Chapter One

Thunder sounded; lightning flashed across the sky. Hercules drew his cloak more closely around him, and scanned the heavy clouds gathering overhead. A few drops of rain confirmed his suspicions. A storm was rising, and a wild one at that.

A light beckoned through the trees, and Hercules moved towards it. The rain fell harder, until he was wandering a narrow path, peering at the light through mist. Finally he reached the small cluster of buildings, with a ramshackle tavern at its centre. Hercules made for it thankfully, pulling his cloak over his head.

"No night to be out, not this night," the publican grumbled, as Hercules pushed through the door.

"No night indeed," Hercules agreed, shaking out as much water from his cloak as possible, then heading for the fire. He looked around. Every man, every woman a stranger, staring at him almost balefully. Well, he was a stranger there, he reminded himself. After more than ten years wandering around the solitary places of Gaul, Britannia and beyond, he was little more than a myth to the lot of them. He would have stayed that way, if news of the twilight hadn't brought him home.

"A hot drink - and a meal, if I -" he began, settling at the wide counter.

"We're a tavern, ain't we?" the publican cut him off fiercely. "I suppose you'll be wanting a bed for the night?"

"Well, if I -"

"And what would you do if I denied you, then? You've the build of a warrior about you. Ahh, none of us'd be safe, then, would we -"

Hercules grinned and relaxed. He'd met fellows like these before; those who loved to grumble, to mutter about their ill-fortune. It seemed a strange way to enjoy life, but he had learned early on that not everyone looked on the bright side.

He leant back idly, watching the others in the small tavern. The usual old men, chattering over great mugs of beer; the usual young men, eyeing the barmaid at the counter. And strangers like himself, who . . .

He straightened.

A man in the corner got up, then, grabbing a worn cloak, and moving to the door.

"Hey -" Hercules began, but was interrupted by a firm hand on his arm.

"Here's your dinner, and the drink to go with it. And you'd best enjoy it, after all the work that went into it!"

Hercules thanked the innkeeper, and turned back to the door. But it was too late; the stranger had gone.

Hercules began eating his meal automatically. The man had been his brother Ares, he was sure; and he realised that until then he had thought he was dead.

He spooned another serving of stew into his mouth. His brother was alive; and he had no idea how he felt about that, at all.

***************

Great. As if things weren't already bad enough, he had to run into his little brother.

As he stumbled outside, Ares realized that the storm was worse than he'd expected. Slanted rain lashed hard at his face; within moments his hair was soaked and cold water was dripping down his collar. He tried to wrap the cloak tighter around himself. It helped for a short while, but soon the cloak was drenched too and was clinging heavily to his body.

At the edge of the tiny village, he stopped, blinking hard, wiping his face so that the water wouldn't get in his eyes -- though it was so dark that being blinded by rainwater didn't make much of a difference. He thought of going back to the inn; he hadn't even finished his meal. But no, there was no way he was going to face Hercules.

It wasn't because he knew that, now that he was mortal, his half-brother could beat the crap out of him with one hand tied behind his back (not that there was any reason for Hercules to have one hand tied behind his back). In fact, he was quite sure that after all the nasty tricks he'd played on Hercules when he was the God of War, little brother wasn't going to do what any normal person would have done and jump at the opportunity to settle a score. Nooo, he was going to do something far worse -- be all virtuous and noble about it. Really rub it in his face.

Ares winced and walked on, gritting his teeth, hunching his shoulders in a vain attempt to shield himself from the weather. He hadn't even been sure that his hated half-brother was alive; Hercules had been lying low ever since the death of Zeus. Now, of all times, he had to show up again, looking perhaps five or six years older instead of twenty-six. The divine blood in him must have slowed down the aging. A few more years and I'm going to look older than he, Ares thought and shuddered -- either from the cold or from the thought of getting older.

There was no hope of reaching another village in this weather. He left the forest path and wandered into the thick of the woods, where the trees gave him at least some shelter. Finding a relatively dry patch under a giant tree, Ares wrung out his cloak as best he could, rolled it up and put it under his head as he stretched out on the ground.

The God of War, reduced to sleeping in the woods like some beggar.

It was time to face reality. He'd never make it as a mortal.

It would have been different, he reflected, if he could have discovered the world of mortals at Xena's side. He thought of the last conversation they had after he gave up his immortality to save her and her daughter, and her annoying blonde friend. They were standing on a beach, the tall grass around them swaying in the breeze, the air filled with the cool scent of the murmuring sea, and she asked, "What are you going to do now?" "Wander the earth," he told her, "try to find out who I really am." In the next moment he was embarrassed at his own words; it sounded so ... wishy-washy. She gave him a warm smile, and he thought, holding his breath, that she was going to invite him to wander with her ... even if Gabrielle and Eve had to be there too. Instead, she said, "Good luck... I'll see you around, Ares." Then she squeezed his hand and added, "Try to be a better man than you were a god." He nodded, momentarily speechless.

He watched her walk away toward her two companions and whispered, "Good-bye, Xena." A part of him ached to call out to her, to ask if he could come with her, but he knew it would sound pathetic.

And now, he had no idea where she was. Maybe he would die without ever seeing her again.

His teeth chattered, and a cough, one of the afflictions of the mortal body that he'd already had a chance to discover, ripped painfully at his throat and chest. Damn Hercules for turning up... why couldn't he have run into Xena instead?

Ares tried to fashion the damp lump of his cloak into a more comfortable pillow, then lay down again and closed his eyes. He had tried not to admit it to himself, but he missed Xena terribly. It occurred to him that if his insufferable brother was in the area, Xena might be, too. All he had to do was get through the night. Maybe tomorrow, he could start looking for her.

Chapter Two

Ares awoke the next morning to congestion. His throat was dry and painful and his nose and head felt as though they would explode at any second. Ares was sure they would, and he held some small comfort in the thought. Just a few more minutes and then this eternity of misery would be over.

He knew he was going to Hell, but he didn't really care at that point. Looking back over his past 11,000 odd years of life he realized that existence would probably seem little different to his current life. At least he'd be a god again. That was his natural state and one thing he'd learned from his Uncle Hades, in death, you revert to your natural state no matter where you spend eternity.

And then the explosion happened, and boy did it hurt! His nose let out the grand exhalation and mucus went everywhere! He couldn't breathe as his lungs clutched for air as more mucus fought its way out of his wind pipe. Finally it stopped and a few moments later Ares realized the he wasn't going to die, and he sighed. Mortality REALLY sucked!

After 5 minutes of lying there, hoping for a pack of wolves or other wild animals to come and claim him, he heard the unmistakable sound of human footsteps and sighed. Someone was coming. He had to face some other mortal in this humiliating condition. Life just got better and better. If he had the strength to reach into his boot he seriously considered taking out his dagger and ending it all before whoever it was could reach him. Then he thought of Xena's revulsion at such an act of cowardice on his part and he knew he couldn't even try.

As the footsteps drew closer he used what little warrior training he still retained and made a mental image of the individual coming this way. Male. Tall. Relatively nimble. Not rushing to or from anything. An image popped into his mind and if he could have been positive he was correct he would have retrieved his dagger, to Tartarus with what Xena would think. It would be just like the Fates to have set this in motion. When he saw the dark blonde haired man arrive in the clearing, he cursed the bitches.

~*~*~*~

Xena greeted her friend casually, "Morning. Have a good sleep?"

"Yeah." Gabrielle said it with a small smile and she added, "It's getting better. You?"

"Yeah, me too."

It had only been two months since the final battle up on Olympus. At the time Xena was filled with determination about saving Eve and so was Gabrielle. They kept on going forward like arrows flying through the air. But when it was all over, it became unnaturally serene. It felt like time had stopped itself. It took a while for all the events to sink in. How ironic it was-- the twenty-five years in the ice cave felt like less than a second but the few days fighting the Gods seemed like fifty years.

The past two months had been strange. It was the first time Xena and Gabrielle actually got a chance to look at their surroundings. It was their homeland indeed, yet at the same time an unfamiliar place. What will they do from here? Who's still alive and who's-- not? Various thoughts circled through their minds. They decided the best thing to do was to check up on their respective families and of course to help Eve find a new life by taking her with them.

Gabrielle found her sister, Lila, living happily with her husband and her daughter. A young vibrant girl named Sarah. Xena thought she was a reminiscent of young Gabrielle from clear back when the two women met. Sadly Gabrielle's parents had passed away due to old age, but Lila assured her that they had a fulfilling life. If there was one thing that they would have regretted, it would probably be that they didn't get to say good-bye their elder daughter. Lila also told Gabrielle that never once did they doubt she was alive. Gabrielle hugged her sister and cried in her arms. She also sat in front of her parents' grave to tell them they were right about believing that she was alive and thanked them for not giving up on her. "I'm finally home, " she whispered.

In Amphipolis, Cyrene was vital as always. Of course she looked much older but still beautiful. At first she was startled to see them but easily accepted them without much explanation. After all, this was Xena anything was possible. Eve was keeping her distance, but it was during the short time they spent in Amphipolis that Eve started to change.

After the Twilight, Eve, even though willingly travelling with Xena and Gabrielle, kept mostly to herself. She'd say a few words here and there but not more than absolutely necessary. It was a quiet time on the road-- too quiet. But staying with Cyrene brought the life out in Eve. Xena was glad her mother had that effect on people. She couldn’t remember how many times she herself had found comfort in her mother's warmth. But at the same time, she felt helpless. She didn't know how to treat Eve. She didn't know how to be a mother to her daughter.

After the simple exchange of words, Xena and Gabrielle looked over to where Eve was. She was sitting at a table by the window. Her eyes were fixed on the outside scenery. Xena sighed deeply.

"I wonder what could be going through her mind--" Gabrielle trailed off.

"I know exactly what she's facing--herself, her past self. I've been there."

"Xena--"

"I know what she's facing, but I don't know what to tell her. I'm worried for her Gabrielle. She has started to open up more in the last month, but every time she's alone she gets lost in her thoughts. And becomes awkwardly still and silent."

Gabrielle didn't want to say something ordinary like "It's ok, we'll get through this together" because she knew it wasn't that simple. So instead she said, "Come on, let's go over to her."

The two walked over to Eve's table. As soon as Eve caught their approach she snapped out of her thoughts to greet them with a smile. "Good morning mother. Good morning Gabrielle."

"Hey."

"Morning to you too." And the two sat down.

Eve simply asked. "Where are we headed to today?"

"We're headed nowhere," answered Xena.

"Xena's right. We're just following the road, so we can see the new world around us. A lot has changed since our time. Most of the people we knew are gone at least as far as we found out. Except--"

Eve curiously asked, "Except?"

"I haven't found out about any of my sisters yet."

Eve looked at Gabrielle strangely. "I thought Lila was your only sister--"

"Oh she is, but I was talking about my Amazon sisters."

Suddenly the smile faded from Eve's face. "You're an Amazon?"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? I thought you knew from my scrolls."

"I must have missed that one."

"Well, I am and supposedly a queen-- who's never with her tribe and always leaves my trusty regent in charge," Gabrielle said in a joking tone. However, both Gabrielle and Xena noticed that Eve didn't seem in the least amused.

Xena quietly asked, "Eve, are you ok?"

Eve had to force the words out of her mouth, "I'm fine." Xena knew Eve didn't mean it. She took her daughter's hands and softly said,

"Look, Eve I know you're feeling confused and lost. If there's anything bothering you please tell me. I-- WE want to help you."

"Yeah, it's hard trying to adjust to a new life, but we're always here for you if you need us. It'll take some time but you'll get used to things. I know you can do it."

"Thanks."

Gabrielle's words sunk in Xena's mind. 'It's hard adjusting to a new life--' A "new life"-- Eve wasn't the only one who got her world turned upside down. In fact, his was larger in scale. After all, he was a god and not just any god but the God of War. But now, because of her he lost all of that. 'I've got a thing for her,' he had said. Truthfully, she was taken by surprise. She didn't even half expect Ares to do something like that. When he had declared his love for her, she actually believed it to some extent. But not enough to think that he would ever give up everything he valued on the account of her.

She had to admit that she was concerned about him. He didn't have the whole mortality thing down--especially the death factor. He had to constantly keep in mind that he is vulnerable to death now. He probably knew it in his head but a habit formed over thousands of years could not be broken overnight.

Perhaps she made the wrong decision. Maybe it would have been better if she had asked Ares to come with them. Though it was too late now. She didn't have the slightest idea of his whereabouts. There was a chance that she might never see him alive again. The thought sent chills up her spine.

Chapter Three

He had left the inn earlier that morning, after a quick meal. He'd allowed himself to sleep in a little, not leaving until well after the roosters had crowed, announcing that the Dawn goddess had begun to paint the skies with her skilled brushes.

The inn had been unusually quiet. The normal hustle and bustle of the way inns normally operated had been quite subdued. Hercules supposed that most folks must have just went straight to bed while the storm raged on outside. Or they were huddled close to the fire, drying off as they came in.

Come to think of it, Hercules had only seen one person leave the inn the night before. He could have sworn it was Ares. The man definitely had the same features as the god. But what would he have been doing in the inn? It wasn't like Ares to walk among the mortals...at least not when there was no war to fight. The inn was also not far from the place where it was said that Xena had died while fighting the gods. People said that Ares never came to the area anymore, because Xena's defiance of the gods had made the place an unholy plot of earth.

Besides, Ares always seemed to take the time to torment Hercules, or used to anyhow. So, if that was Ares, why did he not stop Hercules at all? It was all very odd. Ares had left the inn in a quiet state of peace.

It was quiet here too...painfully quiet. Only the birds made sounds, and even then, it was a few melodious notes scattered here and there. Hercules sighed to himself. It was times like this that he missed his best friend Iolaus. Or, to be more accurate, Iolaus was more than his best friend. He was almost a brother to Hercules. More so than the brother Hercules did share blood with.

Ares. To think that he shared blood with the god of war! Sometimes that was a source of private shame for the demi-god. But...Hercules thought for a moment. He actually hadn't had contact with his divine half brother in almost twenty-six years now. The last time he had seen him was the day that Hercules had killed Zeus, in order to save both Xena and her unborn child, a daughter born as father and son had fought. And then, just a few short months later, after the Twilight had begun, Hercules had heard that Xena, Gabrielle, and the baby girl had died while fighting against the indignant Olympians.

Eve, that was her name, he mused to himself.

Xena...by the gods did he miss her. He sometimes thought about her...every time he lay awake in the dead of night, the small campfire to his side, the starry skies above him. He wondered sometimes if things could have ever been different between Xena and himself. He loved her, it was that simple. And now he regretted ever letting her go.

