"Xena? Are you in here?" The room was dark when Cyrene swung the door open, baby on her hip and letter in her hand, but she could still make out the outlines of shapes hurriedly parting.
With her free hand, Cyrene lit the lamp and squinted at the figures across the room. Xena seemed flushed and Ares seemed smug but irritated by her presence. "You know, I would rather you'd picked some nice god, like Apollo," reconsidered in light of recent wars, "or Hermes," she looked down at the baby on her hip and sighed, knowing that it was a useless argument.
"Mom!" Xena looked incredulous, and Ares looked about to gag, mouthing 'with the wings on his feet?'
Cyrene ignored them, "But I want what's best for my girls. As long as you're happy," she smiled at Xena and then turned to Ares with a twinkle in her eye. "Just remember: these old hands still know how to use an axe."
Having said her piece, Cyrene set the letter that had arrived down on the table, turned, walked out of the room, and firmly shut the door.
After a moment, Xena glanced over at Ares, to see him slightly pale and shaking his head, "What?"
"Let's never introduce your mother to mine, okay?" Ares offered a weak smirk, and Xena laughed, straightening her tunic and reaching for the letter.
"Good. Take your daughter."
Barely corporeal again, Ares found himself with an arm full of crying baby. He raised an eyebrow at both Xena, who was clad in only her shift and looking frazzled, and her comment. He assumed that it was meant to be negative, but there didn't seem to be much real malice. "Shouldn't she be asleep by now?"
Hands thrown up in frustration, Xena shot back irritably, "She doesn't want to go to sleep." She paced for a moment, "She doesn't want to eat, to be held, to be set down... I'm out of ideas and I have to be up early so that I can help Mom with the roof before people start arriving."
"Why didn't you call me?" Glancing between the female he held and the one in front of him, Ares noted that they were both overtired, with nearly identical expressions of stubbornness.
Sinking down on her childhood bed, knowing that she probably wouldn't be able to sleep now anyway, Xena sighed. "I was sure I could take care of it."
Rocking the baby gently, who had stopped crying soon after being placed in his arms, Ares smirked. "I don't need to sleep, Xena. I'll take her and, if Maya wants to stay up all night, at least she won't keep you up."
Getting back up, Xena kissed Maya on her forehead, "Goodnight, baby," and looked up at Ares, her gaze softening. "Thanks."
"That's what I'm here for," Ares shrugged as Xena stood on her tiptoes to give him a feathery soft kiss before returning to her bed.
Ares waited until Xena had closed her eyes, almost asleep already, before disappearing.
Once they reappeared in his Olympian rooms, Ares chuckled, "Gonna keep Daddy up all night, huh, Maya?" But, when he looked down, Maya was fast asleep.
Ares sighed, wandering to his room and settling down on the large (and mostly unused) bed with Maya resting comfortably on his stomach, her small breaths following a steady flow.
Not wanting to wake his daughter by attempting to do any work, Ares closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep himself, arms firmly wrapped around their precious bundle.
Just barely on time for the monthly council meeting, Ares flashed into his throne, lounging sideways, as usual, and supporting a small baby on his lap.
Instantly, the chamber of gods broke out into hushed whispers at the God of War's entrance, awed and shocked with this turn of events. Who was the child?
"QUIET!" Zeus bellowed, having no desire to watch a new family squabble spring up before his eyes.
The room quieted, but now all eyes were divided equally between Ares and Zeus, expecting the King of the Gods to sort out what was going on.
Heaving a deep sigh, Zeus turned to his son, who was wearing his trademarked bored expression and ignoring the ruckus he was causing. "Ares," the God of War glanced up, "What - who is that?"
Swinging his legs off of the side of his throne, and sitting up properly, careful to keep one hand supporting the baby, Ares rolled his eyes, "Oh, did I forget to introduce her? Dad, this is Maya, my daughter." His voice was calm, but his eyes were challenging.
The murmurs started up again and Zeus put a hand to his temples, knowing that there would be no quieting the nosy gods this time. He fixed his son with a serious stare, trying to determine if Ares was giving him a headache on purpose. "And what," the whispers paused just long enough to hear Zeus speak, "is she doing here?"
Ares shrugged, glancing down at his daughter, "I wasn't going to leave her alone. Thought she might as well get used to visiting the family." While Zeus tried to wrap his brain around the concept, Ares finally took note that the meeting wasn't starting, "Well, are we going to get started? A flattering as it is, I have more important business to attend to than listening to all of you, all concerned over my affairs."
From across the room, an amused Apollo spoke, "Obviously."
Poseidon gruffly stated, "Well, she can't stay - it's unprecedented." But all eyes were turned, questioning, to Zeus for his final say.
"Nonsense." Aphrodite rose daintily from her throne and crossed the room to Ares, bending down to retrieve the child into her ample bosom, "Come here, Precious Girl, Auntie Dite's gotcha," she rose and returned to her seat, bouncing the baby lightly in her arms.
"Really, Aphrodite," Zeus knew he had to protest, but he wasn't sure over what.
Protective of her brother and new niece, Aphrodite snapped in a mock-cheerful tone, "There, now you can all pull those thrones out of your asses from seeing Ar with a kid, and get on with the meeting." She smiled brilliantly and clapped her mouth shut, daring anyone to question her.
Between the insinuation that Ares had a softer side, and the bite of Aphrodite's not-so-loving one, the remaining gods couldn't have mustered a protest if they'd tried. Nobody was sure what the next move was.
Finally, Artemis rose from her throne, cast a pointed glance around the room, and announced, "My forests have been recovering nicely from the recent fire, however I am concerned for my Amazons..."
The meeting had started.
Ares sprawled back into his throne, casting fleetingly thankful glances at his sisters.
Zeus shook his head, half listening to Artemis' report while he watched the green-eyed child now safely sequestered in Aphrodite's arms.
Xena was about to step in and reclaim the babe when larger hands snatched her from Gabrielle, tisking good-naturedly, "Honestly, if you're going to do something, do it properly."
Gaping, Gabrielle had no reply as Ares swung the child up into his arms in a grand arch, perhaps taking more liberties with the swinging than Gabrielle was entirely comfortable with. A quick glance showed that if Xena had her reservations they weren't apparent.
Demonstration complete, Ares tucked the baby in his arms, a grin over his face, looking a perfect contradiction - the God of War, decked out in leather and sword, perfectly content to hold the baby, so small against his hulking frame.
"Careful, Ares," came from Xena as she stepped closer and motioned toward his pendent, "she'll try to choke you if she gets half a chance."
But Ares barely spared her a glance, talking instead to the babe, "Nah, you'd never do that to Daddy…" Finally, a smirk up at Xena, "that's more Mommy's area."
Taking the child back from Ares, Xena kept a straight look upon her face, back stiffened. "Yeah, well, you always deserve it. Besides, I much prefer swords."
Laughter, as though this was now some inside joke between the two - three - of them and Ares moved to leave, passing a last glance at Gabrielle, "Just don't want my girl getting bad ideas."
What those bad ideas were, Gabrielle had no idea, but Xena laughed and shook her head.
"Xena!" The Warrior Princess turned in time to hear a great crash from the direction the voice had come from.
Carefully supporting Maya, she stood up and turned to her friend, while Gabrielle rushed to apologize to the incensed vendor. "Joxer, it's good to finally see you!"
Rushing forward, Joxer had eyes only for little Maya. "Gods, Xena, I'd heard you were pregnant, but I didn't know you'd had the baby." He'd now reached a close enough distance to address Maya directly, "Hello there, I'm your Uncle Joxer."
