Lissia's Xena/Ares Fan Fiction
Prologue:
The attraction all started a few years ago, when the Great God of War saw a remarkable young, raven haired, beauty battling against severe odds. She was untrained, she was wild, she was amazing. He had never been so attracted to one women in all his immortal life. After her younger brother was killed the spirit of war invaded her soul, she lived for the kill. She was with the God, for now, his loyal Warrior Princess. Her name, Xena, was feared by many, for the only mercy she held was for women and children. She murdered and plundered her way through, not just Greece, but Chin,Jappa, Amazon lands, and even the frozen Norselands. The world feared nothing would stop her.
Later she was turned good by the Demigod Hercules and mortal Iolaus. After her transformation, she was lost, not knowing where to go or what to do. Soon trouble found her and she made her way on the path of goodness. She had betrayed the God and he wanted her back no matter what the cost. The God tortured his once Warrior Princess, trying to convince her to come back to him. They fought, but the battles were not enough for him, just knowing how close she was to him made his skin crawl.
Then came that terrible day in Rome, the Ides of March, when the God saw his Warrior Princess being killed on a cross next to her faithful friend, Gabrielle. His heart told him to rescue her, for watching her in such pain nearly destroyed him, but he wouldn't depride himself by helping a mortal, even the one who stole his heart and wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of having her. Her heart wasn't with him any longer it was with the young girl dying with her, but he planned to change all of that.
Chapter 1. Reviving:
By the time Ares arrived in Rome the snow was gone, replaced by a cold unrelenting rain. Days before the snow had poured, poured on that awful day when she had been killed at the hands of the Romans, that day when his soul was lost. The Romans still had her body hanging on the cross, her friends' long dispensed of. She hung beside her mortal enemy Caeser, the man who had long been a source of torment for Xena, the man who captured and murdered her. But for now, her body was all that was important to Ares. Rome would suffer for her murder, but not today. Today Ares' was here for one reason. He was here for her.
Invisible to mortals, Ares stood staring up at the broken body of the once great Warrior Princess. The Romans were guarding her, not wanting her removed for any reason. She was their message to all who thought to go against the Roman Empire. Before the guards knew what had happened the body of Xena Warrior Princess, their enemy, was gone. Ares held her frozen body against him, hoping that he was strong enough to save her.
Ares brought Xena's body to the Halls of War, his sanctuary. As he walked, the preists and warlords ran, no one would dare get in his way, they feared his wrath. His eyes were dead and they saw nothing around him. The God was lost in thought and memory. All he could think of was her, how he had lost her, how he had tortured her, how she was dead, and how he was going to get her back. How could this mortal have such an effect on him, the God of War? This, not even Ares could answer. The powerful God brought his slain Xena to a quite room in the back of his temple with gentleness and care. Laying the scantly clothed body on the bed, he replaced the torn, filthy cloth wrapped around her with a soft, dark, cotton gown to cover her mutilated body.
With all the strength Ares could muster, he shot an energy bolt into the limp body that lay on the bed. There was a radiant glow around the lifeless body of Xena and then, slowly, she inhaled. As she did so the God exhaled the breath that he had been holding sense her death. His Warrior Princess was alive,in terribly bad shape and once again bleeding, but alive. The Great God of War sighed heavily, "Thank the Gods. I thought I'd lost you for good this time."
Chapter 2. Healing:
After the initial joy had worn off, Ares started the process of healing the abused body that belonged to his Princess. There were cuts straight through her hands and feet, smaller cuts and internal damage littered her whole body, and her spine was damaged. He was a strong God but faced with such immense damage the repairs were going to take time and strength. The hours passed slowly, but as they did Xena's body started to look better. As he healed her Ares spoke quiet words of encouragement to her, not knowing if she could even hear him.
On the edge of passing out from exhaustion, Ares stopped his work. Making a couch appear in the far corner of the room he decided it was time for a rest. He needed a chance to regain his strength. Checking on his Princess one last time before going to bed he lightly kissed her forehead.
A few hours later Ares was awoken by a bloodcurdling scream. He ran over to Xena's side and was amazed to find her awake. Before spotting Ares she started shouting in a very confused voice, "I was dead, wasn't I? Gabrielle? Where am I? Wait this place seems familiar... It can't be, I'm dead! What the...." Ares quickly cut her off by putting his hand on her shoulder. Seeing him, Xena lowered her voice, "What do you want Ares? I will never join you, even if you did follow me all the way to the land of the dead." He made no attempt to hide the pain that her words caused, but he explained things to her, "First of all, you are not in the land of the dead anymore. I brought you back, you're in the Halls of War." Xena remained silent for a minute then quietly replied, "Thanks, I think I'll be leaving now." Ares looked her over and then smirked, he knew she was too weak to leave. "I won't hold you back, but I don't think you'll be able to leave yet, you were dead for a few days and I haven't finished healing you yet," Ares said matter-of -factly. Xena just stared at him coolly, put her hands on the bed to brace herself with and stood up, then stated shakily, "I'm fine. I don't need anymore of your help. Now get out of my way." As she said this she removed her hands from the bed and took a step forward. After tottering a few minutes, she fell forward, right into Ares' arms. She shoved away from him only to lose her balance yet again and fall backwards. Ares again caught her, only this time he lifted her smoothly off of her feet and gently placed her on the bed. He glanced down at her expecting her to slap him or make a snippy comment of some type, anything, but what he saw, Xena was laying on the bed looking up at him, smiling curiously.
Chapter 3. Questions & Answers:
Ares helped the weak Xena sit up and drink some water. Then the questions began, "Ares it's not that I'm not grateful, but why did you bring me back? You should know by now that I will never join you." Ares glanced at her, smiled thinly, then started to explain, "Xena, look, I know that this will be hard for you to believe, but I feel for people too. When I saw the Romans nailing you to that cross, I thought I would die right along with you." Xena started laughing, thinking that this was another game of his, then seeing the evident pain in his eyes, she asked, "You're not kidding are you, Ares?" He looked over at her, his beautiful princess and answered her question with severe pain in his voice, "No, Xena, I'm not kidding. I... Oh, never mind." Xena glared at him curiously, "You what?" She asked cautiously. "Xena, I'm in love with you, I have been sense you helped me get my sword back." Relief flooded over him after letting the truth out. "You What?!" Xena asked loudly. She stared at him, her ice blue eyes sending daggers that pierced his very soul, then she slapped him, hard enough to leave prints on the God's face. "Ares don't you lie to me! Don't you think that you've done that enough times already?! You don't love me! You can't! Gods don't love, you don't love. You desire me maybe and you want me to fight for you, but you do not love me. Now stop lying to me, you bastard!" Xena yelled at the God of War standing above her. Ares winced at the harsh words and the tone of her voice. He tried to calm her, but it was too late, she had already passed out from the shock and stress. He had no desire to wake her while she was still injured so he let her rest while he continued healing her.
Xena awoke a few hours later, a little disorientated. The light from an open window was shining in her eyes, momentarily blinding her. "Good morning," came an all-too-familiar voice from across the room. Xena jumped, a little startled, then remembered all that had happened. "Oh it's just you," Xena replied slightly disgusted. Ares smiled a little, but remained silent. A few minutes later she broke the silence, "Ares, why did you bring me back? And please tell me the truth this time." Ares shifted slightly then began to speak, "Xena, why is it so hard for you to believe that I am capable of love? Is it because I'm the God of War or because of our past? I know that I've hurt you many times and only Zeus himself knows how badly I wish I could change that, but I can't. All I can do is try to do better now, if you'll give me a chance." As he finished he looked over at Xena and she was shocked to see the pain in his eyes. Xena smiled, not really an amused smile, but a soft, gentle, caring smile. "Do you believe me now?" He questioned her, a little hope in his voice. Xena sighed slightly, shaking her head, "I believe that you care about me, but you don't love me. You can't Ares! You're a God, the God of War. You just can't love me!" This time it was his turn to sigh. He crossed the room and sat next to her on the bed, then began to speak again, "Xena why can't you believe that I love you? Is it really such an inconceivable thought? Is it my godhood? I would gladly become mortal if it meant being with you for the rest of my life." Shaken by his declaration and offer, Xena begn to cry. He was saying all the right things, yet she didn't trust him. How could she? Lost in thought, she didn't even notice Ares holding her.
