WELL, DEAR READERS, I HOPE YOU'LL ENJOY THIS CHAPTER. I BET EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAS AT LEAST ONE SCENARIO IN YOUR MIND REGARDING THE FOLLOWING EVENTS, SO LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE NAILED IT SO FAR :)) I'M QUITE CURIOUS ABOUT IT :)))

" Ares….." her voice echoed again- in his head this time- and he could instantly sense the urgency in her tone.

He immediately formed a vortex, demanding to take him wherever his Princess was , but to his great surprise, his voyage ended merely half a mile away from his original spot.

"What the fu…" he started, staring in disbelief at the bizarre desolation around him….Somehow, his brain had failed to register before just how deserted that place was….There was no one in sight, and definitely no sign of Xena…

" Princess ?" he shouted, swiftly turning around as he thought he heard something moving …There was nothing though, definitely not the wind- cause judging by the rather disturbing brightness of the sun, it must have been unbearably hot- it appeared to be noon after all, and not one leaf was moving in the majestic oak tree at his left …

" Xena! " he yelled again, harder this time, making a notable effort not to panic, though he could sense his heart skipping a beat as no answer came ….

She was supposed to be here ….Had the vortex been wrong….?! It hadn't happened before though….Not in his existence …..

" Xena!" The following scream pierced the air and could definitely be heard even in the Underworld. A wave of unease began running uncontrollably up and down his spine like electricity, prickling his skin, as his dark amber moons frantically scanned the area for at least one clue that she had at least been there …

XXX

Just a few feet away from a particularly agitated War God, a demonically looking Amytis suddenly changed its appearance- becoming her absolutely mesmerizing old self again. The long tentacles that had been choking the Warrior Princess to death, slowly turned into hands- a perfect, creamy skin covering those slick, disgusting limbs that had been seconds away from sending her soul to Tartarus…..

" Gee Xena…" she whispered venomously- in a tone that our hero had never heard before till that very moment- getting close enough to lick her cheek while cruelly pressing her barely moving form even harder into the mud. " Looks like we have an unexpected guest ….I bet he came to save you " she continued, a frightening smirk distorting her features. " He seems to be forced to do this a bit more often than he would like to….The Chosen of War ….." she laughed, cocking her head to the side. "...imagine that... He will have to face the facts one day you know…" she made sure to remark, loosening the grip around her victim's neck for a second- enough to allow her to take a breath….She didn't want to kill her…not yet, anyway ….." …he sure made a mistake thinking that you could ever be his Enyo….that you could ever be his equal... He should have considered better options …"

"Like …you, maybe ?" the Warrior Princess managed to mumble back, somehow taking advantage of one moment of inadvertence from the Queen's part to brutally shove her knee into her midsection- successfully freeing herself from that vice like pressure she had been submitted to.

" Nice try, Xena!"

And that was the last thing she heard before, with a wave of her hand, the Queen lifted her once again into the air, just to smash her already horribly aching body against the solid ground ….

" ….by the way…don't go anywhere . You still have a lesson to teach me, remember?" she mocked, as a transparent, golden dress materialised on her outrageously sexy curves.

" I hope you'll enjoy what's about to happen…" she added- while slowly walking towards the other layer of reality that was unfolding right there, before her very eyes, just a few, insignificant steps away from them.

"Ares ! " Xena desperately shouted, her hand instinctively covering her chest as his name left her lips. Even breathing caused her tremendous pain- shouting surely felt like a knife to the lungs…..

"Don't bother ….he can't hear you …" Amytis made sure to mention, a circular move of her forefinger making a silver, full size mirror appear in front of her. "But who knows…maybe your passion for him could work miracles." she cleverly added, and though Xena was unable to see her expression any more , she could tell from afar it had been disdain….

Before she knew it, while bravely fighting the agony she was in and lifting herself up from the ground, the redheaded Queen had already passed through the mirror separating the two realities, making sure to close the portal shut behind her. She had absolutely no intention what so ever to allow that needy bitch come anywhere near Ares. No….Ares was hers and she was definitely going to prove it to her, just in case she still had any doubts or hopes about it…..

XXX

It was impossible. She had to be there….He could clearly hear her…and yet…he couldn't feel her aura anywhere near him….

"Could I have imagined it?... ….This is a freakin' dream after all …." He silently told himself, arching a brow at this new possibility. "Hmmm….maybe it isn't even her dream…Maybe it's mine….." he continued, suddenly feeling unbelievably stupid for his previously dramatic outburst.

" I must be really losing it ….." he added, only to have his breath caught in his throat the moment a very familiar, delicate perfume invaded his nostrils, enveloping his brain in a thick fog of irresistible ecstasy and crushing sexual tension.

" My , my ….even in my dreams , you're always present , my Lord …" her arousing voice could be heard, tickling his senses, making him instinctively bite his lip at the sound of it.

" Is this some sort of sick punishment you had in mind for me ? " she sensually asked while cattishly approaching the overly impatient War God. " I have been a bad, bad girl, I know…..but still…haunting my dreams is a bit too much, don't you think?"

The War God flinched visibly at the sight of her. Gods, this woman was wickedly sexy even for his standards...

"Amytis …..What in Tartarus are you doing here ?" he stung, narrowing his eyes as a few possible scenarios started to unfold in his head.

" What am I doing here ?!" she playfully giggled, annihilating all distance between them until her full, ravishing breasts were crushed teasingly against his chest. "What are you doing here , lover? This is my dream …."

XXX

At about the same time, torn apart by rage and jealousy , the Warrior Princess rushed towards the mirror . She uselessly pounded her fists into that accursed thing, hoping that if she couldn't actually use it to pass to the other side – the same way her enemy had, just moments before- she could at least break it, thus eliminating that bloody wall between the two realities . It was to no avail though, for, despite her repeated attempts, the glassy surface simply refused to show any signs of damage- not one scratch, not one crack…..It was unbreakable….