***HI GUYS, JUST WANTED TO THANK MY NEWEST REVIEWERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT- SO THANK YOU SPARKLES AND MINDERISMEER - AND TO MY OLD FRIENDS, THANK YOU FOR STILL BEING HERE, READING MY FICTION. YOU'RE THE BEST ***
"Tell me what, tell me what, Ares? Why are we here? What's going on?"
And just when his lips parted, ready to offer an answer, the War God's line was unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of a spectacular man, so handsome that every male presence in the room seem to pale in comparison to his alluring appearance.
Xena herself flinched. Despite the enviable perfection of his form though, it was not the ideal shape of his body that attracted her attention , not even that particularly harsh but incredibly manly and sensual visage that kept her eyes glued to him, but the raging power radiating from his godly aura, boiling like molten lava on the surface of his liquid azure moons….azure ….just like her own…and as equally intense.
Completely entranced by his presence– much like the rest of the Goddesses in the room- she couldn't help arch an eyebrow at the sight of him, her overly conscious and always analytical mind blocking for a second everything related to her whereabouts and to Ares' iron like grip around her throat. …Speaking by the War God, it looked as if he was the only one there that didn't seem at all fascinated by the imposing mysterious stranger that had just materialized on their most sacred ground.
His jaw tightened …It didn't last long until he gave the man a full body scan, and by the Fates, he simply felt sick to his stomach noticing just how cool and at ease the intruder appeared to be…the War God growled inwardly at the ludicrous arrogance he was displaying…The guy pretty much acted as if he owned the place, as if he weren't surrounded by Gods so powerful, that with a snap of their fingers could have broken his neck in a heartbeat….
" Good evening dear friends. It's been a long time. I hope I'm not intruding" he articulated in a steely enough voice to silence even the breaths of everyone present.
Once again, Xena didn't bother masking her surprise….according to his accent he surely wasn't Greek….not even Roman….
Before anyone dared open their mouths to say anything, anything at all, the man was already reciting the sacred ritual of arrival, so very familiar to anyone present given the fact that they themselves used to utter it each time they stepped on foreign lands...
"I come in peace and I'm here the name of Donar, my father and your main ally, and in his name I salute you, Olympian Gods, rulers of Elada . I swear to respect your laws and the customs of your ancestors while I'm under your roof and I bind myself not to pay any offence to my generous hosts. " he said, looking about the room, at the Gods and Goddesses that had by now formed a circle around him. His eyes finally stopped roaming and his gaze lingered for a long teasing moment on the Warrior Princess' delicious curves. She could clearly see the fire burning in them, as they rested on her breasts and despite her best efforts, she found herself holding her breath when the almost tangible warmth now projected on the surface of her heart felt so real that her eyes widened slightly at the realization that one single person had managed to have such effect on her...
Sensing that mixed cocktails of feelings invading her, with a barely noticeable move of his hand, Ares made a thin energy shield appear in front of them , thus keeping her safe from any influence the newcomer might have had over her, making sure to frown menacingly in his direction. And while Xena feigned to have missed his gesture, the God ended his speech.
"In the name of my God I thank you in advance for your generous hospitality. "
"You're welcome Teiwaz, son of Donar. Our house is blessed to have beneath its roof such honorable guest!" Athena replied, ceremoniously bowing her head at him.
"Who's this?" Xena finally seized the opportunity, giving Ares a puzzled look.
There was a brief pause during which the War God appeared to be carefully choosing his words.
"The Germanic God of War….and a Bastard…"
"And I thought you were the only Bastard alive!" she replied with a soft chuckle, visibly bemused by the subjectiveness of his description.
"Yeah, I get your disappointment.."
"Do you?"
This time, there was an acid note in her voice, one that Ares didn't really appreciate. Consequently, he just threw her an irritated glare in return.
"To what do we owe this honor?" the Goddess of Wisdom further asked, and in the graveyard silence of the throne room, her words broke in a million echoes, sounding rather sinister than polite, as she had initially intended.
