When Xena awoke, Gabrielle was sitting at the foot of her bed.

"I hope you're going to do something about this, about him?" It was as much a question as it was a statement.

Xena sat up, yawned, stretched her arms out, and rubbed her eyes. She didn't have any idea what Gabrielle was talking about but she had a pretty good idea just who the "him" in question was.

"What in the name of Zeus are you talking about?"

"Ares has been here since the crack of dawn and I don't think he plans on leaving anytime soon," Gabrielle gestured toward the front of the temple.

Xena looked around for her leather and armor and remembered that they had been left behind in the other room when he had whisked her in the priest's quarters the previous evening.

She grumbled her frustration, "Where are the kids? My clothes are in the other room."

"Since you brought it up, just how did you end up in here anyway, and has he been here all night? He was outside when I got up to go to the bathroom this morning."

"No. I mean he was here. . . but. . . he didn't stay," Xena stood up and wrapped the blanket around her body even though she had her cream colored shift on.

Gabrielle followed Xena out of the room and down the hall, "Xena did you and he?"

"Gods no, Gabrielle, it wasn't like that. We were talking about Sarkon."

"Sarkon?"

"The Slayer, the one who sacked the kids' village."

"So Ares does know him?" she said but it didn't sound like an accusation, just a confirmation.

"He knows of him, Gabrielle," Xena stopped in the hallway and turned to look at her friend, "believe it or not, he's actually trying to stop him."

"Really?" Gabrielle was not ready to trust Ares just yet. She appreciated him bringing Xena back from Jappa but he had done so against Xena's wishes. She knew that if Ares was going after this Sarkon then he was doing it out of self-interest.

"Yes, really," Xena answered a little too defensively for her own liking and turned to continue her trek down the hallway toward the acolyte's room that Gabrielle had slept in the previous evening.

When she reached the room, she could here the activities in the front of the temple.

"No, you have to put it on in thin layers, like this," Xena could hear Mikal telling someone.

"So, what's his angle with the Sarkon thing?" Gabrielle asked as Xena quickly pulled her leather dress and boots on, leaving the armor on the floor at the foot of the tiny bed.

"Can we talk about this later, I am more worried about getting him out of here right now," Xena answered and stopped in the doorway steeling herself for the anticipated encounter.

Gabrielle noticed the change in Xena's posture. The warrior had straightened her spine and squared her shoulders. With her head held high, she took a deep breath and headed for the front of the temple.

Gabrielle threw her hands up in the air. Why did Xena have to have a thing for him of all people?

X*X*X

Even though Xena had steeled herself, she was not prepared for the sight of a topless Ares. Gods, he was beautiful. He was standing at the half-destroyed wall with Mikal and Iason. Mikal was showing the other two the finer techniques of brick laying. He smeared cement in a thin layer on one of the square stones that were piled neatly near the wall. Xena wondered where the stones had come from. They weren't there last night.

Ares looked up at his warrior when she entered the room, "Morning sleepyhead."

The mid-morning sun gleamed through the gap in the wall, illuminating his gloriously strong, glistening, and dirty chest. Just how long had she slept this morning and why hadn't someone roused her earlier? Why was he sweating? It wasn't that hot in here. Sure, he was standing directly in the sunlight but Ares rarely broke a sweat. He picked up another of the stones and took the spatula from Mikal, daubed a glob of cement on it and began applying it as the boy had shown him.

He was working? What in Hades was going on here? What was he up to? Was she still dreaming? Was he filling her head with this? She remembered having vivid dreams the night before but mostly of a sexual or sensual nature. She wanted to pinch herself but didn't dare give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had her puzzled.

"Good morning Ares, could I see you for a minute?" She jerked her head toward the hallway from where she had just come. When she did, she saw Gabrielle leaning on the doorframe with a "you're in trouble now" smirk on her face.

"Sure, sugar, be right there, just let me clean my hands," he winked at her and doused his hands in a nearby water bucket then wiped them on a rag that Iason handed him.

"Don't keep him long Xena," Mikal called at the retreating duo, "he's gotta help me get the rest of the bricks from Toris' shed.

Gabrielle started to follow the two of them down the hallway but after a glare from Xena had second thoughts.

Xena set the pace, making long but not hurried strides. as they marched down the hallway toward the head priest's quarters. Daria and Kallias darted out of their room, Ares had to scramble to keep them from slamming into his legs.

"Sorry Mr. Ares," Daria looked up at the war god and blushed. She was clearly smitten with him.

"No running in the halls," Xena reminded the girls.

"Sorry," Kallias responded and took Daria's hand and headed off.

Abruptly Daria whipped around and ran back toward Xena and Ares. She tugged at the hem of Xena's dress and crooked her tiny finger in a 'come here' motion.

Xena went down on her haunches, "What is it, Daria?"

Daria leaned into Xena's ear and whispered, "you were right, he is handsome."

Xena looked up at Ares, she certainly didn't disagree. He was definitely handsome but why did he have to be such an ass? Xena growled, "looks aren't everything. Now, make yourselves useful and go see if Gabrielle needs you two to do something."

As the girls walked off, hand-in-hand again, Xena started back down the hallway. Suddenly, Ares was gone. "Son-of-a-bacchae!" She continued down the hallway to her new room. When she reached the room, she slammed the door shut only to find him lounging in her bed, still topless.

"What in the name of. . .of. . . you-are you doing?" She managed to get out.

"I'm trying to be helpful," he answered with a smile.

"You don't do manual labor," she retorted.

"Oh, I don't know, I think I'm pretty good with my hands," he said and sent her a mental reminder of a time long ago when he sat her on the altar of this very temple and fingered her until she came.

Xena braced herself against the door. She winced as a splinter sliced into her right index finger as she clawed at the wood in an effort to fight the feelings that the image aroused.

