Xena ran to the side of the well as she saw her best friend swept
up by Dahak.
"Gabrielle!" she called out in desperation.
It was then that she heard Callisto's insane laughter behind
her. "Thank you, Xena. I finally have something to live for!
Seeing poor, dear Gabrielle sacrifice herself..."
Xena cut Calllisto's speech short by thrusting the dagger into the
goddess' stomach.
Ares ran to their side. He picked up one of Xena's hands and
placed it with Callisto's as Xena sneered at the warrior goddess, "No more
living for you..."
He made sure he held each woman's hand in one of his and joined
them together. "Let it flow..." he whispered low enough so that no
one else heard.
Callisto's body slumped to the ground as all life drained from
it. Ares immediately let their hands go. Xena had been too
preoccupied in her revenge on Callisto that she hadn't even noticed what Ares
had done, she was still in shock.
Gabrielle was gone...
Xena didn't notice when Ares held her so tenderly in his arms and
both of them disappeared from the scene and appeared in the Halls Of War in Ares
bedroom.
There was still no reaction from the Warrior Princess as Ares undid
the straps of her armor and removed it from her body. But when Ares began
to remove her underclothes, Xena gave a weak protest...
"What are you doing, Ares?" Xena questioned in a dangerously
low tone.
The God Of War cupped her shoulders from behind and whispered
gently in her ear, "Don't worry, Xena, I just want you to get some
sleep...it's okay, just sleep..."
Ares voice soothed away her protests. He helped her into bed
and tucked her in, under the covers. Ares lay on top of the covers and lay
on his side, beside her, propping himself up on one arm and smoothed her hair
back from her face in a comforting gesture.
Xena fell into a restless sleep in the comfort of Ares
embrace...
*~*~*~*
Xena awoke late the next morning, the other side of the bed where
Ares had slept was empty, but at the foot of the bed lay a trunk with a
beautiful midnight blue silk gown laid out over it.
She recognized it as one of her favorites from years ago, back when
she was Ares' favorite warlord. She slowly got out of bed and put the gown
on. It still fit. She could also still battle in it, most of her old
gowns had long slits up the side. Not that she'd need to fight anyone,
unless one of the other gods decided to take her out.
Xena stared hard at the trunk, wondering if the rest of her clothes
from her warlord days were in there. It's big enough, she
thought. She lifted the lid and her suspicions were confirmed. All
of her clothes were folded neatly in the trunk, a jeweled dagger rested on top
of them.
She picked up the weapon and studied it. Yes, she
thought, It's the same one I lost in battle. Xena had been
captured by a warlord shortly after her defection to the good side. He had
taken the dagger from her, the weapon being easily recognized as a precious gift
from the God Of War, declaring her his Chosen.
Ares must have taken it from him...
She put the dagger into its sheath and attached it to the small
hook on the waist of the dress. She left the room, looking for
Ares.
Xena wondered why Ares had kept her belongings. After the
last time he had brought her there to try and persuade her to come back with him
and she had , yet again, rejected his offer, she figured that he would have
burned her belongings...
*~*~*~*
Ares watched his love with tender eyes. Her image shimmered
in the small space in front of him, giving him a viewing of how she was coping
without him actually being there. He didn't want to intrude upon
her grief.
He could tell by the bemused expression on her face and the way she
kept her hand over the dagger at her waist, that she was confused by his
actions, but she would never believe the truth...
So instead, he avoided her, hoping to evade her questions, not
wanting to pour his heart out to her and be rejected by her, yet
again...
*~*~*~*
As always, Xena found him eventually. He was in the main hall
conversing with one of his warlords.
"Ares," she called, trying to get his
attention.
He turned in her direction, then turned back to the warlord.
"Leave us," he instructed the man.
"But, my Lord Ares..." he argued.
"I said; Leave us!!!" Ares commanded.
The warlord bowed respectfully, then left.
Ares approached Xena warily. "How are you this
morning?"
She watched him cautiously. "Fine," she said.
Then she got right to the point.
"Ares, tell me some things. One, why am I here? Two,
why do you still have all of my old clothes? Three, how in Tartarus did
you get my dagger? And finally, what did you mean by 'it's been
written'?"
