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This story was written for a Ares
Tomb challenge on Bards of the
Xenaverse. It came in first in the fan voting. The
characters in this story do not belong to me -- big surprise -- they
belong to Renaissance Studios. This is actually an attempt to straighten
out and explain a situation created by professional writers and
producers that made very little sense. I am certainly not going to make
money off this story. I have had many, many people help me with this
story including Kam, Lady Kate, Fruitbat44, Becky and my husband, Kim.
Thanks everyone. THE BEST WORLD POSSIBLE Xena sat on her knees on the wood planked floor and dabbed a blunt-ended brush dipped in black ink on a rice paper scroll. She was actually better at painting than she was at embroidery, but that wasn't saying much. At least with the brush you didn't end up with a mass of tangled silk skeins and your paper didn't get speckled with what couldn't actually be, but looked like, blood from needle pricks on your fingers. You also didn't have to wear a stupid thimble. She never did get the hang of that little thingy you wore over… she couldn't even remember which finger you put it on and often put it on her little finger to get it out of the way. She really hated the embroidery projects and was very happy when it was suggested that she try another craft. The major problem with the painting was that she couldn't read the script in which the words were written; she had no idea what she was copying on the scrolls. It could be anything: love poems, death sentences, grocery lists or even pornographic stories. She had absolutely no idea. She merely dipped the brush in the ink and blobbed the color on the paper. Someday when her skill improved she would get to use finer brushes and try her hand on flowers and landscapes, but for today it was just scrolls. On any given day, that was how Xena spent her time. Most days were quiet at the teahouse. Most days were just like this. The geishas would just work on their womanly arts waiting for strangers to pass by. Strange men seeking pleasure at the cost of their souls. She was much better at the skills necessary to harvest men's souls than at the other arts of a geisha. Xena
had never been able to tell Gabrielle that even though by staying dead
she had avenged the souls of the 40,000 she had killed in the fire, she
had never completely freed her own soul. It was still held prisoner, at
least during the day, by the spirits that controlled the teahouse. Her
days were spent here condemned to live the life of a geisha ghost.
Condemned to continue the taking of men's souls. At
night her spirit was free to go to Gabrielle. As soon as the sun dipped
below the horizon, it was released and she found herself back in Greece
or where ever Gabrielle was at that time. She had gone to Egypt with
her, to Jerusalem, and to Turkey. Now Gabrielle was back in Greece, and
Xena was glad that her spirit got to return home. From sunset to
sunrise, she could be with Gabrielle, or at least her spirit could. Xena
realized spending all her nights with Gabrielle would leave the bard
exhausted. Xena's spirit seemed to have transcended the need for sleep,
so most nights she would appear and they would spend the entire night
talking. Both were most upset by the fact that Xena could not touch. Why
couldn't the "touch" that allowed her to paint or even
embroider be used when she was with Gabrielle at night? She hated the
fact that she could use those touches with men visiting the teahouse, if
she had wanted she could have even touched Akimi; but as much as she
desired it, she could not touch Gabrielle. Sometimes
Xena would delay her spirit's departure giving Gabrielle just enough
time to become unable to fight off sleep. She would then join the
sleeping woman wanting so badly to snuggle their bodies together, but
unable to do so; and just watch her as she slept. Gabrielle needed the
rest almost as much as she needed to know Xena was there. She
finished painting her scroll and hung it on the wall. It looked exactly
like the one she had done yesterday, and she was sure if she could find
the one she had done a year ago it would look exactly the same. She sure
wished she knew what she was writing. She
noticed one of her sister geisha's head move slightly and looked to see
someone coming in the door. A group of four monks wearing saffron robes
were crawling through the low doorway and entering the house. She always
felt sorry for the men who came here, especially the monks. How did
people not know that those who came here never returned? Were they that
disinterested in their fellow men? Why did holy men come here? She felt
the hairs on the back of her neck stiffen. She recognized the last of
the four men; he was not supposed to be with them. He
was much taller than the other men and almost twice their mass. Even
with his head shaved and facial hair significantly changed she still
recognized his black eyes. He looked, as she must have to others,
awkwardly out of place in this world. She wondered what he wanted. No,
she knew what he wanted; she just wondered what he was going to try to
do about it. "What
can you do for a poor holy man?" he asked softly. She knew he had
to know that as a geisha she couldn't question his requests. Her job was
to enthrall, comply, and satisfy until that time as the spirit came to
eat his soul. She wondered, did he have a soul to eat, and what effect
it would have on the monster's digestive process? "What
was it that you were seeking when you chose to come here?" She
looked down, not at his eyes. She was sure both of them would burst out
laughing if she did. After all the games they had played with each
other, in a foreign world like this, they were still friends. "I
am most desirous of a bath. My robes are soiled. My body aching."
