"NO!" Gabrielle tried to run to her fallen friend, but Ares tight grip
stopped her before she took even one step.
"The Evil Spirit, remember?" Ares said quietly to her. "It could be a trap. Let Hercules go check. I promised I'd keep you safe and I'm going to."
"You're a GOD, Ares! Why don't you DO something!" Gabrielle pounded with her fists on his chest once, knowing she couldn't really hurt him. But it helped relieve some of the stress and tension that had built up in her body. "Why don't you pop us out of here?"
"You think I already didn't think of that?" Ares replied as he watched his brother carefully step into the circle of hideous veggies. His sister was in even worse shape than Xena maybe. She just stood there and stared, her fingernails crammed into her mouth. Nor did he like the look in Aphrodite's eyes. No doubt she would take all the guilt on herself. Not good. Ares turned his attention back to the blonde bard held captive in his arms. "My telaportation powers, for some reason, don't work. See?"
Ares stiffened his body and held her tighter. She could see the strain around his dark brown eyes. There was a slight flicker of blue light, then it faded.
"But why won't they work?" Gabrielle asked, her green eyes following Hercules' every move. She saw him kneel by Xena, feel for a pulse. Suddenly, he looked old to her. Old and worn out. His brown hair fell in his face, his eyes appeared lighter than normal, as if the blue color had drained out with his best friend's blood. For the first time she noticed the stains on his clothing, both from food and sleeping outdoors. There was the ground in dirt, the grease stains, bits of green from grass, a few tiny singed from fire.. And of course, the numerous bloodstains. She also noted the tears in the fabric, like that long jagged one a few inches below his left breast. Which fight had he gotten that one in? At the edges the fabric was unraveling with hundreds of little strings sticking up in the air. His boots were scuffed and worn, his pants in slightly better shape than his tan tunic. She had heard that often during emergencies all the little details pop out at a person, things you normally wouldn't notice. Funny how it had never happened to her before
Gabrielle knew she had to keep herself focused, like Xena always said. No matter what Hercules would tell her about Xena's condition, she couldn't unravel. No, she had to be able to think clearly. That Evil Spirit was out there and it would come for her. She had to be ready!
Hercules shook his head. "Same as Iolaus. I'm sorry, Gabrielle, but she's gone. There's nothing I can do."
Gabrielle pressed her face against Ares' chest. His skin was warm against her cheek and he smelled good, a clean male scent. Her mind wondered around and around, trying to grasp a solution. But she couldn't, because it made no sense!
It was all supposed to be a game! She didn't see how Aphrodite, who often goofed up even simple spells, could have accidentally released a spirit from the Underworld. Why, Dite hadn't even been using her powers! She had just talked, the same meaningless words that charlatans often used. Besides, Aphrodite's power lay in Love and had nothing to do with people once they were dead. Hades was in charge of that.
Yet she had released an Evil Spirit.
"Are you sure she's dead?" Gabrielle asked the big hero.
Hercules nodded, his face hidden by his hands. He rubbed at his eyes. Then he turned his back to them.
Then a new, horrible thought occurred to Gabrielle.
What if there never was an Evil Spirit? What if someone in the room was a Murderer?
Was it Hercules? He wasn't showing very much grief and he was a man who normally wore his expressions on his face. He was quick to anger and often solved problems with his fists. Then there was all the dead wives he had. Could they had ended their lives at his hands? There had been no witnesses to either death. And why was he hiding his face now?
Her eyes drifted to Aphrodite. It was her temple and the party had been her idea. It was clear she wasn't her normally bubbly self the moment she lay eyes on the Goddess dressed in black. And wouldn't Aphrodite prefer a more wild party with more guests? Where were the other Gods? Why just invite five people? Gabrielle wondered how much power Aphrodite really had. Was she strong enough to keep Ares from popping out?
Or was he in on it?
Still, she couldn't bring herself to fear Ares. During both incidents she knew where HE had been, especially the second one. There was no way he could have killed Xena...
Unless he had used his powers?
Where had that spear come from anyway? None of them carried a spear and she doubted if Aphrodite kept that sort of thing around in her temple.
But then, Aphrodite wasn't acting or dressing normal.
No, she HAD to trust Ares. Both Xena and Hercules had been sure he would keep her safe. Besides, she felt safe in his arms right now, even with everything going on. He was comforting her in his own silent way, just holding her.
Could there had been a SEVENTH person in the temple? Someone besides them? She knew Xena certainly had made a lot of enemies in the past and Herc no doubt had his share of them, too. Or maybe someone was striking out at Aphrodite for revenge? Like someone could have asked her to make a certain person fall in love with them and it didn't work?
