As the day progressed, Xena got more and more anxious by the second ….Why in Tartarus had she agreed to his ludicrous idea?! As much as she would have liked to, she couldn't precisely avoid that stupid ball -as she liked to call it-and she knew it, but dinner…now that was something she could have definitely refused…What was even the point of subjecting herself to such crushing humiliation?!

And yet, against all odds and definitely against her better judgement, there she was, desperately looking for what she recalled to be the right herbs to go with venison. That afternoon, for the very first time in her life, she had single handedly killed a deer – it was more like murder actually, given the horrible suffering inflicted on that poor animal- and for the seventh or eight time since the disturbing event took place, she felt that nauseating sensation crawling its way from her stomach to her throat at the mere memory of the dark red blood gushing from the creature's neck as she finally managed to fully section its jugular.

It still amazed her that she had no problem what so ever with the mayhem she usually unleashed on a battlefield every time she had the chance but doing the same thing to a poor, innocent creature, now that was different- haunting to say the least, and those chilling, agonizing screams as the blade was inching its way through the dying animal's flesh….she just couldn't stop them from replaying over and over again in her head.

About two hours of mental torture later, the Warrior Princess had somehow managed to successfully remove the silverskin from the meat and she allowed it to simmer slowly while she lazily began to peel the few vegetables she had bought from a nearby market- where much to her annoyance, random people kept staring at her in both disgust and fear, an uncomfortable reaction that lasted pretty much until she finally left town, only to discover as she reached Ares' temple that her hair and parts of her upper body were still covered in blood.

Onion, garlic, red wine, potatoes, tomatoes, a bit of flour and even that freaking celery root her mom had warned her she would end up mistaking for a carrot ( no problem with that one though, she just carelessly threw them both into the pot ), everything was mixed together and cooked over low heat for a few hours. She just had to make sure she added enough oregano, thyme, salt and pepper to offer that extra special taste Cyrne's food always had…And yet, despite the fact that she did everything by the book – or so she liked to believe- something didn't smell quite right ….Not the way she remembered it anyway….

''Honey! I'm home !" Ares' jocular voice snapped her instantly out of her thoughts just as she was struggling to understand what exactly it was that she had missed…..She didn't get to taste it, but according to all her calculations, the whole mix was supposed to be delicious! And yet, that pungent smell…For the love of all nine muses, that stench of death was a red, red flag, impossible to ignore…..

''Ares! Just in time …'' she somehow managed to mumble, her eyebrows tangled in an inevitable, reproachful frown. At the end of the day, it was his fault that she had been put in that disgraceful position.

'' Precisely what I was hoping to hear! So uh…..What do we have for dinner ? "he impatiently inquired, as he edged closer, trying to take a quick peek at whatever it was she had cooked there, but the lid was on.

'' It's a surprise .You'll have to guess though….''

''Talented and sneaky ! Who would have thought?'' he complimented, snaking his arms around her and looking into her eyes for a few seconds before his lips found hers, a passionate yet natural gesture that only brought even more steam into the temple kitchen and that immediately wiped any trace of concern from the Warrior Princess' face.

''Hmmmm….still no clue …..'' he made sure to mention in between kisses. ''Let me try again….'' he murmured, doing his best to detect even the faintest aroma on her tongue ….With the exception of oranges he couldn't identify anything ….

''Citruses …. Oranges? Grapefruit, maybe..?'' he finally asked, eager to get at least the tiniest hint about the intriguing content of that pot.

''You can do better than that, War God….''she sensually teased, her fingers playing with his hair while her gaze never left his.

It was the strangest thing, but in his arms, no matter how tight he held her, she always felt like she was levitating, like that electricity she could feel running through her bones at his every touch also had within it the power to lift her off the ground a few inches. A pleasant lightheadness accompanied the rush of helplessness that always seemed to cloud her judgement whenever he was around and no matter how many times a day she told herself that any emotional attachment to him was out of the question, when he was this close to her, just a breath away, she felt like her will and self-control simply melted into nothingness….

'' I sure can ….'' he whispered into her hair as he pulled her even closer into a tight embrace, aware that one kiss would only lead to another and then to another and then….then they would have skipped dinner altogether, and though he craved to have her with every fiber of his being, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was still too early …..

There was a certain vulnerability behind that standard coldness she struggled to display most of the time he was in her proximity that drove him absolutely crazy. It was like he wanted to tear her apart piece by piece just to put her back together again- not out of the selfish reason to prove to himself that he could but to figure out how exactly it was that she worked -as if she were some extraterrestrial being that he needed to learn inside out. She was constantly on his mind day and night and whenever she chose to place herself out of his reach – as in a night spent at Dite's temple- it was torture …

Xena's voice interrupted his train of thoughts though.

