Ares turned his head to look at Gabrielle. "Well, this is my dog. You still
want to take him for a walk? Looks like Hades is kicking him out."
Gabrielle just stared at Graegus. "How do you take something like that for a walk?"
"Is that a hypothetical question or a real question? I mean, do you really want to walk Graegus?" Ares asked as he looked down at the frightened blonde bard clinging to his arm. He thought for sure after she had seen his dog, she would give up on the crazy idea. After all, she was just Xena's sidekick, right? Oh, he had to admit the three naked bards was nice to look at but Gabrielle was no warrior. Could there be more to her than just being an annoying bard, the thorn in his side that kept stopping Xena from being his Warlord again? Perhaps this would tell him what Gabrielle really was made of, deep down inside her. Pondering the idea, he was curious to see what she would do now.
Slowly Gabrielle pushed away from Ares' strong arm and raised her head to look at Graegus. She had no idea why Ares called the thing a dog. It didn't look anything like a dog at all! But could Ares be right? Was this huge beast really a dog no matter how it looked? It reminded her of that old saying: one shouldn't judge a scroll by its appearance. Taking a deep breath, she stepped away slightly from the War God. She had a job to do and it wasn't going to get done by clinging to Ares!
"Yes, Ares. I'm serious." Gabrielle told him. "I need to get this curse off so I need to walk your dog. Besides, I'm sure he's tired of being down in this dark dreary cave, don't you think? The fresh air might do him good."
Surprised, Ares turned to look at Gabrielle. She was a bit pale, especially the skin around her lips. And he could hear how fast her heart was beating from fright. Being a God meant he had extraordinary senses. He could even smell the cold sweat on her skin, not that it bothered him. All in all, he thought the bard was taking it very well. She had been given a challenge and she was rising to meet it. Nor had she run screaming the other way. Perhaps he was beginning to see a slight glimmer of what Xena saw in her.
"You really want to walk Graegus?" Ares asked again. "You know, this is no simple task. If you accept, I'm not going to be with you. You'll have to walk him from the cave mouth above to my temple. There are no towns or villages in between so you don't have to worry about that but it doesn't mean it will be easy. You'd have to get Graegus to go where you want him to go, which could be quite tricky. And if any other people are out and about, you might have a serious problem! Are you willing to take on this responsibility?"
Gabrielle thought of being left alone in the countryside with the huge beast and shivered. It was bad enough with Ares here and now being alone! "Yes, I'd like to try."
"All right." Ares waved his hand and Gabrielle felt the shift in location. She looked around and found herself near the surface. The cave mouth was just a few steps away, bright light shining in. Beyond the cave entrance, a green field dotted with wild flowers and clover waited, a perfect romping ground for any normal dog. But Graegus wasn't a normal dog! Sensing a huge lurking beast behind her, Gabrielle turned and saw Ares War Dog waiting. It was crouched in the narrow tunnel, its back up against the ceiling. Either the tunnel was far bigger than what she had thought or some magic was involved that allowed it to fit in that spot. Its hot fetid breath washed over her and she wavered from the stench. Ares dog had a severe case of bad breath! Whew!
Ares led her out of the cave and Graegus followed, the ground trembling with each step he took. Once outside, Ares called his dog over. The War God turned to Gabrielle. "Now, he has to get to know you a bit."
Graegus pushed his giant head right against Gabrielle, almost knocking her over. His nose sniffed at her and it took all of her control to stand there. Everything inside was telling her to run for her life before the thing ate her but running wouldn't solve her problem. She pulled up every bit of bravery she had within her and stood there while Graegus snuffled loudly. Its snout was hot and dry against her bare stomach. She smiled weakly and patted him on the nose. "Nice Graegus, nice boy."
"See? He's nothing more than a big puppy!" Ares laughed. He turned his attention to his pet. "Graegus! Now you listen to Gabrielle here and you do what she says. You do that and Daddy will give you a nice treat when you get home. So you be a good boy!"
Graegus growled, a deep rumble that came from within his chest. Unfortunately, it gave Gabrielle a very close up look at his teeth! His teeth were long and pointed, like giant stalagmites and stalagmites. Most of his teeth were yellowish and a red line followed his gumline right next to the teeth. The wind that came out of his mouth knocked the bard right off her feet and she fell on the cool green grass. Graegus licked her with his wet sloppy tongue and she frantically covered her face with her arms. "Ugh! Stop that!"
"OK, so maybe he's a bit sloppy." Ares admitted. The War God, was in fact, very surprised. Graegus normally didn't get along with mortals at all. But then, most mortals hated the Dog of War. He could tell that Graegus had taken a real liking to the innocent bard. Hmmm... another point in favor of Gabrielle. Turning his full attention to Gabrielle, Ares started to speak. "Now, you just got to remember he's a dog. A very big dog but still a dog. And he's smart. He knows everything you say and oh, he has a very good memory. Once he meets someone, he remembers them. So you ready to go for a walk?"
