Chapter 2

They had been on their way for a few days now. By now their group consisted of five- two mortals and actually three gods, at least for the time being.

If they were honest, when Ares first made an appearance, they weren´t quite sure if they should believe even a single word he was said to them.

It was true that he had once practically sacrificed himself to stop Dahak or better said, to put it more exactly, Xena´s own possessed self, back then. That however didn´t change anything about all the other incidents in the past that showed them that he couldn´t be trusted.

It was not before they had met with the two other gods that they fully accepted the story he had shared with them….His version of the story. These two happened to be Aphrodite and Discord. Now they were on their way to this place in the company of the three Olympians.

Three Gods, they actually shouldn´t even have needed them or the assistance of any other mortal for that matter.

These three together were normally supposed to be one of the greatest powers on the face of the Earth. But where they were going now, this helped them nothing. This place was outside of their realm,that meant they would have no access to their powers there. And still, despite this little impediment, Ares, had agreed to come with them. That alone could be considered a clue as to let them know how important the situation was.

And having Aphrodite in their company-who they usually knew to be trustworthy- confirmed that what he had told them helped them a lot. So they had made the decision to believe them.

Of course, it was not happening every day that one of the Olympians came to you and was actually asking for help, not even for them. Unfortunately, it was in fact not the first time they were in this situation. Ares especially had been relying on their assistance before. That however didn´t mean that he wouldn´t turn on them once again the moment the odds were in his favor. And the story he had told them was not one that someone, not even him, would invent just like that,

…. A town that had somehow been cut off from the rest of the world, a cursed, demonic book that had suddenly reappeared, that was truly not an ordinary tale, even for him.

If they were honest, going on some crazy mission because the gods had told them to, was actually one of the last things they wanted to do. But by what they had been told, the situation sounded serious… more than serious actually.

What they had said to them, more or less directly, was that this could eventually develop into a threat to the world. So it was better to act before it came to that. Threats like this had they seen enough as far as it came to them.

The task they had agreed to carry out was actually quite simple. They would cross the town´s border, find the book, take it and leave. It sounded deceptively easy. If it were not for the little fact that to do this they had to enter a place that had partly drifted into another dimension and that was being controlled by a dangerous insane cult and where their immortal allies would be powerless, it should have been a piece of cake.

Yes, it was just that kind of mission that you would wish to go on, Xena thought sarcastically to herself. Truth be told, if it was not for the fact that the Olympians had managed to convince her that the situation would turn many times worse should they not interfere, she would have rather stayed where she was.

But just like Ares had pointed out, it was better to solve this problem now, before it turned into another world shattering crisis. That was something she had truly enough of after the entire Twilight business. It hadn´t taken her and Gabrielle long to come to this conclusion after a short debate

As it turned out however, Xena was not the only one having similar thoughts about their mission.

"Why exactly did we have to go with them?" Discord continued to complain.

"Because they are helping us with an important task," Ares retorted "and we can not just expect them to go by themselves. You know that."

"And why not? We all know that our powers will vanish as soon as we cross the border. So it is not as if we would be of much help."

"Only speak for yourself," the War God remarked, "even without my powers I am still one of the best fighters on the planet."

Nobody commented to his boasting. Xena was only one step away to say something even if she knew he was technically right. There were only few who could match him with a sword. She was one of them.

But if she were honest, she didn´t even know for sure completely how Ares had managed to return to life. Not that it was all too surprising however, after all she herself had managed to do the same thing a few times before.

The only explanation he had given her so far was that he was `not the same´ being she used to know and that he was not from this world. Up to then, she couldn't really tell for sure how good `this new version´ of Ares was and it would be pure arrogance to make assumptions here.

But so far, neither he nor the others showed any interest to turn against her or Gabrielle. As far as she could tell, they seemed to be sincere.

"It is also a question of trust," Aphrodite pointed out. "We can not expect Xena and Gabrielle to go all by themselves."

"And it is not as if we could force them, well… not since Xena gained the ability to kill us all if she wants to, anyway" Discord remarked sardonically.

