The King and Queen now stood quietly as they watched in horror the scene of the raven-haired child they had come to love, being held in the grips of the dark lord. Time stood still and a decision was made.
The King and Queen gazed at one another, sadness and fear apparent on their face. But there was also love shimmering in their eyes, with no glimpse of regret. Holding each other in their arms a smile appeared on the Queen's face, as did the King's. And with a kiss they closed their eyes as orbs of light emerged from within them, and flew off into the sky. Slowly the King and Queen fell to their knees and onto the floor, never breaking the hold.
Above in the sky dozens and dozens of orbs appeared from every direction and merged together. They formed a large globe of light, which shinned even brighter than the sun. It hovered over the kingdom of Avalon, which was consumed in darkness. The sphere of light descended on a downward spiral towards the force field. Crashing into it the enormous orb bounced back as the earth shook with force. Gradually the force field began to weaken as the orb repeatedly returned to attack it.
As the ground began shaking below, the castle's walls rumbled with rage. Dahak turned to Xena, puzzlement and anger written on his face.
"What trickery is this?" He demanded, dropping Sabrina.
The child stumbled to the ground and cling to her sides as she winced from the pain.
Also bewildered Xena did not respond, she merely gazed at her fallen child, and through her eyes gave her comfort. Glancing towards her sister the raven-haired child froze for a moment and remembered the prayer she had taught her. Shutting her eyes she recited the words, silently uttering them to her self. As the words left her lips the anger left her heart, and the darkness no longer clouded her soul.
Feeling the child's innocence return, Dahak sharply turned back to her. "You!" He shouted. "You are the cause of all this" He said, as he lunged for her.
Using what little power she had left, the child fired a thunderbolt into Dahak's chest. As the dark lord staggered back, Sabrina started crawling as far away as her body could take her. Blood was dripping from her mouth and head, as the wound at her side was burning. She could see her vision blurring, and felt as if she would collapse any minute.
Dahak quickly regained his footing and with the rapid movement of his hand sent a fireball hurtling towards the child.
Xena began frantically trying to struggle to her feet, but as the land once again trembled she fell back to the ground.
"SABRINA" she yelled, as she and the others witnessed the scorching sphere of fire connecting with the young girl.
The child screamed out in pain as she was thrown against the wall from the impact. Disbelief struck the Warrior Princess as she saw the raven-haired child barely breathing, stained in her own blood. No, no, by the gods no! She shouted in her mind. With tear filled eyes she cursed her self for allowing this to happen, then cursed the grotesque creature that caused her this grief. If only she had the strength to get up and attack him, she would tear him limb from limb.
Pleased with his work Dahak turned his attention back the others. "Now to be rid of the rest of you" He said.
However the battle was not yet over, and the ground again shook with fury. Pieces of the castle's roof flew apart taking chunks of the ceiling with it, as the walls began crumbling. A sphere of light drifted down above them, and shined so fiercely that it was blinding at first. A beam shot out from inside the orb and touched the dying child. Within seconds the sphere had vanished and a radiant glow covered the young girl.
"The powers of the gods, but how can this be?" Dahak questioned, with a hint of anxiety in his tone.
The child arose suspended in the air, as a gust of wind flew around her. Panic and fear was evident in the dark lord, given that he stumbled while trying to back away.
"No, no I refuse to be beaten by a child" He yelled, as he launched orbs of fire at Sabrina.
But the orbs were merely deflected as if a shield protected the child. There was a blank expression on her face and a look of hypnotism in her eyes.
"DISCORD" Dahak called out, urgency ringing in his voice.
The goddess appeared with a smirk on her devilish features.
"Exterminate the child now before it's too late" He ordered.
"Thought you didn't need or want my help, remember?" She replied, as vengeance burned in her eyes and instantly she was gone, leaving the dark lord to fend for himself.
"Traitor!" Dahak roared. A suffocating feeling came to him as he turned back to the child.
At that point Sabrina swiftly lifted her hand as a ray of light transpired from within it and struck Dahak in the chest. As the light engulfed him the dark lord shrieked from the agony, as his powers were slowly drained from him. He felt as if his arms and legs were being ripped from his body, while the beat of his human heart began to slow down.
Once every trace of power had been drained from the dark lord's human form Sabrina at last lowered her hand and the ray of light disappeared. Dahak fell to his knees, gasping heavily for air, and unable to move any part of his body. Steadily Sabrina drifted down to the floor, the glow left her body taking the powers with it and leaving her in a weakened state.
With it's master defeated the castle's walls again started trembling and above Sabrina and Dahak part of the ceiling began to collapse.
