Just Rewards By: Lady Leonie The trio came upon the junction in the road that would lead them down separate paths. Xena and Eve would journey to Amphipolis after it was found that Xena's mother still lived. Gabrielle would journey to Poteidia to find out how her family faired. Gabrielle watched as Eve waved goodbye. When she was sure they were out of sight she began to backtrack the way she had come. There was something she needed to take care of before going home and she was not sure Xena would approve. Gabrielle stared up to the top of Mt. Olympus and was not looking forward to the long climb back to the top. The loose rocks crumbled beneath her feet at every turn; apparently the mountain itself was dying as a result of the Twilight. Getting more irritated by the minute at her lack of progress, she decided to take a quick rest on a nearby nook in the rock. Finally wedging herself onto the narrow spot, she was startled to find herself falling backward through some sort of portal. Landing with a not-so-gentle bump on her backside did not help her mood any. Gabrielle swiftly surveyed her surroundings and concluded she must have inadvertently found one of the secret entrances to Olympus. The area around her was unfamiliar, but of course she had been unconscious most of the time she was here before. She had been having vague flashes of memory in the days since then and needed to find the answers to what they meant. She had asked Xena about what had happened in her battle with the gods, but had only received an "I don't wanna talk about it" look from her friend. The only things she knew for sure were that Xena had fought and won against the gods, saving her and Eve's lives in the process. Something was missing from the story that Xena was deliberately hiding and she needed to know what that was. The last thing Gabrielle remembered was Xena walking outside of Joxer's home and seeing a shadow moving in the next room. Everything else was a mix of blurred images and flashes of being in intense pain. Hopefully she would find the answers here. A dark figure darted in and out of the shadows in the great hall, following the intruder as she walked through the great corridors. The intruder stopped when she reached the great hall and suddenly dropped to her knees. The figure watched as she threw back the wrap surrounding her head, and immediately recognized who it was. When he heard the wails that began to flow from her, he decided to step forward into the light. The moment she had entered the great hall the memories had began to rush in, flooding her mind with images she didn't understand. She could see herself plunging her sciara into Eve's back and felt the great pain as Xena's chakram had severed her skull. The Furies’ voices joined in chorus with Hope and Joxer, urging her to kill Eve. Gabrielle began to weep from the knowledge that she had nearly taken Eve's life and that at the time she had felt joy in the doing. The fact that she had been controlled by the Furies at the time was cold comfort for her. A hand on her shoulder broke her out of her reverie and she immediately reached to unsheathe her sciara. Spinning to face her adversary, she was surprised to find herself face to face with Ares. He took a step back "You won’t be needing those, Gabrielle. I'm in no shape to hurt a fly," he added with a halfhearted grin At his words, Gabrielle took in his bedraggled appearance and returned her sciara to the sheaths in her boots. "What are you doing here, Ares? I thought..." Ares interrupted, " That I was dead along with the others. I guess that bump to your head rattled your brain or your friend Xena is being her usual secretive self and didn't fill you in on the details of her victory." Gabrielle turned away and Ares knew the latter was the truth of the matter. He followed her as she looked around, surveying the hall and asked, "Is that why you are here, Gabrielle -- to find out all the gory details of the destruction of Olympus?" She sat down wearily on a small bench and nodded her head in answer. Gabrielle looked to Ares and asked if he was the only god to survive and how? "Well, I wouldn't exactly say I survived, but no, I am not the only one. Xena spared my do-gooder relatives. In particular Aphrodite. She is the one who helped Xena by bringing you here, but she quickly left the scene before the fighting started." Ares joined Gabrielle and as he sat, she noticed the blood dried on his leg. The healer in Gabrielle took over and she bent to inspect the arrow wound on his leg. A small bit was still lodged there and she could tell he was in some pain. "I see you didn't come out unscathed after all. If you will hold still, I will see what I can do." Ares quickly stood and growled that he didn't want her help and found himself back where he started when she pushed him back down to the seat. "For some reason Xena let you live, so I'm not going to let you die from an infection of so small a wound. So sit still and let me help you!" Gabrielle tore a piece from her wrap and dipped it in a nearby fountain. When she returned she once