Title: The Olympian Gods
Series 1: Ares Flame
Author: Princess Destiny
Email: In Profile
URL: destinysgateway DOT com
Couple: Ares And Xena
Rating: M 15+
Summary: Xena and Gabrielle come across an unconscious girl on the road, who is not
exactly what she appears to be. Ares is up to his old games it seems, but the destruction
of the world is at stake this time. The darkness is rising, a nameless person who will
bring chaos to the world...but who is it? Who is the Messiah that is the only one to save
the God's and Mortals alike, to claim the flame sword Caeralon. Xena and Gabrielle are
joined by Hercules, Iolaus, Joxer, Salmoneous, Athena, Zeus, Cupid, Aphrodite and even
Ares as time runs out for them all...
Chapters: 4/19
Status: Completed
Year Completed: 1999
Comments: Hi everyone! Here is Chapter Four. I'm just going to post up the rest of the Chapters. I figured no one was reading it, but I hate leaving it up here unfinished.
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Princess Destiny
The Olympian Gods Series 1
ARES FLAME
By Princess Destiny
Chapter Four
Meryll entered Sionna's room almost timidly, having been summoned there by Ara. The Priestess really didn't like Meryll and had watched her carefully until they reached Sionna's room, then Meryll had been thrust inside and Ara left.
"Ah, Meryll. I've been looking for you" Sionna said from the fire-side. She was holding the baby and rocking it gently, a soft smile on her face.
"Well, here I am" Meryll said hesitantly, moving a little further into the room and looking a the chair across from Sionna. The Priestess nodded and Meryll seated herself, conscious that she was a mere servant to Sionna and the others in the Temple and had to act like one.
"I wanted to thank you, for bringing him back...I know he was dead." she fell silent, lifting a hand to stroke at the baby's face.
"Sionna I-"
"No, don't say anything. I don't know how you did it, just that you have a great power within you." Sionna said softly, interrupting Meryll's words and the look she directed at the girl was full of affection.
"I know, it scares me sometimes" Meryll murmured, twisting her hands together in her lap.
"Don't let it, it's a gift from the Gods. You saved my son's life and soul, Hades knows how, but you brought him back from the dead"
"I-had to" Meryll told her hesitantly, at a loss to know why she had said those words, but they had been true. She had felt an overwhelming compulsion to save the child...felt his death in fact. An acute pain in the chest that had left her gasping and with a need to go straight to him, no matter what the cost.
"Which is why I want you to name the baby"
"Me? But Sionna, he's yours and his. Ares should be the one to name his son!" Meryll's protested in shock, she stared at the Priestess as if her senses had left her.
"No arguments" Sionna commanded, "You of all people deserve the right to name him" Sionna said softly and Meryll sank back further into her chair. Why? Why did Sionna want her to name Ares child.
"All right. Let me think a moment" Meryll said finally, getting to her feet and going to the window. She pulled aside the curtain and opened the shutter slightly, just enough to look up at the night sky. She had a name, it had come to her as soon as Sionna had asked it of her. Popped into her mind as if put there. Destiny. It was her destiny to name the child.
"Marius" Meryll said abruptly, after a few minutes. She closed the shuttered and faced the room again, meeting Sionna's surprised eyes.
"Marius? It sounds-foreign" Sionna said dubiously and Meryll laughed lightly.
"It's Roman, they call Ares by the name of Mars in their country. Marius is...Marius comes from Mars. I thought it fitting because it means, the conqueror" it was Sionna who laughed this time.
"The Conqueror. My son...I like it!" she exclaimed in delight, smiling happily at Meryll. Meryll however had a sinking feeling, for no reason she could define. It was as if a premonition of doom had come over her, by just naming the child.
"Marius!" Meryll repeated, eyes on the mother and child. The night suddenly didn't feel quite so warm.
Xena crept along the hall swiftly, placing her feet careful as to make no the slightest sound. Footsteps came down the hall and she looked around quickly, then up at the beams holding the roof. A moment later she watched from above as three Priestess' walked under her, then into a room further down. She looked up at the beams she was standing on and followed them with her eyes, grinning as she saw that it would be easy if she just stayed up in the roof.
