Unholy Matrimony

Chapter 32

Bachhae

As Michael had promised, the Helmet allowed Eve to see through the thin veil that separated the entrance to the Underworld from the mortal world. As she made her way through the shades of people long dead, Eve did her best to avoid eye contact. Since she'd become the messenger of Eli, she'd made it her purpose in life to help ease people's suffering and she found ignoring the poor souls to be gut-wrenchingly difficult. She hoped that once the Lord had defeated the pagan pantheons, they would be able to alleviate the suffering of those held captive in the Greek land of the dead. Eve wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to find Demeter in the intricate network of caverns but she let her feelings guide her. After she passed what she was certain was the same rock three times, she decided she needed to take a breather to get her bearings. She leaned against a large boulder and reached for her waterskin. When she popped the top and brought it to her lips, she noticed a hulking figure making its way to her. Eve quickly took a drink and placed the skin back at her hip.

"Water?" The hulking shade pled.

Eve moved away from the ghost. But this only served to excite the weary soul who hadn't had a sip of fresh water in a thousand years. As Eve stepped away it shrieked, "Waterrrrr!"

Eve started moving more quickly as the wailing scream had drawn the attention of other souls who'd been hithertofore preoccupied with their own brands of suffering.

"Hmmm?" A woman with milk white eyes pierced Eve with a look so cold that it momentarily froze Eve in her tracks. The woman and a handful of other shades now joined the hulking shade in pursuing Eve. Eve turned down a darkened corridor hoping that would deter them from following. She could barely make out the space in front of her which slowed her pace. But after a few minutes she couldn't hear their moaning behind her. Finally, another passage presented itself and since there was a faint bluish glow toward the end of the corridor, Eve was certain she hadn't traveled that path as yet. She set off in the direction of the glow. Once she was about halfway down the hallway, she heard the distinct growl of a large dog. Eve stopped cold. Like all children she'd been brought up with the threat that if she didn't behave, she'd be thrown to Cerberus, the three-headed dog that kept the dead captive. But Eve wasn't a child any longer. And even though she didn't walk the path of the warrior anymore, she could still handle herself in a fight. Eve took a deep breath and continued moving toward the blue light, more careful to take lighter steps.

After a few more steps she heard the three heads of the monstrous beast sniffing. He'd clearly picked up on her mortal scent. Another low growl and the scraping of chains told her he was on the move. Eve made a dash for the end of the hallway at breakneck speed. She blew past a corridor on her left and caught a glimpse of the massive dog with it's three slavering mouths. When it caught sight of Eve, Cerberus howled and its echo chased her down the corridor, as did Cerberus. He was fast! Faster than any mortal beast she'd ever encountered and she'd once fought cheetahs in the Roman arena as a spectacle tribute to Augustus. When she felt his hot breath on her back, she was sure he was going to reach her before she reached the end of the hallway which she could now see was an endless blue sky. She wasn't sure where she would fall too if she jumped into that sky but she was sure death awaited her in the jaws of the mad dog. Eve's old warrior instincts kicked in and with a jumping flip, she vaulted herself through the doorway, into the boundless blue sky.

AXAXAXAXAXAXAXAX

When Ares vanished from the Great Hall on Olympus, chaos erupted among the gods. Accusations started flying with some claiming Apollo had only done the murderous deed to install himself as king, while others jumped to Apollo's defense and reminded them of Ares' past treacheries. More than a few pairs of eyes glowered at the outsider, Gunnr. She grinned inwardly. She'd never truly been made to feel like an insider among the Greeks, let alone been revered as their queen. Before they could direct their anger at Ares toward her, Gunnr vanished in icy shards and carried herself to Valhalla.

Odin was well into his second breakfast but granted her an audience nonetheless.

"Gunnr, my assistance says you are claiming urgency," the blonde god grumbled.

Gunnr knew just how to get the reaction she wanted from Odin. "It's Xena. Or more precisely, her spawn. It seems the Twilight hasn't ended after all."

Odin put down his fork, a fat bit of steak stuck on its prongs. "What are you talking about?"

"Eve, the Elijan, Xena's daughter. She's slain one of the Greeks, a shape shifter called Proteus. Xena's nowhere to be found. Ares was accused of treachery. Apollo shot him. His wound looked fatal but he disappeared, presumably to join Xena and make a deal with the Elijans. He's always playing both sides. You know that."

"I do." Odin moved back against his chair and folded his arms across his chest as he contemplated his next move.

