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THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND REVIEWS AND PM'S DEAR READERS, I SURE HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER TOO. I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU TOWARDS THE END OF IT ...:)
As expected, by the time the War God reached 3, they were already freefalling at a dazzling speed towards the frightening surface of the water- or better said, as the Warrior Princess had wisely anticipated, towards the rocks.
In spite of their rather impressive jump, there was no way to actually land safely past that army of stones that awaited them and as the distance between their adrenaline fuelled bodies and their impending doom was shrinking alarmingly with each passing second, Xena squeezed her patron God's hand even tighter. She knew she was safe with him but she couldn't help wondering whether he had actually miscalculated the distance or he had simply ignored any basic mathematical principle that could have ensured a certain degree of success to their otherwise useless attempt.
Seconds before the imminent collision, she instinctively shielded her head with her arm, for an impact that never came, though. Right before their bodies smashed against the hard surface, a deafening roar filled the air as a vortex opened- a swirling maelstrom of light and energy that seemed to tear the very fabric of reality apart.
In a chaotic dance of kaleidoscopic colors, mortal and God found themselves sucked at an impossible speed towards the center of its swirling core but before the Warrior Princess got the time to adjust to the hardly bearable speed at which they had been travelling, they found themselves propelled out of the tunnel with an unimaginable force that left her disoriented and nauseous at the worse moment- the one in which they hit the surface of the ocean.
The bone-jarring crash, the icy water swallowing them whole, that unnatural mix of howling winds and the thunderous rumble of the waves added to that colossal force that was now pushing them underwater, stealing the breath from their lungs and sending a paralyzing chill through their veins.
The ocean might have appeared turbulent from afar but from within, it was even worse- the Warrior Princess couldn't help thinking while struggling to surface, gasping desperately for air as another wave crashed over her head, dragging her under.
"Ares !"she yelled, looking around her when she finally realized that he was nowhere to be found and for a moment, the fact that he was an Olympian God , and thus immortal, did actually escape her mind.
Her muscles were so tense that she felt them burning with each attempt to swim back to the surface, and just when she started to desperately scan the surface of the water in order to observe her surroundings, she felt a tight grip around her waist.
'' There!'' he yelled at the bottom of his lungs, pointing towards a small beach at the base of the cliffs, urging her to swim in that direction. Several endless minutes of struggle later, they were on their backs, desperately inhaling the crisp, salty air.
''Would it have killed you to use your godly powers to bring us ashore ?'' she snarled, giving him nasty glare. ''You opened up a vortex to throw us in the middle of nowhere but it didn't occur to you to actually drop us straight here ?!''
''Where's the fun in that?! Plus, I'd rather use my godly powers for something a bit more …. challenging '' he replied, winking playfully at her.
She just huffed her discontent and took her time to scan the area. The island was small, no more than a mile across, with a crescent-shaped shoreline of powdery, onyx sand that gleamed under the last rays of the setting sun. A small forest and a few massive rocks here and there, served as a reminder of the effort it took to actually swim there.
The only sound that could be heard was that of the angry waves crashing against them and Xena couldn't help thinking that this place felt like worlds apart from the campsite and from the entire ordeal she had been through in China.
''Pretty impressive huh?''
''It sure is ….'' she replied, closing her eyes for a moment and listening to the distant call of the seabirds soaring above.
"Glad you like it…" he murmured, leaning back on his elbows as he watched the last traces of daylight fade into a greyish mantle that was about to slowly deepen into darkness.
Within a blink , she rolled onto her stomach stretching her arms out in front of her and purring softly- a sound that made the God hold his breath- she inhaled deeply, allowing her entire body to finally relax.
His eyes roamed over her still-bare, exquisite body, taking in every detail.
Feeling the heat of his gaze on her skin, she focused her attention on him and reading the excitement on his face, as she lowered her gaze, everything became crystal clear. His impossible to ignore erection was the obvious reason why she had sensed that growing tension in their bond.
''Really, Ares?''
''Can you blame me ?! You're lying naked next to me on a deserted beach, looking the way you do, for Gaia's sake!….''
''Well as you well put it, it's not like you haven't seen me naked hundreds of times before…'' she replied, a roguish smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She could have him eating from the palm of her hand any day and she knew it.
''And as you can see, the effect you have on me is always the same….''
''Hmmmmm …'' she mused, arching an eyebrow at his extremely straightforward confession.
'Tempted?" he nonchalantly inquired; a wide grin plastered on his face. ''Hop on for a free ride!'' he invited, gesturing towards his ready to pound cock.
''Didn't know you charged for sex these days….'' she stung . ''Times must be tough .''