Twenty-six years. Twenty-six long years of travelling the world, helping those who suffered. Now the Twilight had once again started. Hercules had heard rumors that some ghostly presence had killed off his divine family. Not that he was particularly attached to his Olympian heritage, but he was worried. He had always said that mankind could live without the gods. Now he was about to see if he was right. That, and he was curious to see exactly what was causing the gods to fall.

He entered the clearing where Ares lay hidden, thoughts of Xena, Ares, and the Olympians on his mind. The ground was flatter here, and he could move quicker without sliding on the ground. Already the sun was drying the mud. He tossed the core of apple he had been eating off to one side, and it fell to the dampened earth with a faint thud.

He stopped only when he heard the choking coughs of some unfortunate individual that had most likely spent the night in the rain.

"Better go help them," he said quietly to the air.

Ares had seen Hercules enter the clearing, and he tried to rise to avoid being caught in this diminished, sick, mortal state. But he found that he was without strength and that the world spun around him each time he attempted to stand.

"Son of a bacchae," he cursed under his breath.

He turned his back, hoping that his black attire would blend with the shadows. He hunched over, pulling his knees up and resting his head on them. Gods, everything hurt on him.

He froze in terror as the strong hand came to rest lightly on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hercules asked, peering into the shadows of the alcove where Ares was hidden.

He couldn't tell who was there, but from the way they coughed - a hacking, wheezing cough, Hercules could tell that whoever it was needed help...and soon.

"Go away!" Ares said harshly, his voice raspy and dry.

"I'm here to help you," Hercules reassured the stranger.

"I can take care of myself, Hercules," Ares said.

Even as he spoke, he realized what a mistake he had made. He had called Hercules by name.

What in Tartarus? Hercules thought to himself. How does this guy know my name?

"Have we met before?" he asked.

"No, just a lucky guess."

Hercules frowned, releasing the grip he had on the man's shoulder. He ducked under a few tree limbs and kneeled down in the grass. Now he could make out the profile of the man.

"Ares?" he asked, dumbfounded.

Ares winced, as Hercules settled himself beside him. Oh, he knew what would follow. Some kind of sanctimonious speech, some kind of lecture . . .

He waited. Hercules was sitting in mud, with water dripping down spasmodically from the twigs above him, and a sharp draught coming from the south. But he still didn't speak.

Ares shivered, and finally Hercules sighed.

"I'm guessing you've become mortal again. Anyway, sitting in a patch of soaking grass isn't going to help things. There's a cave not far from here - I can get a fire lit, and then I'll be out of your way."

Hercules pulled himself up, and waited as Ares coughed again, finally following. He shook his head.

"Of all the people to run into . . ." he murmured, then stopped. After all, it wasn't as though he could have run into anyone else.

They reached the cave a short time later. Hercules had not even attempted to assist Ares, simply using the frequent but necessary rest stops to collect kindling and scattered branches. There wasn't much that was completely dry, but he managed to find some that had been sheltered a little in the undergrowth.

The cave was large, and dry. Ares fell to his knees upon reaching the entrance, and grabbed onto a large rock to steady himself. Hercules stepped into the centre of the cave, and dumped the load of wood. Then he fished out his flint from his pocket and set to work creating a large fire.

Ares watched his brother work with mixed feelings. So that was how mortals created fire. Collision between rocks, a spark, a flame. And suddenly brightness filled the cave; shadows, too.

He moved closer to the warmth, and closed his eyes. It was heaven. If only . . .

"I have some bread, cheese." Hercules spoke out. "I suppose water isn't a problem."

He dug about in his bag for the provisions, then froze.

"What is it?" Ares asked in spite of himself.

Hercules turned slowly to the entrance of the cave, and Ares followed his gaze.

"I thought you said this cave was empty . . ." Ares began, as the form of a she-bear balancing on her hind-feet became clear.

"It was twenty-five years ago -" Hercules retorted, then ran forward with a roar.

The bear swiped with a enormous paw, and Hercules went down. A mouth full of teeth followed, but Hercules had rolled out of the way, and was clinging onto the beast's back, pounding.

Ares staggered forward with a branch full of flame, and brandished it in the animal's face. It roared furiously, and Hercules yelled out.

"Get back, Ares!"

Hercules leapt down and pelted the animal with rocks, shouting. Ares tossed him the branch, and Hercules hit at the animal with all his strength.

A howl rose up, and the animal moved back hastily. Another crack across the head, and the bear was beaten. She ran off into the night, thoroughly conquered.

Hercules collapsed exhausted onto the ground.

"Don't do that again, Ares," he said finally. "After all, if something happens to me . . . well, it just means that I'll see my mother, Iolaus, Xena . . . all those who've passed away. I'll see them again."

Ares looked over at Hercules, and tossed the burning branch back into the fire.

"Xena isn't dead, Hercules," he said.

Chapter Four

"Xena's not dead?" Hercules gasped.

Immediately, Ares regretted his words. Mortality, illness, or both must have really messed up his mind. If there was one person with whom he didn't want to discuss Xena, it was Hercules. Now it was too late.

"No," he said reluctantly.

"What about her daughter? And Gabrielle? Are they alive too?"

"Yeah."

"Well, where are they?"

"Does it look like I'd know?" Ares snarled. He had meant to sound sarcastic, but it came out angry and pained.

Hercules paused in reflection, still stunned by this news. Then he turned to Ares again.

"Wait a minute... Ares, I've heard that all the gods are dead."

"Not all." Ares' voice broke off as he coughed; a shiver ran through his body, despite sitting close to the fire.

"Well, you're obviously not dead."

Ares smirked bitterly. "Give me time."

"The Twilight of the Gods..." Hercules shook his head. "Xena and her child -- did they have something to do with it?"

The former War God gave a grunt that could be taken as either a yes or a no, though Hercules evidently took it to mean yes. He was determined to tell Hercules as little as possible. He most certainly wasn't going to let his detested kid brother know that he was in love with Xena -- so much in love he had given up his immortality for her.

"Is there anyone left on Olympus?"

"Aphrodite, maybe... I don't know..." Ares coughed again, nearly choking, but he still managed to add wryly, "Guess what, I haven't exactly kept up with the latest Olympian news."

"So I'm guessing that whatever destroyed the other gods somehow made you mortal," Hercules said thoughtfully.

"You're a regular genius," Ares snorted, but his sarcasm was cut short by another fit of coughing, so violent that it felt like his throat and chest were being ripped apart.

"How did it -- " Hercules started, then glanced at him. "Never mind, you're in no shape to talk."

Ares moved a little closer to the crackling fire and closed his eyes. There was a funny taste in his mouth, and he realized had coughed up blood. He didn't know that could happen and it frightened him. Maybe he was dying. The night before, he had been so wretched that he wanted to die; now he felt that as long as there was life, there was hope ... maybe even hope of being with Xena. He wanted to live. But right now, he just wanted to get some sleep and not feel the pain for a while.

He was beginning to drift off when he felt something touch his forehead. With a shudder, he opened his eyes and realized that the something was Hercules' hand.

In the next instant, Ares' hand flew to his belt, and then he was sitting up with his dagger at his half-brother's throat.

"Leave me alone." What should have been a growl came out as a pathetic wheeze.

Hercules rolled his eyes and with a quick motion grabbed Ares' wrist.

"Come on, Ares, I don't have time to play these games with you. All I wanted was to check if you had a fever. Which, by the way, you do."

"What do you care?" Hercules let go of his wrist and Ares lay down again.

Hercules was silent for a moment.

"Listen, Ares," he said finally. "Strange as it may seem, you're probably the only family I've got left."

"Aw, you're breaking my heart," Ares muttered, nearly choking as he tried to suppress the next fit of coughing.

"I may not be happy about it," the demigod continued, "but I'd rather not leave you to die. We have to get back to the village, find a healer and get you some proper care."

"Still sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, eh? Twenty-five years and you haven't changed a bit."

"Neither have you." Hercules sighed, exasperated. "Well, except for being mortal. All right, get up and let's go back to the village."

Letting his half-brother help him was the last thing Ares wanted to do; however, he knew Hercules was right. He tried to get up, but it seemed that the fight with the bear had drained the last of his energy, and his knees buckled. In a final humiliation, he had to lean on Hercules' arm to stand up and walk out of the cave.

Chapter Five

On the way back to the village, Hercules tried to keep Ares awake and alert with talk, but every subject returned to Xena or the fall of the Olympians and just seemed to upset Ares more. A few times, Ares had tried to convince him to abandon him in the woods, but Hercules wasn’t going to be responsible for his brother’s death. He even threatened to carry him the whole way if he didn’t cooperate. That had worked. Ares still had his pride, if no powers, and that had kept him upright till they reached their destination.

When Ares finally got back to the village with Hercules at his side, he felt a new, hot wave of humiliation slam into him full force. He knew Hercules wasn’t stupid enough to spout out who Ares was, but seeing the looks of pity on the faces of the peasants as they lumbered in, and Ares again cursed the Fates for not allowing him to succeed in his earlier plans to reach the temple of Mnemosyne.

He hadn't known what he'd wind up doing there, but he needed to go. He loved Xena, but she didn't love him back. He had hurt her so badly over the years, in so many ways, that is all seemed hopeless sometimes. But other times, other times his heart wanted to soar. She was alive and there was always a spark of hope in him. He could never give up trying. He had to earn her love or life meant nothing.

But his hope and determination had a tendency to come crashing down around him when faced with reality. He hadn't really changed. He didn't have the do-gooder instinct in him. Sure he'd sacrifice whatever soul he carried to fight beside her, whatever her fight, but he had no impetus to go beyond that. He could care less what happened to the rest of the mortal world, so long as she was alive and safe and happy. She wanted someone like Gabrielle or Hercules who felt all those touchy feely things inside them instinctively. He had thousands of years of training and experience that ran against everything she believed in. And still, even with those odds, he couldn't give up hope.

Then, one night, he'd gotten the idea in a dream. Perhaps Morpheus was taking pity on him. Maybe he just wanted to see the once great Ares brought even lower. Ares didn't know the slumber god's objectives and he didn't care. The plan was sound either way. After his saving the bard and her daughter, Xena could never just abandon him, particularly if he no longer held any memories of his past misdeeds. He could learn how to be a sheep for her.

The towns around Mnemosyne's temple were almost exclusively Elijan now, mainly because of the temple itself. People would come out of there dumb as a post and the Elijans saw them as fresh converts waiting to happen. These people had hurt so much that they had given up all that they were. The Elijans saw this as a sign that these people needed love and therefore, no matter who it was that walked into the town or village, no matter what they had done, no matter how well known they were for their villainy before discarding their memory, they were welcomed in peace and set on the Way of Love.

He was sure someone in whatever town he made his way to after his cleansing, would recognize him from when he'd slain Eli or encouraged Livia to destroy them. The Elijans already saw the stories of his sacrifice for Xena as one of Eli's greatest triumphs. Their hero had brought self-sacrificing love to war himself. They'd never turn their backs on him. Eventually Xena would track him down, hopefully before a warlord bent on making a name for himself did. Then he could be what she wanted him to be and then he would win her love. He would no longer remember her or what they had shared, good and bad, but she would.

If all his brainwashed self earned was her respect and friendship, then it was well worth the effort. He knew that, whatever their reasons for doing so, the Fates had wound his and Xena's threads together years ago. Something had to survive between them, even if he didn't remember it. He couldn’t help but love Xena again -- how could anyone help it after spending any real time with her? -- and maybe she would love him back. One thing was for certain, being Ares was getting him nowhere with her and never would.

He hated going to his Great-Aunt’s temple, but now that he was mortal, he knew Mnemosyne wouldn’t turn him away as she had as a god. Removing the memories of a god, even if the god was asking for it, had been forbidden by Zeus and then, when he had tried to skirt that law after Zeus’ death, by Athena. It was one of the few perks of being mortal. He could just give his memory away, pour it out like the contents of a chamber pot. He knew he’d have to undergo the ritual, but it’d be a small price to pay.

He wondered if Mnemosyne would still afford him the honor of attending his ritual, as she and him had been very close when he was a small child. She had been the mother Hera was too preoccupied with her own life and the affairs of his father to be. With her own 9 daughters, his older, half-sisters, he was treated like the little prince he was. There had been definite advantages to being an adorable 5-year-old godling in a house occupied solely by women who doted on your every whim. He could remember all the stories and music and philosophical debates that had wafted through the halls at all hours and probably still did. But he’d bet anything the songs and stories were now dirges for the fallen race of gods.

Maybe there was even one about him. He could almost hear Erato’s sweet voice telling of how he had sacrificed his godhood and, save Aphrodite, his entire family for the mortal woman he loved. Yep, Erato was probably over the moon with ditties about him and his pathetic state. The Muses were sentimental in the extreme. He wondered if maybe they’d show up at his purging too, but then he though better of it. Ares had always despised artists and philosophers, and had no qualms about allowing his armies to slaughter the 9 sisters’ chosen ones over the centuries. They were, after all, the daughters of memory herself, and boy could they hold a grudge! He was the God of War and there had been a major rift in their relationship after he had left their household to live with the then grown, Athena at the age of 13. She’d taught him to fight and the arts of strategy and wisdom, but she resented having to raise her wilful younger brother all through his adolescence and had offered him little in the way of compassion or companionship.

When he completed the ritual, all this would be null and void. The slate would be wiped clean. He’d not even know his own name, much less the complex history of his family.

But first things first. If he was to succeed in his plans, he had to get better. He had to recover. He had to literally get back on his feet, as right now he lay in the middle of the village square, exhausted and unable to stand anymore. From the corner of his eye he saw the familiar, small shimmer of a lone candle’s flame coming toward him.

No! He would not just give up! He would fight for life! He would fight for the potential to start his life anew after leaving Mnemosyne’s temple. He liked Celesta. He really did. She had treated him with dignity and they had always worked amicably together. They were kindred spirits as they both knew the pain of not being accepted for who you were and the godhood you were meant to carry. He tried to muster up his most egotistical expression, the one that had been almost constant on his face when he was a god, and smiled in the direction of the candle flame. He did not want her to feel sorrow or pity for him as he‘d always valued her respect for him highly. He mouthed two words affectionately as he could not speak with his vocal cords so paralyzed from illness. "Later Babe!"

