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What Now The Future Brings
by Vickey Brickle-Macky 10/21/2000
Part 3
"So there you two are!" Eve said disgustedly, coming to a halt with her arms folded across her chest. "What, Gabriella didn't find you? She left a while ago." she questioned.
"She did, but she left before I could say anything," Xena told her daughter honestly.
Eve just raised an eyebrow and nodded, not wanting to know more than that. It was obvious as to where and what the two of them had been doing all night. Great, she just needed this on top of everything else. She was just starting to get over Ares dumping her like a sack of hot coals for her mother, but no one said she had to like it. She still had feelings for him and was still pissed that he wanted her mother over her. Even if her mother didn't look that much older than her--she was still adjusting to that fact--why didn't he want her? He sure had before dear old mom had showed up. Since then he had made it abundantly clear he didn't want her, and was never ever going to come near her again as long as her mother was alive. Though what was bugging her more was her mother's running hot and cold with him. It was plain to her that her mom loved him, despite her denials, the fighting she did with him, and flat out ignoring of him most of the time it was clear there was something very deep between them.
Then there was her relationship with Gabrielle that had Eve really confused. She suspected there was a bit more than just friendship and comrade in arms going on but couldn't get a straight answer out of either one way or the other. If Ares knew the straight of it he wasn't talking and it was clear the three of them knew each other very well. Most of the time she felt like very much the outsider watching and listening to the three talk about the past. Ares was the only one she did know, and that wasn't that well. Talking had been neither of their strengths or interests. Xena was trying to make up still for all the missing years and so was Gabrielle by going on and on about how she had been as a baby and telling them about her grandmother and family, and Gabrielle's as well. They even had Ares getting in on some of the story telling too as it was clear he had been involved in Xena's life for a very long time and had known her as a child too, and that was still a hard concept to take in.
The familiar way they could all talk about the different Gods and Goddesses, heroes, and people she knew of from history and bard's tales was unnerving. The three of them took it in stride like dealing with Gods, and battling the forces of good and evil were everyday occurrences, no big deal. Ares had been a real live god one of the twelve, so yeah all this was normal for him. But her mom and Gabrielle had died and been reborn several times, met and battled beings all across the world. It was rumored that Xena was more than mortal or in the course of her adventures she had been changed so she could take on gods and survive the battles. They had been places, done things, she couldn't begin to comprehend.
Until she had met Ares, she had lived a fairly normal everyday existence with the exception of being Augustus' adopted daughter which in itself made her slightly special. With the return of her mother, her whole world was upside down, tore asunder, expanded, and was now completely incomprehensible to her. She was this chosen one, this special person for whom her mother had killed actual gods for who was to be a messenger of this Eli whom she didn't know that much about. She had grown up thinking she was Livia and now she was Eve a completely different person or she was supposed to be. She know had these powers or something going on within she didn't understand either. She had changed. She could feel it inside, but she still didn't believe or accept it like her mother did.
"I think she's rather mad at you, 'mother'," Eve said finally, "she woke up and saw that both of you were gone, and asked me if I had seen you. I told her not since last night when I saw you sitting by the fire by yourself. She had a few choice words to say about Ares here, and then left to find you. That was a while ago and I decided to come looking myself," Eve explained.
"Ares and I needed to talk," Xena said, not apologizing, and not backing down either. Ares stood behind her and kept quiet. He was letting Xena doing the talking to also see which way she was going to go on their relationship and what if anything she was going to say about it.
Eve just gave her a disgusted look. "So now what, "mother'? Things all smoothed out between the two of you? You two getting married? Dumping me and Gabrielle? What?" Eve asked angrily, her eyes snapping fire now with jealousy and anger.
Xena didn't flinch back and her eyes got cold and hard too, "no, I'm not dumping anyone, Eve. Ares and I talked. We needed to talk about a lot of things that happened between him and I There is a lot more he and I need to talk about. Nothing is completely settled yet. I do care about him and he does care about me. Marriage, truthfully, I don't know yet either. That I have to wait and see, " she said turning to him, "Sorry, I'm having to be honest here," she told him.
