Xena, Gabrielle, Callisto, Joxer, Amarice, Eli and all other original characters who have appeared in the syndicated series' Xena: Warrior Princess &/or Hercules: the Legendary Journeys together with their names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. However the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of myself.
Author's Notes:
The following story was completed in December of 2000, however the idea was conceived over a year earlier in late 1999.
It's events takes place directly after the XWP season 4 episode 'The Ides of March'. The following story should be read as if 'The Ides of March' was the last episode that ever aired, and as if season 5 and 6 never took place.
Feedback is always welcome and appreciated.
Part 2
Xena, Gabrielle and Ares all glared at Callisto as she slowly approached with the broken Chakram in hand.
Ares stared at Callisto as his face twitched in anger. "Callisto, you're responsible for all this. And believe me I am going to make you pay just as soon as . . . ."
"As what?" Callisto chuckled. "As soon as you get the Chakram?"
Callisto then held up the Chakram and smiled. "Too late!"
Ares quickly drew his sword and took a swing at Callisto, but the blow was deflected by a force-field which appeared around Callisto.
As Ares examined the force-field Callisto laughed. "Oh Ares, you don't possibly stand a chance against me. My master has anointed me with all of his powers, his essence. No has-been god stands a chance against him, or me!"
Ares glared at Callisto as he slowly sheathed his sword. Callisto grinned as the force-field vanished. Xena then broke her silence with a voice of contempt. "What is it that you want Callisto?"
Callisto looked at Xena and smiled. "Oh not much . . . just your soul."
Xena smirked at Callisto. "Callisto, you can just tell your master to give up. You were responsible for killing us and I wouldn't give you my soul to stop that. Do you really think I'd give up my soul for the Chakram?"
Callisto grinned. "Oh yeah, killing you . . . Well see, I wasn't supposed to harm you physically Xena. It's sort of a rule. No physical interference."
Gabrielle shook her head and chuckled at Callisto's comment. "But you did physically interfere."
Callisto looked at Gabrielle and smiled. "Oops."
Callisto began to laugh hysterically. She then took a deep breath to calm herself, then said, "Yeah but as you can see it didn't take."
Ares who still stared at Callisto interrupted. "Callisto, you are going to pay for this."
Callisto's tone then changed from confident to angry as she turned her attention to the god of war. "Oh believe me, I have payed for it Ares. More than you will ever know. So don't tell me what I will and will not pay for."
Callisto then took a deep breath, looked at the broken Chakram then gazed back up at Xena. "Anyway Xena, I'm here for another reason. You see, Ares didn't tell you everything about the Chakram."
Callisto gazed up at Ares then snickered, "Or maybe he just doesn't know? You know how men are about reading directions."
Ares just continued to stare at Callisto as she continued. "You see Xena, I personally don't care anything about the Chakram. but my master is very interested in it."
Ares took a deep breath as he took a step towards Callisto. "What are you talking about?"
Callisto looked at Ares and grinned. "Oh I think you know, if you just think about it."
Ares shifted his eyes over towards Xena then quickly shifted them back towards the still grinning Callisto who nodded. "You see, my master figures that if I simply place the broken Chakram back on the altar before you two have a chance to rejoin it, then the Chakram will be ready for a new bonding."
Xena stood up and in a disgusted voice said, "So what does that have to do with me?"
Callisto grinned. "Oh nothing. but it does have something to do with, Eric, no Leon."
Callisto paused for a moment then smiled. "No . . . Eli!"
Xena's eyes widened in anger as Callisto slowly took a few step backwards. "So, you can either give me your soul, or I'll simply take his, via the Chakram. Either way, I win!"
Callisto then laughed once again as she held up the two pieces of the broken Chakram for Xena to see, then with a gust of wind, Callisto disappeared.
Xena shook her head as she looked at Ares in disgust. "Why didn't you have the Chakram Ares? You left it laying around for anyone to get a hold of?"
Ares then waved his hand and in a flash of god-fire disappeared.
Xena frantically looked around the room as she shouted, "Ares! Come back here you coward!"
Ares then reappeared, looked at Xena and said, "Xena, with the Chakram broken I've lost some of my powers." Ares then grabbed Gabrielle by the hand and waved his hand in an attempt to disappear, but instead of disappearing, Ares just flickered for a few seconds.
