Embattled

AN: I'm back, I'll be posting twice a month as a minimum. ~The Mighty Lu Bu

8

Hercules and Xena tried to move with haste through the city corridors. The trip was complicated by catapult shot that was raining down upon the city. The people in the city where either running for cover, or moving to man the walls. Still, even with that Hercules had be careful to avoid to many crowds. Hercules wasn't exactly someone that people would overlook.

A pair of soldiers ran into Hercules. They suddenly cried out, "It's the traitor! It's Hercules!"

Xena shot her chakram through the air knocking both men to the ground. Hercules looked down as one of them was still conscious. Kneeling close, he asked, "Are you alright?"

The soldier mumbled, eyes crossing for a moment. "I think… so."

Hercules nodded, carefully gauging his strength, he gave the soldier a jab to the side of the head. "Back to sleep."

As the pair advanced, a catapult shot rained down on a patrol of soldiers, killing them instantly. Hercules remarked, "That… I think that's from my catapults."

Xena mused, "Most likely, we didn't have any of our own."

"Lucky for us that Selenta didn't think to secure them during her retreat."

Another shot impacted the ground, as Xena's hand touched the side of her face. Hercules bent in to have a closer look. A small trickle of blood steamed down from a scratch on Xena's cheek as she remarked. "Yea… lucky."

Another shot landed near a pub. Once the smoke cleared, Xena stared over wordlessly as a legless little girl shouted, "Mama!" Xena turned her eyes away as the child bled to death. In a low growl, Xena said, "We need to finish this."

Hercules didn't notice what Xena said, as he lamented painfully, "That's my fault. I caused her to die. That shot wouldn't have even been fired had I not done what I did…"

Xena could see the slow descent as Hercules began to lose it. She forcefully grabbed his shoulder, "Hercules, now isn't the time. If we don't stop this, more children will die. We have to get to Selenta and take her out. We can mourn the results of our actions later."

"… yea."

"Ok… direct approach? Just head to the main castle and take Selenta out?"

"Yea… that. That will be the best."

The pair heard a whistling sound, on instinct Hercules and Xena ducked for cover as another catapult shot landed where they had been standing."

Hercules turned to Xena, "Your ear?"

"A nick. I'm going to kick Callisto's ass later."

As they continued into the city, they ran into another group of soldiers. The leader of them unsheathed his sword as he shouted, "Get them!"

Xena leapt into action with her sword aiming outward. She ducked a reckless swing by her opponent and then stabbed the man in the chest. Twisting around, she cut another man across the throat. Hercules, not wanting to be left out, grabbed a soldier by the arm and body slammed him into the wall. Then he quickly disarmed another soldier, punching him square in the jaw.

"Herc and Xena… now that's what I call a tag team."

Xena quickly did a double take as a woman in black leather approached her. It was Aphrodite.

Hercules approached slowly putting his hand upon her shoulder, "Sister… this isn't you."

She grabbed his arm and punched him across the face sending him flying back several feet. "Oh brother, It's always been me. It was me in Athens, do you remember the power? Do you remember the pleasure? Hercules?"

Xena approached, fingering her chakram, "You're the goddess of love, not war!"

Aphrodite with a single motion of her finger shot Xena into a wall. "Xena, I'm not here for you."

Hercules got back to his feet, and dusted himself off, "Aphrodite! You need to stop this. You've lost yourself…"

Aphrodite kicked him in the gut causing him to bowl forward, she then smacked her elbow into the back of his head, sending him to the dirt below. She then kicked him once in the ribs for good measure. "No, I didn't lose myself. I lost a pathetic husk that I thought was me. I've never felt freer. Love is worthless, war… now there is real power. Ares is correct. Might makes it right."

Aphrodite approached the body of Hercules just as he was about to get to his feet. She put her cold black leather boot to his throat. She stared down at him, coldly saying, "Time to die brother."

Ares appeared, "Sister… it's time to come home. Your father misses you."

Seeing the distraction, Hercules rolled out from under her boot just as Xena was getting back to her feet.

Ares continued, "Aphrodite, it's time for you to come home."

Aphrodite turned away from the God of War angrily replying. "I don't have a home."

Xena and Hercules caught the nod of Ares, as if he was saying that he would handle her and that they should complete their mission. With that, Hercules and Xena continued off towards their goal of reaching Selenta. Ares stared back at his sister, "I've never been good at this kind of thing… but, it's time to stop fighting. Father can help you."

Aphrodite turned around and struck Ares across the face, "I don't want his help, or yours. Go away."

Ares held his arms out, "No. I won't leave without you."

Aphrodite smiled, "I was hoping you'd say that. Now is the time I truly unseat the sitting God of War and take his place as the master of man's ambition."

Ares replied in a low growl, "Aphrodite…"

The warning from Ares was ignored as a bolt of energy struck him in the face. Fully restored by Zeus of his godlike powers, Ares struck back with a flurry of bolts. Firing one after another, they would not step back as they continued to battle. Aphrodite smiled as she started to build up a major blast of godlike power. Ares, knowing full well what she was doing prepared one of his own. The two gods prepared for the shots that would affect even a god. Each was ready to take the other out, if that's what needed to be done.

For Ares, he wanted more than anything to have his sister back, but the tactician inside him told him that no matter what, he needed to deny Chaos access to her power. For Aphrodite, Ares had existed as the goal post. Her transformation from love goddess, to war goddess would be complete if Ares was gone. Without Ares, the world would have to acknowledge her place.

The stared each other down for a second, and then fired the now massive bolts of power at each other. The sky suddenly filled with a massive explosion of blue light that radiated across the city of Corinth. When the smoke cleared… both were lying motionless on the smoking, blackened ground.

8

Several yards away Hercules and Xena ducked into a small ally as blue energy radiated down the passageways into the city proper. Xena asked in surprise, "What in Hades was that?"

Hercules turned to answer, "That could only mean one thing. Aphrodite, or Ares, or both… are out of the equation."