Xena just smiled slightly at his antics, while Gabrielle returned just in time to shake her head. "Just don't start with that song, Joxer, I don't know if Maya could take it."
"Maya?" Joxer looked from Gabrielle to Xena and, at her nod, back to the baby, "Can I hold her?" Barely waiting for a response, he scooped up the little bundle and began to speak some Joxer form of baby talk to her.
Watching the two with veiled concern, Xena leaned back against Argo and attempted to enjoy the calm of the moment. Ever since the letter had come, Xena had been looking forward to introducing her friend to her child. And, for all her grumbling, she could tell that Gabrielle was happy to see Joxer as well.
Caught up in his one-sided conversation with Maya, Joxer finally looked up, "She's just going to be a little heartbreaker, isn't she? Just like Mommy." He waggled his eyebrows comically, "Gonna have to beat the boys off with sticks."
Xena laughed, "Careful, or Ares will get ideas. You wouldn't want to make that list."
"Heh. Never would have pictured Ares as the 'daddy' type." He remained absorbed in Maya, blissfully unaware of Xena's sobered look.
Deadpan, "Things have changed."
Gabrielle cast a nervous glance at Xena, watching this turn the conversation was taking with trepidation.
Finally looking up from Maya, apparently quite caught up with her green eyes, Joxer took note of Xena's death-glare and took a more conciliatory route. He came closer and lowered his voice, possibly so that Maya wouldn't hear, "Really, Xena... how long can it last?"
Hurriedly seeking to defuse the situation, Gabrielle rushed up to Joxer and Maya, herding them back toward the house. "You must be tired, Joxer, and hungry? You should meet Cyrene and she'll cook up something amazing for you..."
Left standing there, robbed of a proper rebuttal, Xena felt her mood souring. How long would it last, indeed?
"Where's Maya?" Ares spoke before he'd even fully materialized.
Xena stiffened. "With Gabrielle."
Seemingly satisfied, Ares reclined against a tree, watching Xena gather the camp together. It was apparent that she was avoiding his eyes. He sighed, catching her arm as she moved past. "Xena..."
Whipping her arm free, Xena continued with her tasks. Ares was about to question her bad mood when she shot out, "We can't do this."
"Oh, not that again, Xena." Ares rolled his eyes, tired of reliving the same fight in different variations.
Busy rolling up bedrolls and checking Argo's saddle, Xena was able to keep her attention focused on everything but Ares. "I don't want to put Maya through this... you're going to get tired of waiting on me... of playing daddy, and I-"
Her back was against a tree so quickly that, by the time Xena looked up, Ares was already pressed against her, his hands gripping her arms and his eyes burning into hers. "I love Maya."
Xena sighed, sounding very tired all of a sudden, her eyes sad, "I know you do," if she could have pulled her hands free, it looked like she was going to touch him. Ares kept a firm hold, not knowing how he'd react at the moment. "It's just..."
"It's just nothing." He knew he should let her go and walk away. It was impossible. Nothing had ever been that simple with Xena. Instead, he kissed her. Afraid that one of them would say something that couldn't be taken back.
She gripped his arms, kissed him back, keeping him there. It didn't change anything. They broke apart and, as Xena gasped for air, Ares could feel the same passion driving things out of his mouth before he could stop them. "I love you, damnit."
Blue eyes shot open, staring at him, her hands loosening their grip. Ares released her abruptly, pulling away and disappearing before anything else could be said.
Xena glanced at the spot he'd just been, her hands absently rubbing at the bruises forming on her arms.
At the sound of deep laughter, Xena shot through the forest. By the time she'd reached the campsite though, it was only Gabrielle standing in the clearing.
They had, after a pleasant - if strained - visit, long since left Joxer at Cyrene's and struck out on the road again. Now it was almost as though those moons at her mother's had faded into a dream - everything was back to normal - well, almost. Xena sighed, rubbing at her temples, "Ares was here?"
"Hmm?" Gabrielle turned at her friend's abrupt appearance, regarding her slowly. "Yeah. He came to get Maya."
"Tartarus," Xena cursed under her breath, not sure who she was more irritated at.
The last time she'd seen Ares had resulted in charged emotions and even more charged confessions. He'd been pointedly eluding her since then; perhaps giving them both some time to cool, but Xena was sick of it. There'd been weeks for them to cool off. Now, she wanted to get him alone to talk - to explain. Probably to apologize. She missed him.
"...Xena?"
Snapped out of her thoughts, Xena found that Gabrielle was standing next to her with a worried look - the type that usually resulted in many questions. "What?"
Shaking her head at her friend, Gabrielle tried again, "I was asking about what's been going on with you and Ares?"
"I - it's complicated."
Gabrielle snorted, punching Xena good-naturedly in the arm and missing her friend's slight wince. "With you two, why am I not surprised? Look, I know there's been a lot going on with you and Ares... I promise that you can tell me, and I'll try to not be judgmental."
Gabrielle looked so hopeful that Xena almost caved. Resolutely, the Warrior Princess shook her head, offering a small smile. "I believe you. I just - I need to talk to Ares first," she glanced up at the sky menacingly, "If the bastard would stop avoiding me."
"I could try and talk him into staying," Gabrielle shook her head, "but he'd probably just give me that 'stupid little girl' glare and leave anyway."
Xena laughed, moving to sit down at the campfire. Civil conversation had never been a strong suit for her and Ares, but Xena had some ideas.
Grinning at the laughing babe and bouncing her in favor of ignoring the dead thug, Ares looked up to see Xena moving towards them. She reached out, as she had a hundred times before, to reclaim Maya, then she stopped, arms falling, look changing.
"Were you watching us?"
Okay, not exactly what he'd expected. What did she want him to say? Obviously, she knew the answer already. Xena rarely asked questions that she didn't know the answer to. "I had some time to come visit Maya," a smirk, "but you were... occupied... so I was waiting for a better occasion."
He'd figured on some smart-ass remark about the God of War having too much time on his hands, but Xena's gaze again changed, this time softening. She finally closed the gap to take Maya, but waited to do so. "Ares," her voice was soft, "You don't have to -- I'm not going to keep her from you. If you want to spend time with Maya, you don't... have to wait on me."
Then she took the babe and broke away from the personal bubble of space they'd been sharing for those precious moments. Biting her lip, as if there was more she wanted to say, but Xena couldn't quite find the words for it. Ducking her head to attend to Maya, her dark hair fell as a shield over them both.
Stunned, Ares was glad that Xena didn't expect a response of him, for he was sure that he couldn't have given any. Instead, he took their diverted sight as a time to leave his girls, only as the shards of light started to dissipate him then allowing the overwhelming emotion to come through.
That they had got to this point... but there would be more to say later, both were sure of that.
This time, Xena went to him. She waited until Maya was guaranteed to be asleep, and called him. Once he appeared, startled, Xena put her hand on his arm and told him to take her back with him.
When they reappeared on Olympus, Xena was only mildly surprised. It was his most familiar abode, after all. His voice surprised her, echoing in the large halls. "Did you want to check on Maya?"
"No." Xena sighed, not letting go of him as they began to walk.
Silent, still afraid of their last conversations and not willing to mess anything up, Ares waited for her to continue.
After a little bit longer to keep her thoughts in order, Xena spoke, "I don't want us to fight."
A bark of laughter was her response, "Xena, we're always going to fight - it doesn't mean-"
"I know," she cut him off firmly, "I mean, I don't want us fighting in front of Maya."
This time, his look was deadly serious, all the laughter gone. "Of course not."
Nodding, Xena continued, "I won't have her wondering about us, Ares. It's going to be hard enough to explain so many other things. If we're going to do this, it's separate."
