Authoress' Note: This story begins in late June of 2001, approximately two weeks after 'Soul Possession' and 'Being Ares: The Pilot', which took place on the same day.

P.S. While you have to be familiar with Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess to read this story, you don't need as much background on 'Being Erica' to follow along. In that series, Erica Strange, a 31-year-old woman living in Toronto in 2009, undergoes the same time travel therapy featured in this story, in order to learn from her regrets over her past choices. While Erica's doctor is Dr. Tom, the therapist featured in 'Being Ares', Dr. Naadiah, appeared in a handful of 'Being Erica' episodes and was once Dr. Tom's therapist and his mentor during the series. In short, 'Being Erica' lends its premise and a few of its characters, but this is first and foremost a Hercules: The Legendary Journeys / Xena: Warrior Princess fanfic.

Being Ares: The Vague-Ares of Fate

Part 3

A Xena: Warrior Princess / Being Erica Crossover

By Arianwen P. F. Everett

As Gabrielle was dragged out into the cold night air by the manacles Caesar's men had just placed on her wrists, she couldn't help but fight to remain in the tent. She didn't know how Cyrene had gotten here or why Caesar was making a trade when he could have held the both of them, but every fiber of Gabrielle's being was screaming for her to save the older woman who was like a second mother to her. When she heard the self-satisfied voice of Julius Caesar address Cyrene directly, something inside her snapped and she shouted back through the still open tent flap. "You leave her alone! You leave her alone, you Monster!"

Suddenly she felt a firm hand on the back of her neck holding her head firmly in place as a bright, blue light enveloped her. A moment later, she was standing in the middle of Cyrene's tavern hall, and before she'd been released and could turn around, she'd already pieced together who she'd been traded to, if not why. Unadulterated rage flooded the young Amazon, and she spun around, hissing with fury. "Ares!"

"Did I forget to mark my calendar? Is this, 'Mimic Your Kid Day'?" the mischievous God of War quipped, hearing what would have been Hope's voice in Gabrielle's anger. With any luck, this would be the first and last time he ever heard it.

Not comprehending or caring whatever Ares' nonsense words meant, Gabrielle railed at the god before her, never missing her staff more she did at this very moment. "Ares, you take me back to Britannia right now! I don't know what you have against Cyrene, but Xena…"

"Xena and her mother will be fine! You're the one who was in danger! By the gods, how stupid can you be?!" Ares rebutted, cutting off the blonde before she could finish her tirade.

This creature followed every prophet who offered her a vision of peace and prosperity for humankind, without any consideration of whether or not the god they were empowering had any intention of delivering, even long after she'd put Hope's body to the torch for the final time. That whack-job Najara had nearly killed Xena twice. Eli and his peaceniks got the two of them crucified, and Micheal and his winged henchmen nearly sent Xena to reign over hell and then tried to murder Aphrodite. If she ever met a cult she didn't join, Ares was certain his immortal life would come to an end from shock. Of all her annoying qualities, that was the most irritating by far.

The idea that Ares had been attempting to save her from Caesar was preposterous. "What are you talking about? Xena would have saved me and Krafstar from Caesar!"

Ares growled in frustration. Yes, it was unfair to expect her to know the future as he did, but time was of the essence and she was wasting his. "Blondie, Caesar was the least of your worries! Krafstar's god is more evil than you can even imagine and you would have found that out the hard way had I not intervened and gotten you out of Britannia!"

"Evil?! Evil?! From where I'm standing, you're the only evil god involved here!" Gabrielle retorted, running a hand through her hair at the insanity of this conversation.

"I am not evil; I am War! War can enslave, but it can also bring freedom to an enslaved population! War can tear down brutal tyrants as easily as it can end the reign of just rulers! By the gods, Gabrielle, after war, more children are born, more new life created, than ever before! Krafstar's god is the essence of destruction! His plan for mankind is to have you all kill one another down to the very last soul, and for the gods he doesn't murder personally, more of the same! I tried to warn Xena before, but she was too focused on Caesar to care, and Caesar is no better! They're already living Dahok's dream; no wonder they were so useless in destroying the temple! I really messed up big time there, but don't worry, I've learned my lesson! You.. just.. tend Cyrene's inn. She left you a scroll with instructions. Just.. follow them.. or.. don't.. Oh, do whatever you're gonna do. I gotta to," Ares stammered as he realized mid-speech that he was definitely revealing too much. Besides, he really did have a deadline. Yes, Dahok would require time to find a new mother for Hope, but he needed time to find someone in Britannia unafraid to blow up the one great evil's temple and slaughter his priests. Both gods were on a clock.

