to give way. He picked her up and carried her to the chair next to Aphrodite. He took her face in his hand and forced her to look at him. “It was only an image. We both know that she is fine.” He said it with such conviction that Gabrielle realized what a dolt she just was. She took a couple of deep breaths and nodded her head.

The image had faded and Aphrodite almost passed out just as Gabrielle went down. After making sure that Gabrielle was safe, Ares turned his attention to his sister. He knelt down next to her chair. “What can I get you?” he asked her with concern she had never seen in him before.

“Sleep?” she asked. “I need sleep and them some food.”

“Do you have a place to sleep here, ‘Dite?” Gab asked.

“Yea, back that way.” She pointed to the back of the temple. Ares picked her up and carried her to the room she indicated. When he returned to Gabrielle she had questions for him.

“Will she be okay?”

“Yes, she just needs to sleep and get her strength back. She actually worked up a sweat making those mirrors work. She was asleep before I laid her down. Have you any thoughts other than ‘predictions of the future’ for what those images mean?”

“How would I know? You are the one use to magic. What do you think?”

“I think that this just adds to what ‘Dite said earlier. The magic is broken. What we need to worry about isn’t Xena though. We both know that she can take care of herself better than anybody else. We also know that Eve won’t let anything happen to her. What we need to worry about is what the ‘broken magic’ will mean for those traps Zeus set.”

They were both quite until Ares spoke again, “Gabs, I don’t think we should leave until Aphrodite is better. Come to think of it, we can’t leave until she’s better. She has to transport us back to Artemis’ temple. What should we do to kill time?” All of the sudden he had a sparkle in his eye.

Gabrielle saw that special look in his eyes. They turned almost black with the passion in them. With out any other thoughts, Gabrielle walked right into his arms for an ardent kiss. Ares picked her up and took her to another of the rooms in the temple. He laid her on the bed and proceeded to make use of it and the time they had together in that bed.

A while later they lay in bed, thrilled and rested. Ares broke the silence. “Gabrielle, you once asked me why I was obsessed with Xena or as you put it “The Good Xena”. Do you remember that?”

“Not really, when was that?”

“At Amphipolis. When Athena had it under siege.”

“Oh yea. When Xena was going to make a deal with you to save Eve and Amphipolis. What about it?” She asked more that a little suspicious and wary.

“Well, I know now what it was about ‘The Good Xena’ that obsessed me. It was how much she was like you. There was a brightness that surrounded her. That brightness was you. It was all a part of what you two have been fighting for.”

“The Greater Good.” Gabrielle supplied with smile.

“Yea. The Greater Good. That’s you. You are the greater good.” He kissed her on the top of her head and pulled her closer into an embrace. As they drifted off to sleep.

Several hours later, after Aphrodite had slept and recovered her strength; she went looking for Ares and Gabrielle. She found them when they emerged from their room. Ares and Gabrielle blushed a little when she found them. Aphrodite smiled at them knowing that they found each other. She held up her mirror, “Here, just one more look in my mirror just to prove that Xena’s alright. Then I’ll take you back.

“We still need to get some things from inside the temple, ‘Dite” Ares said.

“’Dite, could you do us one better and take us to Xena? I would like to see for myself that she’s okay. This magic stuff makes me nervous.”

“To Xena, then back into the temple, then back onto the road? If that’s what you really want, sure.” At Gabs nod, “Groovy.” She took their hands and off they went. When they arrived in front of Xena, she almost jumped out of her skin but her sword was quickly drawn of course as she dropped into a fighting stance.

“HEY!” She exclaimed. “What are you three doing here? Is there a problem?” Xena asked as she sheathed her sword and schooled her features. Only people who knew her very well would see that she had been startled. Gabrielle was one of those people. She noticed it but didn’t comment.

Ares and Aphrodite let Gabrielle do the talking. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You haven’t been caught in a trap or run threw by a sword or been dead again or anything like that have you?”

“Gabrielle, what are you babbling about?”

“There has been something going wrong with magic of the dead gods.” She proceeded to explain what they had been doing and that she just wanted to make sure Xena was okay.

“I’m okay for now, but if he,” she jabbed a finger at Ares, “doesn’t get back to work soon, I’m not sure I will be. I’ve received word that a warlord is about to attack Potedia. Eve and I were about to leave when you guys showed up. I’m glad to see that you are alright but I really have to get going though. That warlord will reach Potedia at least a day a head of us and I want to get there before too much damage is done. So, we’re leaving now. Come on Eve.” She called as Eve emerged from a hut, traveling gear in hand.

