Xena's Lost Daughter
by Katrina Storm
Disclaimer: I do not own the TV show Xena nor do I own the characters that were originally in the show.
Summary: After an attack on the Amazons Xena goes to and question Ares about it,however he claims to know nothing about it. Is he telling the truth? And what of his mysterious daughter who was asked to help Xena find the truth behind the attack on the Amazons? Why does Ares daughter seem to hate Xena so much? And why does she seem to know so much about the Amazons?
Chapter 1
As I watch my delicate flower tending her garden, I can't help but think of how grateful I am that I found her when I I found her she was about to end her life, believing she deserved to die because of the atrocities she had committed. I was able to convince her that she deserved a second chance and that she could repent for her sins better by living and dedicating her life to doing good from that day onward. Me the God of War, talking about doing good, how times have changed. I don't regret it though, it saved her, my beautiful daughter, my most delicate flower. I have watched over her since then teaching her how to live the life she wanted. While normally I would try to convince a warrior of her caliber to fight for me, I couldn't find it in my heart to do that to my daughter especially when I knew what her past was like. As I had been so happy when she and her sister had been born, I had vowed to myself that I would protect them. I had also vowed to myself that I would refrain from using or manipulating them,as I had callously done to others, for my own goals. It had been devastating to me when I learned that one of my precious little girls had been kidnapped and that no one could find her. I had never stopped searching for her even though as the years went by it seemed unlikely that I would find her or that she was even alive.
So when I found out she that she was alive, I was understandably overjoyed. Although my joy dimmed a bit when I had learned who had taken her and what she had been turned into. She had been turned into a ruthless conqueror with no emotions. However by the time I met her she had gained emotions somehow which lead to her seeing herself as a monster. Seeing herself as a monster made her believe that the world would be better off without her so she had been in the process of trying to kill herself when I found her. It took a while for her to trust me and realize that her actions before unlocking her emotions and conscious were a result of merely doing what she had been trained to do. She has improved since she has taken up residence with me but hasn't made peace with her past completely yet.
"Dad what's wrong?"
"Nothing Kat, just lost in some memories." As soon as I finished speaking the door to the room is blown off the hinges, and in comes an upset Xena. She immediately lunges at me, completely ignoring that Kat is in the room. I dodge her punch and smirk at her while taunting her. " What's wrong Xena, did Gabrielle finally realize what a cold fish you can be and leave you?" She stops mid kick and starts sputtering. ''No, who is the strumpet?'' She returns after regaining her composure and having spotted Kat. I snarl and lunge at xena with the intent to choke her,but before I could reach Xena Kat intercepts me and calms me down. "What are you doing here, and why did you attack Ares?'' Asks Kat. Ah yes, Kat ever the peacemaker, I can't help but to think fondly. "His army attacked the Amazon's a few days ago, on Ares orders." Said Xena in an disgusted tone of voice as she followed them out of the room.
The group walked in silence and didn't stop until they arrived in his throne room.I watch as Ares heads towards and seats him on his throne with the grace of a him I realize there is another throne next to his and I wonder who it belongs to. The woman who was with him followed suit with the same graceful movements of Ares and it makes me wonder exactly who this woman sits in the previously empty throne. As l look closely it becomes evident that she is a warrior of the highest degree. She is the same height as Ares, is very well formed, and has the toned body of warrior. She has black hair, brown eyes and lightly tanned skin. Is dressed in leather pants and shirt that goes to her midriff and has no sleeves. Both her shirt and pants are black as is her boots. There is a veil that covers her face from nose downward. All in all she is a very beautiful woman.
Ares chose not to answer Xena until his daughter settled in her throne."You're mistaken,as I haven't given my army any orders to attack the Amazon's.'' I answer shocked at what she had accused me of doing. I couldn't believe she would accuse me of attacking the Amazons. As I thought she knew better than to think I would attack or would order an attack on the Amazons. Since I like Artemis I generally try to leave the Amazon's alone, although I couldn't always stop the warriors who worship or follow me from attacking them. Occasionally those who follow me would attack the Amazon's in my name, however I usually punish them if they survived. But Artemis understood that despite my being a god I couldn't always control my men or women, which allowed us to stay on good terms. I had thought that after the relationship we once had, Xena knew this. I guess I overestimated how well Xena had understood me when we together.
I can't believe mother, could accuse father of attacking her the Amazons after how close they had once been. I am glad now that I never sought her out, as I had been thinking of doing. After I had come to terms with my past, I had thought to find and perhaps stay with my mother for a while. Father had convinced me that meeting Xena wasn't the best idea at the time, I had however visited my mother's family although I hadn't told them that I was related to them. I may have only known my father only for a few month's and yet I knew perfectly well he wouldn't order an attack on the Amazons. As he respects and cares for Artemis he will not attack, or order his army to attack the Amazons. But he can't completely control his army's and follower's actions so they do occasionally attack Amazons in the hopes of winning his favor.
I see Ares and his woman stare at me with rage and confusion radiating off them. I have to give them credit for being good actors, if I didn't know better I would say that Ares was innocent of ordering the attack. However, one of the men that was captured during the attack had admitted to being sent by Ares when he had been interrogated. I wiped the thought of Ares possibly not having ordered the attack as I realized that two were probably confused as to how I found out he was behind the attack so fast. And they were probably angry that they had been discovered thanks to some mess up of Ares men. With that thought in mind I started observing the two closer than I had been before.
I wonder who the woman was, as it was apparent that she wasn't what she seemed. The way they interact makes it obvious that they care for each other. I remember when I used to care for Ares and it makes me disgusted with myself. So I force myself to remember why I came here. ''Whats the matter?Are you angry that I found out you were behind the attack so fast? After all you did seem to go through allot of trouble to hide that fact that it was you who had order the attack.'' I said tauntingly. "No idiot, we are angry at the fact that you actually believe that Ares would order an attack on the Amazons.'' Ares nods, clearly agreeing with what the woman had said. "So Ares,I see that your now hiding behind you whores.''
