Chapter Fifteen:
"Velasca, the God of Chaos! Callisto! By order of the mighty Zeus, King of the Gods, and Artemis, the Great Huntress, you are to come back with me to Mount Olympus for trial. You are both guilty of crimes against the Pantheon," Tia, the Tracker for the Gods, announced.
"I remember you," Velasca said, stepping away from the girl lying at her feet. "You're the one who imprisoned me! For that, you shall pay dearly."
"I'd like to see you try," Tia spat, ignoring the warning Artemis had given her. "You are a disgrace to our Nation and I'm here to put you back where you belong."
"Our Nation? How dare you refer to yourself as one of us! You were not born of my people! You are just some foreigner my ignorant ancestors named queen!" Velasca shot back. "If anyone is a disgrace, it is you. Artemis was a fool to grant you godhood."
"I have waited a long time for this moment," Tia said, drawing her sword.
"So have I," Velasca agreed, readying her own weapon. "Except this time, you don't have Xena to help you."
"Help me?" Tia laughed harshly. "If it weren't for Xena, I would have killed you. Be grateful she was there all those centuries ago."
The two former Amazons began circling each other, prepared to strike at any moment.
Nefer-Tina tore her eyes away from the woman who had dominated her nightmares and pushed aside all emotions stirred up by her unexpected appearance. She had a duty to perform. She ran over to where Kait was struggling to get up. "Here, give me your hand."
Kait gratefully accepted. "Thanks." She tried to appear as nonchalant as possible, as if to hide her grief over Matt. "I guess that was pretty stupid of me, huh?"
"Very," Nefer-Tina agreed. "You were almost killed! Then how would you ever tell Matt that you love him?"
Kait looked at the armored woman in shock. "What did you say? How did you-?"
Nefer-Tina lifted the faceplate of her helmet.
"Tina?" Kait breathed. "But...why...how...?"
"I'll explain everything later," she promised. "My real name is Nefer-Tina. All I ask is that you trust me."
"He's still alive," Rath determined after examining Matt, "but barely. We need to get him back to the Sphinx as soon as possible."
"Agreed," Ja-Kal nodded. "You and Armon take him and the young prince in the Hot-Ra."
"Take Kait with you," Nefer-Tina added as she arrived with her friend.
"But," Kait started to protest.
"Go with them. Stay with Matt," Nefer-Tina told her gently yet sternly. "He'll need you when he wakes up."
Kait's face lit up. "You mean-?"
"He is going to be fine," Ja-Kal said. "Nefer-Tina is right. You need to get to safety."
"We'll bring Aunt Miranda back with us. I promise," Nefer-Tina said.
Kait nodded and smiled weakly at Nefer-Tina. "I know. I do trust you...Nefer-Tina." She followed after the others.
"Well, it seems that Velasca's new friend wants to play with me too," Callisto told Miranda. "I very well can't go and disappoint her, now can I? That would be rude!"
She flashed another brilliant smile at her captive audience. "We shall continue our little talk later. I'm so enjoying this family reunion! Until later, my sweet!" She blew her a kiss and ran off giggling.
For a moment, Miranda stood there, not exactly sure what had just happened. It was all too much to take in at one time. She finally pulled herself together and ran for the woods. Two of the armored warriors, one of them a woman, were waiting for her.
"Dr. Larson, you must come with us," the male one said. "Your two friends are safe."
"Who are you? And why are those two goddesses after Presley?" Miranda wanted to know.
"We'll explain everything once we get you to safety," the woman told her.
Miranda looked at the woman's exposed face for a moment. "Do I know you? You look familiar."
"We met at the museum the other night," she verified. "I was with Kait and Matt." She turned to her companion. "Now let's move our tuts and get out of here before anyone notices."
Tia watched them leave out of the corner of her eye. Neither Velasca or Callisto had noticed their prey getting away. She had not had time to take a look at any of them, but there had been something familiar about all of them, especially the armored ones.
She turned her attention back to her quarry. Her personal battle with Velasca had been cut short by the untimely interruption of Callisto, possibly the most irritating woman she had ever met. "Why are you here? Who helped you escape?" she demanded to know.