Ares took a deep breath and looked at her with a hint of
vulnerability in his eyes. "You really want to know, Xena? You might
not like, nor believe for that matter, what I say."
Xena raised an eyebrow. "Tell me," she said
calmly.
"Okay. You're here because I want you here. I want you
by my side, Xena."
She looked as if she was about to argue. Ares held up a
hand.
"Let me finish. I took your dagger from Pryteus. He
didn't want to part with such a token," he smiled.
"So you killed him." It wasn't a question. Ares glared
at her interruption. "Go on," she instructed.
"Anyway, I kept your clothes because I always knew that you would
come back to me one day. As for you becoming my equal, well, an Oracle
from further back than even I can remember, once prophesized that the
Warrior Princess would serve as Goddess to her titled God. That would be
me."
Xena's head jerked up in surprise. Goddess...me? To
Ares?
"She would serve as the mother of the six who displace the six who
destroy. You, Xena." Ares' eyes lit up at the thought of
her as the mother of his children.
Xena hadn't even heard that part. She was still
stuck on the Goddess part. "How could I become a
Goddess? Valesca and Callisto ate the last of the Ambrosia," she
told him in disbelief.
Ares laughed. "No, Xena. The Gods can create more
Ambrosia on a whim, but that's not how you received your
Godhood."
Xena locked onto one word. "Received? You
mean...?"
Ares smiled as realization dawned on her. "Yes, Xena.
You are now the Goddess of War, the more reasonable and merciful of the two of
us."
Ares missed the mischievous gleam that entered her eyes. "So,
does that mean that I can oppose you...?"
"Yes...I guess so," he answered.
"So, I can just do..." A blue flame appeared in the palm of
her hand. "...this!" She threw the fireball at his
chest.
Her aim was true, the ball of fire hit the center of his chest and
knocked him on his leather-clad ass.
"Xena!!!" His thunderous roar echoed throughout the
Halls Of War.
Several of Ares' slaves and servants looked on in amusement as Xena
ran from the main hall, laughing. Their amusement was replaced by surprise
as the Warrior Princess stopped and changed her escape route.
"Wait a minute," she said to herself, placing her hands on
her hips. "I'm a Goddess!"
Ares found her in time to witness Xena disappear in a brilliant
flash of pale blue light, similar to his own.
"Arrggghhhh!!!!! When I get my hands on that woman...!"
Ares grinned when he thought of exactly what he would do to Xena when he caught
her.
Then he took his leave in the same manner as his Warrior
Goddess...
*~*~*~*
"Mmm..." Ares moaned as he stirred from sleep. Xena lay
curled up against him, her fingers wandering his broad torso.
"Ares?"
"Hmm?" Xena had forgotten that he had always woken
slowly. Definitely not a morning person.
"I want to know exactly what's
going on. You know how I hate being in the dark about things..." the
Warrior Goddess murmured to her lover.
She watched as one eye popped
open, staring at her, then the other. Her lips curved in a fond
smile. Little things were reminding her all about him, how playful he used
to be with her, how courteous and considerate.
Air escaped him in a
huff. He was acting like a small child being forced to tell his mother
where his 'pet' frog was...
"Xena, maybe you shouldn't
know, just yet. I mean, we've only just gotten back together and you still
need time to get used to all of the mechanisms of being a Goddess...and,
well..." he paused, not sure how to tell her...
"...I have to get used to the
other gods..." she finished for him. She knew how she was
considered. Most of the gods respected her position as Ares chosen, but
there were a few, albeit limited, that saw her as just another pathetic
mortal.
Ares jerked his head in
acknowledgement. "Yeah. Dear old Dad likes you and so do Aphrodite,
Cupid and Psyche, but there are still some that really don't want
to see you on Mt. Olympus, or even by my side..."
"Like me!!!"
came the furious screech. The couple turned to an enraged Discord, who
promptly tossed a fireball in Xena's direction. Both Ares and Xena
reciprocated, the doubled energy sending the goddess flying into the stone wall
behind her.