But how could a mortal make all the lights go off like that? Carve those hideous faces on the pumpkins?
Gabrielle's eyes had drifted back to scrutinize Aphrodite again when they were plunged into darkness a third time. All the lights had gone out, even the ones inside the pumpkins. She pressed her body closer to Ares, wishing they had more time. But the time periods between the attacks were too short!
And how could they fight the thing when she wasn't even sure of who or what it was?
Sounds came to her ears: a loud gasp, a ripping sound, feet scraping on the floor, loud grunting. Then there was a thump and the sound of smashing furniture.
Hercules was fighting with the Evil Spirit!
Silence.
Then those hideous pumpkins flared back on.
Gabrielle half expected to see Hercules' body lying on the floor, yet actually seeing it still shocked her. The Demigod had fallen in his struggle on top of the round table, breaking it. Now his lifeless body rested among broken pieces of wood. But the thing that had killed him was the long piece of black lace tied around his throat. His eyes were bugged out and his tongue protruded from his open mouth. The Evil Spirit had strangled him with one of the lace wall coverings!
"Not Hercules, too!" Gabrielle groaned.
Aphrodite snapped out of her trance, her eyes wide. She hurried over to them. "Look, you two got to hide! That thing's going to come back soon!"
"Aphrodite, I don't think hiding..." Gabrielle started to say, but the Love Goddess wouldn't hear any of it.
"I got the perfect hiding spot right here!" She hurried over to the wall behind her altar and pressed on one of the square stones. A door slid open, revealing a black chamber.
"I am NOT going in there!" Gabrielle protested loudly. "For all I know, YOU could be the Evil Spirit! This was all your idea from the start. You invited us here, it's your temple, it was your idea to play the game with the Ouija board. You have complete control over anything inside your temple, don't you? The lights, the door. Why, you might even be blocking Ares' powers! And no one would ever suspect you because you have a reputation for being an air head."
Aphrodite laughed. "Why, Gabrielle, you figured it out! But you're STILL going in there!"
The Goddess of Love raised her hands, the black lace tendrils dangling around her wrists like spider webs. A long pink tentacle shot from her palms right at the startled couple. Before they could even think, it had wrapped itself around them several times. Gabrielle struggled to breath, the pink ... snake ... was squeezing the air out of her. Then she was hauled off her feet, Ares along with her, and shoved inside the black room. Then the door boomed shut with the sound of doom.
"The Evil Spirit, remember?" Ares said quietly to her. "It could be a trap. Let Hercules go check. I promised I'd keep you safe and I'm going to."
"You're a GOD, Ares! Why don't you DO something!" Gabrielle pounded with her fists on his chest once, knowing she couldn't really hurt him. But it helped relieve some of the stress and tension that had built up in her body. "Why don't you pop us out of here?"
"You think I already didn't think of that?" Ares replied as he watched his brother carefully step into the circle of hideous veggies. His sister was in even worse shape than Xena maybe. She just stood there and stared, her fingernails crammed into her mouth. Nor did he like the look in Aphrodite's eyes. No doubt she would take all the guilt on herself. Not good. Ares turned his attention back to the blonde bard held captive in his arms. "My telaportation powers, for some reason, don't work. See?"
Ares stiffened his body and held her tighter. She could see the strain around his dark brown eyes. There was a slight flicker of blue light, then it faded.
"But why won't they work?" Gabrielle asked, her green eyes following Hercules' every move. She saw him kneel by Xena, feel for a pulse. Suddenly, he looked old to her. Old and worn out. His brown hair fell in his face, his eyes appeared lighter than normal, as if the blue color had drained out with his best friend's blood. For the first time she noticed the stains on his clothing, both from food and sleeping outdoors. There was the ground in dirt, the grease stains, bits of green from grass, a few tiny singed from fire.. And of course, the numerous bloodstains. She also noted the tears in the fabric, like that long jagged one a few inches below his left breast. Which fight had he gotten that one in? At the edges the fabric was unraveling with hundreds of little strings sticking up in the air. His boots were scuffed and worn, his pants in slightly better shape than his tan tunic. She had heard that often during emergencies all the little details pop out at a person, things you normally wouldn't notice. Funny how it had never happened to her before
Gabrielle knew she had to keep herself focused, like Xena always said. No matter what Hercules would tell her about Xena's condition, she couldn't unravel. No, she had to be able to think clearly. That Evil Spirit was out there and it would come for her. She had to be ready!
Hercules shook his head. "Same as Iolaus. I'm sorry, Gabrielle, but she's gone. There's nothing I can do."