"Easy" she repeated to herself out loud, the grin still in place as she nimbly walked along the beams till she reached Sionna's room. Several people had passed underneath her but never thought to look up and the only person she could think of that could pose any problem, was Ares himself. Xena dropped down after checking for people and slipped quickly up to Sionna's door. She heard voices immediately and pressed her ear to the door, identifying Sionna's and Meryll's voices.
["-name the baby"
["Me? But Sionna, he's yours and his. Ares should be the one to name his son!" Meryll's voice protested and Xena's eyes narrowed, how did Meryll know that it was Ares son?
["No arguments, you of all people deserve the right to name him" Sionna said softly and Xena's frown intensified. 'You of all people deserve to name him'? What did that mean?
["All right. Let me think a moment" there was silence and Xena lifted her head to look around the corridor again, listening for footsteps but hearing none.
["Marius" Meryll said abruptly, after a few minutes and Xena was surprised.
"The Conqueror" she murmured, wondering where Meryll got the name. It was Roman, she knew. Meaning the conqueror. "A fitting name for Ares son" she said dryly and went back to listening again.
["Marius? It sounds-foreign" Sionna said dubiously and Meryll laughed.
["It's Roman, they call Ares by the name of Mars in their country. Marius is...Marius comes from Mars. I thought it fitting because it means, The Conqueror" it was Sionna who laughed this time. Then Xena felt a warm breath on the back of her neck and she spun around, almost smashing her nose in Ares chest.
"Xena. Reduced to listening at key holes? Oh, how the mighty have fallen!" Ares mocked, crossing his arms and Xena stared back calmly.
"I needed to find out something and this was the quickest method" she told him calmly, walking off and knowing he would follow.
"Quicker than asking?" he laughed and Xena clenched a fist, turning quickly and launching it, only to have it caught in one of Ares own. He tightened his grip when she struggled to be free and looked deeply into her glaring eyes.
"Let. Me. Go" she said slowly, threat in her voice and she was dying to hit that smirk off his face!
"Oh, but I enjoy seeing that fire in you." he leaned in close, letting her fist go. "Let it out, Xena" he whispered. She felt his breath on her face and the smell of him was intoxicating, a male and definitely attractive to her.
"You wouldn't like it if I did" she told him softly, stepping back from the hand he had raised to touch her face. "Go play with someone else, Ares"
"Oh, but I really like playing with you, Xena" he said intently, his eyes darkening. They were affecting each other and Xena knew it would only be a matter of time till she gave into that attraction between them. The tension that was there every time they met, had been there right from the beginning.
"Xena! There you are!" Gabrielle's voice broke into their thoughts and Ares eyes showed a blazing hatred for a moment before he disappeared in a flash of light. Xena was left to stare dazedly at the spot he had been standing till Gabrielle waved a hand over her eyes and she snapped out of it.
"Oh, Gabrielle. What is it?" Xena said in a strong voice, trying to cover the emotion thick under her voice.
"You're sure acting strange, Xena. Anyway, I wanted to know if you wanted to come for a midnight swim with Xanthe and some others" the blonde grinned in excitement. "There's a full moon tonight and Xanthe said it's best then"
Xena straightened, pushing the feelings to the back of her mind and concentrated on Gabrielle.
"A night swim, sounds great. Wouldn't miss it" her eyes darkened, a mischievous smile playing about her lips as they started down the hall.
"I'm sure Ares won't"
Gabrielle's eyes narrowed as she watched Meryll clean the floor, the girl never complained! Not once that she or Xena had seen, she hadn't cared that she was being used as a servant.
"You missed a spot" Ara pointed out waspishly as Meryll moved the broom and the girl just swept where the Priestess had indicated.
"When you finish here, there are dirty dishes to be done and beds to be made" Ara told Meryll, who merely nodded, but seemed absorbed in her work. The Priestess stood around for another moment, then decided she was too important to be watching a servant and stormed off.