Ares shrugged, "Yeah, I know. We both gotta see what happens on that," he agreed with her and gave her hand a squeeze.
"So he's coming with us to grandmother's?" she asked, unhappily, hoping that he'd go off on his own today--elsewhere.
"Yes. You're grandmother likes him," Xena told her daughter.
"Actually, I remember her saying it was okay because I was a god, but she wished I had been Hermes instead or Apollo when she caught us together," he chuckled, reminding her in a low voice of that time in his temple.
Xena choked back a laugh from the memory of that occasion at her mother's when her mother had come bursting in and had found them together when the town had been under siege by Athena because of Eve and she was offering herself to Ares in exchange for his protection.
"I remember and you got mad because I slid out of our deal. I do apologize for that. If mom hadn't come in when she had...," Xena sighed, turning to him, looking up to him with a slight smile, everything would have gone differently all the way around," she told him.He smiled back, "I know. There wouldn't be twenty five years between us, and Eve would have had been my daughter under my protection with some brothers and sisters to keep her company. Plus most of my family would be intact too if you hadn't backed down," he gently reminded her.
She sighed and winced at his words, regretting all the actions she had had to do in defense of her child. "I did what I thought was right then. I thought I could win and I could keep her safe without your help. Nothing worked out as I hoped it would. I should have taken you up on your offer and it would have spared a lot of people we both cared about. Too many people have died because of my pride and stubbornness," she replied, thinking of all the pain and deaths caused by her decision to back out of their agreement had cost all the way around.
Eve looked a little stunned at revelations of their conversation. "You two are saying that if mom had given herself to you and you two had gotten together when I was a baby--none of this would have happened they way it did?" Eve questioned them both looking from one to the other for conformation.
Xena looked at her with guilt, "yes, if I had taken Ares up on his offer any time, even before you were born, none of this would have happened the way it did. He offered to protect me and you against the other gods and we would have raised you together. You would also have had brothers or sisters too," Xena admitted.
Eve frowned and shook her head not comprehending why Xena hadn't taken Ares offer, considering what had happened to all their lives because of her decision. "Why didn't you? I heard about that battle and the other ones. I don't see how you could have said no?" she told her mother, puzzled.
"There were a lot of reasons, none of them simple," she told Eve with a sigh. "I didn't trust him to keep his end of the bargain or believe him when he said he loved me. I thought it was a trick. Then there was Gabrielle too, after all we had been through. I really thought I could keep you safe without anyone's help. I thought if we could just hide out somewhere this would all blow over. I was so determined not to lose you like I lost Solon that I was crazy with fear and willing to do almost anything to keep you safe except the one thing I should have done," she said with deep regret, looking at Ares, begging him for understanding and forgiveness and saw that in his eyes as well as reassurance it was okay now.
Ares apologized to both of them, regretting many of his actions then and recently. "It happened and I don't have the powers any more to undo what has been done even if I could. We tried to do that once and reverse history, and made a worse mess out of the situation. Somehow it was supposed to come out this way or at least that's what the Fates kept telling me every time I asked. Funny thing, until just recently I didn't understand what they were saying about you and Eve. They always have to be so damn cryptic," he said, remembering. "Something about the reborn sleeper undying will wake when the messenger is needed. The warrior outside of time, outside of place will finish what has been started, with new battles to be begun and the order of things be undone. That which was of the old will join with the new so that balance and new life will thus ensue," he told them, not fully understanding all the message either yet.
Xena listened and memorized it, understanding the message and seeing that Ares did still have a part to play in all of this. Actually they both had one together if she was understanding the layers of meaning within meanings. Already she was wondering if last night's activities had added another complication to her life. She quickly dismissed that thought as not being feasible. If he still had his powers, yeah, it was almost a certainty if he wanted it to be so it would happen, as a mortal he had to take his chances. Now she could only wait and see what developed.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Eve asked them, seeing they did understand what the Fates had told Ares.
