Three days later, Cerberus and Daeonara walked into a temple, the Temple of the Great God Ares.
"Ares." She whispered shyly. She heard nothing but the chipper sibging of the birds outside.
"Ares!" She attempted to increase her volume, bud in that attempt her nervousness cracked her voice.
"Damn it Ares, Show yourself!!" She got pissed. She then turned a crimson red, realizing she'd yelled at a god.
"Ooh, I love it when you yell, so. . . rough." She heard a teasing, seductive voice. He circled her like a vulture,
staring her down like some inferior species. He wasn't smiling, but didn't seem entirely pissed. "What do you
want? Here to waste your favor allready?"
She looked down in shame, not believing she as here, talking to Ares, wanting to ask a question that now
sounded completely stupid in her mind. "Yes, I need something."
He stopped circling, crouched down slightly to be eye to eye with her, 6 inched from her face. "Well. . . . What?!"
She jumped surprisingly, so shy she was a deep blush and barely able to whisper. After all, she wsa in HIS
temple now, ha wasn't in hers. "Thanks to you, I have no place to go." she looked up, becoming slighty more
courageous, "Let me join you here, in your temple, even if it is only for a little while."
He laughd sarcastically. "Why would I, a heroic GOD, let YOU join me?!" Gods, was he full of himself. He
stood smugly, awaiting her response.
"One," she began to explain, "You owe me. Two, You like my style," she jokingly posed in her
look-at-me-i'm-so-cute pose, "Of fighting, of course, my style of fighting."
"Think about it, why do I owe you? I saved you from Xena, she would have killed you if she knew it wsa
you whohad stolen her stuff. Your lucky I took it back and took the blame."
She simply stared at him, not really saying anything. Then she began. "My dad beat me. He beat the living
hell out of me because I didn't steal anything for his lazy, drunken ass. I did, yea, but you took it back. Then
he thought this stupid pendant was stolen and I was hiding it from him. It's your fault he beat me."
"Well, let's not go blaming this all on me, It was your choice to leave, you could have stayed there." he pointed out.
She stared at him dumbfounded. "You really don't understand, do you?! You, such a precious immortal, you
don't know what its ike to fear, to feel pain, depression. Have you ever really felt the cold numbness after you
get your first good slap, 10 years old, by the only man you love, your stepfather? To know that if you ever get
really drunk iwth your only friends, your soldiers, that you would not doubt wake up pregnant? Do you know
what its like to be taken advantage of? To be cold, alone, miserable? Have you ever felt what its like to be beaten?"
She had broken down and started sobbing as she talked.
Now, Gods aren't normally caring souls. Especially Gods like Ares. He didn't feel sorry for weal mortals, wimpy
and meek. But if he wasn't caring, why did he feel his throat tighten at the thought of him causing this girl harm?
But he didn't show his sadness, for he had a stronger characteristic than sesnitivity. It was his pride. He tried
with all his might to overcome his pride, to simply hold this mortal girl and show her how some men aren't pigs,
how it feels to be loved. He pictured himself holding her, kissing her. . .No! He couldn't think this. "Well, I don't
know what its like, and thats not my fault. But since I'm not totally coldhearted, I'll think of some way you can stay here.
You may need to do some work, you know, but don't thi k of yourself as a servant. Just, well, you know. . ."
She knew he was lost for words. "I also brought you a gift, kind of as a bribe, in case you were to send me away.
I have some informationon Xena"
part 2
the betrayal
He was all too thrilled. She saw his gorgeaous eyes glitter with evil hope. "What a naughty thing to do, betraying someone
like Xena. Well, spill."
"She's on her way to defend a small little town west of the mountains. She caught wind that there's going to be a surprise
attack on them. She's going to help them out, the little town I mean. She's staying in Corinth for a few more days, then I
don't kow where after that. The attack is in 3 weeks."
Ares was fascinated. ":Well, a battle by one of my armies that I knew nothing about. I'm pleased. Now I can see them
work on their own terms. See how they really fight."
She felt relieved. Her still tear-stained face brightened as she questioned, "So I'm in? I can stay?"
"He looked at her pleasingly. The wheat blonde hair, bright, deep eyes, wonderful body of a soldier, strong, muscular,
not a scrawny delicate little flower. How he longed to wrap her up in his arms, and kiss her. . . WHOA! Snap out of it.
"If you get one more piece of information for me. How many men are defending the,? So my men can be prepared."
She smiled, completely content. "No problem, handsome!" she walked out of the temple, grabbing a decorative sword
from Ares' temple wall, just in case.
Ares glanced over at the emmense mutt napping jovially on his floor by the fire. "Well looks like we're roomates now."
The completely dumb, happy, dopey dog yawned and returned to his nap.
"Oh by the Gods, " Ares thought to the dog. He spoke outloud to the hound, "You really are a disgrace to your name.
My brother Hades, his Cerberus would chew you up and blow you into a bubble, while Hades himself laughed in your face."
