Chapter 38:Lost

Aphrodite POV

"That lock too baby...I must look impeccable."

"As always my Goddess."

My hair had been a mess, since yesterday! I had just missed my appointment because I was busy with keeping tabs on Gab and Evie.

"How does it look now?"

"Perfect! Thank you hottie! Till next time my love!"

Now that my hair was done I needed to go to the next phase…nails.

I was in the ether when I heard that full of pain wail..."Xenaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Was it my brother? Those screams …He was not a God anymore but we were siblings and I could feel his despair through our bond. What if Athena…

I materialized instantly where he was at that moment.

"Ares why are you…?" But I couldn't say anything else. The picture in front of me was saying all that I needed to know.

There was silence for a couple of minutes and despite my best intentions, I couldn't move my feet to go comfort my brother. I was shocked.

Xena was lying in his arms on the very solid ground, not moving and I knew what had made Ares scream like that...It broke my heart to see him that way. Something similar had happened one more time more than two years back but she had been revived then, but now that there was no Eli around anymore..? She was gone and along with her my brother too...He was lost…He didn't even know that I was there because when I touched his shoulder he looked with those red eyes at me...through me.

"Why did she leave?...Why?"

Tears were covering his face.

"Adam is crying Ares...can't you hear him?" but he didn't answer.

"Isn't she beautiful even now?"

I bent to take Adam in my arms and a bottle of milk to feed him appeared instantly in my hand.

"Shhh...little one...shhh."

I gently placed the bottle in his mouth and he began sucking at it. His cries stopped.

"Everything will be ok Adam…"

I felt a tear gliding down my cheek but I erased it as soon as possible.

My nephew was fast asleep being happy that he was feed so I placed him carefully again in his basket redirecting my attention towards my brother.

"Ares..?" I approached once again.

"She said it would only be a paralysis...for the love of the Gods…"

I didn't say anything more but just listened to him…I didn't know what to say anyway.

"Even now…it was her way no? She has always left me but now it isn't only me…She should have thought about our children too. She didn't even know how I really felt for her, that I loved her more than anything in this miserable world. I hate her Dite."

"You don't."

"I want so much to hate her for doing this to me...to us..."

"It will pass Ares…"

"Don't sell me that crap, we both know what she meant to me...we both know what happened the last time." he growled with fury. "If she hadn't come back, the world would not have been like this anymore. I would have destroyed everything in my way."

"But now it's different…you need to take care of your children."

"Take Adam."

Tears had stopped falling and he looked cold at me.

"Ares, Xena wouldn't wan…"

"I don't care what she wants. Did she care for a moment for what I wanted? Huh? Did she?...Take him." He yelled and I backed away.

"Ok, ok…I will take him." I said after a moment. "… but just till you go back to Gabrielle...I will give you some time alone with her now. I love you Bro!"

His anger disappeared when he looked back at me before I vanished with Adam in my arms.

I was so afraid that Ares will not come back to being himself this time even with his children's help. He will always miss her…every time and everything revolved around her even now.

That was like so sad…more than the fact that she was gone was that they never really had a chance…a real chance to be together and that their love was more real than anything and now everything was lost for good.