Disclaimer: This story is purely for fun, and to keep the people from the Xena and Ares shippers club from going crazy, I get no profit from this story. The characters that you don't recognize, well, they belong to ME. The story idea belongs to ME. The characters Xena, Aphrodite, and Ares, ect. do not belong to me, and I am just borrowing them. Xena belongs to the writers/owners/creators of X:WP. Aphrodite and Ares belong to Greek Mythology but sine I am using the show characters maybe you should put them under whoever owns X:WP too. I don't OWN Duncan or Amanda either, they belong to whoever wrote/created/owns the TV show Highlander. I'm just borrowing all these peoples; I'll return them with only slight wear & tear. No copyright infringement intended. Please do not use this story on your web site, web page ect. Without first asking me and receiving my permission, blah, blah, blah…. please don't sue me!!
Authors note: HAHA, I shortened the disclaimer. Not by much, granted, but I did shorten it. (My younger self's disclaimers amuse me!) I hope I got everything in though; I don't want anybody to take this story the wrong way! If the idea of Xena and Ares in love, of them having any past relationship is not the type of story you want to read, please go someplace else.
Dedications: This story is Barb, Kat, Illy, G.O.M, Noie, Liz, SR, Tareena, Tali, Ephiny4, Eris, GA, 'Reeny, Jade, Lasca, Mel, Everyone I missed, and for everyone at the shippers club for their support, and for liking my stories, even when I didn't!
Warnings: Sex: Nope. Subtext: NO, Gabrielle's not even in this!! Language: No. Violence: No. All in all SQUEAKY CLEAN..... and it's one of mine too, weird.
Rated: G
Summary: Aphrodite invites her brother and friends to dinner. Highlander crossover. Uber.
"I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings. I have no rival; no man can be my equal. Take me to the future and BEYOND!" Highlander theme song - by Queen
Now for the story!!!!! *Everyone claps, glad to be rid of the disclaimers*
'Dite Plots
By Delenn
Turning from the mirror that she had been absently gazing into, Xena inquired, "Ares, who are we going to meet again?" Her tone remained steady, but the slight tapping of her fingers against the hard oak wood gave away her boredom.
Privately, he agreed with the idea that could be seen forming behind crystal blue eyes; finding a fight instead of going out to dinner. Now was not the time for such random acts of violence, the only family relation he had ever even remotely enjoyed being around was calling up some sort of reunion, and Ares intended to be there. "Paris, remember, my darling sister has invited us to dinner with some of her friends," the sarcasm in his voice was obvious even to the most untrained observer.
"But then…" voice lowering, Xena swung around fully, robe swishing briefly open, and strode back to the bed, settling down in front of Ares and eliciting a groan from him that still made her smile, no matter how many times she heard it. "I'll have to wear a dress, unless Aphrodite has changed since the eighteen hundreds…. Gods, I hated those outfits!"
A frown marred Ares' eternally youthful forehead for a second, before he grinned, muttering, "Tease," before continuing louder, "Don't worry, Xe, you can wear whatever you want," visions of some of his favorite of her outfits dancing in his head.
Leaning closer and straightening so that she was eye-level with him, Xena innocently asked, "Really?" leaning in to whisper some of her ideas before pulling back, "But would Aphrodite really like that?"
Chuckling, Ares pulled her down for a quick kiss, "Whoever said anything about what 'Dite likes?"
Laughing, Xena stood up and turned around, "Somehow, I don't think that would help your chances of a reconciliation." Halfway to her closet, Xena paused, "What did you do to piss her off again, anyway?"
Shrugging, Ares got up and with a flourish of his hand was dressed in as close to his old leathers as modern fashion would allow. Nothing that would cause him to stand out more than necessary, but still similar to his old attire; Ares was a god of habit when it came to clothing, he liked his style. "Something about all the wars back then and all her new temples getting destroyed. I suppose she's finally built enough to replace those."
A corner of Xena's mouth twitched up in humor. She imagined that Ares had done more that to get his sister to stop doting on him, but she wasn't inclined to make him dig for the exact memory, even she had to spend several minutes to come up with certain memories anymore, she couldn't imagine how the war god managed, although, she supposed he had more practice. "Just make it hard for me to match that outfit, why don't you? I should make you dress up, if I have to."
Satisfied that her partner was gaping in horror at the very prospect, Xena swung open the intricately designed and heavy steel doors to her closet, and walked in, wading through centuries of clothing as easily as if she were going through a week's clothes. From behind her, Ares called out, "Got a skirmish to check up on, I'll leave you to that," and the telltale sounds of him disappearing.
Chuckling, the former warrior princess reached the modern day section of her closet and mused at the selections after Ares' hasty disappearance. "Some things never change," louder, she called out to the sky, knowing that he would be able to hear her even if he wasn't actually there, "The god of war still knows I can beat him!"
~(*)~
From her position curled up contentedly on the plush maroon couch, Amanda requested, "What do you say we just relax today, Duncan?"
Already bustling around in his bedroom for proper clothing for the day, Duncan reminded, "Amanda, we're meeting Aphrodite's brother tonight, remember?" He glanced back to make sure that she wasn't just ignoring him and was pleased to see the roll of her eyes, which said she had been listening.
"Well if it's meeting family then I suppose." Suddenly, she remembered some of the more colorful family stories that she kept being unwillingly enlightened upon; there were definitely members of her friend's family that the immortal did not fancy meeting. "Do you know which brother we're meeting?"
Returning from his room fully clothed, he eyed Amanda, still clad in his robe and sipping his coffee, like she was at least one morning a week. An off day, or so she insisted upon, today she wouldn't be getting her wish though. "No. Come on then, you can pretend to be on vacation another day, we have things to do before dinner."
Grinning impishly up at him, Amanda announced, "I better find something to wear then," before stalking right past him and into the bedroom, leaving no doubt that she would be searching for quite some time.
Settling back down in the now vacant couch, Duncan drank the remainder of his coffee and munched absently on the remains of breakfast that he hadn't finished. He listened, content, as Amanda commented and cursed about her wardrobe from the other room. After she had continued on for a few minutes, he informed her, "I was counting shopping as one of the things we needed to do."
A head poked out of their room as Amanda regarded him skeptically; finally, she winked and disappeared again, to find something that would work until she could find something that she liked. "I love it when you pamper me."
Rolling his eyes, Duncan got up and gathered the dishes to put them in the sink, absently fingering his wallet, "Under two conditions," he began, setting the dishes down and pulling out his credit card, "don't bankrupt me," he waited for her expected laugh, "and absolutely no stealing. I mean it, Amanda."
In between chuckles, Amanda managed to retort, "Just keeping in practice, Duncan, you never know what boring old artifact or important immortal legend we'll have to go round up. I need to be in prime shape."
Sighing, Duncan grabbed his coat, making sure that his sword was still where it should be, and strode towards the exit of his apartment. "Keep in some other shape, then. I'll be back later, card's on the table," her tinkling laughter echoed in his ears pleasantly as he entered the old elevator and left.
~(*)~
Lounging on her posh and perfectly peach colored couch, Aphrodite voiced her complaint in a high-pitched wail that, combined with enough cleavage, almost guaranteed that she would get her way. "But Devon, I totally can't go to this alone!"
Wincing just slightly and looking up at the admittedly gorgeous woman in front of him, it took Devon a moment to remember what they were even talking about. Aphrodite seemed to have that affect on people, him in particular, and whenever he had asked her about it the bouncy blonde had simply replied that she was a goddess and she liked him, which so didn't explain anything. "Look, I don't have to come, I mean I've never seen any powers of yours that make me think that I have to," he paused, still bitter. "Go with your husband."
That was the last straw, nobody had the nerve or stupidity to tell Aphrodite to 'go with her husband.' Her marital status was not something to be discussed, and everyone knew that, she was married, she didn't lie about that, it wasn't in her nature. She also, never, went any place social with Hephaestus, he hated those types of gatherings… and he hurt her pro-feminism stance. Narrowing her eyes, Aphrodite asked, "I'm the goddess of love, like, hello, do you seriously think that I make people do things? Duh, I get Ar or 'Pollo to handle that!"
Devon thought about this for only a fraction of a second, and then realized he didn't know. He wasn't in a profession for historical things, he was an accountant, history had simply been a class that he had passed because he had to, and then had promptly forgotten all about. "And exactly what gods are they?"
Rolling her eyes, yet again, Aphrodite remembered how much she hated this time just for the fact that everyone had forgotten her family, forgotten her. She was beginning to believe that Devon insisted upon arguing with her so because he simply didn't take the fact that she was a goddess seriously. "Like, honestly! Ares, god of war, ringing any bells in there? Apollo, the god of light," she waited but saw no recognition, "let's just say he'll do anything for moi. And Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, she'll help 'Pollo if he asks, they're, like, twins."
Weighing his odds quickly, and noting the rare but serious glint to Aphrodite's eyes that sometimes made him wonder if the seemingly dumb blonde personality she had was nothing more than an act. It was easy enough for Devon to figure out why the goddess never fought and he decided that he could go to Philadelphia some other time, his boss could deal with it. "I'll come, Aphrodite, just let me change some plans."
Aphrodite smiled, lounging back and idly balancing one shoe on the tip of a toe, all seriousness gone in a flash, and the same pink-obsessed goddess in it's place. "Like, hurry back, Sweetum's!"
~(*)~
Ares ducked from a flying dress thrown with enough force to do some serious bodily damage. Deadly, just like everything about Xena for as long as he'd known her, it was one of the many things that Ares loved about her. "Having trouble, princess?" He inquired, being sure to duck the next dress that was certainly aimed at his head.
Stalking out of her closet, still clad in her swirling black robe and somehow managing to look just as deadly at that moment as with a sword pressed up to someone's throat, and Ares spoke from experience; he knew those looks, Xena complained, "I don't like anything that I can wear. Why did armor have to go out of fashion?"