"Sabrina!" Xena yelled, reaching for the child but was too far away.
At that moment she remembered the pendant Hera had given her, it was identical to the pendant on Sabrina's necklace. Xena pulled it out from inside her gauntlet, and quickly ordered Sabrina sent to her. The next second the portion of the ceiling fall as the child vanished.
Looking up, Dahak screamed as the stone plummet onto him, instantly crushing every bone of his human form.
Holding her child tightly in her arms Xena let out a sigh of relief. But the danger was not yet over, for the castle was about to collapse into it's self and take them with it. Eve and Solan struggled to reach Evander who was heavily bleeding from his wound. Xena sat up, still cradling the child, as she helped Gabrielle to her knees.
"Morrigan, can you move?" She asked, yelling through the loud pounding of the rubble falling.
"Yeah, but Hercules is unconscious" The red-haired woman replied, sitting up with an arm around her son, she turned to her husband.
"We need to get out of here, now!" Gabrielle shouted, as debris coated the air.
"What about Sabrina's necklace" Adam yelled, terror and fear causing his voice to shake.
"She's too weak, it wouldn't be safe" Xena replied.
"No, I can do it" The young girl in her arms faintly said.
"You sure, honey?" Xena questioned.
The child merely nodded, and clutched the pendant in her hand. Shutting her eyes, she concentrating what strength she had left. Glimmers and sparks appeared for a moment but vanished the next. Then reappeared again only to leave once more. Frustrated, the child began to shed tears of sadness.
Suddenly a ray of colors appeared, sent from the heavens they covered the room. Everyone could feel the warm aura, which surrounded them. And watched in awe as the colors seemed to dance as they spun all over.
Soon everything disappeared as the ether consumed them. Within seconds the colors of the ether had vanished and their surroundings came into view. Gone were the tumbling pieces of rubble and debris, the dust coated air, and the raging shaking of the castle's walls; standing in their place were the gifts of nature, the calmness of the forest, and the almost cloudless blue sky.
Looking at themselves they realized their cuts and wounds had been healed and they no longer felt fatigued. Slowly they stood up, happiness and bewilderment on their features.
Taking a second to recognize exactly where they were, Xena soon realized that they had been placed near the spot where Ares and Brigid were awaiting their return. Still carrying Sabrina in her arms, Xena quickly made her way to the campsite. With every step she took, she could feel her heart beating faster.
Thoughts of what she could find raced through her mind. What if they had been too late and Ares had not survived? What if while they were gone Ares and Brigid were attacked and both were killed? What if it didn't work and Ares was still in the terrible state she had left him? As these thoughts ran through her head, part of her didn't want to know, afraid that they could be true. But she didn't stop because the thought of not knowing would tear her apart. Besides what if he was actually safe and sound? And was waiting for her, picturing the moment when he would hold her in his arms, stare into her eyes and watch the rest of the world melt away.
Pausing for a moment she stopped. Behind the tree where she stood was the bedroll Ares was lying in. Trying to clear her head of all negative thoughts Xena closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. The child in her arms turned to her, having sensed Xena's anxiety, wrapped her arms around her mother's neck she whispered 'Don't worry mommy'. Xena made a small smile at the child, then walked from behind the tree.
They looked down at the bedroll in front of them to find no one in it. Frantically glancing around they could see no trace of neither Ares nor Brigid. 'Where could they be?' Xena said to herself. What if she was right before and Ares and Brigid had been found by some of Dahak's guards? Panic crept into her mind. What was she going to do?
Placing Sabrina down, she began looking for signs of a struggle, footsteps leading somewhere, anything that could help her figure out what had happened. As her mother examined the ground for clues, Sabrina was peeking her head into the bushes looking for her father.
"Looking for me?" A familiar voice questioned, as it's owner walking up behind them.
Xena's heart skipped a beat as she heard the voice and quickly turned around to find Ares standing there with a smile across his face.
"Daddy!" Sabrina shouted, as she ran into his waiting arms.
A tear trickled down the man's face as he lifted up his daughter, and hugged her tightly.
Xena stood there for a moment blissfully looking on. Holding Sabrina with one arm, Ares pulled Xena into the embrace with the other. She smiled at him, gazing into those dark brown orbs of his, so close to his face that she could feel the warmth of his breathe against her mouth. Her heart was once again racing and she could feel his heart doing the same. Lifting her hand she passed her fingers through his untamed hair, then began caressing his face with the slightest touches. She paused, staring at his beautiful skin, which had turned back to its normal state, then leaned in and met his lips with hers in an adoring kiss. "Ewwwwe, you guys kissed" Sabrina said, with her raven locks swaying as she tried to cover her giggles with her hands.