"If we move now-"

"What? Strike the Greeks now? You foolish woman! Let them fight amongst themselves. Even better let the Elijan kill them all. We will prepare our defenses here! Shore up Valhalla!"

"But-

"But nothing. You couldn't keep your husband from straying. You're dismissed. Return to your father's domain and don't let me see your face again!"

"No one was going to keep him away from Xena. You dangled me in front of him like a prized heifer. It was your failure to see his true loyalty, not mine." Gunnr said definitely before she turned and left his dining hall.

Odin stared daggers into her back as she walked away. Of course she was right. The marriage was doomed to fail from the start. Ares had an unnatural obsession with the viper, Xena. And Odin knew well Xena's lust for war. It was a match made in the heavens. But had Xena convinced him to betray his brethren to do the bidding of the Elijan god? Would the Elijan god have accepted Ares into his fold after the God of War had killed his prophet, Eli? Odin growled. None of those things mattered presently. The only thing he needed to be thinking about was protecting his own. Odin looked to his raven and waved his hand. The bird would call the other gods to his table.

AXAXAXAXAXAXAX

Gabrielle had just finished splinting the arm of a young boy who claimed that he'd fallen from his roof but the bard had a suspicion that his father had been the one to break the boy's arm. It took twenty minutes but Gabrielle had convinced the mother to let the boy stay at the temple overnight. Gabrielle sneaked into her room to give herself fifteen minutes to regroup. She had expected the long hours, she hadn't anticipated the emotional toll that the job would take. She knew there would be difficult moments but she hadn't expected them to be so numerous or consuming. She needed to find a way to protect that boy when he left the temple. But how?

No sooner than Gabrielle had rested her head on her pillow. Hestia materialized in front of her. Gabrielle sighed. She was in no mood to deal with a god pouting about losing their temple.

"You're doing wonderful work here," Hestia began, surprising Gabrielle.

"Thank you?" Gabrielle answered by still wary. Visits from gods out of the blue rarely went well in her experience.

"You despise suffering and yet, you've been Xena's companion all these years." Hesia phrased it as a comment but Gabrielle could hear the question in the goddess' voice.

"You know, she isn't the monster you all think she is."

"I don't think that. But regardless of whether she's fighting for ill or good, she's still fighting and her travels have caused you to face suffering again and again, yours, hers, friends, family, enemies."

"Did you need something?" Even though she was concerned about Xena's decision to take up arms in Ares' name again, Gabrielle was not about to engage in idle gossip about her best friend.

"Where is she?" Hestia asked.

"Marching-"

"Lies."

Gabrielle's brow knitted.

Hestia cocked her head. "You don't know. You've been here consumed with this hospice while she's gone off with Ares. That must sting after all your years together. All you've sacrificed."

"I trust Xena. If she's fighting with him, there is a reason."

"I think so too. I'm just not sure any of us know what it is." Hestia mused and then disappeared.

Gabrielle sat up on the side of the bed. So much for rest.

AXAXAXAXAXAXAXAX

When Ares faded away so did the world he'd created to hide Xena and the baby. The room flickered right in front of Xena's eyes and then disappeared to leave her standing in the middle of Ares' abandoned temple in Amphipolis. Naked. Ares now lay before her bleeding out on the stone floor. From somewhere above, her leather dress fell and landed at her feet. It had been the only thing from the real world that she'd taken into his mirage world. Xena gave the garment only a passing glance as she rushed to Ares' side.

"Get me a sheet, get me something, anything to stop the bleeding," Xena called to Mikos as she went down on her haunches and started to pull Ares up into a sitting position. If he was going to have any chance at all she was going to have to get the arrow out. A million questions ran through her head. How had he become mortal again? Or had one of the gods done this to him? If so, why? If the wound was god inflicted would any of her ministrations work? "Hurry," Xena called to Mikos, again. When he didn't respond, she looked up to where he should've been standing with the frying pan. There was no one there. Just beyond where Mikos should have been standing was the couch she'd seduced Ares on while Athena had attacked Amphipolis trying to kill Eve all those years ago. In the years that had passed, someone had covered it and the other furniture that remained in the temple with white sheets. Those were now dingy with age and cobwebs. They weren't ideal but Xena decided they would have to make do. As gingerly as she could, Xena lay Ares back down and hurried to grab the nearest sheet. On her way back to the god, she ripped the sheet into long manageable strips using only her hands and teeth. Her heart grew heavier with every passing second. What if she failed? What if he laid here in his own temple and died? It had taken her only scant seconds to return to him but it had felt like an eternity. Before setting him back up, Xena broke off the end of the arrow. She recognized the gold and green fletching as the colors of Apollo. Her heart sank further. Ares hadn't lost his immortality again, this was a deity-inflicted wound. Xena tried not to let the panic set in but in her anger she flung the feathered arrow end clear across the temple. Then Xena straddled Ares keeping a firm hand on his neck to hold him upright. The back of her left shoulder burned from the strain of supporting all of his muscular form in the palm of her left hand. With her right hand, Xena rammed the arrow clean through his body until the head broke through his back. Ares cried out in pain and Xena wasn't sure she'd ever heard a more pleasant sound. He wasn't gone, he was still with her.