It was one of Xena's few complaints, but a common one, and one that Ares shared. This generation of humans had made some great advancements, especially in comfort, but clothing styles were certainly not one of them. That was why most of the gods opted to stay in their traditional and favored attire while in the safety of their palace homes. Ares carefully suggested, "I could help if you want…"
He waved his hand and a dark black, sleek, satin dress was instantly on Xena instead of her robe. It had thin straps, clung perfectly to all her curves, and a slit up one side, making it still movable. "I have always thought that you look stunning in this…" he trailed off, remembering the first day that she had worn this particular gift.
Laughing at the look on his face, Xena ran her hands along the dress, checking for flaws that she already knew wouldn't be there, it didn't even have seams. She did a quick turn to face the mirror and shrugged, "Mmm, while I appreciate your taste, I can dress myself you know." She waited until Ares shrugged dismissively at her comment, then sighed, "I should call Artemis; she always loves a good hunt."
Chuckling more at the look of distress on Xena's face than the joke on his half-sister, Ares watched Xena disappear back into her closet, reminding himself that he did have excellent taste when it came to her. If it was for Xena, it had to be perfect, of course, that was because everything she did was perfect. Her powers simply amplified the 'many skills' that had always been present in Xena. Dresses, however, were not one of them. "Good luck, love."
Again, the god of war ducked as yet another dress came flying at him at high speeds. From somewhere deep into her closet, Xena hissed, "If I hear one more crack about my many skills, I'm going to start slinging knives at you."
Placing his hands up calmingly, Ares managed to keep a steady voice and avoid laughing, "I didn't say a word," he didn't even need to look up to feel those familiar piercing blue eyes fixed on him. "Honest."
"Remember, Ares, I know you. I know you were thinking it. Now hush," one hand pressed to smiling lips, Xena tossed one of the many daggers that she always carried upon her person, even in this day, at a statue of Ares and watched as it embedded itself in the marble chest. "Clear enough?"
Waving her away, Ares just shrugged and remained reclined in his chair, watching as Xena returned to her closet for what he hoped would be the final time. He made a floating mirror appear and turned on the latest Middle East war, just to be double sure that his thoughts didn't betray him.
~(*)~
White door slamming open, Amanda strode out and demanded, "This?" already antsy about trying on even more clothes, simply because she knew Duncan was only there so that she didn't try to steal anything, plus the looks the other patrons were giving her had gotten on Amanda's nerves.
Shaking his head at the much too modern outfit, Duncan sifted through the pile of clothing that he was in charge of watching with a dedication that was borne of not wanting to be here any more than Amanda wanted him there. He had to watch how he sat, under the awkward burden of all the clothing, to make sure that his sword wasn't visible under his coat. "Reminds me of when I first met you."
Grinning, Amanda spun around in the medieval dress that she had no great desire to wear but had picked out for specifically that reason. If she were going to be here, it wouldn't be while Duncan was being all watchful, unless she could have a little fun. "A little brighter, I'll admit, but that's what I thought of too."
Duncan eyed the brightly pastel colored dress for a moment, before resuming his search into the clothing that Amanda had picked out to try on. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled up a darker dress that still retained some of the flow and cut from such a far-away time period. "Perhaps something darker?"
Laughing, Amanda snatched it from him with a brief peck to his cheek in thanks, "Ooh, somebody thinks they know me pretty well, huh," she fingered the velvety black material, speaking quieter, "It's beautiful. For tonight I was thinking something a little more contemporary, though."
Effortlessly, she reached into the pile Duncan was half holding and withdrew another black dress, but in a much more modern style, with thin straps and sheer arms, silk instead of velvet. How she knew where that dress was when she'd only seen it once to place it in the pile before, Duncan couldn't even begin to guess. He chalked it up to something that was typically Amanda and smiled at her choice, "I do think I know you pretty well. No matter how long you make me sit here, I'm not leaving."
Sighing loudly, Amanda held both dresses and stalked back into her dressing room, muttering something about how stubborn Duncan could be. After only a minute though, she stopped, Duncan was right, he did know her, and she knew him well enough that she knew no amount of complaining on her part was going to get him to leave. "You are so lucky I love you," she announced, already half changed, now wanting nothing more than to be out of there.
~(*)~
Sliding in the divers seat of her pink corvette, Aphrodite started the car and waited for Devon to get in his side. She was wearing a pink satin T-shirt that showed her stomach and was low cut on top, white jeans and high-heeled pink stiletto sandals with thin straps. "Hurry up, honeybunch, we've got to meet some friends of mine for lunch," she paused, hand resting on the pink plastic heart on her key-chain, and giggled, "ooh, that rhymed!"
Dutifully stepping into the passenger side of the car and shutting the door behind him gently, Devon couldn't help but smile at the sometimes child-like antics of the goddess. Whether her happy-go-lucky dumb blonde attitude was an act or not, it never failed to endear him to her, as if anything that Aphrodite did wouldn't. Trying to stay focused, Devon asked, "Aren't we meeting friends for dinner too?"
Rolling her eyes just because, Aphrodite couldn't help but turn to him and wink, "Yeah, but we're gonna see mortal friends for lunch, silly." Without changing her expression tone in the slightest, she continued to adjust her rearview mirror from when Devon had driven the other day.
"How comforting," Devon smiled because it was comforting to know that he wouldn't be in the presence of godly relatives more than once today, even if it did unnerve him how easily she spoke of the division between gods and humans, as though meeting some horrible mythical creature for lunch wouldn't be at all out of the norm.
Smiling also, Aphrodite was too busy fixing her car to the settings that she drove with to notice the frightened, if fleeting, look that crossed Devon's face. "Totally is, Sweetum's," as her brother, Ares, had many times complained about, Aphrodite was too concerned with the love match she was planning to make at lunch to pay any more attention than was needed to anyone else.
Flooring the gas, Aphrodite managed a truly godly feat, getting out into traffic without waiting, in New York City. Not leaving time to reflect upon such amazing luck, she hit used the best of her sports car speed and weaved expertly around traffic, cops either unaware or unable to notice the hot pink car going well over the speed limit. Smiling still, Aphrodite glanced at Devon to make sure he was okay, and hit the radio on, trying to find her favorite station.
~(*)~
There was a blindingly bright flash of pink light, complete with a few falling rose petals that were a nuisance to clean up every time she visited, Aphrodite appeared. She looked around, confused for a moment and wondering if the aether was acting up again. Finally, her vision adjusted to the darkness after her customary bright exit from the aether and she realized where she was. "Whoa, Xe, you in here? Where's the exit?"
Noting the sound of the goddess' voice, Xena emerged from several rows over using the shortcut of pushing her way through her racks of clothing. She grinned at her friend in lieu of a hug, Xena still wasn't overly touchy-feely of a person. She looked around thoughtfully for a moment, "Hmm, we're in my clothes from the seventeen hundreds…" she started off at a brisk pace, forcing Aphrodite to follow her, "The exit is this way," Xena called back.
Catching passing glimpses of clothing as they walked, Aphrodite noted, "Ugh, Warrior Babe, you still have that whole morbid black thing going on. No wonder you and Bro always made such a good match, no color coordinating."
Shrugging slightly defensively, Xena retorted, "Black is a color," she held her hand up before Aphrodite could do anything more than open her hot-pink rimmed mouth, "don't even start with me about it being a shade."
Shrugging also, Aphrodite followed the other woman around several bends in silence. It wasn't until they emerged from the large walk in closet and into the bedroom that Aphrodite again spoke, "Ooh, red too, tell me why I'm not surprised," then she sighed, whipped open the curtains and suddenly was all smiles again, "sorry, I'm still dealing with a lot of bad vibes from lunch. No more sarcastic love goddess, promise."
Raising an eyebrow with a look that Xena actually had patented several years ago, when it was cheep enough and Ares had made one joke too many to that effect, Xena inquired, "Why are you here, Aphrodite?"
Biting her lip slightly, Aphrodite quickly changed the subject under the glare that always spooked her half because it was so Xena when she was at her scariest, and half because it was eerily similar to one of Ares' looks. "I swear a couple more miles and your closet will be a quarter the size of mine, not bad! Anyways, I gotta go, I just came by to say that it's a fancy dinner, you know…" she bit on her lip a little bit harder, and winced when she drew blood, "A nice dress?"
Xena took a well-deserved moment to roll her eyes before nodding, as though the idea had just occurred to her that Aphrodite might want her to wear a dress. After taking a second to reflect, however, Xena noted that with some of the outfits she had showed up wearing in past times, just to irritate the other goddess, it wasn't an unreasonable request. "Yes, 'Dite, dress, I got it this time."
Scrunching up her nose slightly, Aphrodite appeared to be having the same memories as Xena. Finally, she shook it off, smiled again, glad that another of her duties for the day were done, and disappeared without further comment. Xena took a moment to glower at the rose petals for the mess they made before following suit and disappearing as well, sure that she would find Ares at some war or another.
~(*)~
Before Amanda had even had close to enough time to recover from the burst of bright light, Aphrodite was already materialized and talking. She took one deep breath and rushed out, "Hey, fancy dress. I totally stress the dress part."
Only a good many years to get used to this phenomenon that never seemed to get any dimmer caused Amanda to not only know it was her friend but to also nod and stay calm. "Fancy dress got it, Aphrodite."
Taking a rare moment to look over the outfit that Amanda was wearing as well as the slinky dress that was lying on the bed, Aphrodite smiled her approval, "Good! I gotta go change, bye 'Mandy!"
Amanda waved, managing not to scrunch up her face at being called Mandy, a nickname she was less than fond of. However, it seemed to be Aphrodite's favorite, and from what Amanda could tell, if you didn't have a nickname, you weren't a friend of the goddess. "Yeah, uh, bye 'Dite!"
