PART I: Changes
The
night was cool and crisp. The sky was
littered with stars and the leaves rustled in the wind. A small fire burned in the forest;
flickering with colors of red and yellow.
A
handsome man sat quietly by the fire, staring deep into the flames. He wore a black leather vest and pants; his
raven hair and beard neatly trimmed. A
glorious sword rested at his side, shinning in the light from the fire. The fires reflection danced in his soft
brown eyes.
But
this was no ordinary man. This man was
once the great and powerful God of War whose very name struck fear into the
hearts of thousands. The name Ares rang
throughout Greece as the heart and soul of evil. He was a cruel, ruthless, and cunning god. No one, god or mortal, dared to challenge
him to a fight, knowing that he would surly win.
But
those days were long gone now. The
great Ares is now mortal because of love; something a war god should never
feel. His love for a certain woman, a
mortal, inspired him to change his ways and to save the two most important
people in her life from certain death.
Her
name was Xena, an extraordinary warrior who was unmatched by any other except
Ares himself. She had long raven hair
and piercing blue eyes that seemed to have the power to see right through a
person.
It
was because of this woman that Ares found in himself the power to do a good
deed. Ares had a choice: to either let
Xena's daughter, Eve and her best friend, Gabrielle die and ensure the reign of
the Olympians or to save them and become a mortal for the rest of his life.
Ares
choose mortality in the hopes that by saving Gabrielle and Eve he would get
another chance with Xena and prove to her that he's truly changed from his old,
cruel ways. But his efforts had failed,
for when Gabrielle and Eve's lives were restored, Xena just thanked him and
went on her way, leaving him without even a backward glance.
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That
was then and this is now. Ares just sat
by the fire with his head in his hands, thinking about Xena and his new life as
a mortal. He wondered if giving up his
immortality was the right thing to do.
Was he going to make it as a mortal?
Would he ever be able to win Xena's love or at least win her respect and
trust? Those questions never left his
mind.
Ares
knew that his life would never be the same as it had been. He's become a mortal only twice before and
they had been the most freighting times of his life. Mortality is so uncertain and unpredictable. As a god he never felt pain, he never could
grow old and die, and he could go anywhere he wanted in a matter of seconds.
Now,
everything was different. He now had to
be careful about getting injured during a battle and he had to walk everywhere
– the worst burden of all.
His
whole life had changed, most of it not completely for the better. But even though his physical life had
changed, there was one thing that hadn't changed – his love for Xena. Becoming mortal only made that love
stronger. He had felt what it was like
to do a good deed; it made him feel better about himself. Saving Eve and Gabrielle allowed him to feel
things he'd never felt before like compassion and kindness.
Those
feelings made him realize the depth and pure truth of his love for Xena. Ares longed to be with Xena more than
anything but he knew that if he were ever going to win her love, it would have
to be on her terms. He would have to
wait for her to come to him.
Ares
was so deep in thought that he didn't even see the bright flash of yellow light
next to him. Aphrodite had appeared and
she walked up to Ares, gently tapping his shoulder. He looked up to see the Goddess of Love before him.
"How's
it going, Bro?" Aphrodite asked in an
unusually lethargic voice.
Ares
sighed. "Mortality is harder than I
ever expected it to be."
Aphrodite
sat down next to her brother and put her arm around him.
"I really
wish there was something I could do for you.
I'm sorry you had to give up your immortality for them but I'm glad you
did."
"You
mean you're not angry with me for saving the one who would bring about the gods
end?"
"No…I'm
not. I knew as much as you did that no
matter what we did, our end would one day come."
"Thanks,
sis." Ares smiled at her who smiled
back.
Ares
turned to look again at the fire and sighed.
Aphrodite, being the Goddess of Love, could feel his longing for Xena
and the pain that he felt without her.
"You
really love her, don't you?
Ares
nodded. "I wish she could see how I've
changed and see past who I used to be."
"Maybe
if you speak from your heart and tell her how you feel, she'd understand. You can't just sit back and wait for her to
come to you because she may never. Find
her, Ares and prove to her that you're different now."
"I
already tried that and look where it got me."
"Once
isn't always enough. You should try
again. Trust me. There's always a chance that she won't love
you back, but it can't hurt to try."
Aphrodite
stood up and walked to the other side of the fire. Ares looked at her.
"You're
right. What harm is it to try?" He smiled.
Aphrodite
smiled. "See you later, Bro. If you need anything, just ask."
Aphrodite
snapped her fingers and she was gone in a yellow flash. Ares was once again alone. But new thoughts now ran through his
mind. He couldn't wait to head out in
the morning and find Xena.
As he
walked over to a patch of moss that would serve as his bed for the night, he
heard a faint rustling in the forest.
He looked around with wide eyes, slowly drawing his sword from its
scabbard.
He
held it with both hands, pointing it in front of him as he surveyed his
surroundings. Near the edge of the
forest by a small lake, he heard the rustling again, this time much
louder. Ares cautiously walked over to
the spot where the sound had come from and when he did, a tall warlord-looking
man stepped out from behind a tree.
His
sword was pointed directly at Ares and he didn't look at all happy. He wore fine armor; he was obviously a
general.
