Since Gunnr had returned from the Mediterranean, Odin had urged caution amongst his fellow gods. Tyr, unsurprisingly, had been the most ardent advocate of full scale war. He had, of course, dressed his war fervor up in demands that his daughter's honor be respected. But Odin knew that Tyr would look for any excuse to pound a few gods with his mighty hammer. Odin and good sense had prevailed and the gods had decided a wait and see approach was in their best interests. The god of Eli had no followers in their lands yet, the Northmen were faithful to their gods. Still, Odin was worried enough about the message of love and the spread of a monotheistic idea that he sent his ravens south to keep a watchful eye.
He was enjoying a warm cup of mead when he heard the squawking of one of his feathered spies. Odin sat the mug on the armrest of his throne and laid his head back against the cold stone. His eyes rolled into the back of his head so that if there had been anyone to witness it, they would have seen only the whites of his eyes. Odin looked through the eyes of the raven. The bird's mighty wings flapped as it soared over Greece. Odin knew that sending his spies so far afield was a breach of long held contracts. but times were dire. The raven circled a few times then landed in a tree on the edge of a vast lake.
Odin shuddered and gripped his stone throne until his fingers hurt. He watched as souls rose out of the lake like steam. The souls were escaping the Greek Underworld. Odin tried to read the souls but they were so numerous, and from what he could tell, they had been mostly simple, common folk. The raven croaked again as it saw a winged figure emerging from the clouds. Odin watched as the figure heralded the souls toward a bright light that had torn a hole in the eastern sky. It was then that Odin realized that souls weren't escaping but were being harvested. The god of Eli had claimed the Greek dead and was rejudging them.
Odin snapped his vision back to his physical presence on Valhalla. He pounded his fist on his throne. Damn Ares for killing Eli and adding fuel to his powers by pushing worshippers into his camp. And now this god had gained the souls of more dead, his power would only grow. Odin didn't waste another second. He had to secure Nifleim, he called for Hel.
AXAXAXAXAXAXAXAXAX
Gabrielle was standing over the war table when Xena and Ares returned to the war room. She looked at them and noticed how they walked in synchronous rhythm. They looked more like they were dancing than casually walking into the room. They were one somehow. Gabrielle had always known that Ares was part of Xena's darkness, but things were markedly different now. It was like they were two halves of one entity. Gabrielle had long considered herself Xena's soulmate but there was something undeniable about the connectedness of the two gods standing before her.
"What is it, Gabrielle?" Xena asked as Gabrielle stared at them.
Gabrielle shook off her jealousy. "I overheard part of your conversation with Hermes. And It struck me that you might be right about Eli's god. I know Eli would have never resorted to violence. But the truth is, he didn't have to. He just counted on Ares to do that for him. And he guessed that the other gods would react fearfully to your ability to kill them."
Ares' jaw tightened. So Gabrielle was going to blame him for the whole thing. But before he could defend himself, Gabrielle added, "So, if we know, he's not opposed to letting violence play out to serve his ends, then it's possible that Eve's recent actions were meant to sow unrest among the polytheists and if you go to war against each other, then he gets exactly what he wants."
"She's right about one thing. Although, I don't think this god is above using violence or having his emissaries do so in his name. Let's not forget that Eve did kill Proteus thinking he was me. But regardless of whether this god condones direct violence, he certainly knows how to use collateral damage to his benefit," Ares huffed, "right now we are facing a repeat of the Twilight, but on an even grander scale. And, it isn't just the Olympians who will be wiped out this time."
"So, how do we stop them from fighting?" Xena asked.
Ares laughed wryly. "Your first act as the Goddess of War is going to be to stop a war!"
"If that's what it takes to save us," Xena answered and Ares knew she meant her family, all of them, Ares, the baby, Gabrielle, and Eve.
"That's gonna be a tall order, Xena." Ares breathed in frustration but put his hand on her lower back reassuringly.
"I'm with you. What do you need me to do?" Gabrielle asked.
"Stay put." Xena answered.
"Xena–" Gabrielle protested.
"I mean it Gabrielle. You'll be safe here under our protection. Outside of the Halls of War you will be a target. They'll hurt you to hurt me."
Gabrielle wanted to argue but she knew that Xena was right. "I can do that."
"There's more she can do," Ares chimed in.
"Ares, I won't sacrifice Gabrielle–"
Ares held up his hands. "I don't mean that. She's a writer. Let's use that. Can you craft a letter to the gods, explaining what you just said to us? Convince them that fighting amongst ourselves will be the death of us all. Persuade them to lay down arms. To let go of our old grudges."
"I'll try but coming from me, it might not be too convincing. Some will see it as a ploy by Xena. Plus, I was a personal friend of Eli."
