Chapter 73

The unmistakable smell of burning wood lingered in the air long after the pyre burned out. The last of the embers slowly dying out as they faded away, taking the last remnants of her brother with them. Never again would she be able to look upon his face, see his smile, hear his laughter and the fury that was rolling off Xena from her grief had no one wanting to get near her from the mere intensity of it as her men kept their distant. No one except a very much taken War God who, despite the recent turn of events, reveled with delight at the energy his Princess was giving off.

Her wrath was sending a chill down his spine, and he could not help the slight smirk that came across his face as he fed off his Princess' fury. Mixed within it was her anguish too and each emotion fueled the other more intently. Ares had felt Xena's agony the moment Athena had struck her deadly blow and had arrived in time to see his Princess lead siege against Athena's forces. The way she maliciously gutted one of her commanders, it exhilarated him. Throughout everything, she did not spare the War God a single glance or gave any indication that she even realized he was there throughout the whole pyre procession. He had watched his Princess the whole time, observing as her rage mounted more and more.

"I want her head." It was the steely coldness in her voice that sent another pleasant shiver down the War Gods spine as her demand came out in a barely audible whisper.

He knew she was talking to him, and he considered her words, even though she still did not bother to look in his direction. And although he had no love loss for his sister, she was still a God and killing one was not the easiest thing to do. Not to mention she was Zeus' favorite and that would put a damper on any plan. The more he thought about it though, and as much as he would enjoy having Athena out of his hair for the rest of eternity, Ares was not so sure how he felt about the possible repercussions it would ensue from Zeus. He did not doubt Xena's ability to effectively pursue her revenge, but his Princess' life was not something he was entirely willing to gamble with, not even for her own vengeance.

"Athena is a God…"

"I don't care!" she hissed out, swiftly cutting off any reason he was about to give her as she finally turned her fiery gaze towards the God of War, acknowledging his presence for the first time in hours, "There are ways to kill even a God."

The Warrior Princess knew of certain items, she heard the stories of how the blood of the golden hind could be used against the Gods, making any weapon coated in its blood lethal to any Olympian with just a mere scratch. It was tricky to get ahold of but not completely impossible. Then there was the Dagger of Helios, secreted away in one of his temples. Though not so secret since its whereabouts seemed to be common knowledge. Foolish of the Gods to leave something so powerful just lying around for anyone to get their hands on. They thought no mere mortal would be stupid enough to try and use it. Their ignorance would be their own downfall. Lastly there was the rib of Kronos, that one seemed the most out of her reach. Only Zeus knew the hiding place of Kronos' tomb and it was very unlikely that the King of the Gods was going to hand over such delicate information to her willingly.

Standing idly by, once again forgotten as if he was nothing more than an insignificant peasant, Ares watched the emotions dance across Xena's face as she went over all the possible scenarios in her head. It was thrilling for him to watch, the way she was undoubtedly forming her plan out flawlessly. She did not back away from the challenge, cower in freight as so many others would have done when faced with the possibility of having to go up against an Olympian. She embraced it, the danger exciting her as the passion shone in those sapphire eyes of hers and the War Gods desire for the Warrior Princess flared even more.

It was in that moment, unconsciously known to the God of War until then, that there was nothing he would deny this Goddess that stood before him. If she wished it, then he would see it done. He inched his way closer to her, suddenly needing to be near her. He reached out and softly ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek, snapping Xena out of her resolve as those wild chaotic blue eyes crashed into his once more.

He was not against ending his insufferable sister's life, but they needed to be cautious. Ares did not want Zeus' wrath focused on Xena. All of Olympus would not want to find out what would happen if the God of War was backed into a corner and had to choose between protecting what he passionately believed was solely his and his unforgiving father. History was meant to repeat itself when it came to father and son.

"Right, you are my dear…" he murmured as he gently brought her hand up to his mouth and placed a chaste kiss against her bloodied knuckles before slowly encircling her in his embrace as his hands leisurely, but possessively moved to rest against her hips, "… so many exhilarating possibilities."

The Warrior Princess was surprised at his words. She knew Athena was no Aphrodite but when it came down to it, the Goddess of Wisdom was still family. It pleased her to know that the God of War was not trying to talk her out of it, in fact he seemed incredibly pleased with the idea. A wicked grin pulled at the corners of her mouth at the thought, and she leaned in closer, playfully nipping at his bottom lip before impishly darting her tongue out to soothe it.

"I want to be the one to kill her.," she fiercely breathed out against his lips, her hands viciously tightening around the edges of his vest as they rested against his chest.

"My sweet…," he roughly said, their mouths softly brushing against one another's from the movement as they teased themselves with the slightest taste of each other, "… I'll serve you her heart on a golden platter…"

Xena's heart hummed at the prospect, her eyes lighting up with a feral passion as she wiped those few cursed inches away between them and claimed his mouth in a demanding kiss. She would take what she wanted from the God of War, feeding off what he could provide for her in that moment. It was not long before Ares responded in kind and was trailing a scorching line of kisses down her neck. Her anger dissipated for a moment, allowing her grief to gradually engrave its merciless fingers around her still bruised heart. But it was the soul searing kiss that kept the icy grasp of despair away for a while longer as Ares reclaimed his precious Princess' mouth with his own. As if sensing the internal struggle that was about to take place inside her.

She met his passion with an equal if not more fervent one of her own. She would lose herself in the God of War tonight, unconsciously allowing each kiss, each caress, each thrust an attempt to stitch together the pieces of her broken heart. She gripped him tightly as he entered her, her thoughts wondering for a second when exactly it was that they left that unholy field as he laid her against the plush rugs.

"Don't stop…" she breathlessly whispered against his ear, her nails digging viciously into his back as he did as she commanded, and she reveled in the control she had over him.

"Never…" he finally rasped out, giving his Princess exactly what she wanted as he elicited another sultry moan from her.

There was no room for sorrow and grief tonight, tomorrow she would face the bitter sting of her pain. But tonight… tonight she would try and make her heart whole once more as the ecstasy that was her War God consumed her.