Hey peoples! One thing that always caught my attention in Xena was the relationship between Callisto and Gabrielle. The hatred and pity that exists between Xena and Callisto is always emphasised. Gabrielle hates Callisto because she killed Peridicus, yet Gabrielle has a very loving and forgiving side to her. Callisto never shows any real 'emotions' or 'feelings' towards Gabrielle let's just say, she sees her more as a toy that you occasionally take out, torture and put away. Whenever Callisto speaks of her family or her 'former self' I'll put it as she sounds a lot like Gabrielle. Like in the 'Return of Callisto' she says: "...I wonder if I could've been her. I guess she's lucky in a way, she gets to leave this life so pure...burn her!" There we can see that she thinks back to Cirra and in a way, relates herself to Gabrielle. This made me wonder did Callisto ever feel 'jealous' towards Gabrielle, giving her further reason to torture her, aside from using her to hurt Xena. Well, the background to this story is that Xena picked Ares at some point, leaving Gabrielle on her own; Xena has turned bad again, now having nothing to do with Gabrielle. Callisto is a God, just freed by Hope but Solan hasn't been killed. Gabrielle is on her own and travelling around trying to find herself. Please review! Happy reading!
The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend:
Gabrielle was walking through a forest. Recently Xena had chosen to go back to Ares and left Gabrielle on her own. Gabrielle was shocked with Xena's decision to fight alongside Ares. I guess he caught her at a good time. Xena was helping an army win an ongoing war. They made her commander and she began to hate the people they were fighting against. As time went by Gabrielle could see an evil Xena emerge. Xena would discard the wounded and allow them to die. If a warrior on her side made a mistake she would beat them to stop them and others from doing it again. Gabrielle later found out that Ares was influencing her the whole time. One thing that Gabrielle didn't know was how Ares got to Xena. Xena, since changing was a strong person that was always opposing Ares and was strong enough to do so.
One day in particular Gabrielle was particularly sad, there was no particular reason she was just crying a lot that day. As the sun began to set and the moon began to rise she decided that she better stop for the night. She collected firewood and put them into place. Then she went to look for two pieces of sharp stone to light it with. Although, she didn't have to as when she heard the laughter of a woman and turned around to see who it was the fire was lighting, and when she looked up at the woman, obviously a goddess, expecting to see Callisto, Goddess of Destruction but when she looked up it wasn't her, it was the Goddess of Chaos, Velasca.
"Hello Gabrielle," Velasca grinned as she looked at Gabrielle.
"Velasca?!" Gabrielle exclaimed as Gabrielle staggered backwards.
Velasca enjoyed watching Gabrielle be fear stricken.
"But Xena said you would be trapped for eternity, how did you get out?!"
"Let's just say I got a little help from Ares, he's worried that you're going to make Xena good again somehow, and he couldn't have that. So he freed me, allowing me to kill you," she grinned.
"Don't kill me," Gabrielle said softly.
Velasca laughed.
"I love death, not the dying part exactly but the screams of the dying person as the die in agony. I've been looking forward to this," Velasca grinned as she drew her dagger.
"You're a goddess, why don't you just zap me?"
"It's boring and too quick, this way I get to enjoy your death," she smiled as she walked towards Gabrielle.
Then suddenly a blonde goddess appeared from nowhere. Gabrielle was scared already and when she saw her, her fear grew. It was Callisto.
"Long time no see Velasca! How've you been!?" Callisto grinned as she put her hands on her hips.
"Get out of my way!" Velasca demanded.
Callisto grinned more psychotically.
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
Velasca threw a thunderbolt at Callisto; Callisto dived away, managing to dodge it.
"You call that a shot?!" Callisto chuckled as she shot a fireball towards Velasca, hitting her directly. Velasca was weakened.
She struggled to get up from the impact.
"I'll get you for this! And I'll be back for you!" she shouted as she pointed at Gabrielle and disappeared into thin air.
Gabrielle was lying on the ground, breathless. She looked curiously up at Callisto. Callisto grinned psychotically. Gabrielle's heart started beating faster as Callisto walked towards her.
"So I hear the Warrior Princess is now the Queen of war! How does it feel to know that you're not wanted and to be all alone?!" Callisto chuckled.
