XVII
Xena awoke wrapped in Ares' strong arms. His warm body, a stark contrast to the last time she'd held him in his bed, on Olympus. Had it only been a few days since she had plead with his cold corpse to wake up, to come back to her? So much had happened since that mournful day. She'd saved him from Hell, they'd faced down Michael, Xena had admitted her feelings to him, she'd said goodbye to Gabrielle and had chosen to stay with Ares, she'd accepted his marriage proposal, she'd discovered that she was carrying his children, and now they had decided to take back Olympus.
Since he'd transported them to Olympus the previous evening, none of the gods had bothered them. She guessed they were staying away because she and Ares hadn't dared to leave the God of War's private domain on the mountain. The other gods had banished him and there was no way that the Olympians were just going to let him waltz into the Main Hall. Letting him have access to his own quarters was one thing but free reign over the hill was something he was going to have to fight for. Xena wondered if there was a mob waiting at his front door. There was no way that his presence had gone unnoticed.
Xena ran her short fingernails through the downy soft hair that covered his chest. She walked her fingers up his chest and then traced his plump lips with her forefinger before reaching up to kiss them softly. Ares moaned and pulled her in closer to him, deepening the kiss. His eyes fluttered open revealing sienna irises filled with love and hunger.
"You ready to face the firing squad?" Xena asked as she broke the kiss but continued to pepper kisses along his jawline and along the thick tendons of his neck.
"I'm surprised they haven't tried to burn the place down, with us in it," he answered as he flipped them over so that Xena was pinned beneath him. She could feel his hardness against her thigh. She ran her nails gently down his back, causing him to shiver and his hips to buck toward her.
"They can wait a little longer yet," Xena purred as she parted her thighs.
"Yes, they can," Ares agreed and slid his hand down between her legs. "Mmmm," he was satisfied to find her ready for him.
Just as he slid his middle and index fingers inside her, he heard the door knocker pounding.
Xena moved her hips rhythmically against his hand. "They'll go away."
Ares continued thrusting his fingers into her hot slit. Xena reached down and started to rub her clit with the pressure she knew would bring her off.
The door knocker banged against the front door again.
"Ugh," Xena exclaimed. "Gods and their timing!"
"We'll finish this soon, I promise," Ares kissed her sweetly and spanked her lightly on the rear. "Get dressed, I'll see how many we have to kill."
"No one's getting killed today, We are going to talk this out with them like rational adults. Then, if they want a fight, we'll give them one."
The dark look in Xena's eyes sent a jolt of pleasure coursing through Ares blood and soul.
"That's my girl," Ares smiled as he headed down the hallway to the front door.
When he pulled the door open, the mob he had expected consisted solely of Cupid. He looked apologetically at the God of War. "You know you're not supposed to be here."
"Gee, Cupid, I really missed you too."
"Look, it's not like that, you know that I didn't want to go along with the plan to banish you but a deal is a deal, Ares."
"No, it's not," Xena said as she came up behind Ares wrapped in nothing but a black silk robe. Her hair was still tussled, her lips still swollen from making out. She looked like a dark angel. Ares would gladly go to his doom again, if she were the Angel of Death.
"Now, Xena, we don't want any trouble," Cupid's wings fluttered nervously.
"Good, that's what I was hoping. Cause you can't handle the kind of trouble that Ares and I can unleash on Olympus."
"Xena, you can't begin to think that the two of you can take on all the remaining gods. You don't have the power to kill gods, Xena."
"That can be changed. And I know that Ares and I could easily polish off the rest of you, probably in the space of an afternoon but we are hoping it doesn't come to that."
"We are?" Ares asked, the plan was sounding pretty good to him.
"Ares," Xena growled her warning then turned to the God of Love. "Cupid, will you please call together a council of the gods, Ares and I would like to go before them. We would like to petition to return to Olympus."
"We?" Cupid clarified. He knew that there were plenty of gods that would never grant Xena permission to stay on Olympus.
"Yes, we." Xena put her arm around Ares' waist.
"Should Apollo be included in this council?"
"Yes," Xena conceded. As much as she despised the son-of-a-bitch, he was part of the original banishment deal, so he should have a vote too. Though she knew full well what his vote would be.
"I'll see what I can do, but you two have to stay here until we get this worked out."
"I am no one's prisoner," Ares challenged.
"Really?" Cupid looked at Xena. They all knew that Ares would always be her captive.
Ares swallowed hard, smiled and bobbed his head up and down. He couldn't deny it.
"Just stay put. I am sure you can find some way to occupy your time until I get back," Cupid leered.
Ares pulled Xena into his body possessively. "Get your eyes off my woman."
"Cut it out, Ares," Xena warned, "Cupid you do your part, I'll keep him busy."
Cupid nodded and disappeared.
Xena took Ares hand and pulled him back down the corridor toward their bedroom.
AXAXAXAXAXAXAX
The Council Hall on Olympus was huge. It dwarfed the Athenian amphitheater. Rows of seats radiated outwards from a recessed speaking platform. A box with two seats reserved for the King and Queen of the gods sat vacant just above and behind the speaking platform. The first row of council seats numbered ten and customarily seated the other ten major gods of the pantheon. Xena noticed with regret the empty seats that belonged to Poseidon, Athena, Hephaestus, and Artemis. Ares and Apollo sat next to each other in their assigned seats, the animosity rolling off them in waves. Demeter stood next to the petitioner's podium alongside of Xena while they waited for everyone to get seated. Aphrodite gave Xena an encouraging smile as she sat down in her own spot. Xena knew some of the faces of the minor gods and demi-gods that made up the rest of the council but many of them were unfamiliar to her. She knew that most of them had plenty of reason to hate her, she just hoped that she could piece together a compelling enough argument to convince them to let her and Ares return to Olympus peacefully. She wished Gabrielle were here, the bard would know just what to say.