He stopped her, turning her around to face him, arms locked together, "Maya is our daughter. We're going to raise her together." For once, there was no hesitation on either side.
And then she kissed him.
"Careful..."
"Damnit, Xena, I know what I'm doing," Ares turned to glare at her sharply, as though she were an idiot for doubting his parenting skills.
In response, Xena rolled her eyes. He ignored this.
They were attempting a family outing. Gabrielle had decided to head toward Amazon lands earlier than Xena had intended, ensuring her friend that she just wanted to visit her tribe and make sure all the arrangements were made for Maya's arrival.
This had left Ares and Xena with their first chance for a solo adventure - just them and Maya. Without any backups around the bush incase one of them killed the other.
Immersed into the water up to her waist, Xena regarded Ares with pursed lips but kept her mouth firmly shut.
Keeping Maya close to his bare chest, his normal leather discarded in favor of more beach appropriate attire, Ares continued his slow wade into the river. A light wave brushed Maya's foot and the baby gurgled questioningly. This was the first time she had been around so many people or in such deep water.
Carefully, Ares lowered Maya into the water, keeping her firmly in his grip. She giggled and splashed him in the face. Blinking water out of his eyes, Ares was triumphant. "See, she likes it."
"Maya's been in water before, Ares." Xena swam closer to the pair, discretely adjusting the strap of her top as she did so.
Both warriors felt out of place without their leathers, surrounded by half the vacationing population of Greece. Ares smirked nastily, "Yeah, but this time we're gonna go for a swim."
Xena came up in front of him, looking down at their happy baby, her hands coming up to rest against his waist underwater. "That's what you keep saying."
"Mommy has no faith in us, does she?" Ares addressed Maya, who simply splashed him again, apparently finding it hilarious.
He leaned into Xena's loose embrace for a moment, enjoying it, and caught her lips for a quick kiss before pushing away. Xena glanced around nervously, but she had that little half-smile that suggested she wasn't really that concerned.
Easing Maya's weight into one of his hands, Ares leaned her against his chest and took several steps into deeper water. Once the water was up to the babe's waist, Ares moved to float on his back. Certain that Maya was situated he kicked lightly. The clear water moving under them enraptured Maya.
With a few powerful breaststrokes, Xena was alongside them, treading water even though she could touch and regarding them with a raised eyebrow. "All right. She does seem to be enjoying herself."
Shrugging, Ares maneuvered Maya so that she could put her feet in the water, his free hand encouraging her to kick. Maya found it amusing, but didn't seem to be interested in more than a few sporadic kicks, content to let her father do all the work.
Suppressing a laugh, Xena gently lifted the baby up into the air, moving to stand in the water and settling Maya down against her breast, where the child's head was still above water. "Don't tell me you were gonna let her get away with a free ride."
Ares regarded Xena for a moment, "If that's what my girl wants," before turning to dive into the water for a real swim.
Looking down at her baby, Xena mused, "And Mom said that I had Ares whipped." But she had to admit that Ares was good with Maya.
More often than not, Ares kept the baby smiling and laughing, rather than throwing some sort of tantrum. And, given that they were her parents, Xena figured this might qualify as miraculous.
"Xena!" A voice called out, and she turned her head, careful not to splash Maya, "See, I told you it was Xena." The voice was louder again, "Xena, over here!"
Turning a little more, actually needing to twist her body slightly to do so, Xena caught the familiar face of Iolaus. Next to him, looking as uncomfortable at the beach as Xena felt was, of course, Hercules.
With a glance that assured her Ares was still swimming, much as she had been before, Xena began to wade into shore. The two friends met her on the sand; apparently incapable of coming closer once Xena had begun her ascent towards land. Finally, when Xena was nearly out of the water, Hercules grinned, "Fancy meeting you here."
And Iolaus was already gushing, "Look at that Herc. Is this the baby?" He barely glanced up at Xena for her nod, "We'd heard rumors, but they seemed so unbelievable..."
"Oh?" Xena inquired with a raised eyebrow, setting Maya down on the soft sand, where she quickly began digging holes with Iolaus.
Whatever the rumors were, Hercules cut his friend off, "What did you name her?"
Allowing the subject change for her friends, Xena smiled, "Maya," glancing down at her dark-haired baby already half covered in sand.
"Maya," Hercules bent down considerably in order to come nearer to the baby's eye level, "well, aren't you just precious." A glob of sand smacked him on the cheek and he glanced up helplessly at Xena, "And just as strong as her mother."
A figure loomed up behind Xena, caught in the light of the sun so that Hercules couldn't see him. "Yeah, she's a spitfire, just like Mommy." The voice was not entirely friendly and instantly recognizable.
Hercules straightened upright, self-consciously wiping the sand off his cheek. "Ares," Iolaus was looking up now too, between Xena and the War God.
Scooping up Maya, who looked rather upset until she realized who was holding her, Ares stood up straight next to a stiff Xena. "Little brother."
"Half-brother."
Xena's voice smoothly cut into the macho brotherly feud that always built rapidly around the two, "I was just introducing Hercules to his niece. And Iolaus, of course."
And, whether she'd meant it or not, the implication of Maya's father was quite firm. The two men glared at each other, but neither could find an appropriate rebuttal, at least, not while sensitive ears were around.
It was Iolaus, nervously glancing between the two, at the baby, and at Xena, who spoke next. "What're you guys doing here? Is Gabrielle here too?" But the rumors must have been fairly accurate because he seemed more disappointed than surprised.
"No," Xena made an effort to make her voice friendlier, deciding that Ares wouldn't start anything as long as he was the one holding Maya. "She went to visit the Amazons. We're catching up with her in a few days."
As Iolaus nodded, disappointed, Ares began, "We were just teaching Maya how to swim," but Maya wiggling away from him, pointing determinedly at the water, cut off the rest of his sentence, which he had probably meant to turn into an insult.
With a little half-smile, Xena shrugged, ruffling Maya's hair before resting her hand on Ares' arm. "She's pretty happy about it, actually."
Watching this with interest, Hercules finally swallowed, forcing a smile. Ares appeared to have forgotten about his presence, covered in sand and busily trying to convince the child that they'd go for a swim in a moment. It was so unlike any version of Ares that Hercules had ever known, so surreal, that he couldn't even make an issue of it. And Xena looked so happy. "Well, Xena, it was good to see you," Iolaus glanced up at him questioningly, "And to meet Maya. You'll have to find us again sometime."
Iolaus agreed awkwardly, sensing that Hercules wanted to leave and, if confused, just as happy to avoid a confrontation. "Yeah, good to see you both."
Xena nodded, glad to see her friends and let them meet her daughter but more than relieved that nobody had come to blows. This was supposed to be her vacation - she wasn't going to referee. Turning her attention from Ares and Maya, she leaned forward to give Iolaus and Hercules hugs, "Of course."
Hercules turned to leave, dragging Iolaus with him, as Ares' suddenly cheerful voice rang out, "See you around," and Hercules steadfastly refused to turn back.
As soon as they were out of sight, far down the beach, Xena turned towards Ares suspiciously, breathing a sigh of relief. "You handled that surprisingly well."
Already headed back to the water with Maya, Ares smirked. "Really, Xena, what do you think of me? I want Maya to get to know her family. The sooner she does, the sooner she'll realize how annoying they are and want nothing to do with them."
Smiling despite herself, Xena jogged to catch up with them. "What was that about a swim?"
Resting her head against Ares' chest, Xena couldn't help but laugh. Ares looked on the verge of being affronted, so she quickly explained, "I still can't believe that Zeus offered to baby-sit."