Chapter Six

The rain cleared up as the day went on, although a few black clouds could be seen some distance away by late afternoon, fortunately heading in the opposite direction to Xena, Eve and Gabrielle. They'd left the village they'd spent the night in early that morning to get away from the hoards of people who had sheltered there because of the weather. It was strange, Xena reflected, that you never saw anyone on the road - they'd had no company all day - but as soon as you arrived in a tiny little village, or you got some rain, they all came out of the woodwork.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and listened to her companions talking. Eve had pleasantly surprised Gabrielle by showing an interest in reading her scrolls, and they had spent the past few days talking about various adventures. Eve seemed determined to get to know the two women, to make up for lost time, as Gabrielle had said, and she was going through the scrolls at an alarming rate. It was a sharp contrast to her silence before they had visited Cyrene; she had gone from one extreme to the other and seemed almost too interested. Xena watched her daughter silently for a moment, unsure of whether her suspicions had any truth behind them or were just maternal paranoia.

"So, my mother defeated the entire Persian army... all by herself?" Eve looked slightly dubious. "You said you weren't feeling so good at the time - are you sure? Didn't you say you were delirious?"

"Eve, I was there. I don't need to lie to make her look good. She doesn't need my help there."

"No, she doesn't need to lie - a few embellishments here and there usually do the job well enough," Xena interjected. Eve smiled, her eyes flicking between her mother and Gabrielle.

"I don't embellish. I just... make it more poetic. You can't write an accurate, literary description of a sword fight - it's one or the other," Gabrielle said.

Eve turned her attention back to Xena. "Is she telling the truth? Did you really beat them when they outnumbered you so badly?"

Xena shook her head ruefully. She didn't enjoy talking about past battles, even one as undoubtedly spectacular as that had been.

"She did. She just won't admit it. Isn't that right, Xena?"

"Pretty much." She didn't specify whether she had referred to the battle itself or that she wouldn't admit to it.

The conversation slipped to the back of her mind as Eve and Gabrielle started talking about what made a good scroll. Eve had confessed to being a reader and said she loved nothing more than to settle down with a scroll for an evening now and then, when time permitted. She'd said she had tried to write a few poems and stories of her own, but she hadn't gotten on very well. Gabrielle was clearly finding her fascinating company and Xena wondered if she was ever going to get a chance to get to know her daughter. She felt a sudden, irrational resentment that her friend and her daughter had something in common, a starting point for a conversation.

Not that she and Eve didn't have anything in common, she mused, just all the wrong things. She scowled unconsciously to herself, imagining a conversation with Eve. So, do you prefer a quick death for prisoners, or should they have to pay the price for being so stupid as to get captured? It was almost funny -- or would have been if it had been happening to anyone else. But, to her, it was sublimely ridiculous. What mother couldn't even hold a conversation with her daughter?

Xena glanced up at the sun; it was just beginning to set over a distant forest. "We don't have too much further to go - only another few miles," she told Gabrielle and Eve.

"That's going to be a nice sunset," Gabrielle commented, "I hope there are a few lovebirds out there who'll get to enjoy it."

Her only response was a brief nod from Eve, and the trio descended into silence.

Eve's face had darkened somewhat at that, Xena noticed. Probably trying not to think about him.

There was no doubt in Xena's who 'he' was. Ares had been on her mind a lot too, but she was sure it was for different reasons. Eve felt nothing but loathing towards her ex-lover, that was obvious, and Xena couldn't blame her, given the circumstances.

She wondered how he was faring, for the seemingly millionth time, wondered if he was even still alive. He'd been one of the few constants in her life for longer than she cared to remember. Even after she'd woken from the 25-year sleep - that had been his fault - he hadn't changed. Or so she'd thought. But something had snapped, somewhere down the line, and now he was wandering around a world he barely knew, trying to put a brave face on things for her.

Gabrielle had once been certain that she was a hero. Now, she wasn't so sure, preferring to see her first and foremost as a friend, Xena knew. But there were countless people who did think she was some kind of hero, which was one of the most absurd notions she could think of. If I were a true hero, I would have let him come with us...

~*~*~*~

"Did you see him? Practically falling down on that other guy’s arm!"

"Like a sack of potatoes!" someone supplied, to great laughter.

"You think," the man hiccupped. "You think he’s gonna stuff it tonight? Babbling like an idiot, with snot pouring out, and coughing ever minute, or so!! Better put the old man out of his misery, I say!"

The nods of agreement halted as Xena stepped up to the speaker.

"So who’s this old man with snot coming out of his noise?" she asked smoothly. "Maybe I can help"

The soldier looked her over and with a drunken smile tried to put his arm around her.

"Hey sweetheart, don’t you worry about him," he grunted. "I’ve got plenty to occupy you right here."

Laughing, he attempted to pull Xena down onto his lap.

"You don’t wanna do that…"

Paying her no mind, he gripped her arm and pulled her towards him, his breath on her. Xena raised her hand to knock him away from her, before a shout directed her attention to the hallway.

It obviously cost the man an effort to even stand, as he balanced awkwardly on the door.

"Hey you…," he coughing wildly, falling to his knees. "You leave her alone!" he mumbled.

The table erupted with laughter, as they stared at the weak man on the floor.

"You got something to say to me old man?" asked the drunken soldier. Not waiting for a reply, he grabbed the man’s hair and pulled his face up. "You wanna say something?"

"No, but I do, you piece of slime," Xena growled, sending him flying into one of the wooden chairs, breaking it to bits. The crowd around them began to thin, and Xena fought her way over to the man.

"Ares?" she whispered, bringing her arm under him and lifting him up. A sharp pang hit her heart as she realized that he was the ‘old man’ the soldier had been talking about. She was the one who did this to him, and then let him go without any protection from the mortal world.

"Xena…." He moaned, weakly trying to open his eyes.

Unexpectedly, hot tears sprung into her eyes, as she ran her hand over his forehead.

"Shhh….don’t talk. I’ve got to get you out of here," she said, bracing him up. "Here, lean on me." Slowly, they made their way up the stairs and into one of the rooms that they had rented, and eased him on the bed.

"Still think you have to save me?" she asked softly, bringing a wet rag across his face. He moaned contentedly, not opening his eyes. "It’s what I do". She laughed, wondering briefly why it felt so right for him to say these words. "Yeah…yeah, I guess it is now, huh?"

Xena heard a knock at the door, rose quietly to open it. Before it swung open, someone obviously in a hurry quickly asked. "Sorry, but have you seen – Xena???"

Hercules stopped in his tracks, seeing the beautiful warrior open the door, looking not a day older than she had looked the last time he saw her, twenty fie years ago.

"Hercules?" she gasped.

Xena didn’t know what she had been expecting. Maybe that he’d died…or that he was an old man now. Anything but seeing him looking only a few months older than when she saw him last.

He hugged her tightly, smiling

"So. What brings you here?" she asked.

Instantly his face changed.

"I met Ares, sick, almost dead and brought him here. And now…" he scratched his head. "And now I can’t seem to find him. He’s gone! I went to check with the tavern-keeper, then went back to his room and he wasn't there. I checked the whole place, but he's vanished."

Xena stepped back to show him the bed.

"Nah, he’s not gone. He’s right here. I found him in the tavern." She considered letting Hercules know exactly how she had found him, but thought against it. He crossed the room, touching Ares’ forehead, and shook his head.

"He’s burning up. The tavern-keeper has no medicine, and I don’t know what to do for him at all. Whatever he has is like nothing I’ve seen."

Feeling strangely protective of Ares, she lay a hand on his arm.

"I’ve got a supply of herbs that may be able to help him. Why don’t you leave him here, and I’ll see what I can do."

Hercules didn’t relish leaving Ares alone with Xena, battered and broken as he was, and jealously wondered why Xena was being so tender with Ares. But she could help and he couldn’t. This wasn’t a time for personal feelings. He nodded, but remained still, looking at her.

"It’s good to see you. But….I heard rumors that you were dead! All of you, and the gods."

She shook her head ruefully.

"Just a lot of rumors, Hercules. But what about you?"

He grinned in response.

"One thing the immortal blood in my veins is good for, I suppose. Slows my aging process."

She nodded.

"I’d better get going, and leave you to your patient" he smiled, and walked out the door, shutting it softly behind him.

Xena stared at it for a second, until a wheezy coughing startled her and she rushed to the bed where Ares lay, and laid her hand against his mouth. She felt warm liquid and jerked her hand away, startled. Her fingers were coated with blood.

Chapter Seven

Dusk was comfortably cool and slightly breezy. The world was washed anew, and it was as if everything breathed a sigh of relief at the cleansing from the skies that took place from the day before. Gabrielle checked to make sure Argo was secure in the stables before walking towards Eve, who had situated herself on a rock and was holding a scroll in her hand, reading it intently in the rising moonlight.

"Hey," Gabrielle said softly, trying not to startle the young woman but failing to succeed. "That one must be pretty good to have drawn your attention like that. Which one is it?"

Eve looked up with a somewhat ambivalent expression on her face. She was thinking of some way to answer the question without giving away her turbulence of feelings. Even the enjoyment of reading Gabrielle’s scrolls couldn’t keep memories of him away. Eve wondered why she had the expectation that she could keep him at bay in her thoughts anyway. Xena and Gabrielle’s adventures would have had to include Ares at some point, she knew that. Even growing up as a little girl, she’d heard about Xena’s adventures with Gabrielle—how they defeated Morpheus, how they’d helped Ulysses go home, how Ares had switched Xena’s body with Callisto’s. And later on in life, when she became the merciless, infamous warrior Livia, she regarded such humanity and desire for atonement to be reminiscent of a very weak person and shunned the morals to the stories that she’d heard.

Yet knowing this, and looking at the scroll in her hand with his name printed on it, didn’t make it any easier to deal with the pain and the humiliation of your former lover having ‘a thing’ for your mother all the time he was with you. By the God of Eli, should Gabrielle write a scroll detailing the more intimate details about their latest adventures, some moneygrubber could get a hold of it and make an infamous, tell-all play or fable where all the dirty laundry hangs out for everyone to see. Some bard or playwright would crack lame jokes, it would be listened to or watched by thousands or perhaps millions of people who would laugh or jokingly chant derisive comments and be thankful that not everything in life was that messed up. All the while, they’d be sticking their noses up in the air but refuse to turn away from the wagon wreck before their eyes because of the sheer fascination they have with sordid tales like these. Eve could already see it: come one come all to see the most popular play this side of the Aegean, My Mother Wants to Sleep With My Ex-Boyfriend! , with the sort of chair-throwing, name-calling, and hair-pulling fury Eve had felt at times towards her mother during these past couple of months.

Eve snapped her attention back to the bard and smiled sheepishly, fumbling with the scroll in her hand. "Ahhh, I was just thinking about chronicling some of our latest adventures. You know, give some of my own insight into it. Not that your insight is lacking, but you know, I’ve always had an interest in it and reading everything has just sparked my imagina--"

"Eve, it’s okay, I understand," Gabrielle interrupted, chuckling. "Sometimes it can be really helpful to have a written record of what you’ve gone through. It’s interesting to look back on, and memories can fade so easily." She jerked her head towards the tavern and said, "We should go inside. You’ll need to finish reading by candlelight soon."

Eve smiled more easily and followed Gabrielle inside the tavern.

~*~*~*~

Xena felt the warm stickiness on her fingers and felt slightly revolted. Strange, and a bit ironic, she thought. His love for me wounded him in a way. It compelled him to give up his life for me, and here she was with his blood on her hands for the first time, as if she’d taken a sword and plunged it straight through his heart, deepening the wound with one last twist as she walked away and left him to his mortality on the beach.

"How long have you been sick?" she asked the former wargod.

"A couple of days," he wheezed, "but it didn’t really start to get bad until yesterday. Jerkules found me this morning having a coughing fit….that annoyingly virtuous little—"

"Where did he find you?" Xena interrupted before he could go any further into his diatribe.

Ares mumbled something incoherent under his breath. He didn’t want Xena to know that he’d been sleeping in the forest like some common mortal.

"What did you say?" she asked for clarification.

"I was out in the forest." There. He’d told the truth without humiliating himself in front of her. He’d just done his usual, leaving out some of the details. He should have known she wouldn’t just leave it at that.

"What, you were just wandering around and you ran into him?"

"Sort of," he replied hesitantly.

"Are you going to give me a straight answer or what? I need to know if I’m to figure out what’s wrong with you. I want to help."

Damn, she looked so concerned for him at that moment, he thought as he tried to stifle another wheezing cough. He could almost believe that she actually cared about him and wasn’t just doing this out of pity.

"I had, uh, slept in the forest. I knew I wouldn’t be able to reach the next village in the rain so I found a place to sleep under a tree. Happy now?" he said as the wheezing cough won the battle and made him double over on the bed. Xena rubbed his back with one hand in an attempt to ease his coughing. As soon as he’d calmed down, she slowly wiped the blood off her fingers with a dry cloth. Then she got up to fill a bowl with water from the pitcher sitting on a nearby table, soaked the rag in it to clean it, then rung it out and began to dab his forehead with the cool water.

"So you spent the night sleeping in the rain," she sighed with a sad, worried look on her face and wiped the tiny trail of blood that fell from his lips. Ares took one of her hands and squeezed it, looking at her imploringly and asked "Tell me the truth, Xena. Am I…?"

"You’re staying here. I want you to stay in bed. Get some rest so that temperature of yours can come down a bit. I need to mix those herbs. If you need anything, then let someone know. Don’t attempt to get it yourself."

"Xena—"

"I need to get you a bell of some kind. And be sure to eat something, even if you’re not hungry. You need to get your strength back."

"I’ve been having a hard time breathing."

Xena looked slightly alarmed, but it quickly passed as she unbuttoned his shirt and placed her hands on his chest, feeling underneath the skin with her finger tips in a circular motion. She could see he had a slight smile on his face despite how uncomfortable he was. No doubt he relished the feel of her firm yet gentle hands on him.

She had just finished her examination and tried to ease some of his breathing difficulty when the door opened and Gabrielle and Eve entered, happily chattering. Xena had been so involved with helping Ares to get more comfortable that she hadn’t noticed the noise they’d made on their way up. And Ares had been completely oblivious to everything except Xena. Initially, neither Gabrielle nor Eve had noticed anyone in the room until Eve’s twinkling eyes happened to fall in the direction of the bed. As soon as she saw Ares, her face fell.

In that moment of recognition, a cloud had swirled overhead, bringing an end to Eve’s enjoyment of the past few days. The image of Xena, on the bed and hunched over with her hands feeling him up, and him with that little smirk on his face at the pleasure of it was like a kick in the stomach. Knowing that she’d been dumped by him for her mother was bad enough, but to find the two of them in such a compromising position was more than she could stand.

