Only a few seconds later, Xena was at the border of the Amazon territory, and judging by the upset look on her face, she wasn't thrilled about the whole situation with Ares. The mere thought that the Bastard had lied to her once again, made her blood boil...

" Thanks Dite. I can take it from here. Stay close though, I'll need you to take me back to Ares once I finish talking to Marga. "

"Ok Xe….Be careful though….These fashion oblivious women can be very dangerous….."

"Don't worry. I know how to deal with them…"

Hardly had the Warrior Princess ended her line, that a rain of arrows fell with stunning precision at their feet.

" Are you sure? The lack of proper clothes has turned them into a bunch of very frustrated beings over the years…." the Love Goddess yelled at the top of her lungs, casting an unimpressed gaze at one of the sharp arrows she had effortlessly caught just inches away from her flawless face , to Xena's utter shock.

"Actually I think I'd blame that on the constant wars for freedom and survival and on the partial decimation of their tribes…." the Warrior Princess responded, attentively scanning the trees, aware that most of her attackers were hiding up there.

" Whatever….That doesn't change the fact that they have absolutely no fashion sense ….Just call me when you want me to pick you up Sweetie…." the Goddess vehemently added, getting ready to leave.

" Don't call me sweetie in public…It's bad for my reputation!" Xena snapped while rushing to make the Amazon sign for peace. "For those of you who do not know me, I am Xena. I come as a friend. " she then said, loud enough for them to hear her.

" What does the Warrior Princess do on Amazon Land? If you are familiar with the Amazon law, you surely know that trespassing is punishable by death. " a very feisty woman asked, jumping from a nearby branch, right in front of her.

" I need to talk to Marga. It's urgent. "

" Our queen is busy preparing our defense. We have reasons to think that we will be under attack soon. Our scouts have spoken about troops belonging to the God of War himself moving straight towards our territory. "

" Your Queen? Are you saying that the council has made its choice? Is Marga your new ruler?"

" That is none of your business! " another Amazon- a younger one- cut in, with a ferocity that made Xena arch an eyebrow at her. She sure had guts! " We aren't supposed to offer information to strangers Mereya! What were you thinking? She could as well be an enemy! "

" She's clearly not an enemy! She knows our sign! " the other one protested, obviously bothered by her sister's attitude.

" So what? I know a few Roman signs myself, and that doesn't make me Caesar!" she cynically bit...

"Your sister here, has a point…" Xena had to admit, eyes glistening with unveiled admiration. She kinda liked this girl. For some reason, she reminded her of a younger, definitely more foolish version of herself , back when she finally realized that people are able to change a thousand masks a day if that serves their interests.

" Are you saying that you cannot be trusted?" Mereya angrily asked, now holding a sword to her neck.

"No. I'm just saying that you should think twice before opening your mouth to say something. It might save your tribe's life in the future" Xena replied, skilfully kicking the blade from her hand, and drawing hers out in return. Within a blink, the woman before her was both disarmed and in danger of having her own throat slashed at the slightest move. "Now….as much as I'd love to stay here and chat some more with you girls, as I said, I really need to talk to your Queen. Your lives depend on it…so, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna pay her a visit. "

" No you're not. You're not going anywhere. " the young one stupidly contradicted, as if her Sister's welfare weren't even on the line.

For a split second, Xena considered beating the crap out of her….The fact that she was outnumbered though and the amount of energy and time that she would have uselessly been forced to spend in kicking their butts made her reevaluate her options. Time…..now that was something she couldn't afford losing.

"I'll tell you what….Why don't you escort me to your Queen, and in exchange, I won't break your arms and legs …..And yes, I'm talking about all of your arms and legs" she made sure to mention, looking menacingly around her, her gaze lingering a bit into the thick treetops- the branches of which were now slowly moving as if a warm breeze had passed through the leaves….She knew better though…..

"Boy, you're not very good at making friends, are you? " Mereya inquired in a small voice, given that the Warrior Princess still had that sword at her throat.

" I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to stop others from wiping out your entire nation! Judging by your reaction though, maybe you don't want to be saved. Maybe I should have stayed home and enjoyed the rest of my bath!" the displeased Xena growled, starting to lose her patience with them.

And there it was: pure, amazingly comforting silence. She unwillingly smiled at the result of her intimidating line.

"Now we're getting somewhere…."

The only problem was that, while her brain was rather focused on the barely perceptible but possibly alarming movement in the trees, she had failed to anticipate her so called prisoner's attempt to free herself from her grip...Before she knew it, blood was staining her sword...

XXX

Up on Olympus, Athena was having the time of her life while following through a portal Ares' troops who were now steadily advancing towards the Amazon Lands.

" And he still has the nerve to call himself the God of War...My , my dear brother, I do believe you'll be in an outstanding surprise in the morning!"

XXX

At pretty much the same moment, from one of his temples, Ares was watching like a hawk his Chosen's every move, his heart pounding louder and louder each time Xena's grip hardened on that sword.

"Come on Baby! Slit her throat! Show her what you're made of!"