"Take a break Meryll, have some of this juice-it's...fresh" Gabrielle blushed, remembering belatedly that Meryll had been the one to squeeze the juice. "umm"
"Sure, why not" the brunette sighed, slumping down into a chair next to Gabrielle and the blonde noticed bags under Meryll's eyes.
"Haven't you been sleeping?"
"It not that. I've...had a lot on my mind lately that all" Meryll said wearily, closing her eyes and putting her mug of juice to her forehead as if to absorb the coolness.
"Meryll!" a voice said loudly and Gabrielle started violently, then grimaced. Another Priestess wanting Meryll to do some terrible chore, couldn't they leave her alone? She looked at Meryll and saw that the girl hadn't move, but there was a slight smile playing about her mouth as footsteps came closer.
"Meryll!" Gabrielle hissed, not wanting the girl to be beaten. It was Sionna who entered the hall, looking harried and carrying little Marius on one arm.
"There you are! I've been looking for you and Ara wouldn't give me a straight answer" Sionna said darkly, then she smiled and greeted Gabrielle.
"Hello Sionna, and Marius too of course" Gabrielle crooned at the baby and it turned to stare at her with his green eyes. His mother's eyes.
"I'm sorry we haven't had any time to talk since I've been up from bed, Gabrielle. This little one takes up all by time" Sionna laughed as the baby gurgled and clutched his tiny hands into her long red hair.
"That's okay, we can talk later" Gabrielle shrugged, trying to keep the Priestess' attention from Meryll, who was still slumped with eyes closed. Sionna had been up and about for a week now and Gabrielle had barely seen her, she had duties and Gabrielle...well, she had Xena to talk to.
"Meryll, could you please open your eyes?" Sionna said, exasperated and Meryll snored theatrically.
"Can't you tell I'm asleep?" Meryll inquired sweetly, peeking open one eye and saw that Sionna had her free hand on her hip and was glaring with exasperation. Gabrielle was shocked and waited for the explosion that never came.
"Sure you are, but I need a favor" Meryll made a snoring noise again and her cup of juice slid slightly to the side, despite the fact that she was mean to be asleep, she righted it.
"Uh, huh. And life is but a dream, I suppose?" Sionna said, her eyes twinkling merrily at her joke and Meryll snorted.
"You've got it! Yep, a dream" she muttered, both seeming oblivious to the fact that Gabrielle's face was turning red every time Meryll spoke back to the Priestess. She was sure Meryll would get the whip for that one!
"Can you watch Marius please?" Sionna coaxed softly and Meryll sat up so quickly that her juice almost flew out of the cup.
"WHAT?!"
Sionna laughed and took the cup, placing it on the table then handing her baby over to Meryll firmly. Gabrielle gaped.
"Thanks! I knew I could count on you!" Sionna called as she left the hall swiftly, Gabrielle's eyes were wide as she looked at the fleeing form and then to Meryll, who was making faces at Marius. A Priestess of Ares was friends with Meryll? Everyone else treated her like the servant Ares had made her. All except Sionna.
"Weird"
"Not really" Xena said, coming into the hall and sitting a the table. Gabrielle stared at her friend and wondered if she was psychic or something, answering when Gabrielle hadn't even spoken. Only thought.
"Do you even know what I'm talking about?"
"Nope" Xena said cheerful, grabbing a bunch of grapes and grinning at Gabrielle's disgusted expression. Gabrielle looked from her grinning friend to Meryll, who was still making faces and cooing noises. Then she looked at the grapes that Xena was eating, as if they were the sweetest delicacy in the world and she was loving every bit.
"Was my birth some sort of Godly joke?"
Celeste rode hard down the road, having just left the Temple with the Oracle's blessing. She had decided to keep close to Meryll after all, but in town. The Priestess' of Ares would need supplies each week and as their servant, Meryll would be there also.
"Something was strange about her, I know. The Oracle thinks from her visions that the girl's soul looked like that from contact with the Messiah" Celeste thought it over and decided it made sense. Contact with such a powerful being could do that do a person...couldn't it? It really was a God thing, not for mortals to dwell upon, she mused.