Gabrielle’s eyes switched from Eve to Xena and Ares and back again. In an attempt to break the silence, she said, "Uhh, Xena. Ares, um, you look awful. What’s going on here?"

Chapter Eight

Xena darted an almost guilty look at Gabrielle and Eve.

"Can you believe it?" She was obviously trying to sound casual but failing miserably. "I just ran into Ares downstairs. He's pretty sick -- got a bad chill sleeping in the woods on a rainy night." Illustrating her point, Ares convulsed in another coughing fit. He hunched his shoulders and turned to the wall, as if trying to hide his pathetic state from the two new arrivals. With visible concern, Xena put a hand on his shoulder and went on, "I think it's a good idea for him to stay here for a while."

"In your bed?" Eve blurted out, only to blush fiercely in the next instant. Gabrielle thought she saw Xena flinch slightly. She herself was feeling more awkward by the second.

"Well," Xena said in a steady voice, "Ares can sleep in this bed, you and Gabrielle take the other two -- I'll just sit here and watch over him. What I really need is some hot water so I can brew a healing potion..."

"We'll bring it," Gabrielle said quickly. "Come on, Eve."

When Eve didn't react, Gabrielle tugged discreetly at her sleeve and ushered her out of the room. As they came down the stairs, Gabrielle glanced at the stricken, confused look on the face of her friend's daughter. She really hadn't given any thought to Eve's feelings for Ares, even though Xena had grimly hinted that "Livia's" relationship with the God of War had been more than professional.

"Eve," she said gently, "he did save our lives."

Eve nodded and turned away.

A few minutes later, as Gabrielle took a large pitcher of hot water from the tavern keeper's hands, her eyes fell on a tall man with light brown hair seated at a corner table and staring down into the mug he was holding. He looked awfully familiar. No, it couldn't be ... yes, it was!

"Hercules!" she called out joyfully. It was so good to see someone from her old life, before the sleep in the ice cave ... someone who looked almost unchanged, whose very appearance didn't constantly remind her of the missing 25 years of her life.

With a start, Hercules looked up. His smile, Gabrielle noticed, was a little strained as he rose from the table and walked toward her.

"Gabrielle! I should have known you were here when I saw Xena."

"Oh, you've seen her already?" Gabrielle looked up at him, beaming. "By the way -- " she pointed to the young woman next to her -- "this is Eve."

"This is Eve? Little baby Eve?" Hercules raised his eyebrows. Then his face darkened, and Gabrielle realized that the day of Eve's birth was forever associated for him with one of the most painful memories of his life.

"Yes, the very one. Eve -- this is our friend Hercules." She wished she could add, "He saved your life when you were born" -- but it was best not to go there. Eve muttered an uncomfortable "hello."

"Well, come on over and keep me company," Hercules said. He was smiling again but his joviality looked a little forced. "We can do some catching up while Xena's busy with -- her patient."

"Gods, I almost forgot -- I have to take this hot water up to her..."

"I'll take it," Eve said hastily, clearly not interested in company of any kind. Gabrielle gave her a worried look and handed her the pitcher.

"So," Hercules said after Gabrielle ordered a mug of apple cider and they sat down. "Xena didn't have a chance to tell me much about what's been going on with you two. I heard you were dead...." His lips twitched painfully. "Gabrielle, I'm sorry I didn't stick around to help you after Eve was born and left you to deal with the gods on your own. It's just that after...." He trailed off.

Gabrielle put a hand on his arm. "It's okay, Hercules. I know..."

"So -- " he looked up again -- "what did happen to you? I know I haven't aged much, but that's the Olympian blood in my veins... Where did you and Xena find the fountain of youth?"

Gabrielle told him about their plan to fool the gods into thinking they were dead, and about Ares taking their bodies to the ice cave.

"Ares?" Hercules gave her a wary look. "Why would he do that?"

Gabrielle sighed and looked away. "Because..." she said softly. "Because he loved Xena."

"Ares?" The demigod almost choked on his cider. "You've got to be joking. Gabrielle, I know you like to believe the best about everyone, but -- "

"I didn't believe it myself," Gabrielle said pensively. "But I think he did. Does." She sighed. "You know he's mortal now, don't you?"

"I noticed. I found him in the woods this morning -- he was in a pretty bad way." Hercules shook his head with an expression Gabrielle couldn't quite read, and it suddenly occurred to her that it had to be a bizarre situation for him -- the former God of War, his longtime worst enemy and tormentor, was now just about the only family he had left. What strange tricks the Fates had played on them all ... if the Fates had anything to do with it.

"Hello? Gabrielle?" Hercules' voice startled her out of her musings.

"Uh -- sorry -- what?"

"I asked, how did that happen? How did he lose his godhood?"

"Well... it's quite a story." Gabrielle took a deep breath. She hadn't really talked about Ares' sacrifice with anyone, and she suddenly realized that telling Hercules about it would make her confront it in a way that she hadn't before. She forced herself to look Hercules straight in the eye. "He ... he gave it up to save us. Eve and me ... and Xena." The effort of saying those words made her break out in a sweat.

Hercules stared at her as if she'd suddenly grown a third eye in her forehead.

"Ares," he repeated slowly. "Ares gave up his godhood to save you. Hmm... Gabrielle, are you sure you haven't had a close encounter with the Furies lately?"

She winced. Of course, Hercules had no way of knowing that it wasn't a joke to her.

"I think maybe I should take it from the top," she said.

And she told him the whole story: their awakening in the ice cave, their arrival in Rome, their discovery that Eve was now the power-hungry and murderous Livia (Hercules seemed particularly shocked at that -- apparently, he had heard some tales of Livia's exploits), Livia's conversion into Eve, and Xena's final confrontation with the Olympians.

"After that, we went our separate ways," she concluded. "This is the first time we've seen Ares since then -- we had no idea where he was. Or even whether he was alive."

~*~*~*~

Eve brought the kettle of hot water up to the room where Xena kept vigil over Ares. The god was coughing again, little rivers of blood oozing from his mouth, staining his lips and the flesh of his clenched fist. Eve could see the pain he was in, heard the sharp, forced intake of his breath as he gasped for air. After several gulps of air, his breathing out again reduced itself to a shallow, ragged pattern.

"Here," Eve said, bringing the kettle into the room and setting on the floor, just a few feet from Xena.

She kept her distance from the former god of war, avoided any eye contact. Ares didn’t seem to notice, his eyes staring at the ceiling above him as he tried to fight off another bout of coughing.

"Thanks Eve," Xena said, as the girl set the kettle on the floor. "Where’s Gabrielle gone to?"

"She’s downstairs talking to some guy named Hercules. Mother, I think I’m going to get some tea downstairs, then get a separate room and get some rest," she added quickly, wanting to be out of the room as soon as possible.

Xena sensed her daughter’s uneasiness. "Okay, I’ll see you in the morning then. Goodnight."

"Night," she answered, and left the room, her long skirts swishing as she closed the door behind her.

"Hmph," Ares said, never keeping his eyes off the ceiling.

"What?"

"Eve - even as a mortal I can feel her rage towards me," he said in a wheezing, yet almost saddened voice.

"And me," Xena added thoughtfully.

Ares didn’t comment. Instead, he collapsed in a fit of coughing that lasted several minutes. Xena didn’t react, she merely turned her back to fix the potion. Once her back was turned, however, she grimaced at the sound of Ares’ coughing. She shook her head slightly. Was it her imagination, or had Ares actually sounded somewhat apologetic when he had spoken of Eve’s hatred of him?

After a few moments, she heard the harsh gasping for air, and she quickly mixed the rest of the potion. It wasn’t exactly the healing potion she had planned on making, it was merely something to relieve his coughing, to soothe his throat.

"Here," she said as she turned to face him. "Drink this."

"What is it?"

"It’s a serum that will help control your coughing. Tomorrow morning I’ll have to get a few more ingredients to make a healing potion I know of. But in the mean time, this is the best that I can do, and it should help you be able to finally get some sleep. Here," she said as she held out her arm, "let me help you sit up."

Ares made a motion towards her, and after some help, he managed to sit up. Xena held the cup of the dark, syrupy potion to his lips, and Ares drank. Immediately he began to cough, as his body protested the unpleasant taste of the serum. He collapsed onto Xena’s shoulder and she patted his back gently, all the while cradling his head.

Chapter Nine

Gabrielle sat downstairs with Hercules, reminiscing about the past. It felt good to be in the presence of a friend, but there was one thing still bothering Gabrielle.

"Hercules, I have a question."

"Yeah?" He answered, his mind still swirling with the idea that Ares could ever love someone, especially Xena, the woman that Hercules himself loved!

It’s just not possible, he reasoned to himself. Ares doesn’t care about anyone! But there he is, upstairs, weak, sick and mortal. What if this is true? Does Xena return his love?

Hercules shook his head to himself. Xena loving Ares? No, it wasn’t a realistic situation. Xena didn’t fall for guys like Ares.

"Hercules, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure. Listen Gabrielle, I’ll answer your question if you answer something for me."

"Okay, sure. What is it Hercules?"

"Well," he stammered. "I got to thinking…you said that Ares…loves Xena." The words burned his tongue and left a bad taste in his mouth. "But what does…does she….how does she feel…towards him? I mean…does she feel anything towards him…does she feel anything…towards me?"

Gabrielle was dumbstruck. "All I was going to ask was what happened to Iolaus," she whispered.

~*~*~*~

Upstairs, Xena finally managed to get Ares settled back into bed, once the potion had taken effect. He had fallen asleep immediately, his illness draining his energy. Now it was well into the night and Xena kept watch over him.

His breathing was still forced. She could see the irregular rising and falling of the bed sheets covering his chest.

It’s my fault that he's like this, she thought to herself for what felt like the hundredth time that night. If I hadn’t left him alone…If only I’d asked him to come with me…I know he would have, and that he would have been safe. How could I do this to him? Heavens above, let him be okay.

Wiping a single tear from the corner of her eye, she bent over Ares and pressed her lips to his forehead. Immediately, she could feel the heat of the fever that racked his body. And ever so lightly, she planted a single kiss on his forehead.

~*~*~*~

Gabrielle took a sip of cider. She quietly put the mug down and looked up to see Hercules waiting for her answer. What am I going to say? She didn't know how to respond since she herself had wondered that very thought for years.

Gabrielle decided to keep it short and simple. "Hercules … to be honest, I can't really answer that question." There was a moment of silence and seeing that Hercules wasn't going to say anything, Gabrielle decided to elaborate a bit. "I've always wondered too. But you know, Xena isn't much for girl-talk."

Hercules smiled a little. This lifted some of the heavy air between the two, and Gabrielle felt more comfortable. She continued seriously, "All I can say that I'm sure of the fact that Xena isn't so hostile to Ares all the time. Not since he'd turned mortal, but over the five-- actually in reality, thirty years that I've known them. I don’t know what that signifies, but personally I don't think she hates him like I had always thought. And now that he has given up his godhood--" Gabrielle searched for the right words. "Maybe he really is trying to change-- and for the better." Gabrielle noticed Hercules' face harden a little. "I'm sorry, I know this isn't what you wanted to hear. I can't believe it either, but it's what I see."

Hercules was getting confused. Even Gabrielle saw some good in the now-mortal Ares--something that he never thought anyone would find in the ex-god. "It's okay Gabrielle you just said what was on your mind. You didn’t lie for my benefit. Glad to see you're still the same."

Gabrielle smiled softly and said, "Thanks." Then she picked up her mug and finished the remainder of her drink. "I think I'm going to turn in now. It's getting late."

"Sounds like a good idea. I could use some sleep."

Gabrielle stood up, and so did Hercules. They each retired to their own rooms after saying good night.

Chapter Ten

Late at night the sky was dark and cloudy, yet the night itself was tranquil. Xena stood by a small round table where the pitcher of previously hot water was sitting. Now it was just water and mostly gone. She picked it up to take it downstairs for more warm water when a violent fit of coughing alerted her. She dropped the pitcher, which made a loud thud on the floor as she quickly turned around and darted to Ares' side.

He was coughing up more blood than before. Xena turned him on his side and his front towards her so she could rub his back. Between the coughs Ares blurted out her name. Xena firmly took his in hand in hers. "It's okay, I'm right here. Just relax and try to take a deep breath." He did as he was told and his coughing began to ease to a point that he could say more than one word.

"Xena, " he began, "Listen I want you to know that I do love you." He smiled weakly. "There, I said it. Wow, that wasn't hard. I guess--" He coughed again.

"All right, now stop before you make it worse."

"No." He looked up into her eyes. "I guess once you've lost it all, you see what's really important."

"Come on Ares, that doesn't sound like you." Xena put Ares down gently and tucked him in. She started to walk over to where the pitcher fell. "You'll be fine. Trust me, you just need to catch up on some sleep. I'll go out first thing in the morning to get some herbs for that healing potion." She knelt down, picked up the pitcher and put it by the door. Then she walked back to where the table was. "Meanwhile-- here, take more of this serum to get through the night." She turned around towards Ares, but there was no response from him. She hastily walked over to the bed and shook him slightly. "Ares?" No response. "Come on, Ares -- this isn't funny!" No response. "Come on, dammit! Ares! Ares!"

~*~*~*~

Xena abruptly jerked her head up . Her body was covered in cold sweat as she sat in a small stool next to the sleeping Ares. She looked from left to right and then down. She saw the pitcher on the table, and Ares was quietly sleeping in her bed. What was that? A dream? I must have dozed off. She concluded to herself. And as if to justify it, she slowly picked up his arm and turned it over. With her other hand, she took two fingers and placed them on his wrist. She gently pressed down and felt strong and even beats. Of course, she knew it was just the common cold gone worse because of failure to treat it properly. It was nothing life-threatening. Given time and care, it would heal. She knew that more than anyone, but then why that dream? She decided to get some air to clear her head. She took one last glance over her shoulder to see that he's sleeping before she left the room.

When Xena came downstairs it must have been pretty late into the night because the tavern was nearly empty. She surveyed the area from atop the stairs and spotted her daughter amongst the few people left.

Eve was sitting at a table by an oil lamp with some of Gabrielle's scrolls in front of her. She was reading one of them when Xena approached her.

"Hey, Eve." Eve didn't turn around. "Look, it's getting late why don't you continue tomorrow and--"

"I'll go to bed after this one mother." Eve stated indifferently. Her tone of voice worried Xena. Xena was about to ask her daughter what was wrong but stopped herself realizing how stupid that would be. Ever since the run-in with Ares that afternoon, Eve had gone back to shutting people out. Xena decided it was best to leave Eve alone for awhile-- well, at least now wasn’t time for a heart-to-heart discussion.

