For the dozenth time or so during that last half an hour, Ares opened a blasted portal just to furiously close it again seconds later, unable to watch for more than a meaningless instant the image it was showing, and every single time, a snarky, exasperated huff would explode from his chest, along with a gut-wrenching pain, unlike any other he had felt before…

The sight of the eunuch's strong, oily fingers gliding up and down his Princess' back, drawing circles and patterns on her soft, velvety skin was simply sickening. Judging by her transfixed expression though, the man was doing a pretty decent job easing the tension in her muscles, but his bothering obsession with stroking the outer contour of her breasts as he accidentally moved past them, was driving the War God up the wall . If the poor guy hadn't been castrated and if his former master hadn't taken the precaution to turn him blind as well, he would have materialized there and he would have cut off his filthy hands!

Indeed, never in his life had he felt so angry about such an apparently insignificant thing….And yet, the pain coming from that vicious stab he had been trying to ignore ever since he saw her half naked and lying carelessly on that massage table- a thin satin sheet covering her sexy butt being the only piece of fabric placed between her and that accursed masseur - now that was something that he just couldn't deny…..

Apart from that, from the instant she left, his mind was a mess. Time and time again his brain had replayed their conversation, going over every word that had been spoken , looking for hidden meanings, for secret messages, making an effort to read between the lines-hoping that something would magically shed some light on what had happened-…..Something must have surely upset her, something he had done or said, something…something that for the love of the nine muses, he just couldn't bring himself to understand….

Closing his eyes along with the portal, he slumped even more into his throne and fervently began rubbing his temples as their awkward dialogue assaulted him again….

Unconsciously, he frowned the moment he could hear her voice- that impossibly addictive melody that had enslaved him to the point where he could no longer deny her anything- echoing so clearly inside his head as if she were there…..Nothing had foreseen this absurd intention of her to leave….and after all, did she actually leave? What did her departure even mean? Was this a …..a…..break up? What did this woman want? Was she trying to drive him crazy? Was she just playing with him? Was this some kind of test that he had to pass? Women were highly illogical beings, that much he knew, but with Xena, things seemed to be completely different, and that was what had drawn him to her like a bloody magnet….There was order in all that chaos ruling over her young, ambitious mind, a strict discipline that not even the most experienced of his generals owned….She was an enigma, an inviting puzzle that just waited to be solved, a challenging enough project to solicit his undivided attention …In short, she was magnetizing, and once she had walked out that door, a very eerie feeling took over him….an unfamiliar, disturbing sensation as if something of great importance- a vital organ maybe- had been ripped from within him the instant her flawless silhouette got engulfed by the thick blanket of dust that her horse had left behind…

" We need to talk…." she bluntly announced the minute he entered her tent, staring at him worriedly, as always, those mesmerizing baby blues making his heart skip a few beats when his glance met hers.

" Do we now?! I bet you can easily come up with several other activities we can do instead- less boring that talking of course…." he casually joked, taking her hand in his and courteously bringing it to his lips. " I haven't seen you today…..You look absolutely ravishing " he then murmured, tucking away a stray strand of hair behind her ear while silently wondering what kind of dark, ancient magic the little witch had used to have him so entranced with her ….

Her presence was like a drug, her absence was like a wild fire for his soul and her fragrance- that discreet jasmine scent of her skin- appeared to be forever imprinted in his senses…..Even when she was not there, he could still feel her, and one single thought could make even the oldest memory they shared, surface into his mind as if it had only happened a blink of an eye before…..

" How was your morning drill? Everything ok?! " he then asked, visibly troubled now by her unusual seriousness. She wasn't the type to wear a beaming smile on her face all day long- regardless of how beautiful she looked when that rare event did happen- but still, through their bond, he could easily feel how tense she was and for some reason, that gave him the chills….

" Yeah….I nearly sprained an ankle during a high jump but I'm f….." she started to let him know- on a tone so casual and unaffected as if she was talking about the most ordinary thing in the world- but before she got the chance to finish her little story, the War God was already kneeling at her feet, and she couldn't really tell when and where her leather boots had disappeared, but they were definitely gone, thus giving Ares the needed access to check her out….

" It is a bit swollen. Does it hurt?" he inquired, sounding overly protective and concerned.

" No….I'm fine. It's nothing .I should have been more careful, that's all…I lost my balance when I landed…It's silly." she hurriedly explained, walking away from him. Nonetheless, she had only managed to take a couple of steps before his warm hands rested on her shoulders, and despite herself, she stopped dead in her tracks as if his touch alone could keep her a prisoner in that precise spot- until the end of time if needed….

" It happens….." he huskily whispered into hear ear, his words stroking over her nerves, vibrating teasingly throughout her entire body." Just try to stay in one piece until the battle of Torrance ….you'll need both arms and both legs for that one, trust me….."

" That's like months away…." she lowly murmured, letting her breath out in a long, relaxing sigh when he began massaging her ….Gods that felt good- so damn good that just leaning into him, and allowing her every cell to enjoy that contact felt more than wonderful….it felt natural…..