"The Messiah will find US Hmm, that makes it easy. But what if it's not in time, the darkness is rising and the Messiah MUST be in time to take up Caeralon!" she urged the horse into a gallop, then heard the sound of hoof-beats behind her and she turned her head to see a band of armed men not far behind.
"Oh great, just what I needed when time is important!" she growled. Celeste stopped the horse and turned it around, startling the men who expected the pleasure of giving chase.
"Okay, I'm having a REAL bad day and I don't need this!" she told them angrily and they grinned.
"Sure you are sweet cheeks, but we do" the man in front declared with a leer and she grimaced, men were all the same. She had yet to find one of their number that didn't have that constantly on their minds when they met women!
"Okay, the who's first?" she said, grinning slightly as she pulled out her sword and held it expertly. It made them a little nervous, but not as nervous as when her medallion fell out when she loped off their leader's head.
"A Hand-Maiden!" one exclaimed in fear, backing off but a bulkier man ordered them to attack.
"She's just a woman you fools! Get her" he yelled at them and after a moment, they charged at her, weapon's aloft
Celeste was hard pressed, 4 of them coming at her at once, when a horse came thundering up and Lorelei leapt off the still running horse. She jumped onto two of the men and knocked them flat, giving Celeste the time she needed and she stabbed the first man directly in the heart. The other was a little harder and she thrust under his guard, getting him just under the ribs. She watched with clinical detachment as he slid off of the sword then she proceeded to say a silent prayer for the men she had killed.
"Are you okay, Celeste?" Lorelei asked anxiously, after she had said a prayer over her dead and came to stand next to her friend.
"No" Celeste said soberly, realizing just how close she had been to being overwhelmed by those bandits. They mounted their horses and continued on towards their destination; Ares Temple. After a few miles, Lorelei glanced sideways at Celeste with her light blue eyes.
"Do you think Ares knows we are searching for the Messiah and has decided to stop us?" Celeste shook her head calmly, it was not the way of Ares to sent common bandits against the Oracles hand-maidens.
"No, it's not in the Gods best interest to stop us" she rode on for a moment more and then spoke again. "This threatens ever their existence, they wouldn't interfere"
Lorelei bit her lip. "IF they know what is happening, they could be completely oblivious to the darkness rising in the world"
"Lets hope you're wrong" Celeste whispered, hand clutching her medallion. If even the mighty Gods had no idea of what was to come...man kind and all existence could cease to exist...
Yet again, Meryll had been asked to mind Marius. Not that she really minded, but she and Sionna played a little game where Meryll complained and Sionna tried to coax her. It was fun and she realized with pleasure, she and Sionna had become close friends. And Marius was a delight, she loved looking after him. She was teaching him things too, now accustomed to taking him outside at night to look at the stars. They were so beautiful, so forever and she wondered if they were the same in the future. How many had fallen, how many shifted out of sight?
Marius gurgled as a star suddenly fell from the sky and he reached for it, when it disappeared he fell silent and Meryll felt danger. Coming from the child! A great darkness radiated from him suddenly, reacting to his anger at not been able to catch the star.
"NO!" she said as he lashed out with his power, a surge heading for the sky and she narrowed her eyes. Power surged out of her and headed towards the black power in the sky, it caught up and dampened, sparkling bright white for a moment. Marius gurgled again and the darkness left him, Meryll slumped, feeling drained. Where had the power come from? He felt normal as far as she could tell, no sign of power within him and yet she had just witnessed it. From a baby that was only a few weeks old!
She probably hadn't needed to dampen the surge of power like that, but the Gods knew what damage it could have done. Hit a star perhaps? Meryll knew that all life was connected, all things that happened were for a purpose and affected things around it. For all she knew, that harmless blast of dark power could have started a chain reaction that destroyed the world...
"Wait a sec-that's going WAY overboard!" she berated herself, laughing. Then she looked down at Marius and her expression hardened, she had expected maybe something from the child. Strength like Hercules perhaps, but not the power he had shown. She reached out a finger and placed it on his forehead, concentrating and her mind slowly slipped into his.