"Ok, just take care. I'm going to get some air--" Xena broke off mid-sentence. "Um, if you need anything call me." Eve didn't answer. Xena sadly looked at her daughter before stepping aside to walk away.

Xena came out from the back door and walked over to where the stables were. She walked up to one of the stalls. "Hey, girl. Mind if I stay for awhile?" There was a sad and confused look on Xena's face as she walked up to Argo and patted her horse down.

Back on the second floor of the inn, a mysterious figure crept down the hallway. It stopped in front of the door that Xena had left less than a quarter of an hour ago. The door was quietly opened and it stepped inside. The room was dark except the moonlight shinning in from the one window. The figure walked straight to the bed and stood over the sleeping man. In its hand, it held some kind of object that was reflecting the moonlight.

Chapter Eleven

A searing pain in his shoulder jolted Ares out of his sleep. He managed to lift his eyelids, which felt as if they'd filled with lead, and saw some dark shape looming over him in the moonlight. He wasn't immediately sure where he was or what was happening to him, but he saw the figure move and instinctively shot out an arm. Something gleamed before his eyes; in the next moment, he realized it was a knife. His arms felt heavy and clumsy as he struggled to push off his would-be murderer, who was wearing a hooded cloak. While they fought, he started to remember the thunderstorm, the woods, Hercules ... and Xena. He also remembered the pain in his chest and throat -- or rather, the pain reminded him of itself. Gasping for breath, he gathered as much strength as he could and shoved so forcefully that the stranger staggered back and fell, knocking over a chair.

The intruder was already getting up. Fighting for breath as another spasm rose to his throat, Ares looked around frantically for some kind of weapon, but none was close by. He noticed that his shoulder was bleeding, and realized that he must have turned in his sleep just as his mystery guest was about to stab him. The person was approaching again, knife in hand. He knew he wasn't strong enough to fight back much longer. He tried to rise, but the attacker was already upon him.

At that moment, the door opened with a creak. A familiar silhouette stood in the dim light of the hallway.

Who could have guessed that he would ever be so glad to see Gabrielle make an unexpected entrance at a crucial moment?

In an instant, the Battling Bard rushed the attacker, whose ability to fight was hampered by the cloak, and prevailed with a few well-placed kicks. She picked up the knife, lit the lamp by the bedside, and gasped as she looked at Ares and saw the blood on his arm.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh ... alive," he grunted hoarsely.

He turned to look at his attacker, who lay half-conscious on the floor. The hood of the cloak had slipped off to reveal a woman who looked to be about thirty, with a fine-featured face and brown curly hair. She opened her eyes and sat up, shaking her head.

"Don't make any sudden moves," Gabrielle said, narrowing her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Oh, smart question, Gabrielle, Ares thought, rolling his eyes. Girl tries to stick a knife in my chest while I'm sleeping -- I really don't think she was here to deliver a get-well scroll. Unfortunately, his voice was too weak to deliver the line properly.

The woman said nothing, and Gabrielle pushed, "Why were you trying to kill Ares? I would stay right where you are if I were you," she added, drawing a sai, as the woman made a move to get up. "And you'd better start talking before Xena gets here and puts the pinch on you."

The woman looked from Gabrielle to Ares, her almond-shaped hazel eyes flashing with hatred. She threw off the cloak, revealing a slender silvery gown underneath.

"I'm here to avenge my goddess," she said. "I'm Dorianna of Mycenae, priestess of Athena."

It had occurred to Ares earlier that the still-loyal followers of gods might go after him -- if they knew what had happened in the Twilight. Obviously, some of them did. Mortality was getting more unpleasant by the minute: the cut on his shoulder felt like it was on fire, the pressure in his chest and throat was building up again, he was being pursued by assassins, Xena had wandered off somewhere ... and he actually owed his life to the irritating blonde.

"Some of us know about your betrayal of the gods, Ares," Dorianna said, as if answering his thoughts. If a venomous voice could kill, hers would have done it. "And trust me, I'm not the only one who wants revenge. But for me ... it's personal."

"Personal?" Gabrielle frowned.

"My sister," the woman said proudly, "was Athena's champion. I was only five years old when she died. Xena killed her." She spat out the name of the Warrior Princess as if it were an insult, and then motioned scornfully toward Ares. "With his help. Now, I'm sure she'll kill me as well. But others will finish what I started."

Gabrielle squinted thoughtfully at Dorianna, trying to figure out what to do with her for now, when Xena's voice said, "Gabrielle? Ares? What's going on?"

Ares turned to see Xena standing in the doorway. Gabrielle spun around, and the momentary distraction was enough for Dorianna to scramble to her feet; by the time Ares turned to look at her, the agile woman was already slinking out through the window.

"Ares!" Xena's eyes widened slightly. "You're hurt!"

As she came up to look at his wound, he managed a small smile and a raspy croak, "You missed all the excitement..."

~*~*~*~

Xena stripped the bedcloth to make bandages and quickly started to bind the wound. He had lost so much blood already and had aggravated it more during his struggle with the priestess.

"What happened? What was all the commotion about?" she asked as she wrapped the cotton strips around his shoulder.

Ares wheezed in reply.

"What’s going on? What was with all the noise?" Eve asked with a yawn, standing just inside the doorway with some of Gabrielle’s scrolls in her hand. She looked around the room with sleepy eyes, but gave a start when someone came up behind her.

"Hey, is everything okay in here?" Hercules had arrived to see what the hubbub was all about. He sidestepped Eve to get inside the room.

Gabrielle turned to where Dorianna was standing and was not surprised to see that she had disappeared. She guessed that the distraction was enough for the priestess to sneak away undetected. Turning her attention back towards the bed, she looked at Ares to find him staring back at her.

He really didn’t want to get into this with an audience in the room and was silently imploring for Gabrielle to not talk about what just happened. It would be just what he needed if people knew that the blond had rescued the former God of War. It was bad enough having Hercules in the room to witness his pitiful state.

"I heard a scuffle in here and decided to check it out," Hercules continued. "There wasn’t a problem, was there?"

The bard sighed wearily. "It can wait until tomorrow. We can’t deal with it right now, anyway. Everything’s fine, everything’s fine. We should all get some sleep."

Ares sighed with relief and immediately regretted it. He felt like something within wanted him to cough to the point of gagging. He felt completely out of control as he tried to swallow down the whooping coughs.

"Okay," Xena motioned to Gabrielle while trying to soothe Ares at the same time. "Could you get the flask out of that saddle bag, Gabrielle?" Turning her attention to Ares, she said "I need for you to take the serum and try to breathe slowly, okay?"

"Here you go." Gabrielle popped open the flask and handed it to Xena, who cradled Ares’ head and tipped the opening towards his mouth.

Hercules quivered slightly at this scene. He still hadn’t gotten over his conversation with Gabrielle, and was actually a little embarrassed with being so forward with his question earlier. And here I thought Xena hated my half-brother, he thought. I don’t know if I can get used to seeing sights like this too often.

"Listen, why don’t I stay and look after Ares for the night?" he asked. "You’ve done so much already, Xena, and you deserve a good night’s sleep."

Oh no, Ares groaned inwardly. Just what I need….not.

Eve looked back and forth between the demigod and Xena with interest, secretly hoping her mother would take Hercules up on his offer.

Xena laid Ares’ head down on the pillow and regarded Hercules, pondering his invitation. Then she looked back at Ares, who looked like a cat trapped in a tree. She knew the idea of Hercules babysitting him all night did not appeal to Ares at all. She turned back to Hercules, smiling, and said "Thanks Hercules, but I’d feel much better if I could keep an eye on him, just in case."

Ares closed his eyes and said a silent thank you.

Hercules grimaced slightly but nodded his head. Xena really was the best person for this kind of thing. He wouldn’t really know what to do if Ares’ condition got worse in the middle of the night. Still, the idea of leaving Xena and Ares together alone…

"Well, uh," Eve whispered tentatively, "I’m going to bed now. If you need any help, mother, I’ll be in the next room." But I’m sure you’ll be just fine without me, she thought. Hopefully. That way I won’t have to watch him ogling you all night.

"Goodnight, Eve, and thank you." Xena was sincerely grateful that Eve was willing to help out if needed.

"Xena." Hercules looked at her and jerked his head in a motion for them to step outside. Xena pulled the sheet snugly over Ares’ torso.

"I’ve got it," Gabrielle said while fluffing his pillow. Xena smiled and walked towards the door, following after Hercules.

Once outside the room, he closed the door and turned to her unsure of where to start.

"Yes?" Xena asked hesitantly.

"Is Ares going to be okay? I mean, we haven’t had an easy relationship, to put it mildly, but he’s still my brother and I need to know what you think."

Xena cleared her throat. "There’s only so much I can do Hercules. I’m going to set out tomorrow to find what I need for a healing potion, but it’s really up to Ares now."

Hercules nodded again and looked at his hands for what seemed like an eternity.

Xena looked at him questioningly. "Was there something else?" she said slowly.

Hercules started to say something, and then changed his mind. There were so many things he wanted to talk about—the Twilight, Eve, him walking away after killing Zeus, her feelings for his half-brother and Ares’ own feelings for the Warrior Princess, his own feelings for her and how she felt about him—but now was not the time. "No, no that was it. I’ll let you get back to playing the nursemaid."

Xena creased her eyebrow at that last remark and watched the demigod walk back to his room. Something about the way he said it…it was very unHerculean.

She opened the door and re-entered the room, where she found Ares trying to sleep and Gabrielle peering out of the window into the darkness. The candle on the lamp was dim and shadows stretched lazily across the room. Xena walked up to the bard and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Who was the stranger?" Xena said softly. "An assassin?"

Gabrielle did not turn around. "It’s not over, Xena. This twilight has so many consequences, and not just for us." She looked over at the sleeping Ares. "For him, too." She finally turned to face her best friend. "People want revenge against him. And against you, too."

"When have you ever been so cryptic?" Xena raised an eyebrow. "That woman earlier...who was she?"

"Well, now that we don’t have an audience…Athena’s priestess was here." She then proceeded to tell her all about Dorianna and her relation to Athena’s champion.

Xena’s eyes went wide as the bard related the story. "She tried to kill Ares," Gabrielle continued. "And who knows? If I hadn’t gotten here when I did…"

Xena was surprised, not only by this bit of news but also at the tone detected in Gabrielle’s voice. It sounded almost as if the bard was every bit as protective of Ares as she was.

"It just made me realize how much everything is so different from what we knew. I know we can handle the danger ahead, but him…especially when he’s like this..."

"So others want him dead for his part in the Twilight," Xena said matter-of-factly. Suddenly, she had a sharp intake of breath. "If Dorianna and other priests know that Ares is mortal now, then it’s only a matter of time."

"What makes you think she knows?"

"She wouldn’t have tried to kill him if she didn’t. Her being a priestess gives her inside knowledge that the average mortal doesn’t have…yet."

"Oh," Gabrielle said meekly. "Right."

Xena continued to look outside with a worried expression on her face. "Word about his mortality may spread sooner than I thought. A whole lot of people are going to be looking to settle old scores with him now."

Gabrielle stared at her soulmate, her eyes glazed over with worry. "What are we going to do? We’re not always going to be there to protect him."

Xena quizzically gazed down at her and was about to speak when Gabrielle interrupted. "Xena," she said with a smile, "it’s obvious that you care about him. Your mind won’t be at peace until you’re relatively sure he’ll be safe. And neither will mine.

Besides, as a mortal, he’s not so bad when you get used to him." Gabrielle crinkled her nose at that last quip and Xena chuckled to herself. "Can’t believe I just said that," she mumbled.

Xena nudged her playfully before pulling her into an embrace. The two stared out at the full moon for a few moments before Xena’s eyes began to droop. Hearing her yawn, Gabrielle said, "Well, we can deal with this latest headache in the morning. I’m going to bed now. How ‘bout you?"

Taking a look back at Ares, who stirred slightly in his sleep, Xena said, "Yeah, he looks fine."

Gabrielle walked to the other end of the room, removing her sais and boots before climbing into bed. She was glad to be sleeping in a bed again. She felt the coolness of the cloth beneath her legs and feet, and immediately went off to dreamland.

Xena took one last look at Ares sleeping peacefully before finally climbing into bed herself. She fell asleep to the sound of an owl hooting in the distance.

Chapter Twelve

The following morning, Eve sat in the tavern with a bowl of food and yet another scroll. She wasn't really hungry, but years of military life had instilled the routine into her. You eat what you can get, when you can get it and you don't complain if you don't like it. It might be your last meal for a week. Besides, it gave her something to do, a way of looking less like a sore thumb than she felt. The tavern was almost exactly mid-way between two villages, so it was usually patronised by travellers who stayed only one night. They mostly arrived late in the evening and set off early the next day, so there was a lot of hustle and bustle around the place at the moment. Eve sighed, taking another mouthful of the beef stew in front of her. Everyone seemed busy except for her. Too busy to notice her, most likely, but she could feel eyes on her back. Scowling, she finished the stew and picked up the scroll again.

"Eve? Can I sit down?"

Eve glanced up to her left, with a spark of irritation in her eyes, to see Hercules standing watching her. He smiled. "I thought you looked a little lonely, and I've been wanting to get better acquainted with you."

"Fine," she replied briefly, "What do you want to know?"

Completely oblivious to her abruptness, Hercules pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her. "I just wanted to say hello. We've not had a lot of chance to talk and Gabrielle tells me you're a fascinating young woman."

"How's Ares doing this morning?" It was a blatant subject-change, but Eve was rarely comfortable with flattery, particularly from strangers.

"No change from last night, as far as I know. I'm sure Xena would have told us if anything looked bad." A pause. "Did you get much sleep last night after the fuss with Dorianna?"

"Not a lot, no. How about you?"

"No. I was thinking for a while," Hercules said.

"About Dorianna?"

Hercules paused for a moment before answering in the affirmative, prompting Eve to hide a smirk. Among other things. "So, you've not seen Xena?" he continued.

"No, not since last night. Why?"

"Oh... I just wondered. I just wanted to talk to her for a moment about something."

"About Ares?" Eve asked innocently.

"No!" he responded almost instantly, "Why would I be talking to her about Ares?"

Eve smiled. "I just thought you might have wanted to know if he was feeling any better - you just told me you don't really know. For all you don't like him, he is your brother."

