Enter the Goddess...
By Nancy Lorenz.

Disclaimers on Page One.

PART THREE

IX

As the ether slipped away, a darkness engulfed her.  An was still at her chest, and she clutched her carefully.  The ground - a rocky dark ground, became solid as the last traces of ethereal existence left her, and her body cried out as it crashed into it.  She rubbed her head, calming An with a soft jiggle.

"It's okay sweety," she whispered, "Shh, shh, shh..."

She lifted her shoulder, pulling her breast from the loose bed-shift she wore, offering the teat to the panicked child.  An's screaming calmed a little as the silken nub was placed against the baby's lips.  The child felt it, still sobbing, but some relief in her tones.  She squeezed her mother with a tiny hand.  Xena smiled despite her utter despair, encouraging An to take hold of the nipple.  The baby wrapped her lips around it hesitantly, and though she couldn't see the eyes of her child, soft concerned moans and the strong feeling of worry that flooded her told her of her daughter's state of mind.

"I know, An," Xena said, "Things aren't the best right now, but I'll find a way out of here, I promise you that."

An emitted a low disbelieving moan, squeezing her mother again, and finishing off the gesture with a higher noise of askance.  Xena closed her eyes, trying to calm herself, imagining that maybe her surroundings weren't pitch black and baleful.  The echoes of wails and the clashing of metal could be heard from the hole she was stuck in.  She wondered - where was she?  Her skin was buzzing like a bee on honey so she knew the Gods - Ares included - were close by.  The silky dark tresses of her daughter's scalp soothed her through touch, the baby making worried noises into the breast.

"Hera!!" Xena called out, "What have you done?"

Her voice echoed to silence, the measured clanging seeming to count the slipping minutes in the endless darkness about her.  As she shuffled on the floor, a wall seemed to make itself known behind her.  Tentatively, she ran her hand over the surface behind her.  It was relatively flat, haphazard tiling covering what seemed to be a haggard rock wall.  Shoddy work, she thought, but the tiles - apparently of a metal construction - were pounded to cover the contours of the wall.  It was an odd set up, she thought, and something about it terrified her, made her hair stand a little stiff in her scalp.

Voices could be heard, muffled through the door.  They were panicked, loud, familiar.   She kissed An on her velvety scalp, and stretching her neck, widening her lungs and throat, she took a breath and let loose.

"IN HEEEEERE!"

The sound bounced off the walls, An niggling in complaint.  Xena coddled her a moment, planting another soft kiss on her brow.

Pulling herself to her feet, Xena slid her bare feet across the sharp warm floor, ragged and full of vibration.  Hmmm, she thought, indicates volcanic activity.  She sidled across the floor, careful not to bump into anything, and after a while of this, met another shoddily tiled wall.

"Aha," she smiled to An, "Not so big this space we're stuck in, huh?"

An agreed with a muffled moan.

Feeling across the wall, she began to trace the contours of the room, know her surroundings at least by feel if not sight.  Suddenly, a dip occurred in the wall.  A rim of some sort led to a - a door!!  Running her fingers around it, she felt it was covered with metal too, totally smooth with no handles, locks or hinges.

"Your grandmother is thorough, isn't she?" Xena mumbled.

After tracing the rest of the room, which seemed to be roughly square, Xena slid to a warm nook of rock, settling down with An, who snoozed restlessly through the dim clanging.  The room was a dark Xena had never seen before.  A dark that had no relief, no end.  She shuddered, a soft scolding taking her soon afterwards as she berated herself for being so weak.  What kind of warrior was afraid of the dark?

"Are you sure you don't want to go first?"

Apollo glared at Ares flatly.

"What in Tartarus is your problem?  It's just a passageway!"

Ares nodded, "Yes that's true.  A passageway to my DOOM!"

Iolaus eyed the dark rocky tunnel, rough stairs gouged into the floor underneath them.  Obviously not used too often - Gods weren't ones to indulge in extraneous physical activities such as walking.

"I don't see the difference between walking down here and zapping to the Forges - you've been there before..."

Ares gulped, glaring at the black gaping void of light, "It's - it's just..."

Hercules, huddled with Iolaus and Aphrodite, Athene and Apollo planted firmly in front of him almost shimmering with anger, couldn't help but chuckle, a long syrupy knowing chuckle.

Ares clenched his teeth, glaring at Hercules guardedly.

"Don't you dare..." he growled.

"He's afraid of the dark," laughed Hercules.

"Not afraid as such," Ares said, "Wary of it.  I don't like being in compromising situations where my safety is in danger..."

"So you want us to go ahead and make sure the coast is clear," Athena said with a thin smile.

"W- Aaah, I wouldn't put it like that exactly..."

"Risking *our* safety for you..." Apollo added.

Ares felt his cheeks grow red, a fiery embarrassment claiming him in it's humiliating grips.  Perhaps they didn't understand his incomprehensible fear of harm, and whilst he was practically indestructible ordinarily, there was something extremely disturbing to him about complete and utter pitch black darkness.

Athena sighed, "We haven't got time for this," She grabbed Apollo's gold sleeveless shirtfront and pulled him along, "Come on brother..."

Ares shrank back with a glower, Hercules and Iolaus strutting by with mile-wide smirks on their faces.

"Ha ha ha, laugh it up," he grumbled to himself.

He stopped.  Something called ... was it calling him?  No... but it was so close, so familiar.  His heart wrenched.  He gripped the walls, closing his eyes, straining his mind to read the faint yearning for attention, help.  Such darkness he could feel, and warmth...  It was hazy, too hazy.  He wanted just to reach over and take a look, but something blocked him, bounced his every attempt back in his face.  He clamped his eyes shut, fear taking him...

How could I love you Ares?

He started, his heart raging.

"We - we have to hurry!"

Hercules frowned, "Why?"

Ares clenched his teeth, determination in his brow, "Xena's in there."

"How do you know?" piped up Iolaus.

"I just do," Ares said, impatience drawling his words, "Love someone and you may understand."

Iolaus frowned, gazing at him a long moment.  Hercules' expression darkened.

"You?" Hercules said, "Love?  That's a laugh..."

"Come on, Herc," Aphrodite frowned suddenly, "Everyone's capable of love, even Ar!"

"It'd be nice if everyone were capable of non-selfish motivation too," Hercules muttered.

"Well, we're all not perfect like you, brother," Ares said dryly, "What a shame."

Athena struck her foot on the ground sharply, rolling her eyes, "Enough bickering - we haven't any time to frit away on such trivial matters!"

Ares nodded, strolling forward with a slow angry gait, eying Herc coldly as he began his descent in the downwards sloping tunnel.  Their steps echoed off the dry walls, the crunch of boot against stone creating a mismatched rhythm. They reached a turn in the tunnel, and as they turned it, the darkness was pierced by a spot of light that glowed the hungry red of fire.

"We're nearly there," Athena said to Hercules, the hero nodding.

Ares did all he could not to race down the passageway, his chest accidentally bumping into Iolaus ahead of him.  The sidekick glanced behind him, an amused frown on his round friendly features.  Ares shrugged.

"Sounds like there's a lot of work going on in there," said Hercules to Athena.  Athena nodded.

"Yes, as if someone were preparing for a battle."

Iolaus stepped forward, alarm in his voice, "You mean - the Gods are going to go to war?"

"Not necessarily," Ares said, "The only thing it means is that someone's forging a lot of metal."

"Ouch," Aphrodite leered, "He's too sharp for me!"

Ares narrowed his eyes at her, glowering ,"This from Blondie?"

"Quiet!" sighed Athena, "We are nearly there..."

Iolaus gulped, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"You have a bad feeling because you're an insignificant mortal who's life can be snuffed out like a candle-flame," Apollo said simply, a sapient grin across his features.

"Thanks," glowered the blonde handsome fellow.  Apollo nodded cheerily.

"If it's any difference to you you're a particularly brave one - facing certain death and all..."

"Apollo, stop shaking up the poor young man!" Athena sighed.

Apollo smiled sheepishly, "Sorry."

