A RIGHTEOUS SOUL THAT RESOUNDS WITHIN A MONSTER

Ares leapt forward feeling his knees slam in to the ground as he came to a stop behind of Xena. He didn't think as he used his whole body to force her down as he spread his body over hers. He felt the knife like pain as the Chakram carried on moving it sliced across his eye as it came up to meet the axe which was still coming down. He forced his body further forward causing the Chakram to be pushed sideways. The next moments turned to blinding pain he found himself crying out in agony as the axe slammed in to his shoulder. He tried to take the pain as it carried on moving in to his shoulder only to stop as it hit the bone in his shoulder blade.

He breathed in trying to take the excruciating pain as the Aztec gods shocked eyes met his. "No! You can't kill her." He could feel blood as it started to run down his shoulder from the deep wound. He'd felt pain in his long existence but in this moment he knew what true agony left like and why mortals passed out from it. The axe was deeply embedded in his shoulder he breathed in painfully as he looked up trying to take the pain which was making his whole side burn. "I won't let you!" Huitzilopochtli eyed his axe which was now embedded in the lesser god's shoulder, he roared in anger as he leaned forward. "You annoying little bastard you have picked I fine moment to lean what is to be honourable!"

He pushed the axe in deeper hearing it grind against the other gods bone. "Only an act of true honour could realise you from those godly chains. I just never expected that you would ever do one!" Ares grabbed hold of the axe ignoring the pain as the razor points cut his fingers causing more blood to flow, he sneered at the other man in disgust. "Sorry to disappoint you." He could feel Xena struggling weakly under him warm blood was running down his face from where her Chakram had cut him. He eyed the Aztec warrior who was looking at the whole scene his face filled with shock. "You weren't fighting fair, you pompous Aztec bastard." Huitzilopochtli blinked as he stared at him. "Coming from you I find that most amusing, I doubt you have ever fought fair in your whole existence!"

Ares winced as he looked up feeling Xena try to push him off. "No your wrong I always fought fair with Xena. She may hate me but I've always been fair, if she won then it was always her victory. She was beating you, you pompous feather head and you cheated with your godly axe. Even I'm not that shallow, I always fight with her sword to sword!" Huitzilopochtli snarled aloud only to stop as a cruel thought formed in his mind, he looked down slightly. "If you want her so much then I will make you an offer that you will not refuse." He eyed the Warrior Princess who was groaning in pain trying desperately to stay awake. He wasn't even sure that she was aware of everything that was going on.

He smiled raising his hand. "I will make her yours, I will you heal you both and strip her off all her memories. She'll think that you are her true lover till the end of her natural life." Itzli limped closer. "You can't do that it's not right she belongs to Gabrielle!" Huitzilopochtli sneered at him in disgust. "If you don't silence your self I will kill you Itzli!" Itzli sneered as he stepped closer. "Then I'll die an honourable death worthy of my name!" Huitzilopochtli turned back eyeing the lesser god. "You could have the one you love Greek war god, is that not what you have always wanted?" Ares looked up slowly feeling the world slow to a painful stop which felt like an eternity.

He did want that, he'd always wanted that, he had day dreams about it he saw Xena is the eyes of every woman he slept with. He liked to pretend they were her most of the time. He'd even changed it so in his eyes he saw Xena and never the woman underneath him, who he was having sex with. Oh yes he wanted her so badly. He turned looking at her as she tried very weakly to push him off, he was sure that she knew what was going on. He could see it in her hatful light blue eyes which were now on him. The only thing stopping her voicing her thoughts was that she was far too weak to shout them out but he could hear her thoughts screaming and cursing at him with a passion.

She wasn't thinking about him ether she didn't care that he'd just saved her, no she was thinking about Gabrielle. He could hear the words clearly in her mind saying that he was only doing this to get what he wanted and that she'd rather die than be touched by him. She powerless and at his mercy at this moment, he held all the cards. He felt the breath he'd been holding leave him no he wouldn't go for this pathetic offer if what he'd seen of Gabrielle was anything to go by he knew that, who he'd have in front of him would be a puppet. She would not the true woman who he cared about, though he'd never say it aloud he knew that this puppet would be no better than those women he'd had sex with who he wanted to be Xena.