Aphrodite waited patiently for the reply, but as soon as she sensed the period at the end of the immortal's sentence, the goddess of love had reentered the aether, running late and hurrying at a godly speed to fix that problem.
Shaking her head as she noticed the rose petals lying on the floor in such a haphazard and messy manor from falling, Amanda moved to go get a broom and sighed slightly. "Someday, she will learn that not everybody can just wave this mess away, someday."
~(*)~
Not even a split second later, Aphrodite was back in her large New York apartment and snapping her fingers to change into a dressier outfit. She chose quickly, already knowing every outfit that she owned by heart and having planned out this particular night's clothing weeks before.
The dress was a darker pink than her normal choice, more mauve really, and the dress was almost decent. The splits went high up her thigh on either side and the cut was low against her cleavage, but it covered everything and looked especially dressy with the long black gloves and heels that she wore to match. Smiling, Aphrodite called out, "Ooh, it's perfect! Devy, you ready? It's time to go!"
Walking down the grand staircase from the second floor of her apartment, Devon couldn't quite believe his eyes. Never in the entire two years he had known Aphrodite -and according to some who had known her longer, ever - had he seen Aphrodite without some sort of pastel or hot pink on. The color suited her almost as well as the large smile on her face. "You look wonderful, although, I know, that falls sadly short."
Putting one gloved hand up to stop herself from giggling, as she was aware that it wasn't very goddess-like, Aphrodite smiled wider behind her hand. "Ooh, thanks, Sweetum's." She looked at him curiously for a moment before motioning Devon to spin around so that she could see his outfit better. "Turn 'round, honey."
Unable to help teasing the goddess slightly, Devon inquired even as he spun around to do her bidding, unable to resist her wishes more than any other man. "Do I pass inspection? I've been getting ready since lunch, 'Dite, this is as good as it gets."
Shaking her head slightly at his antics, Aphrodite replied, "Good doesn't cover it, Devy." Taking a second to appreciate how he looked, Aphrodite had to force herself out of her daydreaming and onto more important matters. "Come on, you're driving, I totally have to fix my hair up."
Before Devon could even open his mouth to reply, the goddess snapped her fingers and they were both in her car. As soon as she saw that Devon was settled in the driver's seat, all it took was a wave of her arm they were in Paris. She smiled, "Like, tada."
~(*)~
Grabbing both their coats and making double sure that swords were in place, Duncan held the door for Amanda as she rushed through. He chuckled as they headed for her red Viper and he caught sight of the look on her face as they passed under a streetlight. "Will you relax, Amanda, its just Aphrodite's brother. I would think you were off to the gallows with that look!"
As Amanda searched in her purse for her keys for a moment before noticing that Duncan was standing behind her, with the keys in his hand and a grin firmly on his face. "That's the problem, she had three brothers, that I know of, Hermes, Ares, and Apollo. If I knew which one we were meeting I'd feel better."
Taking a moment to be serious, Duncan took her hands in his and waited until Amanda met his eyes before pointing out, "I'm sure it's someone that she gets along with, this is Aphrodite, I doubt there will be war and pillaging during dinner."
Eyes flashing mischievously, Amanda demanded even as she snatched the keys from Duncan's grasp, "Does that mean no thievery either?"
Holding his hand out to have the keys returned to him, Duncan spoke quietly, but was still unable to keep the humor from his voice, "I'll drive, miss thief," he waited patiently for her to return the keys and only once they were safely in his grasp did he allow his guard down and laugh.
"I could just steal them back." Amanda warned, angry that he was laughing at her already. Then her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Why do you want to drive anyway? I could drive! Stop laughing and answer!"
Holding open the passenger side door, Duncan motioned for Amanda to get in and waited until she had and he was safely in his side of the car before answering her question. "Because you're in a hurry and I would prefer not to lose my head in some bizarre car crash with you as the driver. We won't be late, I promise."
Amanda huffed slightly at the suggestion that she would get them into a car wreck, completely ignoring the fact that between the two of them, her and Duncan had managed to get into some pretty insane situations and a car wreck probably wouldn't be the strangest. Deciding that it wasn't worth a fight right now, Amanda settled back and tried not to worry about which of Aphrodite's family members she would be meeting at this dinner.
~(*)~
Walking out of her room, Xena waited for some complimentary and probably innuendo-laden comment from her partner. When none was forthcoming, she looked around the room and noticed that the god of war was not there, obviously still off at a war. "Ares? I'm ready...."
In bright, but not blinding, shards of blue light, Ares appeared, dressed up slightly for the dinner and not looking as uncomfortable as he normally would have. This was a dinner with his sister, if his dressing up was the only odd thing that happened, Ares would actually go have a civil conversation with his father and Athena. "You look gorgeous as always my dear, shall we go?"
Looking him over, Xena nodded her appreciation. It was different, but good, somehow Ares managed to pull off almost every look, and she hadn't yet found reason to complain about it. Taking his arm, she gave one last, futile, comment, "The sooner we are both back in leather the happier I'll be."
A smile teasing his lips, Ares nodded, catching a glimpse of them in the mirror and noting how unlike themselves they looked. He directed Xena's attention to the mirror with a quick wave, "No arguing there, Xena."
"Off to face the lioness we go then," Xena teased, voice amused even if she knew that Aphrodite was a lot more than the silly blonde part that she acted. That goddess could be vengeful and they both knew it, but for the time being, Aphrodite was sweet as usual, so it was fine to joke about it.
Ares gave a long-suffering sigh that more or less warned Xena that he was tired and she was pushing it. Fancy dinners weren't their thing, and Aphrodite probably had an extremely fancy, grand, occasion planned, something that would bore them both. With a slight nod from both gods, they disappeared into the aether, well on their way to meet Aphrodite and her friends.
~(*)~
The first to arrive at the restaurant were Aphrodite and Devon, who parked and helped Aphrodite out of the car. Smiling at how gentlemanly Devon was acting, Aphrodite even let him lead her into the very vogue old French restaurant.
Once they reached the 'please wait to be seated' sign, the waiter, Fraser, walked up to them and kissed Aphrodite's hand in part polite greeting of a friend and part knowing a good opportunity when it was presented. "Sir, Madam, call if you need anything."
Giggling as they were led to their table and Fraser pulled out Aphrodite's chair for her, she sat down and smiled, "Oh, I totally hope they get here soon! I like French customs and all I just hope Fraser doesn't do that to Xe... Ar would be totally pissed."
Sitting down next to Aphrodite, with only a small glare towards the hurriedly retreating waiter, Devon asked, "You know him? Is that why he didn't ask for your name?"
Smiling, Aphrodite batted a blonde curl out of her eye and then reached for her water, laughing at the irritated look on Devon's face but still finding it cute how jealous he was. It would be cute until he started acting all possessive, at that point, she'd get one of her brothers to scare him off. That was a sad thought though, and Aphrodite was never one for sad thoughts. "Of course, silly, don't fret, we are like just friends." Looking up, she smiled again, "Ooh, there's 'Mandy!!"
Hand in hand, Amanda and Duncan walked over, having had no trouble spotting their friend in the crowd. It was like looking for a ruby in a pile of diamonds, not that they had ever objected to Aphrodite's one-of-a-kind nature. There was a brief pause as they explained to Fraser that they would be keeping their coats with them, but then they came over and sat down. Amanda looked at the new guy with Aphrodite, "Hey, 'Dite... who's your guy?"
All smiles as usual, Aphrodite started introductions with all the zeal of someone who used to be a matchmaker and hadn't done nearly enough of it recently. "Hey 'Mandy, that's Devon. Devy, this is Amanda and her fiancé, Duncan. You look great, 'Mandy!"
After a few minutes there was a loud crash that interrupted conversation, everyone looked up in time to see Fraser hit the 'please wait to be seated' sign and Ares and Xena come walking in a few seconds afterwards, with patented raised eyebrows and trademark smirks.
Amanda winced in sympathy as the wood splintered into many little pieces and Fraser didn't get up, instead having to be helped up by several other restaurant workers who were trying to stop a scene from developing. "Ouch."
A slight chuckle escaped Devon and Duncan nodded his agreement, Fraser was a tad bit too friendly and had deserved whatever he had received. Aphrodite jumped up and loudly called for her brother, causing several patrons to stare at her, whether for her voice or her assets, few were sure. "Ar! Over here, bro!"
Pretending that he hadn't already been perfectly able to see where Aphrodite was, Ares kept a calm expression with the practiced ease of one who had know his sister for an eternity. Literally. Ares walked up to his sister, who ran and hugged him, squealing as he lifted her in the air. "Hey sis, haven't seen you in about a century."
Just as Ares put his half-sister down, Xena walked up, still dusting herself off slightly and trying to appear calm even though she knew what was coming next would destroy her well-maintained persona. Sure enough, Aphrodite giggled and pulled Xena into a tight hug also, replying to Ares over Xena's shoulder, "It hasn't been that long, has it, bro? Sit down." She addressed Xena, still hugging her tightly, "So, Xe, you threw Fraise?"
Sitting down to enjoy the fireworks that were always present at events with any of his family members, but Aphrodite especially, he grinned when Xena was finally forced to complain, "Dite, you're suffocating me, here."
Letting go and shrugging apologetically, Aphrodite sat down right between Devon and Ares, already knowing the possible problems if they sat next to each other. Xena sat down between Ares and Amanda, still grumbling about not being able to breathe through Aphrodite's hugs.
Satisfied that everyone was present and seated, Aphrodite began her introductions anew, with the same vigor as the first time. "My big bro Ares, Xena, Amanda and her fiancé Duncan. And my Devon, everybody got it? Yes? Good, here comes the salad!"
Cautiously, because one never could quite tell with Aphrodite, looking around the table and noting that everyone had similar looks on their faces, Duncan asked, "You ordered for us, Aphrodite?"
Nodding quickly, Aphrodite didn't have time to reply because the new waiter was already setting down salads in front of them all. "Six Caesar salads, the main course will be along shortly."
