Xenia often walked through the woods. She enjoyed the peace and solitude she found there. It allowed her to clear her mind.

She soon discovered on this walk she wasn't completely alone. A snort immediately alerted her to his presence, and she saw the finest looking horse she'd ever laid eyes on, golden with a snowy white mane and tail.

He looked at her with wild eyes, and in that moment, she felt a connection with the animal she couldn't explain. Maybe it was because he was as feral as she felt at the moment or maybe they just needed each other.

In a voice, she would never let the men who followed her hear, she said softly and gently, "I won't hurt you."

His ears perked toward her, listening to her.

"You can trust me. I would never try to tame you. You'd be free to come and go as you please." With every quietly spoken word she took a tentative step forward.

He backed up only once before she was in reach of him. She held out her palm and let him take in the scent of her and then ever so slowly she raised her hand and stroked his silky, unkempt coat, and from that moment onward, they were friends.

He followed her back to camp though he wouldn't go among her rowdy men. That would have to change if he were to be of service to her in battle, but like anything else, good friendships were built with time.

She retrieved a carrot and brought it back to where he waited. He snapped it up so quickly, he almost took her hand with it.

She laughed. "Hungry, aren't you, boy?"

She felt a tingling that she was beginning to associate with Ares and knew he was about to make an appearance. She could tell from the way the horse whinnied that he sensed it too, but he didn't flee even as he materialized.

"Traded up horses, I see," he said.

"Eberus doesn't suit me. He does everything I ask, but I don't know. We didn't connect."

"It's important you have a good relationship with your horse," he said, surprising her because she didn't think of him as a lover of animals or one who was much for relationships either. "The Turks certainly do."

And there it was. It always seemed to relate back to war to him. She supposed that made sense when you were the god of war. She could even understand because she was starting to become hooked on the adrenaline rush of the fight, the release of the pent-up energy and aggression, and the sweet taste of a victory.

"This one is a fine specimen," he continued, "He'll serve you well. Have you thought of a name yet?"

"No," she said as her new friend nuzzled her neck, making her laugh again.

"How about Argo?"

"You mean like the ship that took Jason to the Golden Fleece?" More stories her father had told to her. It had been on of her favorites, an exciting quest, that had always made her long for adventure of her own.

"Exactly."

"That's perfect. Argo it is." She got the strangest sense of déjà vu. She got that feeling a lot when she was around Ares.

sss

He'd placed the horse there in the woods unbeknownst to her. He still couldn't shake Aphrodite's warning from his mind that he was trying to recapture something that couldn't be recaptured.

Her scout ran up to her and, with a quick bow, said, "The Turks are just beyond that hill."

She looked at him rather than the scout though she said, "Have everyone saddle up."

She was still looking at him as the scout went away. "No wonder you mentioned Turks. You think we're ready to take them?" she asked though she had already made the decision to do battle.

"I think you could take the world and make an empire that would surpass even Rome in its heyday." It was the first time he had told her such and suggested she could do more than take back Greece.

He loved the way her eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of conquest. Then it disappeared almost as quickly. "I'm not sure I want to become an invader. I hate invaders."

"I've seen four thousand years come and go for men. In that time, you begin to see some things don't change. It's not if there'll be more violence, it's when. Peace is only achieved through war. Don't let anyone ever tell you different."

"Food for thought."

Maybe the idea was too much too soon, so he returned to the more immediate future. "The Turks are your biggest challenge. Fierce warriors rather like the Spartans used to be. They grow up on the back of a horse and learned to shoot arrows as soon as they can hold a bow."

"Why didn't you pick one of them to be a patron to, do you prefer a challenge to a sure bet?"

He smiled because she was getting to know him so well. "Or perhaps I just know potential when I see it."

The scout had brought over Erebus, and she swung up on the horse before answering. "I will be merciful and give them a chance to surrender."

He smiled as she rode away. He knew the Turks would never surrender, and he watched the scene unfold.

Xena's army had the advantage in that her men lived to do battle and had no conscience. But their biggest advantage was their commander was a woman of strategy.

He watched in delight as she had her men with bows take out the horses, not caring when they lost horses of their own as well, as she knew they would have the advantage on the ground. Then she sent half of her soldiers behind, so that the Turks had attackers on both sides. It also allowed her to communicate with the growing number of soldiers under her command as they could better see her hand signals.

When the battle was done, it was more than just a victory for her. It was a victory for him. It marked the first time that she had attacked people who had done nothing directly against her. And he knew it would be far from the last.

"Welcome back, my warrior princess," he said though no one heard it but himself.