"Basically it's saying that your mom would awaken when you were most needed. You had to grow up the way you did for a reason without your mom's influence until now. Then because of what happened in Eli's temple you have become this messenger that Eli's people have been talking about for awhile. And Xena had to pick up where she left off battling the Olympian Gods over you to make room for this new bunch that's forcing themselves into the lives of mortals. The rest of it isn't that clear to me, so I'm not sure what's meant by the old and new and new life parts," he told Eve.
Xena quirked an eyebrow at him and saw that the part that was the clearest to her was eluding him. She decided not to enlighten him just yet unless her own interpretations were off. But it was clear Ares still had a roles in all this but she wasn't sure what those roles were yet. Ohh, to be able to talk to the Fates again and see what new directions were being laid out for them all. A side trip to one of the oracles might be in order since she had no means of going to the fates directly.
"How long ago did you talk to them, Ares?" she asked out curiosity.
He shrugged, a couple of months ago maybe. We've never been that tight, so I don't go to them unless something has been bugging me. And I kept getting these feelings that something was going to change real soon, real fast. And it did," he grinned. "If you're thinking of seeing them I don't think they'll talk to you.
"The Fates are outside of the Olympians so why should they not talk to me? Even Michael´s group have great respect for them," she told him.
"Okay, if they'll talk to you great but if they don't, don't say I didn't warn you. I take you have something you want to ask them?"
"A few questions, yeah. Maybe on the way to mom's we can stop at one of the temples, maybe one of yours? I don't think we'd be too welcome at anyone else's. Even Aphrodite is mad at me." she asked.
"Yeah. Sis isn't even talking to me either. I don't know what is happening with everyone who is left now. They've cut off all communication--period. At least the last time I was mortal they at least talked to me and let me know what was going on at home. Now I don't have a clue," he replied really hating being out of the communications loop. "We can try one of the temples. So far no one knows I lost my powers and I can get around my priests. Yeah, it's beginning to sound like a plan," Ares told her looking thoughtful as well as hopeful now.
"Good. In the meantime I need to go find Gabrielle and talk to her. You two can go on back to camp. I'll be back with her as soon as I can," she told Eve and Ares.
"Sure, I'd wish you luck, but you do need to do some talking to her," Ares said starting to turn to join Eve and go back to their camp. "Come on Eve let's head back," he told the younger woman who had been quiet during their exchange.
"Okay, I guess," she answered him, having some questions of her own to ask him now.
"I'll see you all later when Gabriella and I get through talking," she told them as they started walking up the hill and she went in the direction that her friend had gone.
After Xena was safely out of earshot Eve did begin to start asking questions of Ares, now that she was beginning to get answers on how her life and their had gotten messed by what she saw as her mother's stubbornness and stupidity. "Ares, I want to ask you is all what you and Xena said back there true? She had a chance for you to take us all under your protection and she blew it?" Eve asked wanting verification of what she had just heard.
"Pretty much. I had been asking your mom to join with me for years, even before you were conceived but she kept turning me down or else it would almost be a done deal and I'd blow it somehow and she'd get mad and go off with her friend. Or worse go off with my half brother Hercules. Then I'd really be mad and do something stupid to get Xena´s attention which never worked and ended up backfiring on me. No, your mom and me go way back and she's the only one that ever got under my skin the way she does," he said looking off into the distance where Xena had gone and sighed.
"And I didn't?" she asked, getting a little angry now to realize that whatever she and he had had hadn't really meant anything to him.
"Truthfully, no. I hate to burst your bubble, Eve but it was fun, it was exciting but you're not Xena. I love Xena, really love her, and it's taken me a long time to accept that I really had real feelings for her. I have wanted her for a long time, but if there was a chance for us I blew it long ago through my own stupidity. Now she doesn't believe me and doesn't trust me. In all the time I have been alive there has been no one I had considered worthy enough to reign by my side as an equal, or anyone that my family approved of that they were willing to welcome into their ranks. Though that was before you, sorry Eve," he apologized and she shrugged, just listening to him as they walked along getting slightly angry as he went on about Xena. "I wanted to make her a full goddess and she turned me down," he said with a bitter laugh.