Callisto giggled, "Now, now, if we tell you, you'll just spoil all our fun!"
Velasca smiled evilly. "Let's not be rude to our guest, Callisto. After all, there's nothing she can do to stop us."
"I already have," Tia smirked. "They've all left. It's just the three of us now."
"What?!" Callisto shrieked. She looked around wildly, not finding anyone. She screamed in frustration. Miranda was gone as well.
Velasca's smile didn't waver. "Then, there's no need for us to stay any longer. Callisto! It's time for us to go!"
"So soon?" Callisto pouted unhappily. "And we were just starting to get acquainted too!"
"Callisto! Now!" Velasca ordered, not caring that Callisto had earlier claimed that no one was allowed to order her around. She turned to Tia. "Until next time, Tracker."
"I'll be waiting," Tia promised.
The two evil goddess teleported away, leaving Tia alone in the clearing.
Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina, both unarmored, led Miranda into the Sphinx. Miranda was amazed by everything she saw.
"This is unbelievable," she was saying. "I was told this building was the remains of a failed exhibit."
"It is, sort of," Presley confirmed as he came to greet them. "This bad guy named Scarab set it up as a trap to get me."
"Trap? Why?" Miranda asked him.
"It is a long story," Ja-Kal told her. "I suggest you sit down before you hear it."
"I didn't believe it when I first heard it," Presley added, "and it's about me!"
"Look, after everything that already happened today, I don't think there's anything else you can tell me that would surprise me," Miranda said. "But, sitting down doesn't sound too bad right now. I'm exhausted."
"Follow us," Nefer-Tina said and gestured with her hand.
They led her into a large living area, complete with a kitchen and a television set. Along one wall were four sarcophagi, each bearing a design that matched the armor of its occupant. Sitting on the large stone couch in front of the tv, with a black bandaged cat in her lap, was Kait. She was crying.
"Oh, Kait sweetie!" Miranda exclaimed, rushing to her "niece's" side. She pulled the girl into her arms and began to gently rock her. "What's the matter?"
"It's all my fault!" she sobbed uncontrollably. "Matt almost died because of me!"
"Wherever did you get such an idea?" Miranda wanted to know. She continued rocking her and began to smooth out her hair. "How is it your fault?"
"If I hadn't gone running off, he wouldn't have followed me! He would never have even been there!" she burst out. She cried even harder.
Miranda began making soft calming noises as she kept rocking her. Kahti was purring loudly as her own offering of comfort. Nefer-Tina came over and sat on the other side of Kait. She gently laid her hand on Kait's leg. She exchanged a concerned look with Ja-Kal.
Presley uncomfortably scuffed his feet. "She's been like this ever since we got here. I'm sorry I didn't say anything before."
"It's all right, Presley," Miranda gently told him. "You didn't want to upset me."
Presley went over to stand in front of Kait and Miranda. "If it makes you feel any better, it's my fault more than anybody's. Those crazy ladies would never have been after me if Scarab hadn't sent 'em." He turned to look at Ja-Kal. "I guess he finally found his way back after all."
"We always knew it was only a matter of time before he did," Ja-Kal agreed.
"I think it's time you told us everything," Miranda said.
Ja-Kal nodded and began to explain their history to her...
"So, you haven't seen or heard from him in six months?" Miranda asked.
"No, not until now," Ja-Kal told her. "However, we first suspected his return when the Xena Scrolls were stolen from the museum."
"Which would explain the presence of Velasca and Callisto," Kait quietly concluded. She had stopped crying while listening to the story and was stroking Kahti.
"Scarab must have read about them and decided to summon them as part of his latest scheme," Miranda added.
"I don't get it," Presley said. "Why would Scarab use Greek gods instead of Egyptian ones?"
"And why those two? From what I've read and now experienced for myself, they are both extremely uncontrollable and violent. Although I've never met this Scarab, I would assume he, like most power-hungry individuals, would want servants who are completely loyal and unambitious," Miranda put in.
"Perhaps his time away has changed him," Ja-Kal suggested.
"You mean made him even crazier?" Presley asked. "I didn't think that was even possible!"