Iolaus wiped his bronzed brow, beads of sweat forming upon it.

Hercules frowned, "I think you should stop here now.  Any further and you'll burn up."

Athena nodded.

"He's right," Aphrodite agreed.

Iolaus sighed, "Sure..."

Athena could sense the young man's disappointment.  She placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling broadly, "Your name shall be written down in history as a friend of Athena.  Your bravery shall not be forgotten by me."

The sidekick smiled a little at this, the Goddess' brilliant green eyes meeting his own light blue ones in approval.

"Come!" she said "We have a little way to go."

They continued down the passageway, and finally, after another hundred or so paces, the fiery doorway was reached.  Athena peered around the corner of the unceremonious doorway to the mountain-set Forges of Hephaestos.  "Hmmm - I can only see one man - working furiously!"

"Who is it?" asked Ares, "I don't reco- wait a minute!"

Athena frowned, "You know him?"

Ares nodded, "One of the best smiths in Corinth!  Hephaestos' favourite worshipper.  Many of my warrior's have raved about his handiwork.  He has this great folding tech-"

"We get the idea," Athena nodded, "So - what's he doing here?  Shouldn't he be dead if he's a mortal?"

"I dunno," Ares shrugged, "Let's find out..."

The group crept into the scorched room, the cavernous space lined with numerous forges, the hiss and roar of fire consuming the silence.  The usual numbers of hard working sweaty assistants to Hephaestos had dwindled, only half of the bodies there from before.  Ares approached Damocles, eying the sword hovering over the man's head.  He frowned at it, and glancing about he noticed the wary eyes of the smiths about him, all filled with fear.  He tugged the leather apron of the head smith.

"You there," he hissed.

Damocles started, noticing the band of Gods and Goddesses behind him.

"Oh!  Thank Gaia!  I thought she had all of you!" the smith sighed with relief.

"She wishes," Aphrodite smirked.

"You're Damocles, aren't you," said Ares.

"How, how do you know, Lord Ares?"

"Word gets around," said the War God, "What I want to know is why you repay Hephaestos' hard work as your patron God with betrayal!"

"No! You misunderstand," Damocles shuddered, still pounding at metal as he spoke, "Hera came to me - she lied to me!  She said Hephaestos needed my help to make these stupid tiles - when all along she planned to use me to trap you all!"

Aphrodite curled a lip in puzzlement, pointing over the hapless smith's head, "What's with the sword?"

"Oh that," the fellow sighed, "Hera placed it there.  It's enchanted."

"That'd be why it's floating," Apollo muttered.

"If I dare stop working," said Damocles, "It will strike me down.  It is the only weapon that can, because Hera has made me a God."

"Now that's what I call work incentive," Aphrodite smirked.

"You must leave here!" Damocles cried, "She will return any moment - and when she does she'll capture you all!"

"We're not leaving," Hercules said, stepping forward.  Athena nodded, crossing her arms.

"We're here to stop her."

"She is chasing more Gods," said the tired looking smith, his eyes showing fatigue even if his body did not, "She said she would get the last she needed.  She'll be back soon, locking up another God in one of the rooms she's changed."

"Changed?" Athena frowned, "How?"

"These," Damocles motioned his head towards the flat square of molten metal he was pounding, "She has lined all the store rooms with them, and made me fashion doors sealed with such alloy.  She has then taken every God she captured and placed them in this room..."

"We can't pass through Hephaestos' alloy," Athena said darkly, "Such a room would be impossible to break out of."

"Then we'll have to break into them," said Hercules.

Ares sighed.  This was all well and good, but he felt the rising anxiety within him that he never really felt before falling for the mortal woman that now jangled his nerves with her absence.  Though he knew she wasn't far, he could feel her close by.  Though his siblings were more interested in capturing Hera.  Logically, it made sense to control the danger before retrieving the victims but his raging panic was not co-operating with logic at that moment.

"We'll hide," Athena said, " Hercules, Apollo - Ares..."

Ares looked to her, his brothers following suit.

"You hide amongst the weapons, there, there and there..."

She pointed along the wall, huge racks bristling with weaponry providing plenty of shelter from the view of Hera.

"Aphrodite, come with me."

"Athena," Ares called, tugging on the woman's arm.  Athena rolled her eyes and narrowed them at her half-brother.

"What is it Ares?"

"We can't forget Xena!  We have to find her!"

"We will," Athena said, "Stopping Hera is our first priority!"

"She has my daughter!" he growled.

"The greater good is more important right now!" Athena replied with a vicious snarl.

With a prissy stamp of her spear, Athena pulled the blonde next to her along, taking her towards the other direction from the racks she directed Ares to.  Hercules and Apollo had started for the racks of weaponry, regardless of Ares.  Ares felt the panic within him rise, and he felt hesitant in hiding, taking to inaction in such a way.

"Excuse me - Mr. God of War?"

Ares turned, spotting Damocles' eyes meeting his, that quickly looked back to the pounding of metal.

"What is it smith?"

"I know Hera brought in a new prisoner today - she had me prepare a room just for her."

Ares glared at the man "Her?"

Damocles nodded, "She called her Xena."

"Do you know where she is?"

"The room at the very end of the main corridor," Damocles said.

"Ares!" Hercules scolded from behind the rack, "Athena gave you an order."

Ares spun about, narrowing his eyes fiercely. "Well that order will have to be changed!"

The burly black leather clad God stormed towards the stores, his hair fluttering back in his angry gait.  Athena jumped forward.

"ARES!" she shouted, "GET BACK HERE!"

"Let him go," Hercules said darkly, "We need to capture Hera first and foremost."

"The selfish child!"  She growled.  She spun about, walking to Damocles.  "Smith - I need you to make something for me out of Hephaestos' alloy."

"What is that O' Divine one?"

Athena smiled, "A jar, with a very small hole at the top, and a stopper of the same material."

"I see," Damocles nodded, "It will be done."

X

Lethaia crouched, frowning at the crevice in the stone floor.  It was decrepit, the catacomb-like passageways they'd been travelling down looked as if it had been years since they were cleaned out.  Lethaia wrinkled her nose, the stench of death making her stomach jump, Jett's face one of simmering anger.

"Criminals get treated worse that animals!"

"Did you know it was like this before you were locked away?"

Jett eyed her, "You think I'd let them take me if I did?"

Smiling, Lethaia shook her head, "I guess not."

"Damn straight."

Lethaia watched him as they went deeper into the underground maze.

"What made you let yourself get caught?"

Jett growled, an affectionate sparkle in his eyes.  "Joxer, and Gabrielle.  They just had such a good thing going.  I was hoping that maybe, someday I could have that.  For some reason I thought going to jail would help."

"Instead it nearly killed you," said Lethaia.  Jett nodded.

They passed a cell, overrun with fungus and putrid hay, the door half opened and jammed.  Many cells were abandoned, and the corridor was deathly silent.  It was a rare moment that a moan lifted from a room or doorway.

"I can barely see the numbers," Jett growled, "Most of them have rubbed off."

"Or have mould growing over it," Lethaia said, "Oh God - this place stinks..."

Jett swallowed, nodding.   "There!"

"XXVIII..." Lethaia read, "Damn - we still have a ways to go."

Jett trudged forward, ploughing through the grunge on the corridor floor.  Lethaia held aloft her torch.

"This is madness," she said, "How could they let people live like this?"

"They don't intend them to live," Jett said, "That's the point.  I would have ended up here eventually..."

"The Gods forbid," Lethaia shuddered.  Glancing up she saw the soft smile on Jett's lips.

They continued on in silence, the drip of condensation in the passageway echoing past their ears, showing them how vast the rat-hole expanse of tunnels were.  Lethaia held the torch before every doorway, and finally, after going around a corner, a crushed chair blocking their way, a door, partly ajar, bore the number MXXVI.

Lethaia looked to Jett, and placing a hand on his shoulder, she squeezed it briefly.

"Are you ready?" she asked softly.