He was a much better actor than she remembered, speaking the lines softy
with no hint of underlying passion. "You
can cleanse your body, and I will wash your robes. Follow me." She
lowered her head and walked slowly to a far corner of the teahouse. He
was already removing his robe, standing naked before her. It had been a
long time since she had seen a man his size naked. She shuddered because
of a combination of memories and true fear. She
dared not sneak a look at the other women in the house. Each of them had
chosen one of his compatriots and was in turn complying with his
requests. Each of them was easing a man's way to commit his last great
mortal sin; the one that would break his vows and cost him his soul. She
helped him into the wooden tub and picked up the yellow robe from the
floor. She handed him a wooden box filled with a clear liquid. "Please
drink this. I will take it to the stream and wash it, while you
soak." He grabbed the box and downed the liquid in one gulp. That
was not the way he was supposed to do it; she hoped no one had noticed.
She wondered if he needed the alcohol of the drink more than he needed
to use it as a cover. "I'd
rather have you here with me, helping me wash." She wanted to slap
him hard, but his voice went even lower, "I need you close to me,
because I have something of utmost importance to tell you. It involves
Gabrielle." She
hoped he wasn't lying. She knew he was not above using Gabrielle as a
ploy to get her into the bubbling water, naked and close to him. She
never trusted Ares, especially when he was naked. She came closer,
leaned over his shoulder and washed his chest with a sponge, her long
hair hiding his face from the others in the teahouse. Sex would be
ignored; talking might not be. He
reached up and touched her neck. He ran his thumb slowly down her
hairline, stopping as he felt the small scar that was all that remained
from the cut that had once severed her head. She felt his hand tremble.
She knew he felt a life that was once there, a life that was now
impossible for him to share. "That
is the worst thing you can do." She looked at him with cold eyes.
"The most intimate of spots." "I
know," he sparkled. There was something about that man.
"That's why I did it." "Why
are you here? How did you find me?" "You
weren't hard to find. There are scrolls all over the place. Like that
one. Urging men to come here." He pointed to the scroll that Xena
had painted that afternoon -- the one she couldn't read. Xena
shuddered. She made a silent pledge to go back to embroidery. "Why
I am here is a longer story. Actually, I'd been hearing rumors for a few
months now, but didn't put it together until I saw you, your spirit,
visiting with Gabrielle one morning." "You
saw me? How can you see me? It's just a spirit that goes to Greece, not
my body." "Gabrielle
sees you, doesn't she?" Xena nodded her head. "What makes you
think that a god can't see his subjects, especially his favorite
one?" "Well,
if you can see me there, I assume you could have talked to me there,
too. So what brings you to the end of the earth to visit me? It's
dangerous here, very dangerous." "Actually
Xena, it's halfway around the world, but that's not a discussion we have
to have right now. " He gave her one of his 'I'm a God" smiles
and continued. "And I needed to talk to your body and your spirit.
I need your help. There has been talk that someone was trying to kill
the remaining gods, both Greek and Roman. Someone from far away. Not of
our world." "Yes.
. . someone is always trying that. What makes you think they are going
to be successful, and how does it involve Gabrielle?" "It
is said they want to use the 'chakram of light.' The one that was fused
into your chakram. The one Gabrielle now carries at her side. So if this
creature wants your chakram, Gabrielle is most certainly in
danger." "So,
why didn't you go to Gabrielle?" "Do
you honestly believe your little friend would believe anything I told
her? Hand over her precious chakram to me, the God of War, for
safekeeping? I'm afraid my reputation works against me on this one,
Xena. "This
is a big job, Xena. I need your help on this one. You and I are going to
have to work together to defeat this threat." "And
Gabrielle?" "Sure,
it might be expedient to include her. Gabrielle can help, too." She
almost laughed, and drew her hand up to cover her mouth so that he could
not see her emotion. She had been well taught. She gave the room a quick
survey and realized that they would have to act fast, she would have to
trust Ares, if he had any chance of survival. "We
have to get out of here. I will take your robe to the stream to wash it.