Eve just started at him open mouthed. "You've got to be kidding. She turned down being a goddess?" not fully understanding how any mortal could do that.
"Yeph, told me to go get lost and she's rather be mortal than by my side for eternity. Though after I cooled down I began to get it through my thick skull why she turned me down as I had been rather an ass about a number of things which she and a number of people were quick to point out. I made the mistake of trying to force you mom to do things my way. No one can force your mom to do anything she doesn't want, not even the gods. The only one that can get through to her at all is Gabrielle," he said, and realized how much he had been rambling on about Xena.
"I'm probably boring you to tears," he said trying to change the subject."No, not really. At least I'm beginning to understand you, her, and Gabrielle. You all have years of knowing one another. For me, it's just a short time. I am also understanding what it was between you and me all these years too. I thought it was something wrong with me--if I was just a better warrior or something you'd care about me more than as a casual fling. I see now you were already taken and I never had a chance, not really," Eve told him bluntly, fighting back the tears that were suddenly threatening to overtake her calm exterior.
"I tried to tell you that you and I could never be what you wanted. I could give you the empire but I could never give you my heart and you were getting just a bit too blood thirsty to consider for the goddess category. I would have been there for you as I had but beyond that I just couldn't see anything," he told her, apologizing in his own way for disappointing her. "You were a damn good warrior Eve, now what are you going to do if I'm not being to noisy. How does all this Eli stuff fit in with you. You're not one of them now are you?" Ares questioned as they neared camp.
"I don't know. I'm not sure what I am anymore. I'm not Livia anymore, not that Livia but I'm not yet Eve either. In that temple I saw what mom and Gabriella said was Callisto as some sort of celestial being and there were others like her around her. She showed me my conception, my birth, everything. She showed me everything that Xena had been trying to tell me. And there was such love and forgiveness for what I had done coming from her. . . I still can't describe the experience, except I know it happened and it was real and I couldn't kill anymore after that. Then when they took me to see the Baptist and my sins were forgiven. . . mom was given the power to battle your family in my name," she told him going over to the fire and adding more wood to it to cook them something to eat while they waited for Xena and Gabrielle's return.
"So that's how it happened. I had wondered. One minute you were plowing through Eli's followers and battling Xena and the next thing I knew you were being hit by this beam of light and I could tell I had lost you. You had this look on your face, you and Xena both. I've seen mortals look awe stuck before but not like this. So it was Callisto that came to you? The new and improved Callisto? Still don't get that transformation and how it happened," he said having very vivid memories of 'his' Callisto.
"Yes, it was her. I take it the old Callisto was like I was, like Livia?" she asked stirring the coals around as she crouched by the fire as he stood nearby watching her.
"Yeph, pretty close. It kept bugging me how much you reminded me of her and Xena both and now I understand why. You look like both of them in one person. This immatuate conception bit really throws me. As I know it's for real as far as your concerned. I was there. I know. I saw it. I just didn't want to believe it. I mean I could do stuff like that if I wanted to but I never did. I preferred the direct approach if I'm going to get someone pregnant. I had Gabrielle and Joxer accusing me of taking advantage of Xena after she had come back to life after Caesar had crucified her and Gabrielle. Eli brought them back to life somehow. I never touched your mom, but I got accused of it anyway," he told her.
"Think Eli did it?" she asked, hoping to make sense of this.
"I thought so, but they both denied it and Eli wasn't interested in sex with anyone. I could tell it was a god thing and not normal, so I had to believe Xena on this. The only way I can figure it happened was when she died and came back, she came back pregnant somehow," Ares told an incredible Eve handing her some tubers to throw into the fire to cook.
She took them and put them in around the edges of the fire where she had coals banked up. What he was telling he was almost beyond the realm of possibility or belief. Things like this didn't happen in real life, or did they? "She came back pregnant?" Eve asked frowning and shaking her head. No, this was way too weird for her. But Ares believed that was the explanation for what had happened and he knew about stuff like this--or she hoped he did.
