"Get your hands off me or you'll be sorry." Xena snarled as she shoved Strife away from her. The Warrior Princess then turned to the man behind the desk. "I'm looking for my friend, Gabrielle. Is she here? She's blonde, wearing a green Amazon outfit and carries a staff."
Strife laughed, clinging to the desk so he didn't fall. "I just love it when you play hard to get."
"I'm not playing hard to get, now scram." Xena frowned. She should have shoved him harder. Strife was even harder to get rid of than Ares had been. At least the God of War knew when he wasn't wanted, but the lesser God just didn't seem to get it. "Look, Strife, I don't have time to play these games with you. My friend's in danger and I got to find her. So unless you want to end up pulling your teeth out of your throat, I suggest leaving."
"Oooo, I love it when you talk like that. So warrior-like." Strife rubbed his hands together, excitement in his dark eyes. "Soon you'll be crushing bones and throwing that chakrom around. The blood, the mayhem, the chaos! Hmmmm!"
Xena pounded her fist on the desk, making the man behind it jump. "Well, is she here? The blonde! I don't have all night."
"Y... yes. Room 210." He stuttered, his eyes wide. Blinking, he snapped out of his shock. Hefting the bag of gold coins, he shoved it behind the counter and handed Strife the key to a room. "Enjoy your stay, Sir."
Xena didn't bother with a reply but rushed up the stairs. Her boots thumped loudly on each riser but she didn't care. She had to reach Gabrielle before Discord struck. Xena just preyed that the jealous Goddess hadn't already. The image of Gabrielle laying dead in bed, one limp arm dangling over the edge flashed through Xena's mind. Reaching the landing, Xena pushed the unpleasant thought away. She had to believe her friend was alive; there was no time for doubt. Quickly seeing how the room numbers went, Xena ran down the right side hall. She skidded to a halt in front of Room 210 and started pounding on the door. "Gabrielle! Gabrielle, it's me!"
Strife appeared next to her in the hall. "We got Room 208."
"I'm not sharing any room with you, so get that through your thick skull." Xena paused a moment, waiting for Gabrielle to open the door. She pressed her ear against the door, listening for the slightest sounds. Nothing. "It's too quite. I don't like this."
Taking a few steps back, Xena kicked the door. Wood splinters flew up into the air and the door slammed inward with a bang. Ignoring Strife, Xena hurried into the room. She noted the rumpled sheets on the bed and the open balcony doors. "Gabrielle!"
Silence.
Xena quickly searched the entire room, finding only her friend's Amazon staff. She knew Gabrielle wouldn't go off and leave her staff behind; it was one of her most prized possessions next to her scrolls. Yet there wasn't any real sign of a struggle, either. But that necessarily didn't mean anything. Had Gabrielle gone off to eat a late supper or had Discord kidnapped her? The Warrior Princess knew she had to make a decision and soon. She could either wait here for Gabrielle to return or go out searching again. What was the best course of action? She spun around, expecting to see Strife standing there gawking at her, yet he was nowhere to be seen. "I can ask the desk man if Gabrielle went out. He should know."
Pleased with the idea, Xena left the room and headed down the hall. She was passing one of the rooms when a thin arm shot out and gripped her by the hair. Before she could shout, she was hauled into Room 208 and the door slammed shut.
****
Discord appeared in mid air high above the ocean's surface, the large sack in her arms. She was far enough away that she couldn't see Ares' yacht, but that meant he couldn't sense her presence either. Besides, she didn't need to see his ship to know where it was. Discord hated what the bard was doing to her brother. "Trust me Ares, you will be much better off without her. She is just making you weak, like Hera."
Holding the sack against her abdomen with one hand, she loosened the string holding it shut. The fierce wind locked inside did the rest. It tore the mouth of the cloth sack open as it howled out. Discord was sent flying backwards with the force of a cannon. Her shriek was lost amid the wind's howl as she clung to the sack, loosing altitude with every passing second. The distant ground of an island rushed up at her and soon she found herself crashing through the treetops. Branches snapped and broke under her assault until she finally plopped ungracefully to the solid ground and landed with a thump.
The Goddess lay on her back for a moment, resting. She noticed several pairs of bare feet nearby and a spear tip poked at her ribs. Climbing to her feet, she stared at the island natives, frowning. They were a sorry bunch still wearing feathers, bones and ragged bits of animal hides. "What are you staring at?"
