Deus Ex Gabrielle : The Author's Cut

Xena's fingers clutched at Gabrielle's unmoving shoulders, her nails digging desperately into pale flesh. She huddled over the body, shielding it with her own, all the while whispering soft, soothing words into a slightly charred ear.

Gabrielle didn't move.

The warrior princess' trembling fingers delicately stroked the lusterless red-gold hair that limply lay strewn across the black backdrop of her leather armor. An endless, all devouring sadness darkened her expression. The warrior's callused hand tentatively felt at the brittle, scorched ends of her lank hair, pausing briefly over the patchy swatches that had been burned away. The final awful flood of power unleashed by Gabrielle's attempt to free herself had cost the bard dearly, and the fact of her hair's disfigurement - even if no other had yet sunk in - firmly implanted itself in the warrior's mind, despite the numbness enshrouding her.

Gabrielle had finally managed to grow it back out again after the terrible short cut she'd gotten, Xena mourned silently, and now this... "It'll be okay, Gabrielle," Xena whispered, holding her head against her breast and rocking the motionless body like a mother with her child. "I won't leave you. Never again."

The watchers - Hercules, Iolaus, Autolycus, and Artemis - viewed this display with deep concern, disturbed by both her appearance and actions. Xena's eyes were dull and flat... without their usual gleam of alert readiness. The normally preternaturally watchful warrior was ignoring everything and everyone around her in her futile attempts to comfort her motionless friend.

Her mind began to shut down, unable to deal with such a loss yet again. The litany of death and betrayal that had been her life mocked Xena, sending her deep within herself, hiding from the pain of existence. Her friends recognized what she was doing - even if they didn't know the full extent of her pain - and mourned, unsure if anyone could help Xena to accept her latest loss.

To see one such as Xena, so powerful, so vibrant and full of life, brought to such a state was fundamentally disturbing even to a goddess - jealous of the warrior or no - like Artemis. Not even when afflicted with the madness of the Furies had she been brought so low, and the wrongness of her condition all but screamed of coming troubles to her friends.

The nonsensical phrases Xena continued to mumble while attempting to soothe the motionless form did nothing to reassure them about either Gabrielle's condition or Xena's sanity.

A brief flash of sparkling light heralded another divine arrival, and Hades and Celesta soon joined the somber group watching Xena.

"Uncle," Hercules said quietly, quickly moving to his side. Despite his responsibilities, Hades had long been a true friend, and if anyone could help the warrior deal with death...

"I know, Hercules," Hades responded quietly, resting one hand comfortingly on the demigod's arm. Despite the casual, even familiar nature of the gesture, it still struck the two mortals watching the exchange as odd. Despite his immeasurably greater age, the god of the underworld actually looked younger than Zeus' careworn son. Still, the compassion he evinced proved, more convincingly than words possibly could, the basis in untruth of most of the myths about the chronically overworked god.

The lord of the dead silently watched Xena mindlessly cradle the still body of her friend, then hesitantly asked his nephew, "Is she... Has she been..."

"She's been like this since... since... Gabrielle..." Artemis sobbed and couldn't complete her sentence, turning away from the sight of the two women as she struggled to muster her composure.

Hades simply nodded wordlessly, accepting the information from his niece without comment. Taking a deep breath to fortify himself, he slowly stepped forward, his sister trailing cautiously behind him. "Xena?" he began gently.

The warrior looked up from her friend for the first time... and saw the shrouded form of Celesta lurking silently behind the somber god of the underworld. The haze of mindlessness clouding her eyes vanished as a fire began to burn deep within those icy depths.

Lowering Gabrielle's unresisting form back onto the cushion of her bedroll, she unsheathed her new sword and leaped to her feet, positioning herself squarely between her friend's body and the chthonic deities. "Stay away, Celesta," Xena commanded, the fires of madness burning in her eyes. "I won't let you or Hades take her away from me - not again."

Hades raised an appeasing hand and Celesta obligingly stepped back. The lord of the underworld sighed and moved closer to the maddened warrior. "It's alright Xena. Like I've told you before, Amazons are outside of my jurisdiction. We're not here to take Gabrielle from you. I swear it on the Styx."

"Like I'd believe the word of one of the gods?" the warrior sneered in contempt. Drawing her old sword with her left hand, she launched into an intricate display of martial artistry, expertly spinning the two swords together in an interleaving pattern of cuts and thrusts that flashed menacingly in the sunlight. "Come any closer and I'll carve you both into so many pieces that not even Persephone will be able to put you back together again." She brandished the swords threateningly, silhouetted against the glowing sphere of the rising sun.

Despite himself, Hades stepped instinctively back. He was a god, and she was a mortal, but still... With that look in her eye he had little confidence that she couldn't do exactly as she promised. Her pupils had shrunk to pinpoints, and the whites of her sclera were clearly visible surrounding those fiery blue shards of ice she used as eyes. Gazing into those maddened orbs, the god had absolutely no desire to test either her resolve or her abilities.

"Xena, we..." Celesta softly began.

Trilling her warcry, Xena brandished the swords...

...and froze.

The sword Gabrielle had given her had begun to glow.

Her expression growing uneasy, the furious warrior watched the sword's glow increase until it shone even brighter than the sun rising into the sky behind her. The sword swiftly brightened, though the hilt remained cool despite logic's dictates, until the glow was painfully intense. Shielding her eyes against the brilliance of the light, Xena kept the glowing blade interposed protectively in front of her, shielding herself behind the barrier of its luminance.

When the light was too much for her to stand - even with eyes closed and covered, rivaling even that of Gabrielle's final burst of power - Xena drew back her arm and, using her other senses to guide her aim, threw the sword like a javelin, impaling Hades on the glowing blade. The warrior edged unsteadily back, unconsciously moving protectively closer to Gabrielle's body while shifting her remaining sword to her right hand.

"That stings!" Hades exclaimed in surprise, looking down to see the hilt sticking out of his chest. The glow from the blade leaked from the seams of his tunic and illuminated him from within. The sword's light shining into his heart made him appear to have a golden radiance burning in his core, bringing the bones of his arms and skull into stark highlight and making the pale flesh of his uncovered arms shine brilliantly.

With a grimace born half of pain and half of shock, he pulled the blade free from his heart with a slick sucking sound as his flesh slid across the cool metal of the sword. Briefly looking at the blade in his hand with distaste, he threw it aside with a rough caution, disconcerted by its ability to affect him. Tentatively feeling at the hole in his chest with one hand, he was frankly uncertain that a wound inflicted by such a blade would close properly, despite his divine invulnerability.

He'd been stabbed countless times in the past (for some reason, warriors condemned to Tartarus always seemed to think it would make him change his mind), but never had he actually felt any pain from the experience. Even though the pain had been minor considering the horrific nature of the wound, that he could feel it at all was extremely disconcerting.

He felt the wound closing normally under his hand, and his relief momentarily brightened his customarily dour features. The unaccustomed expression went unremarked however, hidden as it was by the intensity of the sword's radiance.

The sword itself was upright, embedded in the soft ground where the god had flung it, quivering slightly as it vibrated with residual momentum from the throw. A soft chiming tone came from the shivering metal, the sound sweet and steady, reflecting the perfection of the craftsmanship in its construction.

The glow from the blade intensified further, until even the gods were forced to avert their eyes from the pure light radiating from the weapon. When the last observer, Artemis, had finally averted her eyes, the light shifted, becoming the warm orange-crimson of banked coals.

Once the color had stabilized, the light began to fade. When the intensity had faded to tolerable levels, they turned back to see a figure step forward, holding the still faintly-glowing sword in one powerful hand.

"Hephaestus!"

"Hello, Xena," the god calmly greeted her, his scarred features smiling slightly. His hair was awry, his jerkin was on inside out, and he was unshod, but the god of fire and the forge was truly present.

"I knew the sword was a trap," the warrior snarled, a hint of madness returning to her eyes as she held her sword before her in a warding position. "Run back to Ares, and tell him I'm not interested."

"Ares doesn't know I'm here... not that I'd care if he did," he bluntly retorted. "And as to the sword," he began, then looked down at the weapon with the pride of a craftsman glowing in his face as he contemplated his work. "The sword was no trap," he finally denied, the truth of his words ringing in his voice. "I simply enchanted it to summon me when Gabrielle needed my help - and was free of Zeus' constraints."