"Yeah, haven't been able to figure out any other explanation for this. Gabrielle even swore Xena wasn't with anyone for this happen. I generally knew when Xena had been around someone else, just like I knew when she had died and came back. I was there when Callisto gave your mom the spark of life for you and it freaked me," he told her honestly as he gave up standing and sat down cross legged next to her.
"You saw it?"
Ares nodded. "It was Callisto and Eli standing in this sort of portal to this other group's realm. They were manifesting themselves so Xena and Gabrielle could see them. I wanted to jerk Xena back from it but I was powerless to do anything. Most of the time we leave them alone and they leave us alone but lately they have been making themselves more and more known and encroaching on our territories and from what I've been hearing this is happening in other places too, not just here in Greece. Xena was my Chosen and I couldn't do anything to stop it," he said sadly, looking at his now too human hands.
"So what happened then?" Eve asked wanting to know all.
"Callisto said something about it only fitting that Xena be the vessel of good and they were all forgiving to one another. It made me ill, so I left right after that to go think about what had happened and to realize that your birth was going to mean big trouble for the gods. I mean the entire confrontation with Eli was over people abandoning their worship of me for Eli's path. I screwed up when I killed Eli. It would have been better if he had lived. I just made him a martyr instead, a hero to the people. Not one of my better moves," he told her, regretting his actions which he had been gloated into.
Eve decided not to say anything, but she did have to agree that killing Eli probably rallied a lot of people to his cause that might not have come over to the peace keeper. She was still too new to the ways of Eli to fully comprehend the ways of this religion. "I notice that no one likes this Callisto, why is that? What was so wrong about her? I have heard legends and tales of her growing up, but I have put what I have heard as bard's embellishments not facts. No one could have been that crazy," she said looking to him for verification.
Ares laughed bitterly. "I'm not sure what you heard but the reality of her was worse, especially after she became a goddess. I was scared of her even when she was mortal. She hated Xena with every being of her soul. She blamed Xena for killing her family when she was a child. Her whole motive for living was to pay Xena back any way she could, and she did. Your brother Solan got killed because of her. Then I thought I could manipulate her and use her to gain power over the other gods. Wrong, she used me, tricked me, even killed Strife, but in the end she was destroyed. When you were Livia, you reminded me a lot of her. The same insane rages, lust of blood, disregard for life or people, always power hungry, and not caring who got in your way to the top. Even in looks you are like her. I couldn't see that until now," he said, looking over at her to see how she had been taking his tales of her other 'mother-father'.
Eve was not too happy about what Ares was telling her, it made her shiver in disgust as she had been all those things he was telling her Callisto had been too. Evidently Xena must have been a saint compared to both of them, at least that was the impression she was getting that Callisto was a vicious and dangerous woman that somehow had gotten the chance to be a goddess and then to be an even worse monster that even the other gods were afraid of. But how did she end up as this angelic being from what she had been? That was the confusing part. One minute she was moral, then she was a goddess and destroyed and next she's something else? It didn't make sense. It bothered her that she looked like her too. How was that possible? "Ares, you say I look a little like her, how?" Eve finally asked.
He shrugged, "just expressions, features. You're a blending of the two of them somehow."
"That's creepy," she told him truthfully turning the tubers in the fire with a stick to cook them more evenly. "So how did she get from being a mortal, to goddess, then to whatever she is now. That's the part that's bothering me all this dying and coming back parts both for her and for Xena too. Once you're dead don't you stay dead? At least what I used to think was true," she commented.
"There are always exceptions to the rules, reprieves by the gods, and/or the powers that be for special circumstances and individuals," he replied. "Xena has died and been reborn several times now, each time more changed, stronger and more focused than she was before. Callisto died as a mortal and got a reprieve because I needed her, but she didn't need me and wouldn't stay focused on why she had been brought back forth. She got way out of hand and had to be destroyed for the sake of the world."
"Yes, she did," Xena spoke up from behind him.
So lost in his thoughts about the past he hadn't heard her return. Ares turned to see her concerned expression and Gabrielle's disgusted one. "Hi, see you made it back. Eve was asking me about Callisto, you, herself. I was just filling her in," he told her truthfully, staying put where he was, trying to get a gauge on how the talks had gone and couldn't tell from either one of them.