Gabrielle pressed her face against Ares' chest. His skin was warm against her cheek and he smelled good, a clean male scent. Her mind wondered around and around, trying to grasp a solution. But she couldn't, because it made no sense!
It was all supposed to be a game! She didn't see how Aphrodite, who often goofed up even simple spells, could have accidentally released a spirit from the Underworld. Why, Dite hadn't even been using her powers! She had just talked, the same meaningless words that charlatans often used. Besides, Aphrodite's power lay in Love and had nothing to do with people once they were dead. Hades was in charge of that.
Yet she had released an Evil Spirit.
"Are you sure she's dead?" Gabrielle asked the big hero.
Hercules nodded, his face hidden by his hands. He rubbed at his eyes. Then he turned his back to them.
Then a new, horrible thought occurred to Gabrielle.
What if there never was an Evil Spirit? What if someone in the room was a Murderer?
Was it Hercules? He wasn't showing very much grief and he was a man who normally wore his expressions on his face. He was quick to anger and often solved problems with his fists. Then there was all the dead wives he had. Could they had ended their lives at his hands? There had been no witnesses to either death. And why was he hiding his face now?
Her eyes drifted to Aphrodite. It was her temple and the party had been her idea. It was clear she wasn't her normally bubbly self the moment she lay eyes on the Goddess dressed in black. And wouldn't Aphrodite prefer a more wild party with more guests? Where were the other Gods? Why just invite five people? Gabrielle wondered how much power Aphrodite really had. Was she strong enough to keep Ares from popping out?
Or was he in on it?
Still, she couldn't bring herself to fear Ares. During both incidents she knew where HE had been, especially the second one. There was no way he could have killed Xena...
Unless he had used his powers?
Where had that spear come from anyway? None of them carried a spear and she doubted if Aphrodite kept that sort of thing around in her temple.
But then, Aphrodite wasn't acting or dressing normal.
No, she HAD to trust Ares. Both Xena and Hercules had been sure he would keep her safe. Besides, she felt safe in his arms right now, even with everything going on. He was comforting her in his own silent way, just holding her.
Could there had been a SEVENTH person in the temple? Someone besides them? She knew Xena certainly had made a lot of enemies in the past and Herc no doubt had his share of them, too. Or maybe someone was striking out at Aphrodite for revenge? Like someone could have asked her to make a certain person fall in love with them and it didn't work?
But how could a mortal make all the lights go off like that? Carve those hideous faces on the pumpkins?
Gabrielle's eyes had drifted back to scrutinize Aphrodite again when they were plunged into darkness a third time. All the lights had gone out, even the ones inside the pumpkins. She pressed her body closer to Ares, wishing they had more time. But the time periods between the attacks were too short!
And how could they fight the thing when she wasn't even sure of who or what it was?
Sounds came to her ears: a loud gasp, a ripping sound, feet scraping on the floor, loud grunting. Then there was a thump and the sound of smashing furniture.
Hercules was fighting with the Evil Spirit!
Silence.
Then those hideous pumpkins flared back on.
Gabrielle half expected to see Hercules' body lying on the floor, yet actually seeing it still shocked her. The Demigod had fallen in his struggle on top of the round table, breaking it. Now his lifeless body rested among broken pieces of wood. But the thing that had killed him was the long piece of black lace tied around his throat. His eyes were bugged out and his tongue protruded from his open mouth. The Evil Spirit had strangled him with one of the lace wall coverings!
"Not Hercules, too!" Gabrielle groaned.
Aphrodite snapped out of her trance, her eyes wide. She hurried over to them. "Look, you two got to hide! That thing's going to come back soon!"
"Aphrodite, I don't think hiding..." Gabrielle started to say, but the Love Goddess wouldn't hear any of it.
"I got the perfect hiding spot right here!" She hurried over to the wall behind her altar and pressed on one of the square stones. A door slid open, revealing a black chamber.
"I am NOT going in there!" Gabrielle protested loudly. "For all I know, YOU could be the Evil Spirit! This was all your idea from the start. You invited us here, it's your temple, it was your idea to play the game with the Ouija board. You have complete control over anything inside your temple, don't you? The lights, the door. Why, you might even be blocking Ares' powers! And no one would ever suspect you because you have a reputation for being an air head."
Aphrodite laughed. "Why, Gabrielle, you figured it out! But you're STILL going in there!"
The Goddess of Love raised her hands, the black lace tendrils dangling around her wrists like spider webs. A long pink tentacle shot from her palms right at the startled couple. Before they could even think, it had wrapped itself around them several times. Gabrielle struggled to breath, the pink ... snake ... was squeezing the air out of her. Then she was hauled off her feet, Ares along with her, and shoved inside the black room. Then the door boomed shut with the sound of doom.