Illusions were illusions at the end of the day and nothing would ever compare to the real thing. True he would never have Xena's love only Gabrielle had that, but he would always love her ether way. She would hate him even more if he went through with this if she ever came to remember what he'd done. It would be a hatred that meant that they would never speak again and a hatred that might cause the Warrior Princess to snap and try to kill him outright. If Gabrielle didn't try it first after she got her real body back and he'd already seen the darkness they lay behind her eyes, it matched Xena's. It was just as violent and wanting as well as self absorbed. A hatred that this bastard would feel fully if Xena got around to fixing her soul it was a hatred that would make him the pompous Aztec bastard regret everything he'd done.

He had one chance only to gain Xena's favour here and he was going to take it by doing the right thing for once. He looked up meeting the golden eyes of the other god. "I have no interest in your offer." Huitzilopochtli took a step back feeling the confusion hit home. "Why? I don't understand, this is what you have always wanted!" Ares eased out his free hand putting it on Xena's shoulder easing her up carefully. "I want the real Warrior Princess not one of your puppets!" He snarled aloud. "I've seen what you did to Gabrielle it's not even her, it's a Chariot wreck which you've lost control of! The real Gabrielle would never bend over the way she has for you."

He felt a cruel smile form. "She never even wanted to be with you in the first place, she just needed your help to save Xena! She didn't die for you she died for Xena. She's never cared about you in any way you just had what she wanted. I bet the last thing she thought about before she died was Xena I'm guessing that you never even entered her mind." Huitzilopochtli roared as he pulled the axe free ignoring the other god's cry of pain as his blood hit the floor. "I hope you are ready to die Ares! Because the death I intend to give you won't be pleasant! It's going to be long slow and painfully, and when it is over you will wish that you were mortal, because you will be begging for the end!"

8

Gabrielle breathed in deeply feeling the headache disappear which less than ten minutes ago had been pure agony. She pulled back her wings folding them as she slowly stood up holding her dog tighter. She had seen her headache as the moment to test her wings and fly skywards. Only she'd flown in the wrong direction because of the pain. She found out by mistake that the closer she got to these ruins that the pain had lessened. She had no idea why that was only that wanted to know the answer to the question so she'd carried on flying forward. She had seen the warriors going in to the ruins and that was when she'd made her landing, which had been quite good considering she'd never flown before.

She tensed up feeling all seeing all her feathers ruffle as she looked at the person across from her whose glowing eyes were burning with disgust. She could sense the raging hatred even from here it was like a crashing tide which was constant and emanating from the other woman opposite her, who was in essence a mirror image only she didn't have wings like her. No there were two very miner differences which you had to be close to see, the woman's canine teeth on the upper and lower jaw were slightly longer than normal and her hair wasn't pure blonde like hers it had much more red in it. In the wrong light she could see why this person could be mistaken for her.

The weapon in the other woman's hand was an axe used by the warriors her sandals had no sai blades. She heard her dog suddenly whimper as it started to struggle trying to get out of her arms. She held it tighter stroking its head trying to calm it down. A part of her was terrified right now more by how insane her counter part looked. She could feel the magnitude of this slowly sinking in and that was even more frightening. This was the person who had killed those men! This was the person who had hurt those warriors at the keep and tried to force the servant girl to make love to her. This insane person had caused all her problems and meant that she taken all the blame for things she hadn't done!

This vile impostor whose nature disgusted her on every level was here right now in this place. She could see the terrified girl close by she kept looking at her and then at the insane woman in front of her the confusion in her eyes. She watched as the axe was raised higher in her direction as the woman turned fully her much older voice hitting the air. "Come any closer and I'll rip off every one of your wing feathers just for the pleasure of listening to you scream!" Gabrielle steadied herself as she eyed her counterpart for a long moment. "You're the one! You killed those men and you tried to force yourself on that poor servant girl!" Her counterpart's evil smile slowly widened. "Yes I did, it was fun I've never liked anyone who pledges their allegiance to Quetzalcoatl." She raised her weapon even higher. "He's a complete bastard but I doubt you'd remember that…such a pity."