About an hour later Ares looked down to see Xena soundly sleeping in his strong arms. He laid her down, then checked to see if her wounds were healing. Seeing that there was nothing else for him to do, he made a soft chair appear next to the bed, which he sat down in. Within minutes his head was resting on the bed and he was soundly asleep.
Chapter 4. Rise and Shine:
Xena awoke the next morning to see Ares sound asleep. She silently sat up in the bed, crossing her legs in front of her. She remembered what had happened in Rome. She knew that her injuries had been severe. She glanced down at her hands and realized that they had been healed. She stretched and knew that her back had been healed. A few minutes later she flung the blankets off of her and stood up, she tottered, then started walking around the room.
Ares awoke to the sound of a familiar war cry followed by a heavy thump. He looked over to where Xena lay to see nothing but an empty bed. Startled, he looked around the room franticly, but didn't see Xena. "I guess being dead takes its toll on the acrobatics," he heard from the floor. "Xena, what are you doing?" Asked Ares as he looked down at the warrior. He glanced at her a little confused, then sighed in realization, "Trying to do your flips already? You've lost a lot of your strength, it will take time to get it back. Let's start with something easier, like horseback riding. Of course I would have to coach you through it, if you want to survive." Ares stated knowingly to the unbelieving woman still on the floor. He walked over to her and gave her a hand up, keeping it there in case she was in need of a little support. Xena brushed his hand aside then walked over and sat down on the bed, remaining silent. Ares walked over and sat next to her. Trying to make conversation he said, "When I went to get your body from the Romans' I didn't see any of your armor or weapons. Your friends' body wasn't there either, I believe it had been gone for quite some time." Xena turned to him, tears streaming down her face at the remembrance of Gabrielle and what had happened. She started talking, "Callisto threw the chakram at me. It hit my spine and broke into two pieces. I was defenseless. Gabrielle took my fallen sword and killed many Romans to protect me. Obviously, it was pointless, there were too many of them. I was beaten and stripped. They wrapped me in a thin cloth, I honestly don't know what they did with my things." Ares was a little shaken and at a loss for words, so he just smiled and hoped that it looked more reassuring than it felt. Then Xena continued to tell her story, "Hopefully Amarice came and got my stuff and Gabrielle's, that is if she escaped. Her and Eli, if anything happened to them I don't know if I could ever forgive myself." She turned away as uncontrollable sobs began to wrack through her body. She didn't know why she had told Ares all of that, but it felt right to trust him. Then she decided to ask the one question that was nagging her, "Ares, do you really love me? All of me? Even when you know that I will never serve you again." A loud sigh escaped the God of Wars' lungs and was heard through-out the room. Here we go again, he thought, let's keep it simple, he decided, "Yes, I do," he answered her sincerely. "Oh. Well, you're going to help me get my strength back right?" It was really more of a statement than a question. "Yeah. So how about going on a nice, easy, ride up one of the trails?" Ares asked with a small hint of sarcasm. Xena nodded and then followed him outside where she saw two horses waiting for them. She looked at them confused and then asked, "Where's Argo?" Ares glanced at her, "She's wherever you left her. I've been a little busy dealing with you." When she continued to stare at him he quietly added, "Anyway, that horse hates me more than you do." Xena laughed a little, then turned and mounted the horse in front of her with the grace and beauty of a queen.
They had been riding for about an hour, when Xena finally decided to break the silence, "Thank-you for helping me out of that little jam I was in." Ares glanced over at her, "No problem. Don't go doing it again though." He replied, laughter playing in his voice. "Yes, sir," she replied laughing. Then on a more serious note, said, "I believe you. It took me a while, but I believe you and I accept that you love me. You have my trust." All the while she couldn't look at him, but she knew he was smiling by the sigh of relief that filled the air. Xena stopped her horse and turned to look at Ares who had done the same. Might as well tell him the rest, she thought. She took a deep breath and started talking, "Look, Ares, there's something else I want you to know, I care about you." Ares gave her a soft smile which she returned, then gradually the space between them closed and their lips met in a passionate kiss. They stayed like that for a few minutes, then Xena pulled back and kicked her horse into a canter, heading in the direction of the temple. After a few minutes, Ares pursued her on his own horse.
He found her back at the temple rummaging through some stuff. "What are you looking for?" Ares asked. Xena ignored his question, so he went over to her, grabbed her arm gently and spun her around to face him. "Xena what's wrong?" There was deep concern in the Gods' voice. She pulled away from him and went to sit down on the bed, where she could relax a little. "Ares we can't let this go any farther, so I'm leaving." As she spoke the space between them began to slowly close until their noses were touching. "No," she breathed softly, then turned her head away from him. He sighed softly in defeat. "Well, if you're going to leave, at least let me give you some armor and weapons. Then, I guess, I'll drop you off at the stable where you left Argo. I'm sure she misses you." Xena nodded and Ares left to get the stuff for her.
Chapter 5. What's next?:
Ares returned shortly to see Xena smiling and running laps around the room. Stopping she asked, " Hey,can you transport me to a lake? There's no better way to build up muscles and stamina than a nice swim in a lake." Ares looked at her unsurely, then shrugged, "Sure, I'll transport you there, but the water is bound to be freezing, you sure you want to go swimming?" Xena looked at him quizzically, "Of course I'm sure. I know what it's like outside. I can handle a little cold water." She replied sarcastically.
Within the next two minutes Ares had transported them both to the nearest, cleanest lake. After scanning the area and seeing that she would be safe, he turned to leave, but a firm hand on his shoulder prevented him from doing so. He turned to see Xena staring at him questioningly, "Ares I demand-- " He cut her off saying, "I know, I'm leaving. Don't worry, I'll come back when you call me." She looked at him softly, "No, I want you to stay with me. I demand that you stay and take a swim with me." She told him defiantly. He stared at her in pure shock, then shook his head, "Xena, you said we couldn't do this. So what in Tartarus are you talking about, stay and take a swim?" He asked her a little more than confused. A beaming smile covered her face, "It's just a swim," She replied then walked over to the lakes' shore, took off the nightgown and jumped into the freezing water. Ares stared at her, bewildered, not moving to join her or leave. Surfasing, Xena smiled,and shouted, "Come on in, the water's great. A little cold." Ares laughed and shook his head but still made no move to join her. He watched her swim for awhile but grew concerned when she didn't surface after diving down. He quickly removed his leathers and dived in to look for her. No sooner had his feet touched bottom, than they were knocked out from under him and he was being pinned under the water. He struggled and was released after about ten minutes. "Good thing I'm a God," he said after emerging from under the water. Out of nowhere a huge wave of water was thrown into his face. "Yeah it is, isn't it?" Xena laughed as he tried to figure out what was going on. After hearing her voice, he started laughing and dove under the water. Ares came up under her and threw her into a deeper section of the lake. She landed cat-like in the water and continued swimming farther and farther away from the lake's shore. Ares followed, just to make sure she doesn't get a cramp and drown, he told himself. He caught up with her and then quickly passed her up, when he looked back, he saw no Xena. "Now where is she?" He thought aloud. Just as he started to swim the other way, she popped up out of the water in front of his face. "Nice to see that you haven't drowned, yet," Ares said. Xena stared at him stubbornly, then swam forward saying, "I'm not going to drown, Ares. You should know that I am quite capable of taking care of myself." By the time she finished talking, they were so close that their bodies were touching and it gave Ares chills. He was about to reply when their lips met in a passionate kiss.