Xena almost dropped her remaining sword, the effort of controlling her fury causing her arms to shake with repressed rage. For a moment she could only stare at him, but eventually she was forced to respond. "Free? But... but... she's dead!" the warrior shrieked madly, the admission shaking her so intensely, she did fumble her sword, the blade momentarily twisting in her convulsing grip, though she swiftly recovered. "Why didn't you help her before?" she demanded, regaining her grip on the weapon and returning to a wary stance.

"I couldn't help her because of Zeus' decrees," he explained gently, setting aside his own sword before stepping closer to the warrior. He ignored the threat of the blade she held poised near his vulnerable throat, and did his best to appear completely honest and trustworthy.

"And," he concluded softly, "Gabrielle's not dead."

It was hard to tell who screamed the loudest from the babel of many voices raised in unison, "WHAT?"

Xena dropped her sword and could only stare blankly at him, so great was her startlement. When she'd recovered from the initial shock of his pronouncement, her hands slowly closed into fists and quivered as she struggled to control herself. When they gradually relaxed, the silent watchers breathed a sigh of relief.

Naturally, that was when she struck.

Without preamble, her hands launched themselves for the god of the forge. Grabbing him roughly by the jerkin, she yanked his face close to her own before hissing between clenched teeth, "Don't try to play tricks on me, god," her sneer made the title one of contempt. "She's dead, or else Celesta wouldn't be here."

"Actually," Celesta calmly interrupted her, "Hades and I are only here to make sure you don't go on a rampage."

Autolycus rolled his eyes. "Oh, that was very smooth," he muttered.

"Sorry," the goddess whispered back, shrugging. "It's the truth."

For a moment Xena fought the upwelling of hope she felt in her heart, but at last relented as the possibility of Gabrielle's return shattered all the barriers she'd built around her soul. "Help her," she whispered to the god, the command she'd intended sounding like a plea as her emotions shone naked in her eyes.

"If I can," he gently whispered back.

Xena released him and stepped aside as the lame god cautiously walked over to Gabrielle's still unmoving form. Crouching carefully as he favored his lame leg, he pulled a small, highly polished silver mirror from inside a pocket (having to contort himself slightly to get it, since his jerkin was inside out) and held it to her motionless lips. Xena's hopes soared as the faintest tinge of vapor appeared on the divinely perfect, glittering surface.

With a smile of reassurance for the warrior, he turned his attention entirely to his patient. One of Hephaestus' hands began to glow with a warm, buttery yellow light as he pressed it softly against her still chest. He stared unblinking into her unseeing eyes, and quietly began to work on healing her.

With a flash of light and a swirl of rose petals, a more than slightly disheveled Aphrodite materialized wearing only a diaphanous robe. "Heph!" she cried out. "You leave me hanging like that again without finishing me and I'll..." the goddess stopped as she caught sight of him kneeling beside Gabrielle's motionless form. "Whoa, major bummer."

Xena grabbed the love goddess in a bruising grip by the throat and cut off any further words. "Interrupt him, and I'll smash every single one of your temples and make sure your altars will be covered with nothing but fish for the next thousand years," she threatened with a growl.

"Grody!" Aphrodite, a disgusted expression on her face, actually looked around for the first time and took in the somber gathering. "Art? Herc? Like, what's going on? What's the sitch?"

Xena pushed her over to join the small cluster of watchers, ignoring her surprised "Hey!" of protest, before turning back to the silently laboring Hephaestus and Gabrielle.

Smiling at Iolaus, Aphrodite giggled and thrust her chest out, her breasts doing marvelous things under the transparent fabric. Used to her antics, the hunter only rolled his eyes, though Autolycus almost fell over, much to Aphrodite's delight. "Hey Golden Boy, if you can tear yourself away from Art for a minute, how 'bout explaining what's going on?"

Artemis turned a withering frown of distaste at her alleged half sister (who blithely ignored her disapproval) then turned back to watch Hephaestus, chewing on her lower lip as she struggled to suppress the heady mix of fear and elation that threatened to consume her composure.

"Sure..." Iolaus said, walking over to her, followed by the preening King of Thieves.

Amazonian women are fine, the thief mused silently as he edged away from the slimly muscular shape of Artemis, but this goddess has plenty of curves in all the right places... More importantly, she didn't look anywhere near as intimidating as Artemis... Plus, he'd never stolen anything from Aphrodite.

The fact that she wasn't a virgin goddess didn't hurt his choice, either.

"You knew Gabrielle was a goddess, right?" Iolaus began, ignoring Autolycus and his posturing as thoroughly as Aphrodite was.

"Well duh," Aphrodite retorted. "Just 'cause I'm a blonde doesn't mean I'm ignorant."

"Right," the blonde hunter muttered in response. "Anyway..."

Before he could continue, a sparkling flash was replaced by a slightly heavyset god wearing a toga. A golden pair of talaria were on his feet, and a tacky bronze cap with miniature wings sprouting from the crown graced his head. Seeing the goddess of love, he paused to give greetings. "Hey, 'Dite, wat'cha doin' here?"

"Hi, Herm. I'm here with Heph. What's shakin', dude?" Aphrodite responded brightly, her eyes twinkling.

"Got a message for Art. I..." He trailed off as he noticed Autolycus and Iolaus. "Hey, I know you guys... I met you at the Palladium, right?" His expression grew serious as he looked closely at Iolaus' face, "You know, you look much better without the beard."

Autolycus attempted to look innocent, but despite much practice at the deception, didn't manage to carry it off very well. "Oh, I quite agree."

"Gee, thanks," Iolaus muttered.

"Let's see... Let me think... I remember," the messenger of the gods continued, scratching behind one ear with a blunt fingernail. He snapped his fingers, and proudly announced, "Yeah, it was on mud wrestling day. Iphigenia took the laurels." The god's grin as he remembered that day was huge and faintly lecherous. Aphrodite giggled and even Hercules looked slightly amused despite the gravity of the situation, though Artemis looked away in disgust.

Hermes frowned and drew the two mortals away from the watchful eyes of the crowd. "Anyway, I've been looking for you ever since."

The two men exchanged nervous glances, and in a higher than normal pitched voice, Autolycus asked, "Really?" This day was wreaking havoc on his nerves. Abruptly noting he had a coin in his hand, he swiftly pocketed it, then got ready to run. Iolaus could take care of himself...

"Yeah," the god continued. "That rutabaga stuff you put on my feet... I gotta admit, I wasn't too keen on the idea at first, but they never felt better than after they soaked in that stuff. The mask and cucumber thing I could do without, but my feet...I'm on the go all the time, know what I mean? Do ya... you know, got any more?" he asked hopefully.

Almost comatose with relief, Iolaus had to laugh. "Sorry, we had to get into a new line of work. Not enough profit."

The King of Thieves felt almost giddy. I've gotten away with it! I was sure Herc had told... Seeing the god's crestfallen face, Autolycus casually wrapped one arm around the god's shoulders in a gesture of camaraderie and support. "You know who could help you? Salmoneus." I've actually stolen from two gods and gotten away with it! he continued to exult silently.

Well, one, anyway, he was forced to admit, even in the midst of his gloating triumph. Artemis probably still wants to kill me. Even that thought couldn't wholly repress him. Filled with a sense of invincibility, he slyly dipped his hand into the god's belt pouch and casually pilfered the contents. "If anybody could get you some more, Salmoneus could," he concluded.

"Salmoneus... Salmoneus... the name's familiar somehow." Hermes rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Is he one of my worshippers?"

"It wouldn't surprise me in the least," Autolycus assured him.

"As the god of merchants or as the god of thieves?" Iolaus asked with a small laugh, his own relief at the god's ignorance of their theft plain.

"There's a difference?" Hermes and Autolycus asked in unison. They shared a hearty laugh.

"You know Autolycus, I think I like you," the god said, patting him on the back.

"You... know my name," the king of thieves said slowly, beginning to grow nervous again.

"Of course." Hermes held up a grappling hook and a large gold coin, causing the mortal to frantically pat his sleeves and pockets. "My message?" the god of thieves asked, holding up the items he'd stolen from the king of thieves.

"No hard feelings, right?" Autolycus asked, a sickly smile sprouting on his face as he returned the note that had been in the god's pouch. I always knew my ego would get me killed someday, but I also always thought I'd be in bed with three women at the time...

