Title: Memories...part 1
Author: Cat
Rating: T (Possible Language and Situations)
Status: In Progress
Summary: Events following A Friend In Need...
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Xena Warrior Princess show or Hercules the Legendary Adventures. I do however own the story line.
She found him atop a mountain, looking down upon a green valley below, lost in thought. "Ares" she said softly as she appeared next to him "talk to me brother" the Goddess of Love put her arm around his shoulders trying to comfort him.
Ares smiled at the action "you don't understand personal space do you?" he asked as he turned to face her.
Ignoring him, she lay her blonde head upon his shoulder "not when it comes to you stud muffin" she smiled "now tell me about the woman that has your heart so broken."
"Is it that obvious" he remarked.
She sat back with a look of astonishment "DUH I am the Goddess of Love" leaning back on him she resumed her position "now tell me about her, your broken heart is calling to me."
Not feeling up to an argument with her, he sighed "She was magnificent" he started as he recalled the returned memories of his first meeting of her…..
He had been late for a meeting with Zeus, a last minute meeting that his Father had called. He himself had been literally wrapped up in the arms of a dozen beautiful priestess at his temple near Thrace when the call came and he was not in a pleasant mood for having to leave the luscious ladies.
He unceremoniously opened the doors leading to the throne room on Olympus, letting them slam behind him.
Before him sat Zeus and Hera on their respective thrones, but the other person is the one that caught and held his attention, a woman, no a warrior by her dark leather dress and adornment of weapons. He smiled as he closed the space between them taking in her beauty, her crystal blue eyes pulled him in, her luscious red lips, her long dark hair was pulled back in a grouping of intricate braiding, leading to a long twisted braid trailing her back. She was tall, as tall as he. Lean and in shape. He noted her ears were slightly pointed. She wore a black leather battle dress, barley covering her tone thighs and gold armor across her chest made up on intricate weaving design like he had never seen. Zeus broke his appraisal of the woman "Pull your tongue back boy" he said in an ominous tone.
Ares noted the woman smirked at this and then turned her back to him again. Slightly embarrassed Ares stood next to her and faced his parents "You called Father" he replied dripping in boredom.
"Yes I did" began Zeus "and sometime ago I might add" as he stared down hard on Ares "This is Princess Xenia of the Seelie Court from the Lands of Kintaria" he motioned to the mystery woman next to Ares "and this is my son Ares, the God of War" Zeus added with distain.
Ares turned to the Princess "Greetings Princess" he took her hand, bending slightly, and placed a feather light kiss upon the back of her hand receiving a slight shock from the contact "it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance" he smiled devilishly at her has he released her hand noting she had felt it too.
She smiled "I am sure" she replied as one eyebrow raised and she turned back to Zeus "He is your God of War?" she asked with all sincerity "I was expecting" has she looked back at him "more war and less playboy" again turning her gaze from him back to Zeus.
Zeus appear insulted at her inquiry, but managed to hold back "Yes he does need to clean up a bit" he muttered as he stared down at Ares "but no less, he is capable and willing to help you in your mission Princess." Turning to Ares, who now looked insulted and a bit confused "Ares, Xenia is here on a mission to locate a mortal who is working with a dark lord from her land to attack our world" he leaned back "you are to help her find this mortal and resolve the issue" he stared hard down on Ares "Nothing more and nothing less" he added "Do I make myself clear boy?" he handed Ares a parchment with a likeness of a mortal girl and a description of who she was "she appears to be from a village along the coast."
Ares smiled "Yes of course Father" he replied as he took the parchment. Ignoring the glare from Zeus "Come Princess Xenia" he held out his hand "we shall find this mortal and resolve the issue in no time" his grin grew as she raised an eyebrow again but held out her hand to him. When he touched her they both looked up feeling the slight spark again.
They vanished leaving Zeus shaking his head "That son of yours is going to break me one day" he said to Hera.
Hera smiled a small smile, realizing that perhaps for the first time Ares had met his match.
Reappearing on the mortal plane, near his temple, he released her hand "So tell me about this mortal and why you looking for her."
She stared at him "you are not what I expected from a God of War" she said flatly.
Ares smiled cockily "well I try to impress."
"I didn't say that" she answered shortly and began looking around at the area "where is the nearest human settlement?"
"All business" he commented as he gestured to the south "not far, why don't we walk" he offered gesturing her forward "we can get to know one another, tell me about yourself."
"You are most assuredly are not what I would expect in a God of War" she said softly as she looked at him, she only saw sincerity in his eyes "maybe that won't be a bad thing" she added with a soft smile.
"I arrived this morning to your Greek Olympus in search of assistance at the word of my Father to locate a human who was working with the Dark One, Dahak, to infiltrate your world and reclaim it in the name of the Unseelie, their Queen, Morrigan, supports this action, while we of the Seelie do not. Our worlds have been separate for many generations, and we care not to merge back. The Unseelie will kill your humans with no thought and ravage the lands until nothing is left alive an unturned."
"Right to the point" Ares remarked.
Xenia turned to face him "Yes right to the point, there is no time for diversion, we must find the human, kill her and then I will return and all will be well again" she once again began her trek down the path not waiting on him.