"I'll show you ewe" Ares replied, as he began tickling her.
The child roared with laugher as she tried to fend off the attacks of the tickle monster. Turning around, Xena noticed Brigid along with the others coming towards them. "Looks like they found Brigid" She said.
"Why do I have a feeling that they're going to start acting all mushy and stuff?" Ares asked.
"Because they are" The Warrior Princess replied, pulling away from him.
"There you guys are" Gabrielle said to Xena, then turned to the mortal god beside her. "Ares, how are you feeling? Brigid said you were doing better. But shouldn't you still be resting?" She asked, pulling him into an embrace.
"I'm fine, trust me" He replied, with a slightly weary expression.
"I told him to take it easy until I came back from checking what was causing the strange rumbling, but he wouldn't listen" Brigid said.
"Yeah, he's stubborn like that,100 percent hard headed" Xena replied.
"Hey! That hurt" Ares said, with a fake upset expression.
"It's good to see you doing better" Eve said, giving the moral god a hug.
Solan, Morrigan, Adam and an initially hesitant Evander followed suite, also embracing the moral god. Hercules merely stood there with his teeth clenched, staring daggers into his half brother.
"Okay that's enough touchy feely stuff for me for one day. So what happened in there, and what are the kids going here?" The Ares questioned.
"Well if it wasn't for these two little hero's Dahak would still be loose" Morrigan answered.
"Alright that's my girl! The little warrior" Ares exclaimed, as he tossed Sabrina in the air and swiftly caught her in a gentle embrace.
"I don't know how we would have gotten out if Sabrina hadn't used her powers to teleport us out of there" Solan said.
"Yeah but how did you heal our cuts? I didn't know you had that ability" Eve said to the small child.
"But I didn't" Sabrina answered.
"What do you mean you didn't? Of course it was you, who else could it have been?" Gabrielle asked.
"I don't know, but it wasn't me" The child replied again.
All of a sudden a blinding flash appeared and before they knew it, dozens and dozens of Olympian gods and goddesses were lying on the ground before them. Slowly each god stood up as they carefully observed their surroundings.
"What in Zeus' name is going on?" Gabrielle questioned, with a slight gasp.
"Aphrodite, what has happened? What are all the Olympians going down here?" Ares asked the confused looking goddess.
"I don't know, one second we were on Olympus then the next we were here. I guess I should be relieved, I thought we were going to die" She replied.
"Die? What are you talking about?" Xena asked.
Murmurs of confusion sprung throughout them. Terror could be seen on the already frighten features of the Olympians. Whispers of unrequited questions started pouring into the air.
Abruptly the wind began to howl, and the trees began to sway as thunder could be heard from the heavens.
"I believe we can answer that" A voice arose coming from the sky. Followed by four bright orbs of red, yellow, pink, and blue light suspended above them.
"As some of you may know we are The Elements, the surveyors of mankind and the protectors of life. For some time now we have been well aware of the threat of Dahak becoming free. That was why we enlisted the help of the gods; we knew that whoever was destined to defeat Dahak would need their help. Which brings us to the reason why all the Olympians have been sent down here. We had met with the Gods and informed them that Sabrina was the chosen one, and if she were to win against Dahak she would need all their powers transmitted to her.--" Savannah said, still in the form of the red glowing sphere.
"Hang on a second!" Deimos yelled interrupting the fiery maiden. "I never agreed to help these revolting mortals. I demand my powers be returned to me at once" He roared.
"Deimos you are not exactly in a position to be making any such demands. Besides when Zeus told you and the other gods to leave while he and Hera made the decision; by doing as he commanded and leaving, you and the others granted Hera and Zeus the permission to decide for you. Hence the reason why you no longer have your powers" Lena replied.
Deimos stared daggers into the floating orbs. He was about to say something, but then remembered what happened the last time he angered them. He slowly backed away while clinching his jaw.
"But wait, you told us that if our powers were sent to Sabrina the reign of the Gods would end. Explain to me why we are here. Was the notion of our demise simply a lie?" Hera questioned.
"No, it was not, for the truth is all we stated was that your reign would end, that did not mean you all would perish. We decided to spare your lives and instead have you become mortals" April answered.
"We have been turned into mortals?" Athena stated.