"Nah," Hermes chuckled, returning the items in his hands, but somehow neglecting to return an emerald flask that Autolycus had secreted in his beltpouch. "Just habit, right? Remember, though - you're behind on your tithes to my temples."

Scowling, but swiftly stowing his possessions, Autolycus soon realized what else was missing. "Umm... Hermes? Sir? My diamond?"

Holding it up to the light, Hermes admired it briefly. "Oh well. The fun is in the stealing of it anyway." He tossed it back to the greatly relieved thief. "Ya know, I really like you Auto. You're a lot of fun. I know this little place down in Boetia... We should hang out."

"Well... what's not to like?" Autolycus nervously chuckled in response, almost giddy again now that it looked like he'd survive his mistake. He swiftly hid the diamond in a pocket under his shirt, and decided not to press his luck by trying to get back Artemis' flask.

"Tell ya what... Just get me some more of the rutabaga juice, and we'll call it even. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Leave it on any of my altars," Hermes instructed him with a smile, then walked over to Artemis. "Hey Art?" He paused but there was no response. "Artemis?" Still nothing. "Yo, woods babe?"

"Why me?" he sighed in frustration. Hermes followed her gaze and noted Hephaestus and Gabrielle for the first time. "Hello! Babe alert... Hey wait, it's that new chick."

"My chosen," Artemis growled savagely, turning to face him.

"No offense meant, Art," the messenger placated her. "Athena sent a message for you." He handed over the small parchment he had retrieved from Autolycus, then turned to watch Hephaestus as she read.

With a small flash, the smith god summoned a strange mechanism from his workshop as he continued to work over Gabrielle's body. The construct was as much art as tool, the spherical machine made of chromed steel and platinum, with dozens of transparent faceted gemstones inset around the upper half of the device, and a crystal so clear that the perfection of its internal structure was visible glittered on the top.

Autolycus' eyes widened as he contemplated the beautiful and valuable... whatever that thing was, though the recent shock to his system held him silent and motionless. Self-preservation was, after all, one of the few things powerful enough to compel him to ignore his inclinations.

Frowning in concentration and ignoring the whispers from the observers, Hephaestus carefully connected thin gold wires leading from the bowels of the machine to Gabrielle's chest and temple, then began fiddling with the jewels on the device, blunt fingers pressing down on the gems in an intricate pattern. As he worked, the crystal dominating the top of the machine started to glow as it began collecting the sun's rays to power itself, while brilliant multicolored lights flickered into pulsating life inside the hearts of the transparent jewels.

"Groovy," Hermes muttered.

Artemis scowled quellingly, then turned back to her message.

Under Xena's watchful eye, Hephaestus held his glowing hand over Gabrielle's chest and watched the lights. Slowly, the glow from his hand shifted from a pale yellow to a soothing green, while the lights inside the device began to blink faster, the colors shifting faster than mortal eyes could follow. "Aphrodite?" he asked, his voice showing the strain he was feeling.

"What?" she retorted.

"I need more energy. Would you assist me?"

"Ew," Aphrodite said, looking down at the scorched body wired to the machine. "Morbid much?"

"Think 'Fish,'" Xena ordered, scowling ferociously.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to 'Make Love, not War?' Oh, that's right... you did both - sometimes at the same time."

"Aphrodite, please?" Hephaestus swiftly asked, forestalling a much more venomous retort from the warrior.

"Oh, all right," the goddess pouted. She flounced over to her husband and took his free hand in her own. The glow from Hephaestus' other hand immediately intensified as she joined her power to his, and the lights inside the device began blinking in a rapid staccato pattern, the colors visibly swirling from one jewel to the next.

"Cool," Hermes breathed as he watched the light show. Struck by a sudden thought, he turned to Amazon goddess. "Hey Art, what was the message, anyway?"

"You remember those scrolls I had you disperse?" Artemis answered off-handedly, her eyes remaining glued to her chosen.

"Sure... set a new personal record, getting all those out in one night."

"Ares is having Discord and his other lackeys gather them up again," she muttered distractedly. "They've missed a few, but already most have been collected and destroyed."

"Now that's a real shame," Hermes shook his head in disappointment. "It was such a good story, too. Made me want to go find a chicken."

Artemis wisely let that pass without comment.

The glow around Hephaestus' hand chose that moment to flicker out. The lights within his machine continued to burn brightly, but Gabrielle herself showed no change.

"What's wrong?" Xena demanded.

Hephaestus and Aphrodite approached the anxious warrior with somber expressions, the expression looking severely out of place on the love goddess' face. "Something's wrong," the god of the forge began his explanation.

"What?" Xena and Artemis demanded in unison.

"We don't know, duh," Aphrodite retorted.

"I'll explain, dear," Hephaestus said gently, patting her arm in reassurance. "Thanks."

Aphrodite smiled in gratitude, then wandered back to Gabrielle's motionless body. With a wave of her hand, she absently fixed the burned hair, though no other change was evident. "That's much better." She looked down at the body and muttered too softly for the others to hear, "Too bad you didn't take me up on my offer... but..." Her voice raised in volume. "Hey, that outfit's totally bitchin'. Maybe I should try the leather look..."

Ignoring her, Xena asked Hephaestus again, "What's wrong?"

"To be blunt, I just don't know. I've stabilized her condition, but it's strange... She's not a god, but she's not quite a mortal, either... and she's not responding like she should in either case." He sighed and ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. "Maybe I don't know enough about healing, but I don't know what else to do."

Artemis simply nodded, saying only, "I'll bring help," before teleporting out.

Xena scowled, but a familiar crawling sensation across the back of her neck diverted her. "All right, whoever you are you might as well appear... I don't like it when gods hide around me."

Persephone flashed into existence with a sheepish grin. "Sorry," she apologized, wrapping her arms around Hades' waist.

The sensation didn't fade despite the goddess' appearance. Irritated far beyond the point of politeness, Xena barked to the empty air, "Let's just get this over with... all the other gods hanging around, you better just appear now, before I lose my temper."

The combined flash from so many gods appearing simultaneously was blinding.

Cyane scowled irritably as she stalked across the barren landscape. She'd been forced to spend years lurking in this desolate terrain, and she liked it even less now that she'd had a taste of what waited through the Gates of Eternity. A small smile briefly crossed her face. Ah, Lysistrata...

Shaking off her distraction, she focused on her mission. Maybe the young pups didn't make a mistake in summoning me, she mused. Here, in the Land of the Dead, she could feel the disturbance in the aether for herself. It was disconcerting, and even slightly uncomfortable, if not overly intense, and someone had to get to the bottom of it. It might as well be me, since I'm already here.

Off in the distance, she could barely make out the figure of another person sitting on a rock. Altering her course to intercept the person, she struck out for the dimly perceived figure, legs flashing as she sprinted across the rocky ground.

She was short, Cyane noted as she neared the patiently waiting woman, with shoulder-length red hair. She also wore one of the ridiculously short and revealing leather outfits that the Greek Amazons loved so much - and which she herself had definitely come to appreciate since her arrival in Eternity. "What are you doing here?" she demanded harshly as she came to a stop in front of the stranger.

"Cyane?" the woman responded curiously, looking up at the taller Amazon.

"You know me?" Cyane asked cautiously. The stranger didn't look threatening, but it was still better to be safe than sorry - even if she was already dead.

"Not exactly," the woman replied, "More like I know of you. You are sort of famous, and... I know some of the Telaquir. They have lots of nice things to say about you," she drawled, openly eyeing the woman's trim form.

"I'll bet they do." Cyane actually blushed at the sly invitation in the woman's voice. She found her irritation and suspicion fading slightly, though not entirely, as she shivered under the hot-eyed inspection of the Greek Amazon. "That doesn't matter. Who are you, and what are you doing here?" she asked, still confrontational, though not quite as impolitely.

"There's no need to be rude. My name's Terreis. I was a princess of the Greek Amazons. I'm here because I felt the holder of my right of caste pass... well, sort of. It's complicated, but... it wasn't like the passing of any of the others I've known, so I thought I'd be here to meet her."

"That's so sweet," the Siberian snorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm as her irritation flared up again. "But something's not right here. You should go back to Eternity and wait until I can fix it. Your heir can make it there on her own."

Pulling out a pair of chobos, Terreis snorted in turn. "Right... like I'd trust you to watch over Gabrielle. After what Lysi had to say about your tastes? Not likely. I'm not moving until Gabrielle gets here."

