Chapter 7

Xena quickly made her way through the crowd, wanting to put as much space between herself and Ares as she could. That deceitful bastard, she couldn't believe that he actually thought that she was going to fall for his lies. She had seen enough to form her own conclusion and there was nothing that he could possibly say or do that was going to wipe that imagery from her mind. She hated him with every fiber of her being and more so, she hated herself even more for the fact that he could affect her.

She had been foolish enough to let him in, sure it was a very tiny amount of ground that he had managed to gain from her but it was all that he needed. He had infiltrated that small crack like the plague and stirred in her things that she had long thought that she had banished from her system for good. It wasn't supposed to be like this, she was only supposed to use him for all that she could get out of him and then when she was done with him she was going to drop him like the conniving succubus that he was. Leaving the War God not even knowing what she had done while she took him for all that he had.

That was how their relationship had started anyway, the both of them subtly using the other for their own personal gain but then, gradually, things had changed and their interests had somehow synced. That and the annoying, ever-growing need for the others presence had taken both of them by complete surprise. The sex had been great, more than great actually and she had never felt more whole or secure then when she was lying in his strong arms.

She knew that it was naïve to even consider the possibility that what they shared was anything more than a passionate rough and tumble, but that didn't make the sting hurt any less by having the truth confirmed. Though she had cleverly kept herself from giving any definite voice to it, Xena had secretly claimed Ares for herself and the thought of another woman touching him or being with him in a way that she had intimately been made her sick to her stomach. The thought alone swiftly made her put her hand over her mouth, as if that was going to help fight back the nausea that had quickly consumed her as those horrific images of the War God and that red headed slut whirled through her mind again.

Promptly though, she shook those thoughts from her head before they really started to overpower her. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, and wiping away the few tears she didn't realize she had shed, Xena hastily pushed her way through a couple that was dancing and not really paying attention to where she was going, she suddenly collided into a powerful wall.

Well, it had felt like a wall to her anyway, but it was in fact a well chiseled chest and the impact had made her stumble back a bit. A pair of strong hands had quickly reached out and grabbed a hold of her to help steady her footing before she fell and pulled her in close. Xena had swiftly latched onto his arms to further assist with her off balance, not wanting to make an even bigger fool of herself by ending up on her butt if she did not.

"Sorry…" she muttered absentmindedly, not really meaning the words.

"That's quite all right." came a sultry voice, oozing all types of sex as the words flowed out of his mouth.

The Warrior Princess looked up at his tone, her slightly watery sapphire eyes crashing with a set of green hypnotic pools. She was a bit taken aback when their eyes connected, he had a certain presence about him that just drew others in and she quickly shook that clouding fog from her head. There was no doubt in her mind that he was a God, which one… she was not entirely sure exactly. Xena glanced at his attire for a moment, from what she could tell from the short look, he seemed to be wearing some type of Roman military finery.

It suited him nicely though, and those blonde curls of his cascaded down towards his shoulders where the rest of him was reasonably carved out flawlessly. As her curious moons slowly made their way back up to his face, he flashed her a small, warm smile and Xena returned the gesture for no other reason than because she just didn't know what else to do. His hands moved subtly against her body, sending a not so repulsive feeling running through her veins and reminding her that she was in fact still encased in his arms.

She didn't like that he was still holding on to her however. Yeah, he might have stopped her from falling but that didn't mean that now he was entitled to put his hands on her as he saw fit. Just what was it with these Gods?! One insignificant gesture and suddenly they think they owned you. As he kept one arm firmly, but not possessively wrapped around her waist, his other was softly making its way up her back, lightly feeling along her body before he brought his hand up to her face to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Naturally, she recoiled from the gesture before he had the chance to finish it. She was not his pet, and she did not need nor did she want him caressing her. With a less then pleased push, with a bit more strength then the God had thought her capable of, Xena removed herself from his embrace and cast him a steely look. Letting him know that just because he was a God that it did not mean she was going to submit to him. Without another word, she turned and started to walk away from him.