Ares pulled out of the kiss after a few minutes,"I thought you didn't want this?" He asked in shock. Xena looked at him softly and said, "I never said I didn't want it. I said we couldn't. I've been reconsidering things. Before, all I could think about were all the evil things that you've done to me, instead of the intentions that lay behind the acts. You've always looked out for my well-being, done things to help the only way you knew how. Sure not all your actions were on the right track, but you never would have hurt me." Ares looked a little confused, so he tried to put things in a way that he understood, "So what you're saying is, I've been doing things for the right reasons, just going about it the wrong way. So you only said that we couldn't be together because you refused to look at the reason why I was doing what I was doing." She smiled and nodded at him. "Does that mean we can give this a try?" Again Xena nodded. Ares realized that it was safe so he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips which she returned passionately. After a few minutes they pulled away from each other. Xena stared deep into his eyes and it was at that moment that she realized that she loved him. She had fallen for the God of War. Then she remembered that eventually they would have to go their separate ways and that would mean that they would be enemies, again.
Chapter 6. Family Ties:
After awhile of doing what most people would call, 'trying to kill each other,' but what they called 'just having a little fun,' Ares transported both of them back to his temple, clothing them in their usual attire. When they arrived, there was a young girl in the temple, praying to the God of War for war-like advice. Both Xena and Ares ignored her completely,lost in their own thoughts, knowing that it was time to go their separate ways, though it would hurt them both. "By the Gods," came the voice of the young girl. Both the God and Xena turned to look at her and Xena's face dropped as she looked into the ashen, tear-stained face of Amarice. "Xena?" She asked cautiously. "Amarice?" Xena replied questioningly. "Have you two met? Xena, Amarice here is one of my Amazon followers, who's too headstrong to follow her Gods orders. Amarice, Xena is an old friend of mine who turned away from me thanks to Jercules." Ares explained not realizing the tension between the two women. Xena laughed a little, then muttered, "Probably a good thing she didn't do as her God ordered." Both Amarice and Ares looked at Xena and asked, "Why?" Xena looked at one then the other, shook her head, and said naturally, "She's our daughter." She made it a particular point to stress the 'our' part. Amarice stared at her dumbfoundedly and Ares stammered, "Our daughter?" Amarice smiled suddenly and said, "Hold it! I know what's going on, this is a dream! I know that neither of you two are my parents, you can't be! This is a dream! Xena you're dead. Somebody slap me and tell me that this is a dream!" By the time she finished she was yelling. Xena walked over and put an arm lightly around her shoulders, trying to calm her down and said, "Amarice, listen to me, okay. I'm not dead. Ares brought me back and now I'm as alive as you are. Okay. Now look, I want you to calm down and accept what I'm about to say. After my brother Lyceus was killed Ares came to me, taught me how to fight, and well, let's just say we got close, really close. Without him or anyone else knowing, I bore a child, you. I left you with the Amazons, knowing that I wouldn't have the time for a child and that you would become a target for all those who despise me. So, yes, you are our daughter." Ares stared at her dumbfounded and Amarice just stared, expressionless. After a few minutes Amarice closed her eyes and fainted. Ares caught her and placed her gently on the bed. Afterward he asked, "Why didn't you tell me that we had a daughter? Don't you think that I have the right to know about my own children?" Xena glared at him, "I didn't think that you needed to know. Even if you had known, it's not like you would have taken care of her. Maybe I should have told you about her sooner. I'm sorry." Ares went over to her and tightly embraced her, "It's okay, Xena. And I would have taken care of her, because of the love I have for her mother." She shook her head, " You would have used her against me." He sighed, "I want to say that you're wrong, but you're not. I would have used her and in my mind that would have been just fine." Xena nods and they sit in silence.
Amarice awoke a little later and looked around the room a little confused, then she spotted Ares and remembered what had happened, but she saw no Xena. "Where's Xena?" She asked awkwardly. Ares looked at her and smiled, then replied, "She left about an hour ago to see if you brought Argo and all her stuff with you. I haven't seen her since. She either went for a ride or left." She was about to reply when a voice from the doorway said, "Do you really think I would leave without saying good-bye?" Both turned to see Xena in the doorway, dressed in her normal armor attire, sword in its sheath, broken Chakram in her hand. Amarice smiled, "I take it you went rummaging through the saddlebags. Is your Chakram fixable? You're the only one who has ever really used one. It's probably the only one ever made, no one would know how to weld it back together." Amarice looked doubtfully at her and was amazed to see her smiling, she followed her gaze to see that she was smiling at Ares. He sighed, rolled his eyes and said, "Fine Xena, you win. Give me the Chakram and I'll fix it." Xena gave him a flashy smile then handed him the two pieces of the Chakram. He took the pieces and set them on the table, two halves touching equally, then put his hands over them. There was a bright light and when he moved his hands the two pieces were whole. "There. Good as new." He said handing it back to Xena who was smiling brightly. She took the Chakram and threw it. It ricocheted off of two walls, a sword blade, then returned to her awaiting hand, "Yeah, it is as good as new, I guess. I mean, I'll have to retrain it and everything, but it'll do." Amarice looked at the two, her parents, and said, "Wait a minute. You're a God, you're a mortal, so doesn't that make me like Hercules? Shouldn't I have weird little powers or super-strength, or something like that?" Xena smiled and Ares chuckled, "You obviously don't have super-strength like my moron half-brother, but you may have some other type of powers, though I'd think that they would have developed by know. Of course I could be wrong. Sometimes something horrible has to happen for the powers to manifest." Amarice looked a little annoyed at first, but then dismissed it, Oh well, she thought. They stared at each other silently, father, mother, and daughter, trying to get used to the idea that the three of them were a family.
After a few minutes, Amarice broke the odd silence that had fallen upon them, "Where's Gabrielle? We're going to have to tell the Amazons that she's alive." Xena and Ares glanced at each other, then Xena replied, "No we won't. Gabrielle's body was nowhere to be found, so Ares couldn't bring her back to life like he did me. Amarice you found all my stuff and Gabrielles', by any chance do you know what the Romans did with her body?" Xena sounded anxious as she thought that just maybe they'd be able to save Gabrielle too. "I kinda know what they did with her body. They got it off of the cross and were going to throw it into the pit with all the other dead bodies. Before they could, a man came and stole the body from them. I don't know who he was or where he took her." Amarice explained, while deep in thought, trying not to leave anything out. Xena looked a little disappointed, then thoughtful, "Amarice, what did this man look like? Clanky, old fashioned armor? Pointed hat? Clumsy? Light skin, almost the color of snow?" Xena guessed. Amarice smiled, "You know him? Who is he?" "Joxer," Ares and Xena said simultaneously. "I take it you both know him. Is he a friend or enemy? What do you think he did with Gabrielle's body?" Amarice started asking quickly. Xena replied, "Joxer's a good friend. I've known him sense my first encounter with Callisto. He's harmless really and quite in love with Gabrielle. He either brought her body back to Potidaea or to the Amazons! If he brought her back to the Amazons, they would have burned her body by now. Let's hope he brought her to Potidaea, otherwise we'll never be able to get her back." Amarice asked, "So how do we find this Joxer, character?" Ares smiled, "Leave that to me. Give me a few hours and I'll have him found and transported here." Amarice looked him up and down doubtfully, "Whatever you say daddy." Xena looked at one then the other and shook her head, impossible people, she thought. She turned to Amarice, "Where's Eli? Did you get him out of Rome?" Amarice nodded, "I got him to saftey. He's mourning." Xena looked relieved, "Thank you. Look I'm going for ride. Do either of you two want to come along?" She asked. Amarice nodded and smiled, "Anything to get away from him," she replied, tossing her head in Ares general direction. "I think that I should stay put and find Joxer," Ares replied. Xena looked at him sadly, wishing that he would come with for the ride. Then she quickly dismissed the thought, finding Joxer was important.
