First of all thank you once again for those who stopped and read this story so far and also commented. Thanks hundred times over.

Secondly I hope you like where this is going. I have some ideas on how to continue this but I am a little bit uncertain which road to take so it would be a good one. I had the first 8 chapters written for a long time now, that's why I could post it almost every week but since now I don't have anything anymore I need to start write chapter 10 from the very start. This may take awhile so please have patience. I do hope to be possible to post next chapter before this year closes. I will do my best. So please do know I will not let this story unfinished. Hopefully fast enough.

Enjoy!

Chapter 9: It's over!

Furious and frustrated as the Warrior was, she stormed back at the inn in the chamber that she shared with her best friend.

"Xena…" Gabrielle exclaimed perplexed. Seeing her friend storming into the room like a tornado, she knew that the walk that was supposed to calm her friend down went very wrong. Now she was more tormented than moments ago.

"Pack your things Gabrielle, we are leaving this place." Xena answered very determined.

"Can't we just wait for the day to start and…."

"No, we are leaving now…I want to leave, far away."

"Xena!" Gabrielle approached her friend. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened. I just…" The warrior took a deep breath, stopped and replied: "I need to be away from Greece for awhile. Can we leave now?" Finally the Warrior looked her friend in the eyes trying to calm herself and make Gabrielle understand that she is suffocating here.

"Where?" The bard asked uncertain.

She knew Xena very well so she also knew that something must have happened with her to take such a radical decision out of the blue.

They were thinking to go away from Greece before everything happened in Jappa, but right now? It was best though to let the Warrior tell her herself and not push.

Trying to keep her nerves in check Xena answered with a small smile.

"I think Egypt is in order, if that's ok with you. That's what we wanted before all hell broke loose in Jappa. What do you think?"

"Fine with me!" Gabrielle answered with calm, feeling her friend relax a bit.

"Perfect!"

The two friends packed their things that weren't many. They buy one more horse from the inn keeper and straddled Argo II and the new horse. They made their way out of the town and then galloped far away.

Xena never looked back.

Xxx

"Can't believe her guts! How could I 've been such a fool to let myself think that she could ever be mine once again. Fool, fool, fool, three times a fool!Aghhh!" Ares's voice tunned in his temple once he decided to go there after the fall out with Xena. Feeling his heart break remembering her words and not just now but every time she doubted him which was always, he made a mental choice to never feel like this again, forcing his heart to shut down. Love was only in his way, made him feel miserable time and time again, nothing good could come out of this anyway. He knew better than to try to fool himself that it may be different. Xena made sure to crumble all his dreams that they would ever be together. He came at the end of his patience. Nothing will make him change his mind. As far as this concerns him, it was over.

"This is it! I will forget you Xena, I will! I will!" He yelled like a crazy madman, starting to demolish everything in his path beginning with the most precious statue that he had in Halls of War: the statue of the warrior princess that once belonged to him in bones and flesh. He brought his sword in the hard granite heart.

"That's what you did with my heart!" He spitted out with bitterness. After he was done the once perfect statue lay demolished on the ground, the only standing piece was the part of it in which he struck her heart with his sword.

When he finished he took his rightful place on the throne and let one single tear fall on his cheek. He looked at the broken statue that was left before him and remembered how much time and effort he brought in to that statue so that it could be perfect, so that she could be with him even when she wasn't. So much he loved her. But now it was all in the past.

"I have a surprise for you my Darling!" Ares said smoothly on the dance ring.

Xena raised her eyes and looked at her patron god.

"You do?"

Millions of sensations cursed through her body. From attraction to thankfulness to passion and affection. She was his warrior only for a couple of months now and today it was a big day for them. After they said their vows in front of the Fates making her being his first Chosen ever, now they were dancing at the after party thrown by the Goddess of Love in their names. It was tradition the bubbly Goddess had said. If it was Xena's decision this would have never happened. She wasn't the sentimental type but as she looked into his eyes, she realised that if she would permit herself she could simply loose herself in his essence.

"Of course!" Ares kissed her hand lightly and made her spin one more time. Then he halted the dance and stole her from the dance ring without no one noticing their absence.

He took Xena away and she followed him hand in hand, heart beating in her heart, not knowing what will happen next. She never felt this way, not ever. She was feeling like a girl again, happy but also terrified about her sentiments. It was so soon. Only months that she knows him and her heart was already flipping every time she would see him. This was a problem in her path. She tried many times before to convince her self and her mind, heart and soul that she only wanted his power, that she is here only for what he could mean to her on the professional way. But she couldn't be more wrong than this.

"You do know I hate surprises!" She tried with words to put a lock to her treacherous heart. Why wouldn't it stop beating so hard.

"Hush now" He halted her and turned to look at his princess. He reveled in her beautifulness. His breath stopped in his throat. In that purple long, sexy dress, revealing her leg on the side with a generous cleavage, her long black tresses lose on her back she looked like a Goddess. It was the first time that he envisioned her being his equal, a goddess…a real goddess, his partner in bed and in crime. He felt how he started to become hotter by the second. He looked into her baby blues and diminished the space between them. Ares approached her and leaned into her.

"Don't you have a surprise for me?" Xena asked before Ares had the chance to kiss her red lips. Hearing her question he stopped mid his action, breathing hard against her lips and hair.

"Yeah" He only answered putting a distance between them, trying to recompose himself.

"Yes, right!"

The Warrior also felt the sexual tension between them and that's why she halted his kiss. She knew that if they would have kissed they would've gone until the end and this will only complicate her life. She didn't need it even if she wanted it.

