Chapter 3: Unseen Presence

Xena was flipping through the TV stations, not understanding what she was supposed to find "entertaining." She had most of her ancient memories and very mild ones of her modern life. Xena lived in a small, 2-bedroom cottage in a remote area. There were no immediate stores, nor neighbors for miles. The warrior princess loved the secluded area. It reminded her alot of her grandparent's house. She's not entirely sure how she got here in this modern world though.

The most she could remember was waking up in a cave wrapped in a blanket with her leathers, sword, and chakram in a pile. She quickly changed into her leathers and walked out of the cave. Once she walked out, she couldn't believe her eyes. "Where am I?" she said to herself. Before her, stood tall wooden poles with wires looping them together. She saw strange moving machines going fast with people inside. The roads were hard, not covered with dirt as she was familiar with walking on. The people looked at her strangely as they passed by. One woman asked her was she coming from a cosplay convention. Til this day, she doesn't understand what the woman meant.

An older man with thick glasses saw her confusedly walking down the road. " 'Cuse me maam, you from around here?"

"Hello sir, actually, no I'm not. Could you tell me what year it is and where I am?"

"Certainly, its 2022 and you're in Miasburg, FL maam." Xena almost lost her footing when she heard the year. "Great, an unknown year and location," she thought.

"Ya look like you could use some help navigating around these parts here." Xena didn't know what to say initially. She looked into the old man's eyes and knew she could trust him.

"I've actually lost my memory. I don't remember much about myself, my family, or where I used to live," she replied in the sincerest voice.

"I understand, follow me young lady. By the way, the name's Clifford," he held his hand out for her to shake.

"Xena," grasping his forearm to return the handshake.

Clifford led Xena to his small 2 bedroom cottage. Xena was taken back by the beauty of the land. She could tell Clifford took pride in his property.

"This room here been empty since my daughter moved out. Ain't seen or heard from her in 30 years. It's yours now; rent free."

"Clifford, this is more than I could ask for. When I do find a job, I'm going to pay you back, you have my word."

~XA~

Over the next few weeks, Xena made herself at home. Clifford often took her with him on his car rides into town, no matter where he went. Xena sometimes even drove, under Clifford's direct orders. He wanted to show her as much as possible since she didn't remember anything (so he thought). Clifford felt like he had a new purpose in life. He felt refreshed and young again. Every morning at sunrise, Xena would help Clifford in the garden. Since Clifford was older, Xena often did the muscle work.

One day when Xena was sitting on the patio, a limo pulled in the driveway. A mid aged woman got out the car and looked around. She walked to Xena and greeted her. "Hello maam, does a man by the name of Clifford live here?"

Before Xena could answer, Clifford walked out of the house, "Benniebear is that you?"

"Yes, dad, its me, your Benniebear, and I've come to take you home to live with me."

Before Clifford could truly voice his protest, his daughter had a crew of men packing his items into various boxes and loading them into the limo. She gave Xena the deed. "You can have this place, he won't be returning here, and neither will I. Oh and thanks for keeping him company." She handed Xena a stack of money and with that, they were gone.

~XA~

Ares was pumping weight in his gym. Sweat was rolling down his body, just for show, since he figured it would look weird to intensely workout without breaking a sweat. Suddenly, he felt an ache in his chest. He knew it wasn't related to the workout. He tried to shake it off but couldn't. His heart ached and he didn't know why. Out of nowhere, Aphrodite appeared to him, where only he could see her. "Hey Stud Muffin, check on the Warrior Babe," and left.

He went outside and sat in his car, wanting the most privacy possible incase he saw something he wasn't ready to witness. He opened the portal on the display screen inside the car to reveal Xena. He noticed she was walking through her house crying. Then it dawned on him, it was her sadness he was feeling. He was relieved to feel they were still connected through their bond, even though it was nowhere near as strong as it used to be. He wondered why she was upset. He wanted to go to her immediately, then wondered what she would think, especially since she still did not know he existed. He decided to close the portal and went back inside the gym. Aphrodite, who was watching him through her own portal, sighed and shook her head.

Xena was adjusting well to this modern lifestyle. She found herself a job as an Outdoor Adventure Guide in which she led hiking, camping, and survival expeditions. She really enjoyed her job, but she soon realized she was missing something: friendship, companionship, relationship?

Ares hadn't seen her in the gym again since her initial application. On his free time, he would watch her maneuver in her everyday life. He imagined himself moving into the cottage with her. He dismissed that thought immediately, as living there reminded him too much of his mortal days. "Yuck." Another dealbreaker he considered was if she would enjoy living with him in his condo. He shook his head at that thought as well. She wouldn't have her garden and from what he could tell, she enjoyed tending to it.

~XA~

One night, upon returning home from his gym, he settled onto the couch and felt the desire to see his princess. He wondered if she was still awake at this time of night. Opening a portal, he made a glass of nectar appear, and got more comfortable. He noticed she was lying on the couch wrapped in a throw. He imagined how good it would feel to have her body lying with him on the couch right now. "I'm all alone here," he heard her say. He sat up taking a closer look into the portal.

"No, you're not alone Xena, I'm always here for you," he voiced out loud. He fought with all his immortal strength not to appear where she was right now and take her in his arms. Instead, he closed the portal and went outside to catch a breeze.