Xena stared coldly into Ares’ eyes. “The charade might be over…but the game’s still in play,” she replied. Gathering her strength, Xena pulled her right hand free from his grasp and delivered a powerful jab into his mid-section. He released her other wrist as he buckled over in pain. If he had been a mortal, that blow would have surely broken a rib. Since he was a god it only slowed him down. Ares was back on his feet moments later, but that little bit of time was all the time Xena needed to make her move. “Ayiyiyiyiyiyiy!” She leaped into the air and did a double back flip, landing neatly on her feet right beside Gabrielle. Xena elbowed the guard holding Gabrielle in the kidney, causing him to let go. Then, grabbing his arm, she flipped him over her shoulder so he was unconscious on the floor.
Xena turned to her friend. “Gabrielle, I want you to go gather our things.”
“OK,” she replied and ran towards the hallway. By now, Ares had already commanded ten of his best guards to capture the warrior princess and the bard. All at once, they charged at Xena, who easily flipped over them, and began to fight each individually. She had already grounded most of the men when Gabrielle came running up to her.
“Here,” she yelled as she tossed Xena her chakram. Xena caught it, aimed for a second, and threw. It knocked out the remaining guard and hit the metal latch on the door, breaking the lock.
“Get out now!” Xena shouted as she began to race towards it. Once they got outside, Xena whistled for her horse. Argo came running. He was really a well-trained horse. They mounted him and rode off.
“They’re getting away you idiot!” Callisto shouted at the sleeping Strife. He was asleep right by the door Xena had just escaped from. Callisto kicked him in the side. Strife yawned, pulled himself off the ground and looked up at the fuming goddess. He guessed what had happened and they both disappeared.
But Xena and Gabrielle were already well away from that temple and heading towards the next one.
When the temple came into view Gabrielle turned to Xena. “Do you know whose temple this is?”
“It belongs to Zeus,” she stated unenthusiastically.
Gabrielle's eyes shot wide open. “The king of the gods?!” Gabrielle asked in her 'bard-like' voice.
“The same,” Xena responded.
“Well…is he our friend or not.”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know if any of the gods are on our side, but we need a place for food and shelter. We don’t really have that much of a choice in the matter. It’s all based on luck.”
The temple had huge metal doors which Xena and Gabrielle barricaded once they were inside. Tired, they walked towards the front of the temple and collapsed onto one of the pews. They had almost fallen asleep when suddenly they heard the doors burst open.
“Honey, I’m home!” Callisto exclaimed happily as she stood blocking the doors with the other gods. Xena and Gabrielle crouched down in their seat to avoid being seen. Xena heard the footsteps come closer. “Oh come on, Xena. I know you’re here. Just come out. We’re all getting really tired of this game and we do have some accommodations to arrange.” Knowing that they would find them anyway, Xena stood up and walked out into the aisle in front of Callisto. “Now that’s a good girl. Let’s do this as easily as possible. Just surrender. You know Ares won’t hurt you. Is avoiding him really worth this much aggravation?”
“It’s the principle of the matter that counts. It’s a matter of pride and freedom, which I won’t give up without a fight.”
“Suit yourself,” Callisto responded and drew her sword as Xena did the same.
Suddenly there was a flash of light as a man materialized within it. Everyone turned to look. He took a step forward. “How dare you!” the man yelled at the gods before him. “Who gave you permission?! You cant just enter my temple especially in this manner.”
“Zeus,” Xena unknowingly said out loud. She was both relieved and a little frightened. She had never actually seen the king of the gods – only in pictures.
“We didn’t mean to enter in such a disrespectful manner,” stated Strife, trying to apologize. “We were just chasing....”
“Xena and Gabrielle. I know very well who it is you are chasing,” Zeus said finishing his sentence. “First of all, that still doesn’t give you an excuse to rectify your behavior. Second of all, these two women have come to my temple to seek refuge from those of you who pursue them.” He glanced meaningfully at Xena and Gabrielle. “As long as they are here, they are under my protection. As for you...get...out!”
One by one the other gods glumly exited the temple. Callisto was the last to leave. She still didn’t even loose her look of pleasure as she left. She just smiled and said, “You’ve gotta come out some time, and Zeus can’t protect you forever. I mean look how close we’ve gotten to Hercules and he’s Zeus’ son.” Callisto’s words did find their mark. Xena knew that they couldn’t stay here forever and they may never get a moment of peace outside again, but she pushed these thoughts out of her mind. The last thing that they needed right now was a negative attitude.