Chapter 7. Search & Find:
"Well, Amarice and I will be back in a few hours," Xena said calmly, then both mother and daughter left Ares to find Joxer and hopefully Gabrielle. "Xena wait! Where should I start searching?" Ares asked as they were walking out the door. Xena turned and answered him, "I'd check Potidaea first. Oh, and Ares don't just pop up in the middle of the town and scare the poor people half to death." Ares smiled, "Right," he said, then disappeared.
Ares later appeared on the outskirts of town, he looked around to see if anyone was around, then changed his leather outfit into normal peasant clothes. "This is really me!" He said smart-alecky. He walked around the town in about an hour, found no sign of Joxer or Gabrielle, then returned to his temple. His priest came to him and asked, "Did you have any luck M'Lord?" Ares looked at him annoyed and said, "Does it look like I had any luck? No Gabrielle. No Joxer." He gave his priest a side ways glance, then blew him into a million little pieces. "Stupid, annoying, little man," he said and vanished from his temple. He reappeared in the Amazon Queens hut, then made himself invisible. "I hate Amazons," he said as he looked around the camp. He searched and then searched again, finding nothing. In a last attempt to find out if Gabrielle had been burned to ashes, he went through Queen Shilloppa's mind, only to find out that the last time she had seen Gabrielle was when Ephiny was killed. He was defeated, so he returned to his temple to await Xena's return, "She's not going to be happy about this," he thought aloud.
When Xena and Amarice returned they were shocked to see Ares sitting on his throne with his feet dangling over the side. When he saw them he said, "I didn't find either of them. I found no trace of either Joxer or Gabrielle's body. I checked her tribe and her village. I went through everyone's mind, but there was no sign of them." Xena looked disappointed and said, "Oh. Amarice, did Joxer say anything?" Amarice wrinkled her nose in concentration, "He said something about Amphibolias, or something like that. I'm not sure-" Xena's face lit up and she cut her off saying, "Amphipolis! Of course! Joxer knew I wanted to be buried next Lyceus and Gabrielle next to me! So he took her body back to Amphipolis. Why didn't I think of it sooner?" Xena exclaimed excitedly. Amarice and Ares stared at her, eyeing her enthusiasm. Ares snapped out of it and replied, "Okay, so do you want me to go to Amphipolis and get Gabrielle's body? I'll grab Joxer too, if he's still there. He might have gone back to Rome to save you." Xena looked at him and smiled sweetly, "Yeah that would be nice of you, but you have to take me with you, only family is allowed in the tomb. We need to stay invisible though. I don't want to scare my people," she said. Amarice looked at the two and replied, "I don't mean to be intruding on your little outing, but what am I supposed to do? Just sit and chill? Maybe I want to come too." Ares looked at her with a glance that said exactly what he was thinking, tough cookies, kid, suffer. Xena on the other hand smiled and said, "Don't worry, we won't be gone long. Take care of the horses, if you really want something to do." Amarice rolled her eyes in response.
Chapter 7. The Rescue:
A few moments later Ares and Xena appeared in Amphipolis, visible only to each others' eyes. "So where's Lyceus buried?" Ares asked her, while glancing around the small town. Xena smiled, "Don't worry about that, I'll get Gabrielle, you find Joxer, and we'll meet at Mother's inn as soon as possible," she ordered. Ares glanced at her and nodded, then started to walk off in the other direction. Xena walked over to her brother's tomb and carefully entered. Right next to her brothers coffin there was another one. She ran over and read the inscription on it, "Amazon Queen, Gabrielle, Bard of Potidaea." She carefully opened the coffin and the overwhelming smell of death filled her lungs. She looked in and saw Gabrielle's weather torn body. As she gently lifted her frail body out of the coffin, she silently wept for her friends life. She left the tomb and headed in the direction of her mothers inn. After a short walk she arrived at the inn and saw Ares and Joxer waiting for her. Joxer looked hopeful, "Hi, Xena. Ares told me the plan, let's leave and see if we can get Gabrielle back," he said seriously.
Amarice was pacing the temple when her parents, Joxer and the lifeless form of Gabrielle appeared directly in front of her. "It's about time!" She said, irritably. Xena gave her a dirty look, "It was ten minutes," she replied while carrying Gabrielle to the bed and laying her on it gently. Amarice followed and quietly muttered, "It seemed longer." Ares glanced at her in annoyance and ordered,"Amarice, Joxer, get out of the room, I need to concentrate. Xena you stay, she'll die again if she wakes up to see me standing over her." Everyone nodded and smiled at his confession on how Gabrielle would react to him. Xena sat down by her head, while Amarice and Joxer left the room. Ares placed his hands on the dead bards chest and sent an energy bolt into her. As with Xena, there was a radiant glow, then the young Amazon Queen inhaled. Xena smiled and started muttering words of encouragement to the bard, Ares sighed. "Thank-you," Xena said after the joy of having her best friend back was under control. Ares looked at her and smiled, "The battle's only half over." She glanced at him questioningly, and he continued, "We have to get all of her wounds healed, otherwise we'll lose her again." Xena looked down at Gabrielle's hands and saw fresh blood seeping out of them, though worried, she remained silent, as Ares began to heal the wounds that littered the girls body.
Chapter 8. Back from the dead:
Gabrielle awoke startled, "Xena," she whispered, then more frantic, "Xena!" Xena and Ares turned to look at her. "It's alright Gabrielle, I'm here," Xena soothed as she stroked the girls hair. Gabrielle looked at her confused, and asked, "What happened? Where are we? I thought we died." Xena looked at Ares who came to her rescue explaining, "Both of you were dead, but I brought Xena back and then we brought you back from the dead." Gabrielle swung her head over to glare at him, "Ares," she said cold-heartedly. Then she turned to Xena and asked quietly, "Xena, do you actually trust him?" Xena smiled, looked at Ares, then back at Gabrielle, and answered,"Yeah I trust him. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me." Gabrielle looked at her in disbelief and quizzically asked, "How can you trust him?" Xena's smile broadened and she replied whole heartedly, "Because he loves me." The bards face fell, then she struggled and finally managed to sit up and glance down at her body. "Shouldn't I be wounded? I remember the nails being driven into my hands and feet," she stated knowingly. Xena answered, "A certain God of War healed you." Gabrielle responded to this a little sheepishly, "Oh, well, umm, thank you, Ares." He nodded, then went to the door and yelled, "Joxer, Amarice, she's awake and well. Bring her clothes and things in with you." Gabrielle looked towards the door and saw Amarice and Joxer run through the door, their faces beaming with happiness.
Epilogue:
A few days after Gabrielle's resurrection, they were all ready to hit the trail. "Xena you ready to leave?" Amarice asked. Xena looked at her daughter and answered, "You guys go on ahead, me and Argo will catch up in a few minutes." Amarice nodded and she, Joxer, and Gabrielle left Xena to say good-bye to the God of War. Xena turned to look at Ares and said, "Well, I guess this is-" Ares cut her off saying, "No Xena, this isn't good-bye. We'll see each other again, I'll make sure of that." She ran over and tightly embraced him and said, "I know. And Ares, I love you." Ares gently moved away from her and smiled, "I love you too, Xena," he said. She turned and mounting Argo, she gave Ares one last look before speeding after her friends.