"Yes, but we also realized that becoming mortal is an enormous fall from having been a god. Plus being gods have made most of you do foolish and careless things with no worries of repercussions. And no doubt many of you have enemies that would love the chance to make you pay for those actions. With that being said we have made some but not all of you demi-gods, to help you adjust to mortal life and be able to protect your selves" The wind deity replied.
"So all of you knew Sabrina was the chosen one?" Xena questioned, with anger apparent in her voice as she gazed towards Aphrodite.
"Xena you see, I wanted to tell you, I really did but each time I tired I couldn't get my self to say it. With everything going on including Ares and Dahak, I didn't want you to have to worry about Sabrina also. Xena please don't be mad at me, this time I totally had your best interest at heart" Aphrodite pleaded with the Warrior Princess whose face was stern but soon softened.
Xena took a few deep breaths trying to calm herself and fight the urge she had to beat down any Olympian she could get her hands on. Now was not the time to release her anger, Sabrina was safe and that was all that mattered. Xena looked back at the former goddess and could only nodded as to indicate she forgave her.
Linking arms with the Warrior Princess, Aphrodite squeezed her arm slightly and giggled with relief. The last thing she needed was for Xena to be pissed off at her, because she knew all too well how Xena expressed her anger towards others, not to mention the gods.
"What is this, some kind of game? We were just disposable objects to be used in your little plan, weren't we?" Zeus asked, resentment burning in his eyes.
"Well….yeah pretty much. Why what's wrong, haven't you always treated humans the same?" Angel replied.
The former King of the Gods stood there in silence choosing not to respond to the accurate allegation. The Elements were correct, as a god he did whatever he pleased and never had to suffer the consequences. But now he must live the rest of his natural life among the creatures he has for so long mistreated.
"So now we have to live down here, among mortals and with only half our powers?…You got to be kidding me. Do you really expect me to be able to still look this good with only a demi-gods powers?" Aphrodite asked, with dread written on her face.
"Well would you rather be dead?" Angel questioned back.
"Good point" The former goddess of love replied, changing her facial expression.
"After Dahak's human form was destroyed, it was you who got us out and healed us, not Sabrina" Eve stated.
"That is correct" Lena replied.
"What will happen now? Is Dahak gone for good or not?" Hercules asked.
"Dahak represents all that is evil, he is the embodiment of hatred, anguish, and violence. He will never truly be killed, for evil cannot fully be destroyed. There will always be hatred and aggression in the hearts of many. And within that hatred evil will live on" Savannah answered.
"What was the point of this, if Dahak can not die" Morrigan questioned.
"The battle of good and evil is a never ending war. If Dahak had not been stopped, then evil would have gained the upper hand. The world would have begun a downward spiral into total darkness. And even if the gods did not lose their powers, they would have been in no shape to fight against Dahak. What happened today was only one of the many struggles between those who fight for good and those who fight for evil. And luckily for us this time good prevailed. So you see, your efforts were not in vein, because of all of you the world is safe, for now that is" The blistering crimson orb answered.
"Since Discord was primarily behind this what will happen to her?" Ares questioned.
"Oh don't worry about her, she'll be enjoying an eternity in Tartarus" April answered.
"If you are truly The Elements then why not show your faces and tell us your names, what potential harm could come of this?" Brigid asked.
"You know our names and as for our faces you need not know, for soon most of you will soon forget" April replied.
"I doubt that would be true, how could one possibly forget such a thing"
"Trust me, you will"
"Besides our role in this is over. And it appears as if none of you will need our help any longer" Angel said.
"But if ever you are in great trouble we will be there, just call our names and one of us will appear" April said aloud. Then whispered to her self. "If you remember them after we erase your memory of us that is"
"What was that?" Eve questioned, having heard a low murmur come from the rose-lighted orb.
"Oh nothing" April replied smiling, even through she knew they could not see it.
"If I may simply pose a question. How do you expect humanity to live without us? There needs to be higher beings ruling over this land, with us gone there will be an unbalance of sorts" Hades pronounced.
"You needn't worry about that, because you have already been replaced. Unlike you this being represents good in it's purest form. And their servants are functioned as caretakers of humanity. This being will be known as not simply just a god, but The God. Although with the existence of this good there emerges a new evil. Dahak will soon be transformed into an even more sinister being, but worry not now for there is still some time before that will occur" Lena replied.
"If I may be so bold to ask. If we had already been replaced then why did we have to help in defeating Dahak? Why couldn't this new God stop him instead?" Poseidon questioned.
"But don't you see that's exactly what happened" Angel replied.
"I don't understand what you mean" Poseidon said.