"That's it. Hang in there. Don't you leave me!" Xena set to work on the wound. It was going to need to be cauterized but she didn't have a fire going. The situation was impossible. Xena packed the wound with one strip of cloth, having nothing better than her own finger to use to press the cloth into the hole. When she got it packed, she bound another strip of cloth tightly around his chest to keep it in place. Xena lay Ares back onto the floor and finally had time to take his pulse which was barely there but at least it was there. Xena looked to the empty fireplace. She needed a fire, she needed water, and she needed a miracle. Xena stroked the soft part of his cheek just above his beard. "I'll be back. You keep fighting. It's the one thing I know you can do."

Xena looked at her blood soaked hands and then realized that her whole body was essentially covered in his blood. She couldn't just walk into town looking like she'd slaughtered a pig. But he was going to die if she didn't treat the wound better. Xena grabbed her leather dress and hastily donned it. She made a beeline for the acolytes kitchen hoping there would be something she could use in there. She found an old tinder box with enough materials to get a good fire going if she had any firewood. But the place had mostly been picked over years ago. She opened the door to the larder and was pleased to find that a few broken shelves had been left by the looters. Xena smashed the boards against the stone wall breaking them into smaller pieces for firewood. She gathered her findings and took them back into the main hall to the fireplace. A few minutes later she had a modest fire going. Now she needed to get to the city well and draw water. Hopefully, without raising too many eyebrows.

The smell of the fire must have roused Ares senses cause he moaned again in pain. Xena rushed to his side. She took his wrist to check his pulse again. Slower than before. Blood was starting to seep through the outer bandage. The packing wasn't going to be enough. She needed to hurry. Xena slapped away the first tear. She couldn't do this, not now. If she let the tears come, it was admitting defeat. And she wouldn't do that. She wasn't going to lose him, not like this. Losing him to another woman had been hard enough. But losing him to death, that was never supposed to be a part of the deal. He was a god, her god! Xena reached down and kissed his brow. "I love you. You miserable son-of-a-bitch. I'm having your child and you are going to be here to see this baby!" Xena ripped his pendant from his neck. She pressed it into the palm of his hand. "You are Ares, God of War. Now fucking fight like it. Fight like you deserve my love. Fight for me. For us." More tears welled over the rims of her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks. Snot rolled from her nose down over her upper lip. Xena wiped it away with the back of her hand, then licked her lips. She tasted the copper sting of his life essence but there was another sweeter, honeyed taste that lingered causing her lips to tingle. Xena brought her blood stained fingers up to her mouth and purposefully licked them. She could taste his power in the ichor of his blood. The power that she had longed for in her warlord years. There it was laying before her bleeding out on the floor and all she had to do was take it. A hunger coursed through her like she hadn't felt in years. Flying on pure instinct, Xena descended on Ares like a Bacchae. She ripped the bandages from his wound and suckled at it like a famished newborn babe trying to take to the nipple. With each draw of blood, she could feel herself growing stronger, invincible. Then with a thought a red hot poker materialized before her. It took every ounce of restraint she could muster to pull her mouth away from his chest. Xena took a deep breath and plunged the poker through the wound. The smell of the burning flesh was only one of the many things that became heightened around her. Xena could hear the voices of villagers miles away. And if she tuned her thoughts correctly, she could actually follow their conversations. She could feel Ares's life force beside her. It was dim, almost imperceptible but it was there. She could feel the life within her. If she focused she could actually see it growing in her womb. But the unbridled power that ran inside her was the most astonishing of all. She'd felt it enveloping Ares for years, but now it radiated from her. Had she just stolen his godhood?