Her counterparts glowing eyes narrowed. "As for the servant girl I don't see what's wrong with attending to my personal needs." She eyed the girl who was huddled up opposite. "Everyone has needs." Gabrielle felt her teeth grind together. "You have no right to force yourself on to anyone who does not want or wish to make love to you!" Her counter part looked up as her cold mocking laugher hit the air. "Oh you're so innocent and noble, as if you can claim you're the better half of our equation." Gabrielle stopped in mid motion what did she mean by our equation? She looked up slowly seeing the other glowing eyes meet hers. "Who are you and why do we look alike?"

Her counter parts sneered as she looked up. "Haven't you worked it out yet? Isn't it all so obvious to you?" She paused for a moment. "You know you might not like the truth, because it might turn out that you don't like yourself." Gabrielle pulled out her wings as she felt herself tense up in anger. "Stop taunting me with riddles!" Her counter part smirked as she turned to face her again. "Let me put it to you simply, we are pieces of one persons soul. This person's soul was stripped of some of its pieces by Huitzilopochtli who kept the parts he really liked. Your parts were rewoven together to form you, in all your angelic glory. Mine were tossed back in to the blood pool!"

Her counter part snarled aloud. "I'm the waste product that got forgotten while you became Huitzilopochtli's play thing!" She twirled the weapon violently. "How is that going by the way? Did you enjoying screwing him even though he's not even your true lover?" Gabrielle pulled back hearing the venom in the other woman's words. "That can't be true I mean it just can't be, he said…." Her counter part rolled her eyes as her cold voice hit the air again. "Naïve foolish little girl haven't you ever heard of a lie? I'm sure what ever he said was true enough anyone can say a lie even in a nice way. I guess he's just got it down to a fine art with you!" Gabrielle pulled up her hand. "I asked you who I was you still haven't answered it in full!"

The counter part smiled but it was a cold smile. "We are pieces of a woman called Gabrielle you are in essence all the goodness with elements of love, hope, kindness and compassion." She felt her evil smile form again. "I'm the part called Blood Jaguar, I'm her rage, anger and her sexual drive and all those dark things that she doesn't like to talk about." Gabrielle felt her anger rise. "Your lying I am Gabrielle!" Blood Jaguar looked up slowly enjoying the other woman's childish outburst. "You're not Gabrielle you stupid little bitch! You're no more than a copy made from her parts just like me! We are both no more than manifestations of a woman who died trying to save her lover at the top of the jaguar god Tezcatlipoca's temple."

She eased up her other hand. "I'm the part that when you were child liked to pull the wings of butterflies just so I could watch them squirm before stepping them." She felt her smile widen. "Don't even pretend you never did that ether, I'm the one who has all our memories. I was born the day you watched your husband die in front of you." She took a step closer watching as her childlike opposite stepped back. "I'm the part of you who sometimes likes pain during sex with my female lover but I'd never admit it to anyone. I was there when you killed your daughter by poisoning her, I'm there every time you've drawn your weapon and killed someone, because I wanted to watch the light die in their eyes!"

She lowered her weapon. "I'm the part that was truly reborn in the lands of Mexica I had so much control over the true Gabrielle's body and mind. I revelled in her disappear and sadness with every day I was finally breaking through something which had taken me a lifetime to finally do and I was so close! I could have conquered every inch of Mexica!" She snarled hearing an inhuman almost animal like sound hit the air. "You ruined it all for me, because you would rather commit suicide than live with out your lover!" She felt her hand form a fist. "You live for love and to be loved and you kept taking controlling her mind, it was always your word at the end that won her over and never mine!"

She shook her head. "You were given the power of a god as Horn Hind and even then you never used that power! The deer horned werewolf had inhuman strength and infinite healing ability it was all yours and you rejected it. You've wasted every opportunity given to you because you don't want gold, riches or power, instead you'd rather have some one love you and I hate you for that!" Gabrielle swallowed watching as her counterpart stepped closer she moved back further. "I don't remember any of this! I never meant to cause you hurt or pain, please don't hate me." She lowered her sai blade slowly. "If what you say is true and we are two parts of one person then isn't it only right to merge once more and become her again?"