Upon Ares' departure, Gabrielle spun around in frustration, only to nearly crash into one of Cyrene's waitresses, Josefina. "Oh, Gabrielle, I didn't see you there. Come to think of it, I didn't see you arrive. Anyway, do you know where Cyrene went, cause she was here a few minutes ago and now no one can find her?"

"Ah.. she was unexpectedly pulled away.. and might not be back for some time. Is there something I can help you with?" Gabrielle stuttered, forced to shift gears from hostility to problem-solving in only a few seconds, while still confused by Ares' earlier behavior. Still, there was no way to get word to Xena from here that would reach her before morning, and Cyrene needed a business to return to. Sighing, she consigned herself to an evening of slogging drinks and serving food while she figured out her next move, but first she need to find that scroll Ares had told her about, the one Cyrene had left her instructions on.

A little over two hours later, Gabrielle's entire body ached. This was far worse than a fight with a pack of bandits, or even a warlord's army. No wonder Xena was so gifted at ignoring pain if this was what she'd endured in her teen-aged years along side her mother most evenings. Finally getting a moment's rest, she sat herself down at a table with a stiff drink and tried to unknot some of her muscles manually, waiting for herbs she'd taken from Cyrene's medicine cabinet and her drink to do their work.

Just as her body was beginning to get some ease, she heard her named called and startled. However the moment of pain was quickly replaced with sheer joy and a sense of relief as she stood up and ran into the open arms of her two newest guests. " Hercules! Iolaus! Thank the gods you're here! Ares took Xena's mom to Britannia and handed her over to Caesar! Then he brought me here, had a ranting fit about the virtues of war, and returned to Britannia claiming he was on some mission to stop an evil god! I swear, there was this desperate, crazy look in his eyes! I'm afraid to say this, but I think he's finally lost his mind, and I haven't the slightest idea how to get back to Britannia and warn Xena in time, not to mention rescue Cyrene from Caesar! Please, I need your help!"

"You have it. You'll always have it," Iolaus assured calmly, smiling down at the young woman he certainly had feelings for, but whom he knew was on the same path as himself, just with a different partner. He would never leave Hercules' side and she would never leave Xena's.

"Don't worry, Gabrielle. I think I may have a solution. Aphrodite!" Hercules called out, once he'd considered the options and resigned himself to the fact that his sister was their best bet. Gabrielle was right, they didn't have time to get to Britannia the mortal way.

Just as Hercules was about to try again, only louder, a pink shower of sparkles stopped him. "Hey Bro, where's the fire?! Hephie and I were just taking a moonlight swim, and then whammo, all of a sudden, it's like you're all urgent or something! What gives?"

"I'm.. we're sorry to ruin your evening, but we need a favor," Hercules stated, a part of him still resisting asking a god for help.

Aphrodite looked around to see who constituted the we and then saw Gabrielle standing next to Iolaus. "Ah, okay. I totally understand, and you've come to the right place. The first threesome is always the most difficult to coordinate, so here's a little trick I use to keep everything organized…"

Iolaus and Hercules rolled their eyes, while Gabrielle gawked for a moment, before regaining the power of speech. "I'm sorry, but did she just insinuate…"

"Ah Aphrodite, that's not what we called you for. We need your help with Ares. He's taken Xena's mother to Britannia and handed her over to Caesar, and if we don't get there before first light, Caesar is going to crucify her," Hercules explained, hoping his sister would agree to assist them and not put up too much of a fuss. He knew that things like this tended to bore her, but she did have a good heart when she bothered to use it. Getting her to care was the trick.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes at her younger brother's priorities. "So, mortals die; that's kind of the definition. And I'd like to help, really I would, but Ar gets seriously mean when you get in his way! I really don't want to get on his bad side; he's been grumpy for weeks.. centuries.. forever, and…"

"Who's Dahok?" Gabrielle interrupted suddenly. While she might not know Aphrodite as well as Hercules and Iolaus, one thing she'd learned about the goddess was that she was obsessed with the number of temples and followers she had. Ares might be insane, but he'd sounded deadly serious when he talked about the dangers of Krafstar's god. Gabrielle wasn't sure whether this Dahok was bad news, but she believed Ares thought so, and perhaps he'd been right and she shouldn't have trusted Krafstar so completely on so short an acquaintance. Once she was reunited with Xena and Krafstar, she'd get her proof, but to do that she had to get to Britannia. If this Dahok was perceived as a threat by Aphrodite the way he was by Ares, perhaps he could be used as leverage in obtaining her help.