At the mention of Caesar, Xena winced from an old, but still painful wound, plus the fact that he had his own salad now. She couldn't get over why anyone would want to name a perfectly edible food after Julius Caesar. Aphrodite winced in apology, scrunching her face up, "Didn't ask about the salad… forgive me?"
~(*)~
By the time the deserts arrived, there were two full conversations going on. Duncan and Ares were discussing wars; Duncan having lived through quite a few and Ares having seen all of them. Aphrodite was trying to discuss fashion through history with Xena and Amanda, but both Amanda and Xena kept correcting the men on some war, and Devon actually found fashion more interesting than wars and kept becoming involved in Aphrodite's topic of choice.
Trying to at least appear interested in a topic that was obviously so much a part of her friend, Amanda asked, "How's your cosmetic line going, 'Dite? I've been looking for your name but I can't seem to find it."
Xena raised an eyebrow, tuning back into the conversation at that statement and unable to figure out why anyone would buy a product named after the goddess of love. But then, that was why she didn't care about these things. "Named after you? Marketing ploy or worshiper ploy?"
Suddenly irritated, Aphrodite exclaimed, "Oh, totally forgot to tell you, statistic's showed that Roman was more 'in' than Greek." She shared a glare with her brother and Xena at the idea that Rome was more popular than them. "Yeah, anyway, so it's Venus' cosmetics now."
This was possibly the only amusing part of Rome for the former warrior princess, and she did laugh, shaking her head at her friend. "Venus? You haven't gone by your Roman name in years, Aphrodite!"
Amanda laughed also, unable to picture 'Dite' as someone named 'Venus,' besides; everyone considered that a planet nowadays, Roman gods were long since forgotten. The immortal wasn't about to say that though. Aphrodite meanwhile, bit her lip, trying to keep her little known temper in check, "Not since that damn Williams sis got more popular then me! I mean it was sweet at first that she was named after me, but she has like no fashion sense!"
~(*)~
After dinner, the three couples reappeared on Mt. Olympus in Ares and Xena's palace. The place was much as you would expect, Grecian in design, perpetual sunlight shining in from open balconies, the temperature warm, weapons placed on most every wall. The décor was mostly black, silver, and red, but every once in awhile some lighter colors appeared.
To Aphrodite it didn't matter whose palace she was in or how she might disagree with the décor choices, it was Mt. Olympus, her home, and she gushed over it, "Ooh I miss Olympus... I mean New York's fun and all but it's nothing like home."
For the three people who were not used to being up in the home of… well, not very many gods anymore, Xena gave some quick tour information. "Welcome to Mt. Olympus... or a part of it. Hermes, Hera and Hephaestus are still here. Ares and I just moved back from New Zealand. Apollo is in Florida. Artemis is in the Amazon somewhere and Cupid is in Australia. Each god has their own palace, yadda, yadda, yadda…"
Ares mock huffed, pretending to be offended, "Hey, that's my line, Xena," he crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her response, obviously expecting some sort of apology.
Before Xena could even consider her retort, and while Devon, Amanda, and Duncan were still taking in the sights of the one room, Aphrodite let out an almost pained gasp, "Hephie is still here?"
Just like that, all attention was focused on Aphrodite, and for once, it wasn't her intention. She looked around at everyone for a moment, meeting each face only briefly. Then she turned to her older brother for conformation. The god of war nodded gently, opening his arms and letting Aphrodite rush into them without complaint, "Yeah, sis, he's here. Been waiting."
No more needed to be said, so that was all that Ares did say. Silently, Xena motioned to a pair of couches, which had only recently appeared, and the two immortals and one mortal sat down quietly. Devon kept looking longingly at Aphrodite, but even he knew better than to say or ask anything yet. Xena stood, patiently waiting for Aphrodite to collect herself.
Finally, the goddess of love withdrew from the safety of her brother's arms and stood tall again, her gaze determined and her course of action set. Ares tried to drift into the background a little, embarrassed at being caught in any sort of display of affection, but Xena came to stand by his side without having to be asked and smiled at him. Aphrodite looked at Devon one last time, "I have to go see him," briefly looked at everyone else, seeking some sort of approval, when they nodded, she turned and strode off, high heels clacking against the stone floor in a testimony to her state of mind that she hadn't used the aether.
After a few seconds the footsteps disappeared and Xena shook her head as Ares laughed in relief, "Oh, thank gods, I thought she was actually going to try to run all the way from here to Hephaestus' palace."
~(*)~
After Aphrodite's sudden departure, it had taken a bit of time to get everyone sorted out and calmed down. Thanks to godly powers, Ares and Duncan were off having a swordfight, somewhere in a room that had never before existed in the palace, and Devon was sitting by a newly created and never-emptying bowl of punch, trying to find answers in the fruity substance that reminded him of Aphrodite.
This left Xena and Amanda sitting on one of those new couches, to talk. They had considered the idea of a swordfight also, but both had felt kind of bad for Devon, knowing all too well that Aphrodite was a great heartbreaker. Besides, it gave them a chance to talk, immortal to goddess. Xena sighed, looking down at her dress, "I'll tell you, I miss leather and armor, it worked so much better."
Laughing slightly, Amanda shook her head and shrugged, "You make me feel young. I must have missed the fun armor, I only got to see the boring stuff that didn't suit women at all." She looked down as well, "I'm not too fond of dresses either, not practical, you can't climb, run, anything."
Looking the other women over for a few minutes, Xena finally spoke, quietly, "You remind me of an old friend, Autolycus… He had a great heart," momentarily lost in memories from times so long ago they seemed to be in another life, Xena lost her train of thought.
A short nod was all it took to convey understanding, there was something about living forever that made you remember all the people that didn't live forever, and how many friends you had lost over time. It never seemed fair, the best men and women, growing old and dying. In an attempt to shake them both out of memories, Amanda asked, "So, what did Autolycus do?"
Xena actually shorted at that so caught by surprise. It took her a moment to decide whether or not to say, since she'd just told Amanda that she reminded her of Autolycus. Never one to sugarcoat the truth, Xena shook her head with a slight smile and sighed, "He was a thief. Claimed to be the King of Thieves, but last I heard that title only got him into trouble with Hermes."
"Well that's why I remind you of him then!" Amanda burst out, laughing at the startled expression on the warrior's face, "I tend to do a little bit of thievery. Or I used to, Duncan doesn't like how much trouble I get into." Suddenly looking around and only finding Devon, Amanda noted, "Speaking of, you think the boys have beat each other up enough yet?"
Shrugging, Xena rose to her feet, followed by Amanda, "Let's find out, shall we? And if not, maybe we can join in," the other woman nodded, fingering her sword underneath her coat.
~(*)~
It was some time before Aphrodite returned to the party. The four warriors had long sense returned and tried to cheer Devon up with little success, before breaking off into telling stories and bizarre war games that amused them all.
When the goddess of love finally did appear, it was with her husband in tow. The god of the forge was bashful around so many people and hung back as far as he could without letting go of Aphrodite's hand. At this, Devon finally stood up, even though he could tell the war was already lost to him. "Aphrodite…" he paused, "I assume this is your husband."
Letting go of Hephaestus' hand with one last squeeze, Aphrodite turned to face Devon, biting her lip slightly. "Oh, sweet cheeks, I'm sorry. Hephie and I had some problems, and I left. Feminism, separations, and all that" She looked down then back up again, determined to meet Devon's eyes as if it could make up for everything, "it's been fun, but now… we worked it out, ya'know?"
Everyone else in the room stayed silent, they all knew the stories more or less. No matter what happened, Aphrodite always went back to Hephaestus and she always would because he was utterly in love with her, and she loved him too. Devon had been unfortunate to happen along during one of their bad breaks, unaware that whether it took days or centuries, they always worked it out.
There was a long silence, broken only by Hephaestus' slight shuffles as he moved further away from the crowd, waiting for Aphrodite to come with him now that they had talked it out. He'd made his promises to spend less time working, and she'd promised to spend less time partying.
After a few minutes, Devon sucked in a deep breath and nodded, exhaling as he spoke, so that his words were almost like a sigh, "Yeah, I know." He tried to be calm and mature about it, Aphrodite had never lied about her husband or how she felt about him.
Xena was up in a second, nodding at Aphrodite and Hephaestus, "Well, it's getting…" she seemed to be reading some internal clock, "early, actually. I think we all should get some rest before work tomorrow."
Standing as well, Ares nodded, chuckling, "A gods work never ends, right," he looked around, out towards the forever light sky, "you don't know the half of it."
Aphrodite retreated back, standing with Hephaestus and waving, "Right, guys, so, everyone'll visit?" She waited until everyone had nodded except Devon, and simply sighed in regard to him, "Okay, good. See you all!"
A wave of her perfectly manicured hand and Amanda and Duncan were on their way back to their apartment, via the aether. Devon was gone to Philadelphia, not missing that business meeting after all, and the only remaining people were the four gods. Aphrodite looked first at her brother, then at Xena, "Let's not wait a century to hang out, okay?"
Xena moved in front of Ares and leaned back until she was resting against him, yawning ever so slightly. The war god shrugged, winking at his sister, "Not so bad for a reunion, huh? Nothing even got broken." This earned him an elbow to the ribs and Xena's mouthed 'don't jinx it!'
"Yeah," Aphrodite nodded and looked back to Hephaestus, waiting for him to say something. He didn't, still the least social of the gods, or perhaps still angry with them for something, it was hard to tell. She seemed to be able to understand what he was saying even without words though, and a smile lit up her face that was only there when she was with her husband. "So, see you on the flip side."
A flash of light and Ares and Xena were left alone. Standing straight again, Xena waved a hand dismissively without even bothering to look at the area where Aphrodite and Hephaestus had just left, "I hate when she's in a rose petal phase, it's such a mess."