“Nope. I won’t let you.” Aphrodite stated flatly. The others just looked at her as if she had two heads. “Just wait here. I’ll take these two back and then come back for you and Eve and take you to Potedia. That should give you a chance to surprise whoever it is.”

Gabrielle threw her arms around ‘Dite in a major hug. “THANK YOU SO MUCH!”

“You are doing something to help the whole world. The least I can do is make sure your sister remains as safe as possible. Come on you two back to the temple with you.” She held out her hands for them to take and disappeared with them as soon as they did. She took them into the temple. “Get whatever it is that you came here for and let’s get out. Fast.” Ares grabbed two bows, two quivers and all the arrows he could find. As an after thought, he grabbed a small jeweled dagger in its sheath. Gabrielle grabbed one of the swords. When they returned to her, ‘Dite transported them outside the temple, hugged each of them and disappeared in a flash of pink. She returned to Xena and Eve and took them to Potedia.

After ‘Dite left, Ares said, “It’s nearing night. Shall we camp here for tonight? I think I would like to hunt here with her bow before we go anywhere else. It kind of feels right.”

She hugged him. “Great idea.” She said then mumbled “you big softy.”

“What did you say?”

“I said, you hunt and I’ll find a place to camp and get the fire started.” Ares gave her a look that clearly said he didn’t believe her but didn’t say anything as he headed off into the woods. “HEY!” she called before he disappeared; “I’m going to head back the way we came. Back toward the main road. It should be easier to find a good campsite there.” He nodded, waved and headed off into the woods.

Gabrielle walked for about a mile before she found a good site. Ares wasn’t back yet so she arranged the campsite and started the fire. Then she set up chunks of wood and practiced throwing her sais at them. She was working her way down. Throwing at smaller and smaller targets as she moved farther back from them. She continued until Ares returned a couple of hours later. He had a field dressed boar with him. “You need any help with that?” Gab asked. He said he didn’t so she continued to throw until it became too dark, then she sat by the fire and cleaned and sharpened her weapons starting with the sais.

“Dinner is going to be a while. This is a big boar.”

“Cut off pieces and cook them. They’ll cook faster than the whole.” She commented off handedly as she cleaned her sais.

‘Why didn’t I think of that? It’s common sense.’ Ares thought to himself.

A while later, after it had reached full dark and she had put her weapons away, Ares asked her a question. “Gabs, are you worried about Zeus’ ‘broken’ magic? I have never seen you practice with those quite so intently.”

“When did you ever see me practice before?”

“I was a God.” Was his only answer. “Now, answer the question. Are you worried?”

She was pleased that he had watched her and disturbed at the same time. But she answered him, “Yes. Especially since we found that inscription. I’m sorry but I still think it’s talking about emotions. These traps were set for mortals and mortals are most vulnerable emotionally. I know you don’t agree, but that’s how I see it.”

“Put that way, it does make sense. Dinner is almost ready.” She sat down and waited as he pulled slices of the boar from the fire and put them on plates. She smiled as she caught the irony of the former and maybe soon to be God of War cooking and serving her dinner.

She tried to take the plate but he wouldn’t give it to her. “It’s going to cost you. I don’t cook for just anybody you know.” She was caught off guard by how close their thought were. “What would be a good price? Hmmm? I know! How about a kiss? That sounds like a VERY good price.” He meant it to be a gentle tender peck but she closed in on him and gave him something to remember. Then she took her plate and sat down on the ground with her back to a log that was by the fire. He was befuddled and didn’t notice that she had sat down until she tugged on his pant leg and smiled at him with a childish smirk. He groaned a little and sat down next to her. They were sitting very close to each other, practically on top of each other, feeding each other and sucking each other’s fingers clean when they heard a new voice. This voice neither of them had heard in two years and they both froze.

“Gabrielle, how could you?”

Gabrielle looked at Ares and he looked at her. “No. It couldn’t be,” they said at the same time. And at the same time they both turned and looked behind them. They both nearly dropped their plates as their mouths dropped open and their eyes almost popped out of their heads at what they saw standing there.

“Gabby, why are you looking at me like that? Haven’t you ever seen a ghost before? It’s not like you haven’t come back from the dead before.” He was smiling from ear to ear.

“Joxer? Is that really you?” Gabrielle asked as she stood up.

“Yup it’s me” he said with his special goofy grin. Then before he could do or say anything else, Gabrielle had shoved her plate at Ares and run over to him to give him a hug not remembering that he was a ghost. She passed right through him as she tried to tighten her arms around him. Gabrielle shook her head because of the odd feeling that it caused. Joxer just frowned. He had noticed something about Gabby when she passed through him that puzzled him.