The ashen color his sister's normally rosy skin had quickly taken on worried Hercules for a moment and he placed a hand under her elbow, lest she start to fall. Whoever this Dahok was, his name alone obviously terrified Aphrodite. "Where did you hear that name?"

"Ares. That was the name of the 'evil god' he claims he was saving me from in Britannia, the one he's gone back to stop," Gabrielle explained, phrasing her explanation to sound innocent, but also to strike as much fear into he goddesses heart as possible. Xena had taught her that imminent danger got people moving like nothing else and it obviously worked on gods as well.

Rather than shrink back more as the three mortals had expected, Aphrodite balled her fists in frustration and stamped both her slippers. "I can't believe, Ar! I can't believe... oh, the stupid, stupid things people do for love! He's gonna get himself killed and for what, Warrior Babe and her mom?! Stupid! Just.. STUPID!"

"Aphrodite, what are you talking about? Ares is a god; he can't be killed," Hercules replied, completely perplexed at his sister's reaction. He could barely wrap his mind around the idea of Ares being killed, much less the other thing she'd said. Perhaps all the gods had gone mad. If so, he and Iolaus were going to be very, very busy soon.

"Not with Dahok locked away in his own realm, no, but if he gets out, even Gaea isn't safe! But if Evil Old Spiny is messing with Warrior Babe, Ar isn't gonna care, and he's gonna get himself killed!" Aphrodite wailed in panic, her anger and frustration having collapsed into abject terror.

"Aphrodite, don't worry. We're gonna fix this! We'll stop Ares from antagonizing this Dahok god, but we have to get to Britannia to do it," Hercules soothed, needing his sister's help but not wanting to hurt her in the process.

Somewhat comforted that she wasn't all the help Ares had at this point, Aphrodite sniffled and wiped her eyes with the lacy handkerchief she kept in between her cleavage. "Okay, but if I send you, you all have to promise not to give Ar a hard time over it. He's trying to do the right thing here. He's just not good at it like you guys are. It's not what the Fates made him to be."

Hercules put his hand on his sister's shoulder and turned her slightly to look him in the eye. "I promise, I won't give Ares a hard time over his attempt to save Gabrielle and Xena from a dangerous god. I can't promise he'll feel the same way, or that it won't come down to a fight, but…"

"He's War, duh, of course it will come to a fight, but just.. don't make fun of him. He's dealing with feelings he doesn't understand and hasn't even admitted to himself yet, and it's making him act all stupid! Just try your best not to let him die. I know you two don't get along, but he's important to me!" Aphrodite affirmed, wanting Hercules to see this not as a chore to reign in Ares but as a favor to save someone his sister cared about.

"Don't worry, Aphrodite, we'll do our best to bring him home safe, we promise," Iolaus chimed in, needing his sometimes-difficult friend to see that they both understood how she felt, even if they had no clue as to why she felt this way about Ares of all people.

"You too, Sweat Pea. If Ar is right and this Dahok was after you, he likely saved your mortal tush back there! You owe him," Aphrodite reminded the Bard who traveled with Xena and Joxer.

"Owe him? Owe him? Are you crazy?! He kidnapped Cyrene and handed her over to Caesar, a monster of a man who crucified her daughter and plans to do the same to her! I owe him nothing!" Gabrielle shot back, not wanting to hear about Ares' delicate feelings. As far as she was concerned, he had none, at least not good ones.

"Now Gabrielle, that's not fair. He did keep Caesar from crucifying you and brought you someplace safe. He didn't have to do that," Iolaus jumped in, hoping to stop Gabrielle from loosing them their ride to Britannia. If Xena and the people of that far off island really were in trouble, they had to help.

"Ya know, I'm a goddess and I don't have to stand here and listen to this ungrateful mortal's gnarly tude! I'll grab Heph and Cupid and we'll go to Britannia and drag Ar's buff butt back to Olympus ourselves! And another thing, he's absolutely right about you, Blondie; you are irritating! I'm outie!" Aphrodite shot back, having too much self respect to put up with the young Amazon's tirade against her confused older brother.