''Why don't you ?''she provokingly invited, her palms moving languidly down his shoulders and finally resting on his chest.

For a moment his heart stopped, and then leaped with excitement. There was no doubt in his mind…She wanted him as much as he wanted her ….

''Because you promised me food, woman ! I need to be fed ! " he laughed, doing his best to mask his enthusiasm and expertly changing the subject.

''Oh…I did , didn't I ?''

''You sure did ….''

Before she could even tell what was happening, Ares had already transported them in a stunning, intimate chamber- definitely a place she had never seen before- an unusual location compared to the rooms she had seen in the Halls of War or in any of the temples she had been to, across Greece.

Scrutinizing the unfamiliar space she had before her eyes, probably the first thing she noticed was a round, wooden table set right in the middle with candles on it and colorful Persian rugs and furs covering the floor. The curtains were made of crimson silk and though it was already dark outside, from the window she could clearly hear and smell the sea….

A generous, cadmium green velvet sofa was placed against the right wall of the room and the bright flames of the fire place only made its bold shade even more vibrant than it could already be perceived. An impressive lemon tree dominated the opposing wall and Xena couldn't help thinking that it looked stunningly similar to the one she had back in Amphipolis in her mom's carefully tended garden.

''Is it to your liking ?'' he asked, placing a light kiss on her shoulder and offering her a small smile as he headed for the luxurious liquor cabinet by the window. She had missed that one…It looked oriental in style, with double doors the panels of which featured elaborate shapes she had only seen painted on the occasional scarfs and tapestries some of the merchants would bring from India or Chin …Way too expensive for her to afford.

''Yes….I'm just surprised…''

''Oh ? ''

''The colours…I would have never imagined you'd appreciate anything outside the grey/ black/dark red scheme ….'' she answered, while attentively analyzing the fabulously executed wrought iron chandelier. It was pretty obvious that not one single detail had been left to chance…

''Well, I guess there are many things we still need to discover about each other, isn't it?''

She just smiled back, silently wondering if there was a secret meaning to his statement that she was supposed to decode….

''Red or white ?'' she barely heard him ask.

''Red…'' she answered, snapping back to reality and gracefully taking the silver goblet he had gallantly offered, arching an eyebrow once she came to realize that he had obviously poured the wine before she even got to tell him what she preferred….He already knew the answer …

''So….how was the rest of your day ?'' he asked, taking a sip from his cup, while with a wave of his hand he changed her leathers into a simple yet elegant full wrap maxi dress, the blue silk of which brought out her hypnotizing eyes, perfectly.

Another discreet wave and her skin suddenly felt as soft and as fresh as she had just taken a long, hot bath, an extravagant black orchid fragrance filing the room.

''Thank you ….''she whispered, trying to come up with an answer that didn't precisely involve running like a crazed bachae through the forest, looking for the right moment to attack her prey. 'Pretty busy ….''she replied instead, wisely leaving aside all the gory details .''What about yours ?''

''You know…a war here, a minor squabble there…The usual. I was actually looking forward for tonight ….''

'' Were you that hungry ?!''she nervously laughed, a gesture that didn't pass unnoticed for the highly observant War God .

"Yeah…..''he simply answered, looking at her as if he could have eaten her up then and there.''Starving…'' he added, pulling out a chair for her the moment he noticed her slight discomfort.

It was only when she took a seat that she noticed the plates and cutlery on the table as well as the pot containing the stew. He was obviously one step ahead of her.

''May I ?'' he politely queried, taking a plate to serve her and as he finally removed the lid, her face instantly wrinkled up in disgust. The visual jelly like, dark brown consistency of the absolutely revolving mixture didn't help either. She could only assume that it was not safe for human consumption.

Ares' face on the other hand was inscrutable.

''It sure looks interesting …'' he remarked once his plate was also full and he took a seat across from her. ''So….what exactly is it ?'' he asked, taking another sip of wine and completely ignoring that iron like stench that instantly reminded him of the Mycenian carnage ( that had taken place a few centuries before.)

''Cyrene's special recipe -venison stew ''she retorted, in her turn taking a long sip out of her goblet. There was no way in Tartarus she was touching that ….

''No wonder you left home ….'' the War God muttered under his breath while he took a bite out of an otherwise perfectly cooked piece of meet ''

''What ?''