Ares just chuckled, knowing that some things would never change, and caught Xena round the waist, pulling her close for a quick kiss. Glad that they were finally alone, he waved an arm and made all the excess party things and couches disappear. When he let her go, both were trying not to laugh at the events of the night. Ares sighed, "There's a war in Prague, just started, I need to go check on it."
Nodding, Xena questioned, "And you're telling me why? Go, I'll be changing out of this dress and into something I can actually move in, then I'll come join you," her only response was the flash of light that signaled Ares' departure, and soon after she disappeared to find her leathers and join him.
~(*)~
The End
Authors note: HAHA, I shortened the disclaimer. Not by much, granted, but I did shorten it. (My younger self's disclaimers amuse me!) I hope I got everything in though; I don't want anybody to take this story the wrong way! If the idea of Xena and Ares in love, of them having any past relationship is not the type of story you want to read, please go someplace else.
Dedications: This story is Barb, Kat, Illy, G.O.M, Noie, Liz, SR, Tareena, Tali, Ephiny4, Eris, GA, 'Reeny, Jade, Lasca, Mel, Everyone I missed, and for everyone at the shippers club for their support, and for liking my stories, even when I didn't!
Warnings: Sex: Nope. Subtext: NO, Gabrielle's not even in this!! Language: No. Violence: No. All in all SQUEAKY CLEAN..... and it's one of mine too, weird.
Rated: G
Summary: Aphrodite invites her brother and friends to dinner. Highlander crossover. Uber.
"I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings. I have no rival; no man can be my equal. Take me to the future and BEYOND!" Highlander theme song - by Queen
Now for the story!!!!! *Everyone claps, glad to be rid of the disclaimers*
By Delenn
Turning from the mirror that she had been absently gazing into, Xena inquired, "Ares, who are we going to meet again?" Her tone remained steady, but the slight tapping of her fingers against the hard oak wood gave away her boredom.
Privately, he agreed with the idea that could be seen forming behind crystal blue eyes; finding a fight instead of going out to dinner. Now was not the time for such random acts of violence, the only family relation he had ever even remotely enjoyed being around was calling up some sort of reunion, and Ares intended to be there. "Paris, remember, my darling sister has invited us to dinner with some of her friends," the sarcasm in his voice was obvious even to the most untrained observer.
"But then…" voice lowering, Xena swung around fully, robe swishing briefly open, and strode back to the bed, settling down in front of Ares and eliciting a groan from him that still made her smile, no matter how many times she heard it. "I'll have to wear a dress, unless Aphrodite has changed since the eighteen hundreds…. Gods, I hated those outfits!"
A frown marred Ares' eternally youthful forehead for a second, before he grinned, muttering, "Tease," before continuing louder, "Don't worry, Xe, you can wear whatever you want," visions of some of his favorite of her outfits dancing in his head.
Leaning closer and straightening so that she was eye-level with him, Xena innocently asked, "Really?" leaning in to whisper some of her ideas before pulling back, "But would Aphrodite really like that?"
Chuckling, Ares pulled her down for a quick kiss, "Whoever said anything about what 'Dite likes?"
Laughing, Xena stood up and turned around, "Somehow, I don't think that would help your chances of a reconciliation." Halfway to her closet, Xena paused, "What did you do to piss her off again, anyway?"
Shrugging, Ares got up and with a flourish of his hand was dressed in as close to his old leathers as modern fashion would allow. Nothing that would cause him to stand out more than necessary, but still similar to his old attire; Ares was a god of habit when it came to clothing, he liked his style. "Something about all the wars back then and all her new temples getting destroyed. I suppose she's finally built enough to replace those."
A corner of Xena's mouth twitched up in humor. She imagined that Ares had done more that to get his sister to stop doting on him, but she wasn't inclined to make him dig for the exact memory, even she had to spend several minutes to come up with certain memories anymore, she couldn't imagine how the war god managed, although, she supposed he had more practice. "Just make it hard for me to match that outfit, why don't you? I should make you dress up, if I have to."
Satisfied that her partner was gaping in horror at the very prospect, Xena swung open the intricately designed and heavy steel doors to her closet, and walked in, wading through centuries of clothing as easily as if she were going through a week's clothes. From behind her, Ares called out, "Got a skirmish to check up on, I'll leave you to that," and the telltale sounds of him disappearing.
Chuckling, the former warrior princess reached the modern day section of her closet and mused at the selections after Ares' hasty disappearance. "Some things never change," louder, she called out to the sky, knowing that he would be able to hear her even if he wasn't actually there, "The god of war still knows I can beat him!"
From her position curled up contentedly on the plush maroon couch, Amanda requested, "What do you say we just relax today, Duncan?"
Already bustling around in his bedroom for proper clothing for the day, Duncan reminded, "Amanda, we're meeting Aphrodite's brother tonight, remember?" He glanced back to make sure that she wasn't just ignoring him and was pleased to see the roll of her eyes, which said she had been listening.
"Well if it's meeting family then I suppose." Suddenly, she remembered some of the more colorful family stories that she kept being unwillingly enlightened upon; there were definitely members of her friend's family that the immortal did not fancy meeting. "Do you know which brother we're meeting?"
Returning from his room fully clothed, he eyed Amanda, still clad in his robe and sipping his coffee, like she was at least one morning a week. An off day, or so she insisted upon, today she wouldn't be getting her wish though. "No. Come on then, you can pretend to be on vacation another day, we have things to do before dinner."
Grinning impishly up at him, Amanda announced, "I better find something to wear then," before stalking right past him and into the bedroom, leaving no doubt that she would be searching for quite some time.
Settling back down in the now vacant couch, Duncan drank the remainder of his coffee and munched absently on the remains of breakfast that he hadn't finished. He listened, content, as Amanda commented and cursed about her wardrobe from the other room. After she had continued on for a few minutes, he informed her, "I was counting shopping as one of the things we needed to do."
A head poked out of their room as Amanda regarded him skeptically; finally, she winked and disappeared again, to find something that would work until she could find something that she liked. "I love it when you pamper me."
Rolling his eyes, Duncan got up and gathered the dishes to put them in the sink, absently fingering his wallet, "Under two conditions," he began, setting the dishes down and pulling out his credit card, "don't bankrupt me," he waited for her expected laugh, "and absolutely no stealing. I mean it, Amanda."
In between chuckles, Amanda managed to retort, "Just keeping in practice, Duncan, you never know what boring old artifact or important immortal legend we'll have to go round up. I need to be in prime shape."
Sighing, Duncan grabbed his coat, making sure that his sword was still where it should be, and strode towards the exit of his apartment. "Keep in some other shape, then. I'll be back later, card's on the table," her tinkling laughter echoed in his ears pleasantly as he entered the old elevator and left.
Lounging on her posh and perfectly peach colored couch, Aphrodite voiced her complaint in a high-pitched wail that, combined with enough cleavage, almost guaranteed that she would get her way. "But Devon, I totally can't go to this alone!"
Wincing just slightly and looking up at the admittedly gorgeous woman in front of him, it took Devon a moment to remember what they were even talking about. Aphrodite seemed to have that affect on people, him in particular, and whenever he had asked her about it the bouncy blonde had simply replied that she was a goddess and she liked him, which so didn't explain anything. "Look, I don't have to come, I mean I've never seen any powers of yours that make me think that I have to," he paused, still bitter. "Go with your husband."
That was the last straw, nobody had the nerve or stupidity to tell Aphrodite to 'go with her husband.' Her marital status was not something to be discussed, and everyone knew that, she was married, she didn't lie about that, it wasn't in her nature. She also, never, went any place social with Hephaestus, he hated those types of gatherings… and he hurt her pro-feminism stance. Narrowing her eyes, Aphrodite asked, "I'm the goddess of love, like, hello, do you seriously think that I make people do things? Duh, I get Ar or 'Pollo to handle that!"
Devon thought about this for only a fraction of a second, and then realized he didn't know. He wasn't in a profession for historical things, he was an accountant, history had simply been a class that he had passed because he had to, and then had promptly forgotten all about. "And exactly what gods are they?"
Rolling her eyes, yet again, Aphrodite remembered how much she hated this time just for the fact that everyone had forgotten her family, forgotten her. She was beginning to believe that Devon insisted upon arguing with her so because he simply didn't take the fact that she was a goddess seriously. "Like, honestly! Ares, god of war, ringing any bells in there? Apollo, the god of light," she waited but saw no recognition, "let's just say he'll do anything for moi. And Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, she'll help 'Pollo if he asks, they're, like, twins."
Weighing his odds quickly, and noting the rare but serious glint to Aphrodite's eyes that sometimes made him wonder if the seemingly dumb blonde personality she had was nothing more than an act. It was easy enough for Devon to figure out why the goddess never fought and he decided that he could go to Philadelphia some other time, his boss could deal with it. "I'll come, Aphrodite, just let me change some plans."
Aphrodite smiled, lounging back and idly balancing one shoe on the tip of a toe, all seriousness gone in a flash, and the same pink-obsessed goddess in it's place. "Like, hurry back, Sweetum's!"
Ares ducked from a flying dress thrown with enough force to do some serious bodily damage. Deadly, just like everything about Xena for as long as he'd known her, it was one of the many things that Ares loved about her. "Having trouble, princess?" He inquired, being sure to duck the next dress that was certainly aimed at his head.
Stalking out of her closet, still clad in her swirling black robe and somehow managing to look just as deadly at that moment as with a sword pressed up to someone's throat, and Ares spoke from experience; he knew those looks, Xena complained, "I don't like anything that I can wear. Why did armor have to go out of fashion?"
It was one of Xena's few complaints, but a common one, and one that Ares shared. This generation of humans had made some great advancements, especially in comfort, but clothing styles were certainly not one of them. That was why most of the gods opted to stay in their traditional and favored attire while in the safety of their palace homes. Ares carefully suggested, "I could help if you want…"
He waved his hand and a dark black, sleek, satin dress was instantly on Xena instead of her robe. It had thin straps, clung perfectly to all her curves, and a slit up one side, making it still movable. "I have always thought that you look stunning in this…" he trailed off, remembering the first day that she had worn this particular gift.
