Alexandra, Three-Fourths Goddess.
A/N: I'm sorry it took so long. I was working on other things, and when I'd finally completed chapter 2, my flash drive melted down. So I had to write it from scratch. Warnings from chapter 1 apply I don't own Xena, and there's a lot of stuff that will in my fic you might not like for one reason or another, but if you're determined to let it bother you, this is not the fic for you. My Writing's not for everyone. Also I decided to go with canon and make the TV Show based on the Gabrielle's scrolls, except in my reality, not everyone looks exactly like the actors, and not everything happened exactly like the scrolls. Also I still really like Happy endings, and it permeates every aspect of my writing. I'm also screwing with Mythology.
The first thing I learned is that they don't use the same months here. The Attic Greek Calendar, which originates in Athens. The first Month of the year is what would be for us July/August. Which is a ways a way. We're in Thargelion, Which is in May/June. The Summer Solstice is in the end of June here, in Skirophorion the last month of the year, after the Summer Solstice and the New Moon is the first day of the year and the first day of every month. The tenth day is when the Moon is waxing, the 20th is when the Moon is full, on the 29th of 30th of the month, is end of the month, And at the end of Skirophorion the Summer solstice, and a start of a new year.
I was given a tour of the village yesterday. There's the Queen's Official Hut, the Cells where they lock of prisoners, the kitchens, Analia is the head of the kitchen, and the dining hall, the larder, and food storage, the stables where Helena runs It, and Daria is her assistant, Melinda is the Healer, there's 50 acres of farm land, Melissa is the head farmer, the storage huts for clothes, and furniture, and other things, the weapons hut, Eponin the weapon's master, the tailor's hut, Leda is the tailor, the parchment maker's/tanner's hut they work together, Martha, and Myrtle are the parchment maker and tanner, the blacksmith, Teophania, the carpenter's hut, Danica is head carpenter, the mill, which is run by Amatista, the Archives which is run by Artemia, the nursey and little girls school which us run by Muna, Delphine, and Deitra. Then of course there's around 50 living huts. I didn't count them. There are four training fields, The North, South, West, and East fields.
And the temple of course. Which has been seriously upgraded since Mama and I moved here. Mama not only gave me a Horse named Eos, and a Cream colored Hound named Lux. Yaya send me a sentient Owl named Cordelia. My mind immediately went to Cordelia chase, which went to Annabeth Chase who was Athena's daughter in the Percy Jackson Movies that Diana made me watch on DVD at movie night, for some reason perhaps she was preparing me for how Bat shit her family is, without telling me the truth before it was time. She also had me watch Xena and Hercules when it came out. And Clash of the Titans both versions, With Sam Worthington and The Cheesy 70s Version.
I woke up early on my first full day in the Amazon village. Before dawn, and before my alarm, I may have shrunken by even at ten I wasn't used to going to bed at 8:30. I threw on my chore clothes, and took care of the dogs first I noticed Delta, Eta, and Zeta were pregnant, about a month a long so in a month we'd get new puppies. Then I went into the barn. I took care of the goats first, milking one and then other I couldn't tell which one was comedy and which one was tragedy. I brought the milk pail into our quarters, and then I took care of the horses, shoveling first, adding fresh hey, and then giving them water, and some oats and grains, and an apple each, then I collected the eggs and brought them into the Kitchen. I could already smell breaking bread, and sizzling meats, she turned the eggs into heaps of Scrambled eggs and divided them between us, with a snap of her fingers, and then brought out the fried meats, the sliced cheese, some fruit salad, and some fresh rolls with freshly made butter. I was even expected to drink milk but she had made it chocolate.
"I didn't think Gods eat normal people food."
"Didn't I raise you your entire life, Alexandra?"
"Yes."
"Didn't we share hundreds of thousands of meals together in that time?"
"Yeah, we did. Do you need to eat?"
"We don't need to eat, Ambrosia is what sustains us, and unlike mortals we can't lose or gain weight depending on what mortal foods we eat or don't eat. But many of us enjoy indulging in mortal foods. Just like Many Gods and Goddesses like indulging in short term relationships of mutual pleasure with Mortals."
"Sex, but don't many of the Gods rape mortal women."
"They Did, Until Medusa used one of my weapons to pierce one of Poseidon's testicles and he turned her into a Gorgon."
"In My Time Mythology has her being raped in your temple and you punishing her for disrespecting you by turning her into a Gorgon."
"I would never punish the Victim." Mama said. "It's a Patriarchal society, Women have to be virgins, or faithfully wedded mothers, there's middle ground. I give Aphrodite a lot of credit. She does what she wants and they blame the women for being raped, for the men's infidelity, for everything in the household, and they're treated little better than servants. It bleeds through in the retelling of the Myths, that Demeter cursed the world with winter, when Persephone was carried, off. Persephone and Hades was in love. She's the Goddess of Vegetation, when she left the earth for the Underworld and she and hades were bonded and she ate the Pomegranate seeds, the vegetation died, and earth grew colder simply because she was not in it. As much as she loved Hades she couldn't do that to the earth, so she only ate enough that she could stay with Hades part of the year and up above part of the year."