Slowly, she turned around to face him. “Joxer, it’s so good to see you again. I have missed you.” Her voice was choked with emotion.

“Yea, I could tell.” Joxer said as he glared at Ares. “Ares, how are you?” Joxer asked in a flat uncaring tone that was colder than Gabs had ever seen him before and he looked Ares right in the eye.

“I was better a few seconds ago you mag….” Ares started to say but when he saw Gabs face he couldn’t continue.

“Ares, stop it. Joxer, how are you? Other than dead I mean. How did you get here? What are you doing here?”

“I can go anywhere I want. I’m dead. The underworld is a mess. The bad and good are mixing with the centaurs that are mixing with the amazons who are wondering around Tartarus. I ran into more than one friend of yours and more than one enemy. Be careful. Right now spirits can go anywhere. They can even come up here. Fortunately, one of your friends that I ran into was called Michael. He and a few of the other guardian angels are working on getting everyone where they belong. I also met Solan. He’s a great kid. We play games together a lot. He said to tell you that he loves you and to pass that message to Xena and Eve. I met Cyrene as well. She’s great with Solan. They finally met. They’re both thrilled to be together finally. Hey, hey no tears, Gabby.” Gabrielle had started to cry. He was about to hug her but remembered that he couldn’t.

Joxer looked just as he did twenty –five years ago and it pulled at her heart. Especially when he talked about Solan and Cyrene. Ares was watching her and he moved to her side and put his arm around her shoulders as the tears started to roll down her lovely face. “I’m okay. Really.” She sniffled. “It just felt like the old days and I was overwhelmed a bit.” She gave them a watery smile, “Joxer, can you stay awhile? I miss talking with you.” Ares groaned as Joxer beamed at them and moved closer to the fire.

“Hey Gabby, wanta to see something great? Watch.” And he walked right into the fire and sat down. “Great, huh?”

“Fabulous Joxer, you’re sitting in our dinner.” She said smiling as Ares groaned louder. She looked at Ares before saying, “Joxer, we’ll be right back.” She grabbed his hand and he allowed her to drag him off for a distance. “Ares, I miss him. You don’t really mind do you?”

“No. Not really, I guess. He was always good for a laugh.” Then he lowered his voice so only she could hear him, “Though I will never tell him that.” He took the opportunity and closeness of her body and stole a long kiss.

When she broke the kiss, she looked at Joxer and he was looking at them with no emotion on his face. Embarrassed because she knew how he felt about her, she returned to the fire but didn’t sit down yet. “Joxer, I…”

“Don’t worry Gabby. I had to come to terms with your death more than twenty-five years ago. And I’ve had two years being dead to get over you being alive. I know you love me. We’re family. Nothing can ever change that. Getting use to you and Ares is going to be a little harder, but I can take it if you are happy.”

“I am happy Joxer.” Blushing as she answered.

Ares shot her a look of startlement. Did she really just say that she was ‘happy’ with him? It was…it was…he didn’t know the words to describe how her words made him feel.

“I know, I felt it when you passed through me. As I said, nothing and nobody can change the fact that we’re family.”

Smiling at him she said “Not Ares or…” here she hesitated “Eve?”

Joxer got up out of the fire and move next to her. “Gabby, I love you and I love Xena and I love Eve. I never loved Livia. She’s the one that killed me not our little Eve. I’ve watched her change over the last couple of years. She blossomed into the woman she was supposed to be. Not the woman someone made her.” Joxer glared at Ares again. Ares tried not to flush with embarrassment but failed. Gabrielle noticed the change in both men. Joxer wasn’t afraid of Ares. Of course why should he be? There was nothing Ares could do to him now. He was dead and Ares was mortal. And Ares had regrets. Regrets about the things he had done. My, how things change.

“Joxer”, Gabrielle admonished slightly, “Eve, Xena and I have forgiven Ares for what happened with Eve. Would you please try? For us? He gave up everything for Eve and me.”

Ares’ heart soared with those words, but his face never betrayed his feelings. He was still reeling from her admission that she was happy with him and now she had forgiven him for changing Eve to Livia. How could she? She still didn’t mention what he saw as something that was between them, Eli’s death. ‘DAMN these emotions! Life was simpler without them’ Ares thought.

