Achilles

I don't own Xena or Affordable Health Care

I've reedited this chapter to give the reader a better story to read.

Once inside the castle they made for the main keep. Not knowing what they would face, they crept slowly in the forbidding dark castle. They heard a bow string Xena and Callisto acting on instinct caught the arrows that were aimed at their heads.

They looked and saw six skeletons standing before them. Xena shook her head "What else is there?" Two of the skeletons had maces, two had swords and two had bows. One wearing a golden helmet stood in front of the other five. He spoke, "Lord Achilles has promised us that we would again know the feeling of flesh if we slay you." Xena replied, "if you want to be a jigsaw puzzle, well bring it one." (did they even have jigsaw puzzles in ancient Greece?)

They charged as the two skeletons with the bows fired arrows at them. Callisto took the lead as Xena backed off and readied her chakram. Xena threw the chakram, bouncing it off the way and into two skeletons severing their arms and legs immobilizing them.

Xena then joined in with Callisto who was doing well as it was. A swing from Callisto sword removed the mace and the hand that held from the skeleton. Xena sliced through the ribcage taking one of the swordsmen down. A kick from Callisto removed the head from the other mace wielder, causing it to fall on the ground as its bones scattered all over ground. The one with the helmet swung desperately but Callisto caught it though the eye getting her sword jammed inside. Xena kicked him in the ribcage sending him to pieces as well.

Callisto took the skull from her sword and said scolding the skull, "Think about who you challenge next time" She threw it against the wall cracking it. They sheathed their swords and moved on.

They were now in the main hall just outside the keep that held Hades. Then he appeared with sword in hand. Xena instantly recognizing him said, "Achilles, how nice to see you."

Achilles replied in a powerful voice, "Xena. We never had the chance to cross blades. I was in Troy when you were at Corinth. I had already been killed when you arrived at Troy. Thank you for killing Paris."

Xena replied, "That wasn't me, his own brother killed him."

Achilles mused, "I always figured him for a traitor. Oh, sorry about the skeletons, they were getting on my nerves, I wondered how long the would last."

Xena asked seeking an explanation, "You were once Athena's chosen, how is it you now serve Chaos?"

Achilles replied, "Athena abandoned me. Because of her I, the greatest warrior ever is a joke. The Achilles heel. You know there is a main artery there and if it gets cut you'll bleed out and die. Was that enough to quiet the jokes? No!

The great Achilles gets shot in the foot and dies. How pathetic, I heard these jokes while I was here in the underworld. As if that wasn't bad enough, Hades and Athena had a disagreement at the time so I got sent to Tartarus. You understand all this. How gods can wreck your life. You were once Ares chosen."

Xena said trying to reason with the great warrior, "I know it all to well. Listen we don't have to do this."

Achilles irritated, shouted, "I wasn't finished! I was being tortured in Tartarus. Among other things I was made to listen to the jokes, seeing Paris exalt himself as the slayer of the mighty Achilles. So when Chaos came, offering me life and a chance to reclaim my mantle and punish Hades for my torment I took it. All I had to do was wait and he would send two the greatest warriors alive to me. When I would be done I would reclaim my mantle by single-handily slaying the two fiercest warriors in the land.

The destroyer of nations" Xena winced at the name, "And the warrior queen. Once that was done, I would be free, he would even send me back to earth, alive and well if I wanted, even said he would give me a weapon to slay Athena if I so desired." Achilles unsheathed his sword.

Xena then said hoping to prevent this fight, "Chaos is a liar. He is playing you. Just like Athena did. He doesn't care about you, just about his entertainment. He knew we had never met in battle. So he decided it would be entertaining to see how the legends would square off. If we fight he gets what he wants."

Achilles unsheathed a second sword, "And there is a problem with that?" He charged at Xena and Callisto. His strength was incredible as Xena and Callisto were both forced back several steps immediately. Xena blocked a blow from Achilles' right sword as Callisto parried the left. Neither could even touch him.

Using both sword efficiently he parried and counter a series of blows from both warriors. He seemed untouchable as neither could even get close.

Callisto leapt over him onto his other side trying to envelop him. However he knocked Callisto back into the invisible barrier that kept her bound to Xena. Callisto tried to get up but the affect of the previous attack made it difficult to do so. Xena by herself desperately blocked each blow. Xena tried to get her sword in but couldn't. She was losing, as a kick nailed her thigh cramping it up and slowing her down.

Still Xena fought on, as it was in her nature to do so. She let out her famous war cry leaping up and around him, Achilles swung at her as she was in the air but barely missed. Achilles said, "Very good Xena, glad to see rumors were true." Achilles kicked at Xena but she deflected it, taking the opportunity to try a stab, knocking away his left sword, but Achilles grabbed her punching her in the face and slamming her to the stone floor with his now free left hand. She was to stunned to move. Achilles said "Goodbye Xena, it has been fun." He prepared to stab downward when out of the corner of his eye he saw Callisto.

