" What? That cold hearted Son of a Bachae! I knew he was up to something! I could smell it! " the Warrior Princes growled, making a wry face as she felt the bile rising in her throat at the news.

" Shhhh! I don't know much about hero stuff and saving the day, but I could swear that screaming like a mad harpy, won't help you any! " the Love Goddess remarked, still terrified about the fact that her brother could show up any minute and find her there plotting against him.

Her comment seemed to barely register in Xena's mind though, for when she answered, her voice was a note louder than before.

"So, that damn cockroach has been playing me all along, while scheming with that smug witch behind my back, huh?" she concluded, giving Aphrodite the Xena glare, in spite of the fact that the bubbly Love Goddess was the last person on the face of the earth who deserved it.

" In his self defense, Xe, he hasn't been the only one who has been playing dirty…" she said in a low, childlike voice, chewing on her lip while scanning her furious friend's expression for any sign that she had the slightest intention to unleash her fury on her.

" Don't you dear defend him Dite! " the Warrior Princess warned, splashing water all around them the moment her hand hit uncontrollably the tub's surface. " At least I was doing it for a damn good reason! What was his motivation? What in the world would he have to gain from obliterating the Amazon tribes? What's the honor in that?! And…siding with Athena, out of all people? "

Aphrodite frowned, looking as if she was trying to think of something that would magically help her Bro's cause. There was nothing she could say to calm the enraged Warrior Princes though, for where the Blonde Olympian saw some sort of similarity in their actions, she could only see cruel betrayal and manipulation.

" Xena…" she started nonetheless, in one last, vain attempt to make her see things her way.

" Don't." Xena simply cut in, getting out of the tub and swiftly grabbing a towel from the floor in the process. " You need to take me to the Amazon village" , she ordered while absently drying her hair. " If Ares thinks I'm gonna blindly sit back and let them win this, he's dead wrong! I'm gonna squash both of their armies like insects! Besides, if my guess is correct, Athena will most likely try to use Gabrielle in a suicide mission against the Amazons! By the time she realizes who she is supposed to go up against, it will be too late! "

The Love Goddess herself gasped at the realization.

"Wow! I haven't even thought about that! Do you really think that Athena would pull such a stunt ? I mean, she can't force her to fight against her own sisters."

"Athena would do anything to get back at me, and through Gabrielle she has the highest chances to do just that. She will probably trick her into leading the army by not letting her know who the real enemy is. "

" When the Amazons attack, it will be too little to late... " Aphrodite concluded, gulping and dropping her eyes to the floor.

"That's right. Her faith will be sealed. Each and every one of them will be trying to put a spear through her during the battle, convinced that she had betrayed her own kin. "

" But that's like totally crazy! Gabby would never do such a thing!"

"Well what would you believe if you were an Amazon and you would see your own queen riding in front of an enemy army towards you?"

With one snap of the Love Goddess' fingers , they were both dressed and ready to go.

"Do you have a plan?" she inquired, sighing at the awareness that once again, Ares had screwed up big time. And what for…? For the love of Zeus all mighty, she couldn't understand the way his plastic brain worked at times.

" I always have a plan!" Xena pointed out, grinning wickedly at her. "Come on. I need to talk to Marga and the Amazon council , and get back here before Ares takes note of my absence! "

" What if he does?" she worriedly questioned, making sure to cover all possible scenario.

" I'll think of something…" Xena simply replied, smiling reassuringly at the Goddess.

Despite the Warrior Princess confidence though, another frown lined Aphrodite's perfect forehead, out of her own painful experience knowing that Ares was not the right God to lie to…She unconsciously wrung her hands together as the idea that she should have kept her mouth shut in the first place, flashed through her mind like a lightening bolt.

" Everything will be just fine Dite." Xena insisted. "Now come one, there's no time to waste. "

In the blink of an eye they were gone.

…..From the invisible side of the aeather, Ares's stern face broke into a toothy grin at his Chosen's implacable determination to ruin his devilish plan, and most of all at the thought of seeing her in action again….Real action , for a change.

" This sure makes an interesting twist…." he said to himself, vanishing one second later. He had some last minute adjustments to take care of...