When she opened her eyes again, it was late noon. Sleeping on his chest like that, might have made her feel like the main character of a romantic fairytale, but it certainly made her neck feel as stiff as a board.
She tried to move an inch, but she only got an even tighter embrace in return.
" Hi again….." he murmured, pressing an affectionate kiss on the top of her head.
She lazily allowed for her eyelids to shut back, thus avoiding the suddenly blinding light coming from the window. It looked as if it were morning all over again.
With considerable effort, she rolled on her back, placing a soft kiss on his shoulder in response. He just gazed at her longingly this time, his tongue moisturizing his dry lips while his mind slowly drifted back to one of the countless orgasms he had given her during those past few hours.
"I want something from you" she finally whispered on such a low, seductive tone, that the War God couldn't help feeling the soft buzz of an electric shiver traveling down from his spine to the suddenly throbbing head of his cock, fully entranced by that quenchless desire flickering on the sapphire surface of her bright moons
"Do you now? " he lecherously inquired, brushing the tip of her lips with his own, his brain already drugged with the bright perspective of a ultimately wild sex scenario.
"… And just what would that something be? " he continued, while already slipping a hand under the covers and in between her legs.
"Two of your most loyal and well trained legions…."
The unexpected brutality of her answer felt as if the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean itself had suddenly flooded him on the inside.
"Excuse me?" he burst out, chocking on the words in the process.
"You've heard me…"
He instinctively pulled away from her devilish embrace, frowning at the unnaturally relaxed way in which she had uttered that line ….It pretty much sounded as if she had asked him for a backrub or something….
"And when exactly did you come up with that idea? In your sleep?"
At first sight, he looked totally outraged by her nonchalance. Or maybe just surprised judging by his following reaction.
"Not precisely…" she retorted, obviously avoiding a straight answer, and preferring to play guess instead.
"Are you telling me that you've manipulated me into sleeping with you just so that you could blackmail me now into offering you my elite warriors?"
He couldn't quite tell if that perspective was supposed to make him happy or angry….
"Something like that" she quickly replied, without giving her response a second thought.
It took him a few more seconds to digest this newly changed attitude of hers. But once he did, a mischievous, plotting smirk made way on his handsome features.
"You're such a naughty, naughty girl! I like it! And what exactly do you need them for, may I ask?"
Xena grinned back at him. She had certainly managed to get his attention; she could easily tell it by his unconsciously narrowed eyes while he was struggling to see through her, past that exceedingly suspicious "ready to rock the world" rebellious attitude she was now displaying….
"I'm going after the rest of the hoard. I want to wipe them from the face of the earth….I'll need the best of the best for that…"
This time, it took him more then a couple of seconds to gather both his words and his thoughts….Was she up to something? Was she testing him in some…weird , sadomasochistic way...?
Another musing gaze later , and, to his immense surprise , he found nothing able to fuel his doubts properly. His was kinda content with that though….Seeing his Princess slaughter everything that moved just for kicks again….now that was a guilty pleasure he could live with….
" That sounds like a plan…..and you've sure come to the right place…"
"I know. That's why I'm here"
She sounded almost evil while saying that, and hearing her almost gave him the best orgasm in his immortal existence.
He had to laugh a bit at the situation nevertheless. Despite the general bitterness of the events, he couldn't deny the fact that the whole picture did have a dose of fun attached to it…. .
"….Just contemplating the irony…" he explained when he finally noticed her disconcerted expression at his muffled chuckle."….Having you all fucked and naked in my bed, asking for something that I have already offered you – no strings attached- so many times before that I have lost count….I can't quite tell yet if I should feel good or frustrated about it…"
" I can see your dilemma." she caustically retorted, not at all bemused by his remark.
"So uh….when do you want them?" he finally asked, deciding to play her game. There was nothing for him to lose after all….It couldn't hurt….
"The hoard will not leave the area until the full moon. They'll have to stay and burry their dead according to their custom and I made sure they had enough corpses to keep them busy by then…"
"A lot of holes to dig…Clever…." the God complimented, casting a lustful gaze towards those perfectly round breast that were fully exposed now that she had shifted position.