The demi-god visibly sunk backwards into his chair, looking almost relieved. Eve pretended to read as she studied him. He was larger than life, as she'd been led to believe by Gabrielle, who had told her a lot about him after she'd read the scroll about Prometheus being captured. The bard had told her several stories about him with a certain reverence, but Eve thought that was more for the stories of his labours themselves than for the man behind them. Right now, he looked to her just like any other man who was preoccupied with something - or someone. Her mother.

Eve knew he felt very strongly about Xena, and equally strongly - though a completely different emotion - about Ares. Eve couldn't really blame him, and she knew it had to be tearing him up inside seeing how gently Xena had been treating Ares. Her mother clearly thought she was concealing it, but Eve could tell Hercules had picked up on it.

"You love my mother, don't you?" She broke the silence that had fallen slightly more bluntly that she'd wanted to.

Hercules started slightly and looked at her guardedly. "Why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "It's pretty obvious, you know. Besides," she tapped the scroll in her hand, "Gabrielle doesn't hold back in these."

"Let me see that."

"This one isn't about you," she said.

"I'd like to see anyway." He snapped out a hand and took the scroll.

Fine, but I don't think you'll like it. That particular scroll was about the recent battle between Xena and the Olympian gods. Eve wasn't sure why she was reading it, because she'd been there as it happened, but she was. Watching him scan through the writing, she saw his face twitch several times. He pushed the parchment back to her, pointing at a section near the end.

"Is that what happened?"

Eve took it and read.

I'm sure it would have been our last adventure. The only reason any of us is alive today is Ares, of all people. He's been spouting a line to Xena for some time now, ever since Eve was born, about loving her, which I always found absurd at best. But, I'm being forced to think about it a little bit more now, we'd all be dead if he hadn't sacrificed his godhood for Xena. I could see, for the first time, that he does love her. She got it then too, I think; when she turned away after she thanked him, there was a real affection in her eyes, and she looked like she was about to cry. I think part of it was just being stunned at the situation as a whole (bringing down the Olympian pantheon is quite a day's work, even for Xena, after all), but I could tell she'd seen something new in him that night, something she'd never even looked for before.

She sighed slightly as she looked back up at him. "I don't know. I wasn't there, so I can't say."

"No, I don't mean that. I mean... does she really care that much about him, do you think?" He looked like he was fully expecting her to say that Gabrielle was just over-imagining. She paused. "Tell me!"

"I... I really don't know, Hercules. I'm sorry. I think you need to ask her for yourself."

"I will." He was already standing up. "It was nice talking to you."

Eve didn't get a chance to respond, as he was gone almost before he'd finished speaking.

Chapter Thirteen

Gabrielle poked her head around the door, and saw Xena standing by the window.

"Hey," she whispered, moving over to her friend. "He’s asleep?"

Xena gave Gabrielle a smile. "Yeah, at last. He had kind of a bad night." Her smile faded. "He’s really going to have to fight this, you know . . . never having been sick before . . ."

"Look, who’s better qualified for a battle than the god of war?" Gabrielle teased, looking over at Ares’ sleeping form. "Well, the ex-god of war, anyway. It’s like you said – rest, and some serum . . . I’m sure he’s feeling pretty miserable, but he’ll shake it off."

"I hope so." Xena replied soberly, then looked out again. "A decent storm leaves the place looking so bright and fresh, doesn’t it?"

Gabrielle laughed softly. "Get out of here. Go on, I’ll stay here in case he wakes up. You need to have a run or something when you start talking like that."

Xena drew her friend into an impulsive hug, then moved towards the door. "You’re sure?"

"Go on." Gabrielle repeated. "I’ll be here."

~*~*~*~

Xena slipped out of the tavern and set off for a clearing in the woods behind the Inn. Ensuring no one was around, she slipped the sword from her back and brandished it, moving it in slow deliberate motions, stepping forward to lunge, twisting her body about, and finally leaping with a cry into the air, spinning, and crashing her blade into the earth.

She relaxed, panting a little. She always felt a little crazy after spending too much time indoors. The silence of the woods suited her far more than the steady buzz of a tavern; the solitary feel of the place made her feel secure.

A twig snapped.

Grabbing her sword from its position in the ground, Xena leapt, bringing her blade directly to the trespasser’s throat.

"Sorry, Hercules."

He laughed good-naturedly. "Nice to see you haven’t lost your touch."

"That’ll be the day," she retorted, grinning. "Want to see?"

She grabbed the sword from the scabbard hanging at his hip, and threatened him teasingly before tossing it to him. He inclined his head, then lunged at her. Their blades met, with a clang. She thrust forward, but he met her challenge, pushing her back. She leapt over him but he turned before she could press the advantage. Finally, she let out her ululation, turned completely in the air, and kicked the sword from his hand.

"Ow!"

Xena’s grin faded. "I haven’t –"

"That was just the sound of my wounded pride." Hercules returned, and picked up his sword. He stretched out a hand, and she took it; then she moved directly into his arms.

"Hey –" Hercules found to his embarrassment that his heartbeat had sped up alarmingly.

"Sorry." Xena moved back, shook her head. "It’s just – there’s so few people, friends, who are still alive . . ."

"I know what you mean." Hercules returned in a low voice. He settled down on a grassy patch, and Xena made herself comfortable beside him.

"I know you do," she said finally. "But at least I have – my best friend." She turned her head. "Iolaus passed away while Gabrielle and I were in our long sleep, I know. I’m so sorry. I loved him, and I know you did too –"

Hercules couldn’t speak for a moment, just looked up at the clear sky. "A warrior doesn’t expect to live long; you know that. I never expected to outlive so many great people."

Xena nodded. "Nor I. And then I think about how Ares must feel; he’s had to lose so many over so many years . . ."

Hercules snorted. "A god knows nothing of loss."

Xena met his eyes, speaking quietly. "I should say a god knows nothing but loss."

Hercules turned away, and sighed, resting his head on his hands. "But then; he’s not a god any longer, I suppose. Gabrielle filled me in on what he did . . ."

"It seems unbelievable, doesn’t it?" Xena replied, and now he heard her voice fill with warmth. "But then, he is your brother."

"Yes, he is. He’s practically the only family I have, now. Now – Iolaus is gone."

She faced him finally. "How did he die, Hercules?"

He grimaced. He wished it was in battle; he wished he had a greater story to tell. "Poison," he said finally. "He got in the way of a poisoned arrow; he died the very next day."

"Was it –"

"Yes," Hercules nodded. "It was meant for me."

Gabrielle looked up as Ares stirred.

"Xena . . . Xena, I love you. I’m sorry . . ."

"Hey, it’s me." Gabrielle murmured softly, grabbing a sponge and wiping his fevered forehead. "Xena will be back soon."

". . .I should’ve loved you unconditionally, like her. Now you’ll never know . . ."

He was agitated now, grabbing at his shoulder.

"It’s all right – is it hurting? Let me take a look." She loosened the bandages and turned away to moisten the sponge again.

"You’ll never know, never know, never know . . ."

"She knows." Gabrielle whispered, and pulled back the bandage. "Ares!"

The gash was red and swollen; and from its centre wound a thin, black, line.

Chapter Fourteen

Gabrielle was pacing outside in front of the tavern waiting for Xena's return. She finally stopped when she heard the sound of a horse approaching. Just as Gabrielle had speculated, it was Argo and of course with Xena atop it.

Xena was feeling heavyhearted after hearing about Iolaus. She had lost yet another person she cared about. She and Hercules had parted shortly after their conversation and went their separate ways for the time being. When she came out of her thoughts she was nearing the tavern. She saw Gabrielle standing out front with a worried look. This gave Xena a bad feeling. She brought Argo to a halt and quickly dismounted. And before Xena could question Gabrielle as to what she was doing standing out here after she told Xena that she would be watching Ares, Gabrielle exclaimed, "Xena, I was waiting for you. I need you to come upstairs quickly!" There wasn't even time for Xena to respond. Gabrielle had grabbed Xena by the arm and was pulling her through the tavern and up the stairs. Xena was speechless as her mind was assuming the worst situation. She barely heard Gabrielle's words.

Gabrielle was kneeling beside the sleeping Ares and undoing a newly wrapped bandage. "Take a look at this." When there was no reaction or response from Xena, Gabrielle looked up and shook Xena while calling out her name, "Xena!" Finally, Xena came out of her trance and managed to say, "What is it?" There was no need for Gabrielle to respond as Xena saw what Gabrielle was referring to. Xena knelt down to take a closer look. After making a careful examination, it hit Xena what had caused this.

"Xena is it the same poison as--" Gabrielle hesitated to say further since it would be bringing back events that circled the Twilight, but she forced herself to finish the sentence. "--the one Apollo's priest gave Joxer?"

"No." There was a moment of silence before Xena quietly said, "It's worse."

"What?! Do you mean that--" Gabrielle choked on her words. "--that there's no antidote?"

"No that's not it. This stuff-- it's not poison. It's more like a drug."

"Then how can--"

"I've only come across it once, but I'm very certain. Once inside the body it numbs it and relieves the person of any aches or pain. But that only lasts for a few days and as soon as the effect wears off-- It won't directly kill him, but it will put him through an immense amount of pain. And with his current condition, he doesn't have the strength to hold on until the drug is completely out of his system." Xena stated the cruel truth, but Gabrielle noticed a hint of calmness in Xena's expression. Every time Xena spoke like this, she had a plan. Gabrielle voiced her thoughts.

"But you have a plan right?" Without saying anything Xena motioned Gabrielle to follow her. Xena walked down the stairs and out to where Argo had been left. She opened a saddlebag and took out something wrapped in a piece of cloth. "What is it?" Gabrielle quietly asked.

"It's the herb I picked to settle the illness." Gabrielle didn't seem to be following, so Xena decided an explanation is in order. She took Argo's reins and began to walk towards the stables. And at the same time she began talking. "This particular herb stimulates the body and helps get rid of whatever is causing the sickness."

Gabrielle was following Xena to the stables but she stopped as soon as she digested what Xena had just said. "In other words, you're going to push the drug through his system in hopes of it diminishing at a quicker rate." Xena gave a silent yes. "It's too dangerous. Plus wouldn't that increase the pain involved?"

"It might."

"You just said he doesn't have enough--"

"That's why I'm going to wait for about two to three days while the effect is in place. He can use that time to build up some strength to fight through the rest of the time."

"And how long will that be?"

"Normally it takes about an hour, but with this, it'll be half-- maybe even a little bit less."

"I don't know about this Xena. There's too much risk involved."

"I know that Gabrielle. That's why I'm going to let Ares decide." Xena put Argo in a stall and as she came out, she looked up to where her room was. Gabrielle noticed that it was similar to the look she had back in Amphipolis after the fight was over and Ares had made his exit. Back then, Gabrielle wasn't sure if there was something or not. But now she was sure that Xena felt something for Ares and not just out of debt or obligation. The siege and the battle of Amphipolis reminded Gabrielle about the run-in with Dorianna last night.

"Xena." Gabrielle began. "I was thinking about what happened last night with that assassin-priestess of Athena." Xena looked over to Gabrielle. "I don't think she was intending on killing Ares on the spot. Because then why didn't she put poison on the knife instead of that mysterious drug. And She said she wanted revenge-- and that she was Ilainus' sister."

"Let me guess. She wants me dead as well."

"Yeah, but I doubt she is much of a threat."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Gabrielle looked surprised by Xena's response. "That drug I was talking about isn't from around these parts. When I came across it when I was heading to Chin, and even in those parts it's hardly known. I can't see how a mere priestess could get her hands on something like that. Maybe there's more to her than meets the eye."

~*~*~*~

In an undisclosed location stood a large stone temple dedicated to the Goddess of Warfare, Wisdom and Weaving. Despite its size, there weren't many people inside. In the far room down the corridor, Dorianna was occupying her former goddess' throne. She held a goblet in one hand filled with some wine. On her face she had a cold smile of satisfaction that her plan had been put into motion. In her mind, she replayed last night's events: the moonlit room, the sleeping Ares, and the knife in her hand. She didn't expect anyone to intervene so suddenly, but Gabrielle's interruption had turned out to be a plus for her. She had quickly used the situation to her advantage and played the part of the failed murderer. Now she had fulfilled her purpose without anyone finding out her true intention. And Xena was probably going to underestimate her abilities from hearing what the Battling Bard would say. Boy, is Xena going to be in for a surprise. Dorianna grinned wickedly as she took a sip of her drink.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a presence in the room. She surveyed the area and spotted a figure in the far dark corner. "Had I not made myself clear that no one shall enter until I say otherwise!" The figure stepped out of the shadow and began to approach the throne.

"Can't you make an exception for your dear sister?" Dorianna's eyes went wide. "Ilainus!" Ilainus came closer.

"Surprise." She said in a low voice. "What? No, hello or anything?" Ilainus asked with a teasing smile. Dorianna slowly got up from the throne and walked up to her sister.

"Where are my manners? Hello, sister." She said it rather sarcastically, and following her statement, she splashed the remainder of her drink on Ilainus' face. Dorianna wickedly laughed out loud. "All right enough of this, come out you pathetic fools!" Taking that as a cue, Ilainus morphed into Alceto and was joined by Megaera and Tisiphone who appeared by her side.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here," Dorianna began. "What does the three Witches of Olympus, oh excuse me the Furies, want with the head priestess of Athena?"

Alceto snorted, "So the little priestess does have the brains to match her title."

"And you certainly have the face to match yours." Dorianna returned to her previous position and sat back down. "If you're here to drive me mad for not avenging my sister then go find a new target. I've got Xena's one-way trip to Tartarus arranged along with the treacherous ex-God of War."

"Aren't you so sure of yourself. Would you be saying the same thing after Xena runs her sword through you?"

"So you're suggesting that I will lose. Interesting, is that all you came to say?"

"Getting impatient, I see. Well, you can't beat Xena on your own. You need some help."

"Why would the Furies want to help a mortal priestess such as myself? Out of the goodness of your heart? No, wait. Perhaps maybe--" Dorianna stopped her mocking voice and replaced it with a dark one. "Maybe because you're afraid. As I recall Xena was given the power to kill Gods. And I believe Furies can also fall in the same category." The Furies flinched slightly at Dorianna's words. A victorious smile covered Dorianna's face. "Looks like that was a yes. All right then, I'll work with you, but things will be done on my terms." Dorianna gave the Furies a sideward glance. "Well?"

"Fine."

"Very well. Then I'll choose the first victim. A confused and lost mind is always subjected to corruption. There is one amongst them. Now go!" The Furies left in flash of red light. "Let's see how mommy does when her precious daughter turns on her."