Absently playing with a lock of Xena's hair, Ares shrugged. "What can I say? The old man must have been in a hurry to avoid Hera." He moved for a kiss, "Not that I'm complaining."
Xena allowed the kiss for a moment longer before pulling away, eyes serious. "Ares, remember when Maya was little and... the fights we had?"
"Maya's still little, and we fought yesterday about whether or not she said 'chakram' at dinner." He was not going to give her an inch, not going to let her ruin the peace they'd found.
"Not like that." Xena sat up, frustrated, blowing a strand of hair out of her face as she steeled herself for what came next. "You know, it's never so hard to think of the words when we're fighting."
Ares smirked, his arms tightening around her, "That, my dear, is because you were born for the battle - and you love the smell of a good kill."
Accustomed to such teasing references, Xena artfully ignored his last comment. "Things have changed since then - we've changed."
Well inclined to agree, Ares nodded mischievously - trying to keep the mood light. Even a season ago, he was still trying to convince Xena to even visit one of his temples, let alone to share his bed in one. "Obviously."
"If you ever make me regret saying this more than I already do, I'll hunt you down, but..." Ares impatiently motioned her on, past the death-threat portion of the night's entertainment, "I love you."
Blinking, Ares checked his ears in an exaggerated gesture. Xena smacked him. Yep, real enough. "You do?"
"I'm sleeping with you, aren't I?" She gave him the patented Xena Glare of Death, "Don't even think it."
A raised eyebrow, "Wouldn't dream of it."
Xena had the time to remark stiffly, "Good," before she was thrown back against the bed and hands were wandering along her body. "Mmph..."
It wasn't long before he was sliding back into her warm body, nearly laughing at the insecurity he caught in her eyes. Figuring that she'd kill him for laughter, he waited until those eyes fluttered closed and kissed them. Kissed her until Xena tangled her hands in his hair and pulled him closer, insecurities forgotten. "Love you too." Their bodies crashed together, spurred on by newly shared declarations. "Now move in with me."
Xena gasped, held onto him tight, nails digging into flesh that wouldn't bleed, "No."
"It was worth," he was distracted by her teeth sinking into his shoulder playfully, groaned and remembered one of the many reasons why he did love her, "a shot."
With a twist of powerful thighs, she flipped them over and grinned, "We'll have to get Zeus to baby-sit more often."
A deep chuckle, slightly stunted, was her response. "Oh yeah."
Regarding Maya, neither Ares nor Xena had held their breath either way. There had been plenty of things about her as a baby that were extraordinary but, given her parentage, it was hardly surprising. And nothing was conclusive enough to determine if the child had inherited any of her father's godly powers.
When Zeus had come back from babysitting looking exhausted, they chalked it up to the fact that the King of the Gods was not used to babies, or the amount of attention they demanded. He did reissue the offer several times so, regardless, Maya didn't seem to be such a handful after all.
If anything, Maya was rarely out of the direct sight of either Xena or Ares, and when she was, equally capable hands were employed. And everyone said the same thing - she was a beautiful, exceptional baby. Even if she didn't talk or walk until she was at least two winters old, she was quite proficient when she finally decided that some things were better to get for herself.
This was one of the rare moments that Maya was in capable hands of those other than her parents. A gang of unruly ruffians, the typical type that was just stupid enough to want to hunt down Xena and able to hold a sword enough to try, was issuing their characteristic, "Prepare to die, Warrior Princess!"
Xena, already aware of their presence long before they had decided to make it known, and sufficiently irritated by them (this was their third attempt this week), had asked Gabrielle to stay out of the way with Maya. This time, Xena was dealing with these fools personally - without any distractions. If knocking them out didn't work, she'd have to convince them otherwise. "Boys, boys. Have the bruises healed so quickly? I must be losing my touch."
"You'll be losing more than that!" shouted the leader recklessly, but the tone of his voice suggested the bruises were most certainly still there, hidden under layers of ill-chosen clothing and armor.
They attempted a battle yell, Xena issued her war cry, and the ruffians quickly found themselves getting reintroduced to Gaea's harder side.
The poor fellows were quite determined. One, so recently having found his face in the surprisingly hard mud, attempted a sneak attack. While Xena was quickly reducing the status of his fellow thugs to pulp, he drew a small dagger from his waistband and approached the Warrior Princess from behind.
Xena spun around in time to watch the brute go flying backwards, pinned to a tree by an invisible force. He looked terrified. Looking down at her hands, which had not yet made contact with his face, Xena was stunned.
A small figure darted out quickly from behind a shrub, ambushing Xena in a hug and closely followed by an apologetic Gabrielle, "She just slipped away from me!"
But Xena's eyes were focused on the trapped thug, as she lifted Maya into her arms. Once the little girl was nestled safely into her mother's arms, the thug fell from the tree. Startled and nervous, he ran away, calling out, "Retreat!" to the others, who were, unfortunately, too busy being unconscious to hear him.
Blinking down at her daughter, Xena noticed the tight grips that little hands had on her armor. "Sweetie? It's okay. Mommy's okay."
From somewhere near her neck, a voice whispered, "...Gonna hurt you..."
By now, Gabrielle was also intrigued, glancing between mother and daughter nervously. She opened her mouth, but Xena motioned her silent, addressing the question herself. "Maya, did you do something?"
"I moved him..." Maya's voice was clear, if muffled by the fact that she was still clinging quite firmly to her mother. "Away."
Brushing the dark hair out of Maya's face, Xena gently set the girl down, her eyes darting to Gabrielle's with concern. Seeing her cue, the bard quickly reached out for the confused looking little girl. "You shouldn't have run off on me like that, Maya. Mommy had everything under control and you wouldn't want to distract her."
Shaking her messy hair out of her face, the green-eyed child looked up, her face pulled into a pout. "Did I do something bad?"
"Of course not," Xena hastily reassured.
Gabrielle darted a sharp look at her friend over Maya's head, questioning such a reassurance. Xena's eyes were conflicted, but she shook her head - asking to let it go.
Checking one last time that the thugs were passed out, and not likely to cause any more surprises, Xena followed Gabrielle and Maya back towards the campsite. Mulling the situation over.
Glancing across the campsite at a sleeping bedroll, Ares raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Xena hissed, careful to keep her voice low.
The two stared at each other for a moment, until glares softened, and then shot another look at the bedroll. Maya was sleeping, Gabrielle was sleeping, and everything was normal. Except how apparently it wasn't.
Sighing heavily, Ares turned back to Xena. "Well, we knew this was possible."
Running her sword distractedly down a sharpening stone, Xena let her eyes focus on the heavy red flames of the campfire, rather than on anyone around her. "I told her it was okay."
"Well, wasn't it?" Ares' look was confused, his brow furrowed, "She didn't burn a village, Xena, she threw a bad guy."
Xena was not appeased. "You'll have to talk to her, somehow. Explain... explain."
Neither was sure exactly how one explained godly powers to a three-year-old. Ares didn't look particularly pleased at the prospect of having to try. It would have been easy if he could pretend to be Xena, going on about moral obligations and the greater good and yadda, yadda, yadda. But, somehow, Ares wasn't sure their daughter would properly appreciate that shtick. Tartarus, he didn't even buy it. Gods are special. Not fair to play with mortals. Be responsible with your powers. The same yadda, yadda, yadda was playing in his head. "I'll try. But, Xena," he waited until she looked up, "we don't even know what her powers are going to be."
"We don't have to." Xena's voice was rapidly cooling. She didn't like where this conversation was most likely headed.
Never one to disappoint, Ares suggested, "Maya should know. We should know." Noting the death-glare he was receiving, Ares elaborated. "If she doesn't learn to control any powers she develops, they could be dangerous."