Gabrielle just rolled her eyes and glared down at him. "Like what exactly were you telling her?" she asked accusingly, her arms folded across her chest as she stared down at him.
"Nothing bad, nothing that she hadn't heard from you two or from history. I left out all the blood and gore stuff, Hope, Dahook, Hercules, all that. If you want to tell her all that have at it. She just asked how Callisto could go from mortal to goddess, die and be reborn and then get transformed into some angelic being. Truthfully, that part I can't answer as I don't understand it anymore than you two returning from that place and Xena ending up pregnant without help. I really would like an explanation on that. It's been driving me crazy for years," he told them both.
"Then it will have to keep driving you nuts, because I don't know how it happened either. It just did. As you used to say it's a 'god thing'. All I know is I found myself pregnant after I came back and as far as I know, no one took advantage of me while I wasn't quite me. Though you did try," she chided him, and gave him a same smile.
"But I didn't. Honest!" he swore with a slight smile of his own, his arms up in surrender, remembering how easily it could have happened, but taking advantage of her in that state hadn't seemed fair or any challenge so he hadn't. He could be a gentleman if he wanted to be despite opinion to the contrary.
"Yeah, I know. Otherwise you wouldn't have been bugging me so much about a child. And your reaction when you heard the news was priceless. I still think your family over reacted and none of this needed to happen," Xena shrugged.
"I thought so too, that's one of the reasons I sided with you. I just wish you would have taken me up on my offer then. It would have saved a lot of bloodshed and time," he said, trying not to think about his family and how alone he was in the world now and hoping she wasn't going to tell him to go get lost. She was sort of wearing that look, but he couldn't be sure until he asked. He decided to face it full on especially since Gabrielle was still looking daggers at him and Xena was starting to get that twitchy look she got when she something unpleasant to tell him. "So how was the talk?" he asked looking up at her and saw her eyes slide away. He braced himself. Gabrielle had gotten to her again--damn!
Xena looked at him sadly. "Ares, I don't want to talk about this right now. We're still going to Amphipolis and see if my mom's still alive. And we will be stopping at one of your temples to drop you off," she said averting her face so she couldn't see his pain and anger.
Ares just glared at Gabrielle. "Did it again, didn't you, Blondie? Blew me out of the water before I even had a chance to prove myself to her. Thanks loads! Here I am, mortal, and you all are going to drop me like a worn out shoe. It ain't fair! Not after I saved your lives, let you butcher my family, gave up everything, my godhood, my self respect, and this the damn gratitude I get?? Something just isn't right here, Xena. You'd give me up for her?" he asked angrily pinning her with a hard cold look, trying to hold back the tears threatening to overwhelm him.
"I, ... just can't do this, Ares. I care about you, but I also care about Gabrielle and my daughter too. Gabrielle and I have been through life and death together, so many things," she said meeting his eyes, looking for understanding in those coal black depths and not finding any, just confusion and bone deep hurt.
"And we haven't? I admit there have been more bad times than good, but you pushed the situation too. You weren't exactly innocent. Right now we have a chance, maybe for the first time. I wanted to show that even gods can change. That I can change. I'm willing to be anything, anyone to you. I love you that damn much and this time I am not giving up without a fight. What ever it takes to prove to you that I care and want a life with you, I will do. And that includes putting up with "miss high and mighty" over there too. I'm not leaving this time, Xena. You ain't getting rid of me, not yet," he told her determinedly, surprising even himself with the conviction of his beliefs in them He sat there with arms folded looking from Xena to Gabrielle who was shocked at his outburst and stubbornness to stay.
In the past he would have exploded, had a temper tantrum and left. Not this time. If he was going to prove anything to Xena, and he amended, Gabrielle. He had to keep his cool and wait the annoying blonde out. She had been counting on the old Ares flying off the handle and bolting. Not this time, not this, now mortal. This was a battle he had to fight on completely different ground, with different rules. He'd had years to think of what he had did wrong, and said wrong. No, losing his temper would lose him this battle and he wasn't going to lose it. It had already cost him too dearly. He'd swallow his pride and arrogance, and was going to make sure he didn't get gloated into doing something stupid.