More spears were shoved at her, the natives grunting.
Discord's eyes flashed red and two beams of red energy shot out, frying one of the natives to a pile of black ashes. The others dropped their spears in horror and ran screaming into the jungle. Discord threw back her head and laughed. Then she vanished in a twinkle of lights for Mount Olympus. She didn't want to miss any of the fun.
*****
Gabrielle listened as Ares sang to her, her back still to the bow of the ship. She pulled her long tresses over one shoulder so it wouldn't blow in her eyes, as she found herself hypnotized by Ares. She found it hard to believe he was singing to her, yet there he was. She never had anyone sing to her like this before and it thrilled her. He had the most beautiful voice. The icy cold spray on her cheek finally forced her to tear her eyes off him.
Turning, she was startled to see the calm night of starry sky had vanished. Now angry clouds hovered overhead, making everything as black as night. The fierce wind whipped around her, tugging at her. Although she couldn't see the water, she could hear it crashing against the side of the boat. Clinging to the railing with both hands, she shouted at Ares. "A storm is coming!"
"Get below." He ordered as he pointed to the door. The War God stood on the heaving deck staring up at the clouds overhead. He could feel the magic in the air, hear the howl of the North Wind. This was no ordinary storm but something released by the Gods. Xena wasn't the only one interfering in his date; now a certain Goddess had stepped up to the plate. "Discord! When I get back to Olympus I'm going to ..."
Ares' words were cut short when the yacht dropped into a cleft between waves, knocking him off his feet. He flew backward several feet and landed on the wet deck with a thud. The breath was knocked from him momentarily and he gasped for air. Sitting up, he shook his head to clear it. A wave crashed over him, soaking him instantly. The deck shot upward at an angle and he felt himself start to slide across the slick surface. The lights he had strung on the ship swung crazily about, casting dozens of dancing shadows everywhere. Then the string the lights hung from snapped, littering the deck with sharp bits of broken glass.
"Ares!" Gabrielle shouted.
His back slammed into the metal railing about amidships, stopping his slide. Lifting his head, he saw she was still at the bow of the ship with her arms wrapped tightly around the railing. Her hair was plastered to her head and even in the darkness he could hear her teeth chattering. He had to get her off the ship, before something happened to her. Discord was trying to kill Gabrielle, which was clear. And with the boat tossing so wildly, he didn't dare try to teleport to her side. If he did, he would probably end up in the ocean, as the boat would no longer be in the same spot. No, he would have to reach her side the mortal way. "Stay there, Gabrielle. I'm coming!"
Gabrielle shivered as another icy wave drenched her with salt water. She sat on the deck, both arms clinging to the railing for her life. Her fingers were rapidly growing numb and her eyes burned from the salt in them. Worse, the rapid rising and falling of the ship was doing a major job on her stomach. She felt the bile begin to rise in her throat and she pressed one hand to her throat, swallowing rapidly.
Why do I always get seasick? I should have known better than to come onto this boat!
The yacht pitched and rolled, tilting almost sideways as steep waves pummeled it from all sides. Gabrielle was thrown free of the railing, hitting the deck face down. She clawed at the smooth surface for purchase, but there was nothing to grip. Then the deck dropped again and she slid across it. A sharp crack filled the air as the mast snapped in half and came crashing down, just missing her. She was so dizzy in the head and nauseated she didn't know where the cabin was anymore. A dark shadow loomed before her and she wondered if it might be the cabin.
"Gabrielle!" Ares shouted as he raced across the wildly pitching deck, somehow managing to stay on his feet. His immortal heart had almost leaped up into his throat when the mast came down. He thought for sure it was going to crush her, but she had just barely slid underneath it, clearing it by mere inches. Then he saw the damage the mast had done and a polar chill traveled down his back. An entire section of railing had been cleanly knocked off the boat and Gabrielle was sliding right for it. She would be swept right into the ocean if he didn't catch her first.
Ares leaped just as Gabrielle started to slide over the edge of the boat. If only he could grab her they could teleport out of this mess! A wave slammed into him, blinding him momentarily and knocking him off course. He grabbed at where she had been but found only the wet deck. Another wave of ice water crashed over him, pulling him off the ship into the sea.