"I..." the Siberian stopped as she spotted a flicker of movement from the corner of her eye. Spinning in place, she drew her sword and tried to identify whatever had moved. "What was that?" she asked the other Amazon, futilely searching the bleak landscape for the source of the motion.

Terreis turned to look, lowering her chobos slightly, then asked, "That shadow?" She shrugged as she put away her weapons. "No one knows." She turned curiously back to Cyane and asked in surprise, "Haven't you seen it before? It's been lurking about Eternity for a while now.

"Frankly, I'm a little surprised to see it out here; mainly it appears by the hot springs and the purification huts, but occasionally it will show up near one of the living quarters. It's harmless... or at least it hasn't done anything yet, but none of the shamanesses, priestesses, or wise women I've spoken to have been able to expel it or even identify it."

Cyane nodded slowly, trying to keep the shadow in view. Almost as though it knew it had drawn their attention, it edged away, dancing around in an effort to evade their direct gaze. "It makes me nervous."

"It..." Terreis trailed off as a rotating vortex of bluish light opened up in the air beside them. The two Amazons spun to face the maelstrom, then watched a small woman fall from the center of the disturbance to land in a heap on the dusty ground. "Gabrielle!" she happily called out.

The vortex compressed itself into a gleaming point which winked out with a small flash as Gabrielle unsteadily climbed to her feet. Terreis happily stepped forward to help her, but lost her balance as her arm passed completely through her heir's translucent form. "Whoa!"

"Terreis!" Gabrielle exclaimed, as she regained her equilibrium. She turned and tried to hug the Amazon, but was shocked when she stepped through her instead. "Whoa! I figured I was dead, but I thought the dead could touch each other," she muttered, brushing her hair away from her face.

"Oh, they can," Terreis said, casting a slyly amused glance at Cyane. Turning back to her heir, she continued, "And you should be able to as well. I can't imagine what's wrong."

The deceased Amazon princess examined Gabrielle closely. She looked... spectral. A faint green tinge colored her form, and when she looked at Gabrielle carefully, she could see the shapes of the rocks behind her... through her. Unlike the two other deceased Amazons, she looked like a ghost.

"You look... different. And what's up with that outfit?" Terreis concluded, clucking her tongue while looking at the scanty armor. "Melosa would never have approved - though it's certainly a step up from what you were wearing the last time I saw you."

Gabrielle looked down and blushed. I can't even get out of Ares' armor when I'm dead. "It's... a long story."

Cyane looked the new arrival over carefully, her frown growing as she took in each detail and felt the essential wrongness emanating from her. She had found the source of the disturbance.

"You - whatever you are - are the source of the problem, and..." She paused and looked up and down the short length of her, "By the gods... you're even smaller than Terreis... aren't you a little short to be an Amazon? Don't they feed you in your village?"

Terreis roughly backhanded her in the stomach. "Shut up... this is Queen Gabrielle, my heir. Show her some respect. She was sort of a god before she died."

"I would show her respect," Cyane retorted, "but she's what's causing the disturbance in the aether. You can tell she isn't normal... she's almost like that damned shadow."

"Shadow?" Gabrielle asked curiously. A flicker of motion from behind the two Amazons drew her attention. When she stared closely at it, her eyes widened in shock. "Strife? I thought you were..."

Before she could complete the sentence, an angry grating noise echoed across the bleak landscape. A rumble shook the ground, the uneven motion causing Cyane and Terreis to crouch awkwardly to keep from being knocked from their feet. Gabrielle simply looked around for the source of the noise, not feeling the vibration since she was intangible, though she could see the effects. Unnoticed by the three Amazons, the mysterious shadow fled as an intense pinpoint of red light appeared beside the pale green figure of Gabrielle.

"You aren't getting away from me that easily, Gabrielle," Ares announced as he materialized in a burst of flame. The God of War smirked, then snapped his fingers, causing the two to vanish in identical flashes of flaming red light, leaving only the echoes of his mocking laughter lingering in the air over the once again peaceful wasteland.

"What was that?" Cyane demanded rhetorically, drawing her sword as she searched frantically for signs of either of the two vanished figures. Although she hadn't expected an answer, the other Amazon provided one.

"Ares," Terreis snarled savagely, brandishing her chobos in a futile display of fury at the now empty air. "God of War."

The Siberian Amazon sheathed her sword and stared at the empty terrain where the missing two had disappeared. "Huh. Nice entrance."

Xena sat dispiritedly beside Gabrielle's silent body, absently caressing her hair. Her hair had more red in its tone, she noted, twining the silken strands around her calloused fingers, than was its wont in recent years. Aphrodite's doing, or the ambrosia? she wondered, but failed to muster much enthusiasm for her curiosity in the face of Gabrielle's unchanged condition.

The soft "beeps" and "whirs" coming from Hephaestus' machine did nothing to comfort her, though the slight warmth that continued to emanate from Gabrielle's too pale flesh was slightly reassuring. She'd been around enough corpses in her life to recognize that as a positive sign, but the continual lack of response from her was troublesome.

At least it's quiet, she thought. The dismal silence suited her mood perfectly.

After the horde of gods had descended upon them - at her own instigation, sadly - the din of the panic and confusion as Hades and Hercules had forcibly evicted most of them had been horrendous. The noise and fighting that ensued had further darkened her mood, and her heavy heart ached as she slumped beside Gabrielle's body.

Xena was miserable, and she was beginning to realize that nothing would change that until Gabrielle was well again.

Not even the spectacle of Aphrodite and Persephone beaning the newly-arrived gods in the head - Aphrodite with heavy golden apples, and Persephone with pomegranates thrown with a surprisingly adept sidearm - had been able to brighten her spirits. Seeing Hephaestus threatening Phobos with his hammer hadn't even made her smile, nor the antics of Hermes and Autolycus as they teamed up to bedevil some river god she didn't recognize. As she silently fiddled with Gabrielle's restored hair, the small part of her that still cared what happened to her was becoming afraid that nothing would ever be right with her again.

The flash of another god appearing was met with equal apathy, though when she saw it was Discord that had appeared, she did feel a faint quiver of rage beginning to stir in her soul. She remained by Gabrielle's side, turning one eye watchfully in the goddess' direction.

"What a depressing bunch this is," Discord sneered, looking around the assemblage of silent watchers before strutting towards Hermes.

"You're not wanted here, Discord," Hercules announced, his frown deepening as he crossed his arms across his chest. "So go away."

"Back off, muscle-boy," Discord ordered, managing to stare down her nose at him despite his greater height. "I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm just looking for Ares. I wanted to see if Hermes here knew where he was."

Despite herself, Xena felt her curiosity beginning to reemerge. Why isn't Ares here? She had expected him to show up long since - to gloat, if nothing else. Knowing him, though, she feared he was more likely to try to sell Gabrielle's restoration to her at the cost of her soul. If not even his lackeys know where he is... She frowned as she pondered that unusual bit of news, not liking any of the few possibilities she could think of to explain it. Where is he?

"Sorry, babe," Hermes shrugged from his position near Autolycus. "Haven't seen him in a while."

"Hades' codpiece," Discord cursed, then flinched slightly as she realized the god was actually present. "Sorry, Uncle," she muttered, slightly embarrassed by the slip.

"No offense taken," Hades replied with a quirk of his lip that was almost a smile.

"Why did you want him, anyway?" Hermes asked curiously.

"I've been running all over creation destroying those stupid scrolls you and Artemis concocted and..." She looked around at the others - divinities and mortals alike - who were watching her much too closely for her comfort. "Never mind. You don't need to know."

Feeling the weight of someone's eyes still on her, she spun about and glared. It was Hercules' mortal sidekick, she realized, recognizing him easily. Frowning at Iolaus, who was staring at her with jaw agape, she demanded with eyes burning with wrath, "What?"

"Discord... the... you... you're dressed!" Iolaus stammered, staring at her in disbelief.

That response actually set her aback. Discord looked down at herself. She was wearing an old outfit of hers, made of maroon leather with silver studs and polished steel highlights. It wasn't one of her newer outfits, but it still looked quite good on her. "Excuse me?" she asked, the strangeness of the situation draining away the worst of her instinctive ire.

"It's so... modest," the sidekick continued, aghast.

It is much more modest than my usual outfits, Discord had to admit. Not a single centimeter of her torso's flesh was visible, and it covered her from throat to mid-thigh, without even any see-through sections or strategic openings to give it spice. The goddess batted her eyes at him coquettishly and struck a pose, only half mockingly. "This old thing? I just found it in my closet. Do you like it?"

