�I�m stopping you from making a huge mistake,� Xena growled at him ferally as they began a sort of minor tug of war with the baby Oblivion as their prize. The little godling seemed indeed quite oblivious to them and continued sleeping despite their struggle, as though he were already used to the trouble that surrounded his tiny life.

�Your mistake was following me here, Xena,� he returned. �This is my son, and I�m not giving him up for anything!�

�Anything?� Xena cocked her eyebrow at him questioningly. �Sure about that?�

Ares� eyes narrowed to slits as he contemplated her angle, and he knew she had one. Amphipolis had proven that final, hard lesson to him. Xena was always able to assess and reassess any situation, no matter the circumstances, and she always had a trick up her sleeve. Even his most foolproof ideas had been crushed by her ability to adapt quickly and easily to any situation, so he was not going to be fooled quite so easily this time. He would have her secrets out in the open from the start, or they wouldn�t deal.

�What did you have in mind?� he questioned, opening the door for discussion.

�Put down the baby,� Xena purred sensuously, �and we�ll talk.�

Ares grinned ferally, �There�s really nothing to talk about, Xena. I have a newborn son, who will one day serve me well in his role as Oblivion, Son of War and Lamentation. End of discussion.�

Xena�s voice took on a seductive curve, �Oh, come on, Ares, what do you want with a baby, anyway? Believe me, they really cut into your love life! �

�And here I always thought babies were a real �chick magnet�!� Ares quipped sarcastically, stepping closer to her as he added, �Of course, this baby certainly did attract you, didn�t it?�

�I am no �chick�, Ares,� Xena�s voice warned.

�No,� Ares agreed solemnly. �You�re certainly not.� Then with a sly grin, Ares nodded a silent command to produce a bassinette for his son. A black iron basket lined with blood red satin appeared beside them, and together they laid Oblivion into it.

�Okay, Xena, let�s talk,� he urged impatiently, his eyes daring her to double-cross him on his home turf. They were now standing face-to-face, mere inches away from each other, and already the chemistry between them was beginning to erupt. It was almost as though a circuit of electricity were shooting back and forth between them, sending and receiving sensory information at an alarming rate. �So, what do you want?�

Xena stepped away from the basket, half-smiling as she took a leisurely stroll about the room. She stopped at the armoire, knowing what she would find within. Glancing at Ares flirtatiously, she quipped, �Mind if I change into something more�comfortable?�

�Be my guest,� Ares nodded, and the door of the chest flew open to reveal not only the dark velvet dress he�d presented her years ago, but now a full wardrobe of gowns and mantles, with row upon row of satin slippers in matching colors.

�Why, Ares,� Xena purred appreciatively. �Are all these for just little ol� me?�

Ares strode up to the armoire, selected a gown of deep azure silk and held it up to her, �Each and every gown was prepared especially for you, Xena�yes, you should definitely put this one on. This is but a taste of what I can give you, if you would only become my queen��

Xena took the gown from him and replied seductively, �Too bad we have this�other business�to attend to�first.� She left him to finish that thought on his own as she stepped away to the dressing screen. �You know,� she continued after a moment, knowing that he was staring hard at her stripping shadow, �I�m rather surprised that you created that boy with Sorrow�I thought you wanted me to have your children?�

�I have to cover my bets as best I can, Xena,� Ares replied almost breathlessly, captivated by the shade of her naked form reflecting through the opaque paper screen. �I had no idea how long you were willing to make me wait. Don�t take it personally.�

�Oh, never!� Xena grinned to herself, then stepped away from the screen. Bedecked in deep blue, her black hair and blue eyes stood out even more beautifully, and Ares took a deep breath of appreciation.