He quickly turned and just barely blocking a killing slice from the blonde warrior. Callisto said smilingm "You don't just shove me down and walk away."

Achilles replied impressed with her attack, "Apparently not." Callisto screamed as she charged into action. Achilles said as he deflected her sword attack. "So now I have to deal with you and a headache." In a fury of strikes that went back and forth the warriors remained deadlock, as they went left and right across the stone floor. The two warriors developed into a standoff while Xena remained down from the battle.

Callisto, just like Xena, began to lose as well. She was gradually being pushed back as Xena tried to get to her feet. Callisto deflected and countered everything she could but it was inevitable. A near miss. With a rush of adrenaline she pushed back however. Achilles was now the one desperately deflecting blows. But Callisto made a mistake that he took advantage of as he swept her feet from under her, causing her to fall the ground. She barely rolled out of the way of a sword strike as Xena got to her feet and charged shouting. Achilles blocked the running strike with a circler swing of his sword.

With Callisto struggling to get to her feet, Achilles backed off from them. He called out, "Chaos, I need weapons, send me weapons!" Purple smoke appeared and then a rack containing several different weapons. Achilles sheathed his sword. Then he picked up a staff, tossing it to Callisto and another to Xena. He then picked one up himself. Achilles shouted, "Xena! Callisto! Show me what you got!"

Xena and Callisto readied the battle staffs and charged forward. Xena swung hard with a staff but Achilles blocked it, he shoved the other end to deflect Callisto's hit. He spun his staff connecting with both Xena and Callisto in the jaw. They stepped back, both spitting blood as they charged at Achilles again.

Xena and Callisto flipped through the air as if they were one land on his left and right. Xena swung high right as Callisto swung low towards the knee. He stopped Xena's hit but only partially deflected the blow from Callisto as he took a hit in the shin. Callisto swung hard left towards the hip, he blocked Callisto's strike but Xena hit him in the elbow skinning it.

Achilles threw down his staff and picked up two one handed axes. Xena and Callisto unsheathed their swords again. Xena said, "Achilles, we don't need to do this. The world will remember you as a mighty warrior regardless of your fate."

Achilles replied "You are not going to talk me out of the greatest fight I've ever had." Xena breathed in, as Callisto followed behind. Xena swung high towards the ribcage, but Achilles forced the sword back with his left axe. Callisto swung towards the knees but a downward strike from his right axe ended that attempt.

Callisto followed with a high kick that only barely connected as Xena tried to kick in his knee which blocked with a kick of his own. Then Xena did a back flip kicking him in the chest and then in the chin. Achilles stated, "Nice." Achilles now charged with all force imaginable and knocked them both back several feet.

Achilles threw both of his axes at Xena and Callisto. Xena quickly shot her chakram at them, sending them flying back toward Achilles, however he rolled out of the way and near his sword that he dropped. Achilles looked around him, while picking up the other sword. He saw an incredibly narrow stone archway. He leapt up there, bidding Xena and Callisto to follow.

Xena and Callisto were both tired, but the leapt in sequence taking positions in front of and behind Achilles. Achilles with both swords in hand readied himself as Xena and Callisto charged at him from both ends. However he deflected them both, pushing them back nearly knocking Xena off of the archway. Xena struck back with a blow that Achilles barely blocked, as he turned around to deflect a leaping kick from Callisto.

Hit after hit they kept it up. All three were drenched in sweat. But Achilles kept coming and Xena and Callisto still fought back. They were tiring though. Achilles was getting closer and closer to landing that final blow.

Xena barely blocked a kick that almost knocked her off the archway as Achilles knocked away Callisto's sword. Callisto was unarmed now as she dodged the blows from the sword trying not to get hit. Xena kicked him in the side, Achilles elbowed her in the head causing her to loose her balance and fall. He turned to finish off Callisto. What he didn't see was Xena's right hand holding onto the archway.

Callisto saw it however and mounted a death charge to push him back a few vital inches. His left foot was five inches from Xena's right hand and that was what she needed. She pulled her self up some grabbing her chakram with her left hand and sliced into the air. It severed his Achilles tendon sending him off the archway, as he screamed on the way down.

Xena dropped down as Callisto jumped off the archway. Xena went to Achilles as he said, "Not that tendon again! Please not this way. Please! Stab me through the heart, I don't want to die because of my damned tendon again." Xena saw that the main artery was severed as he was bleeding out.

Xena reared back and stabbed him through the heart. He said as blood flowed out of his mouth, "Tell Athena I'm sorry I ever cursed her name" His eyes went cold, as the light in them went away. Callisto looked at him. Sweat dripping from her face onto the ground. She admired him. Someone who neither may have ever beaten in single combat. The great Achilles. For the first time years, Callisto felt something besides anger and hate. It felt weird, in a good way.

Xena shut his eyes saying "Go, mighty warrior of valor, your duty is done." She got up, starring at Callisto. After a nod from each other they continued onward to Hades leaving behind the body of the fallen Achilles.