When the vortex opened and literally spat them out, Xena was still struggling to cope with what she had just seen, still reluctant to accept that she had actually assisted to such violent scene without having any kind of reaction ….When Ares had said that it was high time they kicked some ass, she had actually figured that together they were going to teach the Roman troops a lesson, and thus force them to retreat with their tail between their legs, thus saving the lives of many innocent people that were surely going to die during the following day's attack.….

Decimation was – in all appearances- the word that the War God had had in mind as they reached the enemy camp nonetheless, and Xena proved to be nothing but a mere spectator- probably meant to applaud the grotesque performance that was about to unfold before her very eyes.

The supernatural, energetic wave that was dashing from the God's hands like a deadly tsuanmi, quickly crushed everything in its path- from soldiers to tents and horses, way before anything that breathed even got the chance to notice the slightest sign of danger, let alone the fact that they were all about to be prematurely and forcefully shipped off to Hades' domain.

Needless to say, the monstrous brutality the Olympian so naturally displayed- for what felt like lasting an eternity- left her- out of all people- simply speechless for minutes on end once he had solved her little problem- as he so patronizingly called it. .

" May I ask why in Gaia's name are you so shocked?" he finally inquired- without really managing to suppress the irritation in his voice- seeing that she wasn't planning to get out of her innocence shell and talk any time soon. " It's not like this was the first time you saw me use my powers. "

" Not on such a large scale….." she uttered on a leveled voiced, barely chocking back the urge to bite a chunk out of him. "Plus, you basically exterminated them! " she added, finally leaving the comfort of his arms, disgusted by what he had been capable of doing.

"And…you have a problem with that?"

" Of course I have a problem with that!" she unwillingly snapped, turning around to face him "You didn't even give them the chance to fight back! They …"

"They were Romans! Caesar's men! The same Caesar who had you crucified a couple of years ago, remember? Do you need some bloody details to refresh your memory ? Something visual enough to help you sober up, maybe?" he asked, angrily hitting her temple with the tips of his fingers, utterly revolted at the realization that instead of appreciating his divine intervention, she had dared criticize him.

She furiously pushed his hand away, glaring daggers at him. The nerve he had to even mention that, the Bastard!

" You just smashed them as if they had been some worthless worms! They should have been given the chance to fight back, regardless whom they were fighting for!"

" They were worms, Xena….And you didn't accept to go along with my game tonight just for the sheer pleasure of throwing a few punches . Admit it!….You were actually relieved to see that I was willing to do all the dirty work for you. " he replied, a hint of bitter amusement in his voice. "Now, I suggest we put an end to this useless debate about fairness on the battlefield; I mean...you can't teach an old dog new tricks, Xena.."

"I guess you're right. After all, it does depend on the brain power of the dog!" she spat, without returning the half smile that was meant to soften her fury. Instead, she took another step away from him, stubbornly refusing to even mentally accept that he was right and that deep inside she had been beyond excited to see Roman blood painting dark red the smooth grass of the valley.

Completely and carelessly ignoring her body language, and definitely leaving all precaution aside, Ares took his chances and advanced towards her, wrapping her in his arms again and placing a chaste kiss on the top of her head.

" It was a long night, and judging by these hypnotizing but tired eyes, you've been losing sleep lately…Why don't you take a bath, get some rest…..? " he suggested in his deep, magnetic voice, without really waiting for an answer, pushing the fluffy bath gown off her shoulders.

Before she knew it, the Warrior Princess was fully naked, right there, just a tempting inch away from his muscular from, and despite the fact that everything about him was screaming conceited jerk at her- from the way he stood- as if he owned the world- to his over confident facial expression- she couldn't help thinking that she simply adored that obsessive protective side of him, always looking out for her, as if she were the most fragile thing in the universe, all the while aware that in truth, she was anything but that.

"Thanks, but I'm actually way too exhausted for that...I'd fall asleep in the tub! I'd rather go for a cold shower and call it a night..." "she politely refused, suddenly aware of the long awkward silence that had fallen between them while he was still waiting for an answer. As if to make amends -by bringing forward an irrefutable proof- she demonstratively let her eyelids close for a second, enough for Ares to understand what she really wanted….

Thus, without wasting any more words, in the blink of an eye, Xena could feel an invisible, warm, rose scented rain caressing her skin…..an indescribable pleasure in which she unabashedly indulged, not even the least bothered by the God's lecherous gaze -now scanning her body from head to toe….. The soft summer like wind blowing dry her long silky tresses just a few moments later, additionally managed to paint a timid smile on her lips…

…As for Ares, the best part of getting her that relaxed, was that with all those sensations whirling ceaselessly inside her head, keeping her mind busy, she got distracted for a split second- distracted enough as to miss the hunger gleaming in the God's eyes. For him, that proved to be the perfect opportunity to take her completely by surprise, his warm lips, pressed softly against hers- in a feathery kiss that zinged through her body under the form of a delicious shiver- causing her breath to remain caught in her throat for a moment.