“I don’t know if I can. I’ve talked with Solan about it a lot. He was kind of in the same predicament that I’m in. Loving someone who was the cause of his death.” Gabrielle looked stricken and Ares was ready to kill Joxer again for causing her pain. Joxer noticed Gabrielle’s look but knew he had to continue. “He is so smart. He forgave Hope. If he can do that, the least I can do is try to forgive the person who changed Eve into…” He stopped, took a deep unneeded breath, smiled and simply said “I’ll try.”

Joxer walked back over into the fire and sat down. It took a just a little bit longer for the other two to calm down enough to sit down by the fire. When they had, they waited for Joxer to tell them why he was there. He didn’t tell them.

“So what are you two doing out here?”

“Ares needs to get his Godhood back and I’m helping him. You see the wars have gotten worse because nobody is in control of war. The anger and hate are turning people into…”

Joxer held up his hand to stop her speech. “I know what’s been going on. I’ve seen the dead arriving and watched the wars. Gabrielle, I know more about it than you do.” There was an odd pause. “Gabrielle, Michael actually sent me with a message. He warns you to be careful in all things. Things aren’t at all what they appear to be at first or even second glance.”

Gabrielle was looking at Joxer when Ares spoke, “That sounds similar to the inscription that we found on that marker.”

“Yes it does.” Gabrielle answered with a confused look on her face. “Could the two of them be connected some how? How could that be?”

“What inscription?” Joxer asked.

“Yea, what inscription?” ‘Dite had appeared next to Gabrielle. Ares and Gabrielle jumped at her sudden appearance. Joxer, who had seen her just before she appeared, chuckled at their surprised reaction to her. She looked an apology at them.

“APHORDITE! You just scare me out of 10 years of my life!” Gabrielle yelled. Ares was a little more reasonable in his reaction to his sister.

“Sorry Little One, but it’s not like you can’t spare it considering you’ve survived 25 years longer than you probably should have. And without changing one little bit.” ‘Dite teased her.

Smirking at his sister, Ares said “’Dite, you need to let us know before you join us. You might appear at just the wrong time. Know what I mean?” Ares winked at her, Gabrielle blushed slightly and Joxer chuckled until he remembered whom Ares was talking about and frowned. Aphrodite blinded them with one of her trademark smiles happy for her brother and her friend.

“’Dite what are you doing here?” Joxer asked obviously changing the subject. “Not that I don’t enjoy seeing you again.” She smiled at him. Gabrielle was again amazed at the change in him. He was so much more confident.

“The inscription.” They looked a little surprised. “Hey, I was going to ask about it when we were in the temple, but I had to get Xena and Eve to Potedia, then I had Goddess stuff to do.” She answered.

“Well we came across this marker from the map when we started…”

“Gabrielle,” Joxer interrupted, “is this going to be a long explanation?” When she nodded her head, he changed is mind about the explanation. “I don’t have a lot of time left. Just tell me the inscription.” Joxer said.

Gabrielle was a little insulted. She wasn’t use to Joxer’s confidence. “Well fine. I’ll just grab my pack and read it to you.” She started to get up, but Ares stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“No need to Gabs. It goes like this…” and Ares proceeded to recited the inscription verbatim. When he was done he said, “I don’t know what you think you can do to help us, but there it is.”

“You know something Ares, I’m not stupid.” Joxer said angrily. “And it does sort of fit with the message Michael sent And something that I only caught part of. It had to do the old magic and that it was having the opposite effect on people from what it was originally intended to do. He said something else, kind of under his breath. I didn’t catch that part. Then he started to complain about children and their toys. I didn’t understand that part.”

Aphrodite got excited. “That makes sense if you think about it. The part about magic I mean. Think about the mirrors. We used four mirrors. Skip my mirror because we know it still works and skip Ares’ mirror for now. Think about whose mirrors we used. Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom and if you remember, in that image Xena walked into a very obvious trap. Something we all know she wouldn’t do. It was the opposite of what she would normally do. Zeus’ mirror showed us she was dead. Again, the opposite of what we know is true.”

“’Dite,” Joxer asked “Wouldn’t Zeus’ mirror show everything that’s everything?”

“Yes, if it was spelled to show that. I know that Zeus spelled it to show the truth. He was sure certain gods would never tell him the truth.” She looked directly at Ares.

“Ares, is this making any sense to you? Because it doesn’t to me.” Gabrielle complained.

“I think so. But ‘Dite how do you know that Zeus’ mirror was spelled to show the truth? I doubt he would want something like that known by anybody.”

“Ares, please, I was his favorite daughter.” At his stern look she said, “He told me one day. He caught me in a lie once several hundred years ago. When I caught him in a lie, I…. I blackmailed him into telling me how he caught me.”