"What's the real Story behind…?"
"That's enough for now, Young girl, it's time to eat breakfast and get ready for school."
"I never eat so much before."
"You need more now that you have god powers."
I was hungry. SO ate, then I went and took a quick sponge bath, and got dressed and took out my braid, and put my hair in a bun, and put in my hair sticks, put in my boot daggers, and grabbed my Staff which was Mediterranean Cypress Mama ordered from a Lumber Yard in Brooklyn. It was carved with phased of the moon, and Mama, and Yaya's Symbols. I smelled coffee.
"Any coffee?"
"You only get one cup a week. My future self, explained you don't give coffee to children but I know it won't hurt you're godly constitution But you may have only have one cup a week, are you sure you want to waste your cup today? Wouldn't you rather save it for a day you're having trouble staying awake?"
"Yeah good idea, one a week?"
"Three quarters goddess or not, you're still a child."
"So I should be happy with what I'm getting?"
"Yes."
So I went to School. I went to the school and waited outside. Lux following me. She and I waited outside for Kalidas to ring the Bell, while I waited I decided to talk to some students. I noticed one with fiery red hair, and sea blue eyes.
"Hello, I'm Alexandra."
"I know, everyone's talking about you, I'm Adara, but everyone calls me Addie."
"You can call me Alex then, how old are you?"
"I'm 10."
"Me too, well I am now, I used to be 30."
"Yeah me too."
"No, I did. I was 30 years old, living 2000 + years in the future, when My Mother said I needed to come to past to stop the twilight of the Gods, and save Xena's baby, and here I am."
"Huh, Amazing, anyway what are your skills like?"
"I'm very good at weapons, tracking and hunting it's where the majority of training was, as a result, I'm very good in those areas, but I've never ridden a horse, but my Mama says I'll be good at it anyway, because I'm Athena's granddaughter and her daughter….."
"Athena's daughter, so are you a full Goddess."
"Three quarters."
"Strange."
"I know.'
"Alexander, was the name of my father's House, his name was Gregory. He was a former solider, who made toys. My Mortal Grandfather was a Spy during the war, and then became a Scholar teaching older students…Mathematics, but I never knew them, I mean I met my father but I only knew him as the toy shop owner.'
She nodded. "I know my father, he and his wife are raising my brothers Simon and Maximos, I don't really interact with them much, but my father gives my mother money to support me and Mom and me see them at Winter Solstice."
Suddenly girls walked up, one Golden Blonde, and One Strawberry Blonde haired twin who were not identical but it was clear they were sisters. If one of them dyed their hair, and both wore some theatrical make up, they would be identical. "Good Morning, Addie, who's your friend?" The Golden Blonde said.
"Corrine, Danae, this is my Alexandra she's Artemis daughter she's new to the class." They felt like Mama, Auntie and Yaya only less.
"Nice to meet you." Danae the strawberry twin.
"You too, can me Alex." I said.
The Bell rung and we all went inside, Kalidas sat me with the 10 year olds which was Corrine, Danae, and Addie
Meanwhile in the Queen's Hut. Gabrielle, her regent, her lover, and her weapons master were discussing the immediate future, while Xena breast fed Eve.
"So, the Next full moon is a week after the Solstice, we'll have the Solstice celebration and then have the bonding on the full moon."
Xena sighed. "I want my mother there."
Eponin spoke. "You can send one of the junior warriors, one of the 16 year olds, the Zetas, who've only earned one feather, it can be a test of cunning to travel and deliver the letters, and escort your mother back to Amazon lands, if she accepts. For a Zeta it's the perfect test."
Gabrielle nods. "Pick someone, and make sure it's someone who's not going to be picking fights and purposely offending people. Some Amazons especially the junior warriors are deliberately antagonistic, to outsiders."
They began talking Pros and cons of each 16 year old. There were three. And chose Mara, if she didn't accept then one of the others would have to do. And if she accepted but her mother didn't give permission then they would move onto another candidate as well. They send a runner to get Mara from training, and her mother from the stables.
Learning in an Amazon school was interesting there was no taking notes, but Kalidas was a natural story teller, so the information did stick in your brain, either that or it was one of those upgrades Mama told me about in the future.
Mara arrived to the Queen's Official hut before her mother.
"You wished to see me my Queen." She asked standing at attention."
"We need to speak to you and your mother." Ephiny said. "We'd like to have her hear in person before we discuss anything."