Laughing at the look on his face, Xena ran her hands along the dress, checking for flaws that she already knew wouldn't be there, it didn't even have seams. She did a quick turn to face the mirror and shrugged, "Mmm, while I appreciate your taste, I can dress myself you know." She waited until Ares shrugged dismissively at her comment, then sighed, "I should call Artemis; she always loves a good hunt."
Chuckling more at the look of distress on Xena's face than the joke on his half-sister, Ares watched Xena disappear back into her closet, reminding himself that he did have excellent taste when it came to her. If it was for Xena, it had to be perfect, of course, that was because everything she did was perfect. Her powers simply amplified the 'many skills' that had always been present in Xena. Dresses, however, were not one of them. "Good luck, love."
Again, the god of war ducked as yet another dress came flying at him at high speeds. From somewhere deep into her closet, Xena hissed, "If I hear one more crack about my many skills, I'm going to start slinging knives at you."
Placing his hands up calmingly, Ares managed to keep a steady voice and avoid laughing, "I didn't say a word," he didn't even need to look up to feel those familiar piercing blue eyes fixed on him. "Honest."
"Remember, Ares, I know you. I know you were thinking it. Now hush," one hand pressed to smiling lips, Xena tossed one of the many daggers that she always carried upon her person, even in this day, at a statue of Ares and watched as it embedded itself in the marble chest. "Clear enough?"
Waving her away, Ares just shrugged and remained reclined in his chair, watching as Xena returned to her closet for what he hoped would be the final time. He made a floating mirror appear and turned on the latest Middle East war, just to be double sure that his thoughts didn't betray him.
White door slamming open, Amanda strode out and demanded, "This?" already antsy about trying on even more clothes, simply because she knew Duncan was only there so that she didn't try to steal anything, plus the looks the other patrons were giving her had gotten on Amanda's nerves.
Shaking his head at the much too modern outfit, Duncan sifted through the pile of clothing that he was in charge of watching with a dedication that was borne of not wanting to be here any more than Amanda wanted him there. He had to watch how he sat, under the awkward burden of all the clothing, to make sure that his sword wasn't visible under his coat. "Reminds me of when I first met you."
Grinning, Amanda spun around in the medieval dress that she had no great desire to wear but had picked out for specifically that reason. If she were going to be here, it wouldn't be while Duncan was being all watchful, unless she could have a little fun. "A little brighter, I'll admit, but that's what I thought of too."
Duncan eyed the brightly pastel colored dress for a moment, before resuming his search into the clothing that Amanda had picked out to try on. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled up a darker dress that still retained some of the flow and cut from such a far-away time period. "Perhaps something darker?"
Laughing, Amanda snatched it from him with a brief peck to his cheek in thanks, "Ooh, somebody thinks they know me pretty well, huh," she fingered the velvety black material, speaking quieter, "It's beautiful. For tonight I was thinking something a little more contemporary, though."
Effortlessly, she reached into the pile Duncan was half holding and withdrew another black dress, but in a much more modern style, with thin straps and sheer arms, silk instead of velvet. How she knew where that dress was when she'd only seen it once to place it in the pile before, Duncan couldn't even begin to guess. He chalked it up to something that was typically Amanda and smiled at her choice, "I do think I know you pretty well. No matter how long you make me sit here, I'm not leaving."
Sighing loudly, Amanda held both dresses and stalked back into her dressing room, muttering something about how stubborn Duncan could be. After only a minute though, she stopped, Duncan was right, he did know her, and she knew him well enough that she knew no amount of complaining on her part was going to get him to leave. "You are so lucky I love you," she announced, already half changed, now wanting nothing more than to be out of there.
Sliding in the divers seat of her pink corvette, Aphrodite started the car and waited for Devon to get in his side. She was wearing a pink satin T-shirt that showed her stomach and was low cut on top, white jeans and high-heeled pink stiletto sandals with thin straps. "Hurry up, honeybunch, we've got to meet some friends of mine for lunch," she paused, hand resting on the pink plastic heart on her key-chain, and giggled, "ooh, that rhymed!"
Dutifully stepping into the passenger side of the car and shutting the door behind him gently, Devon couldn't help but smile at the sometimes child-like antics of the goddess. Whether her happy-go-lucky dumb blonde attitude was an act or not, it never failed to endear him to her, as if anything that Aphrodite did wouldn't. Trying to stay focused, Devon asked, "Aren't we meeting friends for dinner too?"
Rolling her eyes just because, Aphrodite couldn't help but turn to him and wink, "Yeah, but we're gonna see mortal friends for lunch, silly." Without changing her expression tone in the slightest, she continued to adjust her rearview mirror from when Devon had driven the other day.
"How comforting," Devon smiled because it was comforting to know that he wouldn't be in the presence of godly relatives more than once today, even if it did unnerve him how easily she spoke of the division between gods and humans, as though meeting some horrible mythical creature for lunch wouldn't be at all out of the norm.
Smiling also, Aphrodite was too busy fixing her car to the settings that she drove with to notice the frightened, if fleeting, look that crossed Devon's face. "Totally is, Sweetum's," as her brother, Ares, had many times complained about, Aphrodite was too concerned with the love match she was planning to make at lunch to pay any more attention than was needed to anyone else.
Flooring the gas, Aphrodite managed a truly godly feat, getting out into traffic without waiting, in New York City. Not leaving time to reflect upon such amazing luck, she hit used the best of her sports car speed and weaved expertly around traffic, cops either unaware or unable to notice the hot pink car going well over the speed limit. Smiling still, Aphrodite glanced at Devon to make sure he was okay, and hit the radio on, trying to find her favorite station.
There was a blindingly bright flash of pink light, complete with a few falling rose petals that were a nuisance to clean up every time she visited, Aphrodite appeared. She looked around, confused for a moment and wondering if the aether was acting up again. Finally, her vision adjusted to the darkness after her customary bright exit from the aether and she realized where she was. "Whoa, Xe, you in here? Where's the exit?"
Noting the sound of the goddess' voice, Xena emerged from several rows over using the shortcut of pushing her way through her racks of clothing. She grinned at her friend in lieu of a hug, Xena still wasn't overly touchy-feely of a person. She looked around thoughtfully for a moment, "Hmm, we're in my clothes from the seventeen hundreds…" she started off at a brisk pace, forcing Aphrodite to follow her, "The exit is this way," Xena called back.
Catching passing glimpses of clothing as they walked, Aphrodite noted, "Ugh, Warrior Babe, you still have that whole morbid black thing going on. No wonder you and Bro always made such a good match, no color coordinating."
Shrugging slightly defensively, Xena retorted, "Black is a color," she held her hand up before Aphrodite could do anything more than open her hot-pink rimmed mouth, "don't even start with me about it being a shade."
Shrugging also, Aphrodite followed the other woman around several bends in silence. It wasn't until they emerged from the large walk in closet and into the bedroom that Aphrodite again spoke, "Ooh, red too, tell me why I'm not surprised," then she sighed, whipped open the curtains and suddenly was all smiles again, "sorry, I'm still dealing with a lot of bad vibes from lunch. No more sarcastic love goddess, promise."
Raising an eyebrow with a look that Xena actually had patented several years ago, when it was cheep enough and Ares had made one joke too many to that effect, Xena inquired, "Why are you here, Aphrodite?"
Biting her lip slightly, Aphrodite quickly changed the subject under the glare that always spooked her half because it was so Xena when she was at her scariest, and half because it was eerily similar to one of Ares' looks. "I swear a couple more miles and your closet will be a quarter the size of mine, not bad! Anyways, I gotta go, I just came by to say that it's a fancy dinner, you know…" she bit on her lip a little bit harder, and winced when she drew blood, "A nice dress?"
Xena took a well-deserved moment to roll her eyes before nodding, as though the idea had just occurred to her that Aphrodite might want her to wear a dress. After taking a second to reflect, however, Xena noted that with some of the outfits she had showed up wearing in past times, just to irritate the other goddess, it wasn't an unreasonable request. "Yes, 'Dite, dress, I got it this time."
Scrunching up her nose slightly, Aphrodite appeared to be having the same memories as Xena. Finally, she shook it off, smiled again, glad that another of her duties for the day were done, and disappeared without further comment. Xena took a moment to glower at the rose petals for the mess they made before following suit and disappearing as well, sure that she would find Ares at some war or another.
Before Amanda had even had close to enough time to recover from the burst of bright light, Aphrodite was already materialized and talking. She took one deep breath and rushed out, "Hey, fancy dress. I totally stress the dress part."
Only a good many years to get used to this phenomenon that never seemed to get any dimmer caused Amanda to not only know it was her friend but to also nod and stay calm. "Fancy dress got it, Aphrodite."
Taking a rare moment to look over the outfit that Amanda was wearing as well as the slinky dress that was lying on the bed, Aphrodite smiled her approval, "Good! I gotta go change, bye 'Mandy!"
Amanda waved, managing not to scrunch up her face at being called Mandy, a nickname she was less than fond of. However, it seemed to be Aphrodite's favorite, and from what Amanda could tell, if you didn't have a nickname, you weren't a friend of the goddess. "Yeah, uh, bye 'Dite!"
Aphrodite waited patiently for the reply, but as soon as she sensed the period at the end of the immortal's sentence, the goddess of love had reentered the aether, running late and hurrying at a godly speed to fix that problem.
Shaking her head as she noticed the rose petals lying on the floor in such a haphazard and messy manor from falling, Amanda moved to go get a broom and sighed slightly. "Someday, she will learn that not everybody can just wave this mess away, someday."