"Don't say it. Don't say it. I know that was stupid, it's just.. gods!" Gabrielle growled, sorry that she ruined her Hercules' plan but unable to make promises she had no intention of keeping. Ares and she were at war for Xena's soul. She wouldn't sell off an advantage that might help her and Xena save lives some day.

Suddenly a snarky voice wafted through the inn before its petite, leather-clad owner made her appearance. "She's not the only goddess who can get you to Britannia, ya know? And unlike the Bimbo, my offer doesn't come with a price or a debt. You want to get to Britannia; all you have to do is ask."

"Why, Discord? What's in it for you?" Hercules asked, coming to stand face to face with the sister he liked least.

"The same thing that's in it for.. what was it they call you.. 'Blondie'? She wants to keep Xena all to herself and I want to keep Ares. Now that we got that all cleared up, do you guys want a lift to Britannia so you can save your friends or not? I haven't got all night!" Discord whined, placing her hands on her hips.

"Sure. Thank you," Hercules responded, not nearly as hot headed as Gabrielle seemed to be tonight. Was this really just jealousy. Did Gabrielle feel threatened by Ares presence in Xena's life? Whatever anyone's reason, Xena, her mother, and the people of Britannia couldn't afford his refusal. He's speak with his young friend later, but if Discord was offering a free trip, he wasn't going to argue his way out of it.

"You all have to ask; Zeus' rules, not mine," Discord reminded the two mortals before her. They could be tedious sometimes, but they had their uses.

After Gabrielle and Iolaus nodded and asked, Discord wasted no time teleporting them all back to Boudicea's camp. Ares was acting way out of character. Only a few weeks ago he was reminding her of the dangers of challenging Dahok and the prudence of employing a mortal to destroy the one great evil's temple. Now he was rushing off to play hero to the Warrior Princess. Yes, Discord knew he had an obsession, but with Ares that was normal. Risking his own hide, that something different, something she couldn't put her finger on, but whatever it was, she would get to the bottom of it.

As the night hid the passing of one day into another, Ares watched the temple Caesar's men held, his mind focused on the task at hand. None of the mercenaries he'd tried to lure away from Boudicea's camp had been willing to destroy the temple. They might not know anything about this god, but they still refused to challenge gods of any sort. Xena and Caesar were a rare breed of mortal, willing to get the job done irregardless of any god's will. Unfortunately, neither saw blowing up this temple as a means to any sort of useful end. At least Blondie was out of the picture and Cyrene would be safe come tomorrow morning. Then maybe Xena might investigate the temple further and learn the truth. Once she did, there was no way Dahok would ever find his way into the world. Ares was sure of that.

"Ar, I'm only gonna say this once! Come home NOW! Warrior Babe is not worth this.. insanity!" Aphrodite insisted, materializing next to her brother, along with her son and husband who stood backing her up.

Ares sighed deeply, knowing he was about to upset two of the few siblings he cared about, and a compassionate nephew to boot, but he had no choice. This was something he had to say. "Yes, she is; she's more than worth it! But this isn't about her. This is about preventing.. so much. I can't explain it; I wish I could, but this god most be stopped and I couldn't bare Xena being the one to make the sacrifice."

"So you're gonna make yourself the sacrifice?! That's insane; not to mention reckless! Think Ares! You're an Olympian, a legitimate son of Zeus! Dahok will take your assault on his temple and his followers as a declaration of war from all of us!" Hephaestus jumped in, now completely convinced of the need to be here. He'd been disappointed at the interruption of his and Dite's night-time swim, and he'd thought his wife was had been exaggerating when she'd told him that Ares planned to take on Dahok directly, but now he saw she'd been underestimating the seriousness of the situation.

Ares knew Hephaestus was right. They were all in the same boat, tied together by blood and fate. His actions, and certain death if he were caught, could indeed spark a war with a far more powerful enemy and only he knew about the Olympian secret weapon his annoying half brother truly was. But it hadn't just been Jercules. Morgan had been there, along with other mortals, like that sexy, sassy pirate. Yeah, she was.. Okay, he needed to focus. No, Hercules hadn't been alone. He was rarely alone. Looking at Aphrodite and Hephaestus and his nephew, he remembered Dr. Naadiah's encouragement to find help. Perhaps this was the key.

A plan began to form in Ares mind, and he instinctively rejected it, which told him it might just be what he needed. It would require tremendous trust, far more than most of his family were worth, but in these three he saw his best chance not to be betrayed. Finally deciding to take a leap of faith, Ares made a loaded cart, pulled by two horses, appear behind him, then unsheathed his sword and forced himself not to chicken out. This was it. This was his moment to trust. "I have a plan, but I'll need your help."