Ares then let go of Gabrielle as he explained, "You see. I tried to take the Chakram, but I couldn't. I've lost the ability to transport anything other than myself."
At that moment Joxer charged through the doors and shouted, "Xena. Eli's gone. He was there one minute and then he just screamed and disappeared."
Joxer then noticed Ares and nodded. "Hi Ares."
Joxer then jumped, startled from the war gods presence. "Ares? . . . Um, Xena?"
Xena turned and looked at Joxer. "Joxer, just wait outside. We'll be out in a minute."
Joxer shook his head. "But?"
"Just do it!"
Joxer swallowed as he nodded. He then reluctantly left the room as Xena slowly approached Ares.
The Warrior Princess gazed deep into the war god's eyes and in a firm voice said, "Where has Callisto taken Eli?"
Ares didn't answer but silently stared a Xena for a moment. Xena shook her head impatiently then shouted, "Where has she taken Eli!?!"
Ares took a deep breath then reluctantly nodded. Then in a hesitant tone the war god said, "The Chakram can only work in the presence of the Eye of Hephaestus."
"The what?" asked Xena. "What do you mean? I use the Chakram all the time."
Ares took another deep breath, nodded then tried to explain. "You don't use the Chakram as it was intended Xena. The Chakram is not a weapon of war, it is a weapon of defense.
"I lied when i said the essence of the gods was in the Chakram . . . before you had it, it was an empty vessel."
Gabrielle stood up and curiously asked, "A vessel for what?"
But Ares didn't answer. He just stood silent for several moments staring into space. With each silent moment that passed, Xena became more angry until she broke the silence with a shout. "Ares!"
Ares shook off his blank stare as Xena firmly said, "Obviously you want my help in reforming the Chakram. And I need you to tell me where Callisto has taken Eli. So, either you tell me what's going on, or we both lose."
Ares took another deep breath to clear his thoughts. He then looked at an angry Xena and nodded, "OK! But what you are about to hear, no mortal has ever heard before."
Ares then began to nervously pace back and forth as he started to explain. "Centuries ago, when the gods overthrew the Titans, some of the gods, particularly Zeus and Hades, feared that one day the same thing would happen to them. So Zeus had Hephaestus forge a weapon . . . the Chakram!"
Ares then stopped pacing as he gazed over at Gabrielle. He then looked at Xena and reluctantly continued. "The idea was that if someone ever tried to overthrow the gods, that we would go to the Chakram and combine all of our essence into this one weapon."
Xena quickly interrupted, "But you said the Chakram is not a weapon of war. So how can it be used against someone?"
Ares grinned at Xena's astuteness. He then continued to explain. "Hephaestus forged the Chakram in conjunction with something called the Eye of Hephaestus . . . Hephaestus is most noted for forging things that bind. Chains, straps etc . . . The Eye of Hephaestus was his ultimate creation. It would imprison the enemy and in a sense would watch over the enemy for eternity."
Gabrielle then curiously asked, "But how? . . . What does that Eye have to do with the Chakram?"
Ares glanced over at Gabrielle and said, "They were forged to work together. The idea was for the gods to combine their powers within the Chakram. Then the gods would lure the enemy into the tomb where the Eye of Hephaestus rests. When the enemy would be in just the right position, specifcally standing within the seal of the Chakram which is carved into the floor, the gods would strike the Eye with the Chakram. At the moment of strike, the powers within the Chakram would be transferred to the Eye and the Eye would imprison who or whatever we would be at war with . . . but instead, I used the Chakram to bond you and me together Xena, and I've been on the outs with the family ever since.
"So you see Xena, the reason I wiped away your memory of that temple was not because of me, but because of where you were."
Xena suspiciously shook shook her head in disbelief. "That's bogus Ares. Why would you take such a risk. Why would risk wasting the weapon of the gods, huh?"
Ares grinned. "Because Xena, I thought it was a myth. Nothing could defeat the gods of Olympus. Oh sure, we've had a few close calls, but no one has ever been able to break an Olympian covenant . . . that is until Callisto broke the Chakram."
Xena just shook her head in shock as she stared at Ares. But Gabrielle was curious and asked, "Wait a minute. If the gods needed the Chakram so bad, then why didn't they just have Hephaestus forge another one?"
Ares chuckled. "It took Hephaestus over a thousand years to forge the Chakram and the Eye."