"Well, yeah." Iolaus looked a bit taken aback by her reaction. "It's just..." he started to respond, then glanced around at the bemused expressions on the other gods' faces before explaining, "I haven't seen you wear anything like that since I was practically just a kid - back at Cheiron's academy."

"Those were some fun days weren't they? We had some good times, back then." A rare, pleased smile briefly brightened Discord's pale face, but it soon dissolved into a sour frown. "Hey!" She stomped up to him and scowled ferociously. "Don't think I've forgotten that you turned me into a chicken!"

A teasing grin momentarily crossed her features, but her eyes remained cold. She stood on her toes to position her mouth beside his ear, then whispered, "We'll definitely talk later."

Iolaus jumped as she vanished. He didn't know which had startled him more - the sudden pain as she bit his earlobe with surprisingly sharp teeth, or her brief caress as she caught him in a very intimate grip through the leather of his pants. He fingered his ear and wasn't really surprised to see blood staining his fingertips. He glanced up to see everyone - both mortal and divine - staring at him. "What?"

"You're playing with fire, boy," Hephaestus warned. "She'll eat you alive, bones and all."

"Leave him alone," Hades retorted. "It's his funeral."

Hercules simply made a strangling noise, not sure whether to laugh or give him a lecture.

"I didn't mean it like that," Iolaus protested, shocked by their reactions. Everyone was misinterpreting what he had said, and the look on Aphrodite's face was definitely... disconcerting. "Look, trust me, I don't have a thing for Discord, alright?"

Aphrodite simply looked enormously pleased with herself. "It's okay, you don't have to hide it. It's just so sweet... I think you and Eris will make a very cute couple. Oh I can't wait to hold your children." She ignored his flabbergasted look and offered him an elaborately carved golden apple. "This one will work on her," the goddess whispered, winking and nudging him slyly with one elbow.

Throwing his hands up, Iolaus backed away, keeping his hands well clear of the apple. "I don't want it... look, it just took me by surprise, seeing her dressed like that. I didn't mean anything by it, it was just a stupid comment. I love Nebula, not Discord!" Turning from her, he stomped away, cursing sourly under his breath.

Looking smugly confident, Aphrodite opened her mouth to reply, but stopped as a triple flash heralded the latest arrival. "We'll talk later," she promised in a whisper before winking and turning to face the new visitors.

The look on Iolaus' face was priceless. Despite the grim situation, the mood among the watchers perceptibly lightened as they digested the comically shocked horror on his countenance at the very idea, and several actually smiled briefly. Xena, however, did not.

Xena knew she should speak up to defend Iolaus, but couldn't seem to muster the energy. Not even the brief surge of anger she'd felt when Discord arrived could long overcome the overwhelming malaise and the crushing sense of apathy that was smothering her like a shroud. She turned slightly to face the latest burst of energy announcing the arrival of another god, the depression still hanging from her like a miasma.

All that changed after Artemis finished materializing.

The Amazon goddess had returned with reinforcements for the effort at healing Gabrielle : Apollo and Asclepius. Each was held in check by the crushing grip she maintained on an ear, and she twisted those aching appendages viciously while dragging the protesting duo towards her chosen's motionless frame.

Xena's eyes narrowed and her breathing became deep and steady. Her focus tunnelled until all she could see or hear was the golden form of Apollo. While one hand continued caressing Gabrielle's hair, the other stealthily reached out to take a firm grip on the hilt of her sword.

The source of all her misery and pain, the god who had taken Gabrielle away from her - and led her to this sorry end - was finally within her reach. A snarl like that of a stalking panther flitted across her face before being masked behind a camouflaging expression of apathy. Her eyes were anything but apathetic as they watched Artemis drag Apollo closer. She shifted her weight in preparation for launching an attack, easing the stiffness in her joints and flexing tired muscles. Freeing her hand from its confinement within the tangle of Gabrielle's hair, she kept it resting on Gabrielle's scalp, disguising her change in focus from the observers.

By chance, Hercules happened to be looking in Xena's direction as the predatory expression crossed her face, the snarl vanishing almost as soon as it appeared. So swiftly did it disappear that he almost convinced himself that it hadn't been there - until he met her steely gaze. He recognized the look in her eyes despite her efforts to conceal it, and he hurried to her side. With exceeding care, he cautiously tried to persuade her to calm down.

The last thing Gabrielle needed was to have Xena go berserk and attack the one god who might save her - but given the warrior's state of mind, that looked all too likely to happen. "Let him help Gabrielle," the demigod soothed softly, "before you seek any vengeance."

The red haze that had clouded Xena's vision drained slowly away at his calm instruction. She wanted to hate him for reminding her of that need, but she couldn't. He was right. And she owed him too much to ever hate him. Reluctantly, she released the sword hilt, then took his hand to allow him to help her to her feet. She tried to smile at him in acknowledgement and gratitude for his understanding, but the expression she summoned was more ghastly than reassuring, and never reached her eyes. Turning back to face Apollo, she set her face in a grim mask.

Artemis ignored the brief byplay, concentrating on forcing her unwilling relatives closer to Gabrielle. "Ow, ow, ow... Knock it off, sis," Apollo protested as he was dragged across the clearing by his ear. "Remember? My ribs are injured," he whined.

"And what did I do, Aunt Arty? Ouch!" Apollo's son added, wincing as she gave an especially cruel tug on his already sore ear.

"Quiet!" the Amazon goddess commanded, pushing them both into an ignominious heap at Gabrielle's feet. "This is your fault, so you and your greedy little brat are going to heal her."

Rubbing his ear, Asclepius looked down on his patient and immediately refused. "No way... she and that warrior of hers all but wiped out my priesthood in Thessaly. My most promising acolyte in centuries and she turns him... secular." His face twisted as though he tasted something truly foul.

Apollo seconded his son's opinion. "And my ribs still hurt. That vicious little..." he stopped as he noticed his sister's rising fury, then continued in a much more placatory tone. "Amazon deserves what she got."

Xena quietly reached for the sword again, but Artemis acted before she could grasp the hilt. With a barely detectable flicker of light, her bow appeared in her hands. Less than a heartbeat later, before either of the gods could react to the weapon's presence, an arrow was nocked and aimed directly at Apollo's heart. "Do it... or you'll be able to discuss the dubious pleasures of being a chicken with Discord."

"Artemis! I'm your brother - we're gods! She's less than nothing... she's just another mortal plaything! How can you..." He stopped as he read her expression, which had darkened with each syllable he uttered.

"Don't. Tempt. Me. Any. More," Artemis whispered, her words dripping frost as her eyes lit up with white fire. She increased the tension on the bowstring, and her brow furrowed. "Do it... now." she emphasized slowly.

"Come on, Dad," Asclepius muttered, pulling the sun god towards the prone figure, "Zeus almost knocked me off once, and I don't want to ever go through anything like that again." He flinched away from Artemis, and then cringed at the even more vicious expression on Xena's face. He practically dragged his father towards Gabrielle, cowering away from the looming presence of the two fearsome females.

Apollo scowled, but eventually nodded in agreement. His sister would get over her anger; she always did... and after all, between him and his son, there was nothing they couldn't heal - which was a good thing for his toys, since mortals were so... fragile.

Tugging his arm free from Asclepius' grip, Apollo strutted towards the recumbent Gabrielle, his confidence and pride resurging with each jaunty step. He was almost his usual cocky self by the time he caught sight of Hephaestus' machine. "That is so cool... you know, that'd look great hanging above the dance floor at my bar."

Unlike Apollo, Asclepius could see Artemis' face, and her reaction to his insouciance was terrifying to the minor deity. "Dad..." he whined.

"Alright, alright," he sighed, kneeling on the opposite side of Gabrielle from his offspring. "Don't get your chiton in a bunch. Let's do it." The two gods' hands glowed as they began to stroke her body.

After Artemis harshly cleared her throat and strummed the string on her bow, they grimaced, but kept their motions much more suitably chaste.

Xena and Artemis shared a mutual look of hope and wary triumph, united for once in their hope for Gabrielle's restoration, as they settled back to watch the two work - though each kept their hands conspicuously near their weapons. They'd been through too much already to risk lowering their watchful vigil, and neither of the two laboring gods inspired much confidence in their devotion to their duties.

