Chapter 14: An Owl's Mission
Nyxis perched on the neighboring roof, watching Xena and Ares for the duration of the night. While she knew there would be limited information to gather at that point, she watched Xena hide the necklace of Hind's Blood. Nyxis recognized the importance of this item and looked forward to obtaining it and bringing it to her goddess. She was sure to be rewarded for this.
The owl waited for Xena to leave the room and then Ares to disappear. She lingered a few more minutes to see if Ares would reappear in the room. He didn't, so Nyxis took the extra precaution of making a flight around town to see if she could spot him, hoping to find him occupied with something else. A quick scan of Amphipolis showed him scouting the area around the edges of town. The coast was clear. Nyxis flew into the bedroom through the open window. She landed on the floor and hopped under the bed. After a few taps on the floorboards, she was able to find the hidden compartment and remove the necklace. Once she had the necklace securely in her beak, she left the way she came in and flew to her previous perch to spy on the dining room. She watched the breakfast scene unfold, gathering as much information as she could. Then she was off to Olympus and her waiting goddess.
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Lila and Gabrielle hugged one last time before Lila and Joxer departed on the road back to Potadeia. Most friends already said their good-byes after breakfast and were now engaged in their own activities. After helping Cyrene clean up one last time, Lila gathered her belongings and met Joxer in the dining room. Gabrielle made sure to be there to see them off.
"I'll miss you," Lila said.
"I know. I'll miss you too," Gabrielle replied.
"I'll miss you too!" Joxer said from the door but was ignored by both women.
"Make sure to send word as soon as all of this is over," Lila reminded Gabrielle.
"Of course, and I promise to come see you as soon as we can."
"You better," Lila warned.
Gabrielle turned her attention to Joxer. "Thank-you, Joxer. I do appreciate you escorting Lila home."
"That's what a gentleman does," Joxer replied with a clumsy bow.
"Please be safe," Gabrielle said to both as she watched them leave.
"They'll be fine," Cyrene said, coming up behind Gabrielle and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sure you're right." Gabrielle couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was coming over her though.
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Zeus was seated on the high-backed white marble throne adorned with carvings of lightning bolts that sat in his throne room on Olympus. Athena asked for an audience early this morning and now she stood at the base of the platform his throne sat on. Athena expected Nyxis to be back by now. She felt foolish standing here, telling Zeus about her concerns without having the evidence they needed to plan their course of action. Zeus was becoming impatient and Athena was attempting to keep him calm.
"Where is this damned bird, Athena?"
"She'll be here," Athena attempted to assure them both with her words. Nyxis has never disappointed her is the past. She briefly entertained the thought that her spy had been caught and that is what was keeping her now. She pushed that thought aside though, focusing on how careful Nyxis has always been.
"If she's not…" Zeus' warning was cut off by a white blur that flew in through his open window, circled the room and landed on Athena's outstretched arm.
Athena silently thanked her companion for returning just in time. She held up her other hand, and let Nyxis drop her findings in it. Athena held it up with pride, to show Zeus. "Just as I said, Hind's Blood!"
Zeus narrowed his eyes and stared at the object in Athena's hand. "You're sure of this?" he asked a little uncertainly.
"Absolutely, and I'm sure we have proof here," Athena nodded at Nyxis.
Typically, Athena could lock gazes with her owl and watch the events from the bird's point of view. As Zeus was here with her for this occasion, she waved her hand and a water basin sitting atop a small stone podium appeared in front of her. Zeus rose from his throne and descended the stairs to stand at the podium across from her. Athena guided Nyxis to perch on the side of the water basin and stare down into the pool of water. As Athena and Zeus peered in as well, they could see the scenes witnessed by Nyxis play out before them. Once the images stopped and Nyxis returned to her perch on Athena's shoulder, Athena confronted her father.
"Well, does that tell you what you need to know?"
"It certainly does…" Zeus paced the floor and pondered the situation. "It is but a small hiccup in the plan. So, Ares knows the truth; they are still outnumbered. With their little secret weapon missing, they have nothing to rely on."
"True," Athena agreed. "However, the insubordination here is rampant. First Ares, then Aphrodite, even Hera."
Zeus waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "I have no time for them. Ares is no surprise. Even before he knew that the child was his, I would expect him to offer some sort of protection to Xena. Hera and Aphrodite aren't worth the time. Neither truly have the backbone to interfere anymore."