"Well, Callisto is definitely the most volatile of the two," Miranda continued, "but
Velasca is the one to watch out for. She is the deadlier of the pair."
"I agree," answered a new voice. The group all turned to see Tia materialize in the room. "Velasca and I have met before and if it were not for Xena's assistance, I would have lost."
"Who are you?" Miranda asked.
"I am Tia, the Tracker for the Gods of Olympus. I was sent by Zeus and Artemis to capture the renegades and bring them back for punishment," Tia introduced herself. "Both are very dangerous criminals. Velasca was freed from her eternal prison on Mount Olympus while Callisto is displaced in time. It's my job to see that they are put back where they belong."
"As I said before, Velasca and I have already fought," she continued. "I'm the one who put her in her prison centuries ago."
"Just like the Xena Scrolls said," Kait murmured in wonder. "What about Callisto?" she asked in her normal voice.
"No, we have never met before today." Tia looked around the room. "Hello, Ja-Kal," she coolly greeted her former husband. Her gaze then found Nefer-Tina. "Greetings to you as well, little whore. It's been a long time." Nefer-Tina said nothing, her body stiff. Tia smiled in satisfaction.
Ja-Kal stared at Tia in disbelief. He could not believe what he had just heard her say. In all the years he had known her, Tia had never spoken to anyone in such a manner. She had always been kind and gentle. What had happened to the woman he had fallen in love with and married?
And, why Nefer-Tina? He looked at his second-in-command. Her expression was neutral, but he could tell she was upset. Because of what Tia had said or what had happened to her friends, he could not tell. When had Tia met Nefer-Tina? And, even if they had met, wouldn't it have been when she was disguised as Nefer?
Before he could say anything, Rath, Armon, and a very disoriented Matt entered the room.
"Matt!" Kait happily cried, jumping up from her seat. She ran over and embraced her best friend.
"Ow! Go easy with the vise-grip," Matt complained teasingly. "I don't know what exactly happened, but I feel like shit."
"You almost died, you jerk!" Kait retorted. "Don't ever do it again!"
"Man, I hope I won't! But hanging out with you all these years is starting to rub off on me. I may get to be as bad as you someday!" he cheerfully told her.
Kait rolled her eyes, hugged him again, and led him to the couch.
Miranda stood up and hugged him as well. "Thank God you're all right! You had us worried for a while."
"While this is all very touching," Tia interrupted, "we need to get down to business."
"Hey, that's not very nice," Armon told her. When she turned around to look at him, he gasped in surprise. "Tia! You're alive!" He started to go to hug her, but the look she gave him made him back away. He had always been fond of Ja-Kal's wife since she had been sweet to him every time they met. He was confused by her behavior.
Kait spoke up, "It may just be me, but I'm starting to get really confused here. You guys know each other?"
"We are contemporaries," Tia said. "Let us leave it at that." She looked at Kait closely. "Your resemblance to Xena is uncanny," she noted, changing the subject.
"That's what Velasca said. She even thought I was Xena for a minute," Kait told her. "Xena was my ancestor. It's the same with my grandmother. I'm identical to her."
"Hmm, did Callisto see you?" Tia wanted to know.
"No, I don't think so. She was too busy trying to convince me to join with her," Miranda answered.
"Good, we may be able to use that to our advantage," Tia said thoughtfully.
"What about me?" Matt wanted to know. "Gabrielle's my ancestor. Do I look anything like her?"
"I would hope not!" Kait grinned, eliciting a look from Matt. Tia glared at her in annoyance. Her smile faded.
"There is a strong resemblance. Maybe we can use it as well. Velasca was quite interested in Gabrielle for a while," Tia said.
"We can't risk the lives of innocent people," Ja-Kal finally spoke up. He and Tia stared at each other for a moment. He needed to speak with her in private.
"Ja-Kal is right," Rath agreed. "Resemblance or not, we cannot allow any harm to come to these people."
"No, we want to help," Miranda defended herself. "We're too involved now to stay away. Besides, their fight is more with our families than anything else."
"Yeah, we want to help kick their asses," Kait said in support. "Right, Matt?" Matt nodded his agreement.