"Why so long?"
"Because, for the weapon to work, Hephaestus needed a piece of every god's divine power, a piece of each god's divine weapon. My sword, Helios' dagger, etc. Hephaestus shaved off small fractions of each weapon, melted them down and created the Chakram.
"But not every god knew of the weapon. Only Zeus, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Hephaestus, Athena, Aphrodite and myself know of it's existence. Zeus knew by telling only the immediate family, that the secret would never get out. And if it did, it would be easily traced. The other gods would only be told when and if the weapon was ever needed. But, it also made it difficult to get the other god's weapons to forge the Chakram."
Gabrielle nodded and whispered. "A thousand years!"
Ares nodded. "Yeah!"
But Xena wasn't curious like Gabrielle, she just continued to look at Ares in disbelief as she softly whispered, "Ares . . . what does this have to do with Eli?"
Ares shrugged his shoulders. "She doesn't want Eli Xena. She wants you. She wants your soul."
"But why?"
Ares, reluctant to answer, paused for a moment then said, "Why not? You are Xena, the Warrior Princess. He obviously wants that woman back."
Xena's eyes widened at Ares comment. She suspiciously looked at the war god who just chucked. "Oh please Xena, her master isn't me. Why would I allow her to break the Chakram and then steal it from me?"
Xena nodded. "OK, if not you, then who is it?
Ares said, "That's not important. What is important is that we get the Chakram back and reform it before she does. If she reforms the Chakram, our bond will forever be incomplete."
Xena shook her head, "No. What's important is that we rescue Eli, then reform the Chakram."
"But Xena, don't you understand. it's a trap. She'll use your friendship with Eli against you to get your soul."
Xena shook her head. "i don't care. Eli is my friend . . . ."
"A friend you're willing to not just die for, but to lose your eternal soul for?"
Xena swallowed as she turned and looked at Gabrielle. Xena then turned and said, "Hopefully it won't come to that.
"Now, you said you can't teleport us there?"
Ares nodded. That's right!"
Xena then looked at Gabrielle who whispered. "Aphrodite?"
Xena nodded then looked back towards Ares. "You need to find Aphrodite and tell her we need our supplies."
Ares shook his head curiously. "What?"
"We always leave extra supplies in her temples. Clothes, weapons, an extra set of my leather armor."
Ares chuckled. "Wait a minute, you rely on Aphrodite to hold onto extra supplies and not me?"
Xena nodded, "Well, she's never tried to drive me mad like you! Besides she watches Argo for me from time to time . . . just do it Ares."
Ares shook his head., "I don't think it's wise to bring Aphrodite into all this."
Xena shouted, "i don't care what you think. If you want me to help you with this Chakram problem, you'll help me save Eli. And to save Eli, I need supplies."
"Fine!" Ares said, "head towards Macedonia. That's where she's taken Eli. Once you reach the border, I'll be back to show you where the tomb is." Then Ares waved his hand and disappeared.
After Ares vanished from inside the prison, Xena and Gabrielle pulled the furs tightly around them and quickly went to find Joxer and Amarice.
Once outside, Xena immediately spotted Amarice pacing back and forth, as Joxer sat on the ground twiddling his thumbs.
Joxer was the first to see Xena and Gabrielle emerge from the prison. He quickly jumped to his feet as he said, "What's going on? What is Ares doing in there?"
Amarice turned and looked at Joxer as she curiously asked, "Ares? Like the god of war Ares?"
Xena looked at Joxer and said, "Joxer, I'll explain it all to you on the way. Right now we have got to head towards Macedonia."
Amarice shook her head as she said, "Macedonia? That's at least a 2 days journey."
But Xena just shook her head in disagreement. "Not if we ride all night."
Joxer then looked at Gabrielle and asked, "What's going on? I mean, have you forgotten that you just, you know? Came back from the dead?"
Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders as Xena quickly answered, "No Joxer. We haven't forgotten. But Eli is more important right now."
Amarice's eyes widened as she stepped forward. "You know what happened to Eli?"
Xena looked at Amarice then glanced over to Joxer and nodded, "Callisto. That's what happened to Eli."
Joxer's eyes narrowed as he looked at Xena as if she had lost her mind. "Callisto? Callisto's dead."
But before Xena could answer, Amarice stuttered nervously. "Did, did you say Callisto?"