Jett nodded, shuddering all over.  His hand moved forward, and slowly he placed it against the door.  It was slimy, the wood half rotted.  His hand slipped, and frowning he looked to Lethaia.  He felt his heart pounding in his chest.  He didn't know what he'd find inside, and tears reddened his dark orbs.  All that raged in his mind was the image of his father, large grin on his face, spoils in his arms, and a kind word of approval being the reward at the warlord's arrival home.  How proud Janus had been of him.  Lethaia stood next to him, and together they pushed at the door, giving a few sharp kicks to help the decaying wood along.  The acrid smell of death bombarded them.

"Auugh!"

Lethaia staggered back, holding the back of her hand to her nose.

"Those - bastards," growled Jett.

Stepping forward, Jett saw the long large frame of bone on the bed, green, blue and pale cream-coloured strips of eaten flesh hanging from the slightly yellowed bones.  Worms crawled and dripped off the remains, a black crop of hair cascading from the skull.

"Are you sure that's him?" rasped Lethaia.

Jett nodded darkly, the dank smell somehow beyond him in his grief.  He knelt next to the cot the body lay on, and pointed to the finger of the skeleton.  Upon it was wedged a chunk of gold... a ring.

"That's his wedding ring," Jett said.

"They didn't take it off him when they brought him here?"

"Naah," Jett shook his head, "He would have had plenty of other bits and pieces on him to steal."

"Oh Jett," Lethaia sighed, "I'm - I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Jett said softly, "I expected this."

"Well," the woman turned away, "What now?"

Jett glanced back to her, then to the rotten remains.

"We do what we came here for - we'll take him home."

Lethaia met his eyes, and upon seeing the determination in the dark orbs, nodded finally.

"All right.  I'll see if they have anything we can contain him in on the way to Corinth."

Lethaia turned, and trudged out into the passageway.  Jett looked back to the grinning pale face staring back at him, black pits filled with brown sludgy gunk where sparkling obsidian orbs - very much like his own - had once shone with such a love of life Jett had never seen.  Except perhaps in the young fellow who shadowed his youth, who though identical to him in every respect, held a purity of soul Jett thought that maybe he never himself possessed.  Joxer...

He sighed, turning and trudging on after Lethaia.

"Let me help you," he said.  Lethaia stopped, and waited for him to catch up, slipping a slender arm about him.

Damocles pounded at the metal, his heart beating rapidly in fear.  He knew where the Gods and Goddesses about him lay, and his task as Smith had been done here.  He felt sick within his stomach.  He knew he had done the worst thing any man could do, but if he declined, another most likely would have been chosen, so it was no use wishing for something that had already been determined.  He was the man Hera had chosen to make her awful plans possible, and now he was the man to unravel it all.

He pounded the red hot shape at the end of the tongs he gripped, fashioning the mass to the best of his ability.   On the table lay the little round nub of the stopper he had been told to build, to go with the vase he was molding.  He hoped that the same skill that aided this great disaster was enough to finally solve it.

A piercing hiss filled the air as the Goddess of the Sky stormed into the Forgery from nothing, clutching the heavy box she used to contain the Gods and Goddesses she caught under her arm.  She narrowed her eyes at Damocles.

"Nike was more trouble than she was worth - the little imp!"

Damocles dipped the vase in a cauldron of water, pulling out a flat bit of metal and pounding it.

"I think we have enough plating for the last of the store rooms," she said, eying his work, "When you have completed your work, you will be free to go home to your family."

"As a mortal?" he asked her.

"If you wish," she said with an even unfaltering smoulder.

She tilted her head suddenly, as if sensing something.  The blazing crystalline eyes of the Goddess focused on Damocles, lips curling back in rage.

"They're HERE!" she cried.  She spun about, her emerald gown swirling about her as she bound down the hallway towards the newly refurbished store-rooms-come-cells.  She saw the burly leather-clad figure up ahead, and her hand thrust forward, shooting a green pulse of energy from her fingers.

"KEEP WORKING!" she howled to Damocles as she powered down the corridor.

Ares ran.  Only once before had he ever experienced such a blind desperation.  He had been cowering under a bushel as a a mortal and she had been fighting with ease, unaware of her silent unknown attacker.  As his legs had bolted then, he ran like a soul from Tartarus now.  His heart was in a knot, all that mattered to him was seeing her alive and well - the two women that meant the most to him in the entire world.

He sprinted through the endless dank torch-lit passageways, all effortlessly forged through the rock by the entities that had bore him aeons ago.  A heavy door lined with locks loomed up ahead.

IN THERE his mind screamed.

Suddenly a crisp voice filtered down the excavated corridor, and his heart seized.

She was here.  And from the roar that ensued from her, she knew where he was.

He didn't spare a glance at his mother as he bolted down the passageway, reaching for the door he knew his love was behind.  He yanked at it roughly, pulling the door open.

There, on the opposite wall, Xena was curled sedately, nursing An in her arms.  She glanced up, shock in her features, her pupils large from utter darkness.

"YAAAAARGH!"

The scream of Hera filled the air, and the green bolt barrelling down the passageway blasted Ares from behind.  He toppled forward, skidding into a crop of rock in a messy heap.

"You INGRATE!" the Goddess screamed, "After ALL I've DONE for you!  Some SON YOU ARE!!"

Ares pulled himself up, narrowing his eyes at his mother.  He balled his fists, energy swelling in the knots of flesh, and with a thrust of his arms a sizzling fork of lightning burst from his hands, pummelling the front of Hera.  She staggered back, glaring at him with wild rage in her features.  She looked about her, eying the door frame, and a wicked grin splashed upon her structured angry face.   A long, indulgent laugh spilled from the Goddess, and raising her arms she slammed shut the doors of the store room with a pull of energy, all the locks fixing at once with her invisible hand.

"NO!!" Ares cried, racing to the door, staggering over a rock he didn't see and landing against the door.  He buckled over in pain, rolling onto his side on the floor.

"Are you all right?"

Ares sat up against the door, his head throbbing.  Her voice wasn't awash with concern.  Great, he thought.  It was then he knew he was in deep deep poodoo.  A low growl filtered from him, the blackness about him muting too much for him.  He lifted a tired hand, and pointing to where he had just tripped over, he blasted the rock with a bolt of energy.  The rock grew red, then a rich orange, heat permeating from the molten rock.

Light filled the once-black surroundings, and as Ares looked over to Xena, he noticed her ragged appearance.  He got to his feet, and staggered over to her, his steps shaken.

"You don't look so good," Xena said.

"That was one walloping punch Hera pulled there," he said in almost a rasp, and with a stumble he fell to the ground next to her, sidling up to the back wall that Xena sat against.  Ares looked to the bundle in her lap, and leaning over he pulled some of the swath away.  The sweet large eyes of An lit up as she saw him, her voice gurgling around the nipple in her mouth.

"Yeah," Ares nodded, "I'm happy to see you too..."

The gurgle became a concerned one, and her hand reached out for Ares' finger.  He let her take it.  He lifted his gaze to Xena.  Her blue eyes were filled with an uncertainty he hadn't seen in some months, one he had hoped he'd never see again in her eyes.

"You didn't save me..."

"I what?"

"In the cave," she said, "You just let me get taken.  You knew this would happen..."

Ares opened his mouth, only silence filling the space.

"I tried," Ares breathed, "By the Cosmos Xena - I did everything I could to find you as soon as possible."

She met his glare a moment longer, and after searching his eyes, sighed finally.  "I'm - I'm sorry."

Ares sank down, relief taking him.

"It's okay," he mumbled.  He looked up, about then, his jaw clenched tight.  "We have to get out of here.  My idiot half-brothers are going to face Hera.   They need all the help the can get."

Xena shifted in her spot, rolling her tongue about in her mouth.  "I sincerely doubt you'll be able to help them in the state you're in."

"I'd kill for a sprig of ambrosia," Ares sighed, cradling his forehead as a headache rolled through it painfully.

"Just rest a little," Xena said, "You'll need to pool your energy."