The end
The attraction all started a few years ago, when the Great God of War saw a remarkable young, raven haired, beauty battling against severe odds. She was untrained, she was wild, she was amazing. He had never been so attracted to one women in all his immortal life. After her younger brother was killed the spirit of war invaded her soul, she lived for the kill. She was with the God, for now, his loyal Warrior Princess. Her name, Xena, was feared by many, for the only mercy she held was for women and children. She murdered and plundered her way through, not just Greece, but Chin,Jappa, Amazon lands, and even the frozen Norselands. The world feared nothing would stop her.
Later she was turned good by the Demigod Hercules and mortal Iolaus. After her transformation, she was lost, not knowing where to go or what to do. Soon trouble found her and she made her way on the path of goodness. She had betrayed the God and he wanted her back no matter what the cost. The God tortured his once Warrior Princess, trying to convince her to come back to him. They fought, but the battles were not enough for him, just knowing how close she was to him made his skin crawl.
Then came that terrible day in Rome, the Ides of March, when the God saw his Warrior Princess being killed on a cross next to her faithful friend, Gabrielle. His heart told him to rescue her, for watching her in such pain nearly destroyed him, but he wouldn't depride himself by helping a mortal, even the one who stole his heart and wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of having her. Her heart wasn't with him any longer it was with the young girl dying with her, but he planned to change all of that.
Chapter 1. Reviving:
By the time Ares arrived in Rome the snow was gone, replaced by a cold unrelenting rain. Days before the snow had poured, poured on that awful day when she had been killed at the hands of the Romans, that day when his soul was lost. The Romans still had her body hanging on the cross, her friends' long dispensed of. She hung beside her mortal enemy Caeser, the man who had long been a source of torment for Xena, the man who captured and murdered her. But for now, her body was all that was important to Ares. Rome would suffer for her murder, but not today. Today Ares' was here for one reason. He was here for her.
Invisible to mortals, Ares stood staring up at the broken body of the once great Warrior Princess. The Romans were guarding her, not wanting her removed for any reason. She was their message to all who thought to go against the Roman Empire. Before the guards knew what had happened the body of Xena Warrior Princess, their enemy, was gone. Ares held her frozen body against him, hoping that he was strong enough to save her.
Ares brought Xena's body to the Halls of War, his sanctuary. As he walked, the preists and warlords ran, no one would dare get in his way, they feared his wrath. His eyes were dead and they saw nothing around him. The God was lost in thought and memory. All he could think of was her, how he had lost her, how he had tortured her, how she was dead, and how he was going to get her back. How could this mortal have such an effect on him, the God of War? This, not even Ares could answer. The powerful God brought his slain Xena to a quite room in the back of his temple with gentleness and care. Laying the scantly clothed body on the bed, he replaced the torn, filthy cloth wrapped around her with a soft, dark, cotton gown to cover her mutilated body.
With all the strength Ares could muster, he shot an energy bolt into the limp body that lay on the bed. There was a radiant glow around the lifeless body of Xena and then, slowly, she inhaled. As she did so the God exhaled the breath that he had been holding sense her death. His Warrior Princess was alive,in terribly bad shape and once again bleeding, but alive. The Great God of War sighed heavily, "Thank the Gods. I thought I'd lost you for good this time."
Chapter 2. Healing:
After the initial joy had worn off, Ares started the process of healing the abused body that belonged to his Princess. There were cuts straight through her hands and feet, smaller cuts and internal damage littered her whole body, and her spine was damaged. He was a strong God but faced with such immense damage the repairs were going to take time and strength. The hours passed slowly, but as they did Xena's body started to look better. As he healed her Ares spoke quiet words of encouragement to her, not knowing if she could even hear him.
On the edge of passing out from exhaustion, Ares stopped his work. Making a couch appear in the far corner of the room he decided it was time for a rest. He needed a chance to regain his strength. Checking on his Princess one last time before going to bed he lightly kissed her forehead.
A few hours later Ares was awoken by a bloodcurdling scream. He ran over to Xena's side and was amazed to find her awake. Before spotting Ares she started shouting in a very confused voice, "I was dead, wasn't I? Gabrielle? Where am I? Wait this place seems familiar... It can't be, I'm dead! What the...." Ares quickly cut her off by putting his hand on her shoulder. Seeing him, Xena lowered her voice, "What do you want Ares? I will never join you, even if you did follow me all the way to the land of the dead." He made no attempt to hide the pain that her words caused, but he explained things to her, "First of all, you are not in the land of the dead anymore. I brought you back, you're in the Halls of War." Xena remained silent for a minute then quietly replied, "Thanks, I think I'll be leaving now." Ares looked her over and then smirked, he knew she was too weak to leave. "I won't hold you back, but I don't think you'll be able to leave yet, you were dead for a few days and I haven't finished healing you yet," Ares said matter-of -factly. Xena just stared at him coolly, put her hands on the bed to brace herself with and stood up, then stated shakily, "I'm fine. I don't need anymore of your help. Now get out of my way." As she said this she removed her hands from the bed and took a step forward. After tottering a few minutes, she fell forward, right into Ares' arms. She shoved away from him only to lose her balance yet again and fall backwards. Ares again caught her, only this time he lifted her smoothly off of her feet and gently placed her on the bed. He glanced down at her expecting her to slap him or make a snippy comment of some type, anything, but what he saw, Xena was laying on the bed looking up at him, smiling curiously.
Chapter 3. Questions & Answers:
Ares helped the weak Xena sit up and drink some water. Then the questions began, "Ares it's not that I'm not grateful, but why did you bring me back? You should know by now that I will never join you." Ares glanced at her, smiled thinly, then started to explain, "Xena, look, I know that this will be hard for you to believe, but I feel for people too. When I saw the Romans nailing you to that cross, I thought I would die right along with you." Xena started laughing, thinking that this was another game of his, then seeing the evident pain in his eyes, she asked, "You're not kidding are you, Ares?" He looked over at her, his beautiful princess and answered her question with severe pain in his voice, "No, Xena, I'm not kidding. I... Oh, never mind." Xena glared at him curiously, "You what?" She asked cautiously. "Xena, I'm in love with you, I have been sense you helped me get my sword back." Relief flooded over him after letting the truth out. "You What?!" Xena asked loudly. She stared at him, her ice blue eyes sending daggers that pierced his very soul, then she slapped him, hard enough to leave prints on the God's face. "Ares don't you lie to me! Don't you think that you've done that enough times already?! You don't love me! You can't! Gods don't love, you don't love. You desire me maybe and you want me to fight for you, but you do not love me. Now stop lying to me, you bastard!" Xena yelled at the God of War standing above her. Ares winced at the harsh words and the tone of her voice. He tried to calm her, but it was too late, she had already passed out from the shock and stress. He had no desire to wake her while she was still injured so he let her rest while he continued healing her.
Xena awoke a few hours later, a little disorientated. The light from an open window was shining in her eyes, momentarily blinding her. "Good morning," came an all-too-familiar voice from across the room. Xena jumped, a little startled, then remembered all that had happened. "Oh it's just you," Xena replied slightly disgusted. Ares smiled a little, but remained silent. A few minutes later she broke the silence, "Ares, why did you bring me back? And please tell me the truth this time." Ares shifted slightly then began to speak, "Xena, why is it so hard for you to believe that I am capable of love? Is it because I'm the God of War or because of our past? I know that I've hurt you many times and only Zeus himself knows how badly I wish I could change that, but I can't. All I can do is try to do better now, if you'll give me a chance." As he finished he looked over at Xena and she was shocked to see the pain in his eyes. Xena smiled, not really an amused smile, but a soft, gentle, caring smile. "Do you believe me now?" He questioned her, a little hope in his voice. Xena sighed slightly, shaking her head, "I believe that you care about me, but you don't love me. You can't Ares! You're a God, the God of War. You just can't love me!" This time it was his turn to sigh. He crossed the room and sat next to her on the bed, then began to speak again, "Xena why can't you believe that I love you? Is it really such an inconceivable thought? Is it my godhood? I would gladly become mortal if it meant being with you for the rest of my life." Shaken by his declaration and offer, Xena begn to cry. He was saying all the right things, yet she didn't trust him. How could she? Lost in thought, she didn't even notice Ares holding her.