Not even a split second later, Aphrodite was back in her large New York apartment and snapping her fingers to change into a dressier outfit. She chose quickly, already knowing every outfit that she owned by heart and having planned out this particular night's clothing weeks before.
The dress was a darker pink than her normal choice, more mauve really, and the dress was almost decent. The splits went high up her thigh on either side and the cut was low against her cleavage, but it covered everything and looked especially dressy with the long black gloves and heels that she wore to match. Smiling, Aphrodite called out, "Ooh, it's perfect! Devy, you ready? It's time to go!"
Walking down the grand staircase from the second floor of her apartment, Devon couldn't quite believe his eyes. Never in the entire two years he had known Aphrodite -and according to some who had known her longer, ever - had he seen Aphrodite without some sort of pastel or hot pink on. The color suited her almost as well as the large smile on her face. "You look wonderful, although, I know, that falls sadly short."
Putting one gloved hand up to stop herself from giggling, as she was aware that it wasn't very goddess-like, Aphrodite smiled wider behind her hand. "Ooh, thanks, Sweetum's." She looked at him curiously for a moment before motioning Devon to spin around so that she could see his outfit better. "Turn 'round, honey."
Unable to help teasing the goddess slightly, Devon inquired even as he spun around to do her bidding, unable to resist her wishes more than any other man. "Do I pass inspection? I've been getting ready since lunch, 'Dite, this is as good as it gets."
Shaking her head slightly at his antics, Aphrodite replied, "Good doesn't cover it, Devy." Taking a second to appreciate how he looked, Aphrodite had to force herself out of her daydreaming and onto more important matters. "Come on, you're driving, I totally have to fix my hair up."
Before Devon could even open his mouth to reply, the goddess snapped her fingers and they were both in her car. As soon as she saw that Devon was settled in the driver's seat, all it took was a wave of her arm they were in Paris. She smiled, "Like, tada."
Grabbing both their coats and making double sure that swords were in place, Duncan held the door for Amanda as she rushed through. He chuckled as they headed for her red Viper and he caught sight of the look on her face as they passed under a streetlight. "Will you relax, Amanda, its just Aphrodite's brother. I would think you were off to the gallows with that look!"
As Amanda searched in her purse for her keys for a moment before noticing that Duncan was standing behind her, with the keys in his hand and a grin firmly on his face. "That's the problem, she had three brothers, that I know of, Hermes, Ares, and Apollo. If I knew which one we were meeting I'd feel better."
Taking a moment to be serious, Duncan took her hands in his and waited until Amanda met his eyes before pointing out, "I'm sure it's someone that she gets along with, this is Aphrodite, I doubt there will be war and pillaging during dinner."
Eyes flashing mischievously, Amanda demanded even as she snatched the keys from Duncan's grasp, "Does that mean no thievery either?"
Holding his hand out to have the keys returned to him, Duncan spoke quietly, but was still unable to keep the humor from his voice, "I'll drive, miss thief," he waited patiently for her to return the keys and only once they were safely in his grasp did he allow his guard down and laugh.
"I could just steal them back." Amanda warned, angry that he was laughing at her already. Then her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Why do you want to drive anyway? I could drive! Stop laughing and answer!"
Holding open the passenger side door, Duncan motioned for Amanda to get in and waited until she had and he was safely in his side of the car before answering her question. "Because you're in a hurry and I would prefer not to lose my head in some bizarre car crash with you as the driver. We won't be late, I promise."
Amanda huffed slightly at the suggestion that she would get them into a car wreck, completely ignoring the fact that between the two of them, her and Duncan had managed to get into some pretty insane situations and a car wreck probably wouldn't be the strangest. Deciding that it wasn't worth a fight right now, Amanda settled back and tried not to worry about which of Aphrodite's family members she would be meeting at this dinner.
Walking out of her room, Xena waited for some complimentary and probably innuendo-laden comment from her partner. When none was forthcoming, she looked around the room and noticed that the god of war was not there, obviously still off at a war. "Ares? I'm ready...."
In bright, but not blinding, shards of blue light, Ares appeared, dressed up slightly for the dinner and not looking as uncomfortable as he normally would have. This was a dinner with his sister, if his dressing up was the only odd thing that happened, Ares would actually go have a civil conversation with his father and Athena. "You look gorgeous as always my dear, shall we go?"
Looking him over, Xena nodded her appreciation. It was different, but good, somehow Ares managed to pull off almost every look, and she hadn't yet found reason to complain about it. Taking his arm, she gave one last, futile, comment, "The sooner we are both back in leather the happier I'll be."
A smile teasing his lips, Ares nodded, catching a glimpse of them in the mirror and noting how unlike themselves they looked. He directed Xena's attention to the mirror with a quick wave, "No arguing there, Xena."
"Off to face the lioness we go then," Xena teased, voice amused even if she knew that Aphrodite was a lot more than the silly blonde part that she acted. That goddess could be vengeful and they both knew it, but for the time being, Aphrodite was sweet as usual, so it was fine to joke about it.
Ares gave a long-suffering sigh that more or less warned Xena that he was tired and she was pushing it. Fancy dinners weren't their thing, and Aphrodite probably had an extremely fancy, grand, occasion planned, something that would bore them both. With a slight nod from both gods, they disappeared into the aether, well on their way to meet Aphrodite and her friends.
The first to arrive at the restaurant were Aphrodite and Devon, who parked and helped Aphrodite out of the car. Smiling at how gentlemanly Devon was acting, Aphrodite even let him lead her into the very vogue old French restaurant.
Once they reached the 'please wait to be seated' sign, the waiter, Fraser, walked up to them and kissed Aphrodite's hand in part polite greeting of a friend and part knowing a good opportunity when it was presented. "Sir, Madam, call if you need anything."
Giggling as they were led to their table and Fraser pulled out Aphrodite's chair for her, she sat down and smiled, "Oh, I totally hope they get here soon! I like French customs and all I just hope Fraser doesn't do that to Xe... Ar would be totally pissed."
Sitting down next to Aphrodite, with only a small glare towards the hurriedly retreating waiter, Devon asked, "You know him? Is that why he didn't ask for your name?"
Smiling, Aphrodite batted a blonde curl out of her eye and then reached for her water, laughing at the irritated look on Devon's face but still finding it cute how jealous he was. It would be cute until he started acting all possessive, at that point, she'd get one of her brothers to scare him off. That was a sad thought though, and Aphrodite was never one for sad thoughts. "Of course, silly, don't fret, we are like just friends." Looking up, she smiled again, "Ooh, there's 'Mandy!!"
Hand in hand, Amanda and Duncan walked over, having had no trouble spotting their friend in the crowd. It was like looking for a ruby in a pile of diamonds, not that they had ever objected to Aphrodite's one-of-a-kind nature. There was a brief pause as they explained to Fraser that they would be keeping their coats with them, but then they came over and sat down. Amanda looked at the new guy with Aphrodite, "Hey, 'Dite... who's your guy?"
All smiles as usual, Aphrodite started introductions with all the zeal of someone who used to be a matchmaker and hadn't done nearly enough of it recently. "Hey 'Mandy, that's Devon. Devy, this is Amanda and her fiancé, Duncan. You look great, 'Mandy!"
After a few minutes there was a loud crash that interrupted conversation, everyone looked up in time to see Fraser hit the 'please wait to be seated' sign and Ares and Xena come walking in a few seconds afterwards, with patented raised eyebrows and trademark smirks.
Amanda winced in sympathy as the wood splintered into many little pieces and Fraser didn't get up, instead having to be helped up by several other restaurant workers who were trying to stop a scene from developing. "Ouch."
A slight chuckle escaped Devon and Duncan nodded his agreement, Fraser was a tad bit too friendly and had deserved whatever he had received. Aphrodite jumped up and loudly called for her brother, causing several patrons to stare at her, whether for her voice or her assets, few were sure. "Ar! Over here, bro!"
Pretending that he hadn't already been perfectly able to see where Aphrodite was, Ares kept a calm expression with the practiced ease of one who had know his sister for an eternity. Literally. Ares walked up to his sister, who ran and hugged him, squealing as he lifted her in the air. "Hey sis, haven't seen you in about a century."
Just as Ares put his half-sister down, Xena walked up, still dusting herself off slightly and trying to appear calm even though she knew what was coming next would destroy her well-maintained persona. Sure enough, Aphrodite giggled and pulled Xena into a tight hug also, replying to Ares over Xena's shoulder, "It hasn't been that long, has it, bro? Sit down." She addressed Xena, still hugging her tightly, "So, Xe, you threw Fraise?"
Sitting down to enjoy the fireworks that were always present at events with any of his family members, but Aphrodite especially, he grinned when Xena was finally forced to complain, "Dite, you're suffocating me, here."
Letting go and shrugging apologetically, Aphrodite sat down right between Devon and Ares, already knowing the possible problems if they sat next to each other. Xena sat down between Ares and Amanda, still grumbling about not being able to breathe through Aphrodite's hugs.
Satisfied that everyone was present and seated, Aphrodite began her introductions anew, with the same vigor as the first time. "My big bro Ares, Xena, Amanda and her fiancé Duncan. And my Devon, everybody got it? Yes? Good, here comes the salad!"
Cautiously, because one never could quite tell with Aphrodite, looking around the table and noting that everyone had similar looks on their faces, Duncan asked, "You ordered for us, Aphrodite?"
Nodding quickly, Aphrodite didn't have time to reply because the new waiter was already setting down salads in front of them all. "Six Caesar salads, the main course will be along shortly."
At the mention of Caesar, Xena winced from an old, but still painful wound, plus the fact that he had his own salad now. She couldn't get over why anyone would want to name a perfectly edible food after Julius Caesar. Aphrodite winced in apology, scrunching her face up, "Didn't ask about the salad… forgive me?"