"But -" Athena began to argue but Zeus shut her down.
"I'm not wasting my time with the likes of them. We need to plan here. Besides, we have what is now the most important piece of all of this… the Hind's Blood. Which you will destroy immediately upon leaving here. There is no need for any one mortal or god to have that power."
Athena nodded her understanding as she put the necklace around her neck. She shifted focus back to their plan of attack. "The two companions that they sent out this morning… I can send Ilainus and a small squad to cut them off and take them hostage."
"The girl and the fool are hardly a treat," Zeus replied.
"Obviously. However, they could be a potential bargaining chip. You heard Xena… no casualties. It could serve us well to have a hostage or two… especially the bard's own sister."
Zeus followed Athena's thought and agreed.
"Once we have them secured and the Hind's Blood is eliminated, we will launch at attack on Xena and Ares. Prepare the others. Without their prized weapon, we have the potential to make one grand show and wipe them out. No need to drag this on any longer than necessary."
"Very well," Athena agreed with her father. "I will alert all to the plan."
"Leave me. I must rest and contemplate to prepare."
Athena left her father's chambers and reappeared in her temple a few miles down the road from Amphipolis. This, she decided, would be her headquarters for her own plans. It wasn't too far from Amphipolis which meant that her warriors could get there quickly if necessary. Also, her father would never expect her to hide the Hind's Blood here on Earth. Above the altar she manifested a small platform and placed the Hind's Blood necklace on it. She held her hands over the item and closed her eyes. As she concentrated her energy, her hands began to glow and thin beams of gold light extended from them out to the platform. They created an intricate pattern of light beams that formed a barrier around the platform and necklace. With her protection around the object, no god would be able to get through. The added touch of laser beams fueled by her own powers would prevent any mortals from reaching the object and sear their flesh if they reached in to try. Despite Zeus's explicit instructions to destroy the necklace and its contents, Athena couldn't bring herself to do it; not yet anyway. Ares had planned to use this weapon, that he had stashed away for years, against his fellow Olympians. If the threat could not be contained, it seemed justified for her to turn it back on him and his unborn child. No, she couldn't destroy it yet, not while there was still potential for it.
Athena called to the priestesses working the temple that day. Two young girls and one middle-aged woman appeared from the backrooms and stood before her; heads bowed.
"This temple is closed for the foreseeable future," Athena announced with no explanation. "Only my warriors are permitted in an out. The doors will be closed and locked. My warriors will announce themselves when they come and you will be here to let them in." She addressed this to the middle-aged woman. "While they are here, you are not to question their actions. I will be in and out as necessary as well. You two then," she looked to the younger priestesses, "can report to my temple in Philippi and offer your assistance there. Word will be sent of when you can return here."
The three women were confused, but dared not to question their goddess. They each nodded their understanding and immediately set out to obey her orders.
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Xena stood up quickly from the floor. She had frantically searched about the rest of the room, despite knowing exactly where she had left her gift from Ares.
"Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!" she muttered to herself and she threw aside blankets and pillows that had been on the bed.
Ares appeared behind her, panic on his face. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's gone!" Xena yelled. She had opened several dresser drawers and slid around the clothing and other objects inside.
"Gone? What's -" the realization dawned on Ares. "You better not mean what I think you mean!"
"Of course I mean what you think I mean," Xena snapped. "What else would l be tearing the room apart for?"
"I thought you said it was a great hiding place?" Ares struggled to control his anger.
"It was!"
"Apparently not!"
At the sound of raised voices and frantic movements, Gabrielle threw opened the door and let herself into the room. "What's the matter?" she asked, also in a panic.
"Xena lost the Hind's Blood!" Ares bellowed.
"What?" Gabrielle gasped.
"I didn't lose it! I know exactly where I put it. It's just not there now!" She sat on the unmade bed, feeling defeated. "Someone must have stolen it."
"Who would steal it?" Gabrielle asked.
"Who?" Ares countered. "All of Olympus if they knew where to look!"
"Who knew that you had it?" Gabrielle asked.
"Everyone here," Xena contemplated. "But none of them would steal it."
Gabrielle looked accusingly at Ares. "Who have you told about it?"
"Me? Why is this on me? The only person I told was Xena."
