….And that's when it happened, dear Papyrus….the moment that put everything into perspective for me…And no, it wasn't Aphrodite's traumatizingly plastic explanation about the events that did the trick- I was waaaay too shocked by that weird creature's presence – which she had so naturally called it a fake Ares, as if he were part of some rare alien species- that I could hardly focus on anything else…..No definitely not….What actually turned my world upside down with a force that still has me speechless, were those screams….those heartbreaking screams- more like death growls come to think about it- followed by a series of hopeless sobs that kept me petrified in place for a few endless moments…..
"Is that…?" I somehow managed to mumble- a series of sounds that must have partially formed the words- staring in awe at the equally panicked Love Goddess.
" Yeah…..that's Ar….." she answered, her face chalk white with such agony that I could physically feel it radiating from her immortal form.
"It's too late…." the weird copy concluded and not even for one second did I think about waiting for any additional details.
Next thing I knew, I was storming like a rabid Cerberus down the hall, heading for where the wails were coming, a million things whirling around my head, roaring inside my drugged like mind, making my heart pound painfully as if it were about to burst before I reached the door….It couldn't possibly be what I thought it was, no...I refused to believe it..
XXX
"You have no right do this to me again! No right…do you hear me?!" the War God howled savagely, grabbing the Warrior Princess' shoulders and half lifting her limp body from the sheets, just to angrily shove her back down with a frightening brutality, one that made the Bard freeze instantly on the doorstep.
Crushed under the weight of his boundless tragedy to be able to sense her, the handsome son of Zeus- the bastard, how Xena usually referred to him whenever he popped by their camp, uninvited of course - kept yelling, the very air around him vibrating with rage, frustration and suffering. Indeed, Gabrielle had never imagined that Gods could actually feel…anything…In her vision, they pretty much had a block of ice instead of a proper heart, and if when it came to Aphrodite she still had some reasonable doubts on the matter, with Ares, there was nothing anyone could have said to convince her that her theory was wrong….
And yet, there he was now- to her utter shock- doing something that looked strikingly similar to…mourning….It was surely not how regular people use to mourn their beloved, but…at least it had something in common with the mortal experience- that unsurpassable ocean of tears and misery the intensity of which couldn't be alleviated- not even a fraction, neither through spoken nor written words...
" You already left me once! Don't you dare think that you can keep messing with my head like this! " he screamed again, hitting her chest with his fists a couple of times, just to slap her across the face when he decided that he couldn't get all the satisfaction he wanted out of the first gesture.
"Xena?" the Bard's trembling voice suddenly reached his ears. She had finally understood it….She was gone ….Her friend was gone and there was no bringing her back.
" Get out!" he thundered, and as he turned around to look at her, Gabrielle's first instinct was to either run or hide...- Given that she couldn't decide fast enough, she just stood there unmoving, staring at him like a lifeless, marble statue. His eyes were blood read from the tears shed and his face was literally transformed with the harrowing pain eating at his soul….
"Is she…..?" the Bard lowly inquired, her own tears streaming down her cheeks now, every hope she still held on to, crumbling nosily into nothing when she recognized something she herself had felt only a few months before…..loss…
" Gabby…"
The Love Goddess' soft voice was the last thing the Bard heard before the rough impact with one of the walls turned everything dark for awhile before her eyes.
" You get her out of here or I'll make sure I send Xena some company!"
" I'm sorry Bro…..I'm so sorry….." Aphrodite made sure to whisper- sorrow thick in her trembling voice, glancing briefly at Xena before she left the room in a shower of petals, taking the unconscious Gabrielle with her.
Seeing her brother hurt like that, without being able to say or do anything to make him feel better, was killing her just as much as not having been able to save his Princess was killing the War God….
The instant Dite was gone, whatever was still holding Ares together, fell to pieces somewhere deep inside him, and, cradling the Warrior Princess' body in his arms and rocking her- as if wanting to make sure she had a good night's sleep- he burst into a flood of tears, uncontrollable sobs shaking his body for endless minutes. There was no anger in his cries now, no frustration in his heartbreaking wails, no darkness behind his despair…..only suffering…That type of suffering that can damage and forever change even the hardest of hearts…
" I'm sorryyyyyyyyyyy….I'm so sorry darling…..Please forgive me! By the Gods, please forgive me!" he muttered in between sobs, his face burrowed into her chest, barely breathing in between the tears and the sighs….
She still smelled like ...her…- that discreet, jasmine scent that used to drive him crazy each time he was near - and for nothing in the world was he able to accept that even though she was still there , she was in fact forever gone, forever out of his reach…The only woman he had ever loved- in a completely wrong, sick and selfish way too- was no longer there for him…..
" I love you! Good Gods….Princess…..don't do this to me…." the words stumbled off his lips, burning his throat, and making the tears taste even bitter…..
…Nonetheless, despite the bitterness, as a few more drops of that salty liquid fell from his eyes, wetting her breast right above her heart, a mind blowing miracle happened- ...And yes, this might sound like some cheesy fairy tale resolution, but hey, facts are facts and the only truth still standing is the one that in his grim desperation and hopelessness, the Fates must have smiled upon the wretched War God….Call it a silent answer to his prayers if you will, but, in less metaphoric terms, his dark haired Chosen came gradually back to life….It was an almost imperceptible change in the beating of her heart at first, a nearly invisible blush in her cheeks and a slight variation in breathing- something that Ares wouldn't have normally missed of course, but come on, let's give the guy a break- he was devastated- in his vision, the universe itself had exploded to smithereens.
…A flash later, she slowly, very slowly opened her eyes- those beautiful azure moons that could melt any heart, and could capture the imagination of any man or woman walking the earth.
It took her a few more seconds to actually see anything in the tomb like darkness of the room and to understand that someone was crying….She could tell that she was lying on a soft, comfortable bed, but her chest was aching terribly and so were her arms- which felt as if they had been gripped by a vice.
A low moan preceded his name...
" Ares? "
