"Where have you been?" he restlessly inquired as soon as I entered the room, and it must have been my overworking imagination, but I could swear I saw a shade of suspicion floating on the deceiving surface of his dark amber eyes.

" Just…walking around. I woke up a few hours ago. You were still sleeping…." I mumbled- a lame excuse that would have pulled the alarm signals even in Joxer's dead brain- while trying to sound as casual and natural as possible.

"Why didn't you wake me up? It's not like I need my beauty sleep, Xena….." he said, glaring at me accusingly.

I just gave him a warm smile in return, watching him push the sheets aside. Soon, he was walking towards me, and by all Gods and Goddesses , as hard as I tried not to stare at him like an imbecile, I just couldn't keep my gaze from wandering from those slightly parted lips to his chest and waaaayyy lower …..Each and every line of his body was absolutely perfectly traced…He looked like a living statue…..

The bemused look on his face and his trademark line, finally made me snap out of it.

" Feeling tempted?" he inquired, a touch of irony in his manly voice, while placing a soft good morning kiss on my parched lips.

"Feeling cocky?" I simply bit back, arching an eyebrow at his massive erection.

"What can I say? I'm sexy and I know it, Baby….." he answered, playfully flexing his muscles.

We both chuckled at that. He was such and arrogant Bastard sometimes….But as much as I hated him for it, I also loved the fact that he was the only person in the world who could put- with so much enviable easiness- a smile on my face….Once single gesture was all it took….

Too bad I couldn't enjoy the moment as much as I would have wanted it to though, for , the same awareness of our special connection only ended up turning against me, making me feel even guiltier at the thought that I was planning to betray him in the lowest possible way …

He was going to hate the memory of my name till the rest of his immortal life- quite a long period come to think of it- and there was no doubt about that….If there was something that Ares didn't tolerate, that something, was betrayal, and Fates knew, my lack of loyalty was bit by bit about to materialize into such an insidiously executed blow- that was meant to cut so intolerably deep- that simply decapitating me wouldn't be enough to extinguish the flames of his wrath…..Maybe Aphrodite was right…maybe I was in over my head after all…And no, for once, I didn't even dare search for an escape plan...I more than deserved whatever he was going to do to me afterwards...

"Xena?" he suddenly questioned in a grave voice, obviously sensing what I had considered to be but a barely perceptible change in my aura.

"I've just remembered that I should really have a talk today with the generals who will be accompanying me to Athens….." I answered in a reassuring tone.

His eyes darkened again, and just like the day before, I couldn't find a logic reason for which, each time I mentioned that bloody fight - which he himself had selfishly forced me into- I could detect an unexpected change in attitude and zero excitement in his usually fiery nature when it came to wars…..

"Do you have a plan?"

"I'll stick to the disguise part…..The Panathenaea will provide the perfect opportunity for that. I'll only need ten very capable generals to weaken Athens's defenses- enough not to raise any suspicions before the time to strike comes- and the rest of the troops will launch an attack from the outside. We will crush them !" I exclaimed, and for a split second , I could actually feel the force of those lethal words fueling me with darkness as if my body was but a mere vessel waiting to be filled with the right type of energy in order to turn itself into an unstoppable killing machine….

Once again, there was no thrill in his eyes...I had to wonder if there was something I was missing….

" Something wrong?" I asked, trying not to sound concerned.

"No" he simply replied, caressing my cheek. "Everything's perfect. Just the way it should be" he reassured, but I just couldn't shake that feeling that something wasn't adding up right…He was not himself.

"Are you sure?" I asked again, double checking for any hidden clues in his words.

"Positive" he simply stated, claiming my lips in a passionate kiss that only managed to silence my faded voice….My brain nonetheless, was more active than ever before….I couldn't afford to screw this up, I just couldn't….The entire Amazon nation was counting on me buying them that so much needed time to unite. Plus, I had to make sure that once Athena entered the scene, at least half of Ares' army would be decimated, and thus ensuring the victory of the tribes….Needless to say, it was vital for him to trust me and to give me complete control over his soldiers….