"A little birdie told me that an important decision shall be taken tonight regarding the future of humankind. As you well know, my family has shown great interest in the matter over the millennia. I've come to assist to your council."
"I don't mean to be rude, but that little birdie forgot to mention that this it a private gathering, Teiwaz"
Despite his usual aversion for his disgustingly sour sister, for a split second, Ares was particularly relieved and proud to have her standing up to him. That woman had a pretty serious idea on how to intimidate a man quickly and effectively….The information that the God was kind enough to share with the group though, sent the War God's calmness flying straight to the garbage, making him grit his teeth nervously….He hated not being in control, and more than that, being in a haze…
"Maybe you'd like to tell that to Zeus. He was the one who extended the invitation …"
"Oh…. I had no idea. Please pardon my intrusion then. " she excused herself, exchanging a subtle glance with her brother, across the room. "I meant no harm…"
" No harm done." the God answered with a cordial smile that was by far deprived by any trace of human emotion.
"Feel free to mingle with the crowd. As it seems, father might be absent for a bit longer; probably some important business regarding the welfare of Greece, is keeping him away….. I'm sure he'll arrive as soon as possible."
" I'm not in a hurry…As for the socializing part, sure. I always love catching up with old friends…" he said, and, as he looked around the room again, he saw that the other Gods were already chatting. He swiftly scanned the surroundings- that glacial smile still glued to his lips- and made a useful, mental note about the different groups occupying various parts of the hall: right in the center, pretty close to where he was now standing, there were Poseidon, Hades and Hera, a bit towards his left one could see Apollo, Hermes, Demetra and Hephaestus, near the balcony Artemis , Dionysus and two minor gods whose names he couldn't remember, and in the back of the room, Ares, Aphrodite and the stunning beautiful brunette who had been analyzing his each and every move ever since he made an appearance.
He decided of course to start with them….They were by far the most interesting combination in his opinion.
"Why don't you introduce me to that sexy, blonde vixen over there, Athena?"
"Of course" the Goddess responded, offering him her hand and walking in their direction. "This is my lovely sister, Aphrodite" she said once they got close enough to each other. "….. Goddess of Love. "
"It's a pleasure" Dite stated enthusiastically, extending her hand, a hand that he kissed with the most elegant of manners.
"The pleasure is all mine, my Lady!"
"Handsome and educated!" Dite squealed in her horny teenager like voice . "That's like the fatal combination! "
"You're far too kind…" the reply soon came, but judging by his reaction he was not at all impressed with the passionate woman who was now biting her lips in excitement.
"And you're far too sexy…"
" Thank you….It's good to feel appreciated…."
"Oh, I'd appreciate you, any day!"
Both Athena and Ares rolled their eyes at the comment. Xena seemed to have missed it though, since every cell in her body was now focused on the unique fragrance of this tantalizingly mysterious man.
"Lay off him Aphrodite, you'll scare the poor man!" the Goddess of Wisdom reproached, trying to turn everything into a light joke, one that her ditsy sister didn't seem to get, on the contrary…
" If you knew anything about love you would notice that he's by far not the timid kind…"
Her line was followed by the God's somewhat mocking observation.
"And Ares…Long time no see…"
"Not long enough…."
"Special circumstances call for special measures…And who is this lovely muse? I take it by the possessiveness of that embrace that she's not your sister…"
"The name's Xena…" the Warrior Princess answered, much to the War God's annoyance, completely scandalized by the vivid interest the man was showing in his Princess…..He didn't like it one bit…
"The legendary Xena?"
"I don't know about that….People tend to overreact when it comes to building legends." she skillfully retorted, making sure to capture her interlocutor's attention.