The Oracle stared up at the night sky, feeling the breeze as it cAressed her skin and swirled in her long hair teasingly. She loved the day, but the night was calm. Calm enough for thinking and it was something that she needed to do a lot of. The Messiah had not yet been found and they had already had a false start with that girl Meryll, but she had been near the Messiah and that was something.
"It can't end this way" she whispered, then something dark shot into the sky, far away. It was blacker than the night and the stars around her and she shivered, then a brighter light consumed it and it was dampened abruptly. The Oracle, however, was horrified.
"It has begun"
Meryll stared down at the baby she was holding, in a kind of fascinated horror. The mind she had probed was pure evil, power too. Power to destroy, the baby didn't know what he could become-but SHE did. It was a part of her soul that she fought with all her might...her darkness. And she'd brought him back from the dead, what a double-edged blessing this had turned out to be!
"Oh, Marius. I did well to name you thus, as the son of The God of War" Meryll whispered. "Marius, Mars, ARES. Marius the Conqueror"
"As befits a son of mine. Although how you know he's mine, is what I would like to know" Ares voice came from right in front of her and she looked up swiftly, seeing that he had been blocking the moonlight and she should have noticed that. But she had been to intent on Marius and had not even sensed his presence.
"Fool" she muttered to herself and he raised an eyebrow, obviously having heard her berate herself.
"It wasn't to hard to see, he has his mother's eyes, but the dark hair and his face show that he's yours, Lord Ares" she said more loudly, trying to sound casual about the whole thing. Ares looked at her for a moment, his expression clearly showing disbelief and then he looked down at his son.
"She let you name him" he said abruptly and Meryll was startled again, Sionna had told him that? "Why? he demanded.
"I-she...Umm-" Meryll stuttered, casting her mind around for an answer. Sionna had let her name him because Meryll had saved his life, but she couldn't tell Ares that.
"Well? I grow tired of your silence" Ares said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with impatience.
"She likes me, I spend time with her and Marius, and she liked the name I suggested!" Meryll suddenly yelled, her temper getting the better of her and she was astonished to see a slight smile cross Ares lips. She was baffled and stared at him till Marius started to cry and she pulled him close to comfort him.
"Perhaps" he said, turning to look up at the stars as she had earlier. "How is it that you know the stars so well, peasant?" he asked her infuriatingly, using the name he knew she hated.
"Peasant, huh!" she muttered into Marius' shoulder and she rocked him, then remembered that Ares was waiting for an answer.
"My...brother taught me, when I was younger" she said softly, the even breathing of the baby in her arms telling her that he was now asleep.
"I was always fascinated by the sky, especially at night. It's so-" she struggled for a word to describe all the things that the night held for her.
"Dark? Scary? Filled with unimagined horrors?" he suggested mockingly and she got to her feet, quickly, but carefully. Her eyes flashed with anger and her chin rose proudly as she strode past him, heading towards the Temple.
"Inviting" her voice came back to him and he found himself watching her, his eyes following her graceful movements until she disappeared into the Temple. Graceful, yes, despite the fact that she was peasant. All though, he was beginning to think that his first assessment of her had been wrong. She could fight almost as well as Xena with that sword of hers, she knew the constellations. Despite being his servant, she always talked back to him...and...she was unpredictable.
"Inviting" he repeated her words and a smile spread across his handsome features.
It was late afternoon one day when the bell in the top of the Temple began to ring loudly, startling Gabrielle and Meryll from their food. Xena, however, got straight to her feet and raced out of the room, drawing her sword.
"What? Let's follow her!" Gabrielle exclaimed, snatching up her staff and following her friend, Meryll shrugged and ran out also. The halls were in chaos, Priestess' running towards the main hall and Meryll was soon lost in the crush. Her spin tingled and she stopped, only to be jostled by Ara.
"Get a move on servant, there's intruders!" the Priestess yelled, pushing Meryll violently aside and she hit the wall hard.
