No ceiling
Disclaimer: not mine.
About the story: 'No ceiling' takes place during season 3, after "One against an army" and before "Forget me not", and includes too mentions of episodes "The Price", "The debt II" and events revealed during the "Sin trade" episodes.
Credits and thanks: Livejournal user turynn, who bid for me to write a Xena story during the Queensland Flood Multifandom Auction. I'd like to thank her for her prompts and her patience in letting me time enough to make this story worth a read (I hope!). Thanks, girl!
Also, very very special thanks to LJ's staringiscaring, for she was the other bidder who helped raise money for a good cause.
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Prologue
Ares stormed out of Zeus' chamber in high dudgeon, nostrils flaring when he saw Artemis casually leaning on one of the columns that supported the Great Hall.
"You look aggravated, brother," she said quirking her lips into a bemused smile that the goddess knew would only worsen her brother's bad mood. "Dad causing you trouble?," she drawled.
Jaws tightened and fists clenched, Ares kept walking towards Artemis casting a quick glance at the door he'd just left behind, remembering their father disapproved of quarrels under his roof. Once he reached his sister's side he grabbed her arm and, without uttering a single word, he stormed them both out of there and into his lair.
Having predicted her brother's move, Artemis needed no effort to hide surprise, limiting herself to keep smiling. "Grumpy today, aren't we?"
Snarling, Ares threw Artemis on his throne, trying, without success, to ignore the goddess' mocking laughter. "Are you stupid, going to Zeus for this?"
Artemis held her side trying to control her laughter and then propped herself up, sitting on the back of the iron ceremonial chair Ares had ordered built as a symbol of his godhood and status in Olympus, something the goddess of the amazons, of a more spartan nature, had always found pompous and unnecessary. "You're just furious because your little Warrior Princess who-will-never-be-your-pet was stained in the process, Ares." Then, in a swift move, she jumped and stood right in front of her brother, trying hard to control himself. A pity for her, considering she had woken up a little stiff and her body was claiming some workout. But if she pulled just the right strings… Hmmmm…"It is not a secret Xena's your Achilles' heel."
A snarl.
Touché.
Ares grabbed Artemis by the neck and crushed her against the nearest wall, keeping the grip as he spoke between gritted teeth. "You are a fool, Artemis," replied Ares ignoring his sister's continuous invitations to fight. "Even if you're one of Dad's favorites, you think he will protect your chosen?"
Artemis' answer, however, was not what he had expected. The goddess was silent for a few seconds and then let a smirk shape her lips. "Who says I want to?" Ares' eyes grew rounder with surprise, then squinted in suspicion. Artemis didn't let go of the smirk.
"Your amazons are quite fond of that irritating blonde," said Ares, "and believe me when I say I am not guessing," he warned.
Gritting her teeth, Artemis grabbed Ares' wrist with a strong hold,forcing her brother to open his hand and release her. "The amazons will bow to my will," she said very close to Ares' face before walking past him to the center of the room, where she stopped, giving her back to him. "And if my will is to smother their actual queen–"
"Then so be it and they'll go on with their lives as happy as worms?," he said cutting Artemis' speech short and staring at her right into the eye when she turned her head and glared at him. "Leaders are not placed on their pedestals by their gods, Artemis, not even our chosen ones. They rise themselves, then build us our shrines to legitimate their glory, and thus we exist."
"We all know you're a fool, Ares. But humble to such ridiculous height?"
Ares straightened and his voice sounded stronger when he spoke. "If we didn't have worshippers there would be no temples. Another god rises as we speak, and your worries lie in killing two mortals who carry our banner. You're as blind as Dad."
"Xena carries no banner, Ares," she replied. "Especially not yours." She made a pause and smirked, in anticipation of her following dart towards the god of war. "And slaying her and her girlfriend–"
"Will bring nothing but trouble." Ares shook his head in disbelief and turned, snorting in disgust. "Way to go to keep your follower's count up, sis," he insisted.
"I reminded our father of the dangers we should be focusing on, including that Dahak you keep talking about–"
"Making sure Zeus didn't give it further consideration!," he snarled.
"And you keep talking of mortals on which your boredom depends. Who's the selfish one here?," she asked defiant.
"Everyone in Olympus knows combing my goatee's more important than Zeus' plots, so what?"
"So instead of seething, you should be thanking me for having taken a step towards wiping out that menace."
"By telling him all you had to do was killing two mortals?" He clapped twice. "Way to go, sister."
"You're a blinded fool, Ares."
Ares ignored her insult and focused on proving his point. "And tell me, how are you going to kill them?"
Artemis stood in silence for a few moments, as if considering her answer. Only as if. "Do not worry, brother. Wheels are already set in motion, I only informed Zeus, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."
Ares straightened slightly. Had Zeus lied to him and the whole speech had been a charade to buy Artemis time to do whatever she had planned to?
"Get ready to say goodbye to your precious warrior, Ares. This is not going to end nicely. For either of them."
Damn.
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