As fast as you think it is prudent, get outside. Tell them you need to
use the outhouse if they ask. And, if you hear bells, small tinkling
bells, run like hell. Understand?"
*
* * * * *
Xena
washed the fine silk robe in the waters of the stream. She had expected
Ares to be at her side quickly, but the minutes that had passed might
indicate that he had had a problem. She hung the robe in a tree and sat
down on a rock and thought. She thought about him. He had come all this
way to ask for her help. Could she actually be of use to him? She
wondered. More importantly, could he be of use to her? This whole
atoning business was getting a little old. What good was "saving
your soul" if to do it you had to do unspeakable things? The rules
here were different; they were not the ones she had learned. Ares
quietly walked out of the bushes. She almost laughed. She had forgotten
that the towels in the teahouse were very small. He could not wrap a
towel around his body and merely clutched one to the front of him. He
looked embarrassed. She handed him the wet silk robe, which while
covering nakedness, clung to his body. He had to be cold. "I
need to get you, not just your spirit, but also your body back to
Greece. Do you have any ideas, Xena? How does this body move?" "It
walks. It's a long walk back to Greece. My spirit moves instantly.
That's why I can go back at night. But I think this body has to go the
regular way, and that will take a while." "Isn't
there any way you can speed it up a bit?" "You're
the god. Isn't speeding up in your bailiwick?" "Wait
a second. I remember you telling Gabrielle about joining her at the
fountain at Mt. Fuji, how did you get there?" "I
changed into a bird and flew." Xena put on her thinking face.
"That would work for a short distance, but I'm afraid my wings
would be damn tired before I got to Greece." Now she was wearing
her smiling face. "Yes,
but a bird in a cage. A god could carry that back to Greece with him. Do
you trust me Xena?" She
didn't have time to answer. She heard a distant tinkle of bells and, in
a second, she was a nightingale in a cage disappearing with the God of
War.
*
* * * * *
She
awoke in a large bed in the Hall of War. She could actually feel her
body rub against the black silk sheets. She wondered if maybe she might
have been wrong to have trusted Ares, especially since she was now in
his bed. But she could feel, and touch, so her body had to have returned
to Greece. That was probably worth the possible risks involved with
trusting Ares. "Welcome
back, sleepy head. " She heard a male voice speak from some other
place in the room. "You've slept for three days. How long did you
say you had been awake?" "Three
days? I've been asleep for three days. Why didn't you wake me, Ares?
Gabrielle is going to be worried. I came to her every night." "I'm
not worried, Xena." It was Gabrielle; she was here, too. Ares had
actually brought Gabrielle here to be with her when she awoke. Either
the God of War was serious about working together as a team, or he was
getting even more devious. "Why didn't you tell me you never got to
sleep when you came to visit me at night?" "If
I remember correctly, you didn't get to sleep much either."
Gabrielle was at her bedside, holding her hand. She could actually touch
Gabrielle's hand. "Now,
now, ladies. You can exchange your, shall I say 'pleasantries,' but
right now we have a demon to stop. A world to protect." "It
can wait, Ares. Just until we say our proper hello." Xena said.
"Turn your head. We need our privacy." Ares
looked over at the bed and held his hands to his face. Not for long. He
spread his fingers and watched the two women embrace and kiss. Then he
had to turn away, but not to hide his face. "Time's
up." He called. "World needs to be saved. You two can wait
until tonight." Gabrielle
sighed in disappointment and frustration. Xena wasn't as sure; she liked
saving the world, too. "I
have only one question, Ares, am I alive?" Xena said, confronting
the god. "Well,"
he folded his arms in front of him, "not technically. I was only
able to reunite your body and spirit here in Greece. I think you will be
good to go for a while, at least until we finish up with this project.