He let go of the image when she cried out. He hadn't meant to hurt her. He was at her side instantly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, are you okay?"

"It's just a splinter, Ares, I'll live," she bit back.

"Let me see it," he ordered.

"Don't be silly, I'm fine."

He wasn't taking no for an answer. He took her hand and examined the sliver of wood laying just under her perfectly pink skin. He couldn't resist kissing her fingertip. The touch of his hot mouth on her sore finger sent goosebumps rising up all over her body and liquified her core.

"That's a big one Xena, I think I can get it out for you."

"I'll manage, I get a needle," she objected and tried to nudge him away.

"Now who's being silly?"

"I don't need you 'fixing' me, Ares."

"No god tricks, I promise," he lifted her finger to his mouth again and began working the offending shard forward with his teeth. Xena stood perfectly still as he performed his oral ministrations. She was growing wetter and wetter as his teeth scraped her sensitive fingertip. When Ares felt the splinter pop loose, he pricked the wood from her digit and flicked it across the room. He grinned his devilish grin at her and licked the opening the wound had left, tasting the coppery essence of his beloved. "By the gods woman, there'll never be another."

"Areeess," she moaned.

"Mmmm?" His lips glided from her fingertip to the delicate skin of her wrist. He licked, kissed, and nibbled. Xena literally felt her knees going weak. She knew she had to stop this, fast. She grabbed him by the bare biceps, quickly turned him and pressed his back against the door, pinning him against the hard oak.

"Cut it out," she said breathlessly.

"Okay, okay," he lifted his forearms in a surrendering gesture, "I really was just trying to help but you make it so hard to play nice sometimes."

"We didn't ask for your help. We will be just fine here without you." she didn't mean it to come off as harsh but she could tell that it had hurt his feelings.

He swallowed hard and pursed his lips. She thought she must be hallucinating because she could have sworn that his eyes almost watered.

"Fine Xena, just let me finish the wall, I told the boys I'd help, don't make a liar out of me, not to those kids."

"Oh right, you're not a liar, just a murdering, slaughtering, manipulative bastard. Why do you give a crap what those kids think of you?"

He didn't answer, he just looked around the room. He wasn't used to dealing with all these feelings. "Fuck you, Xena."

"Isn't that what you were just trying to do and failing miserably, I might add," she taunted him.

"Look, just tell the boys I'm a jerk, that's what you're gonna do anyway," he said and disappeared.

"Good riddance," she yelled but in reality she felt like shit. Why had she done that? Maybe he was trying to help? Why couldn't she ever take anything he said at face value? Fuck him!

Xena stormed back down the hallway to the front of the temple. Surveying the throne room, she chided herself for ever thinking that this was going to work. Gabrielle and the girls were nowhere in sight. The boys only looked behind her, clearly they were anticipating the return of the god of war.

"He's gone. Something came up," she lied. She was too ashamed to tell them that she had run him off.

Their disappointed looks made her feel even worse about herself. "Back to work," she clapped her hands, "daylight's burning."

"I'll see if I can borrow the wheelbarrow from Marta," Mikal said to Iason, "I think we can push the rest of the bricks over here together with it."

"Sure, I'll meet you at the tavern," Iason agreed.

Xena realized that Ares must have carried the pile of bricks from her brother's shed. Gods she was feeling like a real bitch.

"Here, he left this," Mikal said as he tossed Ares' leather vest to Xena. Without another word, he and Iason headed out the front door.

Xena clutched the vest. She looked around to make sure she was truly alone. She brought the garment up to her face, revelling in his scent. She felt like a hypocrite. She had to get rid of

the offending article. She called out to Gabrielle and the girls, no answer. She guessed they had gone over to the hospice.

She walked quickly over to the throne, reached under the seat and pulled the hidden lever. The throne inched forward. The stones grinding against each other echoed off the temple walls. A loud click signaled tha tthe passageway was fully open. Xena grabbed a nearby oil lamp and descended the staircase into the hidden room and into her past.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she tripped the lever on that end, closing the entrance above. She used the lamp to light the sconces and was surprised to find that many of them still had usable candles.

Once illuminated, Xena could still make out the old war table in the corner. The maps from their last campaign were still weighed down on the corners with skulls just like she had left them. The room smelled musty and had clearly been out of use for decades. Drapes of spiderwebs lined the corners. Two closets stood along the far wall. One, Xena knew contained a small collection of arms that she had coveted from her kills, the other held backup pieces of armor. The centerpiece of the room, however was the bed, a large queen sized piled high with now dusty pillows. Above the bed was a tapestry he'd had crafted in Persia, it pictured a dark haired female warrior riding off into a purple sunset. The glimmer of a chakram could barely be made out on her hip. A trunk sat at the foot of the bed. Xena wondered if rats had gotten to the delicate contents. She dusted off the cobwebs and slowly lifted the led. To her surprise the dresses and lingerie were undisturbed. She lifted a blue leather corset that she'd had died in Tunis to match her eyes. Ares had particularly loved that garment she recalled. The force of the memory hit her like a the blow from a cyclops' cudgel. She could almost feel the bones of the corset hugging her as his lips and tongue feasted upon her nipples. Could feel the slick glide of his fingers across and into her center. Taste his salty skin, hear his muffled groans as he pleasured her with his gorgeous mouth. She delighted in the feel of stretching to accommodate his godly girth as he bent her over the bed. She recalled that with each thrust he had released the strings of the corsetsone eyelet at at time until the corset fell freely to the mattress below and they collapsed on top of it spent.

Footsteps from above brought Xena out of her reverie. She tossed the vest into the chest and closed the lid quietly. She couldn't use the stairway without revealing the room to the others. Instead, she used the back door which exited through the caves. It would be a mile and half walk back to town but she needed to cool off anyway.