"Yes, that's exactly my point," Ares responded.

"It is good to know that you still remember that," Xena told them. "Just in case one of you should come to any strange ideas."

"As if we ever would," Discord replied, suppressing a grin.

"We aren´t your enemies anymore," Aphrodite assured her. "There is no reason anymore since the Twilight has already passed."

As soon as her line ended, her expression became unusually pensive…The Twilight…they weren´t even so sure about that. Between the demise of Zeus and Hera and that of the others had passed over 25 years. Who said that the Twilight was truly over and the rest of them would not simply die later? Yes, Ares had assured them that this had not happened in the world where he came from, but who said things here would be playing out in the same way? There was no way to be certain. There were no guarantees.

"Okay, but it is not as if we all need to go with them, right?" Discord remarked. It was clear by her tone that she had no interest to be one of them who did.

"Not, it is not," Ares simply replied.

"By the way, can you tell us a bit more about this place?" Gabrielle finally asked them. "You only told us that it somehow `drifted´ to a place outside of our world. But how exactly did that happen?"

"Believe me, if we knew that we would have told you in the first place," Aphrodite answered grimly.

The anger, a feeling normally quite foreign to the love-goddess, and slight shame in her voice was obvious, at least for someone like Xena who had spent years learning how to read people.

The fact that something like this could have happened and them, the gods, had no idea how, was obviously still a sore spot for them all. In Xena´s and Gabrielle´s opinion the events of the last decades should have thought them some humility and showed them they were not the sole masters of the world, like they had long thought. The God of Eli, Dahak, it was clear that there were bigger fish out there than them.

xxx

They had been travelling for a few hours when they finally reached the border of the lost area, the point of no return.

"So, this is it," Ares stated.

Right in front of them, the field road they were walking on just continued without a visible difference. But at the same time, there was an incorporal super-natural barrier before them, one which presence only the gods could feel.

"So this is the place that gives you so much worry," Xena commented.

"Exactly," he replied. "We will do this as we discussed. I will come with you. I will be powerless, but still able to fight as a mortal." This would not be a first for him, he thought. "Aphrodite and Discord will turn back."

"Yes, as agreed."

"Wait a moment," Discord said, to everyone's surprise, even to her own, taking a few steps forward.

There was something, she had a strange feeling. Something just drew her to move, across the border. Aphrodite followed her in a short distance, walking only a meter behind her.

"Hey wait. What are you doing?" she asked, casting her a puzzled glance.

"I am not sure," she admitted. "I had a very unusual feeling, as if I should move forward. It just seemed a good idea."

"You mean we have just crossed the border to another realm because something told you to do it?" Aphrodite exclaimed, in bewilderement.

"Great," Ares remarked, "now she of all people has to start like this."

They all had to admit that this kind of behavior was out of character for Discord, well kind of. Acting on impulse had always been part of her nature. Listening to her `inner feelings´ about something however was clearly not.

Looking at each other for a short moment, Xena, Ares and Gabrielle followed them through the invisible line in the air.

"That means we are now in your realm," Gabrielle questioned, "or even in our world?"

"Let us test this out," Xena stated. "Try using your powers," she said with a visible smirk. You could `nearly´ think she liked the idea of seeing them powerless.

All three of them started trying, in different ways, to do something super-natural. Nothing happened so far though.

"Nothing," Ares responded.

"By all indications, we could as well be mortals," Aphrodite pointed out. Neither of them had any success.

Then however, something unexpected happened. As Discord was channeling her energy...

...A long tree limb that had been lying close to them was now floating a few meters in the air.

"Wait a moment" Gabrielle wanted to know, "why does she have access to her power, but you two don´t?"

"I have no idea," Ares replied, staring at Discord in awe.

"It is not all of my powers," she told them, "only a bit of it. But I guess it's better than nothing."

"This town, we had a theory about it. Not about the reason. We are completely clueless there. But we had an idea where it might have moved to," Aphrodite informed them.

"And you mention that now?" Ares said.

"We never had any proof."

"Okay, what is this theory?" Xena asked.

