Chapter 2: Powerless

Only her name could make the God of War move so fast. His soul was crushed at just the sole thought that his ignorance may be the reason why he could be too late to save his princess. It was hard to use his powers in this foreign cursed land but he forced himself, feeling how his powers were draining from his being but the need to find her was like breathing…and he needed to be fast.

He transported himself quickly towards the fire that was by now so dense and high in the sky that a mere mortal could have choked to death just by being near it. The sounds of battle that were usually invigorating him were now reduced to just a dull pumping in his head, cause nothing mattered anymore apart from her…His eyes scanned the surrounding across the high rock on which he sat, so that he could see all the forest around.

Arrows were flying, men were fighting and blood was drown. He shook his head frightfully looking for his princess across the battlefield..…and there she was in all her glory, her black hair flying in pace with the wind and her moves…she was wounded and tired, the grip on her sword was faltering with each step that she took, with each live that perished at her sword until she came face to face with another warrior and then, for that split second he knew…the warrior raised his sword to strike and in the same time the God of War gathered all his strength and send a furious storm ball towards him and all the other archers blowing them all up in the air with the speed of light.

Xena fell on her knees, weak, and before she meet the hard ground he materialized there, taking her in his arms, her head resting on his arm.

"Xena?" He murmured, his fingers afraid to touch her white as snow face. Afraid to not hurt her even more he took two strands of black hair off her face.

The sight of her brought tears in his eyes that fell freely on his cheeks now, realizing that if he was a second late he would have hold in his arms nothing more than her corpse.

Her eyes were closed but checking her vital signs he found what he desperately wanted to know…that she was for sure alive, very wounded but alive.

The God of War got up from the ground gently to not cause her more pain and he transported them back to Greece. He took the decision to bring his wounded princess on Olympus, where he knew she was by far in the most safe place on earth but seeing that his powers were failing him great time and being already worried that he couldn't heal her wounds because of it- needing a bit of time to recover- he settled for one of his temples, in a town near the border of Greece. It would be enough for now.

It was raining like crazy outside, huge and many drops of rain fell from the sky. Fortunately they had a roof over their heads at the moment but nobody was inside the temple, the place long forgotten…He was a god, he didn't have one slice of worry about himself but Xena, she needed treatment for those nasty wounds, she needed a warm bed and he needed most of all for her to recover.

Still with his princess in his arms Ares tried to concentrate on himself wanting those powers of his just to make a spark or something to get a fire starting…but for the moment he couldn't even do that. His anger with himself raised by the second seeing that he was useless right now, when she needed him the most. He wandered the place with her still in his arms, trying to not move too drastically and make her feel uncomfortable. He was glad when he found a room that was dry and with a big enough, comfortable bed, which was a start.

"Xena…" Ares whispered after he set her gently straight on the bed. Now he could see her better, take in her state. His breathing almost stopped, it frightened him the condition in which she was: blood was all over her –probably not only hers- but it was enough to scare the hell out of him, and then those arrows- there were so many, she had one in each shoulder, one in her right arm, one in her left leg and the wound from another one just right in her stomach. He was afraid that she won't make it.

"Oh baby…" He ripped some material from the bed and made it a rag to help him clean her face and her wounds. He needed water. He wanted to leave just so he could search for that needed water not to mention that she needed to drink too. But just when he wanted to go out of the door, she moaned in pain.

"Xena…" He rushed to her side. Her eyes were still closed.

"It will be alright Sweet, you are safe with me now. I will be right back…" He added extremely worried before kissing her forehead and getting out. The worry in his voice was daunting for him to hear. In all his eternity this was a new feeling that he never experienced before. Losing her again, he couldn't even deal with the idea. He lost her so many times in the past and in so many ways that was hard for him to keep the pace up, but he swore to himself that this time he was here to protect her at all costs.

Water, water…he searched his entire temple and found not one drop of it. The place was just too old and unused, no spring with fresh water, no source of water in the entire damn temple. He tried his powers again and he exhaled in relief when he found enough power to make some water materialize and also start a fire. He run back to his princess and kneeled beside her bed, now bringing the wet rag with carefulness to her face to wash the blood away.

Soon a fire was crackling in front of them to keep her warm.

"Ok…Xena…" He knew what needed to be done. Saw it so many times being done, Xena herself did it on herself and her warriors. It was necessary for those arrows to come out.

He wandered with his hands to her injured leg first…

"I know this will be painful…" His hands gripped the arrow's shaft and pushed it back in her leg so that he could rip the arrow head off and then fast he drew it out. A scream filled the room and it drew a hole into his heart.

"Shh…shhh…" His hand caressed her head and hair trying to make the pain somehow go away.

"Ok Sweet…that was one…" With his powers it would have been faster, simpler and the pain not so unbearable for both of them…cause Xena experienced the physical pain but for Ares nothing was more agonizing than seeing her hurting like this, on the verge of the abyss of death. He proceeded with the other arrows just in the same way. Every scream that she produced broke his heart even more. Next, the wounds needed to be cicatrized. Ares found a poker in the temple that he put in the fire.

"Xena I'm so so sorry for this…" He said, gripping her hand and pushing the poker inside her every wound, making sure that no infection was going to settle. Her hand clutched his hand back and when all was over it fell limp back on the bed.

"Xena…?" He was alarmed a little but the pulse was there and so he calmed down.

"It's over now…it's over…" He said when he indeed was finished with the worst part of the process.

He breathed a little easy now- she was clean, the wounds closed, and the temperature in the room was favorable but the danger was still lurking around her. The God of War got up from the side of the bed which he occupied and tried his powers one more time, he wanted to get in touch with Aphrodite, maybe she could transport them on Olympus since he couldn't do much with his godly ability for the moment.

The Goddess of Love though didn't respond his mental callings, he thought she was probably doing some gods know what ridiculous things she always did that when he needed her she wasn't there. He swore to himself that if Xena didn't make it through he will give his sister an eternity of pain and chaos.

He turned his gaze towards his princess- ohh by all the gods if I lose her I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself and my eternal life!- Being the God of War, Ares was used to seeing blood and wounds of course- there was a time when he lived just to draw those out of mortals and he knew that Xena herself had experienced so many in her past and also in her present but those that she had right now were very much life threatening…that much he knew, so he wasstill reluctant on believing she was really safe.

Seeing that nothing was more to be done than wait to recover his powers so he could heal her completely, he once again took a place near her, taking her soft cold hand in his – he frowned at the coldness- raising her palm to his lips, placing a smooth kiss on the both side of it.

"Don't you dare leave me Xena…" Staying like that, his eyes never leaving her, he remarked the fact that she was moving her eyes and lips but soundless, probably having a dream he thought…

"Xena…" He brought his hands to her forehead, his hand freezing there…she was burning up, now he could see sweat coming down the other side of her face that was buried in the pillow.

"No…no…please…"

He panicked. This was what he tried to avoid.