The air was still and made the trees bustle in the soft winds. Outside the hotel window the sounds of branches scraping wood could be heard. The small cot creaked underneath the body of a lone woman wrapped in cotton sheets. The cool air of an Egyptian night brought little peace to the troubled lady.
Gabrielle hadn't slept well in the last month, ever since leaving Japan. Her body always shook with pain and her dreams deceived her. She would wake in the middle of the night to find herself alone on some ship gallery or a hotel room.
This particular night she wasn't alone. It wasn't as if her wildest dreams had come true and Xena was alive again. No, instead it was if something she didn't want to face was coming to haunt her.
Standing at the foot of her bed with a grim look of his face was Ares. He still had short black hair and a small goatee that defined his chin. Ares stood with hands on his hips as he looked at Gabrielle in concern. Suddenly it hit her that he must know about what happened in Japan.
With a look of melancholy Gabrielle pulled back the sheet and exposed her long pale legs and arms to the cool air. She eyed Ares to check what his mood was, slowly hoping that she could trust him, she turned to grab a shawl.
Ares having seen her back commented, "What a nice tattoo Gabrielle, It suits the new you. It looks foreign, maybe Asian." He seemed very relaxed and almost comedic.
Gabrielle had to face the fact that he might not know everything. She decided to take a stab at it, "Why are you here Ares? Don't you have better things to do with your reunited powers?" She threw the shawl around her shoulders violently.
Ares looked at her as if he couldn't figure her out, "Aphrodite decided to visit some of the places in Egypt and seek out the ancient Egyptian Gods who might be able to help us gain a spot in the pantheon again. I tagged along because I was bored." Ares shrugged.
Gabrielle knew that his answer was not personal enough; he was a man of ego. "Why are you here specifically Ares?"
He dodged her question and instead started looking around, "So where is Xena, I'm sure she won't be glad to see me, or then again maybe she will." He looked around again with a smile and then with hesitation.
Gabrielle didn't know what to say or if she could even find the words to speak. Instead she only looked around hoping he would figure it out.
Ares wondered why she was being so silent. "I guess Xena went out, what time will she be back?" He smiled and then put his hand the hilt of his sword trying to seem impressive.
Gabrielle let the silence sink in and then it started to bother her. Ares standing in her way with all these questions, her memories playing in her mind, the flashing image of Xena's dead body. With a large sigh she lay back down in bed and held Xena's chakram solidly in her hand.
Ares seemed to finally understand, he looked at her holding the chakram and something clicked. Quickly he came closer to look at it and maybe even to take it from her, but he stopped when he saw her face. Gabrielle was crying heavily and hiding it behind her left hand. Ares backed off a bit and tried to speak.
"What happened to her?" That was the best Ares could say and he knew it was less than eloquent.
Gabrielle didn't want him to see her in a weak state so she quietly answered, "In Japan she was outnumbered by an army."
Ares frowned, "You think I would believe that Xena would die that easily."
Gabrielle added, "She did it as a suicide mission. She needed to be a ghost to kill a ghost. I didn't know this at the time but she couldn't come back after."
Ares looked angry and then sad. He was on the verge of tears but trying to seem in control. Gabrielle noted some of the similarities about them. Right now she almost pitied him, almost for she pitied herself more.
Ares looked defiant and marched to the door with a scowl on his face, "I'm going to bring her back. I know of a way."
Gabrielle hopped from the bed and tried to stop him, "You can't!"
He stopped to look at her desperate face with a confused frown, "Why not? This is Xena."
Gabrielle couldn't explain it in a way that would make sense to him, "It was her wish." She frowned and then stood with her sword in hand. "Either way what was your plan?"
Ares weighed whether she would help him or mess with his plans. "I was going to help sis find the goddess Isis maybe she can help us raise Xena from the dead." He smiled slightly and the dawn sunlight reflected off of his metal armor.