Chapter Fifteen

After dispatching Gabrielle to find more of the herbs, Xena made her way back to Ares' room and sat on the bed. His normally tanned skin looked white in the dim room, and beads of sweat gathered on his forehead.

"Ares," she murmured, stroking his hair.

His eyes opened and he raised his head a little to look at her.

"Xena?" he squinted, as though not being able to see her.

"It's me," she replied quietly. "Ares... there's something I have to tell you about your wound"

She took his hand in hers, and squeezed gently.

"The dagger was coated in something, a drug, that is making you numb to pain. It's only for a little while, and we're going to have to get it out of your system. But…it's gonna hurt."

She saw his eyes widen slightly at the prospect of more pain and squeezed his hand again in reassurance.

"If you want," she bit her lip, "I can give you some herbs that can speed up the process. You wont be able to make it otherwise."

"Xena, maybe you should just--"

"NO!" she interrupted. "You've got two choices, with the herb or without." She willed the tears not to gather in her eyes. "I'm not going to let you die. You have to get strong, so your body will be able to take it."

He nodded, sighing.

"The quicker way sounds less painful," he decided.

Xena looked everywhere but at him.

"Actually, the quicker way is more painful. Just not as long."

She almost laughed as Ares sank back into his pillow, defeated, and closed his eyes.

"Does everything that comes with mortality have to do with pain?" he groaned.

Xena smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Not everything."

His eyes popped open, and he smirked, a bit of the old Ares emerging.

"Sleep now. You'll need your strength."

He sighed and obediently closed his eyes. Xena rose and looked out the window, spotting Gabrielle riding towards them with a basket.

"We'll get through this," she vowed, before quietly shutting the door.

Chapter Sixteen

It was mid-afternoon and Eve was again sitting in a chair by the door of the tavern. She had only gotten up once from her pile of scrolls in several hours.

"Hi Eve." Gabrielle said from behind her ,making Xena's daughter jump a little. "Oh – hello, Gabrielle. Any change?" she added on a second thought.

Gabrielle pulled up a chair, hesitating for a moment and wondering how to put it.

"There was some sort of drug on the dagger that Ares was stabbed with last night. I guess it numbs the body from pain for awhile but after that it makes that pain much worse."

"In Ares’ present condition he probably couldn't take it, but Xena thinks there’s a certain drug that will give him a fighting chance."

Eve nodded. "Mother always seems to find a way out ."

"I just thought you should know," Gabrielle said studying Eve's face before making a move to get up. She stopped to glance up at the door way.

Hercules stood there, an unreadable expression on his face. "I didn't find anything," he said moving toward her and Eve.

"Find anything?" echoed Gabrielle sitting back down.

"I went to look where Dorianna jumped out the window last night thinking she might have left some clue to verify her story or indicate where she went. There was nothing there that I could see," he said.

"She seemed to be telling the truth, the hate in her voice-"Gabrielle stopped, shaking her head.

Eve had gone back to her scroll. "Reading again I see?" The demi-god asked.

"Yes, I'll stop soon though." Eve said looking down at the parchment in her hand. It was another one with Ares in it and for some reason she couldn't seem to put it down.

Hercules nodded. "I guess I better see how Ares is doing."

Gabrielle stood abruptly. "I almost forgot! There’s been a change but I think we'd better let Xena tell you," she said grabbing his hand and leading him quickly from the room.

So quickly that they missed the expression that had come to Eve's face. She was staring into space her eyes unseeing. Suddenly she began shaking her head wildly before letting it fall into her hands. What's happening to me?

~*~*~*~

There was a crack, a flash of light, and then the old building appeared.

He'd found it. Rain began to pour just as he materialised, but he scarcely noticed its splatter, because it dared not touch him.

Lightning flashed again, and she was there before him. He opened his mouth to stall her, make a joke, needle her in the way he was used.

"I - I love you."

It was the only words he had left in his mouth when he saw her.

"Yeah - I love you."

He watched her mouth drop, her body tense with plain astonishment. But the moment she stopped believing . . . he could tell it immediately. Her eyes narrowed, and she turned away, running. Running away from him -

He grabbed at her, but she wasn't there. He ran, raced through the house but it was empty. She was just ahead as he reached for her, but then she was gone, around a corner, through a doorway, the sound of her footsteps retreating. Just out of reach . . .

~*~*~*~

"Xena?"

Gabrielle pushed through the door, with Hercules hanging back reluctantly. She looked up, her face pale and strained.

"He's said he'll go through with it."

Gabrielle nodded, looking at Ares' feverish form, and then out at the window.

"How soon does it need to be administered?"

"Soon as possible."

Gabrielle nodded again.

"But if we delayed a few hours -"

Xena looked up at her, frowning. "What's up?"

"We're being watched," Gabrielle told her levelly. "They know we're here, and they're just waiting to strike at Ares - and all of us - once more. Xena, we have to get out of here."

Xena stood hastily and moved beside Gabrielle, looking out the window. A figure moved near the trees; she took a deep inward breath.

"You're right."

Hercules moved awkwardly into the room, drawn by the figure of his brother on the bed, his bandaged arm, his trembling limbs. He could almost see the heat rising from him, as his body tried to combat the poison with fever.

"And we'll need to separate," Gabrielle went on, watching the tree-line carefully. "Otherwise they'll just surround us and attack."

"Good idea," Xena nodded. "I'll take Ares, and -"

"No," Hercules interrupted. "I think they'd expect that . . ."

There was a silence, and then Xena nodded again.

"I'll take Ares," Hercules said quietly. "You two go with Eve. I think there's a temple not far from here, we can meet there."

"Whose -"

"It's a temple to Zeus," Hercules replied, wincing a little. "Abandoned now, of course."

Gabrielle coughed, but Xena lifted her head and held Hercules' gaze. He stood a little straighter, and then looked down at Ares.

"Let's get ready, then."

Chapter Seventeen

It was midnight before they were prepared. They went up to their rooms as usual after their evening meal, then quickly packed, leaving a pile of coins for the tavern folk on a side table. It was easy work to slip out an unguarded side door; more difficult to quietly ready their horses. But soon enough they were on separate paths, Hercules to the East, Xena to the West. They would meet in a day at Zeus' temple.

"They'll be all right, Xena. I've never met anyone the match for Hercules in a fight; he's even beaten you, remember?"

"That was an off-day."

Eve trailed behind, watching her mother and Gabrielle making their way along a rock-strewn path. Her mind kept swerving back to the scrolls, to the Ares she remembered from the scrolls. Who had he been? Who was he really? And how could she bear to see her mother so in pain over him?

~*~*~*~

Hercules moved steadily through the night atop his racing horse. In front of him was Ares, slumped down and leaning back into the demi-god's chest, unable to keep himself upright for long. Hercules had wrapped his older brother in several heavy cloaks, to help ward off the cold. Large puffs of smoke erupted from the brown horse's mouth and nostrils.

Hercules wondered at the cold for a moment. It hadn't been this cold earlier in the evening, crisp yes, but cold, no. Something was wrong, he could feel it in his bones.

In front of him, he could just make out the outlines of trees and he came closer to a forested area. He had to make it to shelter, Ares depended on it. Xena, Gabrielle and Eve would almost be to Zeus' aged and crumbling temple by now. And he was certain that there was an abandoned armoury around here. He remembered Xena mentioning that she had hidden her army there once.

It was incredibly dark now, clouds moving in to cover the silvery moon. At last Hercules found the armoury, hidden in the side of a hill and the edge of the forest.

Gently, he led the horse inside, tethering it over in the makeshift stable to the left hand side. Then he lowered Ares from the animal's back. The former war god sank into the hero's strong arms, and for the first time, it hit Hercules exactly how fragile his brother was in this state.

He made a bed for Ares with some of the pillows and blankets he found laying around. He found it odd to find them. After all, Xena hadn't used the armoury since her warlord days over 30 summers prior. He guessed that it had been the rather cool temperature in the cave that had preserved them. After checking on Ares, Hercules decided to see what weapons were available, should anyone attack him that night.

With him finally gone, Ares settled weakly into his bed, shivering slightly, despite the immense fever raging through his body. Hercules had barely spoken to him; and truth be told, Ares couldn't really blame him.

"Not that it matters," he whispered to himself and he pulled the blankets higher. He closed his eyes for a second. Then, he felt something, a connection. Immediately he knew that the pillows and blankets he was using were the ones that Xena herself had used, about a week prior to her betrayal and crucifixion by Caesar.

The sound of Hercules' footsteps shook the former god out his day dreaming. The demi-god carried a sword in his hands, a bow and arrow quiver slung across his back.

"Preparing for war?" Ares croaked.

Hercules couldn't resist an amused smirk. "Only preparing for uninvited guests."

Ares closed his eyes for a moment, as if to say okay. After a moment, he spoke again.

"It bothers you to see me like this, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Hercules admitted after a moment. "It does. Call me crazy, but I still don't understand how you got to be in this state...why?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Ares coughed a few times, violent, ripping coughs that left him gasping for air. Awkwardly, Hercules moved closer to pat his shaking brother on the back, to clear his airways. He could see by the heaving of his chest how difficult it was for Ares to take in air.

"Where's everyone else?" Ares said, changing the subject.

"West of here, at one of Zeus' temples. We decided to split up when we were at the inn. You must have fallen asleep."

"I think so."

"Why don't you try to get some more rest now. We'll head out at first light to rejoin them."

"Hercules...we can't. We have to go now."

"It's more important that you rest."

Hercules could see the struggle it was for Ares to speak.

"Hercules, Xena needs to..."

"I know, and she will. Tomorrow."

"I don't know if I can hang on that long Hercules. It hurts too much," Ares said quietly.

~*~*~*~

Xena looked around the thick trunk of the tree and flattened herself against it so fast, Gabrielle thought Eve, who was crouched high up in the same tree, would give away her position and start laughing.

A few moments of silence passed and Xena relaxed a bit. Without warning, Eve jumped from the branches she was nestled in and landed directly in front of her mother.

Xena bit back a yelp of surprise, and turned a brief shade of white, but Eve noticed her leaning on the tree for support for the next few minutes. She let her catch her breath before continuing.

"I found you, mother. Now you're my prisoner." Something the not-so-clear depths of her daughter's blue eyes and the chilling way she spoke made Xena shiver involuntarily.

"Uh, right. Let's go find Gabrielle."

Gabrielle, who knew how to read Warrior-Princess body language as well as the next War God, quickly cleared the bushes she'd been hiding behind and made her way to her best friend.

"Is everything okay, Xena?"

With an effort, Xena drew her eyes away from her daughter and focused on her best friend. "Sure. I just... I think we should get inside the temple and set up for Ares. When Hercules gets here, Ares is going to be in bad shape, and he's going to need his rest, and I..."

"Got it, Xena." Gabrielle placed a comforting hand on her arm and headed off. Eve moved to follow her and Xena's eyes narrowed. She'd been acting weird all morning.

"Eve."

The girl turned around and walked back. "Yes, mother?"

"Everything okay?"

Eve blinked suddenly and shook her head as if coming out of a trance. "What?"

Warning bells rang loudly in the Warrior Princess' head. "I asked if everything was okay. We haven't seen too much aggression from you lately and it surprised me."

"Oh. I must have been... over doing it. Sorry mother. You know how I get when I'm playing a game." Her eyebrow rose challengingly and she held Xena's gaze with a strange glint in her own before walking away to help Gabrielle.

Now alone in the forest, Xena had the acute sense of being watched. "Leave Ares for more than a day and I get paranoid."

"Xena, I'm worried about Hercules and Ares. They were supposed to have been here hours ago."

A thinly veiled glare was shot the blonde's way, as if to say, 'I KNOW they're not here, don't you think I've pretty much been counting the SECONDS since we've parted?'

Oblivious to most things, Gabrielle missed the look completely. But Eve didn't. And a very Livia-esque look came over her face. Her mother's weakness was, as it had always been--always? She didn't even know her mother that well--was the ones she loved. And of course, Ares fell into that category now.

So much so, she was willing to risk her friendship with Gabrielle.

"The plot thickens..."

Xena's head snapped around. "What was that, Eve?"

Eve smiled at her innocently and opened her blue eyes wide. "Nothing, mother. I was just humming."

Xena was suddenly thankful she'd missed this part of Eve's adolescence. "Right."

Five minutes later, they drew their sleeping mats to the center of the main room and huddled close for warmth.

"Okay. We're going to take it in shifts. Gabrielle, you have the first shift. Eve, you're next, and I'll take the--" A snore interrupted her. She looked over to see Gabrielle with her mouth open. Eve gave her a half-smirk and flipped over to get some rest.

Xena shook her head. "Guess it's just me then."

Chapter Eighteen

A small, swirling mass of black energy opened in the same forest the Warrior Princess, her daughter, and her Bard had been playing their game. Dorianna stepped out and smoothed out her outfit. She was now clad as skimpily as the Furies themselves. Dark red leather adorned her body, leaving no room for the imagination. Anything that could be revealed--was. And anything that wasn't--wasn't too hard to imagine.

Silently passing off a thank-you to the dark deities who had agreed to her terms, she walked up to a medium-sized window and rested her chin on it innocently, where she was hidden from view.

Dorianna smiled evilly. "You and Callisto, Xena," she remarked, having heard Xena's previous comment. "Eve's not fighting that hard anymore, and why should she? It's not like she has a former God of War to fight for. All she has now is the darkness... something, as you know, is very attractive when you've got nothing else to lose." She stepped back from the windowsill, raised a hand and blew some dust off her palm. It filled the air, swirling around until it took on the shape and form of an army. Laughing, she gave orders, and watched as the ghostly soldiers marched off to surround an ancient armoury in the woods.

Xena awoke with a start. Something had drawn her out of a dead sleep. Inwardly, she focused on what the problem could be, trying to shove down her anger at her own incompetence. And with a few more seconds, she had it. Ares.

She leaned over and roughly shook the bard awake. "Gabrielle, wake up. Ares is in trouble."

Groggily, Gabrielle sat up and leaned one hand on Xena's shoulder for balance. "Yeah... okay... But Xena, what are we going to do? We don't know where he is, we don't know what he's going through--"

"--Well, I do," Xena muttered darkly, beaming at Gabrielle when she gave her a suspicious look.

Gabrielle shot her a venomous look and said, "And how do you even know he's in trouble, anyway?"

Next to them, Eve's eyes opened and she held herself completely still while she awaited her mother's answer.

She didn't fail to disappoint. "I just do. "

~*~*~*~

Hercules watched Ares sink into delirium, and realised he couldn't wait any longer.