"Too bad Xena and Gabrielle aren't here," Presley said. "They would know exactly how to stop these whacked-out goddesses."
"The boy has a point," Tia suddenly said. She smiled strangely to herself. "I will return shortly." She teleported herself away in a flash of light, leaving a room of very confused people in her wake.
Chapter Sixteen:
Gabrielle stood completely still, her sais held at the ready. Her breathing was slow and steady. She was deep in concentration. Suddenly, without warning, she attacked.
The practice target fell over. She smiled in satisfaction.
"You're getting better," Xena told her best friend as she entered the campsite. Joxer was trailing after her.
"Thanks," Gabrielle said. She looked at both Xena and Joxer. Joxer was dripping wet and Xena was empty-handed. "Hey, what happened? Where's lunch?"
"You've got Joxer here to thank," Xena explained. "He tripped and fell into the creek. He single-handedly scared all the fish away."
"I said I was sorry!" Joxer put it. "It's not like I did it on purpose!"
"Joxer, you never do anything on purpose," Gabrielle told him. "I guess it's bread and cheese again."
"I could make some radish stew," Joxer offered helpfully.
"No!!!"
Joxer put up his hands defensively. "Okay, okay, I think I got the hint. No stew. Jeez!"
"I suggest you save it for your enemies," Xena grinned wickedly.
"Hey, I heard that!" Joxer said indignantly.
"You were supposed to," Gabrielle dryly told him.
Behind them, Argo and Gabrielle's unnamed stallion began to whinny and prance nervously.
Xena walked over to her mare. "Whoa, Argo! Easy, girl. What's the matter?" She grabbed her bridle and stroked her neck gently.
Gabrielle came over to comfort her own horse. "What's bothering them?"
"I don't know," Xena murmured, "but I have a feeling that we're about to find out."
In a flash of light, Tia appeared before them. "You seem to be losing your touch. Last time we met I could never sneak up on you like that." She indicated Xena's protruding belly. "Motherhood appears to be working wonders for you."
Xena folded her arms. "Or, I just don't consider you important enough anymore to recognize you when you drop by."
Tia gave a small laugh. "It looks like I might have misjudged you."
"It happens," Xena agreed. "What do you want?"
"I'm here to collect my debt from you," she told her. Tia motioned to Gabrielle. "If you remember, I saved her life." She gave the warrior-bard the once-over. "New look, I see. Very Amazon-like. Gave up the pathetic 'Way of Peace' already?"
"Things happened," Gabrielle told her cautiously.
"You never did trust me very much, did you?" Tia smiled tightly.
"No," Gabrielle agreed.
"Neither did I," Xena broke in. "I suggest you get to the point."
Joxer looked at the three women in confusion. "Huh? When did this happen? Who are you?"
Xena went over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Joxer, meet Tia, the Tracker for the Gods." Tia inclined her head slightly. "We met shortly before our little 'adventure' in Rome."
"Soo, you guys are...friends?" he asked cautiously.
"No, I wouldn't say that," Xena answered.
Tia smiled. "Xena and I never saw completely eye-to-eye. Did we?"
"No, we didn't," Xena said flatly.
"You said you're here to collect a debt," Gabrielle interjected. "What do you want us to do?"
Tia turned to Gabrielle again. "I'd forgotten how forward you can be."
"It gets things done," Gabrielle responded.
"Very well," Tia conceded. "Your old friends Callisto and Velasca are free."
"Callisto?! That's impossible," Xena told her. "She's in Paradise with her family. She has no memory of her past."
"Velasca?!" Gabrielle asked, remembering exactly why they owed Tia a debt. "I thought she was imprisoned on Olympus."
"To answer both your questions, Velasca was freed many centuries in the future by a man whose capacity for evil surpasses her own. Velasca then took Callisto from the past before you met up with her in Rome," Tia explained. "The Callisto of your time is still where she belongs, but she may not remain there. Her absence in the past may have serious consequences on the future."
"So, you want us to help you?" Xena asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes," Tia said. "As hard as I find it to admit, I cannot defeat them alone. Besides, you owe me."