''I said there's no place like home, Princess...'' he immediately corrected, discreetly using his godly powers to change the content of his plate into an edible version of what she had worked so hard to offer. ''You're a fabulous cook …'' he complimented her, and for a brief second, Xena scanned his face, obviously trying to find at least one hint of that pungent irony she had missed in his voice but that she was certain he must have somehow expressed. To her unspeakable stupefaction, there was no trace of anything even close to that and as he kept eating spoon after spoon of that ridiculously smelling content, she couldn't help thinking that maybe it did in fact taste amazing in spite of the hard to describe malodor.

Curious by nature as she was, she cautiously took a spoon to her mouth, making a real effort to block out the smell but the instant the brownish liquid touched her lips she immediately felt like vomiting everything from breakfast to the previous day's dinner….

She frantically slurped the rest of her wine, covering her lips with the tips of her fingers when, putting the goblet back on the table she once again laid eyes on her mom's extra special recipe.

Pretending not to notice that absolutely funny reaction at her own cooking, Ares kept eating, licking his lips from time to time as if he didn't want to waste one single drop of the meal she had generously prepared for him.

''Do you actually like that ?!" she couldn't help asking, gently pushing her plate away.

''It's perfect, Princess. Why aren't you eating ?''

''I'm not that hungry ….'' she murmured while still fighting with herself to control that nauseating feeling that had turned her face chalk white.

'' Would you like some desert then? Something lighter…a fruit salad maybe ? Or a slice of apple pie ? "

'' Fruit salad sounds nice ….'' she replied, staring at him in utter amazement, literally watching his every move. She just couldn't believe her eyes- he was actually close to emptying his plate.

''Here you go, Sweetheart. '' he answered, making a bowl full of blackberries, bananas, cherries, mango, pineapple and cream appear before her.

''Can I have some more wine please ? '' she demanded, still adamant about wiping that unforgettable taste from her lips already.

''Of course. ..'' he promptly replied, getting up and heading for the liquor cabinet. He returned carrying a beautiful clay urn with Dionysus' image painted on it and courteously refilled her goblet.

As their gazes intersected, the Warrior Princess' heart stopped for a millisecond before it began thudding so loudly that she could almost feel it slamming violently against her ribcage. It was one of those many recent sensations she had started experimenting since the first moment she met him. That engulfing desire burning in his eyes whenever he looked at her was genuinely overwhelming…

''How's your salad ?''

It took her a few seconds to realize that he was actually talking to her.

'' Great….I love cherries …'' she answered with a candid smile, and to her surprise, as she started eating again, she came to discover that the quantity of cherries in that bowl must have doubled. She didn't mention anything about it though.

All this time, the God was enjoying his wine, studying her as if she were a work of art ….

Minutes later, along with her desert she had also finished more than half of her wine and needless to say, it didn't take long until the room began spinning.

''So….do you have any questions about tomorrow night ?''

For a little while, she considered expressing her discontent again, but what was the point really?

''What exactly should I expect ?''

''You mean besides a bunch of jealous goddesses?''

''Yeah, besides that ….''

''Well….You will be introduced to all the other gods and their Chosen ones, Zeus himself will grant you immortality and …''

''Immortality?!" she immediately interrupted, almost chocking with that last sip of wine.

''Is there a problem?''

''Ares, you never mentioned immortality !'' she half yelled at him, frustrated that this was the very first time he had even brought up the subject.

''Well I didn't think I had to….I just assumed you knew…''

''Why would I even know something like that ?!"

''Well because it makes sense, maybe?! I am immortal- it goes without saying that you will be by my side forever …..''

''Forever is a long time, Ares! ''

''Yeah well tell that to the fucked up entity who invented the concept in the first place…. Anyway, what's wrong with not meeting Celesta for the rest of your days ?!"

''Only everything ! Ares are you kidding me?!…That's a huge decision to take!"

''I thought pretty much anyone would kill to live forever!''

''Well I'm not anyone! ''

''That has become pretty clear by now, my dear, take my word for it. But still….why do you even dislike the idea? It's an extremely rare privilege for a mortal to be granted eternity….You should be happy …''

''I don't want to live forever! Everyone around me would die at a certain point …My Mom, Toris…anyone else I would get the chance to meet….''

''Not me….''

''Well I have news for you, Ares…the world doesn't revolve around you!''

''Yeah but your world should…'' he almost snapped at her and then a heavy silence filled the room, putting an end to their conversation for a few endless moments.

''Sweetheart….'' He finally spoke, once he had calmed down a bit. ''Just sleep on it ok ? You could always refuse but if you ask me, it would be a terrible mistake …''

''Why's that ?''