Xena was surprised. She hadn't really expected him to stand fast. She was looking at him with renewed respect. Maybe he was sincere and this wasn't a ploy like Gabrielle kept trying to tell her he was using to win her sympathy before he did something to hurt her again. She hadn't been sure whether he had been on the level last night, but in the clear light of day she was seeing a strength and resolve in him she hadn't seen before. He was willing to fight for her, win her love, win her trust, with no tricks, no deceptions. She owed him at least the chance to prove himself and underneath all of it she did love him.
"Okay, you win, Ares. You will be coming with us," Xena said calmly, turning to Gabrielle and giving her a look of 'don't you dare argue with me on this' which Gabrielle just glared back at both of them, disgusted that she hadn't won like she thought she was going to despite their heavy duty talk and arguments over him. This was not going to be the pleasant trip that she thought it was going to be.
Then to the entire group Xena told them firmly, "We will all work this out. We still have a ways to go before we reach Amphipolis, so the sooner we get everything packed and on the road the sooner we'll get there. I'll go check on the horses. Gabrielle you want to get our water skins filled before we go?" Xena asked her, deliberately getting her away from camp and from Ares so they wouldn't get into a fight before they even left.
Gabrielle shrugged and just looked at Xena sadly, "Yeah, I guess. Might as well," she said still glaring at Ares who had risen now and was bending over, starting to pull the cooked tubes and warmed up leftover meat out of the fire for the trip. She found their waterskins by their packs, grabbing them up she headed for the stream close by the camp trying control both her anger and her tears at what had happened. She was furious at Xena for this betrayal. She never expected Ares to fight for Xena and not lose his temper. She had counted on that. That was usually enough to get Xena furious at him, especially if he verbally attacked her, then she would tell him off and give him the boot out of her life for awhile or until he came slithering in like the snake it was, Gabrielle thought to herself. But this was a new Ares they were both dealing with who had had a long time to reflect on his mistakes and decide what he wanted. It was very clear that he wanted Xena and was not going to give up either. He was still obsessed with her best friend, but it was also clear he really loved Xena and was willing to do anything to win her. Maybe even gods could change--nah, she told herself and began filling the waterskins.
They hadn't even been back from their deep sleep that long to get adjusted to this new world and all the changes that had happened. She was quickly learning that people were not as she remembered or were the towns and people they had met and been in so far. They even dressed and talked slightly differently. It was also clear from what she had seen so far that the Cult of Eli was more widespread and entrenched than it had been. They now had temples, their own priesthood, and almost set beliefs. She wondered how Eli would view all of this that had been done in his name? Would he be pleased or horrified by how things had evolved since his death? The Cult of Eli was also coming in to direct confrontations with the Roman Empire which had now spread into Greece, almost taking it over as well as much of the world from what she had heard from Eve, Joxer and Virgil. The Olympian gods were being replaced by the Roman ones or the Roman names were being used instead of the proper Greek ones. No wonder they had been so scared and weak when they had battled them. You lose power if your worshipers don't know your true name. The gods weren't completely cast out here, but their influence had been declining steadily over the years.
The changes had begun in her times and had spread forward just as the Fates had said that they would. She wouldn't admit it to Xena but this new world, this new reality they had entered scared her. What were they going to do once they had checked on their families and friends? Was there still a need for warriors such as them, or should they just settle down somewhere and try to live normal lives--if possible. It looked as though Xena was already leaning towards the settling down idea, with Ares, she added disgustedly. If that was the case she felt like maybe she should start looking at other options for herself. And what about Eve? Where was she going to fit in with her mother's plans or did she want to? It might be a bit uncomfortable long term with her and Ares after they had had a relationship together. Then Eve, too, had to sort out herself and figure out where she fit in Eli's plan. She had thought she and Xena together were going to do that with her, guess not, not now, she sighed as she finished her task and resealed all the jugs.