"Xena, Xena, you never do learn do you?You should never make assumptions or take things at face value." He says in a mocking voice which made Xena grit her teeth. " What do you mean that she's not your whore or that you weren't responsible for the attack on the Amazons." I replied mockingly, to which they both clapped their hands before Ares replied with the same mocking tone that he had used before. " It seems that you can be intelligent when you want to be Xena. The woman who you called a whore is my daughter who goes by the name Kat. And no I wasn't responsible for the Amazons being attacked. As hard for you as is to believe I am capable of caring for along with loving someone. And Artemis is one of the few people I truly care if I were to attack the Amazons it would hurt Artemis which is something I don't want to do." He says with what seems to be complete honesty despite his mocking tone. Could Ares be telling the truth? I ask myself, after all if he really does care about Artemis as he claims then it wouldn't make sense for him to order an attack on the Amazons. But then why would the solider they interrogated claim to be sent by Ares? Could someone be using Ares name to accomplish their goals, if so who would be brave enough to impersonate the god of war? And what did that person hope to accomplish in doing so?
As I saw the uncertainty appear on Xena's face I coun't help but to smirk to myself. I mean the idiot is so impulsive, if she had actually thought about it she might have realized that there was a big chance that father was innocent. After all, according to father she was quite intelligent so wouldn't she question why father would order an attack on the Amazons? If I was her I would ask myself that and when couldn't come up with an adequate reason. I would then try to figure out who would attack the Amazons along with why they would frame Ares for it. From the emotions I could see flickering through her eyes, I could tell that she was creating a scheme that would get father to help her investigate what exactly is going on. However I had no plans on letting Xena use dad to do her dirty work for her. As I knew that father would be busy doing his own investigation into why the Amazons were attacked using his name not to mention who was responsible for said attack. She would have investigate without father's help.
I was proved right when Xena said,"Well if you didn't order the attack Ares, then who did order it and why? And why did the solider we catch said they were attacking on your orders when we interrogated him?"
"I don't know the answer to either of those questions Xena but I do intend to find out. " Ares said while thinking to himself that whoever is using his name would be severely punished then killed if still among the living. It would be worse for the person if he or Kat found out that the person had been impersonating Ares.
'' Do you want work with me to find out who's responsible then? After all we will both be investigating the same thing it only makes sense to work together.'' Xena said hoping that Ares would agree as it would really benefit them both to work together if he is innocent. And if he isn't innocent working with him would give Xena a chance to watch him and possibly catch him doing something incriminating.
" No I don't want to work with you Xena as you would just get in my way. Not to mention I have all the help I need right here, in Kat. " Ares said sneering in distaste at the thought of working with Xena.
'' Since you won't help I can't waist anymore time here as I have a Warlord to hunt down. Goodbye Ares, Kat. " Xena said then put words into actions as she turned and started walking out of the throne room. However just as Xena was about to reach the doorway Artemis appeared in front of Xena blocking her from exiting the room.
I get up from my throne, pass Xena , stopping in front of Artemis so that I may greet her. After receiving a hurried reply, I take a closer look at Artemis causing me to notice how distressed she was. I realized that Artemis most likely distressed due to the attack on her Amazons. As Artemis considers the Amazons to be her children and responsibility so not knowing who attacked or why they had attacked, not to mention whether or not they would do so again had to be hard on Artemis's nerves. In hopes of comforting her I hug Artemis who looks at me in surprise as she knew that I rarely initiated shows of affection. When we had released each other, Artemis began to speak to me.
'' Kat I came here today to see if you would be willing to help the Amazon Queen Gabrielle investigate the attack on her tribe and if you would stay in her vilage while you did so.I ask you to stay there so that you can help if another attack should happen. I also would like to make you my emissary to Gabrielle's tribe." Artemis said in an apologetic tone of voice while wincing at the thought of how much she was asking of Kat. As she knew while Kat was an Amazon herself, she had always avoided Gabrielle's village after learning of Gabrielle's connection to her mother and sister. And now here Artemis was asking Kat to help, stay at, and protect the village that Kat had avidly avoided. However Kat was one of the very few that Artemis would trust to protect her Amazons, as Artemis loved Kat as if she was her daughter.
Kat knew that Artemis wouldn't make a request like that unless she felt desperate. Kat also knew that unlike other times when Artemis had asked Kat to do something for her or help other Amazons in some way, fulfilling this request could reveal certain facts of her past that she had purposely kept hidden. As Kat sensed that solving the mystery behind the attack would be the start of a harrowing journey. However in spite of everything Kat knew that she had only one choice an that was to be Artemis's emissary to Gabrielle's tribe. With that thought in mind Kat said to Artemis, '' I will do as you ask, Artemis.'' After hearing Kat's reply Artemis left, after which Kat turned to face Xena and said, "I will travel with you to Gabrielle's Village, Xena. If you wait here I will be back soon, I just need to get some things to take with me." Then turning to Ares, Kat said," Don't worry about me I will be fine and you know where to find if you need me. I love you, father.'' Having said her piece Kat left the throne room and went to her room to pack what she wanted to take with her.
Xena just stood where she had stopped when Artemis appeared in silence. Xena was using the time to process all she had heard and was a while later when Kat came back carrying a traveling bag that looked to be full. Kat also had a few weapons stored on various places of her body. "Well I am ready to head out now. Bye father.'' Kat said then left the room and presumably the temple. Xena just followed the woman silently, wondering what to make of the mysterious Kat.