"We haven't the time," Ares said, pulling himself up to his feet.  He placed his hands on the metal-plated walls, tracing the creases where the tiles met.  He pulled, shifted, glowed.  He let himself drift into a cloud of energy, slipping over the walls, examining every crack.  On the far wall from Xena, the glowing blue mass collapsed into a heap on the floor, Ares breathing hard.  She said nothing, only watched the God pull himself up to his feet once more, running his hands over the metal as he walked the perimeter of the room.  He looked up, over, he kept a keen eye for any cracks or fissures.  After a moment more of searching, the God erupted.

"Damn you Hera!" he growled, his hands beating the wall with a burst of pale energy, "The stupid bitch thinks she's going to rule Olympus..."

Xena sighed, leaning her head back laxly.

 "Calm down," she said, "We'll find a way out of here."

 Ares shook his head, a smile of sheer panic flashing across his masculine features.

 "Yeah, sure, you can say that, you're the one that always wins out these sorta situations!"

 "That's because I stay calm and I focus!!" Xena snapped, shoving her breast in An's mouth as the little one squeaked in complaint.  "It's obvious I'm not the most mobile of us right now.  I need you to stay calm and watch your surroundings - keenly!"

 The God of War did neither of those things, opting for pacing about with a staggered gait like a lunatic and ranting.

 "You know - this is it Xena," he said, "It's not like when I used to have you in a sticky spot - that was always like a game.  I loved seeing what you'd do and - oh - you did so well."  He shook his head thoroughly, "No no no, Hera means business.  She's going to kill us.  Maybe not right away, but she will!!"

 Xena sighed.  She'd never seen the guy so frightened in all her life.

 "I'm not going to let that happen."

 He glared at her tender words.

 "You're going to stop her huh?  Like that?"

 "I'm gonna take a fair crack at it!" Xena said sharply, "Instead of behaving like a child!"

 "Behaving like a child!?" Ares exclaimed.  He took some shaky steps up to her, eyes flaming with anger.  "You know I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you!!"

 "ME?"

 "Yeah!" he clenched his jaw, whirling about, throwing an arm in rage, "I'd be with Hera, I'd be plotting your demise, Olympus to Tartarus - I'd be the Prince of the whole damned universe!!"

 "That'd really satisfy your blood-lust wouldn't it?" Xena said through taught lips, her throat catching, "Having the power to kill who you will - do what you will.  The favoured son of Hera-"

 "THAT's the thing Xena," he turned and gazed at her, "I don't WANT it anymore!   Ever since you turned to me and - let me see you..."

 He grew soft, stepping to her.  "Any power I have - had... "

 He stopped, running a hand along Xena's cheekbone, "It's nothing.  It used to be everything...  now all I want is to watch An grow into a Goddess...  to hold you and take care of you and I can't have it!  It's not who I was supposed to be!"

 "And who were you supposed to be?" Xena asked, knowing the answer.

 "The God you hate," he said, "The *man* I am now, wouldn't be here had you never showed me a little piece of humanity.... and it's all - your  - fault!"

 Xena turned her face away, but the finger-tips of Ares turned her face back to his.

 "And Xena, I thank you," he said softly, "You've given my much hated existence meaning."

 She brought her hand up softly, letting it dive into the raven curls of the God so close to her, and leaning forward she took his lips in hers in a brief silken caress.   She let her hand run down his face, her fingertips wiping at his tears of frustration.  Clutching the baby to her breast, Xena sniffled.

 "We'll find a way out," she said, "And you can go back to being the bastard the world knows and loves."

 The God's gaze fell to his hands, "I never want to be the bastard with you again."

 Xena laughed, "You always get so nice when you think you're gonna die..."

 Had the light been better, Xena could have sworn that Ares blushed as his jaw clenched with aggravation.  Ares turn his head, glancing about the place.  He pulled out a dagger from his belt, pursing his lips in an exaggerated fashion.

"Well, let's see what these tiles are made of..."

He turned back to the wall he had strode from, and with a good thrust of the blade, he struck the seam of the tiles.  A metallic 'chink' noise resonated throughout the room.  He turned his head to Xena, sighing.

"This is going to take a while."

He struck again, the mark in the metal deepening.  He thanked the Cosmos his blade was sharp, and that the alloy used to line the walls was not the best mix.  In fact it was a little brittle, cracking at the phenomenal strength of the War God's attack.  Xena pulled herself up, sitting An on her cocked hip, treading over to where Ares worked at the wall.

"Is it going to work?"

Ares flared a nostril in disgust, "It might be a half hour till I can get through.  This is shoddy work though..."

"Have you got another weapon?"

Ares looked to her, his brow descending.  He pulled out a dagger from his boot, handing it to her.

"Don't over exert yourself," he said.  Xena smiled.

"I could say the same to you."

Ares nodded, turning back to the wall.  As he pounded the wall, a second blade began to strike the crack of metal forming.  With forceful digs the blades began to strike in a sequential rhythm, one then the other, each taking their turn in striking and in doing so, combining their forces.

Hera paced the length of the Forges, her eyes glinting in ferocity.

"I know you're here..." she said, "I can smell your fear..."

Apollo glanced to Hercules, wincing.

"I'd hate to think what my fear smells like."

"You don't want to know," Hercules replied darkly.  "As much as I hate to say it, we could really have used Ares' help..."

Apollo growled, "All he ever thinks about is his own gains.  This time it was Xena.  I'd hate to be in her shoes when his own gains don't make room for her."

Hercules glared at Apollo, a shudder running through him.  He was considerably more concerned than that.  He was terrified for her.  But that was another matter, that needed to be dealt with in its own time.  He looked back to Hera, gritting his teeth.

"Any time now Athena," he whispered to himself.

Damocles worked hard at the anvil, ignoring the Goddess pacing down the aisle formed by the vats of alloy.  He watched her like a hawk, waiting for the moment he was fearing.  His heart beat hard in his chest.  Though it wasn't planned, he knew what course of action he would take.  It was the only one he could take, for the good of mankind.  He had to pay for the damage he'd caused through his own greed.

Hera turned, gazing to the wall adjacent to the chiselled doorway.  It was then the silver contours of a woman slipped from behind a vat, black midnight tendrils of curled hair billowing in the movement.

"Athena!" the woman growled, "You little rat!  Decided to show your face have you?" She reached into the air, a box materializing in her hands, "Well - meet my new ally!"

"What is that?"

"Hmmm," she grinned, "A little box a friend of mine made..."

Damocles shrunk with a wince of regret.

"What does it do?"

Hera smiled, "It was made to the specifications of a box we all know and love... one the mortals know very very well..."

"No," breathed Athena.

"Yes, I'm afraid," Hera said, "Pandora's box was rather a useful trinket.  Of course this one is different.  When opened it absorbs the energy of the God or being it is pointed at."

"That's why Apollo was so weak," Athena said.

"Yes," she nodded.  "And it shall be your demise."

Her hands gripped the box, and she yanked it open.

"AUGH!"

Athena doubled over, her eyes large in agony, tendrils of her energy slowly spiralling towards the box.

The smith watched a moment.  If he stood there, working at the metal, the Queen Hera would grant him his freedom.  He clenched his eyes shut.  What she had done so far, and what she would do... no!  Now, now he could do something good.  Looking down to his working hands, he closed his eyes, a tear spilling down his face.

He spun about, dropping the large hammer in his hands.

Hercules jumped from the weapons.

"DAMOCLES!  NO!""

The smith ignored the cry.  He raced towards the Queen of the Gods and rammed into her, wrapping his arms around her waist and dragging her to the floor.  The box flew from her hands at the impact, skidding across the floor and smacking into the wall, forcing the object shut.  The smith pulled himself to his feet, turning to Athena.

"Are you all right?" he said.  Athena glared behind him, her face wrought with loss.

"Behind you!" she shouted.

He turned about. Above Damocles, the sword glowed and shuddered.  It jerked about, pointing to Damocles, and with a slice of air it hurtled towards the once-mortal. There was a crash, Apollo springing out from the weapons rack, Hercules bounding up merely paces away, sword out and ready to deflect the enchanted blade.  Damocles sighed with resign, knowing nothing could stop his fate.  With a sickening thud and crack the magical sword buried itself in Damocles' chest.