And the logic was fair enough. Xena knew better, knew well enough that Ares loved Maya, that he wouldn't be using her just for her powers. He'd managed three years with no visible powers just fine. Still, there was a nagging thought in the back of her head, he wants to train her that was just as reasonable. Sighing, Xena forced it down, reaching her hand across their laps to rest on top of Ares' own. "When she's older."
"All right," he couldn't help but grin a little as her fingers squeezed his lightly. "I better start composing my speech now - odes to humanity and the great responsibility and whatnot. I feel so hypocritical."
Xena smirked, letting her hand fall away, "It's part of being a parent."
Flashing her a wicked look, suggesting that she was enjoying this far too much, Ares prepared to disappear. Xena's voice, laced with laugher, echoed a quiet goodbye. "And, Ares? You said 'bad guy.'"
With a light growl, Ares threw his hand to his heart, "You're infecting me with all that Greater Good rot. I better kill something before it lingers."
A last smirk, and he disappeared.
Despite Ares' best efforts, every time Maya had a temper tantrum - and that ended up being fairly often - something caught on fire. A few times, something even exploded.
Gabrielle drew the line when her skirt burst into flames. She sulked for the rest of the day; Xena was saved only by the fact that they were actually staying in a village and she could get a replacement, and Gabrielle informed the Warrior Princess that, from now on, she was done solving godly tantrums.
So far, Xena hadn't been lit on fire yet. Gabrielle had joked that it was Xena's icy glare - it put any potential fires out. Not surprisingly, Xena hadn't found this particularly funny.
An attempt had even been made on Ares - he wasn't entirely sure that Maya lit anything up intentionally - but he was fireproof, so that was all right. Of course, each time it happened, he was obliged to attempt his "Gods for the Good of Humanity" speech again, as he'd begun calling it.
Despite being an exceptionally bright three-year-old, Maya apparently hadn't taken it to a subconscious level yet. In growing desperation, Ares had even considered asking Zeus or (gods forbid) Hercules for tips. Xena was making him rue the day he'd make the joke about Maya not "burning a village."
But, for the most part, the child was keeping her powers to a harmless level, pending Xena's approval of training. Ares and Xena were still locked in mortal battle over at what age, exactly, such training should begin. Xena wanted to wait until adulthood, while Ares wanted Maya trained long before she encountered boys.
Sure, there had been that incident where Gabrielle had woken up in a tree, and the time or two that Xena had been launched into an unexpected bath, and the "bad guys" weren't fairing too well - still pinned to trees for the Warrior Princess to wreak her vengeance against, or, worse still, catching them when Ares was visiting - but, mostly, it was harmless.
"Xe-na!" Came the irritated call, rocking Xena out of her daydream.
The Warrior Princess shook her head regretfully at the scene in front of her, "Maya put Ephiny down!"
They were staying in the Amazon compound, now that Maya was officially initiated under Gabrielle's right of caste as an Amazon princess, and Ephiny had come to talk to Gabrielle. Unfortunately, since Amazon's were so stealthy, she'd startled Maya and found herself levitating several feet above the ground.
The child shrugged apologetically and lowered Ephiny to the ground - the Amazon smirked, "And I thought Xenan was a handful."
As Gabrielle went to explain that levitating hosts wasn't appropriate, Xena sighed, "We're trying to work on that. Ares says he's going to market his speech."
"She'll make the Amazon nation proud, I'm sure."
The two warriors exchanged raised eyebrows as Gabrielle returned, "She's going to go play with some of the other children - I don't think there'll be any problems."
From the ruckus sounding outside, the three women were doubtful. But Xena simply shook her head, reasonably assured that the Amazons could handle it. Hopefully.
"Xena, come here for a minute."
Without turning, eagle eyes trained on her child, Xena shrugged the comment off. "But Maya's just about to..."
"Maya's fine. If she gets in trouble, she'll probably use her powers."
Still not turned, Xena sighed in the tired fashion that seemed to appear only about this subject. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of."
"Xena."
"What?" And, finally, Xena turned around. Deeming it reasonably safe that Maya wouldn't try anything godlike. Gabrielle was sitting by the campfire, rigid and still. "Gabrielle-"
Hands folded over her lap, Gabrielle cut Xena off with a look. She waited for the warrior to sit down next to her, eyes focused steadily in front of her. "What's going on with you and Ares - what are your plans?"
And there it was, right on cue, the wide-eyed, panicked-but-hiding-it look that Xena only ever sported with issues concerning Her And Ares Relationship Thoughts. "Plans?"
Gabrielle took a deep breath and turned to face Xena, putting her hands over the other woman's. "I think that you and Maya should make more permanent arrangements."
This time, Xena couldn't even muster a flustered response - the appropriate words seemed to be escaping her. Gabrielle tried again, casting a fleeting glance at the aforementioned child. "Maya is going to need her father around and... I don't want you to make any... don't worry on my account."
Finally, "Where is all this coming from?"
At this time, Gabrielle dropped her eyes away again, flustered despite her best attempts. "I don't want to... hold you back? You don't have to stay with me anymore - I can take care of myself." Her eyes were determined, even if, for once, she wasn't sure of her wording.
And Xena was, more or less, still completely stunned. She recovered quickly, "Gabrielle... no, no. You're not stopping me from doing anything. I - Ares and I-" she tried again, "I'm happy right where I am. This is what I need to be doing, and I'm lucky to have you with me."
The relief was obvious in Gabrielle's eyes, but she simply nodded, swallowing. "Just, think about it," caught the look and amended, "for Maya. Okay?"
And Gabrielle was up, walking over to tend to Maya and leave Xena to think. Not quite far enough away to miss the whispered, "I do."
"You got her a what for her birthday!?" Hands on her hips, Xena glared, absolutely exasperated with the god in front of her.
Pointing needlessly at the child on the floor, happily hugging a two-headed puppy that was already nearly her size, Ares defended himself. "She loves him. Besides, what was I supposed to do? Hades sprung one of the puppies on everyone in Olympus. I had to take him."
One hand going up to her temple to massage at the headache that was forming, Xena grit her teeth and attempted to remain calm. "Ares. She's four years old and that dog is going to be the size of my horse!"
"Well, my gift was more appropriate than Aphrodite's." Maya loved the dog, and really, it wasn't that bad of a gift.
At the slightly raised voices, Maya ran over to her parents, the large puppy trailing along awkwardly behind her. Whether she knew they were fighting and wanted to make it better, or had simply just remembered their presence, which had been lost amidst her joy over presents, it was hard to tell. Either way, she put her arms out to Ares, demanding a hug. "Thank you, Daddy." From her favorite position in her dad's arms, she turned to her mother, "Thanks, Mommy. Guess what I'm calling him?"
Not wanting to be associated with the gift, but finding little way out of it, Xena tried to seem curious. She actually was, a little, "What, honey?"
Proudly pointing toward the table where her presents were stacked high, most of which Xena wasn't going to let her see until she was much older, Maya announced, "Hydra. Like the creature in that scroll Auntie Gabby gave me. 'Cause of his heads."
Neither parent willing to question the validity of such a name, and Hydra himself looking quite forlorn at not being held, Ares let Maya down. "Well, Hydra looks a little lonely, so you better go play with him."
Nodding amiably, Maya jumped down easily and ran after the puppy, who was quite intrigued in a game of chase and just about the same speed as the little girl.
Xena sighed, making sure that other adults were present before she pulled Ares farther back from the room. They had promised that they wouldn't fight in front of Maya. Not even for minor, present-related disagreements. "He's going to have to stay here."
Ares waved that off, already having been prepared for the two-headed dog to be pestering him. "Hey, I could'a gone with weapons."