Xena nodded, "That's right." Xena then rolled her eyes as she said, "Oh yeah, I never got the chance to tell you about her."
Xena then paused to take a deep breath, then as her tone became melancholy she explained. "Years ago my army attacked a small village, and . . . ."
Xena swallowed as she reluctantly continued. "Callisto's family was killed. Her mother and her sister. And now she wants revenge . . . Listen, I'll tell you all about it on the way."
But Amarice didn't answer. She simply stared off into space as her breathing became heavier and her throat dried very quickly. The young Amazon then shook off her blank stare and in a raspy voice said, "What uh? Where was she from? What was the name of the village?"
Xena looked at Amarice and firmly said, "Cirra!"
Amarice attempted to swallow but her throat was just too dry. As a chill climbed up Amairce's spine, she began to feel light headed. Xena, unaware of Amarce's reaction, began to talk to Joxer. But Gabrielle had gazed over and noticed Amarice looked rather sick. Gabrielle took a few steps towards Amarice as a look of concern crossed the bard's face. "Amarice. Are you all right?"
Amarice began to shake as she looked up at Gabrielle and nodded. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Then in an attempt to hide her reaction, Amarice quickly followed up. "The Roman's left a couple of horses in the stables. I'll head over there, saddle 'em up and bring 'em back."
Amarice then quickly walked away as Joxer began to follow. "I'll help"
As they left, Gabrielle pulled the fur around her tightly as she gazed up at Xena. "Can we trust Ares to help us rescue Eli?"
Xena nodded. "We can trust Ares up until the point the Chakram is reformed, remerged or whatever. After that . . . we're on our own!"
A few hours later, from inside Ares' palace on mount Olympus, the god of war silently stared at an image of Xena, Gabrielle and the others riding their way down the mountain and towards Macedonia.
As Ares watched on, a voice rang out in Ares's chambers. "Don't you think you should be doing more than just watching Xena like a love sick teenager?"
Ares quickly turned around and saw Hades, god of the Underworld standing before him.
"Hades," Ares said with a bit of annoyance in his voice, "what are you doing here?"
Hades took a deep breath, and then in a concerned voice said, 'Oh, I think you know why I'm here."
Hades then slowly approached his nephew as he said, "The Chakram is still not reformed . . . and now Callisto has it."
Ares chuckled and in a sarcastic tone said, "Tell me something I don't know."
Hades shook his head. "We need the Chakram Ares. We need that weapon reformed. You've already cost us the power the Chakram would have had if we all had been bonded to it. We can't risk losing what little power it still has, Nor can we risk losing Xena's soul to, you know who!"
Ares looked at Hades and grinned. "Don't worry, I have a plan."
Hades nodded. "So do I . . . While I do owe Xena for the things she's helped me with, unlike you, I'm not willing to risk our downfall because of sentiment."
Ares glared at Hades for a moment, then in an angry voice said, "You touch her and you'll wish that Callisto's master got to you instead of me . . . Xena is mine Hades. Not his and not yours. She will rejoin me and sanctify our bond. Then all of this will mean nothing."
Hades silently looked at Ares for a moment. He then took a deep breath and asked, "And how do you plan on getting her to rejoin you Ares?"
"That's for me to know, and you to find out!"
Hades began to fume in anger as he said, "Fine, You can play these games. But just remember Ares, as much as we need Xena, he needs her much more than we do. If you get my drift?" Hades then waved his hand and disappeared, leaving an angry god of war to think about what Hades said.
Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer and Amarice all on horseback, rode out of the
mountains, across the valley and reached the border of Macedonia by
nightfall.
As they made a quick stop at one of Aphrodite's temples, they found that Aphrodite had laid out their spare supplies, but the goddess of love was no where to be found. Xena quickly traded the fur for her leather warrior garb and Gabrielle once again donned her two piece, green and brown outfit that she had wore for several years before meeting up with Eli. After they gathered their supplies, they rode for several more hours by the light of the near full moon.
Once the moon reached the western sky, Xena decided to make a temporary camp along the banks of a river to give everyone a chance to rest before sunrise.
As Joxer and Gabrielle rested by the warmth of the campfire, Amarice, well away from the others, stood along the banks of the river as she gazed up at the night sky.