Hercules tried to follow what Apollo and Asclepius were doing, but watching their repetitive and incomprehensible movements soon palled. Glancing around the clearing, he casually checked on the other observers.

Xena and Artemis wore identical grim expressions, but at least remained calm - and seemed less prone to immediate acts of violence. Autolycus was talking quietly with Hermes, his expression shifting between terror, glee, and fascination as they spoke. The other gods - Hades, Aphrodite, Persephone, and Hephaestus - were clustered together near the far edge of the clearing, conversing in low voices, while Iolaus was attempting to gather the belongings he'd spilled earlier. Plucking items from the loose forest litter covering the ground, he kept casting worried eyes in Gabrielle's direction, and muttering sourly about Discord and his non-attraction to her.

All things considered, it was probably the most peaceful interlude yet in this very strange morning. Maybe things were finally starting to go the way they should, he thought hopefully.

A brief rumble of thunder echoing from the cloudless sky quashed that idea.

Gabrielle faded into consciousness gradually, her mind whirling as distorted images danced before her eyes, melded with shapeless blobs of color that oozed across her eyelids. She groaned at the nauseating sensation and struggled to think, but the effort proved to be too much for her delicate constitution to handle. She relaxed back against the soft surface she was lying on and tried to calm herself. What happened? she wondered.

"You really should wake up now, Gabrielle. Your time is very short."

Gee, thanks, Ares, Gabrielle thought darkly, not bothering to speak her thoughts as her head throbbed painfully. I really wanted to hear... Wait a minute... Her thoughts trailed off as her mind processed what it had just heard. Ares?

She opened her eyes and stared up into her own mirrored reflection. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she slowly looked around. She was back in Ares' room, she realized, and was... in his bed.

Sitting up hurriedly, Gabrielle threw off the blankets that covered her, ignoring the mercifully brief but sharp pain that her abrupt motion caused, then swiftly patted herself, verifying that her clothes were all still in place. For the first time since being trapped in them, she was happy to find herself still encased within the confines of the scanty leather outfit. "Ares?" she called out questioningly, her uncertainty and trepidation clear in her voice.

"Yes. Care to... join me?" he asked, the unnatural innocence of the god's tone all but screaming the double meaning of his too casual invitation into her ears.

Rising to her feet, Gabrielle followed the sound of his voice past his collection of torture implements. Somehow the suite of rooms seemed larger than she remembered, though perhaps it was only because she was moving so slowly. She passed through a final vaulted archway and found him.

The God of War was sitting in his hot tub, submerged to the neck in steaming water. The frothing bubbles covered the surface of the water, his head peeking out of the layer of foam like a lone boulder rising up from out of a snow-covered field. The water steamed and splashed merrily against his beard, the bubbling oddly quiet for all its frenetic activity. He looked oddly relaxed - or at least as relaxed as he ever looked.

Gabrielle tried to choke down her laughter as she stared at the god's head (the only visible part of him), and managed to only produce a rather strangled snort. She'd thought that Ares would be able to tell that she and Artemis had adulterated his pool... but apparently not.

She was sure her face had frozen in an odd expression, and she could definitely feel the heat of the blush suffusing her cheeks, but she didn't dare try to change her expression; she was too afraid the laughter that was threatening to boil over inside her would come bubbling forth in a hysteric fit that would make Xena's seem tame by comparison. She could only gasp, "Uh..." and stare at him while she wrestled with her startled amusement.

"Welcome back, Gabrielle," Ares smirked. "Feel free to climb in... I'll even make an exception with the armor," one eyelid shivered, almost but not quite winking saucily at her, "just this once."

"No thanks," she managed to force out, regaining a semblance of her composure. She took a deep, calming breath before asking, "So what is it this time, Ares? Isn't dying proof enough that I don't want anything to do with you?"

Ares chuckled. "What you want doesn't really matter very much anymore; I've claimed you for my own. Face it, Gabrielle - you belong to me now, and you wouldn't believe how much I'm looking forward to making you mine."

"Right," Gabrielle snorted, raising one eyebrow even as she glared down at him. Her amusement began to dwindle when she realized he might be even partially serious. "I don't think so. I'm dead, which means I'm Hades' responsibility - or maybe whoever is in charge of the Amazon land of the dead - but in any case," she paused and took a deep breath, "I certainly don't belong to you."

Smiling broadly, Ares slowly stood up in the tub. He was naked, she couldn't help but notice, the foaming water parting and dissolving on his skin to reveal broad shoulders as he rose, followed shortly by the chiseled planes of his pectorals and the smooth ripples of his stomach...

Face flaming, Gabrielle spun about. "Do you mind?"

His laughter was mocking, knowing. "Not at all."

Cautiously, Gabrielle peeked over her shoulder with one wary eye. She was vastly relieved to see him still waist deep in the frothy water, the bubbles covering his modesty - barely. He was safely shielded from her gaze by the obscuring veil of froth.

Despite her embarrassment and discomfiture at her current situation, she found her eyes unable to leave the level of the water as her mind explored a curious side track while the water lapped at his pelvis : Aphrodite had been born from the sea foam - theoretically because of the presence of a single god's severed... well, member. This water was - to put it nicely - infused with the... um, essences of two different goddesses - well, including herself, but she'd been a goddess at the time, so that counted. A combination of me, Ares, and Artemis would be the likely result if Ares was to...

Firmly she forced her mind to stop its wild speculations. That was one thought she did not want him to pick from her mind. She had enough trouble dealing with him as it was, without adding a new godling like Hope to the already vastly complicated situation. Though remembering the heat she'd felt filling her when Ares had...

She sighed surreptitiously, and quelled those... entirely too distracting thoughts, then turned to face him directly. He looked much too amused by her reactions for her peace of mind, and she did her best to further bury thoughts that might give him any ideas. "Would you..." she gestured uncertainly with one hand, still flustered, "you know... sit down again?"

"Now why would I want to do that?" he asked, an odd gleam in his eye. Seeming to have a revelation, he continued in a much softer tone. "Oh... I understand."

"Thank you," she sighed. Maybe this wouldn't be too embarrassing a discussion, after all.

"You're nervous because of your inexperience. Don't worry," he soothed, eyes wrinkling, "I'll be gentle."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. She didn't know which possibility was more disturbing : that he'd read her thoughts and was mocking her, or that he was actually serious in his... attentions. I was staring at his crotch, she realized. Maybe he thinks... "Look I've told you before, I'm simply not interested... Now why don't you tell me why you kidnapped me."

"And I've told you the answer to that before," Ares smirked, "I'm going to make you mine. I've waited a long time for this, Gabrielle, and I'm not going to wait any longer." He slowly walked to the edge of the tub, the foam parting around him as he moved, leaving ripples on the surface like a ship's wake. Placing his palms on the tiled edge, his muscles bunched under his skin as he shifted his weight in obvious preparation for climbing out.

Well, that answers that question, her mind absently noted. He's serious.

"Can't we talk about this first?" Gabrielle demanded unsteadily, eyes widening as she backed away from him. When he ignored her, grinning as he flexed, starting to rise out of the water, she turned and fled. The splashing sounds of Ares' body exiting the water followed her as she ran through the warren of rooms.

"I love it when girls play hard to get," Ares called after her retreating form, his faintly lecherous laughter echoing through the suite of rooms.

Sliding to a stop on the polished stone floor, Gabrielle swiftly crouched in hiding beside a small rack, the wickedly sharp blades, barbed probes, and serrated pincers that filled it reinforcing her nervous belief that she would not like Ares' idea of what constituted intimacy - no matter how seductive or handsome he seemed.

Ares' wet feet slapped gently against the stone floor, letting the terrified Gabrielle track his movements through the small suite. He moved slowly, apparently savoring the hunt - a hunt that she feared could have only one conclusion.

Her heart raced and she panted as she struggled to control the fear. She fought to ease her heartbeat and stifle the sounds of her breathing, remembering Velaska's ability to detect her based on even that infinitesimal noise; the vengeful goddess' gloating cry of "I can hear your heart beating" still occasionally haunted her nightmares...

She failed in her efforts. Even as his footsteps neared, the sound of her heartbeat grew deafening to her own ears, overshadowed only by the roaring of her blood as it rushed through her veins. Her terror growing, she did what she had convinced herself she would never do again : she tried to use the power of the gods.