''Do I really need to draw you a picture ? You are my Chosen-the Chosen of War. This status alone brought along with it countless enemies- most of them in their turn, immortal. Is that so hard for you to understand ?!''

She just took a deep breath and headed for the window. Ares followed of course, and soon , she was leaning into his embrace while staring pensively at the night sky .

''Xena, I promise…this is a good thing. Maybe it will take awhile for you to get used to this new life but you'll grow to like it …''

''I'll think about it …'' was her only response, her hands covering his while silently asking herself if he was indeed right. Was this really a good idea or not ? On the one hand, he did have a point there, but still…. being tied to a person for eternity….that was a bit too much….

That rich sensation of his hot breath on her neck though, combined with the wine and the pleasant warmth of the room, the softness of his touch as his hands started to roam up her waist before they grabbed her shoulders and turned her around , the lust in his eyes, those irresistible lips….all that was about to erase any opposing ideas she had on the subject...

''Can you take me to Aphrodite ?'' she suddenly demanded, abruptly breaking what was definitely going to be a memorable moment for both of them.

''Sure thing, Princess…'' he answered without hesitation but still, she could swear she had seen a slight shadow of regret darkening his features.

Within seconds, they were in Lesbos, where, in front of a large mirror, his ditsy sister was trying out clothes- her favourite pastime.

''Stud Muffin! What are you two doing here ?! she exploded, stunned to see them both there, and even more stunned at the sight of Xena's unusual attire.

''Well, my Princess would like to spend the night here with you and as I see it, her timing couldn't be more perfect- considering your nightly activities '' he retorted, pointing towards the heap of dresses randomly thrown on the back of the sofa.

''By grandpa Chronos himself, Warrior Babe! The dress! Don't tell me you still haven't chosen a dress yet!''

''What's the rush?!" Xena sternly asked, not really knowing what to make out of Love's unnecessary outburst.

''Is she for real?!" she asked her brother, looking at his crush as if she were from another planet. ''How are we supposed to find the right dress in such a short amount of time?!''

''Oh come on Dite ! We have forever until tomorrow night !'''

''What are you talking about ?! You need at least a month to find the perfect dress!'' a literally panicking and hyperventilating Love Goddess retorted, horrified by the scenario.

''I don't need the perfect dress Dite. I just need a dress!''

'' Just ….go to the dressing room and look around while I talk to Stud Muffin for a bit. I'll be with you in a minute!'' she found it in herself to reply while next to the mirror she materialized what appeared to be an endless wardrobe with hundreds of gowns stored in it.

Rolling her eyes, Xena was just about to leave when Ares grabbed her wrist. She was on the verge of snapping at him of course, when, with the most tender of gestures he took her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the top of it.

''Thank you for a lovely evening, Princess. Dinner was amazing.''

She just smiled at him but her eyes still looked troubled.

''Just think about what I said. No pressure….''

XXX

''What was that all about ? ''the Love Goddess just had to ask once Xena had reached the far end of the room .''And what is she doing here, Ar ? She was supposed to be with you for the rest of the night, if you know what I mean…..''she emphasized, unable to comprehend her brother's unusual behaviour.

''Minor disagreements regarding immortality. She hates the idea…''

"What ?! Why?! I swear mortals can be so ignorant at times!''

''Go figure!''

''But still…that doesn't explain ….''

''She had a bit too much to drink….''he swiftly cut her off.

''So ?!" she asked, shocked by his reasoning. '' That's the ideal scenario actually. An extra glass of wine can burry even the last ounce of nervousness….'' She just had to preach, but her brother's expression told her everything she needed to know.

''Oh….that's like totally sweet! You didn't want her to regret it in the morning…..''

He stubbornly refused to comment on that. He didn't even have to, though, for it was more than obvious.

''I'm outta here .Just keep an eye on her for a couple of hours and make sure she picks a decent dress for tomorrow…''

''Decent as in ….''

''Long sleeves, no cleavage, no front splits….''

''Oh come on Ares! She's not a Hestian Virgin for crying out loud! Just leave the fashion details to me, will ya?!""

''Fine. Just don't overreact !'' he warned, pointing a his sister's pink, transparent nightgown.

''No worries, Stud!''

''I'll come back later to check on her. Just need to talk to Zeus about something…..''

''Okie dookie….''

With that, the War God vanished from the room, leaving an overly exciting Love Goddess do her thing. She was going to make sure her brother's protegee looked absolutely smashing at the ball …..