"Ok, we are almost there." Ares stopped and once again looked at her. He made a white handkerchief appear magically in his hand.

"Aress…" Seeing that she knew it was for her eyes, Ares appeared behind her back, breathing in her hair, taking her smell in, breathing every cell of her.

"I promise you will love it!" He whispered huskily in her ear bringing the handkerchief on her eyes. "Ok, promise you will not cheat?!"

"Like if I could!" She smiled a little.

The God of War took her warm hand in his and brought Xena in his throne room. Letting the handkerchief fall from her eyes the God of War waited his Chosen reaction.

In front of her looking directly into her eyes was a similar replica of her. Everything was precise: weight, look, grimace, hair. Only that it was a statue. And not like any statue, her eyes were from diamonds and her battle dress also. She was in awe! Those diamonds were rare to find and also not easy to build something with them.

"Like it?"

She was still not believing this. A replica of her, in his home…Why would he do that?

"Xena?"

"huh?" she finely turned to him.

"Really?" Her throat was dry, her emotions run hundred per mile.

"You are my chosen now, we are connected. You deserve a place in my home." Heart…wanted to add but he wasn't sure himself. It was all so new for him too. Never felt so connected to anyone, never wanted a woman so bad before, never admired someone like this before. He once again shortened the space between them. Took a couple of hair strands into his hand.

"I want you!" He whispered in her ear. Her knees went weak at hearing him, her cheek looked for his lips that finally found their way to her lips. The kiss was surreal, so sweet but full of passion all in one. It turned into a savage one in seconds. They were both relishing all that kempt up tension from all this months ago. Without noticing, Ares already transported them both in his chamber. He stopped the kiss for a fragment of moment…looked into her eyes, saw the desire that was building inside her and kissed her again.

"Say you are mine!

"I am!"

That was the very first night that the two of them had spent together. It was unique. Now the God of War was ready to forget everything about that cursed night and about her and everything she represented in his life. He was determined to rip her out of his heart even if that meant to cut his heart out.

Xxx

Feeling that it was an eternity since she spoke with her sexy brother, Aphrodite decided to pay him a visit. The bubbly Goddess appeared in Ares's Hall of War. At first she didn't observed the chaos that was in the building but soon enough she saw…

"Ohh noooo…Who could do this?" Horrified as she was, she didn't even noticed her brother sitting on the throne. Her first instinct was to call him and tell him about the wreckful discovery that she did.

"Aressssss!" She yelled, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Arrr…oh Arrr!"

"Dite, I'm here." Ares answered in his usual casual a bit annoyed manner.

"Ohh, did you see? Someone destroyed all the statues…and the most important one, your Warrior Princess." Aphrodite was devastated about it. She knew how that statue of Xena was build. He was constantly there to make sure that no mistake would sneak and everything will be perfect. And of course the fortune that he spent on finding those diamonds and carving them, make them util. She remembered that you just couldn't spoke with him until the statue of Xena was done. It was a symbol, that's why it was in the center of the throne room. It had the most value to her brother.

"Who dared to do this? I will find them Ares I pro…"

Ares approached his sister and looked straight in to her eyes. His glance made her shudder.

"No one broke in to my temple. No one would dare. I did all of this." He answered with proudness and a touch of sadness that wasn't intended to be there of course.

"You?" Incredulous as she was, Dite looked once again at the statue. Xena was personified standing tall and looking to Ares's throne, sword in hand, chakram secure on her body, hair loose. She was dressed in her battle dress. Now parts of her were on the ground. A sword was through her heart. It looked like someone trying to wash everything away that could remained and hold memories of the warrior babe in there.

"You can't!" She approached the cemented head of Xena that was in two pieces on the ground.

"Well, I did…and let me tell you I feel liberated!" His voice resonated in the building. He felt rejuvenated.

"You don't mean that Ares!" Aphrodite was horrified. Not only by what she saw. Throwing things, destroying temples it's what Ares does when he's mad. But not only once did he came around to shatter his piece of work of his Princess. He was always careful, he even killed priests and priestesses that couldn't take care of it properly he would say. This…he was out of control, or in such pain that he couldn't take it anymore. The Goddess was sure about the last one. Something really happened.

"Why?" Aphrodite asked.

"Why ever not?" He answered in anger. He didn't let the goddess answer of course, he did it for her.

"She sneers, she doubts, she even hates me I'm sure, why would I gave her a right here in my temple that she doesn't want, a right that she renegades with all her being. Its' not her place here, not anymore." Ares continued letting the Goddess of Love in awe. She thought that now with all the goddess thing Xena will come be by his side. That Ares will have everything he ever wanted. Not once was he so close to obtaining this and now…now she was depressed at only thinking about this. So many tries and for nothing. She felt betrayed. What Goddess of Love is she when she can't even bring this two fools together.

"She found out, that's it?" Dite tried to make a sense out of it. Only that could make such a big proportion rift between them.

"Not that I know of…I don't care anymore dear Sister. She's on her own. And I'm on my own." Ares added decided.

Aphrodite looked at her brother and he was unrecognizable. This was an Ares that she didn't like, a God of War at the beginning of time, that didn't know about Love and compassion, that only lived to breathe war in and out. She was more than worried.

"Ares…"

"Now let me with my Wars!"

"You can't go back to this!" Dite tried to reason with him.

"To this? This is who I am: War baby! I am War since the beginning of time until the end. I will be what Xena always accused me to be."

"But…!"

"No buts Dite. It's over!" Finally she saw that part of him that was really hurt, he capitulated and the Goddess of Love was really scared.

This was not supposed to happen.