The
man walked toward Ares, who intern stepped back. Ares stood his ground, ready for any move this man made. The man raised his fingers to his lips and
whistled. Suddenly half a dozen or so
warriors came from the forest depths, circling Ares.
The
general stepped forward and began to speak.
"Look,
men. It's Ares, the great God of
War." He laughed mockingly.
All
the warriors began to laugh until their leader silenced them.
"Apollo
has sent us to destroy the one who saved the godless child and that's what we
intend to do, right boys?"
"Yeah!!" They all replied.
They
charged Ares with all their strength.
He had nowhere to go so he was forced to stand and fight. They came at him in a rage, swinging their
swords in all directions. Even as a
mortal, Ares' fighting skills were superior.
He swung left and right, killing them one-by-one. One man fled when he realized that Ares was
too powerful. The commander shouted for
him to come back but he was long gone by then.
Ares
had killed all of his attackers, leaving him alone with the general.
"You
should have chosen better fighters."
Ares mocked.
"Well,
now it's just you and me. And believe
me, I'm good!"
They
fought in a vigorous one-on-one battle, neither of them willing to accept
defeat. The leader thrust his sword
towards Ares but Ares stopped it, pushing him backwards. He fell to the ground and before he had time
to stand, Ares was above him, his sword pointed at the man's neck.
"I
thought you said you were good."
"I am."
With
that, the general stabbed Ares just below his rib cage. Ares stepped back in agony and as the
general stood, Ares, for the first time felt fear, true heart pounding
fear. But he knew that he would not be
taken that easily. With all his
strength, he swung at the general, knocking the sword from his hands. Seeing an opening, Ares rammed his sword into
the man's chest.
"No
one makes a fool of Ares. God or no
god, I'm still war!" Ares growled as
the man fell to the ground.
Exhausted
from the strenuous fight, Ares weakly stepped backwards, dropping his sword to
the ground. The pain from his wound was
horrendous. He'd never felt anything
like it in his whole life. It was a pretty
deep wound, bleeding like none he'd ever seen.
He new he had to get it treated before it got worse but it was too late
at night to go to a village for treatment.
He would have to stay in the forest until dawn.
Ares
slowly lay down on his moss bed, groaning from the pain of his wound. He closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.
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Ares'
night was the most uncomfortable he had ever had. He didn't get much sleep because he was in so much pain from his
wound. He had broke out in a cold sweat
and he felt like he could die. The
ground wasn't very comfortable either; rocks and twigs made his back and neck
stiff.
When
the sun rose, he awoke to the sound of a fight. He tried to stand, but couldn't.
His wound had become quite infected and it hurt to move. Ares sat up and looked into the forest. The sound of swords clashing sent shivers
down his spine. He loved the thrill of
war even as a mortal. He drew his
sword, in case the fight came his way, even though he knew that he was
incapable of fighting because of his wound.
But then he heard the sound of a familiar war cry.
The
fighting soon stopped and everything became silent. As Ares tried to stand again, a tall, beautiful woman stepped
into the clearing. Ares fell back; his
wound was unbearable.
He
just looked at the woman before him.
"X-Xena?"
Xena
stood there, looking at him with little expression on her face. They stared at each other, neither of them
knowing what to do. Finally, Ares
stood, determined not to show the discomfort he was in and decided to break the
uncomfortable silence.
"What
are you doing here?"
Xena
walked over to him and enfolded him in a caring hug. Ares was surprised by her actions having never seen her so…so kind
towards him.
"What
was that for?" Ares asked, surprised.
"I
um…I wanted to thank you properly for saving Eve and Gabrielle. I know I shouldn't have walked out on you
like that." Ares smiled at Xena. She smiled back and then she saw the large
wound under his vest. "Oh, what
happened?" Xena gasped, moving his vest
to the side so she could see his wound more clearly.
"It's
nothing." Ares replied, moving her arm
away.
"Ares,
I'm not going to bit and that wound isn't nothing. Really, what happened?"
Ares
sighed, not liking to show how helpless he was.
"Last
night I was attached by a band of warriors sent by Apollo."
"Really? Because that's who I was fighting this
morning. The warriors name was…Malus
and he said that Apollo would stop at nothing to destroy you."
"Malus? Ares sighed. "I can't believe it.
Apollo is turning my best warriors against me."
Xena
suddenly looked frightened.
"Wait. Did you say Apollo?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Apollo
equips his warriors with poisoned swords.
Ares, your wound is poisoned and if we don't get treatment soon,
you'll…die."
Ares
once again felt the feeling of fear within his gut. "Xena, what are we going to do?"
"Well,
we need to find a Mandrake tree; its sap is the only cure. But until then, I need to make a poultice to
slow the flow of poison. Once it comes
into contact with your heart, you'll die."
Xena
looked at the wound.
"Although,
the poison doesn't seem to be moving through your system very fast. Most mortals would be dead if they had a
wound full of poison and didn't do anything about it for a whole night. Maybe since you were a god, it just takes
longer for the poison to settle into your blood stream. You're very lucky, Ares."
Ares
just faintly smiled at her, a little unsure about what was going to happen to
him.
Xena
whistled and Argo II came galloping in.
Xena walked over to her horse and retrieved a piece of cloth and a vial
of antiseptic from the saddlebag. She
walked back to Ares.