"Yeah, I do. But, we both know there was no way I'd turn this down," Xena replied.
"I was counting on it," Tia told her.
"We have to go to the future?" Gabrielle wanted to know. "Just the three of us against them?"
"No, we have allies in the future," Tia informed her. She paused. "Including your descendants."
"Our...descendants?" Gabrielle asked incredulously.
"When do we leave?" Joxer asked.
"You're staying here," Xena told him firmly.
"But-" he started to protest.
"You have to take our place while we're gone," Xena instructed him. "The innocent are counting on you to protect them."
"Joxer the Mighty at your service!" he readily agreed. "No bad deeds will go unpunished, uh, or something like that!"
"He is such an idiot," Tia muttered under her breath.
Gabrielle heard her. "You're telling me?" Then, a little louder so Joxer could hear her, added, "And, don't forget to take care of our horses."
"You betcha," Joxer told her.
Xena turned to Tia. "All right, we're ready. Let's go."
Tia nodded and the three of them vanished instantaneously.
"Good luck," Joxer wished to the empty space they had just occupied.
Callisto and Velasca materialized back in the Pyramid. Callisto happily skipped around, singing wildly to herself. Velasca looked at her disgustedly. She was furious at what had just happened in the park.
"I almost had her!" Velasca raged. "I almost defeated that pathetic fake once and for all! Then, you just had to join in, didn't you?"
Callisto stopped her mad antics and whirled to face her. "So, it's all my fault, is it? Well, if that's what you believe..."
"If you had just left when I told you!" Velasca interrupted.
"And, missed all the fun? What would have been the point?" Callisto answered back. She smiled even wider. "Besides, I would have never met dear, sweet Miranda."
"Who cares about her?! What does she have to do with anything?!" Velasca demanded to know. "The only reason you're here is to help distract the guardians while I get the boy. We don't have time for you to go off and chase after someone who might be your descendant."
"She's my family!" Callisto yelled. "I know it and she knows it. That's all that matters to me now. I could care less about you and your little plan to take over the world. All I want is to have a family again. That, and making Xena's family pay."
"Oh, yes, Xena. Everything with you has to be about Xena," Velasca said. "What happened, happened. Get over it."
"Why should I? What about your little hang-up on the irritating blonde, hmm? That was all that you cared about when we first met," Callisto shot back.
"Gabrielle no longer concerns me. She showed me that our tribe was not worthy of bearing the name 'Amazon' any longer. I am the only true Amazon left," Velasca informed her.
"That's nice," Callisto grinned. "But, as I was saying, Xena made me who I am today. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be having this conversation, now would we? I wouldn't be here and Tia would have, well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty. You should thank Xena for creating me."
"You think I needed you back there?" Velasca laughed. "Don't be stupid. I was doing just fine without you." For a moment, she toyed with the idea of mentioning Xena's annoying descendant, but thought better of it. She could tell Callisto was incensed enough as it was.
"Really? Why don't you show me how 'fine' you were?" Callisto goaded her, drawing her sword. "Demonstrate what you were going to do to her."
"It'll be my pleasure," Velasca responded as she brandished her own weapon.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," Callisto giggled. Then, she attacked.
Velasca easily deflected Callisto's initial assault. She went on the offensive, eager to wipe the smile off of her face. They continued to fight, giving free reign to their mutual hatred of each other. Their violent skirmish attracted Scarab's attention.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Scarab hollered angrily.
The two goddesses stopped what they were doing immediately.
Velasca sheathed her sword and walked over to him. "Nothing to concern yourself with. Callisto and I were just having a little disagreement." Her anger seemed to be gone, her voice oozing charm as she glanced over her shoulder at Callisto.
Callisto hissed at her, but otherwise remained silent. She did not put her sword away.
"What of the boy? Did you find him?" Scarab demanded of Velasca.
"Oh, we found him, all right. I almost had him, but an old enemy of mine interfered," Velasca told him.
"Uh, aren't you leaving out a few important details?" Callisto broke in. "Like the one where I had the boy?"
Velasca crossed her arms but did not turn to face her. "Yes, but then I'd have to tell him how you let him out of your sight and then became distracted with your relative."