"Of course, Regent." Helena arrived a short time later. They explained the situation to them Mara was excited, Helena asked a few questions any mother would asked and then agreed to let her go. They asked Helena to stay. They had discussed this before they arrived. Xena had a cave nearby filled with weapons, wine, spices, and dinars, and a consort is allowed to give a large one-time gift to her Queen, if she's joining the tribe for the first time, or rejoining the tribe after being in the outside world. She would need a Wagon, and horses for Eponin and whatever four guards go with them. "
At Lunch I sat with the three of them. Addie's mother, was a healer, her local man Maximos and his wife Lantha, who is barren and she made a deal with him, to bare him children if she could keep the daughters. His wife and he are raising her two Simon, and Maximos the Younger, Who are 8 and 6. She was just made head healer earlier in the year with the last healer Ophelia's arthritis became too bad for her to work consistently but she still works occasionally, when it doesn't pain her. Corrine and Danae's mother was a hunter, head hunter, their grandmothers were from this tribe, and the Corinth tribe, when their mother was 20, her Mothers died in a battle protecting the village, their mother traveled to Corinth to let her mama's family know, and stayed an entire summer, she met a man and had a half a man fling with him, and they were the result. After the summer was over she returned home, and had her daughters, and rose in the ranks in the hunters. I talked about my life growing up in Manhattan College, my life as an adult, how there were certain things that were fuzzy now, like my love life after age 16. I remember some of each relationship, the beginning and the end, but most of the relationship is fuzzy at best. I had a total of 2 boyfriends, and 2 girlfriends. I was too loyal to be a serial dater, after the age of 16. And one Bobby, was my childhood boyfriend from 12 to 18, when we went to different colleges, I'm almost positive, we had sex on prom night. But I can't be 100% sure, but my memories are pointing that way. Whatever they did didn't make everything fuzzy. And downsized to ten or not, I can still read between the lines like the Columbia graduate I am. I didn't mention this to them of course.
During my first day here, we took a tour of the village, and it's impressive. Since the East size is of small, and we only have ten students in the 10-13 year group. The four of us. Aretha, Olympia, Demetria, in the 11 year olds, I wonder if I should tell them they all have celebrities named after them where I come from (Aretha Franklin, Olympia Dukakis and Demi Moore. The 12 year olds were Ella, Sandra and Agatha, Ella Fitzgerald, Sandra Bullock or Sandra Dee, and Agatha Christie. I wonder if it was just me for seeing it. That my brain is searching for patterns because that's what brains do.
Merilee stood in front of us. "We're going to start with Staff drills, Alexandra are you familiar with these?"
"Yes, Ma'am." My Mama, well Diana made my staff herself, from Mediterranean Cypress for my Staff, which instead of buying from a lumber supplier she ordered from a Nursery, I'm not sure why. But it was huge tree and she only took a piece of it, and then she donated it to a park in Bed-Stuy. Funny it didn't look damaged when we went to the dedication ceremony. She did a lot of things like that growing up and I never questioned it.
"I'll show you the combination, everyone watch me. I'm going to go through this twice. Pay attention."
She did a drill with slowly first. Spin into Upper cut, leg sweep, spin to opposite direction, jab to what I assume would be the enemy's solar plexus, two hands held like bike handles thrust forward, move 90 degrees to the right slide hands into end, crack the enemy right into nuts, then bash him in the head when he's down. Then she did it faster, and we followed along, and then she expected us to do, first slow, several times, and then normal speed for the rest of drill time and then we'd spar for the rest of class. I got the drill on the first try, so did Corrine and Danae which only made me think there was something about them, most the other girls, got them within two or three tries, by the fourth time through we all had it down and we were going at full speed after going through them full speed five times. We began sparring. Now that there were four of us, Merilee declared the 10 year olds would only spar with each other, and the 11 and 12 year old would rotate sparring with their year mates and with their opposite year. Weapons Practice lasted about two hours, so since lunch was an hour, and went from about noon to 1. Weapons went from 1 to 3. We had Weapons, Hunting, or Horseback riding, Horseback riding was only an hour and we had an hour of tree climbing and walking with Merilee after Horseback riding. Tree Climbing started for the 7 year olds, but the horseback riding would have only started this year for the 10 year olds, and is only taught to my age group. Just so they know enough to ride, hitch a wagon or a cart, get a wagon out of the mud, keep them fed and watered, in one place, and alive. I have a feeling my Mama is going to give me much more specific lessons. After the days' lessons were over, we played this game that was like this crazy combination of tag, hide and keep, capture the flag, and paint ball with mud balls, and staffs. I was filthy by the time I made it back to our private quarters, but we'd won to make it even it was the four of us, and Aretha who was born in the Hekatombian the first month of the Greek calendar, Skirophorion which started next week, My birthday was in the middle, of February, so I'd end up having it, at the end Gamelion, the January/February Month.
"Yuck, little Moon beam, you are so taking a bubble bath and washing your hair."
