As he placed her lifeless body inside the ice coffin, he felt both anger and frustration. He pushed the hair off her face, hoping to see those green eyes open even if they were just to glare at him in anger. But those eyes did not open, and the body remained motionless. "Why? Why does it have to come to this? Why couldn’t you have just came to me? I would have protected you from all this." He kneeled down beside her, "what it is about you that can bring me to my knees? Is it your misguided sense of loyalty? Your ability to look past the mistakes and accept the imperfections?"

He waited, but there was no answer, only the soft echoes of his own voice. "Didn’t you know that there are just some battles that you can’t win? Was it really worth it? I could have given you the world, but you didn’t want that, did you? You would rather risk your life fighting for those who couldn’t even appreciate what you were doing for them. You would rather take on all of the Olympians for the sake of one child. Gods Gabrielle, why did you have to be so stubborn?"

He picked up her sais and placed one beside her. As he stared at its twin, images of her flashed across his mind. After a year of absence, she came back with a new weapon, a hair cut and a new attitude. There was no mistake about it, she had buried the old childlike Gabrielle and came back determined to follow the path of the warrior. "Much as I appreciate your new found skills, there will always be a place in my heart for the old you." He whispered.

He stared at her, so peaceful as if she were asleep. He ran a hand down her cheek and recoiled. Instead of warm flesh, all he could feel was ice. "This is the only place I could think of to put you. You are safe now Gabrielle, no one will ever hurt you again. You will have your friend beside you; I promise you. Rest in peace Gabrielle, you don’t have to fight anymore." He stood up and closed the lid. All he could see now is a blurred image of her through the ice. Ares sighed and disappeared in a flash of lights.