“That’s easy. If they decide it’s not worth it. Or they get dead like me.” Said Joxer. Gabrielle was quite the whole time.

“Or if something distracted them or made them change their minds.” Aphrodite added.

“So what would make people decide it’s not worth it or make them change their minds about becoming a God? I can’t imagine anybody not wanting to be a god.” Ares said.

“You don’t know mortals very well, do you?” Joxer asked with a lot of scorn in his voice.

Gabrielle, who had been quite the whole time, finally said something. “You can be dead and still become a God. Remember Callisto? She was dead and then she became a God. But that was a special case.” With that she got up and walked to the edge of the fire’s light. She stayed there for about a few seconds, turned around and addressed the group. “What about something becoming more important to them? What would a mortal find that was more important to them than become a god? I mean, if they started on this quest, what would become so important to them that they abandoned what they started?”

“Maybe they changed their minds.” Aphrodite said again.

Ares was watching Gabrielle but something in the way Aphrodite said that caught his attention. “What do you know about it, ‘Dite?” Ares asked quietly and suspiciously.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” She said as she looked away hopefully before Ares could see the guilty look on her face.

“I know you too well, ‘Dite. You know something about what is going on don’t you?” Ares asked her again. “Why don’t you just tell us?” When she still didn’t answer him, he added another question. “Okay. Why can’t you tell us?” At that point, they had Joxer’s and Gabrielle’s full attention.

“Okay, I’m confused. Aphrodite, you know what’s going on?” Gabrielle asked.

She ignored Gabs question but answered Ares’. Sadly she said, “I promised Zeus when I showed him how to create the spell. I can tell you that I didn’t realize it until just know what the spell was going to be used for. But I promised Zeus that I would never reveal what the spell would do.”

“’Dite, honey, I think Zeus would understand and forgive you if you told us about it now. For Gabrielle’s safety.” He knew he was playing a card that she couldn’t refuse and she glared at him for it.

“The spell was suppose to make people feel differently about each other. If they hated each other when they came into the mapped area, then they suddenly found themselves so in love that they didn’t care about anything else except getting to be with the one they loved. If they loved each other when they came into the area, then they suddenly found themselves hating each other enough to kill each other. It changed people’s feelings into the opposite of what they really were.”

Gabrielle was extremely pensive about this. “Aphrodite, does that mean that…um…” she couldn’t ask the question. She also said it so quietly that nobody heard her.

Joxer got up and stepped out of the fire. “Aphrodite, what does that mean now? If everything is backwards…” He stiffened for a second. “Oh no. I have to go. My time’s up here.” He walked over to Gabrielle “be safe Gabby.” He meant that in more than one way, but he was certain that she knew that. “Bye for now everyone.” With that he faded from view.

“Okay, let’s figure this out. ‘Dite, can you stay and help?” Ares asked.

“No. I have to go. There are some things I have to do. Take care.” She hugged each of them and disappeared in a flash of pink.

“Oh boy, Gabs. What’s going on?” He came over to her and put his arms around her. He felt the shiver go through her. “Cold? Come closer to the fire.” She wasn’t cold but she let him lead her toward the fire. She was afraid that it was the spell that was making Ares love her. She was sure about her feelings for him, sure that they were real but…

“Ares!” Gabrielle yelled stopping before they reached the fire and pulling a way from him. “How dumb can we be?” He looked surprised at her question. “How long have you loved me? From what you have told me, it’s been a long time. More than 25 years right?” At his nod she continued. “I have loved you for a long time as well. How has the spell affected us? If the spell was to make people who loved each other want to kill each other, why aren’t we at each other’s throats? If it was to make people who hated each other fall in love and want nothing more that to be together, how has that affected us? We were already in love. That’s what we have to figure out. Why hasn’t the spell affected us or how has the spell affected us.”

“You’re right. But one thing that I do know is that my mind works much better with a full stomach. If we can get back to our dinner now I would be very happy.” He continued to lead the way back to the fire and their dinner. She was so lost in thought that he had to practically shove her plate at her before she remembered to take it.

Ares had a thought as they were eating, “What does it really matter? We are still going after the ambrosia, we still love each other and we aren’t at each other’s throats. I don’t know what other traps there are out there, if there are other traps, but this one doesn’t seem to be a problem for us. Maybe we should just leave it alone.”

Gabrielle thought that was reasonable but when she found a puzzle like this she just couldn’t let it go.

Later that night, as they lay entwined, she had an odd dream.

~ tbc ~