As soon as she understood what was happening, the brave Warrior Princess was immediately stricken by panic. She wanted to break it of course, to push her alluring temptation away and put some distance between them- now that the God was still subtly offering her that option, now that his hands were still resting on her voluptuous hips- but the ultimately arousing sensation of those same sinful lips gliding imperceptibly to the corner of her mouth and further away to her cheekbone, just one second later, brushing lightly her ear as he murmured a muffled: " I've been fantasizing about having you in about a million ways last night…." only threw her down the slippery slope of untamed passions at dazzling speed, making her want more, more than that superficial butterfly kiss he had placed on her lips earlier….

"You did, huh?" she rhetorically inquired, barely above a whisper, elegantly rising her hand and placing it on his chest, in a rather hesitant position that could have meant both the intention to put an end to their teasing and a clear sign that she wanted him to take things to a whole new level….

He silently watched as her gaze flickered down his chest before jerking back to his.

Staring wonderingly her, he couldn't help but notice the flush that mounted her cheeks and the insatiable hunger clouding her beautiful blue eyes…..Slightly tilting his head, he expectantly licked his lips, waiting for her to break the spell if she chose so, giving her once again the chance to brake away, knowing that she couldn't….that she wouldn't…

He could distinctly feel her every muscle fighting against the destructive lust invading her; she was helpless against the need of having him inside her, in spite of their meaningless differences.

She parted her lips to add something more to that previous, extremely dry line, but no sound came out. He didn't really care much about hearing a more complex answer either, so, before she could come up with a more suitable reply, his hands had already cupped the sides of her face, and his mouth slanted over hers, in a shockingly brutal manner this time, each flicker of his tongue sending flares of heat exploding with sensual devastation through her overly tensed body, drugging her with their intensity, making her more and more numb, more and more addicted to the adrenaline injected straight into her heart with each new darting of his tongue.

She could no longer hold back a very needy whimper when one of his hands began roaming down her back, his fingers tracing her spine up to her sacrum where they lingered a bit, gently massaging the spot before they rushed up again, ferociously grabbing her hair, making sure to keep her put as the intensity of his kiss increased even more .

Her body jerked in response as the heat flared higher, hotter inside her tormented depths, the sound of his low moans as he felt her back arch, pushing her chest forward, now tightly pressed against his, sending her senses into overdrive. It basically took all of her will and force not to give in the strangling desire to completely give in and just wrap her arms around his neck, her every muscle spasming with the aching need for more….

" Let go of me…." she pleaded in between breaths, but the sound of his dark, velvet voice only made her wish she had ignored her brain for once and just let him do whatever he wanted with her, thus allowing all those insidious images that had been creeping inside her head throughout the night–after that first mind-blowing kiss they had shared during the game- to finally turn real.

"You don't want that….…." he whispered, silently listening to that insane hammering of her heart.

" So you're also an oracle now?!" she snarled, obviously annoyed with herself, wondering how in Zeus' name had she allowed things between them to get so inconceivably far that night…..She must have been possessed or something, she silently concluded, doing her best to ignore the fact that the way in which he was now looking at her was driving her insane. "You have no idea what I want..."

" Of course I know what you want, I can smell it on every inch of your skin,…" he huskily replied, drilling her with his gaze- eyes darkened with barely controlled lust- before his tongue began yet another vicious fight to ensure its dominion over such prized territory.

Seconds later, he was groaning into their kiss though as she warningly nipped at his lower lip, a reaction that only got him even more aroused….By all Olympus, he had never found a woman on the face of the planet as captivating as she was….His cock jerked and swallowed, craving to fill her, pressing hard against his leather pants at the sight of her body trembling in his arms like that .But just when things seemed to get even hotter-with his hand gliding impatiently between her legs- she finally found the force to pull back from the kiss and, somehow disentangling from his embrace, to put some distance between them.

Hardly swallowing his dissatisfaction, Ares shook his head…. Her azure moons were dazed, her expression slack with ravishing sensual need and the air around them charged with sexual tension…. Why was she fighting this? What was the point in denying them both that so much needed release? Why was she stubbornly keeping him away when her entire being was screaming for his touch?

"I should get some sleep…." she cowardly ended, heading for the large bed placed in the middle of the room, furious against both herself- for having almost succumbed to her ridiculous weakness when it came to him- and against him for repeatedly demolishing that wall she was continuously struggling to build and rebuilding between them.

He barely resisted the impulse to throw a fire ball her way. Within seconds, he vanished.