Her head still spinning from all those brain challenging enigmas, Xena entered the bathroom, eager to wash some of the sweat and blood that the battle had left behind…She wasn't the least bit surprised when she saw the large, black marble tub, filled with hot water waiting for her, and though the white water lilies floating elegantly on its surface were meant to stir some kind of positive emotion inside her, that night she stubbornly refused to focus on anything that was not related to that day's bloody confrontation- one that she was analytically rewinding into her obsessed with control mind…Plus, given that not even the charming spectacle offered by those dark blue candles burning playfully all over the place had managed to catch her eye, any other detail- no matter how romantic , such as the complex, smooth,dry yet oddly sweet iris fragrance floating through the air- didn't stand a chance.

Two things she couldn't possibly understand...Despite her best efforts, they just didn't make sense….The first one was Gabrielle's mind blowing presence on the battlefield, and moreover, her obvious, unquestionable involvement in the attack…She had been fighting alongside Elenis as a key pawn, which meant that she had made a choice...a choice that was definitely not in her advantage- a choice that only lead to the other thing she couldn't get: Athena's recklessness….Why in the world would she risk her city's safety by attacking Ares' troops, with Gabrielle out of all people, as second in command?

And yes, Ares must have surely had a little chit chat with her Bard friend on the subject- she knew that rat way too well to doubt those antique, predictable patterns he usually used when it came to manipulative strategy- and the righteous Bard must have rushed to the Goddess of Wisdom with the speed of light, hoping to be the hero for a change and save thousands of innocent in the process...But still...from that, to the daughter of Zeus actually trusting her to that extent, now that was an impossibly looong way...

With stiff, clumsy moves, the Warrior Princess let her battle dress slide down her shoulders and fall on the intricately painted, green mosaic of the floor. Her eyebrows still pulled together in a frown while she was frantically looking for answers, she touched the surface of the water with the tips of her fingers to check its temperature…It was just right…

...If she hadn't been surprised before, when seeing all the flowers floating on that mini lake the God had created for her, she was surely impressed when, starting to take out the bandages so that she could wash properly, she noticed that the wound was gone…Completely gone as if it would have never even been there ….

She let out a gasp of surprise as she gently touched her shoulder, to make sure that what she was looking at, was indeed real….And it was ….It was real….There was no mark left on her skin, not even the fine line of a scar…. Nothing….absolutely nothing. With a discreet, unperceived touch, the God must have fully healed her….

For a few moments, the Warrior Princess just stood there like a stone statue, wondering if she should call him and say thanks or not, but she was struck with mute amazement…What in the world had been the purpose of all that harsh speech about having to suffer a bit in order to learn the invaluable lesson of responsibility and focus? Why did he heal her then?

Man, that was a strange day….And it only got stranger and stranger...

Slightly shaking her head, Xena finally entered the warm water with a loud sigh, thinking that she would see him later anyway, no point in requesting his presence, after all….

The water proved to be warm and shooting, the perfect medicine to her taut, aching muscles. She sharply exhaled as she leaned back against the tub, resting her head on its cold edge, allowing her eyes to flutter shut for a blessed moment, determined to delete everything from her troubled mind for the next half an hour, and though it was quite rare for her to afford the luxury of completely disconnecting her mind from the surrounding world, Fates knew she deserved that much after that incredibly long and exhausting day…

And just as she was about to completely shut the door of her mind to absolutely everything that was not related to that tub, her warrior instinct took over and almost broke someone's hand the minute she felt a very unexpected touch on her shoulder.

Within seconds, she was already facing her opponent, an unusually silent opponent, who proved to be none other than….the Love Goddess…

"Aphrodite, what are doing? Why in the world were you sneaking behind my back?" she shouted at her, outraged by the fact that those few moments of peace and relaxation had been ruined ….for nothing.

"Shhhhh! Keep your voice down. He could hear you! He doesn't know I'm here! And stop squeezing my arm, you're going to break it!"

"What? Who?" Xena replied in a confused voice, mechanically releasing her grip.

"The Stud Muffin, who else?!" the Love Goddess replied, while materializing into the tub in front of her. In less than a sec, the entire surface of the water was covered in large, pink, strawberry scented bubbles, that did a perfectly amazing job in keeping her hidden from sight…..Indeed, only the upper part of her head was still noticeable from under that impressive quantity of soap…..

"How did you even enter this place? I thought it was one of those fortresses" Xena emphasized, obviously talking about the War God's impenetrable, key fortifications.

"Shhhhh! Lower your voice! You can whisper, can't you?! It is….Luckily though, I know a thing or two about breaking electromagnetic barriers…"

The Warrior Princess just stared at her for a few moments, in utter disbelief. …She had actually used electromagnetic barriers in a sentence.

Aphrodite just had to laugh at the Warrior Princess' reaction.

"Hey Babe, I've always said it, and I'll say it again….Don't let the blond hair full ya' …Anyway, there's something you really really really need to know. It's like totally important, Xe. "

The Warrior Princess tensed instantly in anticipation….If Aphrodite had bothered coming there, in that Gods forsaken land, it must have been something big…..

"It's about the battle….."

Xena sighed heavily.

"Yeah, I know….Gabrielle is fighting for Athena! Gods damn it, I haven't anticipated that. She should have limited her implication at telling Athena about my intentions of attacking the city, end of the story... She shouldn't have gotten so involved in the fight, let alone lead the army shoulder to shoulder with Elenis! What was she thinking?! Maybe Athena forced her hand somehow…"

"I don't know about that…" Aphrodite murmured, biting her lips, a more than explicit gesture that Xena missed, way too focused on solving the puzzle…

"The good thing is that most of the plan worked out perfectly….Athena attacked Ares' troops, Ares doesn't suspect a thing about my involvement in his Sister' unwise decision to go up against him…And maybe, with a bit of luck, today's events will give the Amazons enough time to regroup and select that damn queen already! " she kept talking at an unbelievable speed, making Dite feel impatient, dizzy, and frustrated at the same time. " I sure hope Ares will change his mind about bringing the Athenians to their knees, and order the assault….That will keep him away from the Amazon tribes for a few more days….."

"Don't get your hopes too high, Babe.." Aphrodite wisely advised, still wondering if there was really a mild way to let her know that her Brother had been playing her all along, with the same brashness with which she had played him….And she would have normally laughed at the irony too, but unlike any other times, she was fully aware of the gravity of the situation….She didn't really feel like laughing, knowing what she knew…

As if finally sensing her distress, the Warrior Princess disconnected a bit from her never endless presumptions, and simply asked:

" Why would you say that?"

The Love Goddess gulped noisily before talking, unable to predict the intensity of her friend's reaction. She could only bet that " furious" would soon turn into a meaningless word in comparison to Xena's violent outburst.

" Well….it took me awhile to put the pieces together, but when I saw them talking, it all made sense…..And then, I just sneaked behind a tree and, praying to the Fates that they wouldn't feel my presence there, I listened to what they were talking…."

For a split second, as the Goddess paused a bit to catch her breath, she couldn't help thinking if she was doing the right thing….Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut in the first place, and stay away from those types of sticky situations….It was her constant meddling that had always gotten her into trouble in the past, too…..And she could distinctly feel that this time was no different.

"Don't even think about leaving me in the dark, Dite!" Xena rushed to specify, noticing her hesitation."What happened? Who did you see?"

"Ares and Athena….They're working together….They're both planning to annihilate the Amazon tribes. What you saw today was only a diversion, something to keep both you and Gabrielle busy while their armies are moving closer and closer to the Amazon lands….I might be wrong here, but I think they said something about launching a full scale attack at dawn..."