"Okay, you little monsters. That was not funny," Eve told the twins as she stamped out the remaining sparks in her shawl. Joxer rode on Xena's back and Cyrene rode on Gabrielle's back in baby carriers. Hercules, Iolaus, and Eve brought up the rear. "Did you see that, Mother? Cyrene lifted my shawl right off me and Joxer set the corner of it on fire."
"I warned you they were getting powers," Xena said, not even slowing her pace.
"I'm traveling right beside two of Greece's greatest heroes. Why didn't either of you save my shawl?" Eve wanted to know.
"You seemed to have it under control," Iolaus said.
Eve let out a cry of frustration as she wrapped her now slightly burned shawl back around her.
"Welcome to the wonderful world of siblings with powers," Hercules said, continuing the teasing. "Your life will never be the same again."
Gabrielle laughed and put an arm around the now semi-freaked out Eve, "He's joking. He has a very good relationship with Aphrodite."
"It isn't all bad having a family member with special abilities," Hercules reassured her, becoming serious. "Believe it or not, you'll come to appreciate your siblings."
Ares materialized in time to catch Hercules' last sentence. "Oh, I'm touched," he said with mock sentiment.
"Well, most of them anyway," Hercules amended.
"Eve, how is the peaceful life treating you? Having any fun yet or are you wishing for the old days?"
"Go to tartarus, Ares," she spit back.
Ares clicked his tongue, "Eli would not have approved of that language, young lady."
"What are you here for?" Gabrielle shouted angrily. "Surely it wasn't to come and goad Eve."
"You're right about that. I'm here for the two precious bundles."
Eve took the twins. Everyone else drew a weapon. Ares snapped his fingers, freezing everyone in time except for Xena.
"I'm not here to fight this time," he said, putting his hand on her sword and lowering it. "I'm here to bargain."
Xena smiled a cynical smile. "A bargain? Let me guess. I can hand over the twins and you'll spare Eve. No? I can hand over the twins and you'll let Gabrielle live? Am I getting warmer?"
"I'm going to put my cards on the table. It's been foretold that I, personally, am going to see death thanks to these little brats of yours. Do you see the dilemma I have?"
"I see the dilemma. Once again the only person that matters is you and your precious immortality."
Ares grabbed her roughly by the shoulders. "No, don't you try and pull that crap on me. You know full well that I gave it up for you with no guarantee that I was going to get it back. You want to know why I hate your kids! It has nothing to do with the prophecy, it's knowing that our time together meant nothing to you and you went running to Hercules before the bed was even cold. Do I revile you that much that you can't stand the thought of us having children together, but little goody-goody-two-shoes over there can father all the mongrels he wants?"
Xena head butted Ares to release his tight grasp on her. "You want to know why the thought of us having kids together revolted me so much? Because of this. You have anger issues."
"I have anger issues? I suppose you're Miss Sally Sunshine."
"No, I'm not. That's exactly why we'd make a lethal combination as parents. You and I are too much alike in that regard."
"Maybe, but if those children had been mine, I would have tried harder than anything I've ever tried at in my life to be a good father to them." With those words, Ares brought everything back to real time.
He started to storm off but Joxer threw a fireball, his biggest one yet, that hit his father right in the in the rear. Ares whipped around and was in time to see Cyrene bringing a blanket to herself.
Ares' eyes glittered with realization, "These are my children."