"What about you? You couldn't even take one mummy," Callisto pointed out.
Velasca sighed exasperatedly. "I'm really growing tired of this. I happened to be taking my time and enjoying the fight. But, that's something you could never understand. If you had been paying any attention at all, I was about to destroy her when those two blasted mortals began meddling with things. Then, the Olympian bitch showed up."
"Quiet, both of you!" Scarab finally broke them up. He turned back to Velasca. "Let me get this straight. You had the boy and the guardians showed up. Not only did you let them escape, but a few puny humans and another goddess stopped you as well?" His voice remained steady, but both goddesses could tell he was ready to explode.
Callisto smirked to herself. "Ooh, it looks like someone has some explaining to do." She giggled madly.
Velasca ignored her and proceeded to wrap her arms around Scarab's waist in an attempt to calm him. She smiled seductively at him. "I will tell you everything, but first you need to relax. Once you hear the entire story, you'll understand why I had to come back empty-handed for now."
"All right," he agreed, the anger draining out of him. It was replaced with something decidedly more carnal. "We'll do it your way."
"I knew you would," she purred, her voice laced with the promise of more than conversation.
"Oh, please!" Callisto groaned. "You two lovebirds make me sick. I'm going someplace where there's peace and quiet." She vanished in a burst of flame.
Velasca and Scarab shared an amused evil laugh and then they kissed.
Heka watched them from a corner in the back of the room. She had followed Scarab when he angrily went to find out what all that racket had been about. She had hoped to see him take out his rage on someone else for once. No such luck.
She had known Velasca was bad news ever since she had read about her in the Scrolls. Now, it was even worse than she feared. Scarab had been reduced to little more than a sex slave! Every time Velasca approached him, he stopped thinking with his head. Well, the one sitting on his neck, that is.
Heka had tried to tell him what was happening, but the sorcerer brushed her off. He claimed he knew exactly what he was doing and was aware of any double-crossing on Velasca's part. Heka, of course, had replied with a smart-alec remark that had earned her a very painful tail. Although there was nothing unusual about that scenario, she knew otherwise. Velasca was just using him.
Callisto, on the other hand, was very entertaining. Being a witness to such insanity had its rewards!
Back to the Velasca issue, the God of Chaos was way too dangerous in Heka's opinion. She had to go!
Chapter Seventeen:
For a moment, Ja-Kal could do nothing more than stare at the space Tia had just occupied. As quickly as she had arrived in the Sphinx, she had vanished with no explanation. After being absent for over 3500 years, his wife had returned. He knew he should have been happy to see her. Yet, he wasn't.
The Tia he remembered had been sweet and loving, never uttering a cruel word to anyone. This woman, no, goddess, was a stranger to him. When she had spoken to Nefer-Tina so viciously, his first instinct had been to protect Nefer-Tina. No one ever had the right to say such things. But, as much as he didn't want to believe it, it was Tia, the woman he thought he still loved.
When had she changed into the person he had met today? Granted, she had spent the last 3500 years living as a goddess while he "slept" in death. Or, had she always been this way, hiding her true nature from him?
Ja-Kal and Tia had been born and raised in the same hunting village. Both were from prominent families and had practically grown up together. They had not become romantically involved until their later teen years. In fact, he and his brother Arakh had been rivals for Tia's affections, as they were in everything. However, Arakh had strangely backed off a few days before she finally told Ja-Kal she loved him.
His thoughts drifted back to Nefer-Tina. As much as he loved Tia, he could not deny his feelings for her. "Whore" was what Tia had called her. He remembered how happy Tia had been at Nefer-Tina's banishment from Memphis. Although he had not been aware of the disgraced musician's identity until a few nights ago, could Tia have known who "Nefer" was all along? And, if she did, why had she never revealed it to him?
He looked over to where Nefer-Tina remained sitting on the couch. She had not moved since Tia's arrival. It was obvious that she was still upset. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her even as he told himself he could not. He decided to go talk to her anyway.
He made his way over to the couch and stood in front of her. "Nefer-Tina," he began. She looked up at him. But before he could say another word, Tia reappeared.
