11. Sick of lies
"Yes? And you didn't think that I should know about it? Is that all you can tell me? ...A big fat yes?" She replied. She was furious…more than furious in fact, she was boiling mad.
"Can you give us a moment?" He asked Gabrielle and Joxer. Gabrielle looked reluctantly at him since she was equally dumbstruck about the little Adam's powers too, but in the end they took the children with them, including Adam who was alright now.
"Xena…" he turned at her and she slapped him but the slap did not have that effect on him anymore, he hardly felt it physically.
"One week? Is one week alone with your precious godhood enough to turn you back into the same bastard you used to be?" She asked, disappointment in her eyes.
"Just let me explain o…?"
"Since when did you know?"
"You are so quick to judge aren't you? I found out by accident some half an year ago."
"Six months Ares? Six months, are you insane?"
"I was just teaching him to control it, that's all, I assure you."
"Sure… and keeping it away from me. Why is that?"
"I wanted to tell you…"
"But what?...What could have been more important than this? Don't tell me you did not have the time, just don't say that…I'm sick and tired of all the lies. Just bring us back…I don't want to see you right now." she ended, not letting him time for protests, but she was wrong, he wasn't going to have it her way this time…The truth was that he was afraid that Dahak could reach to her and his children and now with a jealous crazy on the loose too…He could not even think about it.
"I brought you here with a reason…and you are definitely staying."
She gave him the look.
"Discord's back." He started to explain, knowing that that in the absence of a reasonable explanation keeping her here without her permission wasn't a good way to make peace with her. "I don't know yet, how but she is. She wanted to kill Dite and she has the Dagger of Helios. She threatened me with your life and I can't take that risk this time." He added on a business tone.
"I'm a warrior Ares and I can take care of myself." she emphasized, anger still present in her voice.
"I know but you have Eve and Adam to worry about too and I won't let her reach you or them for the matter…So stay here till I figure her out."
"And Dahak?" She was still furious, that was obvious, but she wanted to know more information on that aspect too.
"He is back for sure…We all felt it..."
"But my mother, she…"
"I gathered some of my men and two of my legions surrounded Amphipolis to have her safe, don't worry. If something happens I will protect her personally. I couldn't see you this week because I have been searching for information about weapons that can kill Dahak since the Dagger of Helios or Hind's blood is not enough. I didn't find anything though…I need to go now." he muttered and then vanished letting her with her words on her tongue.
"Ares…" she screamed in frustration. "What did I even see in him?" she asked herself still angry at his stupid way to protect her…she did not need protection. She was a warrior for Gaia's sake.
She got out from the main room still mad at him, slamming the huge doors behind her and heading to look for Gabrielle. She found her friend in the room where she resided four years previously. Everyone was there.
"Gabrielle…"
"Xena…what are we doing here? Are we staying?"
The very proud warrior wanted to say no but she knew that even if she would, without Ares's damn permission they could not leave.
"We are stuck in here." Gabrielle smiled at her friend's outburst.
"Mommy…where will I sleep?" Eve asked. "With Gabby? Is this another one of Daddy's homes?
"Yeah…We lived here for awhile when you were little don't you remember Honey?"
"Nope but I like it, it's big…so we have many places to hide isn't it Adam?"
The boy nodded with enthusiasm.
"Adam how are you sweetie?" Xena came near him and took a seat on the bed, caressing her son's face.
"Good." he simply answered, looking at his sister.
She was still worried about those powers. She was so happy thinking that he did not have them but that was just a lie…She sighed heavily.
"Come on, let's look for some rooms for you two."
"Xena…I will show Joxer his room with Virgil." Gabrielle told her.
Xena nodded and took her children, one taking one of her hand and the other the other one.
"Mommy can I have my own room?" Eve asked again.
"With your brother…"
"Yeah, I don't want to sleep alone." Adam complained.
They were walking along the very large hall when a pink light flashed in front of her.
"Dite!"
"Hi guys." She embraced her nephew and niece. Xena threw her an exasperated glance.
"I was almost sure that he had you here." Dite started to laugh out loud but when she saw Xena's expression, she stopped dead in her tracks.
"I guess you aren't happy about it….?" Again Xena's face was all the answer she needed.
"What are you doing here Dite?"
"Well Ar gave me his permission to come whenever I like so…aaa you mean…I will be your guide…My sweet Gabby knows her room and Joxer's is just next to hers but these two have a special one and you don't know it."
"I know every room."
"Not this one…Come with me." Xena didn't want to admit but she was curious and that just in short words. Dite took the two excited children with her and Xena followed bored behind.
They stopped in front of Ares's bedchamber and Dite opened the door with just lifting a finger.
"This is Ares's room."
"Yeah…I know, but since you will stay here he thought that you would want those little ones near you so he made this." Xena wanted to say that she definitely would not stay here but when Dite opened another doors in his room her voice perished.
The room even if it was a room in a room was huge for just two kids. Eve and Adam ran to their beds separately. Both had two big beds in the middle of the room. One part was Eve's and the other just for her brother.
"Wow mommy…" They jumped in the bed. "This feels so good." Aphrodite was smiling softly at the sight of them happy like that.
"And it is so big…" Adam added right after Eve finished her sentence. "Eve look at all these books and all the toys."
Xena closed the doors to let her children discover all those things inside.
"I will leave now. Rest, ok…"
"Dite…" Xena stopped Aphrodite for leaving." Where is Ares?"
"I don't know. When does he say anything to me about his whereabouts?"
"Good point."
"Tootles!" And she was gone.
The rest of the day Xena stayed with her children. They were so excited to be there and they asked her million questions about this place and about Ares, which she did respond. She enjoyed their company so much but in the back of her mind she was anxious and worried for them. The night came really fast and after she put the two kids in their bed she thought about what Ares had said and after taking a hot bath she decided to look in his library.
The library was a full of books…What sorts of books she did not know; in fact she hardly knew the place. It wasn't in his castle, it was outside. A big house near her garden with roses was rising up. She asked the priestess in there for the key which was given to her right away and she entered it. It was dark inside but she had a lamp in her hand and as soon as she gave it light she saw other candles in every corner of the house. Shortly she had light to see enough to even be able to read. She let her coat on a chair nearby and took a look around. The house was not so high but had a great surface and she had no idea where could she begin…books were all over the place.
She started to pull out from the shelves book after book, some of them were interesting some not at all, some were describing history and some where maps with descriptions and all but nothing important about Dahak, something to help them defeat him. She only found some words about the Dagger of Helios and about the Olympian Gods but that was it. She was still looking through dusty pages…she did not even know at what number she was but a pile of books was on her right and another on her left side on the table all waiting to be read. Another mountain of them was at her feet, all books that she had already studied. Soon her eyelids grew heavier and she put her head down on the table to rest a little bit.
.