"Ares - Ares!"

"Huh? Wha -"

"Ares, I'm going to have to administer the serum now, even if Xena hasn't arrived yet. If we wait . . ."

"I won't make it," Ares finished, with a hoarse laugh. "Go ahead, poison me."

Hercules measured out the serum with an unsteady hand.

"If I don't make it, tell Xena . . . ah, forget it," Ares muttered, grabbing the small bowl. "Well, here's to finding out where the rest of the gods are . . ." He downed the mixture then lay back, exhausted.

Hercules got up with a sigh, and then eyed the soldiers who waited for them outside the armoury. He hadn't a clue who was after them - or after Ares - but it seemed peculiarly ironic that he was risking his life for his brother, considering everything that had passed between them. Especially seeing it seemed likely that Ares would die anyway . . .

The soldiers were waiting for something, or someone, Hercules realised, peering out. He hoped that they'd stay their attack for a few more hours, or at least until Xena arrived. Between the two of them, they'd be able to fight off half an army. He felt a smile cross over his lips. Sure, Xena had fought with Ares many, many times. But only he knew what it was like to fight with Xena for good - to know what was right and to feel that sense of victory in every battle, that slowly the world was growing better because of what they were doing. Ares could never know that.

Suddenly an inhuman howl rose up from behind him. Hercules leapt around and saw Ares arching in convulsions behind him.

"Ares!"

He moved to kneel beside him, but realised there was not much he could do. The serum would rid him of the poison, but the agony that would accompany the cure could be enough to kill him . . .

Another cry, and then another. Hercules gripped Ares' free hand, sweat beading his forehead. He cursed himself, wishing he'd waited for Xena to arrive. If he died now, if he died . . .

An oily black liquid bubbled on Ares' lips, and then he retched, his eyes rolled back, his every muscle tensed in his body. He convulsed again, cried out, and then grew limp. It was suddenly very quiet.

Hercules froze. "Ares?"

Suddenly another cry broke the silence. "A-Yi-Yi-Yi-Yi!"

Hercules jumped up, and ran to the window, then cried out as Xena leapt over the line of soldiers, dodging arrows, and pushed in through the door.

"Xena!"

"How's Ares?" she asked, looking around the small room, before spying his limp form on the floor. "What - what happened?"

"I gave him the serum, just moments ago . . ."

Xena knelt down beside Ares, grabbing his wrist. "Ares! Ares, wake up! It's over . . ." She spied the dark liquid he'd spilled. "The poison's gone, and you'll be fine. Wake up!"

There was a sigh, and a tremble, and then his eyelids moved. Xena closed her own eyes for a moment in relief. She kept his hand in her own a moment. She'd thought . . . and she'd almost cried with it -

She turned away quickly, watching his breathing grow steady as he drifted into a natural sleep. She couldn't watch him any longer, she couldn't allow herself to do that, not now. It was too dangerous, watching War so peaceful.

Hercules recounted their journey, and what had prompted him to give Ares the serum, rather than waiting. Xena nodded.

"Thanks. I can't say I blame you," she said. "If you'd waited any longer, he might have been too weak to survive the shock."

"Where are the others?"

"Gabrielle and Eve are behind the lines," Xena told Hercules, standing beside him. "They're going to light some fires to cause a bit of chaos while we attack. When we see the smoke rising, that's our signal."

She laid a hand on her sword, and then gave Hercules a half-smile. "Ready?"

"Always," he replied, grabbing his own, and then, as a wisp of smoke rose up, they jumped up and leapt out the door. "Let's go!"

Behind them, Ares blinked and yawned. "By the Fates. . . I feel like I've slept forever . . ." He raised himself up on an elbow. "Hey - where'd everyone go?"

Chapter Nineteen

In the midst of the fighting, the skin on Xena’s back crawled, and she barely dodged an incoming blade. Ares must be awake. Or better. Or something.

"Hercules!" she called into the skirmish that was going on be. The blonde demi-god looked up . "I’ll be right back!"

It was no use saying she was going to check on Ares, if she did, then everyone would know where she was, and frankly, Hercules didn't need to know her every action.

He nodded and covered her position. Xena made it to the temple without difficulty, but getting inside was another story entirely . They had bolted the doors and left one window open on the east side. Unfortunately, that window was several stories above the ground... and the floor of the armoury inside.

After a moment's hesitation, she grabbed some vine from a neighbouring tree and handled it until it was a in the form a of a lasso, weighted down with a rock. Then she tossed it through the open window and started to climb up the wall.

Getting inside, however, was another thing entirely. It would have be been easier to throw one leg over the window ledge, and swing the rest of her body inside. Except there was no window ledge. It was just an opening in the wall. Which was partly the reason they had chosen to keep that particular opening... open.

But they hadn't counted on getting back inside while the fight was still going on. They also hadn't counted on Ares being awake by then either, but now wasn't exactly the time to be remorseful.

With one last effort, she used the reserves of her strength and tumbled through the window, rolling ungracefully to a stop where Ares was sleeping.

Or rather, would have been sleeping, if he hadn't been propped up on one elbow, watching the past minute or so with amusement.

She closed her eyes and fought down a blush. "You know, you could have helped."

He smirked. "Nonsense. You were doing such a wonderful job with that rock. Far be it for me to step in the way of your adventure."

Damn him for looking better than he had in weeks and back in fighting - at least verbal - form. And for witnessing what had to be, hands down, the most embarrassing moment of her life.

"Although I have to say, being locked in one of your old armouries... kinda on the weird side." His head tilted. "That was until I realized you didn't want to share me with any of those big, bad warriors out there."

"ARES!"

Ares threw his head back and laughed. "Gods, I never get tired of doing that." He sat up easily, resting against the wall and folding his powerful arms across his chest comfortably. "So how are things on the battlefront?"

Xena considered. "Well, Hercules has managed to secure the perimeter and Gabrielle is taking out any of the--"

"--I meant, with Eve."

She stared at him blankly. How could he know all of this? He was supposed to have been delirious. "I--" And why was she so awkward when it came to talking with him? This had never happened before.

He waved a hand. "Ahh, never mind. So. Hercules... I guess I owe him one, huh?"

Xena noticed he looked uncomfortable with the idea of owing anything to his mortal step-brother. "I think Hercules... understands. I wouldn't be too quick to bring it up, because that would cheapen what he did for you, but..." Finally, she just looked at him. "Ares, don't worry about it."

Ares reached over the blankets and pulled on his vest stiffly. "And Blondie? Why aren't you out there, protecting her from all the badness in the world?"

"She's been exposed to quite a bit of badness herself. And I can't protect her forever."

"I thought I could," he mumbled.

Her head turned sharply. "What?"

"I said, that's good. That you've come to that understanding, I mean."

She eyed him suspiciously but appeared willing to let it go at that. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes and then Xena decided to ask what had been bothering her for the past few days.

"Ares. When you were sick... or in trouble, I knew. And when you woke up a few minutes ago, I knew that too." She pinned her blue eyes on him. "Why? "

Ares sighed and turned away. "It just..." He was silent and she waited. "Sometimes, as a god, when you do... things for specific mortals, if you have a history or a past, like we do, it creates a sort of bond."

"We already have a bond."

His eyebrows rose. "Nice of you to acknowledge that."

She rolled her eyes. "Ares, you know what I mean. Why is this happening?"

Ares folded his arms again. "Look, Xena, I told you what I know. Take it or leave it, that's all I know." Sort of.

"Fine." Xena rose and went to stand by the window. A dark look crossed her face and she swore richly. "They need help." She threw an apologetic glance back to Ares, although she was more than relieved to be away from their strange discussion.

He waved her off, settling back against the wall with a smirk.

She was about to slide out the window when she looked back and saw him staring at her. "What?"

Ares shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just sitting back to enjoy the view."

"What vi-- Ares. " Xena glared at him and he laughed.

"Go, go. Blondie needs you."

She was torn between reaming him out for wanting to stare at her and fighting down the tiny smile that was starting to creep across her face. He always had been able to make her smile - if for nothing else than the lengths he would go to make a fool of himself - and this was no different.

"Stay out of trouble." She flipped out the window.

Ares had a faint grin on his face. "I try, Xena. But you just seem to follow me."

~*~*~*~

Hercules breathed a sigh of relief as Xena leapt back into the fray. There was something very odd going on. Gabrielle and Eve had lit their fires at the rear of the army, but it hadn’t seemed to make any difference to the soldiers’ actions at all. Not only that, but although he’d taken out at least a dozen men, there didn’t seem to be a visible decrease in the size of the army . . .

"There’s something going on – something unnatural!" he managed to yell, as Xena took down the man behind him, and then flipped over and beside him.

"You can say that again," Xena hissed, noticing how the dead men never quite seemed to stay dead. "We’re not fighting against a human army, here, Hercules. We’re fighting against –"

She swirled around, beheading a roaring soldier running at her, and kicking another man in the stomach simultaneously. Her eyes lit upon a frightening figure in red and black, just beyond the trees. It was a woman, her head flung back in helpless laughter.

"We’re fighting against that," she indicated, pointing out Dorianna. "These soldiers are some kind of trick. We can’t win until we take out the one who is controlling them."

And, she added to herself, controlling not only the soldiers. She watched as Gabrielle ran up, her sais at the ready, launching herself into the battle.

Eve hung behind. Oh, Xena knew she wouldn’t kill – that way of life was over for her now. It just didn’t explain that flash of pleasure in her eyes, as a wave of soldiers surrounded Gabrielle, and took her down.

Uttering her ululation, Xena flipped into the centre of the fighting, standing beside her friend.

"Boy, I’m glad to see you –" Gabrielle gasped, dodging a blow.

"We’ve got to get out of this mess. Don’t waste your time trying to kill them – it won’t work," Xena advised, then looked up. "Hang on to your sais, Gabrielle."

"What? Xena!" Gabrielle screamed, as she found herself flung up into the air, and in amongst the branches of the tall pines. She grabbed at a firm bough, and pulled herself up, out of the soldiers’ reach. A moment later Xena was beside her.

"I hate flying," Gabrielle grumbled, then looked at her friend. "So what’s the plan?"

Xena nodded over at the scarlet-clad woman in amongst the soldiers.

"We take her down, and we won’t have to worry about the rest," she began, stopped. There was a blade at her throat, held in a familiar hand.

"So we’re back to square one – Mother?"

~*~*~*~

Ares couldn’t bear the enforced isolation a moment longer. The clash of swords, the sound of furious yelling, and Xena’s ululation – it stirred his blood, until he could barely think or breathe. Pulling himself up gingerly, he discovered that the pain had left him – and a new energy had filled him.

"That was some drug," he murmured.

He moved quickly over to the window, from where Xena had exited. For a moment he couldn’t see, and then a wind blew, and the smoke cleared. There was an army, and Hercules seemed to be fighting them unaided. He looked around again, and then a glint of light caught his eye.

"So little Evie’s showing her true colours, hey?" Ares muttered, looking around the armoury hastily. He grabbed a sword, weighing it carefully in his hand, then lifted himself up to the window. "Well, I’m sure Xena can handle her. Just let me at that bitch who stabbed me –"

~*~*~*~

"Eve, this isn’t you. Fight it!" Gabrielle urged.

"You’re right – it isn’t Eve speaking," the girl replied, flashing an evil grin. "It’s LIVIA!"

She let out a vicious kick, and laughed as she watched Gabrielle lurch and fall crashing to the ground.

"Now, Mother – will I let you watch them take Auntie Gabrielle apart, piece by piece – or will I just finish the job and be done with it?" Then she sighed. "It’s so much easier, now, knowing that you just can’t kill me . . ."

Xena grabbed at her daughter’s hand, but she was too quick for her.

"Uh, uh, uh. You forget – I’m as strong as you – and Callisto too!" She laughed again, twisting her mother’s arm cruelly. "You can’t win, Xena! You can’t win! You can’t . . ."

Xena closed her eyes, and bit her lip. Maybe this was how it was supposed to end, for her – Gabrielle dead, because she couldn’t save her – and Ares just out of her grasp – maybe that was her fate . . .

There was an almighty crash, and Xena found herself overbalancing, then falling helplessly to the ground below.

"Ow!"

The landing had been a little softer than she’d expected.

"You had the whole field to fall on – but you had to crash on me instead!"

Xena opened her eyes. "Gabrielle?" she asked incredulously. She rolled off the form beneath her and allowed a wide grin to overtake her face. "Gabrielle!"

She pulled up the girl into a warm embrace. "What –"

The field was empty – not a soldier remained. Hercules stood, half-crouched, exhausted, his sword still in his hand.

"What happened?"

She stood, and saw that Eve had been lying beside her. "Eve? Evie?"

Her daughter sat up, rubbing her head. "Mother? What’s been happening? I feel so dazed . . ."

Gabrielle crouched beside her, holding her hand. "I know the feeling."

Xena was already half-way across the field. There was a body, lying beneath the trees . . .

So she’d been too late. After all this, after the sickness, the poison, after everything – it was just her fate that she had to lose –

"I got her good."

"What!" Xena jumped back, with a shout. Ares was leaning casually against the twisted trunk of a pine. The body of Dorianna lay at his feet.

"It’s kind of lucky I chose this sword, actually," he went on conversationally, balancing the blade in his hand. "Thought I recognised it – picked it up from Tartarus, didn’t you? One of the few things that’ll kill someone who’s – well, who’s already dead." He nodded over at the slumped body. "That was Ilainus, wasn’t it? Pretending to be her sister, and brought back to life by the furies?"

"Hmm – I thought it was Dorianna, pretending to be Ilainus," Xena countered, advancing slowly. "Or maybe –"

But Ares grabbed her hands and pulled her close before she could utter another word.

They’d never kissed like this before – knowing how close death had been, for both of them, for everyone they’d loved. Knowing they had to make the most of it – knowing that had the rest of their lives to enjoy it . . .

Eve turned her face away from the couple in the trees, while Gabrielle slipped a comforting arm around her.

"I’ve been such a fool," she whispered. "As though Livia and the god of War then had anything to do with Eve and Ares now."

"You’re not the only one," a rueful voice broke in.

Eve looked up and saw Hercules approaching. "As though a few shared kisses, twenty-five years ago, were equivalent to a god giving up his immortality – and Xena giving up her heart."

"It’s been a long time," Gabrielle agreed. "But I think where we are now – is definitely the best place to be."

Xena heard her friend’s words, and smiled, tracing the curve of Ares’ face, before returning her lips to his own. "The best place," she agreed. "The best."

The End