more knelt in front of him and began to examine the wound more closely. The tip of the arrow was still inside and would have to be removed. Before Ares could object she wrenched the piece out and quickly padded the wound with her makeshift bandage. He gritted his teeth to keep from howling from the pain. Unfortunately, being immune to pain for so long left little tolerance and the former god of war passed out into Gabrielle's arms. Ares awoke sometime later to find Gabrielle gone. Feeling somehow let down by this, he tried to sit up, and a wave of dizziness sent him back to his prone position. He covered his face with his hands and tried to think of something besides the burning pain in his leg. The little vixen had probably poured salt in the wound before fleeing . His thoughts growing ever darker, muttering about the gratitude for saving her worthless life and so on came to a halt when a angry voice asked, "You saved my life? What are you talking about Ares?" Amazed to find she hadn't left after all, he tried once again to sit up. This time, with only a little dizziness he managed to regain his position. He noticed that the bard was tapping her foot in agitation, waiting for his answer. Considering the brush-off he had gotten from Xena after his grand sacrifice, he was more than ready to receive some gratitude from someone. "That's right, Gabrielle, I saved you and Eve both. I healed you without Athena's blessing and gave up my immortality. Although at this point I'm thinking I really should have thought it over more." Ares grunted when Gabrielle not so gently pulled the bandage from his wound to replace it with another. A brief silence was spent before Gabrielle finished and sat back to stare at him. "You’re telling me you gave up your godhood to save me and Eve? Somehow I don't quite believe you" Before Gabrielle could say more, a voice behind her chimed in, "It's true, Gabrielle, Ares saved you and Eve, for love no less. Ain't that a kick in the pants?" Aphrodite smiled as she walked toward Gabrielle. "Glad to see you are okay. You really had me worried there for awhile." Aphrodite pulled Gabrielle into a quick hug before announcing she had "love business" to attend to and vanished. Gabrielle turned and looked puzzled at Ares. She met his eyes and remembered feeling a great warmth before coming to. That warmth had been the power from his healing and Gabrielle was suddenly overcome with emotion. Surprising herself and Ares, she leaned over and gently pressed a kiss on his cheek before whispering, "Thank you!" Ares chuckled and put his hand behind her neck. "I think I deserve more than that, don’t you?" He pulled her into a breathtaking kiss. Gabrielle tried to pull away, but soon gave in to the passion his kiss generated. Ares’ groan broke the spell and this time she successfully disengaged herself from the embrace. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she stood up and rushed out of the hall. Gabrielle did not get far before realizing she had no idea where she was at or how to leave the halls of Olympus. Her mind was still racing from Ares’ kiss and found it hard to concentrate. When she had been here before she had not paid attention to the route Xena had used to exit, and was at a loss on how to proceed. Gabrielle knew she couldn't go back and risk running into Ares again, but had no idea what lay ahead, either. Finally at wits end, she called for Aphrodite. After a few tense moments, her friend arrived in a flash of pink light. "What’s up, hun? You seem a little frazzled." Gabrielle sighed in relief at Aphrodite's appearance and responded, "I think I past frazzled ten minutes ago! How in Hades do I get out of this maze? I have to get out of here, ’Dite. Please help me!" Aphrodite took Gabrielle's hand and prepared to transport her from the hall when they heard a low groan coming from behind them. Ares was slowly walking towards them using the wall for support. The fact that he was plainly in pain changed Gabrielle's mind about leaving for the moment and Aphrodite, sensing the situation, smiled at her brother as she vanished. Gabrielle strode over to Ares and found he was burning up with fever. Taking his weight upon herself she asked him to point the way to his chamber and slowly led him there. Nearly exhausted from her efforts, she helped Ares onto his bed and went in search of some items to bring down his fever. A loud bellow woke Gabrielle from her brief slumber to find her charge flailing around in his sleep. She sat on the edge of the bed and felt his feverish brow. The fever was still riding high upon him and she was afraid his thrashing about would cause him further injury. She searched the chamber for something to hold him in place and not surprisingly found a wide assortment of manacles and chains. Taking four sets of the manacles and a set of heavy chain she wrapped them in cloth and secured him to the bed. Thankfully, he was back in deep slumber as she completed her task, and did not have to fight to get him restrained. After replacing the cold cloths and redressing his wound, she