She was not alone.
Xena found herself and Gabrielle brought to a place she had not seen before.
Tia stood in front of them, a satisfied smirk on her lips. "Welcome to the future," she told them.
"Xena?" Gabrielle questioned.
Xena held out an arm to keep Gabrielle still. She didn't trust Tia completely and she kept her guard up. Her eyes swept her new environment. The first person she noticed was a girl who could have been her twin. Next to her was a boy whose features reminded her of Gabrielle. The descendants Tia mentioned, she mentally noted. And, next to him...
"Callisto?!" Xena said, startled by her presence. "Callisto" didn't say anything, a confused expression on her face. "I thought you said we were here to stop her," she questioned Tia, her eyes never leaving her nemesis.
"You are," said a male voice. "This is her descendant."
Xena turned to see a tall, powerfully-built man approach her. His look was rather unusual, his body completely wrapped in bandages and his skin a bluish-gray color, but she'd seen stranger things. Despite his odd appearance, he was quite handsome.
"I take it that you're in charge here?" she asked him, not sure if he could be trusted.
"I am," he nodded. "My name is Ja-Kal." He extended his hand.
She accepted it, her grip firm and strong. "Xena. Tia said you needed some help with a couple of old friends of mine."
"We'd be grateful for any assistance you can offer us," Ja-Kal told her.
"No problem," Xena smiled slightly, her guard relaxing. Her instincts told her this man was telling the truth and he appeared honorable. "It's not every day you get to time travel just to bash heads."
Gabrielle, a little unnerved by the stranger who resembled her husband's killer, approached Xena and Ja-Kal. "Hi, I'm Gabrielle."
"Hello, Gabrielle," Ja-Kal greeted her warmly. "Allow me to introduce you to my team." He motioned to the group of people in front of them.
Xena then noticed three others who looked similar to Ja-Kal, two men and a woman. The woman caught her attention. There was something about her... A hidden something that merited a closer exploration.
Ja-Kal pointed out each one in turn. The first was a tall, skinny man named Rath. He was smart, but his personality left much to be desired. His ego made some people she knew look modest.
Second, she met Armon, a friendly if somewhat slow-witted gentle giant. He had a good heart and strong fighting skills. He reminded her a little of Joxer.
The woman's name was Nefer-Tina. When Ja-Kal introduced her, Xena could immediately tell that there was something between them. It was so obvious that she was really surprised that no one else seemed to notice it. She could tell that they cared very deeply for one another.
Ja-Kal himself was a leader through and through. Her initial instincts about him remained intact and she could tell he was a good person. She knew they'd work well together.
Next, Xena and Gabrielle met Presley, the very reason that they were there in the first place. He was quite cute and very friendly. If being a constant target bothered him, he hid it remarkably well.
Finally, they became acquainted with Kait and Matt, their descendants, and Miranda, who they found out was actually descended from Callisto's younger sister, long believed killed in the destruction of Cirra.
"Sorry I scared you like that," Miranda apologized. "Tia should have warned you."
"Tia's never been one to concern herself with others," Xena told her bluntly. She looked over her shoulder at Tia, who was looking rather bored.
"I know, but still," Miranda protested. She turned to Gabrielle. "I especially want to apologize to you. I know how much you loved Perdicus." Gabrielle looked up at her, surprised.
"Aunt Miranda's made a career out of studying your scrolls," Kait explained to the confused bard.
"My scrolls?" Gabrielle was incredulous.
"We know everything about you two," Matt added in a conspiratorial tone. "Everything."
Xena shook her head. "Remind me to hide your quills when we get home," she told Gabrielle teasingly. She patted her stomach. Meeting Matt and Kait gave her hope for the future of the child she now carried.
Presley sat on the floor playing with Kahti while the grown-ups talked and began planning their strategy. As Kahti pounced one hand, he took a quick look at the watch around the wrist of his other. Aw, man, he thought, Mom is gonna freak if I don't get home like now.
He pushed the sacred cat away and stood up. Kahti, momentarily annoyed at the rejection, began to clean her paws. "Guys, I gotta go. It was great meeting everyone, but I'm late for dinner!" he announced.