�Oh yes,� Ares hissed. �That is definitely you.�

�I must say, you have impeccable taste in gowns,� she complimented, stepping closer to him. �For a god, that is.�

Ares smirked, �I know what you look best in, Xena � always have. You do know I�ve been watching you for far longer than even you�ve realized, don�t you?�

�Yes, I�ve suspected you of �peeping� in on me from time to time throughout my life. Why else do you think I learned how to sense you?�

�Alas, I�ve inadvertently thwarted my own purpose,� he grinned, producing a golden goblet of wine for her. �But, then, I take it as a compliment that you taught yourself how.�

�You should,� she nodded, stepping away to put a bit more space between them. �There were many times I had wished to be honored by your full presence, but just knowing you even deigned to check in on me from time to time was a great honor.�

�Don�t think I don�t regret not coming to you when you wanted me, Xena,� Ares reassured suggestively, following her to where she now stood admiring a mural of weapons. �I guarantee, I�ll be making that up to you for the rest of my life.�

Xena turned to face him. �That�s a long time, Ares � are you sure you�re willing to waste the rest of eternity on me?�

�Oh yeah,� he nodded sincerely, �I�m sure.�

�Where do you think he took them?� Iolaus asked nervously, having just stopped Sorrow from going into hysterics.

�He said Thrace, but I would more likely assume Olympus this time. He needs all the protection he can get,� Hercules ventured. He then turned to Gabrielle, and instantly noticed that her arms were empty. �Where�s Thalia?�

�Oh!� Gabrielle nearly jumped when she realized that the demigod was talking to her. �I gave her to Joxer ��

�Where is he?� Iolaus demanded, looking around and not seeing him anywhere.

�Wait here,� Gabrielle held Iolaus off. �I think I know where he might have taken her � I�ll be right back!�

Iolaus remained to comfort Sorrow and Hercules followed patiently while Gabrielle ran to the hidden hallway of stone and disappeared from view. She wound her way through the narrow corridor of stone and came upon the sweetest sight she�d ever seen.

In the secret temple, Joxer was sitting on the altar and cradling Thalia tenderly, rocking her gently and cooing to her in baby talk. The little blonde demigoddess gazed up at him with her big, blue eyes because his gentle voice held her captivated, and it was such a beautiful sight that Gabrielle regretted having to end it.

�Joxer, Ares is gone,� she said softly, and Joxer looked up at her with such a visage of happiness and love, it made her blush as she smiled at him.

�We�ve just been having ourselves a little chat, haven�t we, Thalia?� Joxer grinned at the baby as he rose from his seat on the altar.

�Oh? And just what have you been telling her?� the bard smiled up at him as she took the baby from his arms so easily, it seemed a most natural thing to do between them.

He blushed and grinned sheepishly, �Aw, that�s between me and her, Gabby.�

�Here she is, Hercules!� Gabrielle turned to hand the baby over to the demigod, who had just followed her into the temple, and within seconds she was alone with Joxer again. He stood gazing down into her turquoise eyes, trying to think of something to say, but before he could utter a word, the bard raised up on her toes and kissed him gently before turning and running from the temple, afraid to stay any longer than necessary, for obvious reasons.

She ran back to the main cave to find Hercules conferring with Sorrow while Iolaus cradled their child tenderly, but it was obvious the aid of Aphrodite was in desperate need, and without a second thought, she joined Hercules as he went down on his knee to help him beg for her appearance.

�So, why don�t we get down to brass tacks, Xena,� Ares slammed his cup down on the table so loudly, Oblivion burst into a short fit of screaming, and the Warrior Princess had to hold her palms over her ears til the child ceased his crying, for his voice seemed to cause the very sky to rumble around them. It seemed to impress Ares greatly. �That�s my boy! A real chip off the old lightning bolt, don�t you think?�

�Yeah, he�s definitely your kid � never heard anyone scream louder than you til today,� she quipped. �So, here�s the deal, you give up the squealer, you get me.�

Ares smirked, �And I suppose you�re going to tell my why I should do just that?�

Xena replied cryptically, �Because, you are merciful in victory.�

�Victory? What victory? The only thing I�ve won is my son! Besides, I have a little piece of paper here somewhere that says that you�re already mine, if you�d just kindly give it back to me and let the law have its way.�

�You mean, let you have your way,� she pointed out matter-of-factly, and then smiled. �And I don�t have our marriage license. I thought you did.�

�Don�t play dumb with me, Xena � you�re not as good at it as I am,� he advised.