By the time the deserts arrived, there were two full conversations going on. Duncan and Ares were discussing wars; Duncan having lived through quite a few and Ares having seen all of them. Aphrodite was trying to discuss fashion through history with Xena and Amanda, but both Amanda and Xena kept correcting the men on some war, and Devon actually found fashion more interesting than wars and kept becoming involved in Aphrodite's topic of choice.
Trying to at least appear interested in a topic that was obviously so much a part of her friend, Amanda asked, "How's your cosmetic line going, 'Dite? I've been looking for your name but I can't seem to find it."
Xena raised an eyebrow, tuning back into the conversation at that statement and unable to figure out why anyone would buy a product named after the goddess of love. But then, that was why she didn't care about these things. "Named after you? Marketing ploy or worshiper ploy?"
Suddenly irritated, Aphrodite exclaimed, "Oh, totally forgot to tell you, statistic's showed that Roman was more 'in' than Greek." She shared a glare with her brother and Xena at the idea that Rome was more popular than them. "Yeah, anyway, so it's Venus' cosmetics now."
This was possibly the only amusing part of Rome for the former warrior princess, and she did laugh, shaking her head at her friend. "Venus? You haven't gone by your Roman name in years, Aphrodite!"
Amanda laughed also, unable to picture 'Dite' as someone named 'Venus,' besides; everyone considered that a planet nowadays, Roman gods were long since forgotten. The immortal wasn't about to say that though. Aphrodite meanwhile, bit her lip, trying to keep her little known temper in check, "Not since that damn Williams sis got more popular then me! I mean it was sweet at first that she was named after me, but she has like no fashion sense!"
After dinner, the three couples reappeared on Mt. Olympus in Ares and Xena's palace. The place was much as you would expect, Grecian in design, perpetual sunlight shining in from open balconies, the temperature warm, weapons placed on most every wall. The décor was mostly black, silver, and red, but every once in awhile some lighter colors appeared.
To Aphrodite it didn't matter whose palace she was in or how she might disagree with the décor choices, it was Mt. Olympus, her home, and she gushed over it, "Ooh I miss Olympus... I mean New York's fun and all but it's nothing like home."
For the three people who were not used to being up in the home of… well, not very many gods anymore, Xena gave some quick tour information. "Welcome to Mt. Olympus... or a part of it. Hermes, Hera and Hephaestus are still here. Ares and I just moved back from New Zealand. Apollo is in Florida. Artemis is in the Amazon somewhere and Cupid is in Australia. Each god has their own palace, yadda, yadda, yadda…"
Ares mock huffed, pretending to be offended, "Hey, that's my line, Xena," he crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her response, obviously expecting some sort of apology.
Before Xena could even consider her retort, and while Devon, Amanda, and Duncan were still taking in the sights of the one room, Aphrodite let out an almost pained gasp, "Hephie is still here?"
Just like that, all attention was focused on Aphrodite, and for once, it wasn't her intention. She looked around at everyone for a moment, meeting each face only briefly. Then she turned to her older brother for conformation. The god of war nodded gently, opening his arms and letting Aphrodite rush into them without complaint, "Yeah, sis, he's here. Been waiting."
No more needed to be said, so that was all that Ares did say. Silently, Xena motioned to a pair of couches, which had only recently appeared, and the two immortals and one mortal sat down quietly. Devon kept looking longingly at Aphrodite, but even he knew better than to say or ask anything yet. Xena stood, patiently waiting for Aphrodite to collect herself.
Finally, the goddess of love withdrew from the safety of her brother's arms and stood tall again, her gaze determined and her course of action set. Ares tried to drift into the background a little, embarrassed at being caught in any sort of display of affection, but Xena came to stand by his side without having to be asked and smiled at him. Aphrodite looked at Devon one last time, "I have to go see him," briefly looked at everyone else, seeking some sort of approval, when they nodded, she turned and strode off, high heels clacking against the stone floor in a testimony to her state of mind that she hadn't used the aether.
After a few seconds the footsteps disappeared and Xena shook her head as Ares laughed in relief, "Oh, thank gods, I thought she was actually going to try to run all the way from here to Hephaestus' palace."
After Aphrodite's sudden departure, it had taken a bit of time to get everyone sorted out and calmed down. Thanks to godly powers, Ares and Duncan were off having a swordfight, somewhere in a room that had never before existed in the palace, and Devon was sitting by a newly created and never-emptying bowl of punch, trying to find answers in the fruity substance that reminded him of Aphrodite.
This left Xena and Amanda sitting on one of those new couches, to talk. They had considered the idea of a swordfight also, but both had felt kind of bad for Devon, knowing all too well that Aphrodite was a great heartbreaker. Besides, it gave them a chance to talk, immortal to goddess. Xena sighed, looking down at her dress, "I'll tell you, I miss leather and armor, it worked so much better."
Laughing slightly, Amanda shook her head and shrugged, "You make me feel young. I must have missed the fun armor, I only got to see the boring stuff that didn't suit women at all." She looked down as well, "I'm not too fond of dresses either, not practical, you can't climb, run, anything."
Looking the other women over for a few minutes, Xena finally spoke, quietly, "You remind me of an old friend, Autolycus… He had a great heart," momentarily lost in memories from times so long ago they seemed to be in another life, Xena lost her train of thought.
A short nod was all it took to convey understanding, there was something about living forever that made you remember all the people that didn't live forever, and how many friends you had lost over time. It never seemed fair, the best men and women, growing old and dying. In an attempt to shake them both out of memories, Amanda asked, "So, what did Autolycus do?"
Xena actually shorted at that so caught by surprise. It took her a moment to decide whether or not to say, since she'd just told Amanda that she reminded her of Autolycus. Never one to sugarcoat the truth, Xena shook her head with a slight smile and sighed, "He was a thief. Claimed to be the King of Thieves, but last I heard that title only got him into trouble with Hermes."
"Well that's why I remind you of him then!" Amanda burst out, laughing at the startled expression on the warrior's face, "I tend to do a little bit of thievery. Or I used to, Duncan doesn't like how much trouble I get into." Suddenly looking around and only finding Devon, Amanda noted, "Speaking of, you think the boys have beat each other up enough yet?"
Shrugging, Xena rose to her feet, followed by Amanda, "Let's find out, shall we? And if not, maybe we can join in," the other woman nodded, fingering her sword underneath her coat.
It was some time before Aphrodite returned to the party. The four warriors had long sense returned and tried to cheer Devon up with little success, before breaking off into telling stories and bizarre war games that amused them all.
When the goddess of love finally did appear, it was with her husband in tow. The god of the forge was bashful around so many people and hung back as far as he could without letting go of Aphrodite's hand. At this, Devon finally stood up, even though he could tell the war was already lost to him. "Aphrodite…" he paused, "I assume this is your husband."
Letting go of Hephaestus' hand with one last squeeze, Aphrodite turned to face Devon, biting her lip slightly. "Oh, sweet cheeks, I'm sorry. Hephie and I had some problems, and I left. Feminism, separations, and all that" She looked down then back up again, determined to meet Devon's eyes as if it could make up for everything, "it's been fun, but now… we worked it out, ya'know?"
Everyone else in the room stayed silent, they all knew the stories more or less. No matter what happened, Aphrodite always went back to Hephaestus and she always would because he was utterly in love with her, and she loved him too. Devon had been unfortunate to happen along during one of their bad breaks, unaware that whether it took days or centuries, they always worked it out.
There was a long silence, broken only by Hephaestus' slight shuffles as he moved further away from the crowd, waiting for Aphrodite to come with him now that they had talked it out. He'd made his promises to spend less time working, and she'd promised to spend less time partying.
After a few minutes, Devon sucked in a deep breath and nodded, exhaling as he spoke, so that his words were almost like a sigh, "Yeah, I know." He tried to be calm and mature about it, Aphrodite had never lied about her husband or how she felt about him.
Xena was up in a second, nodding at Aphrodite and Hephaestus, "Well, it's getting…" she seemed to be reading some internal clock, "early, actually. I think we all should get some rest before work tomorrow."
Standing as well, Ares nodded, chuckling, "A gods work never ends, right," he looked around, out towards the forever light sky, "you don't know the half of it."
Aphrodite retreated back, standing with Hephaestus and waving, "Right, guys, so, everyone'll visit?" She waited until everyone had nodded except Devon, and simply sighed in regard to him, "Okay, good. See you all!"
A wave of her perfectly manicured hand and Amanda and Duncan were on their way back to their apartment, via the aether. Devon was gone to Philadelphia, not missing that business meeting after all, and the only remaining people were the four gods. Aphrodite looked first at her brother, then at Xena, "Let's not wait a century to hang out, okay?"
Xena moved in front of Ares and leaned back until she was resting against him, yawning ever so slightly. The war god shrugged, winking at his sister, "Not so bad for a reunion, huh? Nothing even got broken." This earned him an elbow to the ribs and Xena's mouthed 'don't jinx it!'
"Yeah," Aphrodite nodded and looked back to Hephaestus, waiting for him to say something. He didn't, still the least social of the gods, or perhaps still angry with them for something, it was hard to tell. She seemed to be able to understand what he was saying even without words though, and a smile lit up her face that was only there when she was with her husband. "So, see you on the flip side."
A flash of light and Ares and Xena were left alone. Standing straight again, Xena waved a hand dismissively without even bothering to look at the area where Aphrodite and Hephaestus had just left, "I hate when she's in a rose petal phase, it's such a mess."
Ares just chuckled, knowing that some things would never change, and caught Xena round the waist, pulling her close for a quick kiss. Glad that they were finally alone, he waved an arm and made all the excess party things and couches disappear. When he let her go, both were trying not to laugh at the events of the night. Ares sighed, "There's a war in Prague, just started, I need to go check on it."
Nodding, Xena questioned, "And you're telling me why? Go, I'll be changing out of this dress and into something I can actually move in, then I'll come join you," her only response was the flash of light that signaled Ares' departure, and soon after she disappeared to find her leathers and join him.