"Are you still keen on annihilating the Hoard?" he questioned seconds later, breaking the kiss, his eyes scanning attentively my face.

" That's the whole point of this all, yes…" I made sure to emphasize, a very genuine feeling of repulsion pulling downwards the corners of my mouth, visibly affected by the still painful trauma brought by the death of my friends..…

"How many men would you need for you little scheme against the savages?"

"Around fifty of your best trained soldiers….."

He remained silent for a little while…When he spoke though, I could instantly feel my legs gradually turning into wax. I literally had to struggle to keep my balance.

"They're yours then. Do what you have to do. We'll have to take a rain check on Athens and come up with a different plan, after all…Unfortunately, I have more pressing matters to take care of and I will need most of the army to ensure a quick, clean and fast victory….."

"What? Against whom? What happened? You've just said that everything is fine..."

" ...Nothing too serious that can't be dealt with the minimum of losses...Call it my soldiers' training for the upcoming battle of Athens..."

I was simply thunder-stricken. More than that, I was horrified….Horrified of the near future and of its gloomy perspective…..

"A new enemy...?" I hardly managed to question, completely taken aback by his slap-bang decision….What was he doing….and why?

"An old torn in my the side...Don't worry about it….Just make sure that by the time you've slaughtered those prehistoric creatures you have a pretty decent plan regarding my Sister's rotten city….Eat something and go choose your men. You'll be leaving at sundown."

And just when I was about to utter some sort of protest, adamant about finding out more details and at least some valid justification for his completely unforeseen behavior, he vanished, leaving me agape….In other words, he had just kicked me out of the fortress, without offering me the slightest explanation…..I exhaled sharply while staring blankly at the door….He was going after the Amazons…..I had failed.

XXX

"Are you sure about this, Gabrielle?" Athena inquired in a steely voice.

" Yes, I am…."

"And Xena is the one leading the attack?"

" Yes she is….."

For a long time, the Goddess analyzed the Bard's apparently honest expression, frowning at the presence of some pretty nasty doubts haunting her sharp mind…

"How do I know you're not lying? That this isn't some twisted plan in which you, the Warrior Princess and my crazed Brother are all equal partners?"

"I'll fight by your side if that's what it takes to earn your trust….Look...she's making a mistake…..She's under Ares' influence. I'm sure I could convince her to give up on this madness if only I had a chance…She would never attack if I were the one leading your armies…."

" Leading my armies?! Do you actually expect me to be that foolish as to give you command of my men?! You gotta be kidding me! …..I am the Goddess of Wisdom, Bard, not one of your ignorant peasant friends!" she mocked, without completely dismissing the idea thought.

" Still…..Your presence could -to some extent- serve my purposes though…You will be Elenis' second in command. Ares' army is currently located in Megara….I might not be too familiar with Xena's techniques but I do know my Brother. He will surely go for a surprise attack…We'll just have to surprise him first. And yes, you will get front seats for all the action….Maybe you're right…Your presence might stand as a warning for your friend….Just try not to get yourself killed in the process, I will still need you alive for the upcoming battles. This is only the beginning of the bloodshed that will indubitably follow…..If Ares wants war, that's exactly what he'll get "

Hearing Athena's line, Gabrielle flinched at the awareness that she had just unleashed Tartarus on Earth. ...A surprise attack on an army led by Xena…..That was suicide….There wasn't such thing as a surprise attack when it came to the Warrior Princess…

"And Gabrielle...If you're lying to me, I'll put your head on a spike..."

The Goddess' harsh words had a whipping effect on the Bard's mind. She didn't have the slightest doubt that there was no toying around with the daughter of Zeus.

"Go get ready, you'll be leaving in an hour. One hundred men should suffice for now...You'll attack at sundown. "

Gabrielle just nodded her acceptance.

"Elenis will pick you up shortly" the Olympian added right before vanishing from the scene, in a shower of golden sparkles.