�Whatever you say,� she snickered, �but you�re missing out on a great opportunity to display your victory over what�s left of the Pantheon. You know, with Zeus and Hera gone, I�m sure there have been plenty of power struggles going on up there, and I know your opposition to this must have been fierce. But, look! You got what you wanted in spite of them. I would certainly call that a victory.�

�Yes, well, it was rather hard putting my plans into motion, but you see, I had my own destiny to think about.�

�Oh, of course you did. You can�t let the loss of your parents cause an upheaval in the balance like that. You need to make sure things go as you say.�

Xena smiled as she spoke those words, but apparently it was the wrong thing to do. Before she had her cup of wine to her lips, Ares was immediately behind her with a knife to her throat, and her cup was hitting the floor and spilling wine across the cobbled stones.

�Yes, things are going to go as I say this time, simply because I say they will!� he growled, and Xena took in a deep breath, feeling his warm breath caressing her ear as the cold, sharp edge of the knife dug into her skin. Barely moving, Xena instinctively leaned into Ares to ease the pressure on her flesh, and perhaps increase the pressure on a certain area of his flesh, and thereby throw him off his game a little.

The slow, deliberate maneuver did indeed have a positive effect on the god, for Ares had wanted this woman in every way possible since he first took note of her that day in her seventeenth year when she dispatched the warlord Cortese from her homeland with the strength, rage and power of ten warriors. Now, with her trapped in the circle of his arms with the scent of her hair playing in his nose, it was more than enough to arouse him, for their fights had always been �foreplay� in his mind � even their verbal fights set his blood on fire � and feeling her body conforming to his willingly was a sign to him that perhaps the time of buildup was over; perhaps it was finally time to consummate his obsessive love for his Warrior Princess.

�Tell me, Xena, do you really want to fight, or would you rather save our strength for more�strenuous�activities?�

�What did you have in mind?� Xena purred, her seductive tone warming him.

�How about this?� he asked cryptically as he turned her about in his hold so that he now held her face to face within his arms. She voluntarily allowed him to do it so as not to fire his temptation even more. She had to play it just right or Ares would have what he wanted without any deal, and then all she had fought for so long would come to naught. Still, he sensed some level of acquiescence on her part, so he finished answering her question by diving for her sumptuous neck, blazing a trail of hot, passionate kisses down her jugular vein.

In spite of herself, Xena panted in a rush of breathless, satisfied ecstasy. No matter how much she had vowed to hate him, over the past few years he had somehow managed to worm his way into her life, craftily, subtly working his way into her arms at the same time and always managing to excite her both physically and mentally. Her own self-discipline had always been her greatest defense against his godly charms, but now she found herself in such a position that she could see herself throwing it all away for just one moment of total abandon with this lusty god.

�Mmmm, Ares,� she moaned, deeply taken away by his sensuous lips, �how we�re going to shake the heavens some day��

�Some day?� the war god�s head popped up in disbelief. �What do you mean, �some day�? �

�You don�t think I�m going to let you ravish me in front of an innocent baby, do you?� she feigned shock. �What would Athena say?�

�Xena!� Ares rumbled deeply, �Don�t play hard to get with me � not this time.�

�But, we haven�t made a bargain yet, Ares. You don�t get me until that baby is back with his mother.�

Ares eyes seemed to fill with a deep storm of tempestuous desire, �I�d need a bit more assurance than that, Xena. You know what I want.�

�A child with me?� Xena asked, knowing full well that this was what he�d probably been angling for all this while. Choosing the destined wife of Iolaus was only a ruse to bring this about, she was certain of that now. It was inevitable from the day she first met Iolaus and lured him into trying to kill Hercules as a way to please Ares. Her guilt over that would never allow for any other answer to this situation. She had to deal or be the cause of more unhappiness in the life of the Golden Hunter. And Iolaus deserved so much more than this, Xena knew, whereas her own life had only been one huge reason for redemption. She could redeem herself now by purchasing Sorrow�s child with her own body.

