Chapter 5: The Decision

Ares worked hard on upgrading his gym over the last few weeks. As his membership numbers surged, he aimed to express gratitude to his loyal members by providing additional perks for choosing his gym.

In the past, he had never genuinely cared about mortals, but lately, he found himself developing an appreciation for them. He admired their loyalty, resembling that of his devoted followers. Godly Gains was something he was truly proud of, including his staff. He picked every single person that worked at his gym and paid them generously.

Ares decided to take the day off. His staff begged him to take some personal time to himself, as he's been in the gym from sunrise to sunset every day, making sure all his upgrades went smoothly. Ares was reluctant at first, then figured that it wouldn't hurt him to take a day to himself. "But what would I do?" he pondered.

Ares opened his laptop and began to search the internet. He found information on the history of the world, military history to be exact. His eyes lit up. "Let's see how strategic these battles have been throughout time," he said rubbing his hands together. He took his laptop to his couch, made a goblet of nectar appear, and dived into the data.

~XA~

Xena and Gabrielle pulled up to Godly Gains Fitness Center in Clifford's old Lincoln, that was now Xena's.

"Godly Gains, Xena?" Gabrielle asked while giving her an inquisitive eyebrow raise.

"Yea, it's the best one in the area based on the reviews," Xena replied with a slight lip pop, which was true but not the reason she chose this gym.

Xena didn't want to give voice to the true reason.

~XA~

She was driving down the street when she felt this strange aura as she passed the gym. Making a u-turn , she pulled into the parking lot. Sitting there in her car, she felt this powerful presence radiating from the building. It was an intoxicating feeling, like she was being hypnotized. She looked at the name outside the building ,"Godly Gains huh, wonder what it'll end up gai...no, no, no,'' she shook that thought out of her head. With that, she decided to sign up.

When she placed her hand on the golden door handle, she felt a strong surge shoot through her body. It was exhilarating. She stopped at the front desk to register.

"Hi sweetie, welcome to Godly Gains Fitness Center, how can I help you today?" asked an older lady. Xena looked at her name tag- Nancy. She had her long, grey hair in a bun with a work uniform t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants.

"Hi Nancy, I want to enroll today, can you help me with that?" Nancy smiled tenderly at Xena. She went over all the memberships they offered.

"Sweetie, I want to tell you that this membership here, the Elite, gets special one-on-one training with the owner. All his members love him. I'm sure you will too. He's a stubborn sweetheart that's just set in his ways. You also get to bring a guest at no additional charge."

"Hmm, interesting. Sure, I'll take that plan. I'm sure he won't disappoint." Xena shrugged and Nancy smiled lovingly at her. Nancy handed Xena the application.

"I don't usually tend to the front desk, but once the front desk attendee, Emma, arrives, she will input your information into the computer. When you come back, she will take your photo and it will be uploaded with your file." Xena nodded with understanding. Nancy handed her the key fob. Afterwards, Nancy offered her a tour. She explained that the tours are usually done by the owner, but he wasn't in at the moment. Xena let the worker know that she didn't have time right now for a complete tour but wanted to see the weight area and women's locker room.

~XA~

Xena walked into the gym, stopping at the front desk. Emma greeted her warmly, offering the most inviting smile.

"My- aren't you a beauty," Emma complimented Xena. Xena raised her eyebrow, trying to determine if Emma had a hidden motive. Although she complimented her, something didn't quite sound nor feel right. Hazel eyes stared into blue ones. She took a quick observation of Xena noticing she wasn't wearing a ring and she seemed to be alone. She was glad Ares was off today. She made it her goal to keep anyone away from him that could possibly capture his attention in the slightest way. She wanted NO competition. She was determined to make him hers, no matter the costs.

"Thanks, I came to retrieve a guest pass for my friend."

"Where is your friend?" Emma inquired, hoping it would be a male.

"She's in the car, should I go get her?"

"Yes, I need to scan her ID." Emma thought to herself...Great another woman. Hopefully, she isn't as pretty. Emma rolled her eyes once Xena walked away. When Xena returned with Gabrielle, Emma let out a sigh of relief. She was pretty but wasn't nearly as beautiful as Xena, as Xena's beauty was a rarity. She scanned Gabrielle's ID and provided her with the guest pass.

"Also Xena, we need to get your picture on file." Before Xena could say anything, Emma snapped her photo. Xena let out a brief sigh, trying not to get annoyed. Gabrielle spoke up first...

"Could you at least give her a chance to get ready? You just snapped the photo, paparazzi." Emma was taken back. Forcing a fake smile, she replied,

"Apologies, on 3. 1,2,3," she snapped the photo and attached it to the file.

"All set! You ladies let me know if you need anything," Emma eagerly replied.

"Thanks," Xena and Gabrielle both said in unison, Xena's tone sour. Both ladies walked into the locker room to get dressed. Gabrielle noticed how the place was decorated in ancient Greek designs. Every door handle was in the shape of a golden Greek key.