"Ugh" she moan, covering the spot and rubbing it. "Intruders?!" she yelled, suddenly catching onto what Ara had said and she dashed down the nearly deserted hall. The main room was full with thirty or so Priestess' and Ares stood before them, looking furious.
"Be silent!" he roared and the silence was deafening, every eye on him.
"There is a small army camped not far from here, in the forest. Slavers" he told them curtly, crossing his arms and he looked towards Xena, waiting for an argument. She didn't say a word though, only sharpened her sword and he smiled slightly, watching the shocked face of the blonde beside her.
"We'll need a plan, do you have a map of the surrounding area?" Xena asked, pushing her way to the front and Ara went of to get it at one look from Ares. Gabrielle pushed also to the front and touched her friend's shoulder, her eyes worried as she looked at Xena's tight face.
"Xena, you aren't going through with this, joining Ares!" she hissed urgently and Xena turned briefly to look at Gabrielle.
"I'm not joining him, but if the army IS slavers, they're mostly Mercenaries." she looked down at the map that Ara brought to her and studies it for a moment.
"Xena" Gabrielle whispered, seeing the coolness come over her friend's face and yet the anticipation of battle in her eyes.
"I'll need to see their position myself" she told Ares, hand on hilt and he nodded.
"I'll go with her" Ara offered and Ares held up his hand, a sardonic smile on his lips.
"Xena. Needs no one to go with her, she'd the best at this" he said and Ara stood back into the crowd, resentment on her face. Xena looked at her and saw that the girl would be a problem in the future.
"Maybe she could come along, I might need her to watch my back" Xena stated and Ares laughed.
"Oh, come now Xena. Don't be modest" his eyes swung to Gabrielle and she glared at the look in his eyes. "But by all means, take the side-kick. Chances are, she'll get hit by a stray arrow"
"Grrrrrr!" Gabrielle tightened her hands about her staff and longed to wipe that smile off of his face but Xena shook her head warningly.
Meryll watched all this from on top of a stool at the back of the crowd, unable to see anything because she was too short. As soon as she had gotten on the stool, she could see the whole thing and heard every word that they uttered because of the silence. If Ares wanted silence, he got silence. She listened as they made their plans, Xena deciding to scout herself and leave a reluctant Gabrielle behind.
"I don't trust Xena, Cyrie" a Priestess in front of Meryll murmured and her companion leaned closer so that no one could hear.
"She's Ares favorite and she's the best. I've seen her fight" the other whispered and the first snorted.
"She's turned good though, what use is she if she hesitates to kill someone because of her soft nature?"
"Xena, soft in battle? You don't know much about her do you, Mara" the second Priestess turned back to the front and ignored her baffled friend. Meryll smiled and looked for Sionna, she would want Marius minded while she went to battle and-where was Sionna? Meryll got on the points of her toes to make her higher and scanned the crowd for the familiar red hair, but there was no sight of her.
"She's gone!" Meryll exclaimed loudly and they all turned to her, Ares with an annoyed look.
"Who let her in here, get that servant out!" Ara yelled, struggling through the crowd and several Priestess' made a grab for Meryll in response.
"Wait, let the servant speak" Ares' voice broke through like a douse from a cold bucket and Meryll looked over at him anxiously.
"Sionna is gone!" she said, Xena's eyes widened as she looked around and noticed that Meryll was right. Ares also and he straightened, giving orders for the Temple to be searched. Meryll slid down from her stood and turned her back to everyone, she reached out with her mind and found Sionna's. It was filled with fear and she was...
"At the river!" Meryll whispered in horror, her friend was in the forest!
Ares straightened as a tingling sensation ran down his spine and he knew that someone in the room was using power and such power it was! His eyes swept the faces before him, wondering if he could have somehow missed power in one of his priestess-but no, none of them looked as if they were. Maybe Xena's little friend? He looked at her but the blonde was busy arguing, then that left-
He looked over the heads of his Priestess' in time to see Meryll leap from her stool and rush out the doors. 'At the river' echoed in his mind, having hear even her slightest whisper.