"There must have been a spy around," Xena said, thinking out loud.
"That is possible," Ares agreed.
"So… now what?" Gabrielle ventured to ask.
Xena and Ares stared at each other, but didn't know what to say. This was their biggest weapon, the thing they had been counting on to have any advantage in the upcoming battle. Without it, they were at a loss.
Finally, Xena sighed. "Arm ourselves as much as possible. Be on alert at all times."
Quietly Ares added, "Watch for my signal for retreat if necessary. Make a plan for it."
Both women looked at him in disbelief. Never before had either heard the God of War support retreat from battle, let alone prepare for it. He wore a grim expression as he looked from Gabrielle to Xena. "No causalities, remember?" Xena shifted her gaze away to try to prevent the tears that were forming from escaping.
After a few more moments of silence and the gravity of the situation weighing on them, Gabrielle said, "We should warn the others."
"We'll join you in a bit," Xena said to her.
Gabrielle left the couple alone. Ares came to sit on the bed besides Xena. He put his arm around her and she placed her head on his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry," she held back her sobs.
"We'll figure it out," Ares attempted to reassure her.
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Athena didn't care to visit this part of Olympus. The forge was dark and gloomy. Fires burned for the purpose of metal working, but that didn't eliminate the dampness from the space. Hephaestus was at work over his workbench. Various tools lay scattered about him and he was actively working with a hammer to bend his newest piece of weaponry into shape.
"To what do I owe the honor?" he asked with just a bit of sarcasm. He never stopped working or looked up at Athena.
She took several steps towards him and cut directly to the point. "We need to discuss your wife."
Hephaestus kept working. He never understood why the other gods came to him with complaints about Aphrodite and her love games. He had his own line of work to focus on and didn't much care how she shaped the interactions of mortals.
"What? One of your commanders run off with a village girl?" he asked.
"Hardly. Aphrodite knows not to play her games with my army," Athena retorted.
"Then why are you here?"
"She has interfered with the prophecy," Athena stated in an accusing tone.
Now Hephaestus' attention was drawn to her. He stopped his metal working and placed his tools down. He looked at Athena for several long moments, studying the goddess, and attempting to find any hint that this was some joke. Who was he kidding, though? Athena never joked.
"How?" was all he asked.
"She has aligned herself with Xena."
Hephaestus considered this. His confusion was evident but he didn't understand Athena's concern.
"I know she's fond of the Warrior Princess and the Battling Bard, I'm sure she is worried for them. But overall, who cares? What is she really going to do to stand in the way? She's the Goddess of Love after all, not a fighter. You have all of the rest of Olympus on your side."
"Not quite," Athena continued. "She's recruited Ares to their side as well."
"Well, I wouldn't say that she did the recruiting there. We all know Ares'… admiration of Xena. That was likely something he did on his own. Maybe they struck a bargain between themselves."
"I know for certainty that your wife had a role in his involvement in this," Athena insisted.
"Okay… it still hardly seems worth the effort to do anything about. Even with Ares on their side, it's still all of Olympus against him. Are you afraid of Ares and a band of mortals?"
"That is not the point of this. The point is that there was anarchy in the ranks!"
"We are not your soldiers, Athena. We are all fighting for the same cause with you, not for you. We all want to protect our home and ourselves, just as you do."
"Do you?" Athena narrowed her eyes at him.
"Of course! Why would I want the prophecy to come to pass? It affects us all, doesn't it?"
"It certainly does. I just want to be sure that your marital alliance hasn't swayed your sense of duty."
"Marital alliance? Sense of duty? You act as if the whole world is a battlefield," Hephaestus laughed at her.
"In some ways it is," Athena's tone became more serious.
"You know, in some ways, you're as bad as Ares," Hephaestus knew the right thing to say to sting her. He turned back to table and picked up his tools again. "I'll help you defend Olympus. Outside of that, leave me and my wife alone." He was about to bring his hammer down on the sword blade again, but was paused by Athena's response.
"There will be consequences when this is all over for treason. I suggest you get your wife in line before then if you know what's good for her."
Hephaestus heard the threat, but ignored it. He brought the hammer down with an exaggerated clang to emphasize his dismissal of this conversation.
Athena saw the worry flash through his eyes at her last statement. She felt confident that Hephaestus wouldn't be swayed by his wife after this conversation. She left him to his work.