"No problem, I like baths. Where's Mama?"
"She had to go deal with something."
The thing she had to deal with was talking to her twin. Her future self, had warned herself about Corrine and Danae. Unlike her daughter they would not become Gods, she had written to herself her daughter would become the Goddess of Warriors and Champions, but the twins would stop aging in their late 20s, were immortal. She had spoken to Lyra when Lyra the head hunter had come to pray to her, while she was in the temple she answered. She knew Apollo had been her lover when she was 20 during a summer in Corinth, and fathered her children, and now they were developing strength, and while they were not developing powers per say, they were developing gifts that could be attributed to him. Both were beyond good at Archery, could play any instrument, had a gift for healing, seemed to know certain things, even if they weren't seers, and each had a pet Raven who seemed to understand them.
"Polly…." She said to her brother.
"Arte…." He replied.
"You knocked up one of my Amazons with twins, the girls are starting to show strength and powers."
"Knocked up?" He said.
"Sorry, my daughter is infecting me with future slang."
"That sounds like something you should have swatted her for." He said.
"I probably should have. But I was trying to figure out what she meant, by the time she explained what she meant the moment passed."
He nodded. "I knew about them I send them the Ravens, I can't really be involved in their lives, because of, Zeus's rules."
"Father is dead, Polly, and Theni will let you. Alexandra is her granddaughter she will understand."
"Will you allow me onto Amazon lands?"
"You can meet them at my Temple, but they'll be trained as Amazons as well as me personally training them like I'm training, Alexandra."
"I'd like to see them, and even if they are my daughters, they're unlikely to become full gods, so they're still Amazons, and will go to the Amazon land of the dead someday they're just as much yours as they are mine…."
"My future self said, they stopped aging, and became immortal in their late 20s, even though they never became Gods."
"It's uncommon but more common than Demigods becoming Gods." Apollo said.
I was a little upset that Auntie felt the need to oversee my bath to make sure I did it right. She even felt the need to wash me and Shampoo my hair, and Brush it out. She watched me Blow dry it, and then braid it, I worse it in a braid at home. I then went to get into my comfortable sweats from my time, that were sent along and were indestructible, stain proof, tear proof, weather poof, would grow with me, and I had 4 sets each in Black, Grey, Dark Blue, Burgundy, and Green, they weren't God power proof though so something could happen to them. I'm nothing if not a good negotiator I got almost everything I wanted. Mama probably felt bad about making me go, and having to downsize me and ruining my nice quiet mortal life. Of course, Mama had to put that line about no coffee until I'm 15. I wonder what else she put in the letter to herself. Probably told herself to make sure I get enough sleep. I go to sleep around 9 O'clock which in summer is hardly pitch dark outside. Mama came home, and Auntie left to go to Club Olympia, Mama and I had left over stew.
At first light Mara was on her horse Gray, Mara was never creative when it came to naming things, she had a dog named Goldie, because it had Golden brown fur. And her Pig fabric doll, is named Oinks. At the same time Xena with Eve on her back, Eponin, Callie, driving the Wagon with two horses, Arminda, Xylia, Medea, Dessa were the guards and were all full adult warriors and usually worked as guards under Eponin and Solari who was back in the village holding everything down in the village while Eponin was running this little errand.
I was sitting at breakfast, eating and drinking my milk. When my mother speaks. "Alexandra."
"Yes, Mama."
"Look at me please." I do. She gives no indication why she wanted to speak to me.
"You know I don't have to eat, I share breakfast with you because I want to spend time with you, and I'd like to actually have a conversation instead of watch you shovel food into your mouth, at an alarming rate. If you don't slow down you're going to choke. You're not a full god, Moon Beam you could still die, I would be really embarrassing if you die of lack of table manners."
The next few days went quickly, and Xena and her contingent arrived at the cave a few hours before they left their camp, which was a half a candle mark after dawn. They parked the wagon, and left Eve with Dessa, the others went inside, they decided to take the shackles and weapons, the dinars, the Wine, Port, Ale, and Cider, Parchment, Ink, Quills, firs, linen, silk, wool, and spices, but destroy the torture devices.
"You were another person weren't you Xena?" Eponin asked her friend.
"I was. A darker person, I wanted power, after Cortese and my mother rejecting me, I felt helpless, and I never wanted to feel helpless again, so I sought power, it was a power that brought me down a darker and darker path. It was a long road to the light, Eponin, Gabrielle was just the one to finally bring me to the light, but there was a lot of stops along the way, and a lot of people, that had me asking the right questions, so that Gabrielle could have affected me the way she did, because when I was destroyer of nations, she wouldn't have."
After they destroyed the torture devices, they packed up the wagon, and set up camp, there was no sense going anywhere the cave was the perfect place to camp.
Meanwhile later in the morning, Mara and her horse Gray reached Cyrene's Inn.