"Take
off your vest." He did so as Xena
poured some of the antiseptic on the cloth.
"This should slow the poison down enough to allow us time to get the
antidote."
Xena
bandaged Ares' wound. As she did so,
Ares closed his eyes, realizing for the first time how gentle she was capable
of being. Her soft touch seemed to make
his pain just disappear.
Ares
smiled. "Xena…your touch is
surprisingly gentle for someone who fights all the time."
Xena
just chuckled. She could sense that he
was different somehow. She couldn't
believe the change he'd made. When his
wound was bandaged, Ares put his vest back on and looked around.
"By
the way, where's Eve and Gabrielle?"
"Eve's
decided to journey off on her own to teach Eli's message and Gabrielle went to
visit her family in Potidaea. Now we'd
better be on our way so we can find that tree.
That poultice will only slow down the poison for a while. If we don't get the antidote by sundown,
you'll die."
Ares
stared deep into her eyes.
"Xena…thank
you."
"What
for?"
"For
not leaving me to die. I've done some
awful things to you in the past and I would have thought that you would just
let the ex-God of War die."
Xena
walked closer to him and placed a hand on his face.
"I
could never do that. I owe you, Ares,
for what you did for Gabrielle and Eve.
I'm very grateful for that and besides, even after all the things you've
done to me, I've always felt something between us that would never allow me to
just let you die."
What
happened next, surprised Ares, to say the least. Xena leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek. Ares didn't know how to respond and when
Xena looked at him, she couldn't believe what she had done. Was she actually falling for Ares? No that couldn't be, could it? She tried to block those thoughts from her
mind and walked away from Ares.
"Let's
go." She told him.
Xena
walked over to her horse and mounted.
She extended her hand to Ares and gestured for him to come over. Ares walked over to Xena and she helped him
up, being careful not to hurt him.
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The
ride was a quiet one. Ares wasn't
feeling his best because of the poison in his system and Xena was trying to
sort out her feelings for Ares.
"Xena,
do you even know where to find the Mandrake tree?"
"There's
one found in what used to be Artemis' sacred forest, a few hours from
here. Unless something drastic happens,
we'll be there in time."
"Well,
do you think we have time to stop for lunch?
I'm never going to get used to this hunger thing."
"Sure." Xena chuckled, heading for the nearest lake.
Xena
dismounted and helped Ares off. Ares
was a little weak and so when he dismounted, he practically fell into Xena's
arms. "I uh…didn't think I'd be in your
arms so soon."
"Don't
get any ideas." She replied, helping
Ares to his feet.
Xena
started a fire and then went over to the lake to catch some fish. Ares sat at the camp waiting for Xena to
return when Aphrodite appeared next to him.
"How's
it going?"
"Oh,
just fine. I've only been a mortal for
a day now and already I have a life-threatening wound. How do you think it's going?" Ares replied, sarcastically.
"I'm
sorry, Bro. If I could heal you I would
but I can't. Are you worried about
dying?"
"You
know what? I was at first but I'm not
anymore. I know that Xena won't let
that happen. I trust her and I believe
that she's finally starting to come around."
"So,
I guess in a way, mortality isn't so bad."
"If
it means that I'll eventually be with the one I love, then I would gladly stay
this way forever."
"Well,
I hope it works out. I'd hate to see
you heart broken."
Aphrodite
stood up, waved goodbye to Ares and then disappeared. Ares sighed and looked over at Xena. She was bending over in the lake with her hands in the water,
feeling around for the fish she planed to catch. Ares couldn't believe how beautiful she was; her long black hair
swept across her shoulders with such grace.
She was graceful in everything she did, even something as simple as
catching fish.
Ares
watched her until she stood with two fish in her hands and turned to see Ares
staring at her. When he realized that
she'd seen him staring, he quickly looked away, somewhat embarrassed. Xena smiled and walked over to him.
"I
didn't think that I was that exciting to watch."
"Xena,
I–"
"It's
okay. Just forget about it." Xena calmly replied, sitting down on a rock
across from Ares.
She
grabbed a knife and started to prepare the fish for cooking. She took two plates from the saddlebag and
then cooked the fish.
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While
they ate, there wasn't much talk between them.
When they had finished, Xena took their plates and washed them in the
lake. She placed them in Argo II's
saddlebag and retrieved some clean bandages and the vial of antiseptic. Xena walked back to Ares, sitting beside
him.
"Let
me check your wound."
Ares
removed his vest and Xena took off the old bandage. When she did, her face began to change from its calm expression
to a worried one.
"What
is it, Xena?"
"I've
underestimated the amount of poison in your system. See that red line? The
poisons moving through your blood faster than I thought it would. When the red line reaches your heart,
there's no more hope for you."
The
red line of poison was already half way to his heart. He didn't have much time.
Xena re-bandaged the wound hoping that it would help.
"Hopefully,
this poultice will slow down the poison some more. If not, we only have about two hours until it reaches your
heart."
Xena
looked at Ares and she could see that he was getting weaker. Sweat was beginning to form on his face and
his pupils were dilated. Xena felt his
forehead.
"You're
burning up. Come on, we've got to get
moving. We don't have much time." Xena pulled him to his feet and helped him
onto Argo II. "Hyah!!" She told Argo II, galloping off into the
forest.
