This story will contain the following: two women as life partners and mothers, spankings to minor children, and anyone else whom the author deems needs it.

The rights of Xena, Gabrielle, Cyrene, Argo, etc. belong to REN pics and whomever else makes a profit from using them. I own nothing.

All that said, enjoy.

I figured it was time to post that disclaimer again since it had been so long since I've posted. Let's just say that health and computer issues have now been resolved and I'm going to try and ease into a steadier routine of posting.

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Chapter 70

"What?" Mama's voice carried throughout the house.

"What are you talking about?" Mom followed up.

"What do you mean?" Rory looked to her mothers in confusion. "I'm Nike? How is that even possible?" She turned to look at me. "Sam?"

I in turn looked to Auntie, Artemis, and Aunt Hestia. Taking a deep breath, I asked the one question that I truly needed an answer to, "Was turning her into an Amazon punishment for ignoring my directive about contacting me before I was sixteen?"

Shaking their heads in unison, it was Artemis who spoke. "We chose to send her to Ephiny and Eponin when she did that because we had sent her to you as Rhys knowing she would be needed here when you were sent back to us."

"Can she take Athena's place and still remain an Amazon?" I asked another question holding my breath for the answer.

Auntie laughed and hugged me. "I told you she was a smartie, girls."

"What do you mean take Athena's place? Are you nuts, Sam?!" Rory looked at me like a deer caught in headlights. "I don't want that job. In case you hadn't noticed, the gods," turning to the women gathered around us, "present company excluded, are nuts."

"Which is what would make you a perfect replacement. You see them for what they are." I replied. "And you won't be afraid to call them on it." I looked around the room. "Not to mention, you now have affections for mortals. I just need to know if you'll be able to go back and forth between the village and Olympus at will because that will affect my decision."

"We don't know." Artemis spoke quietly. "Maybe yes, maybe no." She looked around the kitchen shrugged her shoulders. "We really don't know, but we are hoping that she can. Nothing can be known for sure until both girls are eighteen."

"Great, just great." I muttered while Mom began to pace the length of our kitchen. I was reminded of the night I learned of the prophecy which seemed so long ago now and how upset Mama and Mom had been that night. I now understood why.

"Aunt Hestia you're pretty quiet."

"I am, Xena." The goddess gently caressed Rory's cheek with her hand. "I knew this day would come, for Rory to realize she was Nike, for Eponin and Ephiny to realize they had been raising a god." She looked at the women and saw Eponin's face and smiled. "Eponin, you needn't worry, she is still your daughter and always will be. We knew what we were doing and stand by it. I know, for a fact that we gave her to the both of you because we knew you were the only ones that could handle her when she first came to the village and could offer her the family that she needed. Neither of you have anything to fear from any of us."

Noticing how both of Rory's parents visibly relaxed I smiled as Rory hugged them tightly. "This changes nothing. You are still my mothers and I still love both of you. But it does explain everything, remember how much of a pain in the ass I was?"

"What do you mean, were?" Eponin joked.

"So who all are we telling?" Mama asked.

"What do you mean, my warrior mommy?"

"Well, Aphrodite, who needs to know this bit about Rory being Nike before her eighteenth birthday?"

"Rory is Nike?!" Eve's voice came from behind the now open kitchen door.

"Eve Anastasia Bardos!" Mom scolded. "How long have you been listening?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Eve walked forward and looked at Rory. "Long enough to know that not only are you Rhys, but you are also Sam's first pick to be Athena's replacement and were once Nike. Oh and we probably shouldn't tell anyone other than those that need to know. Right?" Looking around the kitchen she ran and hid behind Aunt Hestia. "Hide me, Aunt Hessie, I think Mama wants to kill me." She whispered.

"I'm not going to kill you, Trouble." Mama almost growled. "I just don't like eavesdropping."

"Nobody does, Xena." Artemis spoke crooking her finger towards Eve. "Come speak to me, small one."

"Am I in trouble?"

Hiding a smirk, Artemis knelt down and patiently waited until Eve stood in front of her. "How is it you came to listen, Eve?"

"I just wanted to know what was going on and nobody tells me anything. I figured if I was the future messenger of Eli that maybe this meeting was important and I needed to know stuff. After all, Sam was only two years older than me when she got sent back to us and I don't even know all the cool stuff the moms her before she came."

"That is the biggest load of….." I began only to be stopped by Mama.

"Sam, let me. Eve, that is crazy, even for you. Now, how about you try that again, and this time, let's go with the truth."

"I had a bet with the twins."

"You and the twins are betting?" Mom turned on her heel and glared at her middle child. "Zoe, Emily, get down here!" she hollered. "What were you betting?"

"What this meeting was about," Eve finally admitted. "I have to tell you, the fact that Rory was Nike never even entered our minds. We had bets on Sam and Daria getting joined or Sam being pregnant or on Rory or Zivah being pregnant. You know, normal stuff."