Blood Jaguar eyed her disgust. "You don't you understand anything do you? If we were to merge we would both die so she could be recreated!" She felt her knuckles crack as her fist tightened. "I don't want to die I want to live!" She sneered slightly. "That woman who tried to trap you in that skull is called Xena and she was doing it so she could end your life!" She tapped her foot on the dark stone of the temple floor. "You should be grateful that I made sure the roof wasn't stable, while you were busy kissing her I was about to break it so it would fall in on the both of you. You finished the job for me by smashing through it when you managed to escape that skull." She narrowed her gaze. "Like you I have an attribute, you have the real Gabrielle's wings but I got her really interesting part." She twirled the axe. "I'm going to use it to kill you." Gabrielle raised her hands feeling the fear take over. "Kill me but I'm part of you! We are one and the same you're like my sister." Blood Jaguar felt the evil smile as it formed on her face. "As long as you exist there will always be a chance that we will be merged again, once you're dead I will finally be free to conquer this land!"

8

Huitzilopochtli raised his weapon higher only to stop as he felt an odd sensation travel up his spine. A sensation he hadn't felt in years and one he never thought he'd sense again in his lifetime. He'd never liked the sensation it made every nerve ending fire in his body because it was in essence the complete opposite to his power. He turned sharply watching as there was a blast of white light which caused white and red flowers to litter his throne. He turned blinking in shock as he met the other god of loves violet gaze. It had been over a century since he'd seen him face to face their last meeting had not been very pleasant.

The small man who was seated on his throne hadn't changed much the only difference was that he looked slightly older and had a white jaguar skin covering his shoulders. He could see the white feathered head dress swaying. He roared in anger as he turned to face him the burning hatred twisting in his stomach as he raised his bloody weapon. "Get out of my keep, you are not welcome here!" Xochipilli breathed in deeply as put both his hands together as he leaned back in the other god's throne. "Picking on lesser gods and mortals nothings changed has it? You're still cruel and unkind and you still enjoy bullying people who aren't as strong as you." He stood up slowly walking towards the bloody weapon unfazed by it. "You have made a real mess of things Huitzilopochtli and you don't even realize it."

Huitzilopochtli snarled as stepped over the love god towering over him. "I told you never to come back here Xochipilli, you deceived me!" Xochipilli shook his head unimpressed by the other gods threatening pose. "No I gave you want you wanted, I gave you the priestess from my city who you wanted to possess." He shook his head sadly. "You tried to force her to love you and she committed suicide because you held her prisoner when you didn't get what you wanted." He looked up slowly. "You thought that I set you up and you captured me from my own city and tortured me! You did it out of spite, jealous and rage. You demanded to know what love was and I refused to tell you!"

He put a hand on his chest. "As god of love I would have helped you understand but you being such a violent bully you didn't want to listen! I was just your lesser and you could hurt me because it was fun for you!" He turned looking at both the Greek war god who was holding his shoulder and Xena who looked like she was going to pass out. "I'll give you that answer, after you've healed Xena!" Ares sneered in disgust as he eyed Huitzilopochtli. "You hurt a god of love? You disgust me, I might be a god of war but I would never do that it's immoral." Xena didn't think as she shoved forcing Ares off her with her dying strength. "Get off me!" She pulled herself up clutching her side as she tried to crawl away from him. Gods she couldn't stop shivering.

Huitzilopochtli leaned closer to Xochipilli ignoring the Greek god's remark. "You have no say here, this is my keep!" Xochipilli looked up slowly. "You don't frighten me any more Huitzilopochtli, so stop acting like a spoilt child! We both know you want the answer to that question it's been bothering you for centuries!" Huitzilopochtli raised his hand eyeing Xena he closed it sharply he'd always wanted to know this answer that was true. "You only want me to do this so you can keep Xena alive, your sister sent you here didn't she!?" Xochipilli folded his arms. "Xena is going to die and time is limited you only get one chance to know the answer and if she dies today I will never tell you."

Huitzilopochtli sneered as he eyed him feeling his voice hit the air filled with venom. "I hate you." Xochipilli shook his head sadly. "That is a shame because I've never hated you despite what you did to me. I used to admire your strength and leadership until you started using it to bring horrific brutality to Mexica because you wanted to fight with the creator gods for your father's throne." Huitzilopochtli turned away as he opened his hand watching as gold light blasted out from it. Xena watched as the gashes started to close. She fell forward trying to take the pain as the wounds closed up vanishing completely. She breathed in as she started to feel better as everything inside her body started to heat up.