"You shouldn't waste your tears on someone who isn't worth it." he said to her retreating form, making her stop in her tracks from his remark.

She certainly was an interesting specimen, he never met anyone quite like her before. He was surprised with the way she had handled Ares. Given the War Gods reputation then the girl should be dead right now. He could sense her mortality strongly so it wasn't as if she presented a real challenge to the Olympian, if the War God had wanted this woman dead then she would have been before she even knew what was going to happen.

"Spying on me, are we?" Xena snarled out, liking him even less now.

"I wouldn't exactly call it spying." he innocently stated as she turned back around to look at him, "More like observing, you two were putting on quite the show back there." he clarified for her, unexpectedly liking the way she was getting riled up.

The Roman God noted that it seemed like the War God wasn't exactly a good subject to discuss with her. He saw the anger form in her eyes before she had the chance to hide it when he brought him up. It wasn't a topic that he actually wanted to dwell on either anyway, he was much more interested on getting to know her but first he had to get her attention and that seemed like a good enough place to start.

"It was about time that he learned where his place was. How fitting that it was you who showed him… a mere mortal." he arrogantly said.

Xena just arched a curious eyebrow at him, not putting off the notion that this deity was very familiar with her War God if he was relishing in Ares' humiliation. She knew that he had acquired a lot of enemies throughout the centuries and all of them would love a chance to get back at the fierce Olympian one way or another if the opportunity presented itself. Despite how upset she was with Ares at the moment, it didn't stop his nagging voice from echoing inside of her head about how every God would jump at the chance to use her against him and in spite of current events, she couldn't help but heed that for just a second before banishing his annoying voice from her mind.

Even now, when she absolutely hated him, she could not dispel him from her thoughts. The same warnings reverberating through her. The Roman God could see that she was battling herself with something. It was curious to him that such a mere mortal, although gorgeous yes, she was, could have made a mockery of the War God like that and simply walk away unscathed. Perhaps Bacchus' wine really was that good, it made him want to know more.

"Forgive me, where are my manners…" he embarrassedly laughed out, capturing Xena's full attention once again as he took ahold of her hand, "… I'm Honos, and you are?"

"Doesn't matter, I won't be staying here long." she firmly stated, a tight forced smile forming on her face as she quickly pulled her hand out of his grasp just as he tried to plant a kiss on it.

"That's a shame, I was looking forward on getting to know you better. You shouldn't let scum like him ruin your night, you did get all dressed up after all. It would be a disgrace to waste such a stunning dress, you look absolutely beautiful in it."

He was a charmer that was for sure but then again, weren't all Romans? His pathetic flattery wasn't going to work though and Xena was in no way enthralled by it. But still, she couldn't help the thought of wanting to get back at the War God somehow. She wanted to hurt him like he had hurt her and suddenly the thought of spending a little quality time with this Roman God did not seem like such a bad idea after all. It might just be what she needed to show that spineless bastard that she too could enjoy herself wherever and with whomever she wanted.

"You're right." she replied, a coy smile spreading across her visage, "It would be a shame to let this evening go to waste because of some meaningless encounter."

"I couldn't agree with you more."

"How would you like to show a girl a good time? I'm sure you are more than qualified for the job." she purred as she stepped closer to him and softly placed her hand against his chest.

The desire in him instantly spiked when he felt her touch. There was just something about her, something that seemed soooo forbidden that made him want to do as she asked. The War God might have shown interest earlier and Honos knew how possessive the Olympian could be, but she did not seem to be interested in his advances. This was an opportunity he wasn't going to waste and he gently ran his fingers down her cheek before he softly ran his hand through her hair.

The gesture had caused her scent to come flowing off of her and it attacked him mercilessly, making him inhale it longer then he had to. The tantalizing aroma only lulled him in deeper as those gorgeous sapphire eyes connected with his.

"My dear…" he murmured, making Xena blanch at his term of endearment since no one but Ares had ever called her that as he once again picked up her hand and this time she allowed him to place a kiss against it, "… it would be an honor."