"Get lost Callisto!" Gabrielle shouted back.
"I think you should be a bit politer considering I just saved your life!" she said angrily but she was more amused.
"Thank you but...why?"
"Velasca and I are enemies...you know that. And I am going to personally make sure that she leaves this world as painfully as is possible. Problem is if she kills you then she'll be happy no matter what I do. So now I've got to make sure that she doesn't hurt or kill you," Callisto grinned.
"I don't need your help!" Gabrielle shouted, looking at Callisto with fear filling her eyes.
"No? Then why did I have to save you then?" Callisto chuckled.
"I'll be more prepared the next time!"
"Really? Against a god I doubt you have much of a chance," Callisto said, grinning again.
"Well what am I supposed to do?! Xena's gone off with Ares and left me on my own!"
"Let me help you to take out Velasca," Callisto grinned.
"You...help me? How do I know that once we get rid of Velasca you won't just turn around and kill me?"
"I'll make a deal, help me take out Velasca and I promise you a quick death, as opposed to the slow one she's going to give you?!" Callisto laughed.
Gabrielle frowned as she got up off the ground, brushing the dirt off her clothes.
"You're a God, why do you need my help?"
"Well, one I need you alive so Velasca will die disappointed and angry and two, I need bait. I think you should take me up on my offer Gabrielle. It's your best chance," Callisto grinned.
Gabrielle thought about it. Callisto was right, she was the only one who had any chance of keeping her alive and besides, she didn't have a grudge against her like Velasca did. Also, she could deal with Callisto when the time would come.
"Fine," Gabrielle sighed, as she really didn't want to but felt like she had no choice.
"Good girl!" Callisto grinned.
Gabrielle sighed as she looked for two stones to re-light the fire.
Callisto laughed to herself.
"You don't need to light a fire with me around dearie," Callisto grinned as she shot a fireball at the wood making a large and warm fire.
Gabrielle sat down by it to warm herself, Callisto sat directly opposite her. She drew her sword, which made Gabrielle flinch and she began to sharpen it.
Callisto began thinking back to her family. Usually when she did this she would almost cut herself off from the world. She wouldn't notice anything around her. Gabrielle noticed this in Callisto as she kept staring at her. Usually Callisto would begin to torture Gabrielle the minute they would make any sort of eye contact, but not tonight, tonight she was away in her own little world.
"What are you thinking about?" Gabrielle asked after a while. She got no reply from Callisto, she didn't even hear her.
"Callisto?" Gabrielle called softly after another little while.
"What?" she replied as if she wasn't really listening.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"Usual...family..." she said softly.
Gabrielle paused to think for a moment. She wondered would this be a time to try and make Callisto open up. She decided that she would try to salvage something; she knew she would be safe enough as Callisto didn't want to kill her...but then she couldn't really take Callisto at her word, but she decided to take the risk, she was probably going to die one way or another.
"What are you thinking about them?" Gabrielle asked.
Callisto looked away from her sword and looked intently into the fire as she spoke.
"Gods don't sleep, you know that. Every night I used to dream of my family and what happened. Now I don't sleep so I can't see what happened. I've no way to stop my memories from fading so...I just think about it a lot. She continued to look intently into the fire. She could hear the screams of her family as she looked into it; she got images of her burning home.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Gabrielle said softly.
Callisto averted her gaze from the fire to Gabrielle.
"Fire, it's what keeps their memories alive. Can I ask you something Gabrielle?" Callisto asked softly.
Gabrielle nodded, "Sure you can."
"Do you ever struggle to remember Peridicus?" she asked.
Gabrielle thought she might've gotten somewhere. "Yeah I do, as time goes by," she said sadly.
"Let me help," Callisto grinned as she stood up.
She took her sword and pointed at her stomach, "I got him right here. Remember don't you?"
Callisto then took her sword and stuck it through where she pointed.
Callisto then screamed like Peridicus did. "And he screamed just like that didn't he?" Callisto laughed.
Gabrielle started crying and ran away from where Callisto couldn't see her. Callisto started laughing manically as Gabrielle ran off.
