Aries saw Xena everyday during those twenty-five years.
Aries saw Callisto everyday during those twenty-five years.
Whom he saw the most he couldn't tell.
Livia was forever changing, forever unreadable.
Xena, her spirit would come forth when Livia had her sword raised above her head. Ready to drive it into an innocent's body. Then she would stall, just for a moment, confliction would flash through her eyes. The rebellious spirit of Xena and Eve sending doubts into her mind, where she would consider showing mercy. Hating those moments proved to be harder than one would expect. He would remain invisible to her, although in those moments her sense of him watching became heightened. Just like her mother. Perhaps that was why Xena and Eve where pushed back and mercy was not shown, the blade crashing down into the innocents chest. Perhaps it was because she thought her god was watching her for weakness, curling his lips into disgust in those moments when Eve wished to break free. How very wrong she was. Ares did not appear to her before, during or after those moments. Retreating instead to his lair, or the ice cave to mourn. He would not return to Livia for days at a time. That only proved to spur Livia on, he would hear her war cry, hear her voice cry out "For Rome. For her god Ares." And he would wish himself into believing that was what he wanted.
Callisto, her spirit would come forth when one of Livia's men refused to kill an innocent. She would smile at them, flirt even. Stroke there ego's, applaud them for having the guts to stick up for themselves against her. It was a game she revelled in. Ares knew the game all too well, it was a game he had tutored her in, he would appear to her during those moments lingering in the shadows where he knew she could see him. It was hard to love those moments. A smile, a smile that could only have belonged to a being that had an essence of Callisto would appear on her features when she saw him. Revelling in the praise of her god in a blink of an eye she would drive a dagger into her pray. Again and again and again, cackling savagely. Ares always ignored the churning feeling in his stomach and plastered a smile on pride onto his face. As the dead or dying soldier lay on the dirt ground she would approach him. That Callisto smile still gracing her features, and she would present the dagger to him as if it where a trophy, "For Rome, for my god Ares." And he would again wish himself into believing that was what he wanted.
Livia was everything
She was Xena.
She was Callisto.
She was War.
She was Love.
She was Peace.
And Ares saw, and Ares loved, and Ares hated.