"NO!" Hercules pounced to Damocles, the fellow's mouth open in blinding pain.

"Don't be sad, Hercules," he said, "I brought this upon myself."

Athena pulled herself next to the felled body of the man.  "You will be remembered..."

Damocles smiled, "I know.  Watch over my wife - she needs someone to look after her..."

Hercules gripped the shoulders of the man, "We won't let you die!"

Damocles coughed, a spittle of blood splashing his bottom lip.  The man shook his head slowly.

"It's not your place to choose my fate," he said, "I wish it were."

Hercules looked to Apollo.

"Heal him!!"

Apollo sighed, gripping Hercules' shoulder.  "If I do, I will not have enough strength to contain Hera.  Damocles is a God now, and Gods need more energy to heal that mortals."

Hercules looked back to Damocles, a feeling of utter helplessness washing over him.

The hero held the man as he grew heavy, his eyes lolling slowly before his lids shut with a flutter, like the dance of a flame before the rush of air from the mouth of mortals douses its life.  He placed his hand on the neck of Damocles, the stillness there bringing him the truth with a dark warmth within him.  Looking up to Athena, he shook his head.

A long, syrupy laugh filled the air, and turning about Hercules saw the terrifying source.

"Hmm ha ha ha!" Hera grinned, "To look at your faces you think someone important died!"

"He was important," Hercules growled, "He was a human being!  Who's life *you* destroyed!"

"We Gods destroy their lives all the time, young Hercules," Hera said, strolling forward, "It's a part of their existence.  How could their spirits learn and grow if we don't throw them a challenge here and there?"

"Is it your place to destroy our lives too?" Athena growled.

Hera's eyes flashed at Athena, "You were a mistake," she hissed, "A illegitimate bastard child that should have been drowned!"

"No," Athena shook her head, "The Fates made us, they made us all.  It is not your place to choose who does and doesn't belong in our existence."

"I'm the Queen of the Skies," Hera leered, "I can do what I will."

Athena curled a lip in disgust, "The new child will never join you, and war will always follow you..."

"The new child is not a part of my plans," Hera chuckled, "I will have my own Goddess of Peace.  You will all be replaced by my own beautiful children.  Olympus will never have known the likes of these glorious Gods and Goddesses, and you mongrels will all be destroyed!"

She spun about, racing over to the box that lay discarded against the chiselled stone wall.  Athena sprinted after her, but Hera turned, thrusting a bolt of energy towards her.  The Goddess of Wisdom was blasted front on by the bolt, the force of the impact hurtling her backwards into a heap on the floor.  Apollo growled, jumping up from the floor and lunging at Hera with clawed hands.   A blast from Hera came sizzling towards him, but flipping in the air it sailed past, burying itself in a vat.  On landing, Apollo thrust his hands forward, two golden bolts of light shooting from his palms straight towards Hera.   Hera, pulling herself to her feet, turned just in time to see the bolts speeding towards her.  Before she could steady her balance the energies knocked her sideways, snaking and writhing all over her before disappearing.  The Goddess tripped, falling to the floor.  Next to her lay the box, and grabbing it she grinned, her movements slow and weak.

"Nice try," Hera breathed, "But I'm afraid it's too late for you all..."

She opened the box steadily, it's direction pointed at Apollo.  Apollo buckled suddenly, his mouth open in silent agony.   As with Athena, golden slivers of his energies seemed to seep from him slowly, travelling to the box with a silent surging.  His pain-ridden grunts and cries echoed off the walls, Athena pulling herself up groggily behind him.   She crawled before Hera, reaching out for her feet to drag her to the ground.  Eying the struggling Goddess of Wisdom, Hera let loose a sharp kick to the Goddess' jaw, and Athena tumbled away.

Apollo grit his teeth, tears streaming down his face... "Aphrodite..."

Hera chuckled, "She's gone little runt, run away like a squealing pig!"

"Aphrodite," the God continued rasping, "NOW!!"

Hera glanced up.  The pink-clad buxom vision of Aphrodite bolted from her place of hiding behind a rack of spears, and she grabbed a round object from behind the anvil Damocles had been working at.

"Take this Cowface!" she grinned.  She pointed the vase of metal towards Hera, whispering softly words etched into the vase itself.

"NO!" the woman howled.  She bucked, nearly dropping the box.  Her form curled and stricken, she pulled the box from Apollo, ever so slowly edging it in the Love Goddess' direction.  Aphrodite ran about, still pointing the vase at the Goddess, breathing ancient words almost forgotten by the world, except for the wisest of all beings, the patron Goddess of Athens.

Hera clenched her jaw, and with a jerk the box was directed at Aphrodite.

"Auh!" the beautiful Goddess crouched a little, pain spilling through her body.  With a quiet determination she kept speaking the potent words, her form slowly wilting at the drain.  Hera's body had bent some, but her green eyes flashed with power.  Aphrodite felt ready to fall, but strong arms supported her suddenly.

"Keep going!" Hercules cried, "You can do it Aphrodite!!"

She leant against her brother, crying out the words, clenching the vase with her life.

"The stopper," Hercules sighed, "It's over on the anvil..."

Athena crawled on the ground, her strength slowly suckled by Hera's magical box.  Apollo lay unconscious, his body giving out at Aphrodite's onslaught.

"By the Cosmos," Aphrodite sighed, "I can't do this Herc!"

"KEEP CHANTING!" he shouted, "CHANT!"

Aphrodite began to mumble the blessed words again, her hold on the vase slowly weakening as the sunset pink slices of her essence slowly swirled into the box in Hera's arms.  Hera was haggard, her strength taxed, but there was a strength in her shaken stature that filled Aphrodite with dread.

A cracking blast suddenly erupted from the corridors.

Hera glanced in the direction of the rocking shudder.

A slicing noise filled the air, and a silver frame of a body slipped into existence next to Hera.  The large muscled body of the God of War suddenly wrapped an arm around his Mother, a soft smile on his face.

"Hi Mom," he said, "What up?"

"No!!!" she hissed, "I had you nailed!"

"Not quite," Ares grinned, and gripped her shoulders, pushing her forward to Aphrodite.  A foot kicked the box from Hera's hands, and Ares glanced down to the owner, winking at her.

Xena smiled softly back up at him, hugging An to her.

"No!"  Hera shook her head, her form becoming translucent, "I WON'T!!!"

Aphrodite muttered the mantra that brought the vase alive, the large rivulets of energy spewing from Hera into it's tiny neck.  Hera, stronger than her children, bucked and pushed back.  Ares grunted.

"I need more energy!!"

Athena crawled up next to him, clasping her hands to him, Apollo rolling up from the ground, following suit.

The deafening whoosh of siphoning energy filled their ears, a wild gail whipping up about them.  Hera glowed like a star, her form now but a ghostly outline of what she was.  With a final roar from Ares, he shoved her forward, the body of Hera bursting from it's confines of human shape and collapsing into a rushing cloud of energy that curled and whirled into the neck of the vase.  Xena ran back from the anvil, thrusting the stopper in Ares' hand.  He pushed hard against Hera's last resistance, and the brothers and sisters all let out a collective cry as the stopper was forced into the lid, a blast from Ares' hands securing it.

A burst of light sprang from the vase, and faded away.

Aphrodite fell limp in Hercules' arms, her eyelids drooping low.

Silence filled the room as it sat deathly still.  The siblings all met each other's weary gazes, the odd nod and wink of approval being exchanged.

"Well," Apollo rasped, sitting up, wavering slightly, "I'm shagged."

A laugh fell from Aphrodite, a grin splitting her soft round weary expression.

"Totally," she agreed.

Hercules smiled, gripping his sister's shoulder.  A cry suddenly filled the air, and all eyes fell on Xena.

"Hey," Aphrodite frowned, "Why aren't you burning up?  It's really hot down here!"

Xena looked to Ares, who smiled knowingly.

"An," he said. "She has protected you."

The little hand of An gripped her mother's thumb, a relaxed joviality in the child's eyes.