" Yeah well, you know what they say….better safe than sorry….."

" On the other hand, playing it safe wouldn't help me perfect that jump, am I right? One cannot refuse to eat just because there is a chance of being chocked!"

"Just be careful…..Can you do that for me?" he softly inquired, turning her around to face him.

" I can try." she replied, brushing her gorgeous lips against his as she spoke ,and yet, despite the apparent invitation, she broke free from his embrace before he took the opportunity to turn their intimate nearness into one of those possessive, fiery kisses she loved so much and that would have indubitably dissolved her determination to do what she had set her mind to…." As I said….we need to talk…" she repeated, clearing her throat while mentally chasing her fears away.

This time, he no longer closed the gap between them, too focused on analyzing her every change in expression while really struggling to anticipate what it was that had caused her restlessness…..That constantly mounting tension was definitely alarming…and her slightly sweaty palms, that barely perceivable but present change in breath, her clumsy, defensive pose as she finally stopped moving…Something was definitely not right….He tried not to frown at what he was seeing, but his own anxiety was doing a number on him and thus he only ended up making her even more edgy.

"Ok…." he hesitantly answered, frustration clearly present in his voice, and that particular frustration escalated to unbearable levels when she took her sweet time - wetting her lips- to find a satisfying enough way in which to tell him whatever it was she felt the need to….

" I uh…." she started, and the God's every muscle instantly stiffened in expectation, arching a quizzical eyebrow while waiting for the rest of her sentence….

" I need some time away from here….." her wish finally came out, hitting him like a pile of bricks. What was she saying?!

"Pardon?"

"….I have to figure some things out…" she stated, on that same calm, serene note that didn't precisely match the intensity of the earthquake that was currently shaking the War God's heart and everything else inside him.

" What things?" he demanded to know, immediately pressing his lips together as if fearing that any additional word would just get him into an even bigger mess….Why was he even in a mess in the first place?"

"It's personal…" the ambiguous, unconvincing response was given, leaving him agape.

" Personal…..?" he deliberately pushed, but when she just nodded her reply, without adding any further information, he couldn't help himself. "Just how personal, darling? Is there anything I can do to help?" the question left his lips, sounding uncommonly genuine coming from him...

" No….it's something I have to figure out on my own….." she partly clarified, reluctant about actually revealing the mystery…

" Is there anything I need to know?"

He was met with a deadly silence that would have made any man on the face of the earth panic though and with a hasty change of position- under the pretext that she wanted a glass of water from the table- a clear clue of just how nervous she was. It was no wonder that without warning, his legs felt as if they weighed at least a tone each….He tried to move, to get to her, but he could hardly focus on anything else than the possible meaning of her request …"Is this about …us?" he heard himself asking flat out, finding it hard to believe that he had actually voiced that ridiculous question….If he kept acting like this, he would soon be the laughing stock of Olympus!

She just shook her head in response….Was that for the first question or the second he silently asked himself, his heart swiftly changing its rhythm and to his surprise, it was drumming into his temples now- one the most unnerving sensations he had ever experienced…..

" It's just for a few days, Ares. I need some space…I need to be away from all this for awhile…."

" Well…..can't you figure out whatever it is that you think you need to…? " he began asking, just to start a totally different question the moment he heard the rest of her line. " Away from…me?"

" You're blowing this way out of proportion." she answered, turning around again, but when their glances met, he could instantly see it….the distress in her eyes- her previously azure moons were now like a dark, wild sea during a storm….

" Princess…..what's wrong….? Was it something I said...something I did…?"

" Nothing…" she struggled to articulate, unconsciously lowering her gaze…She was lying…..She was lying to him…..

"And uh….just where is it that you want to go? Do you have a place in mind? "

"I was thinking Santorini…."

His wondering gaze kept lingering on her face as if waiting for her to tell him that she was joking…She obviously wasn't.

" A beautiful island….quite peaceful these days….." he absently remarked, after a long, tormenting pause.

She just forced a smile on her lips- one that appeared particularly bitter to him.

When he finally took those few steps in her direction, and was once again just a breath away, he could finally hear her heart...It was hammering just as loud as his own…..

" Do you want me to take you there? "

" No…..I'd rather ride."

" That's like three days away, Xena!" he exclaimed. By Hades, what was going on?!

" I don't mind….."

For once, he had no idea how to react….Was he supposed to say something, to forcefully pull the words out of her mouth?! To forbid her to go anywhere?! He could do that, and he would normally have done it without the slightest hesitation, but there was something in her eyes that told him not to…..that begged him not to fight her on this…

" Call me if you need me…." he simply stated, vanishing from sight the very following second…From the aether, unseen by mortal eyes, he watched her leave, and for the first time in his long immortal life, a weird, agonizing sensation took over him…..he felt as if a millstone had fallen over his heart, crushing it ….For the first time in eons, he was scared…..