Back on Olympus, Ares sat in his chamber following the events taking place in Amphipolis. Cortese was once under Ares' protection, but he had dishonored his patron god by sacrificing to Athena before the start of an important battle. Now Ares' interest was Xena.
He'd had his eyes on Xena for a while now. She was the daughter Atrius, a splendid warrior. Atrius had been utterly devoted to the god of war, even making daily sacrifices. He'd also been in Ares' elite army since he was 17 years old. Only a serious injury to his leg had stopped him, and he'd eventually fallen in love while traveling through Amphipolis. Her name was Cyrene, and together they had had three children. Ares had high expectations for the children, but the two boys had been disappointments to him. Xena's older Toris could fight, but his heart was never really in it fully. And her younger brother Lyceus was quite good with a sword, but only when it concerned the greater good. No, neither one would be worth Ares' time. But then there was Xena. What a fiery spirit she had!
Xena was the second child of Atrius and Cyrene. From early on she had the rough and tumble spirit that her brothers lacked. She learned at an early age what weapons were, as Atrius would recount stories of battles to other men in the village. The young Xena would often toddle unnoticed into the room. But Atrius was ever the loving father to his daughter. Many long, happy days were spent as he doted over his children. Granted, he spent most of his time with Toris, trying to teach the boy how to use a weapon, as he was four years older than Xena. But Xena still had her father wrapped around her little finger. As Xena grew, she learned to stand in an open field while Atrius galloped towards her on his horse. At the last possible second, he would gather her in his arms in a safe embrace. Meanwhile, Cyrene had given birth to Lyceus, who was two years younger then Xena.
But then came the day that Atrius had tried to kill Xena. He'd been drinking with a few of his close friends and then had gone to make his daily sacrifice to Ares. Somehow, he had gotten it into his head that Ares wanted Xena to be sacrificed to him in the literal sense. What Ares had actually meant was that Xena would one day be his warrior. But Atrius had misunderstood in his drunken state and had rushed home to kill his 7-year-old daughter. Ares, with ever a watchful eye on Xena, had hated to lose his prized warrior Atrius, but he had big plans for Xena, even at that early age. So he put the fire into Cyrene to stop her husband, killing him to protect Xena.
And so the years passed. What Xena lacked in not having a father around, she gained with her brothers, especially Lyceus. Xena and Lyceus were an inseparable pair. They found in each other all the companionship they needed. As a result, Xena grew into a tomboy of some right. She rarely played with the other little girls in town. Normal play just didn't sit right with Xena. She preferred to practice swordplay with Lyceus. Every day, she and Lyceus would run through a series of exercises with their swords, starting with makeshift wooden ones until they were skilled enough to handle the real things.
In games too, Xena had proven herself to be quite military minded. As she roamed the hills outside town or even the crowded streets of the marketplace while playing flag capturing games, she would concoct and execute brilliant strategies for capturing the other team's flag. Needless to say, her team rarely, if ever, lost. In short, Ares could tell that she was perfect for his ultimate warrior – the warrior that would capture the entire known world. She'd need his help of course, as she was still a little rough around the edges, but this battle with Cortese would be the perfect opportunity to make sure that she was the one Ares wanted.