Let me know if you think something isn't working right and maybe I can
tweak it." "Well,
thanks anyway. I think I can make do in this state for a while." "By
the way, I burned that red kimono of yours, Xena. Gabrielle brought
something more appropriate for you to wear." "Thanks.
I always hated that robe." "Me,
too!" Gabrielle and Ares said at the same time.
*
* * * * *
Xena
was still obviously exhausted. She propped herself up in the bed and
held Gabrielle's hand as she sat beside her. She drank wine and ale,
thankful they were not tea, and seemed to be unable to get enough
olives, especially the ones that had been oil cured with herbs and
garlic. If she wasn't alive, at least she had a mind and body that
seemed to be functioning; she wasn't sure what else she needed. "I
believe this new foe we are facing was working in concert with those in
control in Japa. He wanted them to keep you there, so you couldn't
defend your land, your people, your gods." Ares smiled with a
salacious grin as he talked about himself. He wanted Xena to know his
efforts to win her back had not been diminished by her death or by his
observations of today. He had to let her know that he was never going to
give up on her. "He needs your chakram. You need to protect it,
Xena." "Excuse
me," Gabrielle raised her voice slightly, "If he wanted the
chakram, why hasn't he taken it from me already? Surely it would have
been easier to take from me before I knew of his existence. I just kept
it hanging on a hook in my house most of the time. Why didn't he just
sneak in and take it -- maybe while I was asleep?" "Haven't
been sleeping much lately, have we Gabrielle?" Ares sneered. "Come
on, Ares, there has to be more to this story, more of a reason for you
to bring my body back to Greece than to protect my chakram from some
mystery demon, who I have to agree with Gabrielle, doesn't seem all that
interested." Ares
looked down at his boots. He wasn't really sure what he was going to say
to the two women next. It would be so much easier if he could just
disappear for a while and think, but that would have been a dead
giveaway. "Maybe
he doesn't know she has it. Maybe he doesn't know where she lives."
His comments sounded lame. "Come
on, Ares, this isn't you." Xena chided. "This whole mystery
demon story is a little too thin to be believed." "OK.
OK. I just made him up. But such a demon might exist in the future,
appear at any time. Who knows what a new god, or his followers might be
capable of? Even the followers of Eli or another peaceful god like him.
That's why we have to destroy the chakram. It has to be unfused, melted
down, made into an object that will not be readily identified as one
that will kill gods -- or a god." "You
mean you just did this to protect your own hide, Ares?" Gabrielle
asked. "There really wasn't a reason to bring Xena's body
here." "Oh,
Gabrielle, there most definitely was a reason. But if you are not aware
of it, I'm not the one who is going to tell you." "Thanks!"
Xena commented. "I guess I am the collateral beneficiary this time,
and for that I am even willing to help you. . . some."
*
* * * * *
Ares
paced the floor. The two women had been quietly talking between
themselves for over an hour. The conversation appeared very serious with
Gabrielle in her usual way pointing out the bad points of proceeding
further. It was not easy to listen to people discuss your motivation and
whether or not you could be trusted right in front of you, as if you
didn't exist. Maybe he should leave and give them some privacy, but then
he didn't really trust them either. What
Ares had not told Xena earlier was that a full restoration of her life
would have required that he give up at least a portion of his god-hood.
At this point in time he wasn't sure he was willing to make that
sacrifice, he had to be certain that Xena would not just run off with
Gabrielle and leave him behind, as a diminished god, or possibly a
mortal. Maybe in the future, to protect her if needed, but for now he
would definitely take the wait and see approach. After
they decided that they would have to trust him regardless of his
motivation, they moved on to consider what should be done about the
chakram. Xena, for once, seemed to agree with him that the chakram in
its current form was too much of a risk to be allowed to exist, and that
the chakram of light had to be separated and destroyed. The
problem was, as Gabrielle was quick to point out, that until it was
actually destroyed the chakram of light was dangerous not just in the
hands of someone who wanted to kill a god, but to anyone not having a
pure soul who might touch it. Since no one in their group had anything
resembling a pure soul, and the chances of finding such a person would
require more time than any of them were willing to spend looking, they
would have to find a way to destroy the chakram without touching it.