As the moonlight cast Amarice's shadow on the sandy shoreline, another shadow appeared as a voice softly whispered, "It's a shocker, isn't it?"
Amarice quickly drew her sword and turned around and saw Callisto standing before her.
Amarice lowered her sword as tears streamed down her face. The young Amazon slowly shook her head and stuttered. "Callisto? Is, is it really you?"
Callisto took a deep breath as she gazed into her sister's eyes. "Yeah," Callisto then noticed the tears in her sister's eyes, and as she shook her head regretfully Callisto said, "Amarice. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to find out that Xena was the one who destroyed our lives."
Amarice looked at Callisto, sadly chuckled in disbelief and said, "You think I'm upset because of what Xena did?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, you thought she was your friend only to find out that . . . ."
But Amarice interrupted. "That's not why I'm so upset. I'm upset because my sister became a monster.
"If Xena hadn't changed, then I'd be mad at her. But Xena did change . . . and she is my friend."
Callisto's eyes widened in anger. "What? Don't believe what Xena tells you. She's trying to warp your mind. Xena's the enemy. She's just trying to convince you that she doesn't have to pay for what she did."
Amarice shook her head. "She couldn't be doing that. Because I didn't tell her that I was your sister . . . but if you're saying it's not true, then I'll believe you."
Callisto looked at Amarice curiously as her younger sister began to pace back and forth. "You tell me that what Xena told me on the way here is not true. Tell me that you didn't slaughter women and children. Tell me that you didn't kill Gabrielle's husband the day after they were married . . . You tell me that you weren't responsible for the death of Xena's only son."
Amarice stopped pacing and took a deep breath. Then through her tear filled eyes, she gazed into Callisto's eyes and said, "You tell me that what Xena told me is a lie, and I'll believe you."
Callisto silently stared at Amarice. She wanted to tell her that it wasn't true. She wanted to tell Amarice that Xena was a liar . . . but she couldn't lie to her sister. So Callisto swallowed her pride and as she shook her head she whispered, "I can't Amarice . . . It's true. All of it. I did those things. I did those things, and much more . . . but I did them for you, for mom. And now, I'm here to protect you.
Amarice shook her head in disbelief. "For me? For mom? How dare you Callisto. I thought you were dead too you know? I was raised by total strangers, by Amazons. I was younger than you were. I needed you then more than I ever did. Where were you when I needed your protection? Because I sure don't need it now."
Amarice then turned her back to her sister and began to walk away.
Callisto shook her head in anger as she said, "Amarice. Don't go with Xena tomorrow. Don't help her save Eli. You stay as far away from that tomb as possible. I have a job to do. And I will do it. But I don't want you there. Do you here me?"
Amarice stared at Callisto for a moment before she answered, "You have a job to do? So do I. I have to help my friend . . . I let Xena down once before, I won't let her down again."
Amarice then began to slowly walk away again as Callisto screamed, "No Amarice! You listen to me! Xena may be your friend, but I'm your sister!"
Amarice's eyes widened as she looked over her shoulder towards Callisto once more. "My sister? . . . I wish that were true. But you're not the Callisto I knew. That Callisto, my sister . . . she died long ago . . . at least her soul did. "And whether you like it or not Callisto, Xena didn't kill your soul, only you could have done that."
Amarice then turned and faded into the underbrush of the woods.
Callisto watched as her sister left her by the river banks. The blonde warrioress, shook her head in disbelief, then gazed upwards and violently screamed, "Noooo!!!"
Further down stream, where the waters ran slower, Xena sat quietly on the banks of the river. As she stared at the glassy surface of the water she contemplated on how to save Eli, and defeat Callisto once and for all. She knew she needed help, but she didn't trust Ares. Nor did she think Ares was telling the whole truth about the Chakram.
As Xena gazed upon the surface of the water, from behind her, Ares silently appeared and in a soft but firm voice he said, "The time is at hand!"
Xena quickly stood up, turned around and looked at her former mentor. "Ares!"
Ares then slowly approached Xena and stopped only inches from her. "In just a short time Xena, you will have to make a choice."
Xena looked at Ares with a confused tone said, "What choice?"
"The choice between your friend, the fate of the world and your soul."
"What in Tartarus are you talking about?"
Ares grinned as he explained. "Callisto doesn't want Eli Xena. Callisto doesn't even technically want the Chakram! Callisto wants your soul."