Choking on her laugh, Aunt Hestia gathered Eve up in her arms. "Oh, my little scamp, you do make me laugh."

Skidding into the kitchen, the twins stopped short as they took in Mom's glare. "Trouble, you promised to take the fall if you were caught!" Zoe began.

"Yeah, you lied to us." Emily backed up Zoe.

"I had no choice," Eve tried. "If you'd heard what I heard…." She trailed off when she saw Mama glaring at her.

"You were betting?" Mom's question brought the attention off of Eve and back to her. "What have I told you about betting?"

"That you don't want us to do it," three voice answered in unison.

"That's right." Mom waited for Aunt Hestia to put Eve down and then began to pace in front of the girls. "You are far too young to be betting."

"We're Amazons," Eve protested. "It's practically our birthright."

A snort from Eponin and a chuckle from Ephiny made Mom glare in their direction followed by another chuckle from Mama made Mom glare in her direction.

"They're right," Mama tried to whisper.

"How did we get off topic?" I tried to get everyone back on track but was wondering what this had to do with anything. "I mean, seriously, the girls are right. It is practically their birthright as Amazons."

"Samina!" Mom's glare turned to me and I decided to go for broke.

"You've been having this conversation or a version of it for the past seven years, Mom. No betting. You don't want us to bet. That's great, if we weren't being raised in an Amazon village. You do realize that betting 101 is taught in preschool, right?"

Rolling her eyes, Mom began to mutter and pace again. "That is never a good sign, Ephiny whispered. "Never."

"Nope, never good when the little sweet pea gets going like that." Auntie agreed.

Ignoring my now almost combustible blonde mother, I turned to every other adult in the room. "So, what are we going to do?" I asked.

"Hello?" Eve tried. "Small child here. What do you want us to do? Are we in trouble for betting or what?"

"Trouble!" Zoe shoved Eve hard. "Knock it off, they might forget about us."

"Hasn't happened before," Emily muttered as Mom rounded on them.

"All three of you, go to your rooms and Mama and I will come and deal with you in a little bit. Then you will see what happens. Move!" Watching as the three of them took off running, I heard as Nasa barked and followed them through the house. The only thing missing was Grace crying.

All eyes were on me and I sat down in one of the kitchen chairs with a huff. "What?" I shrugged and stared down the room. "No one said I was patient and that was taking far too long. We have bigger problems than their betting."

"Sam is right," Rory backed me up. "Who I am, for one." She looked at the goddess in the room and shrugged "I mean, who am I? Rory, Rhys, or Nike? Goddess or Amazon?" She began to pace as she looked at me, "I feel like a Lifetime movie of the week."

I nodded. "I guess you are, in a way."

"Really, the best you have is Lifetime movie of the week?" Mom asked.

Rory shrugged. "It's what I feel like."

"I think everyone that needs to know are in this room," Mama began. "Except for Mother and Zivah."

"And Trouble?"

"We can make her forget," Aunt Hestia spoke so quietly I wasn't sure I had heard her correctly.

"What?" Mama made the motion of cleaning out her ear. "I thought you said you could make her forget."

"We can," Artemis spoke this time. "If you will allow us to, that is."

Mama and Mom looked at each other and then walked to the porch where Harry's perch was kept. The hawk had reached her full size in the time she'd been with us and had become a beautiful bird as well as a valued member of our household. Returning, the moms looked at me and Rory and then nodded. "Just this once, ladies and only because we think Trouble is too young to keep this secret." Mama scrubbed her hand down her face. "We will allow this."

Rory sighed and I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "What about Daria? Can I tell her as well?"

Mama and Mom nodded and I grinned. "Thanks. I'd hate to not be able to have the entire Scooby gang know our biggest secret."

"Scooby gang?" Artemis and Aunt Hestia looked so confused and I motioned to Auntie. "I think we need a Tv visual, Auntie." She giggled and snapped her fingers as we heard the theme music to the classic cartoon and we all walked to the living area and the television. As the beginning of the show came to an end, the goddesses smiled and looked at Rory and me.

"They solved mysteries and the great dane talked." I explained. "Stick around and you can watch an episode." I grinned as Mama and Mom began a heated conversation over betting and the little monsters upstairs. "Oh and could you, I pointed to my moms and then upstairs and mouthed, 'about the betting'."

"Of course, but if we get caught…." Artemis trailed off.

"Your names will never be mentioned." Ephiny spoke up and we all smiled as fingers were snapped and the scent of roses filled the air.

"All done," Auntie spoke again. "Now, who wants popcorn?"

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Again, I hope this was enjoyed by all. Next chapter, I hope to move to the feather ceremony. I can't believe how much time has passed in the Sam universe already. Be ready for some big changes folks. :)

To those of you still reading Glee, I am working on the next chapter of it, and I am working on a new story for publication. Broadway Baby has 4 chapters of a sequel going and I'm working on something else as well. Here's hoping I'm not taking on too much. Still finding my way back from the brain tumor.