He received a slight nod in response, as Xena had been, admittedly, quite afraid that he'd choose a weapon for Maya's gift. "She's going to want to come visit him all the time."
"Well then, I guess you two will just have to spend a lot more time here. Blondie can even have her own room." Ares raised an eyebrow, waiting.
One hand still firmly on her hip because she knew this made him way too happy, Xena deadpanned, "I don't get my own room?"
"You get my room."
A light laugh was his response, but Xena was far from assured. "I'm not giving up my job, Ares."
Ares shrugged, already dragging her back towards the party because it looked suspiciously like Aphrodite might be trying to explain her present. "We're too young to retire, anyway."
They exchanged a nod before turning back to the party, where Gabrielle's cry was already ringing out, "Maya, don't touch that!"
And, of course it couldn't be that easy. It never could be with them. "Please don't do this. Not now."
She figured she'd really lost it, if she was asking nicely. The look he gave her in reply suggested that he was thinking the same thing. "This isn't up for debate, Xena."
Now she was frustrated. Angry that he was probably right and angry that it never got any easier. If he thought he could force her into something... "You said-"
"No, you said!" He spun around angrily, before the sentence could leave her mouth and before either of them could say something that would force another rift. They were not allowed to drift apart anymore. He took a deep breath and tried again, the words coming out quieter but just as angrily, "You said that you would do this, Xena. You said that you would be here, and you damn well said that we would do this as a family."
Sinking down on the too-comfortable couch that she never could quite get used to as part of her life, Xena sighed, waving away the truth in his accusations. "I have a job."
"So do I." The door slammed shut almost before he was gone, cutting his words short, "But I'll be there."
Sitting there in the stone silence of their room, eyes drifting over scattered battle plans and toys and her bathrobe and so many things that shouldn't be there - Xena couldn't help but wonder how they ever thought they could make this work.
This wasn't just some whimsical trip she would be postponing, this was a serious warlord with demented dreams of grandeur, and he would only get harder to fight the longer she left him alone. More innocent villages would suffer in the wake of his questionable ethics.
On the other hand, this was about her family. And she had promised. Even years with Ares hadn't been enough to rob Xena of her morals.
Hydra came scampering in to his water-dish, sneaking through a passage that served as an overgrown doggie-door, and paused when he saw her. Still clumsy and awkward despite being full-grown, Hydra navigated the large room easily, coming to rest his heads at Xena's feet. Petting him absently, she sighed, wondering at the intricate messes of her life.
It was so much easier when her motto consisted of "kill 'em all."
When she entered the gathering, pulling uncomfortably at the gown that she didn't remember owning - surely created especially for the occasion - everything had already begun. Weaving through the sea of brightly colored and somewhat ethereal beings, Xena tried her damndest to forget about the million some other things that she should have been doing, other than attending a godly ball.
Ares was there with Maya, just as he had promised. He looked up when she entered, but his face was guarded. Maya jumped down from his lap, gleefully sprinting through assorted deities to her mother, "Mommy, Mommy, you almost missed it!" But, if the little girl had any concept of why her mother was late, she didn't show it.
As Ares rose, side-stepping as much of his family as possible, Xena followed Maya through the crowd. They all came to rest before a large stone pedestal, the King of the Gods standing in front of them, as the crowd fell back and Maya continued forward, laughing and nearly oblivious to the importance of the day - though she did seem to be enjoying the attention.
Zeus smiled down fondly at the little girl; he really had become quite attached, considering the volume of children and grandchildren that he had to choose from. He rested one hand on her shoulder, directing Maya with a small whisper, and the child reached up on tiptoes to place her hands against the pedestal. The crowd of watching gods, demigods, half-lings, and mortals stood quiet, waiting.
Each time, this event was different.
Sparks shot abruptly up, a cobalt light flaring around the room and causing most to shield their eyes, and then the sky above them had shifted to purples and pinks: the new decade had begun in a flash of blinding color, and Maya had more than proved her worth among them (though how much of the power was really Zeus' was debatable).
Aphrodite rushed past them to scoop Maya up and proclaim her the, "Girl of the hour!" and even Maya's birthday didn't cause this much fuss. Though, certainly, if Aphrodite attempted any more sexually explicit gifts, there would be consequences. Dire consequences, or as dire as one could get with a goddess.
Closing the gap between them, Xena came to rest her hand on Ares' arm. His first glance was still distant, but he melted under her slight smile, offering a cocky smirk and pulling her closer. "My dear, do come and get to know the family better?"
"You mean they aren't all squabbles and petty tantrums?"
"Ah," he shrugged, "well, actually they are. But if we're lucky somebody will start a fight - they tend to last for decades."
They shared a low chuckle amidst the noise of the crowd, and she knew that he hated this as much as she did. Across the room, Cupid was berating Bliss for shooting Pan with an arrow. Apparently, even for gods, parenting was hard.
For once, the raging warlord had proved to be even dumber than he looked, but had been smart enough to surrender after the first ass kicking. After the hassles of the last warlord she had dealt with, Xena was relieved. Unfortunately, the trip back had taken an extra day due to a second warlord trying to snap up the territory of the first. It would have taken even longer, but Gabrielle had volunteered to run clean up on the promise that Xena would deal with the next pissy warlord and assorted clean up of panicked villagers and stupid wanna-be warriors barely out of training.
So it was something of a surprise that she was late and a complete surprise that she was there now. But, obviously no crises had occurred or Ares would have come to get her.
Maya was tucked in and sound asleep, so Xena blew her a kiss and tip-toed back out without coming too close - depending how tired Maya was, she tended to wake up too easily if she sensed either of her parents near.
Shifting her bag and coat (the weather was turning cooler), Xena headed to her room. Quite sound asleep on the bed was Ares, with several scrolls spread out beside him.
Smirking, Xena tossed her stuff down on the couch as quietly as possible and snuck over to the bed, leaning over him, "Rough night?"
It was so rare to catch him sleeping. But he woke quickly, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down over him on the bed. "Not yet," he opened one eye, "I was waiting up for you."
"Oh?" One eyebrow rose, "So you fell asleep?"
"It was all the stories I had to read Maya. Never thought I'd miss the Bard," and he really only managed to keep a straight face because he was still a little groggy.
Xena laughed as she pulled away to strip off her leathers. Ares sighed, shook himself awake, and made their clothes disappear with a snap of his fingers.
Xena gave him an exasperated look.
"Come back to bed," and the roughish, mischievous look he gave her was enough that she did.
Hands ghosted over bodies as Xena slipped under the covers and caught a kiss, which quickly heated to several more passionate ones. She smirked, "Not tired anymore?"
The look he gave her insinuated that the very idea was too absurd to deem a response. Instead, his hands drifted lower as he pulled her closer.
Gasping, she fended off his hands, maintaining her firm control of the situation. It wasn't often that the God of War was at a slight disadvantage, and Xena intended to use it to her advantage.
Besides, between trips and wars and watching Maya, they never had enough time to be alone. There would always be more to do than was possible to get done.
A light chuckle interrupted her thoughts, "Miss me that much? Why, my dear, you only had to-"
With a wicked twist of her body, whatever lewd comment he had been planning was cut off by a groan. Lips caught one another for harsh, quick kisses, but he didn't attempt to reverse their positions.
There was something about her hair draping over them in the low light of their bedroom that made him willing to be under her spell for the moment. Not that he wasn't already, but then that was an entirely other issue.
They were still full of fast kisses and harsh exclamations, as their sweaty bodies swam together amongst the silken sheets, but there was something softer present now. The occasionally caresses of faces and the soft smiles as eyes met.