She got back to sharpening her sword and started thinking back to her family again. Gabrielle was crying for a while, Callisto did bring back memories of Peridicus' death and now Gabrielle could remember every last detail of it. Gabrielle was also upset because her life was so messed up. Xena had abandoned her for Ares and now Velasca was free and after her, and the only person who could protect her was the person that she despised the most, the woman that had killed her husband, Callisto.
Eventually she knew it was time she got some sleep, she was tired and she guessed that if she had to spend time with Callisto that she would need all of the energy she could get. She slowly and reluctantly headed back to the fire. She knew that Callisto wasn't going to be sleeping, which scared her more. She went over to her horse (which she had gotten after Xena left) and took some of the rolled up blankets from a bag. She looked around for a smooth spot in the ground and settle there. It was opposite to Callisto so Callisto would've been looking in her direction. Gabrielle lid down with her back to Callisto.
"Gabrielle?" Callisto called quietly in a teasing tone of voice.
"Oh Gabrielle?" she called again in a higher pitched, more teasing tone.
"What do you want?!" Gabrielle demanded as she turned around and glared at Callisto.
"Goodnight," she laughed manically, enjoying the psychological torture Gabrielle was receiving.
Gabrielle didn't answer; she just turned around and tried to hold back the tears.
"Gabrielle?" Callisto called again in the same teasing tone.
"Callisto just give this up! What do you want this time?!"
"Don't let the bed bugs bite!" she grinned as she laughed manically.
Gabrielle sighed deeply as she turned around and lid down again. She was absolutely terrified of Callisto; she curled up into a ball as she held the blankets tightly.
She could feel Callisto's stare burning into the back of her. She was shaking with fear and couldn't sleep, even though she was really tired. Callisto knew that Gabrielle was terrified as she laughed quietly to herself. After a long time Gabrielle's eyes unwillingly closed as she fell asleep.
When the sun rose Callisto stood over Gabrielle and held her sword just above her face, so when she'd open her eyes it would be the first thing she'd see.
"C'mon wake up," Callisto muttered impatiently. She waited a while.
"Ugh c'mon you sleepy moron," Callisto muttered again. She waited a little bit longer.
She faked a cough. She still didn't wake up.
It took a little while longer but Gabrielle woke up, she screamed and immediately flinched. Callisto started laughing manically again.
"Callisto, will you just give this up!?" Gabrielle demanded.
"But it's so much fun!" Callisto grinned as she put away her sword.
"Not for me it isn't!" she shouted as she got up.
Callisto sighed as she walked away.
"So what are we going to do today?" Gabrielle asked.
"Not much, I really hit Velasca that time so she'll be out of action for a week at least. So I guess you're stuck with me!" she grinned.
Gabrielle frowned.
"Couldn't you take us to Ares, if I could talk to Xena she might come round?"
"I would but I don't know where to find him, I could follow him but we need to summon him, but he's too smart for that. We've got to force him to come."
"How are we going to do that?" Gabrielle asked.
Callisto grinned. "I've got a plan, I'm not going to say because he'll probably hear but it'll work," Callisto nodded as a grinned turned psychotic.
"Tell me," Gabrielle frowned.
"Don't worry, it's got nothing to do with killing you, your family or Xena in one of her raids, you'll see," Callisto chuckled.
"What are we supposed to do until then?" Gabrielle sighed.
"Do what you normally would do, I'm just going to make sure that Velasca won't kill you," she chuckled again.
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. She had no idea where to go; she just wanted to get rid of Callisto as soon as possible. Gabrielle packed up her stuff and hopped on her horse with Callisto walking alongside. Gabrielle decided that they'd go to a tavern in the next town. She was hungry and it would give her more time to think about what to do...or course...not expecting what was coming next...
Well that's it for this chapter! I'm sorry that it was boring! I just wanted to set down the premise of the story! I'll update as soon as I can and I promise the story will take off in the next chapter. Please review and tell me what you think! I have thought of a reason for Xena to have listened to Ares and one thing I want to ask you is that would you like Xena to come around by the end or should I not have her come round and do the ending as I've planned? Please let me know! Okay then, please review and I'll update soon! Thanks for reading! Bye peoples xXx! :D
