Hello my lovely readers, thanks for the feedback! Here it is, chapter two. I hope you like it. Sorry I'm not feeling very talkative right now, so you can just read.

Ares lay on his black sheeted bed in his chambers on Mt Olympus. He was numb with... with what? He still could not figure out what he was feeling. Sadness, certainly, but it was more than that. A feeling of loss, of hopelessness. Being forced to watch the most beautiful thing in his life turn her back on him again and again, and he was powerless to stop it. Xena did not love him, or would not let herself, and all his previous attempts to force her to had failed.

A flash of light heralded the arrival of Ares' sister, Aphrodite. A cheery smile was on her face, making Ares deepen the scowl that he had acquired the moment he saw her.

"What's up, bro?" Aphrodite said.

"I'm cursing the fact that I can't die, that's what." He growled.

Aphrodite crossed to Ares' bed and perched herself on the edge, gazing at her brother with something akin to pity, but a little off. "It's Xena again, isn't it?" she said and shook her head. "I keep offering to help; just a little magic and she'd..."

"No!" Ares practically shouted, sitting up so fast the Goddess of Love jumped. "You don't do a thing to her!"

"Alright, alright, keep your pants on, I was just saying..."

Ares lay back down. "Well thanks, but no thanks, sis. Please go away," he told the ceiling in a low and dangerous voice. With a disgruntled sort of 'hmph', Aphrodite vanished. Ares sighed.

Xena returned to her camp, silently pondering. She laid down her armor, then knelt beside it and proceeded to put it on. After a few moments she could feel Gabrielle watching her from the now empty fire pit. Xena looked up.

"What's up?" Gabrielle said concernedly.

Xena looked back down and continued with her armor. "Nothing," she said gruffly.

"Xena!" the bard said forcefully, and Xena looked up, "What is going on with you? You haven't been the same since we left Amphipolis, why?"

Xena sighed and stood up. "Gabrielle, know that I would never deliberately keep secrets from you, but please understand that it's better if you don't know what's troubling me."

Gabrielle could see the pain behind Xena's eyes, and nodded silently. Xena was her best friend and she respected her privacy, but she was still hurt that there was something Xena was refusing to tell her.

That night Ares attempted again to sleep. Not that gods really needed it, but generally if one could get a dreamless sleep it passed several hours without thought. Ares needed several hours without thought. This time he was thrashing about feverishly on Olympus, instead of earth. He awoke with a start and a short cry of "Xena!" Upon realizing where he was, Ares fell limply onto the bed. He willed himself to be calm, tried to keep himself from crying. The God of War does not cry, he told himself firmly.

He does now.