Gabrielle pushed Graegus' snout away and got to her feet. Her arms, clothes and body was covered in dog slobber. Ick! She gripped her Amazon staff in slimy hands and smiled weakly at Ares. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Good! See you at my temple!" With that, Ares flashed out.
"So, it looks like it's just you and me now, huh boy?" Gabrielle said as she took a few steps in the right direction. She had been in this area once before, so she knew the way to Ares' temple. She just hoped no one else was around. She had no idea what would happen if Graegus encountered other people! She didn't even want to think of that! "Come on, let's go!"
Graegus sniffed at the ground, then followed after Gabrielle. He dashed ahead of her and stopped to inspect a tree. The tree looked funny next to him do to his size. Everything seemed the wrong size when Graegus was around. Gabrielle soon realized she had to run to keep up with Ares' dog, as he took big steps. She tried to stay in front of Graegus so he would follow her, which wasn't always easy.
As Gabrielle and Graegus passed through the countryside, a man hid in a thick clump of bushes, terrified. He had heard stories of the Dog of War and knew what this creature was. That Graegus was back could only mean bad news for his village. After the beast had passed, the man slunk out and headed towards town as quickly as he could. He had to tell someone, someone who could slay the monster! And if he acted quick enough, perhaps the blonde woman could be saved from the awful beast that was chasing her.
Reaching town, the man hurried inside the local bar. There he found Hercules and his best friend, Iolaus. The two heroes were enjoying a meal of roasted beef, vegetables and some of the local ale. Hercules, of course, was only drinking water. The man pounded on their table with his fists, his face drenched with sweat. "You have to help! Graegus is loose and is chasing a woman!"
"What?" Hercules spitted water all over the table in shock. "Graegus is dead! I saw him destroyed a few years ago."
"That may be so, but he is back! The Dog of War lives again!" The man insisted.
Hercules leaped up from his chair and headed towards the door, Iolaus right behind him. They raced for the countryside and soon encountered the deep footprints left by Graegus.
Iolaus bent down to examine them and glanced up at Hercules. "It looks like Graegus, all right. Looks like they came from the Cave Entrance to the Underworld."
"And heading for Ares' Temple. Great. Just great!" Hercules started to run in the direction the prints led. He just hoped he would be in time to save the woman the War Dog had been chasing. The two ran side by side and dashed up a steep hill. At the top they skidded to a stop, shocked at what they saw.
Graegus was at the bottom of the hill, lying on his stomach with his great paws stretched out in front of him. His great head was resting on the ground with his mouth wide open. A pair of female legs stuck out of the mouth, the boots moving up and back as the woman struggled.
"He's eating her!" Iolaus shouted in panic.
Gabrielle just stared at Graegus. "How do you take something like that for a walk?"
"Is that a hypothetical question or a real question? I mean, do you really want to walk Graegus?" Ares asked as he looked down at the frightened blonde bard clinging to his arm. He thought for sure after she had seen his dog, she would give up on the crazy idea. After all, she was just Xena's sidekick, right? Oh, he had to admit the three naked bards was nice to look at but Gabrielle was no warrior. Could there be more to her than just being an annoying bard, the thorn in his side that kept stopping Xena from being his Warlord again? Perhaps this would tell him what Gabrielle really was made of, deep down inside her. Pondering the idea, he was curious to see what she would do now.
Slowly Gabrielle pushed away from Ares' strong arm and raised her head to look at Graegus. She had no idea why Ares called the thing a dog. It didn't look anything like a dog at all! But could Ares be right? Was this huge beast really a dog no matter how it looked? It reminded her of that old saying: one shouldn't judge a scroll by its appearance. Taking a deep breath, she stepped away slightly from the War God. She had a job to do and it wasn't going to get done by clinging to Ares!
"Yes, Ares. I'm serious." Gabrielle told him. "I need to get this curse off so I need to walk your dog. Besides, I'm sure he's tired of being down in this dark dreary cave, don't you think? The fresh air might do him good."
Surprised, Ares turned to look at Gabrielle. She was a bit pale, especially the skin around her lips. And he could hear how fast her heart was beating from fright. Being a God meant he had extraordinary senses. He could even smell the cold sweat on her skin, not that it bothered him. All in all, he thought the bard was taking it very well. She had been given a challenge and she was rising to meet it. Nor had she run screaming the other way. Perhaps he was beginning to see a slight glimmer of what Xena saw in her.
"You really want to walk Graegus?" Ares asked again. "You know, this is no simple task. If you accept, I'm not going to be with you. You'll have to walk him from the cave mouth above to my temple. There are no towns or villages in between so you don't have to worry about that but it doesn't mean it will be easy. You'd have to get Graegus to go where you want him to go, which could be quite tricky. And if any other people are out and about, you might have a serious problem! Are you willing to take on this responsibility?"
Gabrielle thought of being left alone in the countryside with the huge beast and shivered. It was bad enough with Ares here and now being alone! "Yes, I'd like to try."