"I'm sorry, Unc, but we are NOT storming that temple with you!" Cupid insisted, placing a hand on his mother's shoulder to show her that he'd protect her, even from her own optimism about Ares.

"You won't have to. You three will just head back to Boudicea's camp with this," Ares stated, flipping his sword to show them what he meant, so they'd catch onto his plan.

"Wait, if you give us that, you'll loose your pow.. oh," Aphrodite began, only to realize what Ares was proposing.

"I'll loose my powers. I'll be mortal, but it's only as a mortal that I have a shot at succeeding. Dahok is still too far from this realm to track individual mortals without employing his high level priests and priestesses eyes and ears. Even in mortal form I can silently take out Caesar's B-squad at the temple, douse the place with greek fire, and dump the bodies in my cart. By the time the One Great Evil's stooges find their temple unguarded tomorrow morning, they'll head inside to pray, and after the doors are locked, I'll barricade the exit from the outside with a few more barrels, strike a flint, and run like old Typhon is still alive and chasing me," Ares joked, imagining the bonfire that would be Dahok's temple and cult if he was successful.

"And once we see the explosion, we'll know to find you and return your sword, right?" Cupid caught on, seeing where his uncle was going.

"Actually, I'd prefer if you take me back to one of my temples and then give me my sword back. Just a precaution, but I'd like to be on home turf before resuming my mantle. It's safer for the entire family that way," Ares answered, letting the three of them know he cared about their safety without having to give some sappy declaration that would make his sister useless for at least a half hour.

"So we just protect your sword; that's it?" Hephaestus queried, confused about the relative simplicity of Ares plan.

"Not quite. Once I'm mortal, I need you to find Xena. Tell her the plan, and make sure she knows I'm human. She'll protect you three and the sword. She's seen what happens to mortals when there's no sitting god of war. She won't risk that again," Ares continued, knowing Xena would protect his family and his sword despite the hostility she felt towards him at this point in the timeline. Years from now she would tell him that he had always gotten to her. She wouldn't turn her back on his family and him now. He was certain of it.

"She'll protect us? A mortal will protect us?" Hephaestus huffed indignantly. Deformed he might be but he wasn't helpless. He didn't need a mortal's protection.

"Trust me. There have been times I've needed her protection and Xena has never let me down in that respect," Ares affirmed, letting his brother know the issue wasn't up for discussion.

"Alright, Unc, we'll do it your way," Cupid sighed, understanding the protective instincts a man could have for the woman he loved. He'd nearly turned into a big, green monster permanently, and he was the God of Love. Uncle Ares deserved his moment to shine for Xena. Yeah, Xena would make a cool aunt, assuming they both survived this twisted courtship.

"Yeah, no worries, Bro!" Aphrodite interjected, throwing her arms around Ares in a giant hug. If things went wrong, she could loose him, but she understood that he had to do this. Warrior Babe was distracted with Caesar and needed a swift kick to get her priorities in line. Ares risking himself to save the world would provide that. She seriously doubted Xena would just sit by as Ares had suggested, but then this was something the two of them could do together. Every couple needed these kinds of activities. Okay, maybe not these activities specifically, but stuff they could do together and were good at. If the stakes weren't so high, it could be kinda romantic.

Once Ares had disengaged his sentimental sister and drained his power into his sword, he fought off the urge to take them back. His prior leaps of faith had all revolved around Xena, but now he was trusting his family. That was much harder, but as he'd one day learn from a psychiatrist in Bethesda, therapy wasn't supposed to easy.

Turning towards Hephaestus, Ares handed over his sword to the divine blacksmith, then climbed onto the cart that was loaded with greek fire and covered by a tarp to hide the barrels, before slowly making his way down the hill towards the temple. The sleep-deprived Romans would think he was a merchant making a very late delivery under orders from his new Roman masters, until it was too late for them to do anything but gurgle on their own blood.

Now that Ares was on his way, free from his family and headed towards this new, unknown fate, his mind drifted to Xena and her actions tomorrow morning. They'd see this thing through together, even if she could only see his giving up his godhood after putting her mother in peril and kidnapping the blonde. That was how it usually went, but if he won even a tiny particle of her respect, it would be enough to make his heart sing and this tiny hope buoyed him as he neared the temple of Dahok and all the danger the ancient dark god posed.