Ares cloaked himself in black and pulled the hood over his head, shadowing all of his handsome face except for his plump lips. They were barely visible by the light of the harvest moon. He moved through the night with purpose, then transported himself in a flash to the home of his noble warrior, Atreus.
A boy peeped into the cradle of his newborn sibling. The child's eyes grew wide as Ares stepped closer. "Shut up," the god demanded. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to hold the baby. To bless it." The child shook with fear. "I mean it, Toris. Stop it."
"How…how did you know my name?"
Ares rolled his eyes. "Because. I was supposed to bless you when you were born. But," he explained. "A battle broke out and I got preoccupied. And another warrior won my favor so I blessed his son instead. Atreus has just now proven himself to me again, so I'm here to bless your new brother."
"But," Toris began but Ares cut him off.
"Enough talk. Move out of my way." Ares lifted the infant, swaddled in a brown blanket. He saw the child's blue eyes, the color of ice water near Valhalla. Chills and fire moved throughout his being at the same time. "Oh, this one is strong. This one is very powerful. He will be a fierce warrior, I can feel it."
"But…" Toris said, tugging at Ares' cloak.
"Go away," the war god spat and lifted the baby high. His energy moved through the body of new life, branding it with his mark, a special gift. The child released a high-pitched cry. Ares placed it back in the crib. "What's his name?"
"Xena," Toris said.
"Huh? Xenon? Strong name." He snapped his fingers and disappeared.
#
Atreus arrived at the temple of Ares in Amphipolis. "My Lord," he bowed, "We're ready for battle."
"Good," Ares said casually. "Oh, by the way, I blessed your son last night."
Atreus was confused. "You came to my house?"
"Yeah. I was cloaked so that if your wife saw me, she wouldn't know it was me. Women don't like it when I make warriors of their sons."
Atreus assumed that Ares must have blessed Toris once he realized that the new baby was a girl. But he figured it was better late than never. He was overcome with honor. "Thank you, my Lord. I will make you proud." He sprinted outside, happy to finally have a son marked by Ares.
#
Seven years passed before Ares saw the child again. He was in his temple, surrounded by drunken soldiers when Cyrene sauntered up to the door, demanding entrance. Her two sons followed closely behind. Holding her hand was a little girl with the eyes the color of ice water near Valhalla. Ares immediately cloaked himself, before they saw him. He stepped next to the girl and he instantly knew. She was the one he had marked. The great warrior-to-be.
Cyrene argued with guards, demanding to see her husband Atreus. Ares appeared in the back room where Atreus was playing cards with a few sailors and a sea-sick centaur. Atreus raked in his winnings, pocketing 200 dinars and an enchanted necklace that supposedly once sat on the bosom of a siren.
"Enough games. You might've told me that the kid I blessed was a girl," Ares said, cutting straight to the point.
"Toris is a boy. His hair is kinda long but he's no girl," Atreus slurred.
"No, you drunken idiot. I blessed the girl. She was an infant at the time."
The men snorted with laughter. The centaur cackled, "Your daughter has the mark of Ares?"
"No!" Atreus yelled. "Toris is the marked one!" His dreams of a mighty warrior went up in smoke. "I have a younger son, Lyceus. Bless him! He's my favorite child anyway."
"Nope. Xena," Ares said, realizing her true name, "is the one. I've never marked a female. This should be interesting in about ten more years." He zapped away, the table of men still laughing.
#
Atreus stumbled into the temple of the Fates. "Please," he begged, "show me the past. I must see it to believe it. Did Ares bless Xena?"
"He did," the first Fate agreed.
"It's a gift," the second Fate affirmed.
"What about the future? Atreus asked. "Will she become his warrior?"
"Yes," the third Fate revealed. "She will lead Ares' army."
"Xena at the head of Ares army? What about my son Lyceus? Why can't Ares bless him instead?"
"Xena will be the reason that we cut the life thread of Lyceus. In battle, she will lead him to his doom," the first Fate chanted.
Atreus ran from the temple and straight into the path of the goddess Discord. "You must kill Xena!" she taunted, "to save your son, you must stop her so she can't hurt him." The bratty deity couldn't stand the idea of Ares having a female sidekick. She was working too hard to fill that role herself.
The drunken man went home to kill Xena but instead, met the blade of Cyrene's axe.
#
Ten years later, Xena became the warrior she was destined to be. As she fought Cortez, Ares watched from afar, cloaked in black. He'd visited her a few times over the years, never showing himself but she could always feel him. Always. He was drawn to her but she was only a kid. There were never romantic feelings. Yet, the first moment he saw her in battle, he fell in love. Still, she was not ready to be his warrior queen. Not yet. He would give her a few years to get seasoned, develop her skillset before he revealed himself to her. "Until next time," he echoed, taking a hard look at the dark-haired beauty with a bloody sword and eyes the color of ice water near Valhalla. She watched the cloaked figure of the god disappear into the night.