"Maybe. One thing I know though. The stories didn't lie about your surreal beauty….They couldn't have been more realistic…"
"I had no idea that anyone would ever be interested in spreading rumors about my physical appearance…"
"Beautiful and modest…..That's like the fatal combination…" he said glancing at Dite who was by now burning like a furnace – and not with arousal, but with boiling rage this time. The uncomfortable sting of jealousy grazing at her heart as she heard him use the same phrase she had just used to describe him, only made things worse, if possible…
"The Germanic bards sure do….Their songs say that you have surpassed in beauty any mortal or Goddess the world has ever seen.…"
" That's only because they haven't seen Aphrodite" she sated, as if sensing the Goddess' unspoken fury. " I'm sure she would be able to change their minds.."
"Allow me to disagree..." he contradicted, he continued, closing even more the distance between them, much to Ares' despair.
A sensual smile made her beryl moons sparkle even more as she offered her reply. The Love Goddess had been right….handsome and educated….a real charmer…
" I might have missed this information...but you're the Goddess of…."
" She's my brother's Chosen…" Athena quickly corrected, trying to avoid what she knew would unavoidably degenerate into a bloodbath the instant he took one more step in their direction.
"Oh. I forgot that you people still hold on with your teeth and claws to that barbaric habit of enslaving a mortal soul till the end of eternity…" he bit, not at all concerned about breaking that part of the ritual according to which he wasn't supposed to offend his esteemed hosts.
"That's one way to put it." Ares defended himself, aware that the attack was directed his way, struggling to repress the wrath now reverberation from his every syllable. "…As always, there is more to the story than meets the eye. And sometimes, you need to dig deeper to get to the truth.."
" I couldn't agree more. Just as I agree with the fact that there is only one truth."
"Don't Germanic Gods have Chosen ones?" Xena questioned, intrigued by the subject.
"We did.. many millennia ago. Nevertheless, with the passing of time, we have arrived to the conclusion that the freedom of any individual is much more important than the interests of a few….Plus, forcing a soul to remain forever by your side is not only unjust but also cruel. "
" And you do know a lot about cruelty, right Teiwaz?" Ares barked, glaring daggers at him.
" I'm the God of War. Of course I do…. Just as much as you do…"
"Our Chosen ones have privileges in Greece , Teiwaz. And they become Chosens out of their free will "
" That's only because they could never suspect the self destructive burden such bond supposes. They have no idea what they're getting themselves into. If only they knew…Plus, locking an animal behind the shining bars of a golden cage- no matter how large the cage- doesn't make him free."
They were all silent for awhile, Xena feeling almost embarrassed at his comment…After all, she was the animal….
" My condolences, My Lady" he concluded, softly caressing her face, and despite herself, the Warrior Princess could feel a wave of electricity rushing through her skin and bones at the contact.
Ares' hand, pushing his back, snapped her out of the trace before she got the chance to loose herself too much in the addictive effect of his touch.
" She's off limits Teiwaz. " he growled, just like a tiger showing his deadly fangs.
"The sense of property, huh?"
The God's sarcasm cut deep.
" She's not my property.."
Hearing him, Xena couldn't help the equally sarcastic chuckle that escaped her lips- her reaction mirroring strikingly their handsome Germanic guest's one.
It was almost funny, come to think about it….Ares had repeated to her so many times the exact opposite, pointing out over and over again that she was his little doll, his plaything, a toy that he could have at his disposal whenever he wanted, that she had lost count.
"The lady seem to have been persuaded to believe otherwise…"
"It's none of your business what my Chosen thinks.."
" No. But on the other hand, I'm quite intrigued of what's going on inside Xena's sharp mind…"
Their banter was abruptly interrupted by Zeus' eye catching presence. Every murmur in the room ceased as they all took their places.
***HI GUYS, JUST WANTED TO THANK MY NEWEST REVIEWERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT- SO THANK YOU SPARKLES AND MINDERISMEER - AND TO MY OLD FRIENDS, THANK YOU FOR STILL BEING HERE, READING MY FICTION. YOU'RE THE BEST ***