Xena, having had more experience with metal spells, argued that she had
once touched the chakram and her soul could not have really been pure,
just purified. It had been the same with the Rhinegold. It wasn't the
actual state of the soul, but the state in which its owner believed it
to be, that mattered. Ares found this way too complicated and
philosophical but figured that he owed it to the two women to allow them
to work out a solution -- especially because he had no idea of his own. "Hey,
that's an idea." Xena's face wrinkled. "What?"
Gabrielle questioned. "Maybe
we could melt BOTH chakrams without separating them. Transform both of
them into a hunk of metal like the Rhinegold. No one would know what it
was. We could hide it somewhere, somewhere safe, protected. Ares could
get on being his old god of war self, and you and I could just. . .
" "I
get the idea, Xena. You don't have to spell it out." He was all too
knowledgeable and apprehensive about what they could just do. "So,
do you think it might work? Ares? Gabrielle?" Both of them agreed. "OK.
I've got the place to hide it. I have a temple in a cave in
Macedonia." Ares continued, grateful to be moving ahead on the
project. "Why
Macedonia? It's a long way away. All that's there are caves and sheep. I
hate sheep." Gabrielle suddenly seemed a little whiny as the plan
moved from talking to action. "No,
Ares has a point. I think taking it to Macedonia is a good idea. Someone
coming from the outside is unlikely to stray far from the coast or the
capital cities. Everything else out there is just . . ." "Cleveland."
Ares grinned. Neither Xena or Gabrielle had any idea what he was talking
about, but since it really didn't seem germane to their problem, they
ignored him. "What
kind of safeguards do you have there, Ares?" "You
know the usual. Sliding stairs, trap doors, huge spiked balls that swing
down from the ceiling and all the rest. It's a pretty big place and it's
not like anyone coming there would be looking for a hunk of melted
tin." "Tin,
Ares, this chakram isn't made of tin," Gabrielle commented. Ares
wished Xena, who seemed to be fine with his little comments, would tell
the bard to grow a thicker skin. "Whatever,
you know what I mean. I've got an eye of Hephaestus on the wall,
too." "Pretty
strong security for a cave temple, Ares." Xena commented.
"What were you going to do, hole up there for eternity?" 'Damn
her,' Ares cursed under his breath. He didn't want to have to tell her
that the cave had been his backup when she and Gabrielle had been
frozen. If the Twilight of the Gods threatened he had planned to retreat
there. Hide. Hide from her daughter who was going to kill the gods. Hide
for an eternity or until she returned. "It's
pretty safe. As safe as anyplace I know." Ares said. "I
got something else we can use. I have that old hinge lock from Pandora's
box. Doesn't do much, but it can be very confusing. We could put that at
the door, then hide the door," Gabrielle said. Xena and Ares both
smiled. "Very
good, Gabrielle. Sometimes it is not the puzzle, but the appearance of a
puzzle that fakes people out." Ares commented. Xena
grinned. Ares certainly seemed to have changed while she was in Japa.
She liked the way he was cooperating with her and Gabrielle, especially
the way he respected their ideas and suggestions. Still she couldn't
help but wonder if he had something up his sleeve, besides of course his
bulging muscles.
*
* * * * *
It
had taken over a week to reach Macedonia. Gabrielle had insisted upon
taking a great number of her scrolls with them, arguing that if they
were going to create a safe storage facility, there were other things
that should be included there. A quick trip to Meg's had produced a
wagonload of artifacts also slated for preservation. Despite Ares's
chiding that anyone looking for the chakram could have just followed
them and the trail of "bad draft" scrolls Gabrielle discarded
along the way, the trio did eventually make it to the cave. On
the trip Ares was content to sit back, even disappear when he felt
unwanted, and let the women be together. Perhaps he should be content
just to have Xena back in his world if not with him? Perhaps he could
learn to enjoy being with her as a friend? Perhaps, and this is what he
really hoped most, Gabrielle was going to slip up and do something that
would really piss Xena off? Then he might have a chance. Upon
reaching the cave the team members began work on their allotted tasks.