About an hour later Ares looked down to see Xena soundly sleeping in his strong arms. He laid her down, then checked to see if her wounds were healing. Seeing that there was nothing else for him to do, he made a soft chair appear next to the bed, which he sat down in. Within minutes his head was resting on the bed and he was soundly asleep.
Chapter 4. Rise and Shine:
Xena awoke the next morning to see Ares sound asleep. She silently sat up in the bed, crossing her legs in front of her. She remembered what had happened in Rome. She knew that her injuries had been severe. She glanced down at her hands and realized that they had been healed. She stretched and knew that her back had been healed. A few minutes later she flung the blankets off of her and stood up, she tottered, then started walking around the room.
Ares awoke to the sound of a familiar war cry followed by a heavy thump. He looked over to where Xena lay to see nothing but an empty bed. Startled, he looked around the room franticly, but didn't see Xena. "I guess being dead takes its toll on the acrobatics," he heard from the floor. "Xena, what are you doing?" Asked Ares as he looked down at the warrior. He glanced at her a little confused, then sighed in realization, "Trying to do your flips already? You've lost a lot of your strength, it will take time to get it back. Let's start with something easier, like horseback riding. Of course I would have to coach you through it, if you want to survive." Ares stated knowingly to the unbelieving woman still on the floor. He walked over to her and gave her a hand up, keeping it there in case she was in need of a little support. Xena brushed his hand aside then walked over and sat down on the bed, remaining silent. Ares walked over and sat next to her. Trying to make conversation he said, "When I went to get your body from the Romans' I didn't see any of your armor or weapons. Your friends' body wasn't there either, I believe it had been gone for quite some time." Xena turned to him, tears streaming down her face at the remembrance of Gabrielle and what had happened. She started talking, "Callisto threw the chakram at me. It hit my spine and broke into two pieces. I was defenseless. Gabrielle took my fallen sword and killed many Romans to protect me. Obviously, it was pointless, there were too many of them. I was beaten and stripped. They wrapped me in a thin cloth, I honestly don't know what they did with my things." Ares was a little shaken and at a loss for words, so he just smiled and hoped that it looked more reassuring than it felt. Then Xena continued to tell her story, "Hopefully Amarice came and got my stuff and Gabrielle's, that is if she escaped. Her and Eli, if anything happened to them I don't know if I could ever forgive myself." She turned away as uncontrollable sobs began to wrack through her body. She didn't know why she had told Ares all of that, but it felt right to trust him. Then she decided to ask the one question that was nagging her, "Ares, do you really love me? All of me? Even when you know that I will never serve you again." A loud sigh escaped the God of Wars' lungs and was heard through-out the room. Here we go again, he thought, let's keep it simple, he decided, "Yes, I do," he answered her sincerely. "Oh. Well, you're going to help me get my strength back right?" It was really more of a statement than a question. "Yeah. So how about going on a nice, easy, ride up one of the trails?" Ares asked with a small hint of sarcasm. Xena nodded and then followed him outside where she saw two horses waiting for them. She looked at them confused and then asked, "Where's Argo?" Ares glanced at her, "She's wherever you left her. I've been a little busy dealing with you." When she continued to stare at him he quietly added, "Anyway, that horse hates me more than you do." Xena laughed a little, then turned and mounted the horse in front of her with the grace and beauty of a queen.
They had been riding for about an hour, when Xena finally decided to break the silence, "Thank-you for helping me out of that little jam I was in." Ares glanced over at her, "No problem. Don't go doing it again though." He replied, laughter playing in his voice. "Yes, sir," she replied laughing. Then on a more serious note, said, "I believe you. It took me a while, but I believe you and I accept that you love me. You have my trust." All the while she couldn't look at him, but she knew he was smiling by the sigh of relief that filled the air. Xena stopped her horse and turned to look at Ares who had done the same. Might as well tell him the rest, she thought. She took a deep breath and started talking, "Look, Ares, there's something else I want you to know, I care about you." Ares gave her a soft smile which she returned, then gradually the space between them closed and their lips met in a passionate kiss. They stayed like that for a few minutes, then Xena pulled back and kicked her horse into a canter, heading in the direction of the temple. After a few minutes, Ares pursued her on his own horse.
He found her back at the temple rummaging through some stuff. "What are you looking for?" Ares asked. Xena ignored his question, so he went over to her, grabbed her arm gently and spun her around to face him. "Xena what's wrong?" There was deep concern in the Gods' voice. She pulled away from him and went to sit down on the bed, where she could relax a little. "Ares we can't let this go any farther, so I'm leaving." As she spoke the space between them began to slowly close until their noses were touching. "No," she breathed softly, then turned her head away from him. He sighed softly in defeat. "Well, if you're going to leave, at least let me give you some armor and weapons. Then, I guess, I'll drop you off at the stable where you left Argo. I'm sure she misses you." Xena nodded and Ares left to get the stuff for her.
Chapter 5. What's next?:
Ares returned shortly to see Xena smiling and running laps around the room. Stopping she asked, " Hey,can you transport me to a lake? There's no better way to build up muscles and stamina than a nice swim in a lake." Ares looked at her unsurely, then shrugged, "Sure, I'll transport you there, but the water is bound to be freezing, you sure you want to go swimming?" Xena looked at him quizzically, "Of course I'm sure. I know what it's like outside. I can handle a little cold water." She replied sarcastically.
Within the next two minutes Ares had transported them both to the nearest, cleanest lake. After scanning the area and seeing that she would be safe, he turned to leave, but a firm hand on his shoulder prevented him from doing so. He turned to see Xena staring at him questioningly, "Ares I demand-- " He cut her off saying, "I know, I'm leaving. Don't worry, I'll come back when you call me." She looked at him softly, "No, I want you to stay with me. I demand that you stay and take a swim with me." She told him defiantly. He stared at her in pure shock, then shook his head, "Xena, you said we couldn't do this. So what in Tartarus are you talking about, stay and take a swim?" He asked her a little more than confused. A beaming smile covered her face, "It's just a swim," She replied then walked over to the lakes' shore, took off the nightgown and jumped into the freezing water. Ares stared at her, bewildered, not moving to join her or leave. Surfasing, Xena smiled,and shouted, "Come on in, the water's great. A little cold." Ares laughed and shook his head but still made no move to join her. He watched her swim for awhile but grew concerned when she didn't surface after diving down. He quickly removed his leathers and dived in to look for her. No sooner had his feet touched bottom, than they were knocked out from under him and he was being pinned under the water. He struggled and was released after about ten minutes. "Good thing I'm a God," he said after emerging from under the water. Out of nowhere a huge wave of water was thrown into his face. "Yeah it is, isn't it?" Xena laughed as he tried to figure out what was going on. After hearing her voice, he started laughing and dove under the water. Ares came up under her and threw her into a deeper section of the lake. She landed cat-like in the water and continued swimming farther and farther away from the lake's shore. Ares followed, just to make sure she doesn't get a cramp and drown, he told himself. He caught up with her and then quickly passed her up, when he looked back, he saw no Xena. "Now where is she?" He thought aloud. Just as he started to swim the other way, she popped up out of the water in front of his face. "Nice to see that you haven't drowned, yet," Ares said. Xena stared at him stubbornly, then swam forward saying, "I'm not going to drown, Ares. You should know that I am quite capable of taking care of myself." By the time she finished talking, they were so close that their bodies were touching and it gave Ares chills. He was about to reply when their lips met in a passionate kiss.