"Um Princess" he began "there is one little problem with your plan" she stopped again and turned to him staring hard "well you see, there are a lot of humans and we will need to find just this one and there is the pesky thing about humans"
"And what exactly is that" she interjected irritation filling her voice.
"They have a soul and with a soul have the ability to be reborn again" he answered.
Her shoulders dropped and she shook her head "Are you freaking kidding me" she muttered "How in creation am I supposed to stop that much less find that?" her cool mask of indifference had slipped and emotion slipped "That little human, I will split her in two and seal her soul for all eternity in the urn of desolation."
"Whoa Whoa Whoa" Ares caught up to her, taking her by the arm "all is not lost Princess, I will help you and we will figure this out" he smiled "seriously you are tense" then his face lit up with an idea "Tell ya what, I will put my best priest on this one looking for the human and I am going to teach you how relax a bit."
She pulled back her arm "I don't know what kind of a Fae you believe me to be, but I have no interest in sleeping with you" she jumped back, drawing a curved sword from her back "perhaps I should slit you from end to end and finish this myself."
"Again Whoa Princess" he started, ignoring her sword, he walked up to it and it plunged deeply into his chest closing the space until the hilt rested at his chest and he inches from her face "first that little thing isn't going to hurt me and second, I wasn't talking about sex" he snapped his fingers and they disappeared, only to reappear on his personal training grounds in his mountain temple "I am curious about you and you just need to chill."
He stepped back, and Xenia dropped her sword. She sighed "I apologize, it was wrong to lose my temper, I am just so stressed trying to find this little snippet of a human that threatens to destroy the peace between our worlds. My Father will kill me, literally, if I fail to locate her and stop Dahak."
Ares pulled his sword "You know what helps me when I am stressed and sick of the crap" he smiled "a little sparing, and I bet you will at least challenge me a little more than the humans around here."
It was like a change in the winds "challenge" she smiled "ha, I am gonna wipe the field with you" giving out a battle call that at first startled him, the tall warrior leapt in the air and flipped over his head, her sword tipping his back. He smiled and spun around.
They danced like that for hours, trading blows, neither getting the better of the other, finally Xenia dropped her sword and laughed "You were right and you are the first to ever match me in swords" she smiled as she collapsed on the ground, catching her breath.
Ares joined her, winded by the exercise more than he cared to admit "told ya" he turned to lean on his arm and looked down at her smiling "you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen" he added softly.
"I bet you say that to all the girls" she whispered back looking up at him and taking notice of him truly for the first time his dark eyes pulling her in "you aren't as stupid as your Father thinks you are, are you?"
He laughed a bit "No, I like to rile dear old Dad up, but I do know what is going on. He expects me to fail, so it sets the bar low enough I don't really have to try" he laughed again "just showing up halfway on time today must have impressed him."
Suddenly the air seemed heavier and she need to break this mood "I shouldn't be dallying like this" she said softly as she began to sit up.
Ares let it go and sat up with her "Look I am sorry if I have said something wrong" he started "I just want to get to know you, I sent the parchment to my Priests, while we speak they are combing the country side for her, they will find her" he took her hand, noting the slight shock again, and locked eyes with her "I promise."
"How do I know you do not lie" she countered.
"A God need not lie" he answered truthfully.
Xenia relented and her shoulders eased "Now tell me the whole truth" he asked.
"I did" she answered.
"I feel you are leaving something out" he said.
He could see her resolve breaking, something big was baring down on her and she needed to get if off her chest.
Over dinner she told him of her land, Kintaria, a dimension parallel to this one, but filled with creatures of magic that had fled this realm, fearing the humans. There were many races of creatures and they were defined under two groups, Seelie, the creatures of light and the Unseelie, creatures of dark. She was a mix of Seelie lines, her Mother was an Elf and her Father a Fae. She had inherited her skills of war from her Mother and magic from her Father. Many of the court found her lacking for she was not a true blood line and her Mother had been the second wife of the King. She had left the court to pursue the art of war and battles. She had been led to the Dark One, and for a time, even though she hated to admit it, she had been drawn in. She had lied to Zeus about her involvement and only wanted to stop this before it went further, that is why she was here to find the human.
Ares felt no urge to judge her, to condemn her, he couldn't explain what was happening to him, but it was intoxicating to be around her.
"There now you know, I am a trader to my people and now I have to clean this mess up" she dropped her head " I have to redeem myself for the greater good, this human must be stopped, Dahak must be stopped."
Ares reached out, tilting her face back up to face him with his finger on his chin "You are just who you are and none of us are without faults."
She smiled "So open minded of you, you most definitely are not like the God of War I expected."
"Well" he leaned back a bit "I have had the opportunity to broaden my knowledge with travel and the good teachings of an old friend in Japa to show me that being as cold as my Father would like, will not get me far in this world, as a God of War or a man."
"Your friend is very wise" she said softly.
He leaned in, closing the space between them, a breath separating their lips, when he felt the pull of his priests. Pulling back "they found her" irritated by the timing "I guess we should go?" he asked.
Xenia swallowed hard as she tried to regain her composure, her mind racing "why am I acting like this, what is it about him, what am I feeling?" she questioned internally. Clearing her throat she answered "Yes I suppose we should."
Tbc*******************************************************************