STILL AT THE BALL, YOU GUYS...
''I do…..not, actually. Immortality is not something I crave for, so as far as I am concerned, we can just skip this stage ….''
For a brief second, no reaction what so ever had managed to surface on the wise God's face- it was almost as if her obnoxious answer had failed to register the vastness of his mind, as if his brain had failed to process the absolute ridicule of this peculiar woman's decision. It was indeed unheard of, for a mortal- any mortal in their righteous mind – to refuse such a rare honour , regardless of their doubts and fears.
In the meantime, as if almost afraid to glance over her shoulder at Ares, probably reluctant to read the bitter disappointment in his auburn eyes, Xena chose to focus on Zeus instead , aware that an eventual confrontation on the subject with her patron god was unavoidable anyway. Postponing it, was thus only natural.
Completely ignoring the annoyingly lively and intrigued crowd behind her -it appeared as if even the most meaningless of nymphs present at the event had something to say about her decision- the Warrior Princess made an effort to detach herself from the mountain of stress generated by the situation- an impossible task so to say, given that those damned voices were literally coming from everywhere. Some sounded revolted, some were amused by the unexpected twists and turns of the main event , some were speculating about the factors that may have led to such irrational and hazardous outcome, automatically assuming that her union with Ares was in fact a hoax- the deafening clamor was ceaseless…She could hear them all, and though she didn't give a rat's ass about their opinion on the matter, she couldn't deny the fact that it did bother her to be the subject of the entire Olympus' continuous gossip. What she and Ares had was as real as real can be, and she didn't feel in any way obliged to prove otherwise to any of them.
''Have you talked this through with your patron God ?'' the King of the Gods inquired, swiftly glancing at his son , who was standing just a few steps behind her, looking not only tense, but utterly displeased with his Chosen's announcement.
Before she got the chance to open her lips though, the War God offered the answer for her.
''She has. It's her choice. I will respect it .''
A devastating tsunami of voices found once again their way towards Zeus' golden throne , but this time, disbelief was the right word to characterize the unfolding turmoil.
''Be quiet ! ''
And suddenly a spine chilling silence returned to rule proudly over the ballroom, engulfing it along with Xena's composure , making her wish she had been anywhere but there. Had she made a mistake when it came to that damned choice?! Were they right ?!
This time, she did turn around slightly, looking for Ares, who , noticing her gesture, immediately cut in the distance between them, and within a blink, she could feel his hot breath on her neck and as he mentally extended his aura around her, she suddenly realized she felt safe, despite the circumstances.
''One cannot force immortality on anyone. Choosing death over life is everyone's birth right. No one is going to take that away from her! If it is death you want, Warrior Princess, then so be it. When time comes, everything will happen according to the natural order of things. Are you sure you are ok with this, son ?'' the almighty king questioned, as if Ares was secretly holding some kind of special power to prevent his Chosen from acting on impulse and doing something as reckless as turning down the spectacular opportunity she had been given.
''Yes. '' he simply replied, an automatic, emotionless answer that indirectly let the Warrior Princess know just how bothered he was by this whole thing. He had genuinely hoped that after their initial conversation on the subject, she would come around….That was clearly not the case- he had underestimated her – she was not only stubborn , she was as stubborn as a mule.
Hera sighed. She could clearly tell just how upset his Chosen's decision had made him and the fact that he had skillfully avoided his Princess' gaze every time she searched for it….that spoke volumes for the Queen.
''You can always make her immortal if she ever reconsiders, son..."
''I won't …'' the Warrior Princess rushed to say but she was completely ignored by the troubled mother.
''She is your Chosen after all. You have this right.''
''I know .'' the War God replied with a half smile and the Queen was thrilled to notice that his eyes had become visibly more lively at the news. The awareness that not everything was lost, had given him hope …hope that maybe, somehow , he would find a way to keep her by his side forever….
XXX
At the far end of the room, Athena and Apollo were having a conversation of their own, one as interesting as the one taking place by Zeus' throne and judging by their satisfied smirks and that particular sparkle in their eyes, they were up to no good…..
From just a few steps behind them, Ares' former sex toy, Discord, was eves dropping on their conversation, anxiously biting her lips while hearing all those juicy details of the plan that was just about to unfold. Simple but potentially destructive. She liked Apollo, but Athena….Athena was something else – she had a mind as sharp as a razor and as dirty as the pits of Taratrus and her whole initiative of sabotaging their barely blooming relationship was music to her ears. It literally made her body vibrate with excitement ! It was during little but priceless moments like that that the whole concept if immortality was worthwhile.
XXX
''Can I steal him for just a second, my dear ?'' Hera politely asked once Zeus had ordered the muses to grace them with some high quality musical entertainment, eager to put an end to that preposterous scene that had only managed to anger him even more than the fact itself that his son had selected a meaningless village girl as his Chosen, as if to spite him….He could have gone for an Amazon Queen, a world famous hero ( Hercules, his favourite son was out of the question, obviously) or a brave king…but no….he just had to shame his father once again….Her mere presence in Olympus was insulting -like a slap in the face …. The nerve he had, that boy!
