"Sure I do" he acidly replied, casually pulling the sword out of its scabbard and skillfully waving it in the air a couple of times, warming up for the event that was about to come. " I'm here to kill you." he dispassionately announced, sounding rather bored that anxious to see it done.

The priestess stared blankly at him for a few seconds – the same formal smile plastered on her face - before she slowly rose from her chair and noiselessly began to light the few candles on the altar.

" That's funny. I could have sworn you were here looking for answers."

" Answers? Me? Neah…I'm more like the practical type- kill first ask questions later-" he simply stated while with one fine blow that covered the room in dust and white marble particles, he demonstratively cut off the beautifully sculpted head of Apollo's statue- the ideal test-in his book- to see if the blade was still sharp enough.

"….made by Hephaestus himself!" he proudly exclaimed, looking particularly pleased with the weapon he was holding. " I gotta' say, you're one lucky lady today. One swift, well aimed blow right at the base of that pretty neck of yours should do it…" he mentioned , casting a furtive glance at the incredibly calm priestess. " Just outta curiosity….is this the way you predicted it- your death?"

" Actually, I cannot foresee my own future , Ares."

"That would be Lord Ares, for you, my dear. We're not equal in any way, you and I….As for the guessing the future thing….that' s quite an irony wouldn't you say so?! Apollo could have been a bit a tad more generous when it comes to your supernatural abilities. Anyway…too much chit chat tires me. How do you want us to do this? Have you ever envisaged your …departure? Any special requests?" he inquired, dropping any note of amusement in his voice and heading for the altar.

" As in..last wishes….?"

" Yeah, something like that. I mean…you're quite famous and all…Do you prefer something dramatic- something to shock the masses? I'm easy. For instance, I could behead you right here , next to this horrible- looking statue of your beloved patron God and then kick your head closer to his or uh- and if you ask me this is way better- I could gut you on the altar table – that would certainly create a long lasting impression….…Now...if that doesn't sound messy enough though, I could also skin you alive and use…." he continued, only to be abruptly interrupted by the now slightly nervous Oracle.

" That's mighty generous of you God of War , but something has apparently slipped your mind- you can't harm a hair on my head, remember? – at least not according to your own father's laws. I am Apollo's Chosen- which pretty much means…."

"How could I forget? " the War God quickly cut her off. " You two are so much alike that I sometimes tend to believe you are actually him –wearing a dress. "

" I'm sure you find that amusing. " she icily remarked on a voice that didn't betray neither the fear nor worry that had crept inside her soul.

" You have no idea. And just what makes you think that I do give a damn about Zeus' ridiculous laws? "he asked, throwing a small dagger her way and grinning widely when the blade flew just a few inches past her face, sticking into the wall- from where he effortlessly pulled it out as he passed her by, slapping her ass on his way there.

"…. Just like you're Apollo's Chosen, Xena's mine. …My property. And somehow, despite all my previous warnings, you decided to go ahead with whatever plan that sleazy Bastard might have had and fill her head with your mambo jambo crap- thus casting her away from me. ...Just try to imagine my outrage when she told me that she needed a break….. – Now multiply that feeling by a million... " he lowly hissed from behind her, angrily knocking the chair that was still standing between them. " Make no mistake, I am going to kill you today. I just haven't figured out yet which technique is more likely to bring me the most satisfaction…so I'm still working on that little detail... "

" Whether you kill me or not, that won't change the fact that she made the right choice. "the priestess answered, turning around to face him, and her heart stopped for a second when she saw just how inhumanly cold his eyes had turned.

" And just how exactly is dumping me the right choice, you deluded schizophrenic psychopath? " he shouted, gripping her neck with his left hand and hitting her head against the altar so brutally that blood gushed immediately from the deep incision that immediately formed right above her eye.

"She did it to save your life! …and to save herself from the monster you'd eventually turn her into! " Pythia struggled to respond, both her hands immediately clenching around his wrist in a vain attempt to weaken his iron like hold from around her neck, desperate to inhale. "You'll end up hating her and she'll hate you back. You consulted the Fates, Ares, you know very well how your relationship is bound to end. So yes! She did the only wise thing possible!" she continued when he finally allowed her to take a breath.

" Listen here you mindless wench, I don't know what kind of poisonous herbs you have been smoking today- and frankly, I don't care- but I will spell it for you one more time- SHE IS MINE, and that's never going to change. Now... what else did you tell her? " he demanded to know, the sharp blade of the sword coming dangerously close to her face now.