''Ouch ! Score one for the Warrior Princess ! How about we play Blind Man's Bluff ? We can get to kiss whatever we touch.''
She had to laugh at his childish proposal.
''You and your games! Not falling for that one again, Ares... ''
'' Or Extreme hide and seek. '' he quickly added, hoping to at least spark her curiosity.
''Extreme hide and seek ?! How could hide and seek ever be extreme ?" she found herself asking.
''Well ... we set a time and one of us needs to find the other before it runs out….''
'' That's very extreme indeed '' she mocked, rolling her eyes .
''It can be. You see, you will be punished if you are found in time ….''
Despite the fact that she didn't appear impressed, Ares did notice that certain gleam in her eyes . He had actually managed to get her attention.
''Or ….there is also Captain may I ?'' in which one of us would be tied and the other would be asking for permission to do certain things. He loses a round each time the other utters a sound . ''
'' Wouldn't that be convenient for you ?''
''For you too, I can assure you …'' he mentioned, biting his lips in excitement .
She just shook her head in disbelief, the faintest smirk playing on her lips- as if the sheer absurdity of what he had just proposed was almost too much to process.
''Come on Princess, it'll be fun, I promise. It will definitely cheer you up. ''
''Well, I guess we could give Extreme Hide and Seek a try …You do need someone to teach you a lesson …''
''Oh, I do. Or you can just start now - I mean…why wait ?''
''Actually I had something a bit more different in mind '' she cattishly replied, giving him a kinky once over .
''Zeus have mercy!…'' he mockingly pleaded, following her gaze as it quickly shifted to their surroundings.
'' Where would we hide though? This is quite a small island .''
''That's precisely the point .''
''What about the time? How do we know when a round ends?''
''That's easy- he answered, making a large hourglass appear up on the sky . This will be visible from every corner of the island. Except for the caves, that is. ''
''What caves ?''
''There's a system of caves right around the corner. A small labyrinth. ''
''Ok….''
''So….shall we start ?''
''Ares ….''
''Yes…?''
''We're still naked .''
''Trust me Princess, I know…. ''
Her frown did make him continue his line though.
''…and I was just planning to fix it, of course ….'' he added, swiftly materializing a dark red silken night shift on her and a pair of black silk pants on him.
''Are you kidding me ? Soon it'll be freezing out here !''
''I'll make sure to keep you warm if that happens. Plus, compromise is the key of every healthy relationship.'' he scholastically preached, arching an eyebrow at the sight of her nipples poking through the delicate fabric. ''Come on, up you go!'' he finally added, extending a hand to help her up.
'So…..who's gonna go first ?'' she inquired, anxious to wipe that condescending smirk off his face.
''Heads or tails ?''
" Oh no….actually, since you've been the brains behind this bright idea, you get to be the victim.'' she simply announced.
''Fine . Turn around and count to twenty . No peeking Xe . ''
"No peeking…" she, echoed, slightly amused by the perspective. .Like she actually needed to cheat in order to track his sorry ass! She had many skills . " And no godly tricks, Ares!'' she made sure to remind him in return, shaking her head at his almost instantaneous response.
" Would I ever …..?! "
''Yes you would! ''
He just had to laugh at her reaction. By the Styx, she knew him so well…
''By the way ….I forgot to mention a tiny detail….''. He had to try it…He just couldn't miss this opportunity.
''What's that ?''
''If I win….you get your immortality back …''
''In your dreams, Ares. As I said, this isn't Truth or Dare! ….The last thing I need right now is more drama.''
''You haven't heard the rest of my offer ….''
''And I'm not planning to. ….The answer is no…''
''Solan …''
A long silence followed in which the Warrior Princess couldn't really decide if she wanted to strangle or to stab him …
''What about him ?'' she asked, her jaw tense and her steely eyes cutting through him like razor blades.
'' I could arrange for you to spend some quality time with him amongst the living.''
He knew how tempted she would be…
''How could you do that?''
''Let's just say that uncle Hades owes me big time these days and I could use that in your advantage if you agree. You just have to play the game ….''
''And win …'' she stressed.
''And win .'' he echoed. ''Are you in ?' he questioned, and as various scenarios began unfolding inside her mind he could feel her pulse quicken and her breath become heavier by the second.
''Let the games begin !'' she firmly announced, turning her back at him.
As she sensed him walking away in the opposite direction, she could also feel a very special type of warmth enveloping her body, like a thick fluffy blanket.
''Thank you …'' she murmured through their bond.
''Any time Darling ..May the odds be ever in your favour!"
As the countdown began, Xena did her best to repress her burning anger. She was going to win this and by Gaia herself she was going to make the War God pay for having dared treat her son like a pawn in his twisted little game.