Xena looked Zeus over and smiled. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He paused and then started walking toward the front of the temple. “I will provide food for you and Gabrielle while you’re here. Should you need anything, just call out my name and I will come as soon as I can.”
“Why are you doing this for us,” Gabrielle asked stepping out from behind Xena. Xena shot her a harsh look. “Sorry,” she replied softly as a look of guilt crossed her face and she remembered what Xena had told her. Never ask a god a question especially when they are doing something nice for you. Don’t let them think you are at all confused or they will take advantage of you. Still, that question was prominent in Xena’s mind as well. She had never offered any sacrifices to him Zeus and never paid him homage.
“Because I hate what Ares has done...or what he’s doing for that matter. He has people – gods no less – chasing you relentlessly and for what? A birthday gift! People are not meant to be gifts. Besides you’re only mortals. What do you honestly think your chances are at winning this fight?” Xena shrugged – knowing fully well their chances. “Not very good,” he stated. With that, he disappeared.
Gabrielle turned to her friend. “Do you think we can trust him?”
“I don’t know...but if he was not on our side, he would have handed us over already.”
Gabrielle nodded. “Xena, what are we going to do?”
“For the moment…exactly what we’re doing. I suggest you try to get some sleep.”
“All right.”
They fell asleep as soon as they laid down — into the dream world, their only place to relax – and the night went on.
As usual, Xena woke up first. She sat up and stretched her arms. A small groan escaped her lips. By the gods, she felt so much better – well, not exactly by the gods. She was still hungry though. It had been about three weeks since she’d taken time out and had the time to eat a descent meal. Looking around, Xena saw that food had already been placed on the table. She smiled, knowing that Zeus had kept his word.
“Xena?” came a voice from behind her. She looked at the bard who was now sitting upright, yawning. “Is all that food for us?”
“Just like you, Gabrielle,” Xena said smiling. “The first thing on your mind every morning is food.”
‘Where’s breakfast’, ‘whattcha eating’, ‘when are we having breakfast’ were Gabrielle’s common terms of good morning to Xena.
“Hey.” She playfully gave the warrior a push. “Is that breakfast? I want to know.”
“Yep.”
Gabrielle yawned again and casually strolled over to the food. Xena watched as Gabrielle grabbed an apple and devoured it within a few seconds, practically inhaling it. And then a pear, a banana, and a carrot. Xena held back her urge to laugh.
She had always gotten a good chuckle each morning when she watched her best friend eat. It seemed as though she was still asleep and never even stopped for air. Finally Xena could hold it no longer. She burst out laughing.
Gabrielle turned and looked innocently at her. “What’s so funny,” she asked, her mouth still full of food. It actually amazed Xena how Gabrielle could always eat so much and never even seem to gain a pound.
Xena breathed in deeply. Laughing had almost brought tears to her eyes. “Nothing” was all she could manage to get out. Gabrielle just shrugged and continued to eat. “Gabrielle,” Xena said laying a hand on the bard’s shoulder, “don’t ever change.” Then she began to eat too.
In time they finished the tray of food. Now satisfied, they walked over to the window and peered outside. The Sovereign was still outside. It was almost scary how close a resemblance the Sovereign bore to Hercules. He had set up a camp, and was on his back resting. Luckily all the other gods had disappeared.
“Xena, what are we going to do next?” For a moment Xena just stood there as if she hadn’t even heard the question, but then she turned to Gabrielle and smiled. Gabrielle saw that little sparkle in her eye and knew that she had thought of something. “You’ve got an idea.”
“Yes I do…but it’s risky and I’ll need your help.”
Meanwhile, back on Olympus, the gods who were involved with the chase had called together a meeting. No one was able to hear anything over the constant arguing and yelling of the gods.
“We’ve got no choice. We have to wait until they come out,” shouted Discord so she would be heard over the commotion.
“We don’t have that much time available to us. Uncle’s birthday is next week, and we have no idea of how long they will be holding up in there,” stated Strife. “Does Xena even know when Ares’ birthday is?”
“I seriously doubt it,” replied Callisto. “I mean when’s the last time they sat down together and had a little heart to heart chat? Not recently.”
“Good.”
“Seriously people, how hard can it be for nine gods…well eight gods and one immortal to capture two mere mortals?” Apollo proclaimed.
“That’s what makes this whole situation so depressing,” whined Discord.
“But this isn’t just any mortal. This is Xena we’re talking about,” yelled Callisto. “It’s not like catching any regular mortal like her pesky little brat of a friend. And we haven’t even been able to catch her.”