settled back in her seat to rest. Several times during the night she was awakened to his cries, but was relieved the restraints held. Finally deciding sleep was useless, she moved closer to sit by his side and looked into the relaxed features of the former god. Gabrielle still found it hard to believe this was the same man who had made her and Xena's life hell on so many occasions. Only to turn around and sacrifice his immortality to save them. The paradox between the two was staggering. Although as she sat watching his chest rise and fall, she recalled several times when she had found herself attracted to the dark god. When they had traveled together searching for the enchanted scroll, he had made her laugh in spite of herself, and when she had first come into her own with her fighting skills, he had been the one to notice. Those times had been few and far between, but still gave a hint of the man inside the god. Gabrielle was still lost in her musing when Ares cried out and she went to sit by his side. The worst seemed to be over, so she decided to remove the restraints from his arms. When she began to remove the second manacle she felt his free hand caressing her back. Lost in his delirium he began to whisper words of seduction and Gabrielle found herself responding until she understood the passionate words were meant for Xena. It was her he believed he was holding and caressing . "Maybe it's best if I don’t remove these just yet" she thought. Replacing the bonds Gabrielle gently pulled away and moved back to her resting place. She found herself jealous of her best friend, in that moment understanding Xena's uttered words "I felt something" after Ares’ departure from Amphipolis. How could she not have felt something when just the mere touch of his hand had left a scorching fire in her breast. The sun’s hot rays woke Gabrielle from a fitful sleep to find her patient wide awake and staring at her in confusion. "Are these really necessary?" he asked as he lifted his restrained arms to demonstrate his point. Gabrielle didn't answer but went to remove the cloths from his face to find the fever was broken. A relieved smile crossed her face as she began to remove the chains and manacles binding him. A blush quickly engulfed her face when he whispered, "If you wanted me chained to a bed, you need only to have asked." The effect of the statement was lost when he groaned in pain as one of the chains rubbed across his wound. Gabrielle apologized and hurriedly got rid of the rest of his restraints. The fever had left him very weak and he tried to sit up unsuccessfully. She knew this new mortality had to be frustrating for the once all-powerful god, and sought to take his mind off the pain by asking him some more questions about that night. Through gritted teeth, he relayed the events of the final battle between Xena and the other gods. She put her attention to checking his wound and found that the fever had killed the infection, leaving the wound healing nicely. In a few days he would be back to himself. Well, not quite, but healthy none the less. There was no more reason to stay and she told Ares this as she gathered her things to leave. This time it was Ares’ turn to ask a question. "Why did you stay and help me? You could have just left and never had to worry about me interfering in your and Xena's life again." Gabrielle thought for a moment and gave what she thought would sound like a reasonable answer. "I was returning the favor. You saved my life so I had to try to save yours. Now we are even and my debt is paid." Gabrielle was grateful he could not read her mind and see that she was not so sure that was the only reason she had stayed. Thankfully he accepted her answer at face value and only nodded his head in agreement as she left. Gabrielle leaned against the closed door, feeling more at odds than when she had arrived there. She once more called for Aphrodite and this time when she came to escort her from Olympus's halls she was ready. Once again on the outside, she thanked her friend for her help and set off for Poteidia. Gabrielle turned back to wave goodbye to Aphrodite and, taking a last look up to the gods’ fortress, told Aphrodite thank you and to take care of Ares. ’Dite nodded her head and replied, "No problem, little one," and vanished . Gabrielle looked to the long journey home, thankful to have the time to herself to sort out her odd feelings. Ares was sitting up in his bed when ’Dite entered and noticed a puzzled look on her brother’s face. "I take it the bard is well on her way from here by now?" he asked. "You take it right, big brother, but somehow I think we haven't seen the last of her." She smiled. Ares laid back on the bed, placing his hands behind his head, and grinned at Aphrodite. " I certainly hope not, sis. I think this was the start of an interesting friendship." ’Dite watched the devilish grin spread across his face and knew her little friend was in for a fascinating adventure, if her brother had anything to say about it! Please send feedback to ladyleonie@yahoo.com To Part 2 Competition