Gabrielle seemed content to find hiding places for the scrolls and work
simple traps to conceal them. She didn't want to hide them too well or
people might never find them and never read her stories. Ares and Xena
worked on the major traps. Each of them went full out to design their
own security systems and test those created by the other. By the end of
the day an exhausted Xena and an equally exhilarated Ares walked back to
the campsite with their arms around each other's shoulders, singing some
silly drinking song, much to the chagrin of Gabrielle.
*
* * * * *
"Do
you realize that you have been back from Japa almost a month and you
haven't killed anything? When was the last time you did that,
Xena?" Ares commented to Xena one night as the three of them sat by
the fire. Her
hand reached for the chakram she still carried at her side. "That
can be arranged quite quickly, if need be." She teasingly smiled at
him. "Be
kind to the little rodents, Xena." "I
wasn't thinking of a little rodent. I was thinking of a big one. I still
can't figure out what is in this for you, Ares?" Ares
knew, and it appeared that he was being successful, but he wasn't going
to tell. Gabrielle thought she knew, too, and was going to have to do
some quick thinking or Ares was going to be right.
*
* * * * *
Finally
everything was in place. The cave was as secure as the team members
thought it could be. All that remained was to destroy the chakram. While
Ares built a fire, Xena prepared a casting box. Gabrielle wrote a scroll
to be included with the lump of metal, explaining what was there and how
it should be carefully protected. Xena
took the chakram from her hip. It had felt so comfortable there the last
few weeks; she almost hated to destroy it. She knew she would find
another weapon, or maybe, considering how much she had enjoyed the last
few weeks, she might consider giving up fighting entirely. Ares
produced a pair of tongs to hold the chakram in the fire. Xena resisted
asking why he had blacksmith tongs in his temple. Sometimes with Ares
you didn't want to know the answer. Strangely enough, he was wearing an
ornate leather costume she remembered from many seasons before. She
wondered if it had been in the trunks from Meg and Joxer's collection,
or if he had just decided to dress up for the occasion. He
took the chakram from her hands with the tongs and held it over the
fire. The metal grew hot and glowed with white light. Xena and Gabrielle
watched as the metal dripped into the casting box, slowly covering the
bottom with a thick layer. Suddenly they heard a clang and were
surprised when the two broken pieces of the original chakram of darkness
slipped from the melting mass and landed on the floor. Xena reached over
to grab one of the pieces and Ares stopped her. "Just
because it doesn't melt, doesn't negate the fact that it is still hot.
You know like alcohol in the bitter cold. It may not be frozen, but it
can still freeze. . ." "Thanks.
Wasn't thinking! Why didn't the chakram of darkness melt, too? "Probably
made of a different metal, something with a much higher melting point.
Or maybe it has another purpose. I don't know." "Gee,
Ares. I don't think I've ever heard you say that before." "I
don't know everything, Xena. But I don't believe we have to worry about
this part of the chakram, just the part that was the chakram of
light." Just
then a giant roar shook the cave. "What
is it?" Gabrielle asked. Ares
bit his lip to avoid saying "I don't know" for the second time
in less than a minute. "It
could be someone or something coming looking for the chakram, or it
could be just an earthquake." Ares commented. "Just
an earthquake. It may be just an earthquake to a god, but I have no
intention of getting trapped in this place, Ares." Gabrielle said. "Yes,
Ares. I think Gab and I should get out of here, at least until we know
that this place isn't going to fall in on us." "Fine,
fine. I'll stay here, finish melting down the chakram of light. Hide the
two pieces of the chakram of darkness. I'll get all the traps set, and
everything. You two, head back to Greece. I'll meet you in about two
weeks in Athens." "I
was thinking we were going to go to the islands. How about Crete?"
Xena asked. "Crete
it is, but give me another week." "We'll
give you a year if you want," Gabrielle smirked. Ares
reached out and grabbed Xena's hand, mumbling something under his
breath. She stopped for a second, looked deeply into his eyes, smiled
with understanding, and ran like hell. Another rumble and a fall of
rocks blocked the passage by which they had left. Ares would have to go
out the back way.