Xena said, "How woud you know that for sure?"
Ares grinned. "let's just say I know Callisto's master pretty well. And I know what he does and doesn't want."
"And what do you want Ares?"
Ares chuckled as he reached for Xena and brushed his hand against her cheek "I want what i've always wanted Xena."
Ares then stepped back, turned, waved his hand and instantly an image appear of a younger Xena, on horseback, with her sword drawn, leading her army into battle.
"I want my Warrior Princess, living as my Warrior Queen!" Ares then waved his hand once again and the image vanished. Ares turned back towards Xena and continued. "Once we reform the Chakram, just call upon my name and I will guarantee you victory over Callisto."
"And If I don't call upon your name?"
Ares grinned.as he once again approached Xena and placed his hands on her shoulders."Xena," Ares lustfully whispered, "You can't deny me Xena. I'm in your blood . . . even with the Chakram broken, our essence is still one. Nothing can change that."
Xena smiled. "You didn't answer my question."
"Well, if you don't rejoin me, then you're on you own against Callisto and helping Eli!"
Ares then stepped away from Xena and grinned. "But no preasure." Ares then laughed, and in a flash of god-fire, disappeared.
As Ares reappeared in his chambers on mount Olympus, he saw an angry Aphrodite standing with her hands on her hips. Behind the blonde goddess was an image of Xena standing by the river.
Ares shook his head as he sarcastically asked, "Eavesdropping Aphrodite?"
Aphrodite's eyes narrowed as she stared at Ares. She then gazed back at the image of Xena and shook her head in disgust. "Ares, what are doing?"
Ares nonchalantly waved off Aprhodite's question as he said, "None of your business."
"Uh . . . like, Xena is my friend. And my friends are my business."
Ares rolled his eyes. "Aphrodite." Ares then began to walk towards the goddess as he continued. "Xena is my business, not yours."
Aphrodite turned and looked at the image of Xena who was now waking Gabrielle. "You're going to just let her fight Callisto alone unless she rejoins you?"
"That's right!"
"She can't defeat Callisto, at least not while she's anointed by the enemy."
Ares grinned and nodded. "I know!"
Aphrodite's jaw dropped in shock as she shook her head. "You had all this planned out, didn't you?"
Ares shook his head. "Of coarse not. But it couldn't have worked out better if I had."
Aphrodite looked at Ares in disgust. "Ares. You know what will happen . . . Callisto has every right to take Xena's life, or her soul. Xena's going to lose her soul if you don't do something."
Ares said, "I will do something . . . ."
"If she rejoins you?"
Ares nodded. "That's right!"
"Huh," Aphrodite sighed. "You call that a choice? . . . either she loses her soul to Callisto's lord or she corrupts her shoul by rejoining you . . . Why would you do that to her?"
Ares stared at the image of Xena for a moment, then looked at Aphrodite.and said, "Little sister, When Xena rejoins me, she will be unstoppable. She will be my Warrior Queen, and she will rule the world."
Aphrodite shrugged her shoulder in disgust. "What are talking about? You're worried about Xena rullng the world when she's about to face he darkest hour?"
"What do you expect? I am the god of war. I have to fulllfill my sprit, my destiny. And my destiny is war.
"Besides, it's not as if I have much of a choice, none of us do. From the moment we're born, these mortal spirits are burning within us. They shape us, mold us into who we are. It drives us to fulfill it. We can't stop it, it's within us. We're born to fulfill our sprits. Zeus fulfills it by cheating on his wife, you fulfill it by making everyone love each other and I fulfill it with war. Everything that I've ever known came from that sprit of war."
Ares paused and then took a deep breath as he continued. "Oh, but when I lost my godhood because of Hades, I felt what it was like to not have the sprit of war. You've never felt that."
"I've lost my godhood before."
"Your godhood yes, but not the spirit of love. I have lost the spirit of war. I no longer had control of it." Ares chuckled. "Control of it. We don't control our spirits, they control us. And where do those sprits come from? Mortals."
Aphrodite looked at Ares with a bit of regret. She then softly said, "What you see as a burden, I see as a great responsibility Ares. They aren't burdens, they're gifts. We can help change the world. We can influence it and help mortals see that there is more out there than just what you can see with your eyes . . . there's what you can see with your heart."
Ares shrugged his shoulders. "Oh sure, you have an easy one. Love."