"All right." Ares waved his hand and Gabrielle felt the shift in location. She looked around and found herself near the surface. The cave mouth was just a few steps away, bright light shining in. Beyond the cave entrance, a green field dotted with wild flowers and clover waited, a perfect romping ground for any normal dog. But Graegus wasn't a normal dog! Sensing a huge lurking beast behind her, Gabrielle turned and saw Ares War Dog waiting. It was crouched in the narrow tunnel, its back up against the ceiling. Either the tunnel was far bigger than what she had thought or some magic was involved that allowed it to fit in that spot. Its hot fetid breath washed over her and she wavered from the stench. Ares dog had a severe case of bad breath! Whew!
Ares led her out of the cave and Graegus followed, the ground trembling with each step he took. Once outside, Ares called his dog over. The War God turned to Gabrielle. "Now, he has to get to know you a bit."
Graegus pushed his giant head right against Gabrielle, almost knocking her over. His nose sniffed at her and it took all of her control to stand there. Everything inside was telling her to run for her life before the thing ate her but running wouldn't solve her problem. She pulled up every bit of bravery she had within her and stood there while Graegus snuffled loudly. Its snout was hot and dry against her bare stomach. She smiled weakly and patted him on the nose. "Nice Graegus, nice boy."
"See? He's nothing more than a big puppy!" Ares laughed. He turned his attention to his pet. "Graegus! Now you listen to Gabrielle here and you do what she says. You do that and Daddy will give you a nice treat when you get home. So you be a good boy!"
Graegus growled, a deep rumble that came from within his chest. Unfortunately, it gave Gabrielle a very close up look at his teeth! His teeth were long and pointed, like giant stalagmites and stalagmites. Most of his teeth were yellowish and a red line followed his gumline right next to the teeth. The wind that came out of his mouth knocked the bard right off her feet and she fell on the cool green grass. Graegus licked her with his wet sloppy tongue and she frantically covered her face with her arms. "Ugh! Stop that!"
"OK, so maybe he's a bit sloppy." Ares admitted. The War God, was in fact, very surprised. Graegus normally didn't get along with mortals at all. But then, most mortals hated the Dog of War. He could tell that Graegus had taken a real liking to the innocent bard. Hmmm... another point in favor of Gabrielle. Turning his full attention to Gabrielle, Ares started to speak. "Now, you just got to remember he's a dog. A very big dog but still a dog. And he's smart. He knows everything you say and oh, he has a very good memory. Once he meets someone, he remembers them. So you ready to go for a walk?"
Gabrielle pushed Graegus' snout away and got to her feet. Her arms, clothes and body was covered in dog slobber. Ick! She gripped her Amazon staff in slimy hands and smiled weakly at Ares. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Good! See you at my temple!" With that, Ares flashed out.
"So, it looks like it's just you and me now, huh boy?" Gabrielle said as she took a few steps in the right direction. She had been in this area once before, so she knew the way to Ares' temple. She just hoped no one else was around. She had no idea what would happen if Graegus encountered other people! She didn't even want to think of that! "Come on, let's go!"
Graegus sniffed at the ground, then followed after Gabrielle. He dashed ahead of her and stopped to inspect a tree. The tree looked funny next to him do to his size. Everything seemed the wrong size when Graegus was around. Gabrielle soon realized she had to run to keep up with Ares' dog, as he took big steps. She tried to stay in front of Graegus so he would follow her, which wasn't always easy.
As Gabrielle and Graegus passed through the countryside, a man hid in a thick clump of bushes, terrified. He had heard stories of the Dog of War and knew what this creature was. That Graegus was back could only mean bad news for his village. After the beast had passed, the man slunk out and headed towards town as quickly as he could. He had to tell someone, someone who could slay the monster! And if he acted quick enough, perhaps the blonde woman could be saved from the awful beast that was chasing her.
Reaching town, the man hurried inside the local bar. There he found Hercules and his best friend, Iolaus. The two heroes were enjoying a meal of roasted beef, vegetables and some of the local ale. Hercules, of course, was only drinking water. The man pounded on their table with his fists, his face drenched with sweat. "You have to help! Graegus is loose and is chasing a woman!"
"What?" Hercules spitted water all over the table in shock. "Graegus is dead! I saw him destroyed a few years ago."
"That may be so, but he is back! The Dog of War lives again!" The man insisted.
Hercules leaped up from his chair and headed towards the door, Iolaus right behind him. They raced for the countryside and soon encountered the deep footprints left by Graegus.
Iolaus bent down to examine them and glanced up at Hercules. "It looks like Graegus, all right. Looks like they came from the Cave Entrance to the Underworld."
"And heading for Ares' Temple. Great. Just great!" Hercules started to run in the direction the prints led. He just hoped he would be in time to save the woman the War Dog had been chasing. The two ran side by side and dashed up a steep hill. At the top they skidded to a stop, shocked at what they saw.
Graegus was at the bottom of the hill, lying on his stomach with his great paws stretched out in front of him. His great head was resting on the ground with his mouth wide open. A pair of female legs stuck out of the mouth, the boots moving up and back as the woman struggled.
"He's eating her!" Iolaus shouted in panic.