"Thanks"
"Well…you've got it all figured out, I see…"
She didn't reply; she kept watching him instead with those surreal blue, icy orbs of hers, waiting for the rest of a line that- according to all laws of nature- she could swear it was bound to express a veiled "yes" of some sort.
"Ok….you can have your legions/ army whatever the heck you want, but I do need something in return…" he concluded, arching an eyebrow at the obvious implications of that apparently generous offer.
"What do you want?" she sweetly asked, placing a soft hand on his leg, but one could easily tell by that snake gaze escaping her eyes, that no trace of decent thoughts could be spotted whirling aimlessly inside her cunning mind. Needless to say that Ares saw right through her standard routine.
For a millisecond there, his expression suggested that he would be actually open to considering such carnal deal…..It only lasted a blink though, for , as fast as she could say "chackram", Xena could already detect the clues of a rather cruel rejection painted all over his face.
"Oh no you don't…This will cost ya' Darling…Plus…I already have that" he detachedly emphasized, explicitly scanning her naked body just for the fun of proving a point. "…Now…what could you possibly have that might present an interest to me?" he continued in a thick, sinful voice.
"Spit it out!"
Despite herself, those words sounded like the exact opposite of the manner in which she had initially wanted to utter them, Way too harsh, impatient and….out of control. She couldn't help silently insulting her own stupidity the very next moment.
"I want you to obliterate Athens from the face of the earth! I want a Spartan flag waving in the central square and my statue raised on the very ruins of Athena's temple!" he barked with such unleashed enthusiasm and such strong conviction reverberating from his voice, that "shocked" was a rather improper adjective to describe her reaction.
…."Ok, we could skip the statue I guess…. But the flag stays!" he casually joked, kissing her furtively on the lips before she could even think about mumbling a protest.
"Are you kidding me? "
She looked scandalized by the frankness of his insinuation.
"What? Don't give me that look! It's a fair trade! I'll be losing a lot of men in that battle of yours, you know….Those savages are more psychotic that the Furies themselves have ever dreamt of being…! It's only fair that I gain something in return….Or…"
He paused a bit, just for effect.
"…..we could forget that we even had this conversation and you could bend over backwards to assemble an army of your own. But then again that would take a considerably amount of time….effort…..money …And you don't really have any of that do you….? ….especially given the fact that as you so clearly pointed out, the hoard will be moving on once the burial is over….Next thing you know, you'll be wasting a lot of precious time and energy chasing them throughout Greece…..Not a very bright idea if you ask me….."
The Warrior Princess gulped noisily the smart retort she had intended to throw in his face and frowned at the hopelessness of the situation. Once again, she found herself backed into a corner, with nowhere and no one to run to. It was a one way street and she had just reached it's dead end…..
"Or….." he once again interrupted her thoughts "…. you could bend over backwards in a less metaphoric way and I could keep trying to solve your emotional problems in a more…non invasive manner…..Actually….non invasive might not be the word I was looking for…"
"When do you want me to attack Athens?" she finally asked in a defeated voice.
" Now we're talking business! Well, given the fact that there are just a few weeks left till the full moon...I guess I'll be leaving this up to you….I do trust your judgment…." he patronized, very much aware of the fact that he had actually left her no real choice on the matter.
"I hate you. With every fiber of my being" she made sure to specify , looking him dead in the eyes while getting up from the bed to leave.
"Hate is a powerful emotion…." he coldly reminded her, grabbing her wrist in the vain attempt to keep her by his side awhile longer.
"You should get used to it"
Her words slashed through his flesh, deep enough to get to his heart. He obstinately refused to let her realize that though.
"So….does this mean we're back to square one again?" he demanded to know, feigning a ridiculous indifference.
"More like square zero! "
...It was an answer meant to crush him for good...It's effect was debatable...
"You have such a twisted sense of humor at times…..Go get ready. I'll met you in my study in an hour…..We have a war to plan. "