*
* * * * *
Ares
finished the casting. Basically he had molded the once graceful chakram
into a lump. Had he been wrong to expect Xena to have worked some kind
of design into the cast, or did she just have that little artistic
talent? From one way it might look a little like a rabbit and from
another maybe a fish. He'd have to ask her, in a way so she wouldn't
feel embarrassed. He secretly worried if anyone would even recognize the
chakram's remains as an artifact, but again that might be a good thing. He
carefully went through the cave setting the traps: the lights that would
come on if a door were opened, the walls that would turn if someone sat
on a seat, the stones that would move if someone pulled on a lever, and
a few more for good measure. The place was definitely secure. He placed
the melted chakram on a small shelf and smashed half of the chakram of
darkness into a rock near Gabrielle's scrolls. He planned to leave the
other half near the door as bait to lure future discoverers into the
cave. Slowly
he gathered up his stuff. The temple was ready to challenge anyone who
might come to discover or plunder. Only someone very skilled could avoid
his traps. The good part of it was that it would protect the metal that
once was the chakram of light. The very good part was that it would
spare those in the future from having to read Gabrielle's inane scrolls. He
pushed on the outside door and looked over his shoulder fondly at what
had been his favorite temple. In three weeks he would be meeting Xena on
the black sands of southern Crete. Maybe by then she would have tired of
spending time with Gabrielle and would be looking for some real godly
action. The door seemed heavy, not wanting to rotate on the ball hinges. He
pushed again. It didn't move. He pushed again. Harder. Nothing happened.
Sure, he was a little less strong having relinquished a little of his
power to fully restore Xena's life, but Hercules could have opened this
door. Unless?
*
* * * * *
Four
weeks later. Xena
and Gabrielle had been on Crete for two weeks, enjoying the sun, the
sea, and the food. Gabrielle had dragged Xena to birthplace of Zeus, the
ruins of the Palace of Knossos, and several other tourist spots.
Strangely enough the meetings with bandits and thugs that always seemed
a day-to-day part of their life had not been a part of this trip. Life
was coming as close as it ever had to approaching normalcy. Tonight,
Xena and Gabrielle sat in a tavern in Crete drinking the local favorite,
Raki. Half a bottle was gone, but Xena continued to pour and drink. "This
stuff is strong, Xena." "Yea,
but good. I love how it burns in my throat. I can't wait to see how it
hits our dear friend Ares. He's so cute when he drinks." Gab was
sure that Xena had already had one or two too many drinks of this white
liquid. "He should have been here by now. He is usually much better
at finding me." "Why,
is he late? When was he supposed to meet us anyway?" "Last
week. Wonder where he is?" Gabrielle
thought for a few moments, Xena seemed truly concerned. She took Xena's
hand in hers, looked quietly into her eyes, and answered, "my guess
is he's still in Macedonia." "What?"
The fire of the candle on the table reflected its fire in Xena's eyes. "My
guess is he is still in that cave with the pieces of your chakram.
Trying to get them to fit together so he can hurl them at the eye of
Hephaestus and try to get himself out of the cave." Gabrielle's
voice was quiet, in control, and saying unthinkable things. "What
are you talking about? Ares can't still be in the cave. GABRIELLE!" "You
don't think I was on to him. All that team work and friendship he was
feeding us. He had one thing in mind and only one thing, Xena. That
whole plan, from the made-up gods to the melting of the chakram was a
guise for him to be with you. He wanted to show you that he was really a
great guy to be around, and that you ought to have a little more God of
War in your life. I may be from Poteidaia, but I wasn't born
yesterday." Xena wanted to pull her hand back, and maybe even hit
Gabrielle. "Gabrielle,
we were working together. A team. Trying to save the world." "Yah,
sure." "And
his idea of a team would be you and him off somewhere together. That's
all he ever wanted, Xena. He's not good for you, you know that, deep
down." "What
did you do to him?" "I
trapped him there, he'll not be getting out anytime soon." "What?
