Chapter 209

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After killing the head priest and burning their temple, the five heroes knew they had to be careful to avoid any other vengeful molochites. It was true that the molochites greatest strength had been their numbers, and they were unlikely to be so organized again for a little while. Still, there was always the possibility of one or two of them who would get lucky. Gabrielle, Phoebe, Andrew, Mel, and Maggie tried to avoid any future confrontations. They were able to avoid any more molochites, but they would not be as fortunate to avoid any confrontations. They were soon confronted by a number of warriors, led by Ares. For now Ares' soldiers were staying put, at his orders.

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Ares: Gabrielle, good to see you again.

Gabrielle: What do you want?

Ares: I was hoping that Xena would come as well. I always did enjoy seeing her fight.

Gabrielle: She wants nothing to do with Hope. I can't blame her.

Andrew: By any chance, did you have anything to do with those molochites?

Ares: No, I just sat back and enjoyed the show. And believe it or not, I am here to help.

Phoebe: Yeah, accepting help from the god of war, that doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

Maggie: Agreed.

Mel: Ditto.

Ares: I can help you get to Hope's kingdom.

Gabrielle: She has her own kingdom?

Ares: I'm not sure if she's an absolute monarch or if she shares power. Ever since her father Dahak betrayed me, I've stayed out of their way. I do know how to get there, whether or not you follow that route is your decision.

Gabrielle: I think I speak for everyone when I ask, "What's the catch?"

Ares: This route would take you by a certain, middle passage.

Maggie: Why does that phrase sound familiar?

Mel: It was a route taken by slave traders after they kidnapped people in Africa and brought them to the amrican colonies to be sold.

Gabrielle: I'm guessing that's what Ares meant.

Ares: Exactly. You can go this route and possibly avoid confrontations. Or you could be forced to either ignore the suffering of these slaves, or fight to free them. Either way, I'd enjoy watching.