“Well whose fault is that?” Velaska asked angrily, looking directly at Strife.
“Don’t look at me. I didn’t do anything.”
“Yeah sure. That sounds really funny coming from the god who let them easily escape from the door he was supposed to be guarding,” she replied.
“Well what’s done is done. So how will we capture Xena and Gabrielle?”
There was a moment of silence. “I’ve got it!” exclaimed Callisto. “All we need to do is capture the bard and Xena will fall right into our hands.” She smiled. “And really, how hard do you think it will be to capture her?”
“Pretty hard, considering Xena will protect her,” answered Strife.
“Not necessarily,” Callisto replied, rising from her seat. “All we must do is divide them…even for a moment. Do that and well...we’ve won. The key to defeating Xena is through her emotions. She feels too much, and we can use that against her. Like Caesar used to say, before Xena killed him that is...divide and conquer.”
“So what’s your plan? You did say you have a plan, right?” Gabrielle asked excitedly.
“I said I do. Now listen. Do you remember when I got shot with that poison dart and you had to dress up as me to save that village and stop the warlord?”
“Yeah.... How could I forget? I thought you had died.”
“Well obviously I didn’t. Anyway, I can dress as you and you as me, since they most likely have both exits guarded.”
“What good will that do?”
“Just listen.... Strife said you'd just be insurance, so they’re after me, right?”
“Right.”
“So, if you dress as me and I as you and we each go out a different door we’ll have created a diversion.”
“I’m not sure I follow you, Xena.”
“OK. You ride out the front door on Argo dressed as me, and I’ll go out the back door dressed as you. Seeing that you look like me, they’ll all go after you, which will give me time to escape.”
“So you plan to sacrifice me for your own safety?!”
“No, of course not. Now listen! I’m not done yet. They’ll eventually catch you of course, but once they see that they have the wrong person, they’ll leave you and go chase after me. Hopefully by then I’ll be gone. We can set up a scheduled place to meet up and by then we’ll probably have lost them by then, or if not have them very much confused.”
“Do you think it’ll work?”
“You know, you ask me that a lot. But anyway most likely...if everything goes right. Do you want to try it or not? It's really up to you.”“Well...I wouldn't say this is one of your best plans, Xena, but it's so crazy...and stupid really...that it just might work. So why not? Let’s give it a go. As you said we can’t stay here forever.”
“OK then. Let’s wait until dark. It’ll be harder to tell who’s who. For now, try and get some sleep.”
“But I’m not tired.”
“You will be.”
Again they settled to rest on the benches, which we’re exactly that comfortable. For someone who wasn’t tired, Gabrielle was out like a light. Xena on the other hand, couldn’t. She tossed and turned. She had one of her ‘something’s wrong’ feelings, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on it. As she was about to drift off, she detected a presence near by. Xena immediately sat up as her reflexes took over and she peered into the shadows of the temple. Someone appeared.
“I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” Xena exhaled a deep relieved sigh, and stood up to face Zeus.
“No. I’ve been up.”
“Well I just wanted to say you’re welcome to stay for a few more nights. You don’t have to leave yet.”
“So you heard us talking.” Zeus nodded. “And you also know what we plan to do.” Zeus nodded again. Xena paused, trying to get a handle on the thoughts stirring in her mind. “Do you know what will happen? Will Gabrielle come out okay? That's my main worry.” Her voice sounded almost pleading with just a hint of desperation.
“I can't say. I’m sorry to say I can’t. I never had that ability. In fact, I don’t think any god does.”
“Well thanks anyway. And you know how much Gabrielle and I appreciate you letting us stay here.”
“You’re welcome. But I still don’t understand why you want to leave.”
“We can’t hide all our lives. We...I have to put an end to this. I won’t risk Gabrielle.”
“You’re very brave.... Foolish, but brave.” Xena smiled. “Well since you insist on leaving I won’t stand in your way. But first, give me your hands.”
“Why?”
“Are you mortals always this suspicious? I have a gift to give you.”
Xena rose an eyebrow, but conceded and reluctantly placed her hands in his. Immediately she felt him tighten his hold. After a moment, Xena’s body jerked. It wasn’t exactly what one might consider to be painful, but it was uncomfortable. A shimmer of light surrounded them both. Xena felt stronger and more refreshed. When he released her hands, the glow vanished.
“What did you do to me?”