"This god, The God, is older then you and even us. It is simply that they have chosen now to reappear. We may be exceptionally powerful, but even we take orders from a higher being" The oceanic orb answered.
"So you mean you were told to do all the things you did?" Xena questioned.
"Not exactly, we were told to aid mankind in stopping Dahak. The whole thing with the gods and what not, were our ideas" Savannah replied.
Silence abruptly grew upon the crowd of mortals and former gods. It was evident that most if not all of the ex-Olympians were outraged that their immortality and powers were taking away from them. Anger and fury had been building up inside them, but many would not dare to voice their opinions. For they were still in the presence of the Elements, and feared what would happen if they angered them.
But the anger was too strong for some, such as Hades, who could no longer stand the endless silence.
"This is not fair" Hades cried out, but tried to control his temper as to not come off as extremely angered.
"How so?" April asked, in an almost mocking tone.
"Please don't take this the wrong way. But why couldn't you just stop Dahak by yourself. Why didn't you keep us out of this?" Hades asked.
"You little ungrateful piece of scum, how dare you speak to us that way after we restored your pitiful li--"
"April shut up" Lena whispered, knocking into the pink-lighted sphere.
"What is she talking about?" Athena questioned.
"She was talking about our decision to allow you to live, that was all" Lena answered. But as she looked at the once goddess of wisdom, she could tell that Athena did not completely believe her answer.
The memory of the twilight of the gods was removed from the minds of all the Olympians, except for Hera, Ares and Zeus. So the other Olympians had no recollection of ever dying, and The Elements wanted to keep it that way.
"As much as we would love to remain here with all of you and continue this little conversation, I am afraid it is time for us to take our leave" Savannah said.
"Wait, you can't just put us down here and leave us. We have no idea what to do now!" Zeus exclaimed.
"You Olympians have been here for thousands of years, and you mean to tell us that you all have absolutely no idea of what to do next. Here let me point you in the right direction. First locate a home, settle down or continue to travel. Then find a job take care of yourselves and each other. And last but not least, the most important thing stay out of trouble. And the rest shall fall in place" The fiery sphere replied.
"That is all?" Zeus questioned.
"Just about. And besides luckily for you all, you'll have Xena and the others to help you adjust to mortal life"
"Who?" Xena asked, in a teasing tone.
And for the first time since the conversation first begun, a smile became apparent on faces of the mortals and former gods. Letting out a chuckle, the tension decreased a bit.
The Elements once again said their farewells and departed. Soon the crowd of ex-gods released the anger, which had been building up inside of them.
"What, were you out of your mind!" Deimos yelled at Zeus and Hera. "How could you two make such a stupid decision? Do you realize what you've done? Now we are powerless in a world of mortals. We were not meant to be their equals. We should still be on Olympus right now, but no we are down here doomed to live a mortal's life; short and agonizing"
"Deimos I may no longer be a god, but you will not dare speak to me that way" Zeus roared.
"Why? What will you do about it? Like you said, you are no longer a god" Deimos replied tauntingly.
"Why you little mongrel"
"Face it Zeus you have power over us any more. I knew this whole thing wasn't a good idea. And I said it from the beginning. So tell me former Olympians are you truly pleased with what your King and Queen had decided for you?" Deimos shouted amongst the crowd.
Murmurs soon arose and voices backing up Deimos could be heard across the crowd. Arguments from both sides echoed in the forest. And the tension only grew as tempers flared. As all hope seemed to be lost a voice of reason rang out over them.
"LISTEN!" Gabrielle cried out. And suddenly all was quiet. "Why are you wasting your time fighting over this. Don't you see there is no point to it. The past is the past you cannot change it, so why dwell on it. And besides if Dahak had won then like they said you all wouldn't have stood a chance against him. The way I see it is that if Hera and Zeus didn't decide for the gods to help, then you all would have faced a far worst fate than mortal life"
After Gabrielle had finished, the group remained quiet. Many of the former Olympians agreed with her reasoning. As it was obvious that the building tension between them had finally died down, Deimos grated his teeth and cursed underneath his breath realizing he had lost.
The remainder of the day consisted of awkward silence and a number of arguments between the unlikely groups of people. With most of the ex-gods only partially powerless they saw fit that the mortals should serve them, seeing how they were in their minds still superior to them. This brought on more urging but was the least of their problems, for the former Olympians also wanted to take revenge upon each other.
Over the centuries all of the gods have in one way or another fought with each other. Now that they were mortal it meant that they could die, and that one could easily get rid of another whom had in the past angered them. With constant fights beginning among the ex-gods, Xena and the others had their hands full with struggling the keep the peace.