Chapter 7: Strange behavior

"So Stud Muffing did you resolved the thing with the warrior babe?" Aphrodite made a curious appearance in Ares's chambers later that night. The excitement to know everything about what happened was written all over the Goddess's face.

As struck from a lightening ball Ares turned his head from the portal and looked at his sister, very annoyed.

"You are unbelievable." He sneered.

"What? I need to keep tabs on my favorite couple, don't I, otherwise you two can't solve anything alone." His ditsy sister added, like she had no care in the world, oblivious at the turmoil in Ares's eyes and body.

"Everything is fine, I think." He changed his tone. After all, Aphrodite just wanted to help. "She didn't said anything to me in particularly. She seemed very surprised of course by my good actions and intentions. Made it difficult for her in the past I suppose. Now I just need to go with the flow, I guess." He hated feeling like this, it was strange to not know how to conduct yourself. Worse than that needing his sister's advice. How the great have fallen!

"Well of course. You made the warrior babe some nasty things in the past." He eyed his sister with irritation. Sometimes or more like almost every time she just couldn't hold her tong."…and now you turn all lovey dovey and understanding. I would have been skeptical too." Dite continued, totally ignoring that gaze of her brother.

"That's some comfort sis." Ares added mockingly.

"Hey, it's all true…"

"If you say so Sis…!" Wanting to escape his sister's interrogations he wished to vanished.

"Wait, wait…not so fast. At least you can do is to keep me up to date. " The Goddess refrained her brother and decisively asked further. "What are you gone do next? When are you going to make your big entrée!?... Wait, I think I know." She laughed a bit. "I know you too well. You are going to watch the warrior babe with your tiny little portal every second of the day, not lose one instant and then choose your moment. Don't you?"

Ares looked at her. How well does she know him?

"You are my brother. Of course I know you. And if you want an advice, my expert advice of course…talk with my gal, the bubbly bard. She will be very thankful that you saved Xena don't you think? You can score with her."

The wheels were already turning into his head.

"Dite since when are you turning into a cunning me?"

"I've learned from the best." She vanished with a smile letting rose petals behind.

If he would think a little about it, his sister was right. Through Gabrielle he could get faster to Xena, especially now. And he knew from Xena and the bard's conversation earlier today that Jappa matters are done, thanks to heaven. He would thank the bard for that too.

xxx

It was almost sunrise when Gabrielle woke up and couldn't bring herself to sleep again. She looked at her companion to find Xena sleeping peacefully next to her.

"Hey.." or not. Xena's eyes opened.

"Can't you sleep?" Xena asked her friend.

"I did…but now I just…it happened so much in so little time and…" Gabrielle turned on Xena's side. "I'm so glad that we are back in Greece and you are here, safe and most importantly alive, that's all."

"Me too." Xena added with a sad smile, patting her friend on the small of her back.

Gabrielle got up.

"Where are you going?"

"A little bathroom time. I will come in a bit." Gabrielle reassured.

After the bard made her necessities and closed the bathroom door after her, a blue light blinded her for a couple of seconds only to find Ares just before her very eyes.

"Ares. Didn't expect to see you here, at night." She was surprised. She didn't really expected to see him anymore and surely not when being alone. After all, every time he is around is when Xena is around.

"Yeah. Well I am. How is Xena?" He nonchalantly asked.

"You ask me? You brought her. You must know she is fine. Why do you ask?" Gabrielle's eyes narrowed.

"I know but I just want to make sure she's all right…It was pretty bad Gabrielle. I thought that I might lose her the very first days. She was…" Recalling Xena's state of the past few days brought shivers down his spine. "but she made it." He ended on a victorious note.

"Well, as you may know she's fine." She once again reassured. Gabrielle made a pace to leave.

"Look" Ares continued and she turned to him. He needed to curse himself a bit for trying so hard to please the bard but deep inside, it was true what he was going to say. He was really thankful to her. "I want to thank you because you trusted me enough to call for me."

Gabrielle nodded in understanding. She knew this was very big of him, to come to her and thank her personally.

"And…" he continued. "also thank you for destroying the loom of fates back then. I didn't had the chance to thank you for that also."

"No problem." She smiled a little.

"That's all I guess." He smirked.

She nodded and left. Ares also vanished, content that things looked bright on his side.

xxx

Opening and closing another door, Gabrielle started to overthink the conversation she had with Ares. Is he really so changed? So changed that he would thank her and have a normal, civil conversation with her? If she was to think about it, the moments when they were alone in the past were marked with suffering and nothing good came out of it. Now though it seemed he was really serious about it and his intentions were genuine and with no plan behind. Maybe it was also the whole human ordeal. Perhaps he learned something out of it and it wasn't in vain.

"What are you thinking about?" Xena asked instantly, the moment Gabrielle entered their room with that pensive thought expressed all over her face. If she didn't know better she would be a bit worried.

Gabrielle's smile only got bigger.

"Nothing, don't worry. I just had an unexpected visit."

Xena gave her friend now every attention that she needed.

"Ares." Gabrielle answered the unsaid question.

"Ares?" Xena frowned. Now this was getting stranger by the hours.

"Yes. He wanted to thank me. Imagine that."

"Seriously?" The warrior asked incredulously.

"That was my inside reaction also…but he seemed really genuine about it. He took me aback…maybe he did changed this past years. The mortality made him…"

"Wait, wait…" Xena interrupted. "Did I just hear you say this? You thinking he is true and unselfish and…no, no…something must be happening." She couldn't believe it. Her best friend and…none other than Ares, being friends, starting to bond?

"He's not so bad when well he isn't THE BAD of the story. I can like him if he stays like that!" Gabrielle continued.

Xena was stunned.

"What?"

"Don't know…Something smells like rotten fish."

"Xena you are always so skeptical. Relax for once. Come, we need the last hours of sleep before we leave from here." Gabrielle added.

The warrior followed her friend advice to go back to sleep but as her eyes began to close again, Xena's last thoughts remained on Ares. Something was nagging her. A feeling that she didn't know what it is or why it was there but she knew that her sixth sense has never failed her in the past. To think about it his comportment was a little dual. First he is so mad with her for the Jappa mission, then he's so understanding that he has transported her here and now he's thanking Gabrielle for what's she's done. This was strange behavior and not corelated with who she knew Ares was. Something was amiss, something big or maybe she was just paranoid and needed to calm down. Couldn't Ares start to behave like….like….she didn't have a good description word for him. She was soooo confused sometimes when not hating him wasn't necessary for the eyes of the world.

"What's your plan Ares this time around, what is it?"