"Come on," said Apollo, rising slowly, "Let's unleash the folks..."

XI

Jett gripped Lethaia as she urged on Daphne, the rhythmic beats of the hooves creating an urgent music that filled the warrior's ears.  Corinth's smoky collection of thatched roofs and tiled palisades and columns loomed up ahead, here and there a lick of fire illuminating it brightly.  The black night around them still choked their surroundings, and the screams and shouts of men and women seemed to encroach on them in their travels.

Behind them the wheels of the cart they'd collected rattled and spun wildly, the make-shift casket tied to the cart's tray securely.  Jett glanced to it sombrely, a heaviness filling him at the final confirmation that his father was truly gone.

The assassin glanced up from the embrace of his woman.  Something bright seemed to catch his eye...

It can't be...

"Lethaia!"  he gasped, "LOOK!"

Her dark eyes peered up at the sky, her face suddenly illuminated by a soft blue glow.

"The moon!" she breathed with a brilliant smile, "Oh thank the GODS!  It's the moon!"

The arms of Jett held her tightly, his lips planting excited kisses on her cheek.

"Come on," he said, "I'm worried about Mom..."

Daphne's silver legs beat the earth hard, Corinth now looming large.  The brilliant white steed barrelled through the main street of the city, the streets mostly deserted, the walls scorched and kissed by fire.  The city lay in waste, many of the shop fronts destroyed by fire and the axes of fear-stricken looters.   The odd person stood in the middle of the street or on the roofs of their townhouses, gazing up at the moon that hung in the sky, a glowing silver orb of hope.

The white plaster front of Eurepaeda's townhouse was barely touched by flame, but the windows and doors were locked and barred.

"Mom!"

Jett slipped off Daphne, Lethaia pulling the horse along behind her.

"Mama!" called Lethaia.

There was a bump inside, and the front door burst open.

"Oh thank the Gods!"

Eurepaeda staggered down the front porch, collapsing into her son's arms.  She let out choked weeps, hugging her son tightly.

"Oh my boy," she sobbed, "I was so frightened!"

Jett pulled his mother to her feet, looking into her panicked brown eyes.  "What happened Mama?"

"Well, looters!" she said in a babbling tone, "That's what happened!  They tried to take our things!  Our keepsakes!"

Lethaia's eyes grew alarmed, "Where's Joxer and Gabrielle?!"

"Hera came after them!" she cried, "They ran to the caves with Xena!"

Jett and Lethaia exchanged worried glances.

"We can't go after them," Jett said, "We have to look after Mama!"

Lethaia pulled Daphne next to her, jumping up into the saddle.

"You look after Mama," she said, leaning down to Jett and planting a quick kiss on his lips, "I'm going after them!  HYAAAH!"

With that she kicked Daphne into action, the white mare galloping back down the road, clouds of stirred dust glowing in the bright full moonlight.  Jett looked to his mother, tears streaking her kind face.  He put an arm around her, holding her close.

"She'll get Joxer," he said, "And we'll be okay."

Eurepaeda looked up to her son's face, examining his features a moment, before stepping away from him, and walking to the abandoned cart.  The small wooden casket in the back gleamed in the dewy blue light.  She placed a hand on it, looking to her son.

"This is him?" she said, her eyes to the brim with fear.

Jett nodded stiffly, "He's gone Mama."

Eurepaeda let out a long sigh, her hands spread out on the lid of the casket.  They slid over the lid, she leant her arms and head on the box, a slow long sob shaking her body.  In the new hopeful silence of the night, her mournful moans could be heard resonating in the cool crisp air.

"Oh," she whispered, "Oh my love... my love!"

Her cry became louder, no restraint in her now, tears flowing freely over the wooden box.  Jett stepped over, the unleashed grief of his mother rocking him, tears forming in his own features.   He slid his arms around her, gathering her up as she shook and trembled.

"They took him away!" she cried, "Took him away from me!  He loved me, you know..."

"I know, Mama," he said softly, "I know..."

"Oh my love," she breathed again, pulling away from her son and curling over the box, "Oh-oh-ouuh!"

Jett stood a vigil watch over his mother, holding onto the casket like a lifeline.  He pouted darkly, pulling the trinket he had secured from his pocket.

"Mama..."

She turned her head, wiping tears from her eyes.  Jett lifted his hands, between his thumb and forefinger a chunk of gold moulded grandly in a ring.  The woman gasped lightly, taking the token from her son.

"Oh, Janus," she sighed.

"He wore it till the end, Mama," he said.

Eurepaeda nodded, sobs still falling from her, her frame hanging from the cart as she huddled over the casket once more.

The frantic tracks led to the gaping caverns in the base of the mountains, a few bushels hacked carelessly with a sword.   Lethaia would have liked to look closer, but the warm breeze of the coming dawn whipped about her, reminding her that her all too dark surroundings didn't do much for visibility.  Thrusting a hand in the saddlebag behind her, she swore as she felt that all the makeshift torches were gone.  Used up when we were making that casket, she thought.

Slipping down off Daphne, she tied the mare's reigns to a nearby gnarled tree, it's branches low and strong.

"JOXER!"  she called, "GABRIELLE!!!"

Now she knew she needed a torch.  Pulling out her sword, she picked out a bit of kindling nearby, chopping the ends deftly.  Pulling rags from her saddle-bag that she usually reserved for bandages, she wrapped the end, dousing it in saddle oil.  Smacking her flints the end sprung up in flame.

Standing, she approached the cave, noticing the scorches about the mouth.  They were no ordinary scorches from fire.  They were a deep green, and moved in lines along the walls of the cave similar to that of lightening.  The cave was silent, except for the echoed distant chirrup of morning birds.

"JOXER!"

Her voice bounced off the walls.

"GABRIELLE!"

Up ahead the cave seemed to swell and become cavernous.  Something in the wall further on caught her eye, and she raced ahead, her heart beating hard in her chest.  On the floor lay Gabrielle's staff, the wood a little burnt.  As she examined it, the rock it lay by seemed to puzzle her.  It was in the shape of a boot.

How odd, she thought.  Looking up, she noticed that the boot shape seemed to be connected to a leg shape... then a hip... waist... breast... face!

"Gabrielle!" she gasped, "Oh Gods!  Oh GODS!"

The figure of Gabrielle cowered with that of Joxer's, their stone eyes alarmed somehow, even though they had no pupils, and were blank shapes of rock.  She smacked at the stone, but it seemed that the bodies were nothing now but a part of the cave wall.  She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.

"Oh Joxer!  Gabby!"

A pink glow seemed to fill the cave, followed swiftly by a golden one.  Lethaia spun about, brandishing her sword with a grimace.

"Get back you- Oh!"

"Chill," Aphrodite smiled, slinking forward past her, eying the shapes in the wall.  "That bitch..."

"Who?" sniffled Lethaia over a weep.

"Hera of course!" she said, and looked over to the third presence in the cave, "Hey 'Pollo - come gimme a hand here... What a mess."

Apollo stepped next to her, shaking his head with a tisk.

"Turned to stone - that's harsh!"

"Tell me about it!" Aphrodite rolled her eyes, "You'd think she'd do something with a *little* originality!"

"You can save them?" Lethaia said softly.

"Oh sure!" Apollo waved a hand, "This is a breeze.  Ready Aph?"

"As I'll ever be!  Time to get our favourite mortals out of there!"

Both of them closed their eyes, and stretched their arms out in front of them.  Their hands slowly glowed, energy swelling about their delicate beautiful Godly digits.  The balls of energy grew so large that they began to shift into a cloud of energy, gold and pink blending together.  Stepping forward, they let the energy settle on the now-sculptural rock wall, the energy setting to work with a sizzle of air and frenzied swishing patterns.  Like Chinese Firecrackers, the sparks and clouds of luminous gas sped over the rock, weaving in and out, bursting about and over.  The rock shifted, slid, and two young bodies burst from the wall of the cave with an almighty clap.

The two mortals coughed and spluttered on the cave floor, holding eachother for dear life.

"Xena!" came Gabrielle's cry.