How? For how long?" "It
wasn't easy, Xena. I didn't think I could trap a god. Normally, he'd
just use his powers to flash out. But ever since that time when he told
you that he hadn't totally restored your life, just reunited your body
and soul, I figured there was something more he had to do, to give to
bring you fully back to life. The fact that he hadn't completed the
restoration, led me to believe it was related to giving you some of his
precious Godhood. I don't think you really needed it, but I needed to
have him give it away. So I created a situation you needed his
protection, and he was very quick and willing." "Protect
me? How, when?" "Didn't
you just love my fake earthquake. Just a few rocks at first, then enough
to block the front door. What did you think I was doing when you were
off all day making and testing your traps? I did a little engineering on
my own." "But
Gabrielle, he saved both of us. He's changed. He'll die in that cave.
I'm going to go get him out." "First,
he's not going to die, he's got everything he needs to live there a
long, long time. He's still a god; he's just not as strong as he used to
be. And second, you can't get him out." "I
can't." "I
had to figure that you would possibly try that. I knew the job he was
doing on you. The wording on that scroll with the instructions on who
could open the cave specifically states that only a DESCENDANT of Xena
could throw the chakram of darkness and hit the eye of Hephaestus to
release the locks. Not you, Xena, only your daughter, or your
grandchildren, or whatever. Who knows when Eve is going to be back in
Greece? My guess is she's going to be even less willing to release Ares
than I am. Looks like it is just the two of us for a while, Xena." "But,
I don't think that was what he meant when we agreed. I think Ares
figured that he could go in or out any time he wanted. It was his
cave." "Then
he should have been a little more careful with the wording. An exclusion
clause wouldn't have been that hard to write." "Are
you sure? There has to be something I CAN DO! What's he going to do in
that cave?" "He
said he was prepared to spend a long time in there. I'm sure he can find
something to do. He can carve pictures on the walls, decorate the place.
I even left him a few blank scrolls; maybe someday, someone will be
interested in what he writes. He has a great imagination, I'm sure he'll
even write a few things about you." Xena
poured herself another glass of Raki and drank it quickly. She had
learned that when Gabrielle got this way it was foolish to argue with
her. Gabrielle was as skilled with language as Xena was with a sword or
her chak. . . she thought about the weapon on which she had always
relied. It was gone -- like Ares was gone. "He'll
be OK. He's still got enough power to keep the world in balance, just
not enough to get out of the cave. Who knows, maybe in another fifty
years you can convince one of your great-grand children to open the door
and let him out? But by then I don't think he'll be much interested in
you, no matter how gracefully you age." Gabrielle seemed to have
the whole thing worked out. She
was going to miss Ares. The game they had going had lasted for years. It
was one of those games where the thrill came not in victory but with the
continuation of play. She had always loved the fact that just when it
looked like the game was over, he would find some new rule variation
that gave it a whole new twist -- like working together as equals and
friends. She WAS going to miss Ares. Yet,
when she thought about it, she could understand why Gabrielle had done
what she had. Ares was a threat to her. She had just failed to see
exactly how big of a threat Gabrielle had perceived him to be. Xena
wasn't even sure that he wasn't a threat. Now, she would never know for
sure -- unless? Perhaps it wasn't the best of all possible worlds, but
it might be the best world possible.
*
* * * * *
1998 The
producer looked up from the scrolls he had been reading. The idea had
been a good one. The world was definitely ready for a female action
hero. Xena: Warrior Princess had been a great success. It was
bigger than Bay Watch. It was bigger than Hercules. Yet as
he read the rest of the scrolls, he was really confused. There
seemed to be two distinct story lines. One involved the relationship
with Xena and Gabrielle as a couple. Gods, what would the studio think
if they knew his action heroes were interested in each other "like
that." There also seemed to be another set of scrolls, written in
typical male fantasy style and more masculine handwriting, that
indicated that eventually Xena and Ares ended up together. He pondered
that course of events and figured that not only the lesbians but also
the feminists would be upset with that story. What's a man to do? He
took the scrolls and placed him on his desk. Carefully he gathered them
into piles, without looking for signs that could differentiate the two
story lines. Sure it was going to be confusing, but that was why they
paid the writers the big bucks. Let's see them try to make a story line
for the next few seasons that would incorporate both of these different
scenarios found in these scrolls. He
sat back, put his feet on the desk, and lit a cigar. This was going to
be fun. He couldn't wait to see how the writers would work out the
inconsistencies in that Xena Scrolls episode they had written midway
through last season. The End McJude
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