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They
finally slowed to a trot.
"Xena…if
I don't live through this, there's something I want to tell you." Ares said, weakly.
"Yeah."
He
cleared his throat. "I wanted to
apologize for all the hurtful and cruel things I've done to you in the
past. I know I was wrong for treating
you that way and I wanted to say that I'm sorry."
"Ares…"
"Xena,
I'm not finished. There was something
else I wanted to tell you. No matter
what happens, I will always love you.
I've loved you from the first time I saw you and no matter how you feel
towards me, my feelings for you will never change."
Xena
felt tears begin to well up in her eyes.
She had never heard Ares so sincere in all her life.
Xena
sniffed. "Ares, I forgive you for the
pain you once caused me. I see now that
you truly have changed. Your different
now and…I never thought I would see a change in you in all my life."
Ares
didn't reply. Xena looked back to see
Ares barely awake.
"Ares? Ares?"
Xena shook his shoulder.
"I'm
still here." He replied.
Xena
started Argo II faster. She knew she
didn't have much time left.
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The
Mandrake tree finally came into view.
Xena stopped her horse and gently shook Ares. "Stay awake, Ares. I'll
be right back with the antidote."
Xena
left Ares atop her horse while she dismounted and walked toward the tree. But as she did so, a bright flash of blue
light suddenly stopped her. A young man
with blond hair dressed in a golden vest and white pants stepped forward; an
evil grin showing on his face.
"I
can't let you come near this tree, Xena."
"Apollo. Why am I not surprised? You tried to kill my daughter long ago and
now you're after your poor mortal brother.
But have you forgotten I have the power to kill gods? So you'd better back off unless you'd prefer
to have my chakram sticking out of your chest.
Your choice."
Xena
held her sword with one had and her chakram with the other.
Apollo
growled. "Xena, you killed my sister, Artemis and it's because of Ares that you even have the power to kill
gods. Eve would be dead if it weren't
for my annoying half brother that I never liked anyway. So I have a good reason to kill him, despite what you may think."
With
that, Apollo threw a ball of fire at Xena, who flipped out of the way. She charged Apollo with all her force as a
sword materialized in his hand. They
fought in a one on one battle until Xena was knocked to the ground.
Apollo
stood above Xena and looked down at her.
"So who's the killer now, hmm?"
He mocked.
Seeing
an opening, Xena threw her chakram at Apollo but it missed and ricocheted off
of a tree behind him.
Apollo
laughed. "I think you should learn how
to aim."
"And
I think you should learn how to think
before you speak."
Just
then, the chakram came flying out of nowhere and rammed right into Apollo's
side. With startled eyes, Apollo fell
to the ground.
Xena
stood up and hurried over to the Mandrake tree. She gathered some of the sap and rushed over to Ares. She took him off the horse and laid him on
the ground.
"Ares…" Xena said, shaking him. "Ares…!"
She shook him again, this time with more force. "Come on, Ares. You're not gone. I know
you're not. Wake up!"
She
hit his chest once with her fist and he awoke.
Xena mixed the sap with water and gave it to Ares. She lifted his head and tilted it toward his
mouth.
"Here,
drink this." She coaxed.
Slowly,
Ares swallowed it and looked at Xena.
He took her hand in his and softly kissed it.
"Thanks…for
everything."
"Anytime." She smiled, hugging him.
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Ares
soon returned to his normal self. Xena
was brushing her horse when Ares walked up behind her.
"Where
are you going now?" He asked.
"Gabrielle
is waiting for me in Potidaea. I'm
going to join her."
"When
are you leaving?"
"Later
today. I'd like to get there by sundown
if possible. With Apollo dead, you have
nothing more to worry about."
"Oh." Ares replied, sadly.
Xena
turned to look at Ares behind her.
"Why…why don't you travel with me for a while. After all, you are a mortal now and there is still much you need
to know about mortality."
"You
sure that's all right?"
"Yeah." Xena paused, thinking of what to say and
then sighed. "Ares…I've seen changes in
you that I never thought possible from the God of War. But I can't help wondering what would make
you change your ways."
Ares
sighed, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. "When I finally realized that my end could
not be avoided, I saw in myself something I'd never seen before. I saw a light that glowed with all its
radiance and at the source I found you.
My love for you had allowed me to feel things I'd never felt before;
like compassion and kindness. It was
you who inspired the change in me and it will be you that will continue to
shine in my heart even after death. You
were my redeemer."
A
single tear fell from Xena's cheek. She
rested her hand on his, their fingers locking together. They stared deep into each other's eyes.
"Ares…I
love you."
Xena
leaned in and tenderly pressed her lips to his. Ares joined in and deepened the kiss into one full of passion. Xena began to feel something in her heart
that she'd never felt before--a burning desire to be with Ares; the same
feelings he had for her. They slowly
fell to the forest floor, never breaking their passionate embrace.
PART II: Testing Love
Xena
and Ares' relationship had really taken off.
On their way to Potidaea, they couldn't help staring at each other. Xena led her horse while Ares walked by her
side.
"Xena,
how do you think Gabrielle will feel about our new relationship?"
"I'm
not sure but if she dislikes the thought of us being together, I will just have
to show her that our feelings are real."