The napping dog thought nothing of this, just continued to chase his imaginary bunnies in his dream.
"Ares." She whispered shyly. She heard nothing but the chipper sibging of the birds outside.
"Ares!" She attempted to increase her volume, bud in that attempt her nervousness cracked her voice.
"Damn it Ares, Show yourself!!" She got pissed. She then turned a crimson red, realizing she'd yelled at a god.
"Ooh, I love it when you yell, so. . . rough." She heard a teasing, seductive voice. He circled her like a vulture,
staring her down like some inferior species. He wasn't smiling, but didn't seem entirely pissed. "What do you
want? Here to waste your favor allready?"
She looked down in shame, not believing she as here, talking to Ares, wanting to ask a question that now
sounded completely stupid in her mind. "Yes, I need something."
He stopped circling, crouched down slightly to be eye to eye with her, 6 inched from her face. "Well. . . . What?!"
She jumped surprisingly, so shy she was a deep blush and barely able to whisper. After all, she wsa in HIS
temple now, ha wasn't in hers. "Thanks to you, I have no place to go." she looked up, becoming slighty more
courageous, "Let me join you here, in your temple, even if it is only for a little while."
He laughd sarcastically. "Why would I, a heroic GOD, let YOU join me?!" Gods, was he full of himself. He
stood smugly, awaiting her response.
"One," she began to explain, "You owe me. Two, You like my style," she jokingly posed in her
look-at-me-i'm-so-cute pose, "Of fighting, of course, my style of fighting."
"Think about it, why do I owe you? I saved you from Xena, she would have killed you if she knew it wsa
you whohad stolen her stuff. Your lucky I took it back and took the blame."
She simply stared at him, not really saying anything. Then she began. "My dad beat me. He beat the living
hell out of me because I didn't steal anything for his lazy, drunken ass. I did, yea, but you took it back. Then
he thought this stupid pendant was stolen and I was hiding it from him. It's your fault he beat me."
"Well, let's not go blaming this all on me, It was your choice to leave, you could have stayed there." he pointed out.
She stared at him dumbfounded. "You really don't understand, do you?! You, such a precious immortal, you
don't know what its ike to fear, to feel pain, depression. Have you ever really felt the cold numbness after you
get your first good slap, 10 years old, by the only man you love, your stepfather? To know that if you ever get
really drunk iwth your only friends, your soldiers, that you would not doubt wake up pregnant? Do you know
what its like to be taken advantage of? To be cold, alone, miserable? Have you ever felt what its like to be beaten?"
She had broken down and started sobbing as she talked.
Now, Gods aren't normally caring souls. Especially Gods like Ares. He didn't feel sorry for weal mortals, wimpy
and meek. But if he wasn't caring, why did he feel his throat tighten at the thought of him causing this girl harm?
But he didn't show his sadness, for he had a stronger characteristic than sesnitivity. It was his pride. He tried
with all his might to overcome his pride, to simply hold this mortal girl and show her how some men aren't pigs,
how it feels to be loved. He pictured himself holding her, kissing her. . .No! He couldn't think this. "Well, I don't
know what its like, and thats not my fault. But since I'm not totally coldhearted, I'll think of some way you can stay here.
You may need to do some work, you know, but don't thi k of yourself as a servant. Just, well, you know. . ."
She knew he was lost for words. "I also brought you a gift, kind of as a bribe, in case you were to send me away.
I have some informationon Xena"
part 2
the betrayal
He was all too thrilled. She saw his gorgeaous eyes glitter with evil hope. "What a naughty thing to do, betraying someone
like Xena. Well, spill."
"She's on her way to defend a small little town west of the mountains. She caught wind that there's going to be a surprise
attack on them. She's going to help them out, the little town I mean. She's staying in Corinth for a few more days, then I
don't kow where after that. The attack is in 3 weeks."
Ares was fascinated. ":Well, a battle by one of my armies that I knew nothing about. I'm pleased. Now I can see them
work on their own terms. See how they really fight."
She felt relieved. Her still tear-stained face brightened as she questioned, "So I'm in? I can stay?"
"He looked at her pleasingly. The wheat blonde hair, bright, deep eyes, wonderful body of a soldier, strong, muscular,
not a scrawny delicate little flower. How he longed to wrap her up in his arms, and kiss her. . . WHOA! Snap out of it.
"If you get one more piece of information for me. How many men are defending the,? So my men can be prepared."
She smiled, completely content. "No problem, handsome!" she walked out of the temple, grabbing a decorative sword
from Ares' temple wall, just in case.
Ares glanced over at the emmense mutt napping jovially on his floor by the fire. "Well looks like we're roomates now."
The completely dumb, happy, dopey dog yawned and returned to his nap.
"Oh by the Gods, " Ares thought to the dog. He spoke outloud to the hound, "You really are a disgrace to your name.
My brother Hades, his Cerberus would chew you up and blow you into a bubble, while Hades himself laughed in your face."
The napping dog thought nothing of this, just continued to chase his imaginary bunnies in his dream.