"Xena, have you noticed how familiar everything feels here?"

"Yea, that's why I decided to sign up as soon as I walked in. I felt right at home." Xena secured her items away in the locker. She changed into a wine-colored bralette and matching skort with gold accents.

"Have you ever wondered WHY you felt right at home?"

Xena tightened her lips and licked them, "No, not really." Gabrielle secured her items away in her locker. She put on a green tank with matching leggings.

Both ladies walked out of the locker room. Xena noticed the gym had a few upgrades since her initial visit. She saw a Juice Bar was added at the entrance that served healthy and gourmet snacks, smoothies, and refreshments. Spa facilities with saunas, steam rooms, and whirlpools, for relaxation and recovery, along with Massage therapy services towards the right side of the gym.

The gym also contained a 2nd floor and lower level, that she totally missed. The lower level contained a heated Indoor Pool. The upper level held the Exclusive Lounge Areas, which had comfortable lounge areas with plush seating, where members could relax before or after workouts and an On-site nutritionist offering personalized dietary advice and meal planning.

"By the Gods Xena, this place is amazing," Gabrielle said in awe, "I don't even know where to start."

"I'm going to go down for a swim, and I'll catch up with you later." Xena walked off, not waiting for Gabrielle's answer.

~XA~

Ares was sipping his nectar when Aphrodite appeared on the couch next to him. Slightly startled, he spilled some on his laptop. With an irritated groan, he moved his hand over his laptop, and it was instantly dry.

"Stud Muffin, how's it going today?" Aphrodite smiled and materialized a mirror so she could study herself.

"Is there something you need? "Ares asked, slightly annoyed that she would drop in at this moment.

"Can't a girl visit her brother without reason?" she inquired while trying on a new pink lip color.

"Cut to the point." Ares was starting to become irritated with her beating around the bush.

"Xena's at your gym, like right now." Aphrodite stressed like breaking news. She put away her materials to watch his reaction.

Ares closed his laptop and immediately opened a portal to his gym to find Xena in the pool room sitting on the edge. He slowly looked back up to Aphrodite and gulped.

"Bro, have you thought about what I said? Be sincere and she'll know it's coming..."

"Yea yea yea, from my heart, I KNOW!" Ares got up from the couch and started to pace the room back and forth.

"Xena is NOT the easiest to talk to and convince, especially if she's not in the mood."

"You won't ever know what kind of mood she's in if you never talk to her. You two were made for each other. I'm the Goddess of Love, remember; I know these things." She gave Ares an encouraging rub on his shoulder.

"Just remember, take it slow with her, don't get upset and lash out at her if she doesn't respond the way you want her to. Last but not least, never give up." She smiled and disappeared leaving an array of pink petals behind.

Ares slumped down on the couch. He knew he had to tell her before it was too late. Then, he thought about the dream he had. The last thing he wanted was Xena to find love with another man. "More like one in a billion," he heard her voice say in his head. "Maybe this is my one in a billion shot," he said out loud. He took a deep breath, changed into some black leather pants with a black open shirt, grabbed his shades, and left his condo.

Once Ares pulled up to the gym, he sat in his car, and looked inside. "Now or Never." Ares pulled open the doors to the gym and walked inside. He was first greeted by Emma.

"Mr. Ares, I thought you were taking the day off?" Emma ran around the front desk to stand in front of him, nervously looking around to see if she spotted Xena within eyesight. Confident she wasn't near, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Yea, I did too. I'm not here to work, I need to take care of something, and I'll be out of here. Ares noticed her odd behavior but dismissed it since he had a goal that didn't involve Emma at the time.

"Is everything going okay here?" He checked, needing confirmation everything was in order.

"Yes, smooth sailing sir," Emma playfully saluted while smiling at him teasingly.

"Emma, I need you to do something for me. Once I enter the pool room, put up a closed sign on the doors." Emma was confused at the request. Ares, sensing her confusion, decided to make up a quick lie.

"Maintenance texted me and said they were on their way and I would prefer members to not be in there when they arrive."

"Understood," Emma replied licking her lips. Ares looked absolutely delicious to her in his non workout attire.

Ares nervously walked towards the pool room not knowing what to expect. His heart and thoughts raced a million miles per hour. He only had one destination and the only thing he could see was the pool room.

~XA~

Xena sat in the pool room with her feet in the water. As she splashed her feet around, she started to feel a very familiar presence. "It can't be," she whispered to herself. Her heart skipped a beat. The presence started to get stronger and stronger. Xena thought her heart was going to pop out of her chest. As the presence neared her, she closed her eyes, not wanting to face the disappointment if it wasn't him or too nervous to spot him before he spotted her, she wasn't sure. She heard the door open. She held her breath. "Hello Xena..."