"I
hope she will understand. I'd hate to
come between you after all you two have been through together."
"Ares,
that could never happen. Nothing could
destroy my special relationship I have with Gabrielle…"
Xena
put a hand on Ares' shoulder.
"…not
even you."
Xena
stopped walking and kissed Ares softly on the lips. Ares began to deepen the kiss but they were interrupted by the
sound of a twig breaking in the forest.
Xena released herself from Ares and pulled out her sword. She walked over to a bush where the sound
had come from. Ares watched her as he
too removed his sword from its scabbard.
Xena
pointed her sword toward the bush.
"You'd better come out unless you want a taste of my sword." She demanded.
"Is
that any way to talk to an old friend?"
Xena
looked a little confused and watched as a tall, well-muscled man stepped out
into the clearing.
"Hercules!" Xena exclaimed, embracing him in a friendly
hug. "It's good to see you again."
"You
too, Xena. You haven't aged one bit"
"Oh
that. It's a long story."
Ares
just watched them. He knew how Hercules
felt about him. The things he'd done to
Hercules had been worse than the things he had done to Xena.
"What
are you doing here?' Xena asked.
"Well,
I was just passing through."
Hercules
grinned at Xena until he saw the image of Ares behind her. Hercules walked passed Xena and looked at
Ares with angry eyes.
"What
are you doing here?"
"I-"
"He's
here because of what he did for me."
"What
he's done for you?! Xena, he's tricking
you into joining him again, can't you see that?"
"Hercules-"
Ares
laid a hand on Xena's shoulder. "It's
okay, Xena. He's angry with me so let
me talk to him." Ares walked up to
Hercules. "Hercules, I know you're
angry at me for the things I've done.
But believe me when I say that I'm sorry for all of that."
"Sorry?! You should be sorry! Its because of you
that Serena, my wife, is no longer with me and that is something I can never forgive."
"The Ares you're talking about no longer exists. Things have changed since then." Ares said, trying to convince him.
"What
things?" Hercules asked.
"Like
his heart." Xena replied, walking
closer to Hercules. "He's learned to
feel compassion, kindness, and something that I never thought he could--that
love is the most powerful than anything.
He gave up his immortality to save Eve and Gabrielle because he had
learned that the power of love. A power
so strong that he still holds in his heart to this day."
"Love? For what?"
Ares
cleared his throat. "For Xena. I love Xena with all my heart. I've loved her from the first moment I laid
eyes on her and I couldn't imagine spending a day without her."
Hercules
just looked at Ares, somewhat skeptical.
"Hercules,
please just give him a chance. I know
he's hurt you in ways that can never be forgiven but in the past, he's hurt me
too. There comes a time when you just
have to forgive and forget…and that time is now."
"Xena." Hercules replied.
"Please,
Hercules. I love him and if you care
about me, then just give him a chance.
That's all I ask."
"All
right, Xena. If you can give him a
chance than I guess I can too."
Hercules looked at Ares. "But
this doesn't mean that I trust you. I'm
still going to keep an eye on you. You
may be mortal, Ares but you're still war."
"Thank
you." Xena replied.
She
walked back to her horse and grabbed the reins.
"Xena,
where are you going?" Hercules asked.
"I'm
going to meet Gabrielle in Potidaea.
You can join me if you want."
"I'd
love to. I haven't seen Gabrielle in
years."
"Good,
then lets get moving. Potidaea is still
a ways away and it'll be dark soon."
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They
arrived in Potidaea just as the sun was setting over the horizon. It had begun to rain so Xena took her horse
to a stable for the night and then the three of them went to Gabrielle's
house. Xena knocked on the door. Gabrielle opened it.
"Xena. Hercules.
What a surprise. Come in."
Xena
and Hercules stepped in out of the rain, Ares behind them. When Gabrielle saw him, she stopped Xena.
"Xena,
what is he doing here?" She asked quietly.
"Gabrielle,
I'll talk to you about it later. Just
go with it for now."
"Fine." Gabrielle replied, unsure.
They
walked into the kitchen. Gabrielle's
mother, Hecuba, her father, Herodotus, and her sister, Lila, greeted them.
"Mom. Dad.
These are my friends Hercules and…Ares."
"You're
Hercules!" Lila exclaimed. "I've always wanted to meet you."
Lila
walked over to shake is hand and then looked at Ares.
"Wait
a minute. Isn't Ares the…God of War?"
"Yes
he is but this is not the god. He just…has
the same name." Gabrielle replied,
lying through her teeth.
"Why
don't you stay for dinner? We do have a
few extra rooms if you'd like to stay for the night. I would hate to have you stay outside in the rain." Hecuba said.
"That
would be great. I haven't had a home
cooked meal in eons!" Xena replied.
Gabrielle
and her mother went to get dinner as the others sat down at the table.
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That
night at dinner, the room was filled with joy. Everyone was having a good time, even Xena and Ares. After they stuffed themselves fuller that
they had ever been in a long time, Xena was tired and decided to go to bed. Gabrielle led Hercules, Ares, and Xena to
their rooms for the night. Ares and Hercules
went to their rooms while Gabrielle followed Xena to her room.
"Xena,
before you go to bed I want to talk about Ares."