Ares pulled out of the kiss after a few minutes,"I thought you didn't want this?" He asked in shock. Xena looked at him softly and said, "I never said I didn't want it. I said we couldn't. I've been reconsidering things. Before, all I could think about were all the evil things that you've done to me, instead of the intentions that lay behind the acts. You've always looked out for my well-being, done things to help the only way you knew how. Sure not all your actions were on the right track, but you never would have hurt me." Ares looked a little confused, so he tried to put things in a way that he understood, "So what you're saying is, I've been doing things for the right reasons, just going about it the wrong way. So you only said that we couldn't be together because you refused to look at the reason why I was doing what I was doing." She smiled and nodded at him. "Does that mean we can give this a try?" Again Xena nodded. Ares realized that it was safe so he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips which she returned passionately. After a few minutes they pulled away from each other. Xena stared deep into his eyes and it was at that moment that she realized that she loved him. She had fallen for the God of War. Then she remembered that eventually they would have to go their separate ways and that would mean that they would be enemies, again.
Chapter 6. Family Ties:
After awhile of doing what most people would call, 'trying to kill each other,' but what they called 'just having a little fun,' Ares transported both of them back to his temple, clothing them in their usual attire. When they arrived, there was a young girl in the temple, praying to the God of War for war-like advice. Both Xena and Ares ignored her completely,lost in their own thoughts, knowing that it was time to go their separate ways, though it would hurt them both. "By the Gods," came the voice of the young girl. Both the God and Xena turned to look at her and Xena's face dropped as she looked into the ashen, tear-stained face of Amarice. "Xena?" She asked cautiously. "Amarice?" Xena replied questioningly. "Have you two met? Xena, Amarice here is one of my Amazon followers, who's too headstrong to follow her Gods orders. Amarice, Xena is an old friend of mine who turned away from me thanks to Jercules." Ares explained not realizing the tension between the two women. Xena laughed a little, then muttered, "Probably a good thing she didn't do as her God ordered." Both Amarice and Ares looked at Xena and asked, "Why?" Xena looked at one then the other, shook her head, and said naturally, "She's our daughter." She made it a particular point to stress the 'our' part. Amarice stared at her dumbfoundedly and Ares stammered, "Our daughter?" Amarice smiled suddenly and said, "Hold it! I know what's going on, this is a dream! I know that neither of you two are my parents, you can't be! This is a dream! Xena you're dead. Somebody slap me and tell me that this is a dream!" By the time she finished she was yelling. Xena walked over and put an arm lightly around her shoulders, trying to calm her down and said, "Amarice, listen to me, okay. I'm not dead. Ares brought me back and now I'm as alive as you are. Okay. Now look, I want you to calm down and accept what I'm about to say. After my brother Lyceus was killed Ares came to me, taught me how to fight, and well, let's just say we got close, really close. Without him or anyone else knowing, I bore a child, you. I left you with the Amazons, knowing that I wouldn't have the time for a child and that you would become a target for all those who despise me. So, yes, you are our daughter." Ares stared at her dumbfounded and Amarice just stared, expressionless. After a few minutes Amarice closed her eyes and fainted. Ares caught her and placed her gently on the bed. Afterward he asked, "Why didn't you tell me that we had a daughter? Don't you think that I have the right to know about my own children?" Xena glared at him, "I didn't think that you needed to know. Even if you had known, it's not like you would have taken care of her. Maybe I should have told you about her sooner. I'm sorry." Ares went over to her and tightly embraced her, "It's okay, Xena. And I would have taken care of her, because of the love I have for her mother." She shook her head, " You would have used her against me." He sighed, "I want to say that you're wrong, but you're not. I would have used her and in my mind that would have been just fine." Xena nods and they sit in silence.
Amarice awoke a little later and looked around the room a little confused, then she spotted Ares and remembered what had happened, but she saw no Xena. "Where's Xena?" She asked awkwardly. Ares looked at her and smiled, then replied, "She left about an hour ago to see if you brought Argo and all her stuff with you. I haven't seen her since. She either went for a ride or left." She was about to reply when a voice from the doorway said, "Do you really think I would leave without saying good-bye?" Both turned to see Xena in the doorway, dressed in her normal armor attire, sword in its sheath, broken Chakram in her hand. Amarice smiled, "I take it you went rummaging through the saddlebags. Is your Chakram fixable? You're the only one who has ever really used one. It's probably the only one ever made, no one would know how to weld it back together." Amarice looked doubtfully at her and was amazed to see her smiling, she followed her gaze to see that she was smiling at Ares. He sighed, rolled his eyes and said, "Fine Xena, you win. Give me the Chakram and I'll fix it." Xena gave him a flashy smile then handed him the two pieces of the Chakram. He took the pieces and set them on the table, two halves touching equally, then put his hands over them. There was a bright light and when he moved his hands the two pieces were whole. "There. Good as new." He said handing it back to Xena who was smiling brightly. She took the Chakram and threw it. It ricocheted off of two walls, a sword blade, then returned to her awaiting hand, "Yeah, it is as good as new, I guess. I mean, I'll have to retrain it and everything, but it'll do." Amarice looked at the two, her parents, and said, "Wait a minute. You're a God, you're a mortal, so doesn't that make me like Hercules? Shouldn't I have weird little powers or super-strength, or something like that?" Xena smiled and Ares chuckled, "You obviously don't have super-strength like my moron half-brother, but you may have some other type of powers, though I'd think that they would have developed by know. Of course I could be wrong. Sometimes something horrible has to happen for the powers to manifest." Amarice looked a little annoyed at first, but then dismissed it, Oh well, she thought. They stared at each other silently, father, mother, and daughter, trying to get used to the idea that the three of them were a family.
After a few minutes, Amarice broke the odd silence that had fallen upon them, "Where's Gabrielle? We're going to have to tell the Amazons that she's alive." Xena and Ares glanced at each other, then Xena replied, "No we won't. Gabrielle's body was nowhere to be found, so Ares couldn't bring her back to life like he did me. Amarice you found all my stuff and Gabrielles', by any chance do you know what the Romans did with her body?" Xena sounded anxious as she thought that just maybe they'd be able to save Gabrielle too. "I kinda know what they did with her body. They got it off of the cross and were going to throw it into the pit with all the other dead bodies. Before they could, a man came and stole the body from them. I don't know who he was or where he took her." Amarice explained, while deep in thought, trying not to leave anything out. Xena looked a little disappointed, then thoughtful, "Amarice, what did this man look like? Clanky, old fashioned armor? Pointed hat? Clumsy? Light skin, almost the color of snow?" Xena guessed. Amarice smiled, "You know him? Who is he?" "Joxer," Ares and Xena said simultaneously. "I take it you both know him. Is he a friend or enemy? What do you think he did with Gabrielle's body?" Amarice started asking quickly. Xena replied, "Joxer's a good friend. I've known him sense my first encounter with Callisto. He's harmless really and quite in love with Gabrielle. He either brought her body back to Potidaea or to the Amazons! If he brought her back to the Amazons, they would have burned her body by now. Let's hope he brought her to Potidaea, otherwise we'll never be able to get her back." Amarice asked, "So how do we find this Joxer, character?" Ares smiled, "Leave that to me. Give me a few hours and I'll have him found and transported here." Amarice looked him up and down doubtfully, "Whatever you say daddy." Xena looked at one then the other and shook her head, impossible people, she thought. She turned to Amarice, "Where's Eli? Did you get him out of Rome?" Amarice nodded, "I got him to saftey. He's mourning." Xena looked relieved, "Thank you. Look I'm going for ride. Do either of you two want to come along?" She asked. Amarice nodded and smiled, "Anything to get away from him," she replied, tossing her head in Ares general direction. "I think that I should stay put and find Joxer," Ares replied. Xena looked at him sadly, wishing that he would come with for the ride. Then she quickly dismissed the thought, finding Joxer was important.