�That�s right, Xena. IF I let Oblivion be raised by his mother � and we both know what a difference raising a hell god with his mother can make, don�t we, Xena? � you will stay here with me, and become my Warrior Queen. You will give me three sons to complete the brotherhood of war I have started with Oblivion, and we will all live happily ever after.�

�I�ll give you one son,� she countered, but Ares was not in the mood.

�There will be no negotiation! You will give me three sons, or Oblivion will stay with me. Those are my terms, Xena � take them or leave them! Either way, I will have what I want, but it�s your role as their mother that is most necessary to me, Xena. It is your fire and your passion that will galvanize my boys into the hellions they will be born to be, but don�t think for a second that I won�t be able to raise them to be just that on my own. It will just mean that I will have to capture Sorrow three more times in order to have my sons!�

�No, Ares!� Xena blurted, seeing the horrible outcome that the repeated abduction of Sorrow would bear on the love the goddess shared with Iolaus. The hunter would never be able to live with this situation, and would end up dead at the hands of Ares if she didn�t work with him on this. �You can�t do that!�

�Who�s going to stop me?� Ares grimaced ferally. �You? I don�t think so. And I think you know the trouble I can cause for your little buddy if he ever gets in my way again. It�s your only option that ensures your friend his happiness. Be my wife, and the boy can go home.�

�DON�T DO IT, XENA!� echoed the unexpected voice of Sorrow from behind them, and the two turned to see the goddess standing with a contingent from the cave, including Aphrodite, Hercules and Iolaus.

�Stay back, or I�ll kill her!� Ares warned, raising his knife to Xena�s throat again.

�Xena, don�t take his offers,� Sorrow ignored him and spoke directly to the Warrior Princess, having seen the indecision in the woman�s clear blue eyes. �You can�t undo all that you�ve done just to save my son!�

�But, your child needs you,� Xena argued. �If I don�t do this, he will never leave you alone! You belong with Iolaus and your children!�

Iolaus stepped forward, �Xena, I can�t let you give yourself in exchange � there�s got to be another way!�

�But, Iolaus, you�ve finally found true love,� the warrioress reasoned. �I owe you the opportunity to be with Sorrow after what I did to you!�

�No, Xena,� Iolaus held up his hands to her in supplication, �I forgave you for that a long time ago! It isn�t worth it to have you turn back � tell her, Hercules!�

�He�s right, Xena,� Hercules nodded. �You�ve no more debts to repay here. Your life is only forfeit if you give it up now to Ares� schemes!�

�But, Hercules, what about Hope? If I had let Gabrielle raise her daughter, she might have turned out differently! I can�t let Ares raise that child if being with his mother will make a difference!�

�Xena,� Hercules argued gently, �there�s absolutely no way of telling whether Hope would have been a better child with Gabrielle as her mother or not � she was sent by her father to wreak havoc on this world, and Ares tried to help her do just that! Giving in to him might not change a thing!�

�Shut up, Hercules!� Ares raged. �I�m sick and tired of all you goody-goodies coming into my house, busting up my parties and telling me I can�t have my good times! This deal is between me and Xena, and if she wants to trade herself for that baby, you have no right to change her mind!�

Aphrodite jumped in, �The hell we don�t, Ares! You�ve been trying to play my games for long enough, and I�m here to tell you that it doesn�t matter what you�re trying to pull here, because me and the rest of the Pantheon are sick and tired of your bull, and we�re holding a custody trial this morning right after Apollo gets back from his morning drive. I suggest you be there, and I wouldn�t mention this deal to Athena, if I were you. She�s not happy with you right now!�

�Ask me if I care!� Ares roared with laughter. �Does little Miss War think she�s going to tell Mr. War what�s what? I wear daddy�s pants in this family now, Aphrodite, and you can tell Athena I said that!�

�Tell her yourself,� dared the love goddess. �Until then, I�m supposed to take custody of both Xena and the baby as evidence. They will stay with me until Athena and the rest of the Pantheon decide what to do about this.�

�And what if I don�t want their opinion?� Ares continued his defiance.