Aphrodite chuckled. "Huh, easy? Easy? Apparently you don't know just how complicated Love is."
Aphrodite then looked at the image of Xena. "But if you did . . . .?"
Ares rolled his eyes in disgust. "Oh please. Compared to war, love is easy. You just snap your fingers and poof, you have love. But war . . . the spirit of war demands everything that I am. it drives me to do things I may not necessarily want to do. Like I said, I don't have choice. Just as you have to fulfill the spirit of love, I have to fulfill the spirit of war. What you call a responsibility, I call a curse."
Ares then looked at the image of Xena once again and said, "She has her choice. She has her destiny. Now all she has to do is choose it."
Aphrodite shook her head as she looked at Ares once more. "Ares, our spirits may guide us, but they don't control us. We do have a choice. We're not 100% of our spirits. I've felt greed and hate before, so there is at least a part of us that does have a choice. Those choices may be hard and may go against what we feel, but we do have a choice Ares . . . I guess You just have to choose what's more important . . . yourself," Aphridite then glanced back at the image of Xena, "or her."
Ares then gazed over at the image of Xena once more. He then took a deep breath, turned is back to the image and said, "She has her choice. I can always find another!"
Ares then exited his chambers leaving Aphrodite standing in the silence.
By sunrise, Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer and Amarice had broke camp and rode further into the Macedonian province.
Since Ares' visit a few hours before, Xena had remembered where the temple was for the first time in years. She didn't know how she knew, but she figured that Ares was somehow involved.
As they rode through a lush open meadow Xena glanced off to the side and then with a slight kick of her horse, she rode off to the top of a small hill.
As the others caught up to Xena at the top of the hill, they glanced off into the distance towards the next hillside and saw a large stone entranceway protruding from it.
As they further examined the entranceway and hillside, they noticed that only the entranceway was visible, as the rest of the temple was built right into the hillside.
Before anyone could even ask if that was the place they were looking for, Xena's horse galloped down the hillside and towards the temple.
Once at the front of the temple, Xena quickly dismounted the horse and gazed up at the temple steps. Xena took a deep breath then slowly walked up the stairs.
Once at the top of the stairs, Ares appeared before her and in a confident voice said, "Well I see my divine knowledge still works."
Xena shook her head as she looked at Ares in disgust. "I thought you said you wouldn't help?"
Ares chuckled. "I'm only here to reform the Chakram. that is unless . . . ."
"Forget it Ares! If I were to rejoin you now, I'd never wash the blood from my hands."
Xena then looked back down the stairs just in time to see Gabrielle, Joxer and Amarice coming towards her.
Xena then walked over to a huge stone doorway. As Xena examined the doorway, she noticed what appeared to be a carving or an imprint of a human hand. Encircling the imprint were about a dozen rare jewels. Xena stared at the design for a few moments then glanced over at Ares. "What do I do. I don't remember?"
Ares rolled his eyes impatiently. He approached the doorway and placed his hand into the imprint. He then turned the imprint like a dial and Immediately the stone doorway opened, revealing a dark narrow entranceway.
Xena took a deep breath, turned to Gabrielle and the others and drew her sword. She then looked back towards Ares, but he was gone. Xena shook her head in disgust as she waved for the others to follow. "Come on. And remember, no heroic stuff. Especially you Amarice. Just stick to the plan."
Amarice reluctantly nodded as she drew her sword and followed Xena and the others into the tomb.
As Xena slowly walked down the long corridor, she noticed it looked exactly the same as it did years before. A darkened hall, illuminated only by a few flickering torches which lined the walls.
As they passed several corridors that connected to the main one, Gabrielle asked, "Are you sure you know where you're going? There's so many tunnels, how do you know which one to take?"
Xena stopped and looked back at Gabrielle. "Believe me, I know where we're going."
Inside the same circular altar room where Xena had first found the Chakram, Eli was tied to the altar that once held the Chakram.
Callisto who was standing in between the altar and the entrance to the room looked back at Eli and sarcastically said, "It won't be long now Eli. Xena's coming to rescue you."
Callisto then turned her head back to the entrance just in time to see Xena enter the room.
Callisto smiled as she pulled the still broken Chakram from under her white garment. "Welcome to the party!"
Xena slowly walked along the outer wall of the altar room which turned Callisto's attention away from Eli. "Oh Xena, you have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy this."