Gabrielle tried unsuccessfully to teleport away, frantically reaching out with her mind for the warm and comforting power that had been so easy to access not even an hour before. She'd avoided embracing the power before, but now that she really, really wanted to use it, it eluded her every attempt. The warm glow and friendly hum that had called out to her to use the power was gone without a trace. She couldn't even tell whether the source of that power even existed, let alone whether she could still use it.

Whether her attempt failed because she was dead, or his rooms were still shielded from her, or even because her attempts to remove her godhood had succeeded, she was unsure. Truthfully, it didn't matter. She was trapped in the wargod's lair, with nothing to protect her from his amorous attentions save her own feeble skill at evasion - and considering how swiftly Velaska had been able to track her down, she was well aware of how ineffective that skill would be against the far more experienced and able Olympian god of war.

Her breath caught as Ares paused... then his footsteps slowly retreated, the sound fading into the far reaches of the suite. She breathed out slowly in a soft sigh of relief at the momentary reprieve, muffling the slight sound against her shoulder as she felt her racing heart begin to slow from its frantic pace.

"Boy, that was close," Ares whispered in her ear.

Screaming, Gabrielle leaped away from him, crashing against the solid structure of an immovable rack.

"Don't forget I'm a god, Gabrielle," Ares continued, pressing his naked body against hers and pushing her roughly against the coarse wood of the rack, trapping her within the heated circle of his embrace. The damp heat of his wet flesh slithered against her, though she vainly attempted to draw away from him. The rough texture of his beard scraped against her flushed cheek as he leaned close to her ear to whisper, "You've been a god too, Gabrielle. So tell me... how hard do you think it was for me to simulate footsteps?"

As the god of war pressed his naked body against her, Gabrielle felt a small prick. Looking down over her shoulder, she saw the sharp point of a device that looked much like an awl or a punch for leatherworking (she didn't want to even guess at its actual use) pressing into the soft skin of her shoulder.

What the... Despite the fear overwhelming her reason, that fact seemed to resonate in her mind - perhaps because the awl really hurt as it sank into her flesh.

This can't be right, she thought, even as she swatted an exploring hand away from her thigh and bit his other one when it tried to caress her cheek. Artemis blunted all of his toys the last time I was here. How did...?

"Stop that!" she cried out at last, bracing herself against the rack. Using the slight leverage the maneuver gained her, she was able to free one leg enough to brace that foot against his thigh. Grunting with the effort, she thrust him roughly away.

Ares flew back and landed with a clatter against the chair that was the centerpiece of his collection. His ardor was visibly undiminished by her rejection, and as he climbed to his feet, his leer was thoroughly vile. "Oh yeah, I'm going to enjoy this."

"Just wait a minute..." she ordered, her voice ringing with an unaccustomed sharp note of command. She grabbed the tool that had poked her, then stared minutely at the sharp point. "This isn't right..." She looked closely at the rest of the tools, then quickly glanced around the circumference of the room, noticing for the first time the too-vivid colors and the slightly hazy edges on some of the furnishings. As she watched, the edges and corners of the room seemed to alternate between preternaturally clear and vaguely unfocused in an irregular and unnatural cycle. She felt the point of the awl again with one cautious finger, remembering Artemis' blunting of Ares' toys during her last enforced stay in his rooms. I've seen things that look like this before... It was when I was...

"What do you mean this isn't right?" Ares asked curiously, interrupting her musings. He sat down in the chair with all the dignity of a king descending to his throne - which in a way, he was. He lifted one leg and extended it in her direction, then bent it to rest his heel on the other knee, crossing his legs in a grandiose display of utter nonchalance and confidence that wasn't diminished in the slightest by his total nudity. "Save yourself some trouble and pain, and submit yourself willingly to me - you'll enjoy it far more. I'll give you this one last chance, but be warned : my patience is wearing very thin."

Ignoring him, Gabrielle softly breathed, "This isn't real. I'm... I'm in the Dreamscape..." Looking him in the eye (and carefully not looking a finger's width lower), she openly sneered at his calculated display of indifferent displeasure. "Very convincing, Ares, if you're really who you appear to be - but this has been tried before." Under her breath, she added to herself, "But at least at the temple of Mnemosyne you weren't naked."

Staring into Ares' eyes, she continued, demanding, "So what are you? Are you really the god of war, or are you simply a figment of my imagination... or maybe just another construct of my subconscious... And more importantly what do you want in my dreams?"

Ares slowly clapped several times in congratulations, his leathers reappearing and clothing him between the sharp reports of his applause. "That was very good, Gabrielle. I didn't think you'd realize where you were until much later. I'm impressed."

"I impress you? Gee, you don't know how happy that makes me," she shot back, glaring at his smugly amused expression. "So what was the point of all this... other than for you to get your jollies by trying to frighten me, that is. And answer my question. What are you : Ares, or something else?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ares mocked, rising and walking towards her.

Gabrielle braced herself and readied herself for his attack.

"Oh, stop that," Ares commanded, stopping by her side but making no untoward moves. He waved a hand and the world began to melt. "So you've dreamed about me, have you Gabrielle...? Tell me," he paused momentarily before continuing in a much deeper register, his voice seductively masculine and husky, "When you fantasized about me, what was I wearing?"

Gabrielle ignored Ares' question as she watched reality melt around her. There was something fundamentally disturbing about seemingly solid walls evaporating into mist, but she was too nervous about her present situation to simply ignore her surroundings - no matter how mutable or disturbing they happened to be. Besides, the dangers in the Dreamscape were almost as real as the ones in the real world, and could be lethal - even if she was technically already dead.

"Don't worry, Gabrielle," Ares informed her as the simulacrum of his lair faded away, his voice conveying more annoyance than comforting. "It's nothing to be concerned about. Just a simple change of scenery."

Despite shrugging in feigned unconcern, Gabrielle didn't relax her vigilance. She was relieved that Ares was being less... attentive, but not enough to actually begin to trust him. Edging away from the grinning god, she watched the throne room from the Halls of War shape itself out of the mists surrounding her.

Smiling, Ares sank down onto his throne and looked at the new locale with a discriminating eye. "He does good work, I'll give him that." He took a deep breath, then slowly cleared his lungs. "Even if it's not quite perfect. My real throne room still smells like Hope's cocoon. Gives it a certain... ambience."

"Who?" Gabrielle asked curiously. If he wasn't acting alone, maybe the ally was a weak point in Ares' plan... assuming of course, that this person even was Ares.

Ares grinned, eyes gleaming. "Ah... I'm proud of you Gabrielle. Planning to find vulnerabilities... searching for weaknesses... seeking to foment strife and discord... Does my heart proud." He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "My little girl's all grown up..."

Seeing she was unimpressed, he dropped the act, though his eyes still gleamed with mirth and... something else? "Morpheus, of course," he informed her. "Who else would it be, since we're in the Dreamscape."

"Morpheus?" she asked in surprise, her eyebrows shooting up.

"Naturally. You see, we're not exactly in the Dreamscape... technically, we're inside a very similar construct created by the god of dreams. At the moment, if you want to be precise, we're within Morpheus' mind. It's almost the same thing, really, but I have much more control while I'm in here - and you have less." He snickered, adding, "As you've probably already noticed."

That set her aback. We're inside the mind of a god? Several questions immediately sprang to her mind, and she automatically voiced the first one. "Why would Morpheus trust you in his mind? Surely he knows you'll betray him at the first opportunity or use him only when its to your own advantage."

"Not bad for a first attempt. You have a real talent for this... You'll make a fine replacement for Strife." Ares' grin was feral. "And you needn't bother attempting to drive a wedge between us; I have leverage on him. He can't betray me."

"What kind of leverage?" she asked uncertainly. Ares' skill at reading her intentions was disconcerting, but she needed the information. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but her uncertainty about her current circumstances compelled her to find out.

"Right now Morpheus' body is chained just a hair out of reach of Graegus' offspring; they're not quite as vicious as their sire was, but still delightfully wicked." He savored the horrified expression growing on her face as he completed his explanation. "At the slightest thought from me, they'll devour him whole. It won't kill him of course... he is a god, but he'll certainly feel it - and keep on feeling it as he rests in their bellies until I decide to... fix him. If I ever decide to fix him."

"But that's horrible!" Gabrielle gasped. "How could you do something like that? Isn't he your..." she struggled to remember her Hesiod, "brother?"

"It's your fault," the god smirked, ignoring her question.

"Mine?" she asked incredulously. He does something like this and blames me?