Aphrodite grinned at Apollo, holding her hand out.  He slapped his against hers with a self-appreciating smile.

"Man, have we still got it or what!"

Lethaia bent down next to Gabrielle, putting a hand to her shoulder.

"Where is Xena?" Lethaia asked her.

"I don't know," Gabrielle said, her eyes growing red, "I - Hera!  Hera has her!!"

"No she's fine man!" Aphrodite said suddenly, "She's with Ar I think.  Man she helped save our butts!"

The bard nodded.  Her eyes were filled with confusion.  She glanced about her once more, and finally they settled onto Joxer.

"Oh - Gods!"

She sank into his arms, feeling him hold her close.

"It's okay Gabby," he said softly, "Everything's all right now..."

"I know," she said, nodding, "Thank the Gods!"

"It was nothin'," Apollo shrugged, nudging Aphrodite with a grin. "Let's get out of here, eh?"

Aphrodite looked to Gabrielle a long moment, pursing her lips together.  "Hang on..."

Apollo sighed impatiently, "I'll see you later then!"

With that he slipped away in a burst of light.

Lethaia helped Joxer and Gabrielle to their feet, leading them out to Daphne.

"Hey Wonderbard," Aph said suddenly, "Come here..."

She turned from the mouth of the cave, walking to the Goddess of Love.  Joxer turned and ambled after her.

"Uh-uh-uh, Joxie," she said suddenly, "You go home.  Gabster here will be right along in her own time."

Joxer looked worried, but Aphrodite's calming gaze seemed to relax him a little.  Nodding warily, he waved to Gabby.  Gabrielle blew him a small kiss, a soft smile on her face.  The cave was suddenly very quiet, a haunting silence falling upon it.

"Well - how was it being a part of the geography?" asked Aphrodite.

Gabrielle's disturbed green eyes met that of Aphrodite's, and she tried to subdue a shudder that ripped through her.

"Terrifying," she said, "Though I don't remember much of it."

Aphrodite nodded, "Yeah.  You would have been a goner if we hadn't of come along..."

"I know," Gabrielle said, narrowing her eyes with a smile, "Thank you Aphrodite."

"As I said, it's nothing.  My point was," began the Love Goddess again, guiding the bard out into the brooding dawn, "You'd ah been gone from here and you'd never have known what it was like being Studmuffin's little wifey."

Gabrielle opened her mouth, but Aphrodite lifted a finger.

"Aah-" She smiled, "Go catch up with Joxer.  I'm done here."

With that pink and golden sparkles littered down over the buxom form of the Goddess.

Gabrielle glanced about her.  She was alone in the clearing, the hoofbeats of Daphne not so far off.  Gripping her staff, she hefted it and began to run down through the hacked up path Joxer had made not so long ago.   As she reached the dirt road to Corinth she could see Joxer and the others not far off ahead.   She let rip a shrill whistle, that seemed to make Daphne shake her large head with discomfort.  The lanky form of her lover turned, spotted her, and his grin could be seen from even the distance she was.  She ran, smiling, and Joxer loped towards her, arms out wide.

The dawn grew into a morning that Greece had never known the like.  The air, sweet and warm, seemed to move in a breeze gentle and tender, loving the world it ran through.  The trees seemed a little greener, the sky a deep vibrant blue that men only saw in fanciful dreams.  The people, weary and grief-stricken for the chaos of the past days, wandered about the town, awe and disbelief in their tired features.  One such person ran through the town, sporting a grin a mile wide, pointing wildly at the city gates.  On looking, the rest of the town seemed to bolt upright, their statures rising.  The overwhelming sound of livestock mingled with the cheering roars of the people of the town.

The person ran through the town, proclaiming with joy the return of their stock, in one piece and healthy.

Lethaia watched him bolt past Eurepaeda's townhouse, his voice calling out and echoing off the alley walls that he ran down.

"THE ANIMALS ARE BACK!!"

The ex-assassin smiled, stepping inside.

Eurepaeda sat next to her fire, her eyes soft in the darkness of the room.

"You really should go outside," Lethaia said, walking up to Eurepaeda and settling on the settee next to her, putting an arm around her.

The mother sighed, looking down to her hands.  In the digits that were once smooth and young but now a little worse for wear, were two gold rings.  One was a large wedge of smooth gold, the inscription of the date of their nuptial union lining the edge with ornate curves.  Another was slightly smaller, with the same inscription.  Eurepaeda clutched them, her thumb occasionally running over them tenderly.

"I - I don't know," she said, "I don't know if I really feel like it dear..."

Lethaia nodded.  "Well, I'll stay with you until you do... how's that?"

Eurepaeda smiled, "That's nice of you... thank you."

"It's okay," the younger woman smiled.

After another moment gazing at the rings, Eurepaeda looked up, "Where's Jett?"

"He's out with Joxer... getting the wood for the pyre ready I assume."

At the word 'pyre', Eurepaeda's eyes closed heavy, and she leant into Lethaia's hold, a long sigh leaving her.  Lethaia's brows tilted, the pain in the mother's heart so very evident.  She patted Eurepaeda's arm, leaning back against her.

Jett stood at the temple door, letting Joxer walk inside.  Joxer was silent, his steps echoing through the cavernous interior of the temple of Hades.  The large room, decked out in obsidian and black marble, had a single altar, where the body was laid before on a plinth.  Though due to Janus' decayed state, the ornate casket was closed.  A statue of the swarthy man he was protruded from the heavy dark wooden lid of the casket in a weathered dark silver.   The light from an opening in the ceiling fell down on the casket, setting it a-glow in the moody darkness.

He reached out a hand, touching the casket.

"Father..."

He looked back to Jett, then to the casket again.  He mulled through his feelings, trying to dredge up some morsel of affection for the large brute of a man that had made his childhood a living hell.  He grit his teeth at the realisation that he had none.

"I would," he felt a sob choke him, "I wish I could have known you in a different way, because all I have in my heart for you is - regret and bitterness."

Clamping his eyes shut, a tear rolled down his cheek.

"You never said you approved of me.  You only ever had a disappointed glare to give me!  By the Gods, Dad, all I wanted you to do was tell me you loved me!  Was that so damned hard?!"

Suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder.  He turned his head only slightly, seeing the delicate tanned skin that he knew so well.

"Gabby," he breathed.

He looked to her.  She stood behind him, a tender expression on her face.  She glanced back to the door of the temple, nodding to Jett, who took his leave of the situation.

Joxer glanced to his love, tears rimming his eyes.

"He was a terrible father to me."

She nodded sadly.

"But he was the only one I had.  He did try, I gotta give him that."

Gabrielle smiled through the condoling frown.

"He did give me that scabbard...  pity I lost it."

The bard now smiled brightly, "Well, it's funny you mention that..."

He glanced to her, his eyes wide. "Huh?"

"Well, I was waiting for a time to give this to you..."

From behind her, she pulled out the brown leather, intricately embossed and decorated scabbard.  A gasp fell from Joxer's mouth.

"Gods!  Gabrielle!"

His mouth was open, no words able to escape.  She placed it in his trembling hands, her fingers closing over his.

"Oh Gods," he breathed, "I don't - I don't know what to say!"

"You don't have to say anything," she said, "It's kinda my fault you lost it in the first place."

He met her eyes, gratitude abound in his warm brown orbs.  He placed his hand on her cheek tenderly, and pulled her forward into a tight embrace, burying his face in her long lavender-scented golden locks.  He stood there for a long moment, feeling her against him, tears spilling down his face.

"Thank you," he said softly, "Thank you so much!!"

"It's okay," she said, wrapping her arms around Joxer, rubbing his back tenderly, "It's okay Joxer."

He leant back from the hold, casting a look at the casket.  He placed a hand on the chest of the sculpted figure of his father, the tears that choked his voice still wet on his face.

"Goodbye Father," Joxer said, "I'm sorry we couldn't have been closer.  I would have liked that."

Gabrielle stroked a tear from Joxer's face with the back of her knuckle, "He can hear you you know..."

Joxer nodded. "I know."

