Redeemable

I don't own Xena and Saddam Hussein is still dead. (That's for Chevy Chase, wherever you are, stay happy and stay funny)

Xena, Callisto, Gabrielle and Borias continued on their path. She was heading the same way Ares said he would go. Gabrielle seemed distant. Lost and alone. Xena tried to talk to her, "Gabrielle is everything ok?"

Gabrielle asked staring at her hands "Do you know what it is like to have innocent blood on your hands?" Gabrielle knew this about Xena but she had asked anyway.

Xena said calmly, "I do."

Gabrielle said filled with guilt, "I never thought I would."

Xena said, "You under the influence of Chaos."

Gabrielle said filled with rage, "No! I did those things. He may have pushed me that way but I did those things. I was conscious when killed those children. I ripped a mans face of with the strike vogue. That's a memory I have to live with."

Xena looked at her friend. She was filled with such sorrow and guilt. She was being crushed by it. Xena did not know what to do. If only Xena could comfort her somehow, Xena felt like a failure because Gabrielle was hurting and Xena couldn't help her.

Later that night while they were all asleep. Gabrielle was sitting up that night. She starred at the moon. She held a dagger in hand. One she still had on her when she was that monster. She prepared to cut her wrist. The blade was pressed against her skin. She would open her veins and end her misery.

Then a voice chimed in. "What are you doing?" Gabrielle looked and saw Callisto.

Gabrielle said coldly, "Stay out of this. How did you know."

Callisto replied calmly, "You may know how to move at night without waking up Xena, but you don't know me that way."

Gabrielle said emotionally "Don't try to talk me out of it. Besides I know you would like to see it. After all you enjoyed my husbands death."

Callisto lowered her head. "Gabrielle, I'm sorry. I wish I can bring him back."

Gabrielle demanded "Then let me join him."

Callisto then said "I can't save him but I can save you. I know the weight you carry. Even better than Xena. She killed a lot of people but I killed more innocents. I wiped out entire villages just for fun. I know what your feeling. I feel it to."

Gabrielle said not believing "You feel guilty. I don't believe you. You are the same old Callisto playing a trick on Xena."

Callisto said, "If I'm the same monster then what are you?"

Gabrielle had nothing to say to this comment. Gabrielle said, "How do you deal with it?"

Callisto replied, "I do. That's all, I just do. I face if, accept and move on the best I can. It's all you can do."

Gabrielle replied, "You make it sound so easy."

Callisto said, "It's the hardest thing I've ever done."

Gabrielle asked "How can we be forgiven?"

Callisto said, "Xena told me that the only thing we can do is try to prevent other innocents from suffering. Give other innocents the thing we never allowed our victims."

Gabrielle asked, "What is that?"

Callisto answered, "A chance to live. We snuffed out lives for our own reasons and that can never be undone. But we can stop others from suffering the same fate."

Gabrielle thought about it. She looked down at the dagger. She threw it to the ground. She looked at Callisto with different eyes. This woman who killed her husband had just saved Gabrielle from taking her own life. The fates are funny.

8

Artemis and the others were moving with several Amazons. They were proceeded to what rumor had told was the location of Athena. Then suddenly a rope trap was sprung. Ares, Artemis and Hades were hanging upside down. The other amazons quickly seized Ephiny to ensure she didn't interfere. Velasca said, "Chaos, I present these sacrifices to you."

Chaos appeared. Artemis and the others tried to use their godlike strength to get down but couldn't. Chaos said, "Nice try, I made those specially to hold Gods." He released Artemis and brought her to her knees. He then looked at Velasca.

He said, "Velasca for your efforts I take Artemis's godhood and give it to you." A purple bolt hit Artemis square in the chest. The energy hit Velasca.

Chaos spoke, "Velasca I hereby charge you as God of the Amazons. I grant you the full powers of a god and give you the additional duty of slaying Xena, Callisto, Gabrielle, and Borias as they pass threw here to find Athena."

Velasca nodded and said, "It will be done my lord. What would you have us do to Artemis and Ephiny?"

Chaos said, "Ephiny will be a prisoner of mine. A card to play. A way to torture my puppets more. Artemis, do with her as you like, I no longer care for her." Chaos took Hades, Ares, and Ephiny and left returning to his fortress.

Velasca looked at Artemis closely. She said, "You failed us Artemis. Now pay for your crime."

Artemis begged, "No please. I'm sorry."

Velasca said smiling, "To little, To late." She released a bolt from her finger tips targeting Artemis' heart shooting a hole through her chest. Her eyes went cold as she died.

8

Xena and the others continued on their path when he appeared. Xena said, "Chaos, it's not so nice to see you." Chaos floated slightly above them.

He said, "Congratulations Xena. You saved Gabrielle without killing her. I must say you are better than even the show makes you look. Callisto, I never thought I'd see you go this route. Well that's not being honest I did actually foresee this."

Xena said shouting, "What do you want. I sicken of your games!"

Chaos replied "I have Ares and Hades and Artemis is dead. My new god Velasca is untested. I want to see if she is strong enough to be one of my pantheon. She leads the Amazons as their new Goddess replacing Artemis, the failed god. Yes Gabrielle, your Amazons. Don't worry about Ephiny, she lives. She is my prisoner so Velasca won't harm her. But I might. Now Xena, I want you to take this dagger and kill Velasca." He threw the dagger on the ground.

Xena asked with her arms across her chest, "Why should we?" Chaos with his power seized Gabrielle. She began to scream in pain. Chaos said, "Because I will kill her if you don't. You know that pain alone can kill. I can give her so much pain her heart will stop. If you don't kill Velasca I will kill your Gabrielle right here in front of you. Don't worry about using this dagger against one of my other gods. I've only imbued it with the power to kill Velasca. Any other will just laugh at you and then kill you."

Xena looked at him and said, "Alright. You win." She picked up the dagger. Chaos dropped Gabrielle. Xena said, "Does it even bother you that you are betraying your own people." Chaos looked directly at Xena and said, "Chaos is treacherous, you never know what will happen, who will die." He then disappeared.

Xena and Callisto ran to Gabrielle. Xena grabbed her friend and held her closely. She asked, "Are you alright?"

Gabrielle replied "Yes. I'll be fine. What is chaos playing at?"

Xena answered, "He is sending us to fight and kill our friends. This is what he does. He creates situations. When this one is done, their will be another one. He will do this for eternity. He is even prepared for the next one."

Gabrielle replied, "We have got to stop him."

Xena said "This god is truly an evil God. I've never seen a God delight in torture like this."

Gabrielle asked "Can we stop him?"

Xena answered back "We have to."

8

Chaos looked down on the world. Hera was at his side. She wanted to go to Hades and Ares but she didn't dare risk it as she nearly got caught when she helped Gabrielle. All her hopes were pinned on a sword and Athena.