Ares waved a hand airily. "He came to see me before our little meeting on Olympus - claimed something about having first right to you since you were given to him as his bride. Nothing important really. But... when he wouldn't surrender his claim over you to me, I had to take action; his claim might have interfered with my plans." Shrugging, he concluded, "Not that my... dear sisters didn't do a fine job of interfering as it was."

"You know, you're beginning to obsess over me almost as much as you do Xena... what's your problem?"

"You vex me, little girl," Ares stated instead. "You realize that, don't you?"

"Vex you? I don't even like you. Why can't you just leave us alone, then we'll both be happy?"

Making a loud buzzing noise, Ares shook his head. "Sorry! Can't do that. You see, you've positioned yourself squarely between me and what I want."

"You mean Xena."

"Of course I mean Xena, you..." He paused and visibly composed himself. He hadn't been lying when he said she would be perfect for Strife's job. She can be so... irritating sometimes. Calming himself, he resumed, in a gentler tone. "Yes. I mean Xena."

"Well, you've got your wish. I'm out of the way now," she mocked, gesticulating wildly and cocking her head. Gabrielle's voice rose in pitch as she spoke, reflecting her growing irritation. "I'm dead. How much more out of the way can I get?"

Shaking his head sadly, Ares denied her retort. "It's not that simple. You see, there are dimensions and ramifications of your... current condition that you simply cannot conceive of. Not anymore, anyway - you're no longer a god... well, mostly..." He paused, then gloated in a slightly sing-song tone, "I'm the only one who knows what you've done to yourself." He was smugly self-assured as he delivered his verdict.

Brow furrowing, Gabrielle contemplated that revelation. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

Sighing in a mix of frustration and irritation, Ares leaned forward on his throne and rested his chin on one fist, propping himself up against his knee. "It's complicated."

Spreading her arms wide, Gabrielle's expression was almost beatific. "Try me."

"Your little stunt has created a unique situation - and a unique predicament for you, personally. You're no longer a god, but you're not a mortal. You're dead... but not exactly. In fact, the you that's standing here isn't even the real you... just part of you - if that makes sense."

Gabrielle digested that. Ares' tone was bleak, but he actually sounded sincere - not the deceit laden charming sincerity he often effected when dealing with Xena, but a blunt sincerity that was far more convincing. Not that it made him more trustworthy, but his explanation seemed almost logical, given the weird events leading up to this point, and Terreis' and the other Amazon spirit's dumbfounded reactions to her... condition. "Which means...?" she gestured impatiently for him to continue his explanation.

"Which means," he continued, "that the fragment of your spirit standing before me will disintegrate with time. Not going to Hades, not going to the Amazon land of the dead, not going to wherever Strife and Callisto went, not going anywhere. You'll have achieved what Callisto wanted, but could never find : true oblivion."

Shuddering, Gabrielle contemplated nothingness. It frightened her more than even an eternity consigned to Tartarus. "That's... grim."

"Yes, but it doesn't have to be that way, Gabrielle," Ares soothed, his voice growing warm with care and compassion. "I've been watching you for a long time now. Years in fact; obsession or not, you've kept my interest - no matter how irritating you were - and believe me, that's very, very rare."

"Right. I suppose you were trying to force me to lose my blood innocence as well?" she retorted. Her cynicism over his motives temporarily overcame the distress Ares' prediction of her doom had instilled within her. "I don't buy it. There are thousands of warriors in the world, most paying you homage even when they're not actively sacrificing in your name... but you decide to keep watching an 'irritating little blonde.' Try another explanation."

"Blood innocence is such an outmoded concept," Ares sneered. "Sure, it gives some power to fools who rely on it and those who corrupt it..." A rumble shook the room, and dust and debris began falling from the ceiling.

"What's happening?" Gabrielle demanded.

"Nothing important. Someone just needs to be reminded of their position," Ares muttered, scowling while concentrating fiercely. The bloodthirsty baying of hounds filled the air, making Gabrielle quail and cover her ears.

The sound served its purpose, however. The rumbling abruptly stopped, and a faint trilling of bird song could be heard echoing through the windows.

Smiling in triumph, Ares gestured for her to get up again as the animal noises faded away. "As I was saying," he began, still looking up at the ceiling - and by extension Morpheus, "from my perspective, blood innocence doesn't mean very much."

"But... but..."

"You don't agree?" Ares smiled mockingly. "Some of my best servants have died blood innocents. It's rare, but it has happened before."

Seeing her disbelief, he explained. "Tell me... How many of Morpheus' mortal followers died trying to maneuver you into taking a life? Over a dozen? Maybe half of them as a result - direct or indirect - of your actions. Does it really matter that your hand didn't drive the blade home?" He paused to let her consider the question, then answered himself. "In terms of blood innocence? Yes, it does. In terms of helping to cause the deaths? Not in the slightest.

"It was then that you really caught my eye, you know. That first time, Gabrielle, when you, just an innocent, untrained child, barely away from hanging on her mother's apron strings, caused two hardened warriors to kill each other - and without losing your own blood innocence - that sparked my interest. You, naïve child that you were, had Morpheus' elite priesthood slaughtering each other all around you... while you blithely ignored every opportunity to contribute to the bloodshed, or to be affected by it. Inciting death, but not directly inflicting it. That's truly a rare skill."

Gabrielle blinked in surprise. She hadn't truly considered the matter from that perspective. She'd felt guilty about the deaths she'd "caused" afterwards, naturally, but after Xena'd explained how it had been their fault, and not hers, she'd gradually come to terms and understood... "I... I..."

Ares' face glowed with a mixture of pleasure and pride. "Do you want to know how many lives were ended - with your help... even before you lost your blood innocence?"

"NO!" she gasped.

"I've kept count..." he wheedled, beaming with pride.

"I... I..."

"Oh, yes. I've watched you grow, and develop, training by Xena's side. You've shown moments of great promise; true, they were scattered like tiny nuggets of purest gold lost among the mountains of dross comprised of your especially annoying moments, but they were there. Crassus - one of the most powerful mortals in the world..." he drew his finger across his throat while making a sound like an axe chopping with his tongue. "I couldn't stop laughing for a week after that one."

He reminisced fondly, "Oh... remember when I was mortal?" He gestured vaguely with one hand, "The first time - when Sisyphus stole my sword, I mean, and you embraced your... true capacity for violence. Gods, you were magnificent then... If I could have taken you with us on that ship, I'll bet you would have taken out all those warlords with little difficulty. If you'd gained my sword, I can just imagine the war goddess you'd have made."

His eyes burned with the strength of his memories. "Or even the second time I was mortal? It was... discomfiting to realize how perfect a servant you'd make for me. But when I looked at it objectively... Focus, poise, skills... Xena really did choose well when she took you under her wing. She's forged you into a worthy acolyte of War."

"I... I..."

"Join me," Ares concluded, extending a hand towards her in invitation. "Agree to become Strife's replacement, and everything you could ever want will be yours... Forget oblivion. No. You'll live... forever." He enunciated the last word slowly and carefully, as her eyes followed every minute shift in his expression. "The world needs a God of Strife... and you are simply... perfect.

"Remember how it felt to be divine... the power... the passion... the freedom. Join me," he whispered, beckoning her forward with a heated invitation burning in his eyes. "Join me."

Gabrielle took one unsteady step towards him, her arm shakily rising as though to take his outstretched hand. Ares' eyes glowed in triumph, his grin widening as he carefully remained motionless so as not to spook her. She has to agree of her own free will...

"No." Gabrielle whispered, freezing in midreach. "NO," she repeated herself more firmly. "Everything you say may be true, but I still won't join you. You're evil - even if you are necessary, you're still evil - and I won't be, even if it means consigning myself to a fate worse than death."

Sighing, Ares shook his head sadly. "Truly a pity. We could have ruled the world together." Rising, Ares held his right hand before him, palm up. Flames sprouted from nothingness, filling his hand with a shimmering ball of blue fire. "Goodbye, Gabrielle."

Closing her eyes, Gabrielle refused to watch the fireball as it streaked towards her. It detonated with a dull thump, surrounding her in flames. Screaming, she faded away, the fire vanishing with her.

The throne room shook once more, expressing Morpheus' displeasure with Ares' actions.

"Oh, shut up," Ares told his host irritably. "It's not like I killed her." He vanished in a flash of blue flame, leaving the copy of his throne room empty.