Her blood was being replaced she was sure of it, she eased herself up shaking her head watching as everything came back in to focus. She sat up taking in deep breathes trying to ignore the taste of blood in her mouth. She'd never felt as relieved as she did in this moment despite how exhausted she still felt, she heard everything so far despite that she hadn't been able to see it. She breathed in deeply trying to catch her breath, she felt awful still. She turned eyeing Ares, a part of her had fully expected him to go through that offer it had surprised her that he hadn't. Why was he defending her? He'd never cared about her before unless it was for his own reasons. So why had he taken a killer blow which should have killed her and then refused the offer to force her to be with him?

She tried to get up only to fall back down, gods she felt so weak right now. She eyed Ares again she could see the wound made by her Chakram which had struck his face. She could debate what had just happened later once Gabrielle was back in her arms. Until then she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that she even cared about what he'd just done. Xochipilli stepped forward ignoring Huitzilopochtli's cold look he walked up to Itzli he put a hand on his shoulder. "You did everything as I asked you will be rewarded for doing so and holding firm to what is noble." Itzli winced feeling his paralyzed side start to move again, he lowered his head respectful. "Thank you."

Ares eyed the god of love trying to ignore the pain. "Do I get healed as well?" Xochipilli eyed him for a long moment. "You a prisoner of Huitzilopochtli, I sadly can not decide your fate." He looked down slightly. "Know though that if your sister Aphrodite the goddess of love could see you now she would be proud." He moved over taking hold of Xena helping her to her feet. "I am sorry I kept you waiting." Xena took a deep breath trying to keep her self standing. "No problem." Huitzilopochtli' roared in anger as he moved closer. "Tell me the answer to the question! Now!" Xochipilli stepped away from Xena who leaned over breathing deeply. "As you wish…."

He looked up slowly meeting the other gods golden eyes. "Its simple, to know love is to know what is it to be selfless. To be willing to give up everything for the person you love and know that they would do it for you in return. Love is not about taking some one and forcing them to be yours they should come to you willingly because they want to be with you." Huitzilopochtli pulled out his hands. "That's it, that's all you have to say is there not any more!?" Xochipilli moved to stand in front of him again. "That is all there is and one day you might come to truly understand it." He paused for a moment breathing in deeply. "Or sooner than you think since I know no how you've managed to screw up so badly with Gabrielle."

He put a hand on his chin. "Tell me how did you accomplish what you did Huitzilopochtli?" Huitzilopochtli sneered slightly. "I stripped her soul from Xena's." Xochipilli shook his head. "Oh no you did much more than that when you resurrected her didn't you? Please tell me what it was because you have a problem right now is that not true?" He folded his arms. "It stuck me that you could have only done what you did in one way, but because you lack the understanding of soul mate threads what happened may have passed your notice despite how dangerous it was to do." Huitzilopochtli eyed him in disgust. "What I have is an impostor it was no more than a ruse by Xena to distract me!"

Xochipilli sighed as he looked. "Then tell me why that ruse is still walking around your city causing trouble when Xena is right here right now?" Huitzilopochtli turned sharply. "That's not possible!" Xochipilli put a hand on his face as he sighed aloud. "It is possible I sensed it I know it's here, so tell me what you did to create Gabrielle in the way you wanted?!" Huitzilopochtli breathed in deeply. "I took her life tread and stripped it off the parts I didn't like!" Xochipilli narrowed his gaze. "You threw the pieces you didn't like back in to the pool of creation didn't you?!" Huitzilopochtli eyed him for a long moment. "Yes I did but what does that matter? Single pieces can't form in to anything they lay dormant in the pool!"

Xochipilli turned watching as Xena stepped closer listening intensely. "You damn fool Huitzilopochtli she's part of a soul mate thread! Her very creation means that her parts will rebind to each other even when their separated from the whole, it's the nature of Zeus's very design." Huitzilopochtli stopped still staring at him. "That is not possible!" Xochipilli looked up slowly. "Oh it is possible and you've done it you've made not just one soul instead you've created two. The first you created is a vision of beauty and is your heavenly angel. Then there's the other part that you tossed away, well we both know what that's become now don't we? You've created a psychopath who makes the Blood Jaguar look mild!"

End of part 74

Silvermoonlight

Thank you everyone for all your kind reviews and feedback, it's a pleasure to write this for you all :)