And there was no need to exchange I love you's because it was enough that the names they called out were each other's, rather than choked moans.
If they spent the rest of their nights like this, Ares knew it would never be enough.
Maya and Hydra came barreling into the room at near the crack of dawn. Neither was very good at being stealthy when excited. The child and dog (who was now big enough to take up half of the extremely large bed in his own right) surveyed the sleeping figures and dived onto said bed.
Slowly awakening, since they'd only managed to actually consider sleep about a candlemark before, the tangled figures on the bed shifted slightly, pulling up covers and moving to sit up. Ares and Xena found themselves suddenly wide-awake, as Hydra landed squarely across them. Maya made a much gentler landing.
Each of Hydra's heads stretched out and began to lick, one going for Xena and the other for Ares. They put up with the dog slobbering over their faces for as long as was possible, before Ares grabbed Hydra firmly around the middle and shifted him off the bed. Godly powers came in handy when your dog was practically the size of a horse. Of course, as soon as Hydra was thrown off the bed, he began to whine, two sets of sad puppy eyes looking up pitifully at Ares.
Xena rolled her eyes, dragging both Ares and Maya farther over the bed - careful to keep the covers actually covering her and Ares - so that Hydra could jump onto the unoccupied side. She made sure to give a grumbling Ares a glare of death - Hydra had been his idea after all.
Happily settling in, Maya pinned Xena with a stern look - not unlike the one Xena had just graced Ares with - and pouted, "You were supposed to be home yesterday."
Petting Hydra's heads once or twice, Ares lazily waved a hand to clothe him and Xena more appropriately, in case Maya decided she was going to sleep with them. He eyed the door speculatively - Maya's powers were obviously growing if she could get in their bedroom to wake them up in the first place. No wonder Zeus appeared so taken with her. "Maya, sweetheart, it's early."
Offering her father a small shrug of agreement, Maya kept her attention focused on her mother. Xena sighed, brushing some frizzy, curly strands of Maya's hair out of her face - their baby girl really was growing up way too fast. "I was home yesterday, baby. You were sound asleep."
Hopeful but suspicious eyes regarded Xena, "Is Aunt Gabby home too?"
Xena ignored the eye-rolling Ares still felt obligated to produce every time Gabrielle was brought up. "She'll be home soon."
Reaching out to hug Xena, while simultaneously wiggling down under the thick covers between her parents, Maya mumbled, "I missed you," already stifling a yawn, reassured. She'd proved to be about as much of a morning person as Ares was - not at all.
Pulling up the covers around Maya and settling back down, Xena easily agreed, "Missed you too,"
Snuggling down into her parents' arms, even though she was getting a little big for this, Maya demanded, "And Daddy?"
There was a pause, while Xena wondered if they were spoiling her because they were so busy most of the time. Realized that even Hydra was waiting for her answer, his heads perked up, "And Daddy."
Ares smirked, Xena reached over Maya to smack him. He caught her hand before she could and that more-or-less ended the fight - for the moment.
Maya's eyes were closing, "Did you win?"
Before Xena could answer, Ares cut in smoothly, "She always does."
Xena was sound asleep in their bed - perhaps more than a little worn out from the previous night's activities - and Ares was lounging on a comfortable couch in one of the many entertaining rooms, absently thumbing through weapons inventories and trying to decide if he needed to pay Hephaestus a visit.
Abruptly, Zeus flashed into the grand, sunny room, his granddaughter asleep against his chest, as he took in his sprawled son.
Jerking up, the inventories disappearing with a thought, Ares cut out, "I thought we were going to collect Maya later."
Shrugging, Zeus made himself at home, handing Maya over to Ares when the God of War rose, "Well, she's sleeping. I figured I might as well pay a visit."
He looked disappointed that Xena wasn't around. Ignoring his father, Ares carried Maya effortlessly to her room, tucking her in and shutting the door firmly. Zeus was lounging on the couch when he returned. "Father."
Blithely ignoring the accusation in Ares' tone, Zeus began, "You've got an amazing little girl, Ares. Reminds me of you, when you were a godling."
A compliment? Refusing to sit anywhere near the King of the Gods, Ares began conversationally, "You weren't around when I was a godling - too busy chasing after mortal women, weren't you? What's Hera done to make you give that up?"
Waving off the last comment, Zeus grinned, "Like father like son."
Temper rising, Ares attempted to keep his voice level - the last thing he wanted to do was to wake the two sleeping females in his abode. "Xena's special."
"So I see."
There were a few terse moments of silence. Ares tried to remember the last time he'd been alone with his father for this long, and found he couldn't.
Finally, Zeus tried, "You seem quite attached to your little family, Son."
"More than I can ever say for you."
The tone was sharp, but Ares' suspicions were rising - Zeus had an agenda. It wasn't like he made house calls to his children even once a century, unless someone was in trouble.
Slowly, deliberately, Zeus began, "I hold no illusions of your feelings for me. But you love your daughter."
Ares didn't deny it. There was centuries of hatred between him and Zeus and, really, this was the most civil conversation they'd had in any of them.
"And, you see, Maya is quite fond of her old grandfather."
"Good to know Mom still wears the pants of the family. Doesn't she have one of your priestesses in a cage somewhere?"
"Honestly, Ares. I have more than enough grandchildren to baby-sit when I need to."
Ares' suspicions solidified into a hard lump. "I know."
Zeus rose gracefully, robes swirling, standing over his son with practiced ease. "I've not gone quite as soft as you might think."
At the sharp look and the power swirling around the King of the Gods like a vortex, Ares bit back the smart comment he wanted to make.
"You think it's going to be so easy to get rid of me when the time comes." Zeus waved a hand, "Oh, don't deny it. I know all about your little schemes."
Ares smirked. "Wouldn't want to mess with tradition," but it wasn't an admission.
The sly look adorning the older god's face was anything but reassuring. "And how do you think that little girl in there is going to feel if you kill me? You may not, but she loves her granddaddy."
Shaking his head, Ares sighed, "Good to know you never disappoint, Dad. You don't love your family - you love using them."
Anger flashed, but Zeus refused to rise to the bait. "Maya is an exceptional little girl. And she has more of your powers than even you realize."
Cold dread filed Ares, "Stay away from her powers, Zeus." Or stay away from her.
"Oh, Ares, I don't need to use her." A pause, "Your mother's having a dinner party tonight. Bring your special mortal, if you wish."
Ares snorted, "Civility, from you? I'm shocked."
The smug look he received was everything that he despised in the King of the Gods, "We don't need to fight anymore." And Zeus was gone.
Launching a fireball into the nearest pillar with a roar, Ares clenched his jaw, "Damnit, Dad. It was never about that."
After a tense but uneventful family dinner, a long conversation with Xena, and a few where he'd even deigned to consult his mother, Ares had at least managed to come to one conclusion: Zeus had been telling the truth when he said he wasn't directly using Maya.
And, of course, it was true that Maya loved spending time with her godly grandparents, almost as much as she loved Cyrene.
Xena had pointed out that, perhaps now that Zeus felt he was holding enough cards to stop Ares from trying to kill him, the two could manage something of a civil relationship.
While Ares was willing to admit that he didn't want to deal with the paperwork that being King of the Gods entailed - yet, - he didn't feel like this was the start of a lovely relationship. Nothing that mattered had changed.
Xena sighed, her hand running along Ares' bare chest. "I don't like it either. But, there's no reason for us to just cut Zeus out of Maya's life."
"Yet."
Biting her lip, Xena conceded the point. It wasn't exactly like she was a strong advocate for the gods, but from what she could tell; Zeus honestly did care for Maya. Ulterior motives aside.