"Sure thing, Pres," Kait waved. "We'll see you tomorrow. I wouldn't miss this for the world!" Matt rolled his eyes at her and Kait smacked his arm.
"Hey, Nef, can you give me a lift?" he asked Nefer-Tina.
Nefer-Tina stood up. "Yeah, sure. I need to get out for a while anyway."
"I'll bet you do," Tia sneered at her. "And we both know the reason why."
Nefer-Tina's expression remained cheery, but her body had gone stiff once again at the sound of Tia's voice. "Come on, Presley. We'll take the Hot-Ra."
Xena quietly observed Tia's verbal attack on Nefer-Tina. Judging by Nefer-Tina's reaction, there was definitely a history between them. A dark history. This was most likely what she had sensed earlier.
Xena decided that she'd have a little talk with Nefer-Tina in private.
Presley was worried. Nefer-Tina had hardly said a word the entire ride home. She was usually so bubbly and talkative, which was one of the reasons he loved to let her drive him, despite her recklessness.
And, speaking of that, she was actually driving safely. Something must really be wrong, he thought. Her driving's never this good!
He thought back to the mean things that Tia-lady had said to Nefer-Tina. He was confused, since Ja-Kal had always told him that his wife was really nice. She'd even picked on Armon! Ja-Kal had seemed shocked by her behavior too.
"You okay, Nef?" he asked, his concern evident in his voice.
Her eyes did not leave the road. "Your street's up ahead," was all she said.
"Nef," he countered the evasion. "You didn't answer my question. What's up? This isn't like you."
"I really don't want to talk about it," she softly told him. "Please?"
"Uh, okay," he answered. He didn't understand, but he'd respect her wishes.
They drove the rest of the way in silence. Nefer-Tina pulled up to the curve in front of the Carnovan house.
Presley sat for a moment before removing his harness and opening the passenger door. "You sure you're all right?"
Nefer-Tina smiled weakly at him. "Don't worry about me, my prince. I'll be fine. Now go inside and tell your mother that you're home safely."
"I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye," Presley said as he got out and closed the door.
"Goodbye," Nefer-Tina told him.
Presley watched the Hot-Ra drive away before turning to go inside. He dug into his backpack and found his key. He looked at his torn and bloody appearance and hoped Mom wouldn't ask too many questions. His keys jingled as he stuck them into the lock. Before he could begin to turn it, the door swung open of its own accord.
"Presley! Oh, my god, where have you been?!" Amanda cried as she dropped to her knees and hugged him fiercely.
"Mom, I'm okay," Presley protested, struggling free from her arms. He looked up at his mother and was surprised to see that she'd been crying. His mom never cried.
"When I heard about the park and then when Walter called looking for you..." she trailed off. "Oh, baby, I didn't know where you were! And, you never called to tell me if you were all right!"
Presley felt horrible. He hadn't seen Mom this upset since before the divorce and he'd been really little at the time. It was his fault for not keeping in touch. "I'm really sorry, Mom."
"I know, baby. I'm just glad that you're home," Amanda told him, hugging him again. She stood up and finally saw the state he was in. "What happened to you?!"
Presley began to weave a story full of half-truths to explain where he'd been and how he'd gotten hurt. Luckily she bought it and his secret was safe once again. But, how much longer could he really expect to keep her from learning the truth?
Nefer-Tina was driving with no particular destination in mind. Now that she was alone, she allowed the tears to fall. She knew she couldn't go back yet, not like this. Not with her still there.
Why did she have to come back? Why now? Now when she was starting to have so much difficulty keeping her secret from Ja-Kal. Nothing had changed, even after 3500 years. Tia hated her as much as before, maybe more.
And, now, there was nothing keeping Tia from revealing the truth to Ja-Kal. In this new time and world, when Nefer-Tina was no longer hiding her identity, Tia had nothing to blackmail her with. What would Ja-Kal do if Tia told him? How would he react?
She needed someplace to go and think, to sort things out. Most of all, she needed to be alone.
The perfect place came to mind and she turned the Hot-Ra towards her new destination.