"What if the letter is anonymous?" Xena suggested. "If we can get Aphrodite back here, she can deliver the letters to the various pantheons. She doesn't have to say which faction it's from."
"Could work," Ares said, but then added, "but not Dite. Everyone knows you are the one who sent her back to Olympus with me. It has to be someone else. And Hermes just saw her in our company."
"There is no one else," Xena reminded him.
"There is. If I can get to him."
"Cupid," Xena smiled as hope sprang in her heart. Cupid was reasonable and he also had a family to consider. He might be willing to help them stop the slaughter that they faced otherwise.
Ares nodded. But if he's on Olympus right now, I don't have dinghy's chance against Charybdis of getting to him."
Xena closed her eyes and tried searching for Cupid through the aether.
Ares watched her brow furrow as she strained. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to find him." Xena answered as she continued letting her mind sail through the void. Then suddenly the world began turning on its side. Xena opened her eyes to discover that she had begun to fall. Ares had caught her and was gently supporting her.
"Take it easy, Xena. You're not gonna find him that way. Gods have ways of masking their presences from each other, especially within their own domains."
Gabrielle, who had run over to help Xena when she began to topple, put her shoulder under Xena's other arm. "You okay?" She asked Xena then looked at Ares, "Hermes didn't seem to have any problems finding you."
Ares helped Xena lay down on the war table. "Partly it was an educated guess that Xena would bring me here. And because in the old days he needed to deliver messages to us from Dear Old Dad, Hermes was given a keener sense of detection."
Gabrielle nodded but couldn't take her eyes off Xena who looked as weak as a newborn foal. "What's wrong with her?"
"I've seen this with young godlings who don't know how to fully control their powers. They over exert themselves because they aren't used to conserving the flow of the ichor through their systems. In what looked like seconds to you, she just scanned the entirety of Greece and half the Mediterranean, both human realms and godly ones that she didn't even know existed until now. She'll need some nectar, or ambrosia, or considerable rest." Ares opened his palm and with a thought, a vial of nectar appeared in his hand. He gently lifted Xena's head and held the vial to her mouth and slowly poured. Even as careful as Ares had been, a small amount of the golden liquid rolled off of Xena's lips, trailed over her jawline and down onto her neck. The sight of it excited Ares and he couldn't resist tasting the long desired fantasy of Xena's flesh mixed with the honeyed syrup. Ares cleaned her with his tongue and was rewarded with her fingers curling around his neck pulling him in to devour her even more.
"Ahem," Gabrielle cleared her throat.
Any other time and Ares would have been annoyed by the interruption but they didn't have time to waste. He was damned certain that Apollo wasn't wasting time. Ares kissed Xena fully on the mouth but then broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. He couldn't help but to smile when he realized that when the war was all over, he'd have all the time he wanted to devour her. Centuries, millenia, eternity. But first they had to win the war. And, as he watched the nectar working through her and her strength coming back, the fire burning in Xena's eyes told him that it was only a matter of time, with their forces combined, they would win the damn war.
Feeling her strength flowing once again in her veins, Xena sat up on the table. She looked at Ares. "Went too hard, didn't I?"
"Don't you always?" He chuckled.
"Alright, alright. Slow and steady."
Gabrielle squeezed Xena's hand. Xena smiled at her best friend. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"For once, I'm agreeing with him. Watch yourself." Gabrielle shook her head.
"I promise," Xena held up her fingers in a scout's honor gesture.
"You know, I've walked both sides of the coil, mortal and immortal, and the best advice I can give you about using your powers is to think about it like monitoring your breath for an extended run. I mean there will be times when you will need to sprint and you'll learn quickly when to use those bursts. But other times just let it flow through you like air."
"Thank you."
"One more thing. Worshippers matter. Oh, you'll still be immortal. But the power of your vibrations will be stronger as your followers grow."
Xena's brow knotted up. "Ares, does that include the dead?"
"Yes."
"Why would the dead need to worship the gods?" Gabrielle asked.
"Because of the suffering in Tartarus and the limbo of the Underworld. Not everyone goes to the Elysian Fields. Those who don't are always begging the gods for release."
"We've got more trouble then," Xena said as she stood from the table and started checking her gear.
"What do you mean?" Ares asked.
"When I was searching for Cupid. I saw the Underworld unleashed. MIchael and the other archangels were lifting the souls of the dead toward Heaven."
"That can only mean one thing."
"What?" Gabrielle asked, although she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"They've killed Demeter and Persephone. We have to hurry. Are you ready, Xena? We have to find Cupid."
"Show me," Xena held her hand out to him.
Ares took it and they disappeared before Gabrielle's eyes.