''Sure ….'' Xena reluctantly replied, smiling softly the moment Ares kissed her shoulder, a discreet reassurance that he was not going to let her out of his sight.
''I won't be long. Dite can keep you company '' he suggested, pointing at his sister who was somewhere in the middle of the room, gesturing frantically in front of two minor Goddesses who were dressed as if they were attending an orgy.
''I must say, you are a unique presence here in Olympus! A breath of fresh air, for sure….''a joyful but gentle voice came from somewhere behind her.
From the corner of her eye, the Warrior Princess could see a handsome, well built, extremely attractive blond God walking her way.
''You think ?'' she sternly replied once he briefly touched her shoulder.
The Sun God ….Ares had warned her about him.
''Apollo ….'' he formally introduced himself, bowing his head respectfully as if he were in the presence of an equally important deity and not in front of a mere mortal whose only value was given by the honor granted to her by her patron God.
''Oh I know who you are ….I've heard a lot about you…''
''I'm flattered, my Lady ….Good things, I hope …''
''Not quite ….But on the other hand, we can't really believe everything we hear, do we now?'' she pointed out, without sketching a courteous smile in return of the one he had been generously offering her.
''Well put. So you are not only extremely beautiful but also smart . This is a very unusual combination for Ares if I may add.'' he remarked with a relaxed, causal laugh that made the Warrior Princess think that he was in fact pretty far from the image the War God had projected of him.
''I had no clue you were also in charge with his love life .'' she bit though, hardly impressed with his strategy.
''Fortunately, the Fates have proven merciful when it comes to my daily assignments.'' he responded, taking a mental note at just how defensive her attitude had gotten all of a sudden. Ares had trained her well….
"Hades knows what that bastard has told her" he said to himself, making a conscious effort not to frown, thus ruinning that perfectly peaceful and well-intended image of himself he was struggling to project for her…''Anyway, it's not like his sex life would be some big fat mystery for the world to solve .He's fucked pretty much every female presence in his room, except for his mother and Athena- who is more into women …..Rumor has it that Hestia and Artemis are secretly crazy about him , as for Aphrodite …well, we all know that story …'' he mocked, and for a second, Xena felt the her heart sink….''Let's just say that his reputation precedes him and let's leave it to that … ….'' he quickly added, waving his hand dismissively when a gorgeous salve came and offered him a drink.
'' Interesting …''
''Really ?! I thought you were supposed to know him better than anyone given that you are his Chosen . His very first Chosen, to be more precise….''he subtly stang, taking a bite out of a juicy apple he had taken from a nearby table.
''Not that…What I do find interesting is the fact that after less than ten minutes of making your acquaintance you already speak damagingly about my patron God ….You two don't really like each other do you ?'' she probed, eager to find some more information on the subject considering that she only had Ares' point of view on the subject.
''To put it mildly ….'' came the Sun God's swift response. ''You might have noticed that Ares doesn't really have friends – a few allies here and there but that's about it, and let's keep in mind that alliances are only built on common interest , not affection, not friendship, and definitely not on emotional support. Haven't you wondered why?'''
This time, Xena didn't say anything, too busy filtering all the information she was receiving.
''Listen...just because I like you, I'm telling you, Warrior Princess, keep your eyes wide open or he'll use you and throw you away like a rag doll the moment you no longer serve his interests. You keep that in mind. The simple fact that you've just refused immortality tells me that you're not as brainwahsed as he'd like you to be at this stage of your relationship, so you still have a chance...''
''Don't you have anything better to do , Apollo ?'' the War God barked as his arm circled his Chosen's waist, glaring daggers at his cunning half brother .As always, that prick was up to something, he could tell it by that soft, wooing tonality he had been using with his Princess.
''I was just informing your Chosen that if there are already problems in the Elysian Fields, then maybe she's in the wrong Paradise in the first place …and maybe there's better …..'' he added, grinning widely at the already fuming God.
''Don't provoke me, brother. If you even dream about trying anything, I swear it on Styx, you'll be spitting sunrays from here to Ch'in- and that's a long road….''
''Don't you worry Bro'. She's still too infatuated with you to actually read between the lines, right, darling ?'' he rhetorically asked, winking at Xena and barely suppressing a laugh as he headed for the centre of the room where everyone else was enjoying the party.
The instant he left, Xena could finally feel she could loosen her hold on Ares' arm. It had been the only thing that had kept him from ripping that obnoxious fool apart piece by piece.
''Thank you .'' she whispered. ''I really don't think this is the right place to make a scene ..''
''You're perfectly right. Tastelessly melodramatic it's not my thing , so screw them all. Care to dance, my beautiful Princess ?'' he elegantly invited, and the feel of her fingers caught in his firm but gentle grip along with the touch of his warm hand on the small of her back as he guided her towards the dance floor, was sublime.
''Well, taking into account that I'm still so infatuated with you , Lord Ares, how could I refuse ?'' she answered as they made their way through the already dancing couples.
They obviously missed the countless sets of eyes that had been following their every move and that held nothing but contempt, envy and spite ….And yet, despite the circumstances, for once, Love was not blind ….