She wove her arm around his, leading him away from the casket, out to the bright beautiful day outside.  They walked sedately down the steps of the dark temple, their feet meeting bright soft grass, the grassy knoll sloping down in front of them awash with the bright colours of early summer.   Daisies littered the meadow of rich green grass that stretched between the temple and Corinth.    In the middle of the meadow, Nippy munched at some wild oats, swishing his tail occasionally against his barrel belly.  Gabrielle sighed, looking to Joxer.

"You know, this whole thing with your Dad and - and the cave - it's got me thinking..."

He looked to her.

"I didn't know why I couldn't let you marry me," she said, gazing out into the field, "All sorts of reasons filled my mind.  All of them - didn't make sense.  When I saw how sad Mama was it made me realise that for so long, I'd still held that pain."

Joxer knew, without her even saying, what pain she talked of.

"But then I thought of the bath Lethaia and I had with her," she continued, "She was talking about her time with your Dad.   I mean, she really loved him, despite all the things he did wrong."

"I know," Joxer nodded, "I don't understand it."

"I do," she said, "She told me he reminded her a lot of you."

"Huh? Me?" Joxer shook his head, "Now Dad was *nothing* like me!  In fact, if there was an opposite in this world to me - Dad was it!!"

Gabrielle smiled, "Janus was a man who didn't know how to handle things.  Like your mother, you take your frustration out on yourself, where-as your father took it out on the world."

Joxer clenched his jaw, the sudden sting in his heart springing fresh tears to his eyes.

"He always made me feel so useless," Joxer said darkly, "He always - yelled at me!  Blamed me for things!  Every time he used to try and get me to kill someone he'd get angry when I refused!  How can I be like that?"

"You yell at yourself," Gabrielle said, "You blame yourself for so many things... You do to yourself what he did to others."

Joxer pressed his lips together in a sigh, "I know..."

"It's okay Joxer," she said softly, "You know your errors, and you have a life to go to make it right.  Janus doesn't have this luxury."

He nodded, smiling softly, taking Gabrielle's hand in his and gripping it.

"You're so smart," he said, "I don't know what I'd do without you, really."

Gabrielle blushed, "I don't know what I'd do without you either."

They trudged through the thick grass, Joxer humming to himself.

"I decided," Gabrielle said suddenly, "That uh - I'm not going to be afraid of death anymore."

Joxer's lips hung in a confused pout, "Huh?"

"I can't escape it," she said, "Nobody can.  And I'm wasting time right now, being afraid to take you into my life."

All at once, Joxer knew what she meant, and his heart started pounding wildly in his chest.

"You mean?"

"Go on Joxer," she breathed, the sun striking her long tresses, setting them on fire, her eyes shining green and her rosy lips pulled to a grin, "Ask me."

He collapsed to a knee, gripping her hand nervously.

"Ga-Gab-Gabrielle... Will you- Will you marry me?"

A laugh fell from her, her heart rising delightfully in her chest.

"Yes!"

Joxer felt a warmth at his eyes, and he breathed short breaths of shock as his beloved pounced upon him, wrapping him up in her arms.

"Oh Gabby!" he breathed, "You - you really wanna - I mean - ME?"

She grinned, pulling him into the tall grass and to the ground, settling on top of him.

"I want to be your wife," she said, "Joxer, the Mighty."

He let a trembling hand sit on her round silken cheek, searching her eyes, wondering if this were all some crazy dream.  Oh it had to be... she was his - forever!!  HE was HERS!  He laughed, pulling her into a hug, the woman in his arms yanking him over and smacking his thigh playfully.  He rolled over, pinning her to the ground, and began kissing her ear and blowing over the lobe.  Their playful tussle fell to a lingering kiss, the bright day about them framing their happiness with a frivolity not known for an age, and perhaps would never know the like again, so great was the celebration of life around them.  In every bird song, in every blade of grass, the message of a new bright era seemed to be calling.

Xena sighed with relief as Eurepaeda helped her settle into the newly made bed.  She looked to the older woman, smiling softly.

"I've been aching for a bed for hours," Xena sighed, "Not long for anyone who hasn't had a watermelon ripped through their undercarriage..."

"I know what you mean," smiled Eurepaeda, "Imagine how I felt with triplets!"

"I'd rather not," Xena winced.

"I don't blame you," she said, "It was Tartarus on Earth!!"

Xena nodded, receiving An from Eurepaeda.

"She is lovely," she said, "You must be proud."

There was a knock at the door frame, and Eurepaeda turned.  The maid at the door smiled contritely.

"A - Cyrene is here to see Xena?"

The older woman stepped into the room, her blue eyes soft with relief.

"Mother!" Xena exclaimed, "You're all right!  I couldn't get out there to check - I sent Jett!"

"Yes, he found me," Cyrene said with a calm smile, walking over to Xena and perching on the end of the bed.

"I was worried - I mean with all the looting and-"

"Shh," Cyrene said softly, stroking Xena's forehead gently, "I've been running a bar for as long as you've been alive, I know a few things about avoiding a brawl."

"What did you do?" the daughter breathed.

"I packed up the caravan and got out of here, with a few of the other staff.  We hid some ways away.  Having the bouncers along sure helped."

Xena smiled, "I'm sure it did."

Cyrene sighed, a relief in her features, "I was so scared for you!"

"I know..."

"And An..."

Xena met the eyes of her mother, equally as blue as her own.  She gulped, looking down to the child.

"I know, I was angry about - the father," she continued, "I don't understand it, but-"

"He changed, Mama," Xena said huskily, "There's somethin' about him, I just can't-"

"It's okay, Xena," she smiled, "I understand love, I was in it once too."

Xena nodded, he eyes filled with confusion.

"I guess what I'm trying to say," she said, "Is that I'm here for you, no matter what happens.  I'm your mother, never feel like you can't come to me."

"Of course," Xena said, repositioning An on her chest.

"Even if the God of War turns out to be a scum-bag after all, I'll be here."

"Mother!" Xena sighed.

"It was a joke," Cyrene grinned, and Xena let herself smile, sinking into Cyrene's outstretched arms.

Hercules walked down the road, his friend's footsteps kicking up dust along with his.  He glanced to his companion, noticing the worn expression he wore.

"I swear Hercules, I'm sick of dealing with the Gods!" he sighed, "Why do they have to be so childish?"

"I guess that's - just the way things are..."

Iolaus nodded thoroughly, "Yeah well, it sucks!"

"I don't know," Hercules said, "For once, they actually came through for us."

Iolaus cocked his head, thought flickering across his sun-kissed features, and he nodded tightly.

"Yeaah okay maybe they did."

Hercules smiled, hefting the knapsack over his shoulder.

"You think Ares and Xena - you think they'll last?"

"Who knows," Herc said, "All I know is that we'll be there for her no matter what."

Iolaus glanced sideways at the hero, "In other words - they're doomed."

"I didn't say that," the tall hero frowned, "Besides, we're not in the place to judge-"

"Who's judging?" the smaller one exclaimed, "It's just pure conjecture - whether they will last as a couple or not!"

"I'd rather not think about it-"

"Hi boys!"

Iolaus started for a moment, not noticing the buxom blonde shift into form in front of them.

"Aphrodite!" he croaked, "Hi - what are you doing here?"

"Yeah," smiled Hercules.

"Well, a few of the folks are back at my pad celebrating our great triumph," she said with sparkling light blue eyes, one foot toeing at the ground playfully, occasionally meeting Iolaus', "Aaaand I figured, what's a party celebrating that if we don't have you guys along - I mean you helped us and all."

Aphrodite stared long at Iolaus before shifting her gaze to Hercules.  Iolaus looked to Herc with wide eyes, his teeth clenched a little in pleading.  Herc rolled his eyes, sighing.

"Okay," he grinned, "Come on then..."

"Awesome!" grinned Aphrodite, hopping on the spot, "This party is going to ROCK!"

The three of them slipped away in a shower of gold and sizzling pink sparkles, the display of light soaking up their solidity till they were gone.  A leaf skittered by on the now abandoned road.

NEXT PART