"We believe that it is possible that the area had somehow began to drift into the Realm of Chaos, long ago" she explained.

Ares stared at her speechless for a few moments.

"Great, just great," he then commented.

"Chaos, that is part of my element," the dark haired goddess said with a grin.

"Do you even know what you are talking about? You..." Ares growled at her. But then he stayed silent.

"It would explain why Discord has access to a part of her power," Aphrodite suggested. "In this perspective she seems to be right."

"Okay, change of plans," the War God told them, "Discord, you come with us. Aphrodite, you go back."

"What? But..."

"No buts. You are the only one of us who is not completely reduced to a mortal. That means we will need you."

"If this is cleared up let us keep going," Xena said to them.

They continued to walk on the very same road, nearly as if nothing had changed at all.

xxxxxxx

In another place and time

The immortal warrior known as Callisto was on her way to the destination where her employers had send her. These `employers´ were nobody else than the Olympian Gods. She had been in their `service´ for a few decades now.

To make a long story short, Callisto had once been a mass murdering warlord. In the past she had been responsible for the destruction of entire towns and villages. She had killed countless people, including unarmed women and children, pillaged, crucified landfolk, besides many other horrible crimes. After awhile, she even went as far as to conspire either against or with some of the gods.

Her motivation for all this however was, for the greatest part, nothing else than revenge on Xena, whose army had burned down her hometown and killed her family when she was still a child.

Ironically, she ended up doing more or less the same thing to many others.

But all that was in the past now.

In one of her latest schemes, Callisto had managed to achieve immortality and even godhood, by eating a piece of Ambrosia.

Godhood, for every other warlord, conqueror or simple villian this would have been the fullfilment of all their dreams. For Callisto however, as it quite quickly turned out, it was just a worthless torment.

Her purpose, the true driving-force behind all her actions was ultimately nothing else but vengeance on one person and as this desire could not be settled to her satisfaction, her existence became unavoidably pointless. This was also exactly what came to pass a short time later, when Callisto had been involved in the death of Xena´s son. It was meant to be that what she had always wanted, her true revenge, the death of Xena´s family for her own.

But it didn´t give her what she had hoped for. All what she knew at that time was that she was feeling empty.

If the story now had played out like it did in the `regular´ world, it would have ended with Callisto being killed by Xena with the Hinds Blood Dagger, being sent to Hell and later being reborn as Eve.

But this was a different Callisto. It was a different world and things had turned out in another way.

Through a particular line of events she had now become an agent of the Olympian Gods and was currently on the latest mission they had sent her on.

Given her position, she was not longer a real god, but still immortal. Most of that power had been stripped from her when the Olympians `recruited´ her. But in light of the new task she had right now, this might actually be an advantage.

She was on her way to this strange town called Innhiata.

In opposite to many of her past missions however, she was not going alone now.

"Do you have any idea what might happen if we cross the border?" her partner asked her.

"To be honest," she answered, "I don't have the slightest idea. This is kind of part of the whole `being in another dimension´ deal, right?"

"You mean we have no idea what we are walking into…. Sounds just great."

"Why do you think the Olympians have sent me of all people here to investigate, instead someone they truly care about? So they won´t have to risk one of their favorites for this," Callisto told her.

"You know, you can always turn back. This is my task and mine alone. Nobody can force you to come with me," she said to the young woman she was travelling with.

"I have told you I will stay by your side, no matter what happens." she responded.

Yes, her new partner had offered her, her allegiance, her loyalty, maybe even her friendship. A part of her had to nearly laugh at the thought, another felt something quite different.

"I see," Callisto just answered.

xxxxxxx

All of them continued their journey. They were moving through a very similar landscape, following very similar paths, even if they were in different worlds.

But they had the same destination.

Before them, laid the town Innhiata. It was located in a fog clustered valley, at the coast of a large bay that was connected to the open sea.

The town itself seemed to be empty, deserted even. Not a single being was to be seen on the streets. From afar, it looked like a place forsaken by everyone, even the gods.

But they knew this was not true. It was the town that had given up on them.