They
walked into the room and closed the door.
"I
already had a talk with Hercules about him, I don't need to hear it from you too."
"No,
that's not it, Xena. I know now that he
is here because he saved the lives of Eve and I. I thank him for that but I'm still not sure if we I can
completely trust him."
"He's
changed, Gabrielle. He truly has. He loves me and I-I love him."
"You
love him? Xena…"
"Gabrielle…I
do and I'd like it if you gave him half a chance."
Gabrielle
took a deep breath. "I don't know if I
trust him but I trust you and if you can give him a chance then I will too."
"Thanks,
Gabrielle. Now if you don't mind, I'd
like to go to bed now."
Gabrielle
smiled at her friend. "Sure. Good night, Xena."
"Good
night."
Gabrielle
left the room and closed the door behind her.
Xena
looked around the room. There was a
large bed in the corner of the room and across from it was a dresser. She took off her armor and her weapons and
placed them next to the bed, leaving only her leather undergarment on.
There
was a window at the far side of the room.
Xena walked over to it and looked out.
The rain was coming down, much harder now. She rested her chin on her hand, staring deep into the rain. The storm brought back a flood of
memories. The last time she had seen it
rain was the night when Ares had said that he loved her. Even though she wouldn't admit it at the
time, it was the most wonderful time of her life. For the first time, Ares had opened his heart to her. She would never forget that night in the
storm.
As
she stared into the rain, reliving her memories, she heard a knock on the door.
"Come
in." She said, never leaving the
window.
The
door opened and Ares walked in. He
walked up behind her and began to gently massage her shoulders.
"What
are you looking at?"
Xena
sighed. "Nothing. I was just remembering the last time it
rained. It was the night you first told
me that you loved me, remember?"
"I'll
never forget that moment. I had said
that I loved you before but it was the first time that I actually told you how
I felt."
Xena
turned around to face him. "You're
wrong, Ares. Yes, it was the first time
you said the words 'I love you' but you've been saying you love me all
along. It was the most noticeable after
Eve was born; I saw it in your voice and in your actions. Ares, you've been telling me that you love
me from the very start."
"Then
why wouldn't you admit that you felt the same way I did?" Ares asked, gently caressing her fingers
with his own.
"For
the same reason you couldn't say that you loved me--because of pride. I didn't want to admit that I could ever
fall for war. I knew that you had
strong feelings for me but I wasn't sure if that meant that you truly loved me
or that you only desired me as a warrior."
"Xena,
I'm sorry if I made you think that I was just trying to get you back. And you're right. It was because of pride that I couldn't open up to you."
Xena
wrapped her arms around his neck. "I
love you, Ares."
He
kissed her on the cheek. "I love you
too, Xena. Very much."
Xena
walked over to the bed, sitting down.
Ares took off his vest and sat next to her. They pressed their lips together and engaged in passionate
love. There was a fire burning within
their hearts. Ares lay on his back and
Xena moved on top of him, never breaking their embrace.
Ares
began to kiss her neck, caressing her body with is hands. Xena lifted his head and kissed him once
more.
After
what seemed like hours they went to sleep, still in each other's arms.
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In
the morning, they woke up to the sound of a bird chirping outside the
window. Xena slowly opened her eyes and
realized that she was still with Ares.
She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Ares opened his eyes and found Xena staring back at him.
"Good
morning, Ares."
Ares
yawned. "Good morning, my love."
He
kissed her and then sat up on the bed, Xena next to him. She stood and stretched and then put her
armor on. Ares put his vest back on and
placed his sword at his side. Xena
grabbed her sword and chakram and then together they went downstairs for
breakfast.
When
they came into the kitchen, Gabrielle and Hercules were already at the table.
"Good
morning, Xena." Hercules said.
Xena
and Ares sat down and started to eat their breakfast of fruits.
Ares
chuckled. "You know, if there's one
thing that I enjoy about being mortal it's the food. I mean compared to ambrosia, which is always sweet, mortal food
has a variety of tastes."
They
all began to laugh. Xena looked at
Gabrielle. "Where's your family?"
"My
father has gone to work in the fields, my mother's gone to the market and my
sister has gone back to her family, she's married now and has own daughter;
Sarah."
"Do
you mind if we stay with you for a while?"
Xena asked Gabrielle.
"No,
no, that's perfectly all right."
Gabrielle replied.
"Oh,
I can't stay. Iolaus is waiting for me
in Corinth and I promised to meet him there.
There's a peace treaty that they are going to sign and you know I have
to be there to make sure no wars break out or anything." He chuckled at the last part.
"That's
fine." Xena said.
Hercules
got up from the table. "It's been good
to see you again. Be safe."
"You
too. Bye." Xena replied.
"Bye." Hercules said leaving the house.
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After
breakfast, Xena went out to the stables and took Argo II out. She saddled her and then mounted. Before she had a chance to go for a ride,
Gabrielle came running toward her.
"Xena,
there's a man here to see you about Eve."
Xena
dismounted and went back to the house.
When she entered, she found an old man in a rob.
"Are
you Xena?" He asked.
"Yes. Who are you?"
"I'm
a devoted follower of Eve's but something's happened to her."
Xena's
eyes widened. "What? What's happened?"