At that moment Gabrielle began to step into the room but Amarice grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the corridor. "No, I'll do it!"
Gabrielle shook her head in disagreement. "No, that's not part of the plan."
Amarice nodded as she let go of Gabrielle's arm. Then as Gabrielle started to enter the altar room once again, Amarice drew her sword, pushed Gabrielle to the ground and ran into the altar room stopping only a few feet from Callisto.
"Callisto!" Amarice shouted.
Callisto turned around and as she laid eyes on her sister, a look of horror crossed Callisto's face. "I told you not to come here!"
Amarice nodded. "Yes, you did. And I told you that I would not let Xena down again."
The young Amazon then took a swing at Callisto and knocked the Chakram from her hands. Callisto growled in anger as Xena yelled, "Now Joxer!"
Callisto looked at Xena then turned around just in time to see Joxer cut Eli free from the altar. Callisto silently glared at Joxer as he escorted Eli out of the altar room back towards Gabrielle, who quickly stood back up and led them back to the entrance of the tomb.
While Callisto was still distracted, Xena quickly picked up the broken Chakram and yelled, "Go, get out of here Amarice."
Callisto then turned back towards Xena, but Amarice quickly stepped in between her sister and the Warrior Princess. As Amarice pointed her sword at Callisto, she said, "To get to Xena, you have to come through me."
Xena suspiciously looked at what was happening. she then spotted Ares standing in the entrance way of the altar room. Xena looked at Ares and shook her head. "Come on Amarice."
Amarice, still pointing her sword at Callisto, slowly began to back peddle her way to the corridor. Once out of the altar room, Xena grabbed Amarice by the arms and said, "What did I tell you about heroics? I want you to get out of here, right now!"
Amarice reluctantly nodded as Xena escorted her away from the altar room and guided her to the entrance to the tomb.
As Amarice slowly headed for the entrance, Xena headed down a different corridor. In the distance, Xena noticed a golden glow coming from an opening at the far end of the corridor. Xena quickly approached the glow and then slowed down as she entered a large chamber. Xena then paused as she looked around the room.
She saw that the golden glow came from large flickering torches which lined the walls. Xena then gazed to her right and saw a huge horned skull sitting against the far wall. On top of the skull, sat a giant gold eye with a red pupil. Xena then gazed down at the floor and noticed a seal, in the exact shape of the Chakram carved into the ground. As Xena slowly scouted the chamber, Ares appeared once again. "Now you know why I had to erase your memory of this place."
Ares then extended his hand and one half of the Chakram flew from Xena's grasp and into his hand. Xena then felt some invisible force that caused her to extend the half of the Chakram that she held outwards towards Ares.
The invisble force then pulled Xena towards Ares and as the two halves of the Chakram met, a bright flash of light lit up the room and both Xena and Ares were sent flying in opposite directions.
Ares quickly stood up and looked at the palms of his hands and shouted. "I'm back!"
Ares then laughed as he saluted Xena. "Later Xena . . . remember, you do have a choice!" The god of war then disappeared.
Xena quickly got to her feet and scouted the room for the Chakram, but it was no where to be found.
As Xena turned back towards the tunnel she had came in, she spotted Callisto who held the Chakram in the air. "Looking for this? A lot of good it will do me now, you've already reformed it . . . pitty!"
Callisto then tossed the Chakram to the ground as she said, "Xena, Xena, Xena. Why is it that no matter what I do I can never defeat you?
"It's all right if you destroy my life, kill my mother and take away my sister, but Zeus forbid that I ever get to bring you to justice."
Xena, havng heard all this before, just shook her head. "There's a difference between justice and revenge."
Callisto nodded. "You're right!" She then pulled a sword from under her robe. "But you see Xena. This time I win. Because you see, i wasn't born a god. I was simply a mortal who had a godhood. I had no divine essence that ran through my blood. So when you killed me with the hind's blood dagger, you only killed my godhood."
Xena eyes widened as Callisto continued. "So you see Xena, I'm still alive and well. Oh and in case you haven't figured it out, my master wanted you to reform the Chakram."
Callisto then grabbed her robe and pulled it off revealing that she was dressed in her old warrior outfit. Xena drew her sword as Callisto sarcastically said, "Let's play Xena, shall we?" Continued in Part 3.