“I gave you my gift.” Xena stared blankly at the god. “Actually I have bestowed upon you two gifts. You are now immortal.” Xena’s mouth almost dropped to the floor. “And...you also have the power to heal. But there’s more to it. The beginner’s stage of imortality might no give you the ability to immediately get up after you’ve been killed…you must let your powers grow first. To heal someone, they must be living. Just hold your hands above that person and concentrate. But I must warn you though, that does take some energy and you will fell slightly fatigued after you do this. This might help you keep Gabrielle safe since that is your biggest worry. At least now you will have a fighting chance.” With that, he disappeared. Xena stood there for several minutes, just staring blankly at the empty space where Zeus had just been.
Quietly she replied, “Thanks,” and smiled, knowing he heard her. ‘Now we have a chance,’ she thought to herself. Xena lay back down on the hard wood and this time, fell asleep.
“Xena…Xena.” Xena felt someone shake her shoulders. She slowly opened her eyes. Gabrielle stared apologetically down at her. “I didn’t want to wake you. You looked so peaceful, but it’s time.” A wave of thoughts came back to Xena as she remembered the chase and the incident from last night. She was immortal. Xena decided that it would be better if she waited till this ordeal was over with before she told Gabrielle. Knowing what they had to do, she sat up, fairly certain that that was the last good sleep she would have for a long time.
They each separated and went to quickly give themselves a wardrobe change. They couldn’t help but laugh at the way the other person looked. “You ready?” Xena asked, unsure if she herself was.
“Let’s get this done so was can put this whole nightmare behind us.”
Xena nodded and they each went to their door. “On three I want you to mount Argo and ride as fast as you can. Don’t stop no matter what you see or hear. They’ll use all sorts of trickery to catch us. Meet me at that waterfall...you know, where Argo was. Do you remember how to get there?”
“Yep.”
“Good. One…two…three!” They bolted out the doors. Xena was on a running breakaway heading for the falls and Gabrielle was already well on her way too.
“Oh why did I agree to this?!” Gabrielle whined to herself. She and Argo didn’t really get along that well but she clung to that horse for dear life. Argo was the one doing the steering. Gabrielle was just trying to stay aloft. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the feeling of the cold hard ground underneath her back. She groaned at the incredible feeling of pain in her spine and ankle. Argo had thrown her! She turned to see the mare riding away at top speed. Gabrielle blinked, unable to believe what had just happened.
But when she saw the figure towering over her, she knew what had happened. It was Callisto and she had scared Argo. That would at least explain the flash of light she saw.
“Gabrielle?” Callisto sounded as if she didn’t even believe her own words. She stared hard at Gabrielle before she smiled and started to laugh. “What is this supposed to be a new look for you?” she said putting her hands on her hips. “Personally, I like the style , you know leather and all, but I think it’s more becoming on Xena."
Gabrielle remained silent, afraid she might somehow give away some information as to Xena’s whereabouts. Callisto leaned down and pulled Gabrielle roughly to her feet. “Strife!” she exclaimed. He appeared instantly. “I want you to handle her and come with me.” He gripped Gabrielle’s arms while Callisto let go. Callisto laughed to herself. “Can’t wait to see what Xena looks like.” With a wave of her hand, all three vanished.
Xena hadn’t stopped running since they started, but came to an abrupt halt when she saw the three figures appear in front of her.
Gabrielle has held by Srife with a knife at her neck and Callisto stood in front of them, smiling – like she ever stops. “And Xena, I think you look better in that,” she said pointing over her shoulder at the bard. Xena faked a smile as she stared defiantly into Callisto’s playful eyes. She really held no fear for this psychotic blonde goddess standing in front of her. Though she was fully aware of the harm she could do unto her, she was not afraid to die. She was however, afraid for her friend.
Callisto started pacing around the warrior. “I should thank you.... You made our job easier. You split up all by yourselves. We didn’t have to make you.... Not that you didn’t put up a good fight.” She stepped in front of Xena. “You gave us all a good workout. But enough games. Come with me. We haven’t got much time to get you ready.” Callisto took a step in the opposite direction. Seeing that Xena did not intend on moving, she quickly pulled out a dagger and held it against Gabrielle’s already hard pounding chest. “Unless you’d rather she die.”
Xena took in a sharp intake of breath. She was hit where she was most vulnerable: Gabrielle. “All right,” Xena replied desperately. She took a step towards Callisto. “Just don’t hurt her.”
“I won’t as long as you cooperate. Come.”
Callisto held out her hand. Xena didn’t even want to look at Callisto. Xena didn’t want to see the light of victory that she knew was shining in her eyes. Defeated, Xena placed her hand in Callisto’s.