"She's
been captured by a slave trader named Anteious. He plans to sell Eve to his people back in Lemnos."
"Why
would he be after my daughter?"
"When
she was a warrior for Rome, she tried to conquer the island of Lemnos. He lost his family and his friends because
of her. Now he wants revenge and he's
been offered a large sum of money for Eve."
Xena
sighed. "Do you have any idea when she
was captured and when they would probably arrive in Lemnos?"
"I
heard from another group of her followers that she was captured a day ago. If they left for Lemnos right away, they
would probably arrive there in about two days."
"Thanks."
Ares
came downstairs and walked over to Xena.
Seeing the worried look on her face, he laid a calm hand on her
shoulder. "What's the matter, my dear?"
"Eve's
been captured by slave traders. I have
to rescue her and I don't have much time."
Xena
walked out of the house with Ares right behind her. Gabrielle came out moments later.
"We're
going to have to take a ship to Lemnos."
Xena told the two of them.
"Gabrielle, can Argo II stay here while we're away?"
"Sure. She'll be fine here. I'll leave a note telling my family where
I'm going and then we can go."
Gabrielle
went back into the house. When she came
out, they went to the nearest docks and set a trip to Lemnos.
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The
voyage to Lemnos lasted several days.
They arrived in Lemnos late in the afternoon. The three of them walked into the city.
"Do
you have any idea where to find this slave trader?" Gabrielle asked.
"No
idea, but I bet we'll be able to find someone around here who knows him."
Xena
walked over to a young man who was tending to his fruit stand. "Excuse me.
Have you ever heard a man named Anteious?"
"Anteious? You telling me you've never heard of
Anteious? He's the richest man in all
of Lemnos. He gets a lot of money from
selling slaves."
"Do
you know where we can find him?"
"Why?"
"We
uh…we're interested in something that he is offering--Livia, the ruthless
warrior of Rome. We want her as a
slave."
"Well,
you're only the fifty millionth person who wants her! She destroyed almost all of Lemnos. Her very name is an enemy here.
You can find Anteious' headquarters just north of here. He's holding her up for auction tomorrow."
"Thanks." Xena said, walking away from the stand.
"How
are we going to get Eve back? He
probably has the place heavily guarded."
Ares questioned.
"Well,
we'll just have to deal with that problem when we come to it but if we want to
get her back, it'll have to be tonight.
That's our only chance before the auction."
Xena,
Gabrielle, and Ares traveled north, finally finding his place. It was almost nightfall when they
arrived. Anteious' headquarters was a
large stone building. There were a few
guards at the entrance.
"How
are we going to get in?" Ares asked.
"I
have an idea. Follow my lead."
Xena
headed toward the fortress with Ares and Gabrielle right behind her. They attacked the guards at the front,
knocking them out. They entered the
building carefully, taking out anyone who tried to stop them.
At
the far end of the fortress, they found the soon-to-be slaves in jail cells.
"Gabrielle,
keep watch." Xena told her, slowly
walking into the room.
Gabrielle's
sais were drawn, watching out for any guards that may come their way. Xena and Ares checked every cell. There were dozens of people behind bars but
none of them were Eve. Ares was shocked
by the condition many of the prisoners were in.
"Xena,
I never realized how wrong slavery was until now. It's awful."
"Yes,
it is."
Finally,
at the end of the room in a cell by herself, was Eve.
"Eve!" Xena exclaimed.
"Mother. I thought I'd never see you again."
Eve
walked up to the bars.
"It's
all right, sweetheart. We'll get out of
here."
Xena
took out her breast dagger and picked the lock with it.
When
the jail cell opened, Eve rushed to her mother, hugging her lovingly.
"I
missed you." Eve cried.
"I
missed you to, darling."
When
Eve released herself from her mother, she looked behind her at Ares.
"Why
are you here?"
"He
just wants to help; he loves me and I love him."
There
was no comment from Eve. Xena went over
to the other cells and began releasing the other prisoners when Gabrielle came
walking in.
"Xena,
you'd better hurry. I heard the guards
saying that Anteious is coming to check on his prisoners."
Xena
opened the rest of the cells and then put a hand on Eve' shoulder.
"Eve,
sweetheart, you're not safe here.
Gabrielle, could you take Eve to safety? Ares and I will take care of Anteious."
"Sure. Let's go, Eve."
Gabrielle,
Eve and the other prisoners went out through the back way while Xena and Ares
waited for Anteious. He soon walked
with several soldiers at his side.
"What
have you done?!" Anteious shouted.
Xena
stepped forward. "This is what you get
for taking my daughter. These people
don't deserve to be here. You got a
problem with that?"
"A
problem?! What do you think?"
Anteious
looked at his men and signaled them to attack.
Xena
swung her sword at one of the soldiers and hit him with the back of her sword,
knocking him unconscious. She flipped
over on of the other soldiers and landed behind him. She kicked him and then knocked him out by punching him in the
face.
Xena
looked over at Ares, who seemed to have everything under control. His fighting skills were exquisite; he had
the upper hand the whole time. When all
of the soldiers were taken out, Xena ran out the back way.
"Come
on, Ares!" She shouted, leaving before
Anteious had a chance to catch up.