"She's at the river, there's no time for you to scout, Xena. Go now!" he commanded them all and then disappeared. They instantly raced from the room, leaving Xena and Gabrielle a few seconds after.
"This is madness Xena!"
"Maybe, but I have a friend out there now, more reason to fight"
Meryll ran faster, dashing into the forest, but still Ares Priestess' soon overtook her. She slowed down slightly as they streamed past her like deer's, weapon's drawn and it occurred to her to wonder how they knew where Sionna was. They were headed directly for the river and Xena had not had the time to scout out where the Slavers were. She felt Xena coming and hid behind a tree till she and Gabrielle had run past, the Warrior Princess soon leaving her friend behind.
"I have no choice, Marius and Sionna are in danger" Meryll murmured, she stepped away from the tree and concentrated, the illusion that was Meryll fading away so that Aurelia was revealed. She noticed that her dress was again white a second before she took off running, long black hair flowing.
Ares stiffened as he felt that power again as he appeared amidst his Warriors, they had encountered the Mercenaries long before the river and were already engaged in battle. Of Sionna, there was no sight but he could hear Xena's war cries. A smile crossed his lips, it was such a pleasure to hear Xena's voice before she sliced open a man...
Gabrielle was fighting desperately with her staff, having a lot of luck but these men knew what they were doing. And they had swords. She'd already been cut on the shoulder and one man had hit her staff so hard with the flat of her sword that her other arm was feeling numb. She was loosing ground with a burly man when Ara came up behind him and stabbed him in the kidneys, he cried out and fell to the ground.
"Thanks!" Gabrielle called, but the girl never smiled.
"Watch your back, girl-who in Tartarus is that?!" Ara exclaimed, absently killing another man and Gabrielle turned where the Priestess was looking to see a beautiful girl with long black hair, streaking towards them. She stood out because of her long white flowing dress and the fact that her green eyes were-!
"Glowing! Here eyes are glowing!" Gabrielle gasped, barely able to step back as the girl raced past them swiftly, then her body began to change.
Xena grinned viciously as she killed the soldier easily, the one she was facing had more skill than most and was holding his own, much to her pleasure.
"Aiyiyiyiyi!" she screamed, watching as he started in terror and almost dropped his sword. Ares fought his way to her side, mowing through the soldiers as if they were grass.
"A nice little battle" he commented but Xena had more important things on her mind.
"Have you seen Gabrielle? Or Sionna?" she gasped, ducking as the man she was fighting took a wild swing at her head. Ares blasted him casually and he screamed once, before he turned into a pile of dust.
"Your side-kick? Fighting with her little stick I'd imagine, isn't that what Joxer said she did?" Ares laughed and Xena spar him a glared before spinning around and looking for Gabrielle through all the fighting. A second later she spotted her and then...the girl. Ares saw her too and she watched as his face grew furious, his hand tightening on his sword as they watched her swiftly run towards them. Every movement graceful as a dancer, running as fast as a deer. Her long black hair whipping wildly behind her and then her eyes began to glow an eerie green.
"What?" Xena had time to uttered before the girl began to change, she stopped weaving through Mercenaries and Priestess alike and instead went right through them. And as she did, her body shimmered and right before their eyes-just as she passed the spot they were standing-she turned into a black wolf! Then she was gone and Xena was stunned, Ares seemed similarly astonished, then his eyes grew intent and he vanished. All this had taken less than a minute and Xena didn't know what to think.
"What in Hades in going on here?"
To Be Continued...
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Please don't forget to check out my Archives 'Destiny's Gateway Romance Fanfiction Archives'. We're a 'Couples' Fanfiction Archive, pure romance in any rating and always with a happy ending. Our Sailor Moon section is quite extensive and growing daily. We would love you to come on over and have a read and even submit your own Fanfiction there. :) The link can be found in my Profile, so just click on my pen name above this Chapter and come on over. All of my Fanfiction is up there, and I've written over 130 Fanfics.
Hugs,
Princess Destiny