Xena could feel Ares' eyes on her as she rubbed the toe of her boot nervously back and forth over the same spot on the stone floor. She looked to him for encouragement, he smiled and quietly nodded his head that everything would be okay. She didn't smile back but her insides did stop fluttering just a bit knowing that he had her back if all Tartarus broke loose. As everyone finally got situated, the Three Fates ascended into the box behind Xena that had been reserved for Zeus and Hera. Xena wondered just who was watching their loom as the Crone, the Mother, and the Maiden eyed her emotionlessly. Demeter cleared her throat and motioned for Xena to step into the petitioner's box.
"Gods and goddesses of Olympus, as you know Xena of Amphipolis, the Warrior Princess of Kalmae, the Chosen of the God of War, the Destroyer of Nations, the Harbinger of Twilight, and the Restorer of Godhoods has asked for the council to convene. I will now turn the floor over to her." Demeter announced and then bowed toward Xena before finishing. "You have our undivided attention Mistress of War."
Xena noticed Enyo rolling her eyes at the last title that Demeter had chosen to use. Xena hadn't really cared for the introduction herself, especially considering that most of the titles cast her in an unflattering light but she knew that Demeter was being as formal as possible so that she could not later be accused of any kind of favoritism.
Xena cast one last glance at Ares before gripping the sides of the petitioners' box for support.
"Hello and thank you all for coming. I know that I am not on the best of terms with some of you but I hope you will all hear me out without prejudice if you can." Apollo's loud huff was accompanied by other jeers from farther back in the crowd. Xena looked directly at the Sun God, her displeasure with his antics clearly evident in her eyes.
"You'll have your turn," Goldilocks, "Bacchus said to Apollo but his yellowed eyes bored into Xena. "We all will."
Xena knew that Bacchus and Apollo would vote against her, she only hoped she could convince enough of the secondary gods to side with her to outweigh their lofty votes. The primary gods' votes counted twenty to one over the other gods'. Xena studied the deities on the front row. Ares and Aphrodite would definitely vote to return her and Ares to Olympus She was pretty sure she could count on Demeter. Apollo and Bacchus would no doubt vote against any proposal she might offer. That left only Hermes and Hesita up in the air. She really needed their support if they were going to do this thing without resorting to warfare.
"Thank you, Bacchus. As I said, some of us have certainly had our differences and some of those situations caused for open conflict. However, that's what I am trying to avoid here and I hope you will all cooperate in that effort."
Hestia stood. "So are you saying that if we don't side with you that you'll bring a war down upon us? Well, if that's the case, why bother with all of this formality?"
"Sister, please sit," Demeter urged. "Let's hear her out."
Reluctantly, Hestia gathered her robes and sat back down.
"I am saying that enough people have died needlessly, already," Xena continued. "I would never have hurt Athena or the other gods if they hadn't pursued me and my daughter. As you all know I will fight to the ends of the Earth and beyond to protect my family."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the audience.
"I am not here today as a supplicant asking you to return her god to favor. Instead, I am here as his promised, and the mother of his future children, to ask that you give their father his proper place amongst the gods."
"Promised?" Enyo screamed from the third row of seats.
"Enyo, you will refrain from such outbursts," The Crone called from the judges' box.
Ares stood and waited to be acknowledged by the Fates. The Mother nodded in his direction. "Ares did you have something to add?"
"If it pleases the council," Ares responded.
The Maiden motioned that he should join Xena at the podium.
When Ares reached Xena's side, he took her hand in his before addressing the crowd. "I have asked Xena for her hand. She has accepted. She has also agreed to be my immortal queen. We are expecting twins." Ares beamed.
Enyo was seething. How could he prefer the mortal wench to her? Why would he make her immortal? Children! Hadn't she given him children? What made Xena so damned special? She didn't have to stay here for this charade. The evil goddess bolted from her seat and made to leave the chamber.
"Enyo," The Crone belted out in warning. "If you leave, you forfeit your vote."
"Fuck voting! Nothing ever gets done right by council anyway." She vanished in a puff of black smoke. She'd made her mind up. She was going to kill the mortal and her unborn brats before Ares could make them immortal.
The crowd erupted with both approval and disapproval. The Fates pounded gavels on the long bench that ran along the front of their box. "Order, Order, Order," each Fate called in succession.
When decorum had returned to the room, the Maiden addressed Xena. "You've accepted his offer of an eternal marriage? You've played this game before! We are not to be trifled with, Xena."
"I understand your doubts but my intentions are true. I want to be his wife, this time. He isn't coercing me into it! There is a difference, you know?"
The Mother nodded. "Very well, when will the union take place?"
"Well, we haven't set a date yet. I was hoping to have the wedding, here, on Olympus. I wanted to get all of this situated first."
"I see," the Crone answered, then asked, "Did you have more to add to your petition?"
"Yes, thank you. As I said, I defend my family and when I marry Ares you will all be family. I already consider some of you family anyway." Xena smiled at Aphrodite. "I would defend you all with my life. Even you Apollo. I know you despise me and I understand your pain. I hated the man who killed Lyceus. Truth be told, I still do. I am not asking you to forgive me, only to accept that I love your brother and want to be with him, here in his rightful home. And, I would even advocate you coming out of banishment, as long as you agree to be amicable toward the other gods, including Ares. Basically, I am saying the choice belongs to you all, you can have me as a mortal enemy or an immortal ally."
"Thank you, Xena," The Maiden gestured for Xena and Ares to leave the petitioner's stand. "Now, would anyone else like to speak in support of Xena and Ares?" Dozens of hands rose up in the crowd but dozens also remained down.
Xena had a feeling it was going to be a very long day.