�Tough, Ares. You had your chance to deal with this situation straight, and you blew it the minute you kidnapped this baby and Xena.�

�Hey, she jumped on me!� the war god argued, pushing Xena away from him in his anxiety to get the blame off of him.

Hercules caught the warrioress and righted her, smiling as he commented, �Pretty gown!�

�Gee, thanks,� she smiled wryly in return.

�Tell it to the Pantheon. We�re outta here!� Aphrodite proclaimed, and with a snap of her fingers, an explosion of white and gold hearts erupted as the group disappeared from Ares� bedroom, leaving the God of War to rage over the empty iron bassinette that was left behind.

�DAMN IT ALL TO TARTARUS!!!!!�

The group rematerialized in the main cave where Gabrielle, Joxer, Autolycus and Thalia awaited their return. Seeing Xena brought smiles to the faces of the worried group that had been left behind, and they rushed forward to greet her.

�Xena, tell me you didn�t do it!?� Gabrielle begged through her tears of joy. �Please tell me you didn�t trade yourself for Oblivion?�

�I didn�t get a chance, Gabrielle,� Xena answered softly as she wrapped her arms about the bard, �Iolaus wouldn�t let me.�

�Thank the gods,� Gabrielle burst into tears. �I was so scared we�d lost you!�

�Not a chance,� Xena soothed, her eyes locking with Autolycus� over Gabrielle�s strawberry blonde tresses. �I�ve got too many good friends watching out for me.�

Hercules stepped over to pull the bard from the grip she held on the warrioress, and he also soothed as he cradled the bard, �We stopped her before she could reach an agreement, so she�s safe, Gabby. Don�t worry.�

Xena faced Autolycus at last, and he seemed frozen where he was, unable to shake himself from the paralysis he felt from what he�d been witnessing over the past day or so. The births of gods and goddesses in his midst, the tug of war being played over a baby and the girl he loved, seeing her being willing to trade herself to a guy he really hated in order to secure the future happiness of another guy he was supposed to really hate. It was all too much for a simple thief who had only come along to see what he could get as his reward.

But, somehow, seeing Xena standing before him draped in blue satin the color of brilliant sapphires, seeing her eyes reflecting the same color beneath her gorgeous dark hair. This was reward enough, he suddenly realized. Seeing the warrior looking like a princess was all the reward he needed from this adventure.

�You look beautiful, Xena,� he said without a second thought, and was further rewarded with a blush from her cheeks and her special half-smile that told him his words were most appreciated at that moment.

But new trouble was already brewing in the cave, for Iolaus had taken Thalia into his arms, keeping her a good distance away from Sorrow, who held Oblivion and looked to her human lover in deep consternation.

�Iolaus, what are you doing?� she questioned softly, knowing he was afraid to let her children be near each other for fear of what the boy might do to the girl.

�I � I,� he stammered, realizing what he was doing. �I�m sorry � I don�t know what to do. Is it even safe to keep them in the same room together?�

�They shared my body for nine months, Iolaus!� she argued. �Of course they are safe together. They are still brother and sister, even if Oblivion is not your child, Iolaus. You must accept that.�

�Come on, Curly,� Aphrodite put a comforting arm around his shoulders, �don�t be like that with Blivvy. Even the bad gods have their purpose in the universe, and you have to look at it the way the Fates do � the way they see it, if Oblivion is raised by Sorrow with Joy and with you as his father, how can he help but be affected by their purposes in life, and by your humanity? He�ll have a better shot at being a useful god if he grows up with you as his father and Sorrow as his mother, than if he was raised by Ares alone.�

Hercules� brow furrowed when he heard this statement, feeling as though he was hearing a larger plan buried within that original plan Aphrodite had informed them of just hours ago. What it was, he wasn�t quite sure about, but with the trial just moments away, he felt it would all come out in the Pantheon.

On to Chapter Thirty~Five

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