Chapter 7. Search & Find:
"Well, Amarice and I will be back in a few hours," Xena said calmly, then both mother and daughter left Ares to find Joxer and hopefully Gabrielle. "Xena wait! Where should I start searching?" Ares asked as they were walking out the door. Xena turned and answered him, "I'd check Potidaea first. Oh, and Ares don't just pop up in the middle of the town and scare the poor people half to death." Ares smiled, "Right," he said, then disappeared.
Ares later appeared on the outskirts of town, he looked around to see if anyone was around, then changed his leather outfit into normal peasant clothes. "This is really me!" He said smart-alecky. He walked around the town in about an hour, found no sign of Joxer or Gabrielle, then returned to his temple. His priest came to him and asked, "Did you have any luck M'Lord?" Ares looked at him annoyed and said, "Does it look like I had any luck? No Gabrielle. No Joxer." He gave his priest a side ways glance, then blew him into a million little pieces. "Stupid, annoying, little man," he said and vanished from his temple. He reappeared in the Amazon Queens hut, then made himself invisible. "I hate Amazons," he said as he looked around the camp. He searched and then searched again, finding nothing. In a last attempt to find out if Gabrielle had been burned to ashes, he went through Queen Shilloppa's mind, only to find out that the last time she had seen Gabrielle was when Ephiny was killed. He was defeated, so he returned to his temple to await Xena's return, "She's not going to be happy about this," he thought aloud.
When Xena and Amarice returned they were shocked to see Ares sitting on his throne with his feet dangling over the side. When he saw them he said, "I didn't find either of them. I found no trace of either Joxer or Gabrielle's body. I checked her tribe and her village. I went through everyone's mind, but there was no sign of them." Xena looked disappointed and said, "Oh. Amarice, did Joxer say anything?" Amarice wrinkled her nose in concentration, "He said something about Amphibolias, or something like that. I'm not sure-" Xena's face lit up and she cut her off saying, "Amphipolis! Of course! Joxer knew I wanted to be buried next Lyceus and Gabrielle next to me! So he took her body back to Amphipolis. Why didn't I think of it sooner?" Xena exclaimed excitedly. Amarice and Ares stared at her, eyeing her enthusiasm. Ares snapped out of it and replied, "Okay, so do you want me to go to Amphipolis and get Gabrielle's body? I'll grab Joxer too, if he's still there. He might have gone back to Rome to save you." Xena looked at him and smiled sweetly, "Yeah that would be nice of you, but you have to take me with you, only family is allowed in the tomb. We need to stay invisible though. I don't want to scare my people," she said. Amarice looked at the two and replied, "I don't mean to be intruding on your little outing, but what am I supposed to do? Just sit and chill? Maybe I want to come too." Ares looked at her with a glance that said exactly what he was thinking, tough cookies, kid, suffer. Xena on the other hand smiled and said, "Don't worry, we won't be gone long. Take care of the horses, if you really want something to do." Amarice rolled her eyes in response.
Chapter 7. The Rescue:
A few moments later Ares and Xena appeared in Amphipolis, visible only to each others' eyes. "So where's Lyceus buried?" Ares asked her, while glancing around the small town. Xena smiled, "Don't worry about that, I'll get Gabrielle, you find Joxer, and we'll meet at Mother's inn as soon as possible," she ordered. Ares glanced at her and nodded, then started to walk off in the other direction. Xena walked over to her brother's tomb and carefully entered. Right next to her brothers coffin there was another one. She ran over and read the inscription on it, "Amazon Queen, Gabrielle, Bard of Potidaea." She carefully opened the coffin and the overwhelming smell of death filled her lungs. She looked in and saw Gabrielle's weather torn body. As she gently lifted her frail body out of the coffin, she silently wept for her friends life. She left the tomb and headed in the direction of her mothers inn. After a short walk she arrived at the inn and saw Ares and Joxer waiting for her. Joxer looked hopeful, "Hi, Xena. Ares told me the plan, let's leave and see if we can get Gabrielle back," he said seriously.
Amarice was pacing the temple when her parents, Joxer and the lifeless form of Gabrielle appeared directly in front of her. "It's about time!" She said, irritably. Xena gave her a dirty look, "It was ten minutes," she replied while carrying Gabrielle to the bed and laying her on it gently. Amarice followed and quietly muttered, "It seemed longer." Ares glanced at her in annoyance and ordered,"Amarice, Joxer, get out of the room, I need to concentrate. Xena you stay, she'll die again if she wakes up to see me standing over her." Everyone nodded and smiled at his confession on how Gabrielle would react to him. Xena sat down by her head, while Amarice and Joxer left the room. Ares placed his hands on the dead bards chest and sent an energy bolt into her. As with Xena, there was a radiant glow, then the young Amazon Queen inhaled. Xena smiled and started muttering words of encouragement to the bard, Ares sighed. "Thank-you," Xena said after the joy of having her best friend back was under control. Ares looked at her and smiled, "The battle's only half over." She glanced at him questioningly, and he continued, "We have to get all of her wounds healed, otherwise we'll lose her again." Xena looked down at Gabrielle's hands and saw fresh blood seeping out of them, though worried, she remained silent, as Ares began to heal the wounds that littered the girls body.
Chapter 8. Back from the dead:
Gabrielle awoke startled, "Xena," she whispered, then more frantic, "Xena!" Xena and Ares turned to look at her. "It's alright Gabrielle, I'm here," Xena soothed as she stroked the girls hair. Gabrielle looked at her confused, and asked, "What happened? Where are we? I thought we died." Xena looked at Ares who came to her rescue explaining, "Both of you were dead, but I brought Xena back and then we brought you back from the dead." Gabrielle swung her head over to glare at him, "Ares," she said cold-heartedly. Then she turned to Xena and asked quietly, "Xena, do you actually trust him?" Xena smiled, looked at Ares, then back at Gabrielle, and answered,"Yeah I trust him. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me." Gabrielle looked at her in disbelief and quizzically asked, "How can you trust him?" Xena's smile broadened and she replied whole heartedly, "Because he loves me." The bards face fell, then she struggled and finally managed to sit up and glance down at her body. "Shouldn't I be wounded? I remember the nails being driven into my hands and feet," she stated knowingly. Xena answered, "A certain God of War healed you." Gabrielle responded to this a little sheepishly, "Oh, well, umm, thank you, Ares." He nodded, then went to the door and yelled, "Joxer, Amarice, she's awake and well. Bring her clothes and things in with you." Gabrielle looked towards the door and saw Amarice and Joxer run through the door, their faces beaming with happiness.
Epilogue:
A few days after Gabrielle's resurrection, they were all ready to hit the trail. "Xena you ready to leave?" Amarice asked. Xena looked at her daughter and answered, "You guys go on ahead, me and Argo will catch up in a few minutes." Amarice nodded and she, Joxer, and Gabrielle left Xena to say good-bye to the God of War. Xena turned to look at Ares and said, "Well, I guess this is-" Ares cut her off saying, "No Xena, this isn't good-bye. We'll see each other again, I'll make sure of that." She ran over and tightly embraced him and said, "I know. And Ares, I love you." Ares gently moved away from her and smiled, "I love you too, Xena," he said. She turned and mounting Argo, she gave Ares one last look before speeding after her friends.
The end