But
just as Ares was about to follow her, Anteious came up behind him and knocked
him out before Ares had time to realize what had happened. Xena just kept on going, not thinking to
look back because she knew that Ares could take care of himself.
When
Xena was finally outside, she found Gabrielle and Eve waiting by a large tree.
"Xena,
where's Ares?" Gabrielle questioned.
Xena
looked back. "I-I don't know. I could have sworn he was right behind
me. If Anteious has him, I know they'll
try to use him to get Eve. We have to
save him."
"Xena,
we can't do anything now. It's too
dark. We will have to wait until
morning to deal with it."
"You're
right, Gabrielle. I just hope he's all
right."
"Listen
to yourself. You sound like he is
incapable of taking care of himself. Xena,
this is Ares. If anyone can take care
of themselves, it's Ares."
"I'm
sorry. I can't help it. I love him and I worry about him even if
he's not in any danger. I've never felt
this strongly about someone in all my life and now that I've realized my
feelings, I don't want to loose him."
"You
won't. We'll get him back." Gabrielle laid a comforting hand on her
shoulder.
"Yeah. Of course we will. Now lets try to get some sleep."
Xena said as the three of them walked into the forest where they would
spend the night.
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It
was several hours before Ares regained consciousness. He was locked up in the same cells the slaves had been in. Ares sat up, rubbing his head. His head was pounding from the blow. Ares looked up to see the image of Anteious
staring down at him.
"So
you're Ares. Hmm. I never would have guessed that the Greek
God of War to be so…helpless."
Ares
rose to his feet. "And I didn't know
that you could be so blind. You've gotten
yourself into worse trouble than you ever could have imagined."
"What
trouble?"
"The
trouble you'll be in when Xena comes back for me. If there's one thing I know, it's to never get on Xena's bad
side. She'll hunt you for eternity for
crossing her twice."
"We'll
see about that. Now, you know what I
want. If you give it to me I might
think about being nice."
"No,
I don't know. What is it you want?"
"Are
you that stupid. I want Livia, of
course."
"What
do I get out of it?"
"You
get your freedom. After all, you're no
longer a god and that means that you can't just disappear when ever you want."
"Just
my freedom. I'll get that soon enough
when Xena comes."
"Fine. Have it your way. You give me Livia and I'll give you something that is more
precious than freedom--ambrosia."
Ares'
eyes widened, intrigued. "What?"
"I
said I know of where I can find you some ambrosia."
"How
do I know you're telling the truth?"
"I'll
bring you it tomorrow. You'd better
have a decision by then, otherwise Xena won't be seeing you anymore."
"What
do you mean?"
"If
you don't give me Livia then I will kill you."
Anteious
left the room, leaving Ares all alone in the dark with a candle as his only
light.
"What
am I going to do? I can't give Eve back
because Xena would hate me until the end of time and if I don't, I'll die."
Ares
didn't know what to do. After
everything he'd been through with Xena over the past week, did he really want
to loose all of that just so he could become a god again? He loved Xena too much to do something to
make her hate him again. But he was
getting sick and tired of being mortal.
He hated pain and the disadvantage of not being able to go wherever he
wanted in an instant.
Really,
the only thing good about his mortality was the fact that Xena felt differently
towards him. But would that
relationship change if he became a god again?
Or would she still love him even as an immortal? He was stuck with a problem that he didn't
know how to solve. Finally, he went to
sleep, thinking about what he was going to do.
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When
morning came, Ares awoke to the sound of footsteps.
Anteious
strolled in. "Have you made a decision
yet?"
He
opened his hand and there in it was the ambrosia. Ares looked at it, somewhat eager to become an immortal. But his mind was made up.
"Yes,
I have come to a decision. No matter
what you do, you can never make me do something that I would regret. I love Xena and if I gave Livia to you, she
would hate me forever. I've finally got
her back and I won't do anything that would cause me to loose her." He took a deep breath. "I would rather die than betray her trust."
Anteious
looked angrier than ever. "Fine. If that's the way you want it."
Anteious
opened the cell and pushed Ares out, falling to his knees. Anteious walked over to him and took out his
sword, raising it over Ares' head.
"You
had your chance." He sneered.
"Goodbye,
Xena. I will always love you." Ares whispered to himself.
Just
as Anteious was about to chop Ares' head off, Xena's chakram suddenly came
flying in, cracking his sword in half.
"La-la-la-la-la-la-la! Eeeeeyah!"
Xena cried out, jumping into the room.
Gabrielle
and Eve came running in behind her.
Xena knocked Anteious to the ground and rammed her sword right through
him.
"That's
what you get for trying to kill the one
I love."
When
Anteious was dead, Ares stood up and walked closer to Xena. He put his hands around her waist.
"I
thought I was going to loose you." Xena
said with tears in her eyes.
"You
could never really loose me, Xena. I'll
always be in your heart. I love you."
"I
love you too."
They
kissed passionately as Gabrielle and Eve watched. When they parted, Gabrielle walked over to Ares.
"I know I can trust you now, Ares. You have
changed."
"Thanks
for understanding, Gabrielle. You're a
good friend to Xena…and to me."
Xena
smiled at Gabrielle and then at Ares.
She signaled for Eve to come over.
"How's
about we get out of here?" Xena said.
They
all smiled at her and then left the dungeon.
