1Ares sat in the hall of war staring at a mirror.

The ground came hard and fast. Ares rolled in an attempt to break the fall, but th man came down on top of him. He packed his legs out, but couldn't heave the man's weight off h is body. When he felt the cold tip of a sword at his neck he froze.

"You could have let us have our fun nicely, but no, you had to go play hero." The men standing above him jeered.

"You were trying to rape my wife how could I just stand by and watch?"

"It doesn't matter now does it? The people you sent into the mountains? We caught and killed them. Your wife is dead."

"No!"

"See how much trouble fighting back gets you into?" Ares could feel hot tears running down his face. Hate boiled in him. The man above him continued to talk.

"The brat in her died too. She was a fat cow by now, but my men said she had a tight cunt before she went out. And that little brat she was with. Oh your wife begged to suck our cocks to save the brat. But such pretty black hair couldn't go to waste. She was a hell of a fuck too. Virgin, yum."

"She was seven you monster!" Ares spat. The man kicked him in the side. Maybe we should fuck you too, just to make it a family affair. The man ripped Ares's shirt off and flipped him onto his stomach.

"Bastard! You bastard cunt from Tartarus, you will die just as much a woman as you are today. Can't get fucks from anyone, but pregnant women and children. It's sad."

The man screamed in rage and thrust the sword into Ares's side. Ares cried out in white hot agony.

"I was gonna slit your throat, but now I'm gonna let you bleed out slowly and painfully. Enjoy your last minutes on earth." The man kicked him again and them left with his band of followers. Ares felt more tears rush forward. This time from the helplessness of it all. Delilah and Myr were dead already. Raped and dead. And he was lying face down in the dirt bleeding to death and there was nothing he could do about it.

Then he felt a presence at his back. He closed his eyes and prayed to whomever was out there that someone would help him. That he could at least live long enough to give his family a proper burial.

"You know praying is a little silly when I'm standing right behind you." Ares turned his head towards the voice. Aphrodite was crouched daintily at his side. Ares you're going to die."

"I know." His voice was strangled. He tried to turn over, but couldn't. He hit his fist against the ground and screamed. "Tartarus Dite, why are you here?"

"Ares." she said quietly. "I have ambrosia left. I can save you."

"You mean turn me back into a god."

"Why not? What do you have left. A few moments as a mortal alone and afraid? Come back to me. I miss you brother." Ares sighed. She was right. He didn't have anything to live for left.

"You're right." He didn't have the energy left to argue. Everything that mattered to him was dead. What good would staying human be? Aphrodite cradled her brother's head in her lap and raised a small vial to his lips. The vial glowed bright orange. Ares drank the contents of the vial in one gulp. All of a sudden he was enveloped in a bright blue light. When The light receded he was standing strong, completely healed and new, with statuesque beauty only the gods possessed. Aphrodite hugged him to her.

"Thank you. I really need the company. I hope you don't mind that I redecorated a little." Ares rolled his eyes. He tried to be flip, but he could still feel the human emotions coursing through his veins. He vanished.

Ares reappeared in the halls of war. With a swipe of his hand all of Aphrodite's redecorating was erased and the halls were back to their original black.

Ares threw the mirror at the wall.

"Damnit!" He cried. His voice was rough from lack of use. He drew the mirror back and forced himself to change to scene.

He vaguely passed over wars, stopping every once in a while to make sure everything was going according to plan. He had been leaving things much more up to his generals lately.

The mirror flashed over a particularly gruesome battle by Athens, and he grinned, as he watched the bloodshed. He could feel the rush of power in his veins, and he reveled in it.

Suddenly he felt a tugging in the back of his mind. Xena. She had said his name. She couldn't have known he was a god. Ares, changed to mirror to show her. He was taken aback to find that she was standing in front of gallows. Ares felt a brief shot of sadness run through him at the thought.

But she couldn't know he was a god, which meant she was calling to him as a mortal. That she just wanted him. He looked into the mirror again.

He saw his wife raped and murdered in front of his eyes. He saw Myr being killed. He saw himself beaten down, and left for dead. He groaned, and placed his head in his hands.

"Why?" He moaned. He slumped back onto his throne.

"Hey bro, you know, warrior chick is about to get hung." Ares's head snapped up.

"I know Aphrodite. I just don't care."

"She called for you. I heard her."

"I know Aphrodite. Xena, she's not my business anymore." Aphrodite raised an eyebrow.

"She's still your chosen. And she still loves you."

"No, she loves mortal me. No one loves this. And the best part is, this is the only way I can protect people worth a damn." Aphrodite walked over to her brother. She laid a hand on his shoulder.

"If this is the form in which you can protect people, why won't you protect them?" She jumped back to avoid a fireball.

"Because, it doesn't matter!" His voice boomed, bouncing off the walls of the hall of war.

"Ar you love her." Ares put his face in his hands.

"I can't."

"But you do. Save her Ar, don't let her die on your watch."

Ares looked up helplessly at his sister.

"Aphrodite, I can't."

Aphrodite smiled and rested touched her brother's cheek. "Yes, you can. She needs you to be able to Ar, she needs you."

"I can't go through that again. I thought nothing could hurt worse than what happened with Xena. But Myr, Aphrodite, I can't go through that again."

Aphrodite glared at her brother. "And you think if you let her die it won't hurt just a much? Because let me tel you something. The love you felt for Xena, was a hundred times stronger, and just because you were safe with Delilah and Myr, doesn't mean, it won't hurt like hell if you let Xena die."

When she finished she was breathing hard. Ares was just staring at her. And then he vanished.