Pulling Xena closer, Ares attempted to relax, but his body was still tense. "It's time to start testing Maya's powers."
For a few moments, Xena was silent, stiff in his arms. Then she let out a breath, "I know."
They looked at each other for a long moment, and it was all okay again. Zeus' visit had shown Ares a little more of Xena's perspective, and reassured Xena that Ares had no ill intentions.
"Gabrielle and I have to leave tomorrow," Xena looked apologetic. Perhaps it was just about time to retire.
Absently trailing one hand down her side, Ares shrugged, "Mmm. Maya and I will be fine."
"Did you reinforce the door?"
A lazy wave of his hand answered that question well enough. Eyes locked.
Their lips pressed together gently, probing in that languid way that old lovers manage, while still inciting unbidden fires. Ripping them both away from reality. Crashing.
Darting across the field, grass almost up to her waist, the little girl glanced behind her, sweeping long black hair out of her face and checking for her pursuer. While her head was turned, the child ran smack into the materialized body in front of her, and stopped, looking up sheepishly.
Sighing loudly, Ares refused to be coerced by innocent green eyes. Instead, he scooped the child up into his arms, and marched purposely back across the field, his legs already starting to dissipate. "Now, you really didn't think I could let you get away with that, did you?"
His scolding echoed as they disappeared from the field, emerging by the river, where Xena sat with her arms crossed, a stern look on her face. Before the little girl could open her mouth, Xena demanded, "Say you're sorry to Aunt Gabrielle."
Instead of immediately obeying, the child addressed Ares' question first. Hiding her head in the God of War's strong chest, she whispered, "I wanted Mommy to come get me."
"Maya, you know perfectly well that Mommy can't chase you around right now," he smirked at Xena's pregnant form as he tried, for the umpteenth time, to remind both Maya and Xena that the Warrior Princess was supposed to be taking it easy.
Moving closer to the pair, Xena smoothed her daughter's wild, crimpy hair out of her face and fixed cobalt eyes on emerald. She captured the little hands that were reaching out to be held in her own, "You still have to apologize."
Glancing between her parents, Maya noted their stern looks and wiggled to be free of her father's arms. Once she was set down, she went over to where Gabrielle was still attempting to dry her leathers, and gave her most sincere look, "M'sorry, Aunt Gabby. Don't be mad."
Never able to hold up even half a pretense at anger around the child, which she suspected even Ares and Xena struggled with, Gabrielle sighed and pulled Maya into a hug. As soon as the little girl touched her, the bard found herself completely dry. "I'm not mad, Sweetie. Just... if I want to take a swim, I don't need your help, okay?"
Xena couldn't help but shake her head as she noted how completely taken in her friend was, despite the mischievous glance sparkling in the little girl's eyes. She leaned back against Ares, feeling his arms wrap around her waist, and hoped that Maya would still be okay with a sibling once the baby was born.
She had a sneaking suspicion that the little girl and a newborn babe would be too much for even Ares' godly powers to handle.
Almost the second she entered the door, Xena was swarmed with people. Friends she hadn't seen since before Maya's birth were there and everyone else besides. The tavern was empty of its usual guests and a large banner was strung up over the counter, the Greek lettering gloriously proclaiming: Congratulations Xena!
Given that her and Maya had been spending most of their time in Ares' halls to begin with, Xena had been convinced to stay and rest there until after the birth. Be that as it was, Ares had been smart enough to send someone to inform Cyrene instantaneously of the birth, and that Xena would be arriving as soon as she felt up to it. However, Xena had not expected her mother to hold a rally.
Smiling at her friends, the baby balanced in one arm and Maya holding onto her other hand, Xena called out, "Mother? Everyone? I hadn't planned on such a large crowd, but I suppose I have introductions to make."
Bustling up through the crowd, still wiping her hands on her apron, Cyrene came forward to see the baby. Bent down to give Maya a hug. "Look at my beautiful grandbabies."
"This is Tarak, my son," she smiled, cutting off the excited murmurs as Ares wandered up behind her, "And this is my daughter, Lexi."
Cyrene was beside herself - twins. And such beautiful babies, both with jet black tufts of hair, golden olive complexions and pale blue eyes that were yet to decide on a color. With a slight of wrist that suggested she'd borne three babies within a short time of each other, Cyrene gathered the twins in her arms, giving Ares a slight smile as she took Lexi, and wandering off to show Xena's friends.
Xena laughed, "If you wake them up, mum, you're getting them back to sleep!" But the threat was only half-mocking.
As Maya ran off, already seeing friends of her mother's that she recognized, Ares turned to Xena, "My dear, this party really seems more in your taste. I think I'll be avoiding everyone. Call when you need me."
He disappeared quickly, catching Xena's slight smirk as he did so. Just in time, as her friends were starting to drift up to her to inquire how she was, while the rest hovered over Cyrene and the babies they'd come to welcome into the world.
Autolycus wanted to discuss her children, since he hadn't crossed path with Xena since she was pregnant with Maya, citing that, "That little girl is gonna be a heartbreaker."
To which Xena could only reply, "She's well-guarded," thinking of Hydra who was, by now, Argo's size, complete with fangs and the need to follow Maya everywhere. Ares had trained the dog well.
And Hercules wanted to discuss some of her more notorious adventures, the last of which had occurred near Corinth, far too late in her pregnancy for Ares to have been comfortable - he was still slightly angry about it, in fact - and had involved one of the most idiotically power-hungry, if extremely lucky, warlords Xena had ever encountered.
Xena gently suggested, "Gabrielle is, by far, the better storyteller of the two of us," and the conversation shifted to the others.
By now, even if they still had issues with Ares, none of them brought it up. Even Hercules had been forced to play nice at Maya's last birthday party. Xena held no illusions about Ares as the God of War, but she'd made it exceedingly clear that she didn't want it brought up around her child - children. And even Iolaus had managed to admit that Ares had become quite tolerable since Maya's birth - he certainly no longer had the time for his vengeance schemes against Hercules.
Hercules had been through another wife since she'd seen him last, but this one had died of semi-natural causes. One of Autolycus' schemes had actually worked, and he was set up quite comfortably in Abdera, still attempting to charm the wrong ladies - one of which who had been a priestess of Hestia. "And boy can she not take a joke!"
Iolaus was due to have his own child in several months, but was not getting on well with the mother. Due mainly to the fact that he'd met her during one of his journeys with Hercules, and there had been several other women between that time and the time they'd passed back through the town - when Iolaus had been informed of his parental status. Despite it all, he was ecstatic.
After bumbling over to engage Xena in a clumsy hug, Joxer had offered, "My hardiest congratulations, Xena. Even if you didn't name the little scrapper after Uncle Joxer," and had then hurried off to join the crowd around Gabrielle.
Since Gabrielle had gone to the tavern much earlier in the day, enlisting Aphrodite's help, Xena had her suspicions that her friend was behind a large portion of this impromptu party. Then the twins needed to be fed, and Xena excused herself upstairs for a time. When she came back, Gabrielle was telling of the time Hydra accidentally terrorized a village and almost received offerings from the locals.
Settling in the back with her mother, who had once again claimed the twins for her own lap, Xena listened contentedly. After all, it was good to see everyone again. Soon, she imagined her life was going to be too busy to afford this kind of peace, so Xena was determined to enjoy it.
The End
Final Notes: Finished at 60 pages, 22,662 words. Maya means 'illusion' in Sanskrit, Lexi means 'protector of mankind' in Greek and Tarak is Hindi for 'protector.' Many thanks to everyone at Shipper Talk for answering polls, soothing worries and pointing out necessary revisions.