"That's all. She was too troubled to hear the rest of it. She didn't stay long….But if you do give a damn about her at all, you'll stay away from her while you still can, because the path you have chosen for her, will ultimately lead her to death. Yours and hers…"

" Don't you dare talk to me about destiny ! I'm not some ignorant peasant you can brainwash into believing this crap! We make our own destiny! Everyone who has at least one functional neuron knows that! We are the masters of our lives and our fates change with every decision we make!" he growled, irritated by the nerve this pathetic mortal had to offer him – him, an Olymnpian God- advice!"

" What about the part in which her name appears next to yours in the Book of Life?! What is that if not DESTINY? Keep telling yourself that you don't believe me if it helps your conscience any, though... Anyway, call it fate or call it whatever you like but judging by her recent decisions, Xena was rapidly heading down a one way street! "

"And that was none of your concern!"

" She came to me to me asking about her future. I only told her the truth. " she defended herself, letting out a pained, muffled shriek when the sharp blade glided down her ivory visage, drawing even more blood, from the freshly executed cut.

"Your truth!"

" If you don't let her go, there would be no stone left standing in Greece. The country will have burnt to the ground along with most of the neighboring lands by the time you realize what you have done! "

" That sounds like a marvelous show! One that I'd hate to miss ! "

"What about your daughter? What about your son?!"

" That's only a freakin' scenario….One of the many…."

" Is it? What does your hear tell you, Lord Ares?" she bit through clenched teeth." Could you actually resist the temptation of having a child with her…with the woman you love? A lineage …."

" A child would only be a useless complication…" he didn't waste time in answering, a response that was probably meant to convince himself by the utter logic of that phrase….Truth be told, he had in fact already considered the option - it was just that he was still waiting for the right moment to present his offer to Xena- deep inside fearing the bluntness of a refusal..

" You're in denial. You're in love with her and it is precisely this sick love that will bury you in the darkest pits of Tartarus. You'll be spending the rest of eternity side by side with the Titans…" the priestess warned, moaning in pain as the tip of the sword cut a fine line deep into her neck

" Yeah well….when you do meet, make sure to tell them hello for me, will ya?"

As he walked towards the door, the War God glanced one last time behind, arching a sharp eyebrow at the unusual colour of the priestess' blood- that was now generously springing out of her perfectly sectioned arteries.

XXX

The midday sun was burning mercilessly over the dusty town of Amphipolis. The usually crowded streets leading to the marketplace were empty, for every single soul had taken refuge inside the darkened bedrooms of their humble but comfortable houses.

Inside Cyrene's tavern, despite the unusual number of guests, an eerie silence had taken over the place. The few familiar faces sitting at the tables were sipping their drinks in peace- though there was a subtle restlessness engraved on their serious expressions- and a yet, an unspoken question was still lingering on everyone's lips….."Why on earth had this wretched woman agree to give her soulless daughter another chance? How could she still share the same roof with her boy's murderer?! Where was her honor? …her decency?! "

XXX

…Just like the streets, the neighboring forest and the spring were also deserted, but that didn't seem to bother Xena…Despite the torrid heat, it felt good the be finally alone, away from her Cyrene's hard, accusing glare ….She could hardly stand the tension these days….There was just too much grudge, too many unsaid words, too much history and definitely too much pain between them to actually get along. She was definitely shocked that her still grieving mother had actually accepted to take her in after that rough, impulsive slap and the fiery exchange they shared the minute she saw her standing in the doorway in the middle of the night….

What the Warrior Princess couldn't have possibly realised was that the poor woman had seen the despair in her daughter's eyes, the regret and the horrible suffering hiding behind the light azure of her gaze…..A mother always knows….Once again, from all her heart, she hoped that her daughter actually wanted to change…that enough blood had been spilled to make her crave for another type of life, for a fresh new start…..Xena's heartbreaking story ended up shattering the last remaining doubts she did have about her. It shook her to the core to find out that even from beyond the grave, her sweet, beloved body still cared about his family, still made efforts to help his sister… She naturally assumed that a miracle had taken place- and thus ended up welcoming her rebellious daughter if not with open arms, at least with the promise that she would try to bury the hate she still felt for her…..It was more than the Warrior Princess had ever hoped for….

Unfortunately, Cyrene didn't know the whole truth…She had no idea that Xena was not actually running from the horrible life she had struggled to describe- in detail – in the sole purpose of softening her mother's heart- from the traumatic experiences, the nightmares and the bloodshed, but from a smothering love that had literally turned her life upside down, igniting everything inside her with a passion that she could hardly ignore for more than a few seconds...

Her heart started bleeding from the accursed moment she saw with her own eyes the tragic, unavoidable consequences that their union was bound to bring….Had she stayed, eventually, she would have been the death of him, and for nothing in the world was she willing to allow that….