Coming back to camp she saw that Xena and Ares were already loading the horses up. They were laughing and joking about something as their laughter carried on the wind. Sometimes the two of them together surprised her as they could get along if neither tried to do one upmanship to the other. On simple everyday tasks they could work together and they had a longer history of working together than she and Xena did. They actually seemed happy together. maybe it could work out for Xena. She wanted her happy. That´s what counted. Gabrielle forced a pleasant smile on her face as she approached them. She still wasn't sure about her and Ares, but she would back off and see what happened.
"I see that you two are in a good mood. What's up?" She asked pleasantly as she approached them and handed them the waterskins.
Xena moved away from Ares who went to put more gear on the horses staying out of range deliberately in case the two women wanted to talk. She came over to Gabrielle, watching her to get a gauge of her mood. She could tell she was calmer and had come to some decisions. Xena replied finally, "Not much, just talking about old times and wondering how things could have gone differently," Xena told her, quirking an eyebrow to inquire if that bothered her. It didn't seem to so she went on, "as soon as you're ready we can go. Eve had to go check the bushes out and will be back shortly."
"Great, okay. The sooner we're on the road the better," Gabrielle said cheerfully. "Ares doesn't have any idea how our families are?" She asked, thinking he might have checked them out, maybe.
"No, it was too painful to and there was no reason after we were gone. The last time he checked on my mom was fifteen years ago and she seemed to be doing okay. He did like her. He didn't check on your family at all. I did ask, sorry," she apologized.
"That's okay. I didn't expect there to be any news. Joxer didn't know either. He went by a few times in the early years but after his family came along he put much stayed put," Gabrielle replied. "So I guess we see when we get there." Then changing the subject she added, "Xena, I did some thinking and I will try to give Ares a chance but if he hurts you...," Gabrielle warned, not needing to say anything more, she hoped.
"I don't think he will this time. There is a difference in him, a change. I can tell talking with him, watching him. Right now he needs me, needs all of us. This isn't like the other times Zeus took his powers. He can't go back. He's finally stuck as a mortal and he's scared," Xena told her frankly.
"Ares scared?" Gabrielle laughed, amused at the concept of the big, tough, bullying God of War being afraid and needing their help.
"It happens. You've seen him mortal before. He doesn't do it too well. Remember he didn't have to think about doing things normally. He just did them. Hell, I'm having to remind him to eat among other things. Remember how lousy a fighter he was too without his powers," Xena told her in a low voice.
"Yeah, I remember. Ohh, I see where you are going with this. He can't fight! So I take it, he is going to do low profile for awhile and you train him until he can take care of himself?" She questioned amused at how far he had come down and how much they all did owe him.
"Pretty much. Me, having to teach the ex-God of war how to fight mortal style, who would have believed it?" Xena smiled. "He's even talking about buying a farm if being a warrior doesn't work out. I've never seen him this depressed before. So as a favor would you take it easy on him, if you can?"
Gabrielle shrugged, "If I can. I will try, I promise. Come on he's starting to come this way. Let me go get my gear. Eve's back and almost ready too," she told Xena, looking past her to see the young woman work on securing her own gear to her own horse.
"Got ya," Xena said and went back to Argo to finish up her preparations while Gabrielle wandered over to pick up her gear and put it on her own horse.
Ares looked at Xena across the back of his black stallion as he finished tightening his cinches on the horse's harness. "Gabrielle all right?" He asked.
"Yeah. She's decided to give you a chance and promises not to push you," Xena told him, and her smiled.
"I guess that's good. I really don't want to fight with her. I always admired her spunk and the way she would defend you. I really hate getting in the middle between the two of you, but I'm not giving up without a fight," he said smiling at her, his eyes telling her how much he was determined to win her heart. "You about ready?" He asked, getting finished with his task.
"Yeah, and it looks like they are too," Xena smiled back, then grabbing Argo's mane she jumped up, swinging her legs and mounted the descendant of her original horse.
Ares, Gabrielle, and Eve mounted their horses and they headed off towards the road to Amphipolis.
To be Continued?
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