Within seconds, Xena
and Ares stood above Discord, both fully clothed and more than a little
furious. Xena grabbed the other goddess' hair and yanked her to her
feet. She slammed her up against the wall and calmly told her, "You can
tell the other gods that messing with me just isn't an option anymore. As
you can see, not only am I stronger than you, I also have Ares on my side.
You can either respect my position as one of you, or you can be on the receiving
end of some Hind's blood. Got it?"
Discord's eyes shot daggers at the newly formed Goddess.
"Don't think that this is over, Xena," she threatened as she
disappeared.
Ares looked at his lover. "Well, that went
well..."
*~*~*~*
"Why is she here?" came the thunderous voice.
"Xena..."
"...will give birth to..."
"...the cherished ones," answered the Fates.
"That's not what I wanted to hear!"
*~*~*~*
Xena was furious. It had been bad enough being a mortal and
constantly having to help people against the gods, but now she had them
breathing down her neck, too.
She turned to Ares. "I asked you before and now I'm asking
you, again. What in Tartarus is going on???"
Ares tenderly drew his Goddess into his warm embrace. "Don't
worry, my love. They are few and worthless. They want to stop our
union, our destiny, but it's too late for that."
Xena snuggled into his arms, her earlier joy at becoming his
partner making way for reality. "Tell me the rest of the prophesy,
Ares," she whispered.
Ares closed his eyes and held her tighter. "Are you sure you
want to know, sweet?"
"Yes..." she said uncertainly.
He led her to the bed. Xena sat down on the edge and Ares
knelt down in front of her. The God Of War looked up at his Warrior
Goddess. "Xena, in place of Hope's destroyers, you will give birth to my
children, children to be loved and cherished, the ones that will defeat Dahak
and his darkness once and for all." Ares expression softened in sympathy
as the horror and terror surfaced in her eyes.
"No...Ares, not another child! I can't do that
again..." Xena shook her head in denial.
Ares closed his eyes and buried his face in her stomach, nuzzling
the soft material of her dress. His hand rose to her stomach and came to
rest next to his cheek.
"It's already done, my Goddess..."
*~*~*~*
Hours later, Xena was still sitting on the edge of the God-size bed
in the same position Ares had left her in when he had informed her of her
delicate condition. The Goddess didn't know what to do or how to
react. She had sworn that she would have no more children after what Hope
had done to Solon, but there was no way that she would destroy a child that was
already growing in her womb, most especially, a child of hers and
Ares.
After her god had dropped his rather large bombshell, Xena had just
sat there, staring into space. Eventually, Ares had stood up and
sighed. He had lowered his disappointed, yet understanding, gaze to the
floor and had swiftly turned on his heel and strode out of the room, his
drooping shoulders belying his confidant stride.
But everything's different now, she told herself.
Hope was gone and she was no longer just the 'Warrior Princess', a mortal.
She was a Goddess...
She had made her decision...
"ARES!!!!!!!!!" She bellowed, then disappeared in a
brilliant flash of light.
*~*~*~*
The God Of War heard his former chosen's demand of his presence,
but was still wounded from her recent rejection of his child. Rationally,
he could understand her sorrow, but to his way of thinking, she had him
now. They would both protect this child and there was no way in Tartarus
that anyone would dare harm a full god, let alone a Child Of War.
Ares heard the tell-tale sigh of a god's entrance, followed by the
flash of light. He turned around to see his lover standing there, a
bittersweet smile gracing her still-pale face.
"Xena..." he whispered, as he opened his arms to her.
She slowly walked into his arms and held on to him tight, burying her face in
his leather top.
"Ares," she moaned. Ares thrust his fingers into her mane of
raven hair and held her head against his chest.
"No one will ever harm our child, my princess. I will see
them in the loneliest and most torturous depths of Tartarus first," he whispered
with barely controlled fury. His goddess had been reduced to this, and
there was no way that he would ever allow anyone, man or god, to cause her such
grief again.
Xena looked up at Ares, her love and her deepest trust shining in
her eyes. Her lover smiled down at her and captured her parted lips with
his own...
One of their priestess' happened upon them at that moment,
only to witness their tender kiss and then their starlight exit. Barely
seconds later, the Halls Of War echoed with the happy giggles of its goddess and
the delighted moans of its once-sinister god...
The
End