Ares and Xena Through the Ages
Over the years, the Warrior Princess and the God of War have had a very strange relationship. From contempt to kindness, they've both had their share of ups and downs in their feelings for one another. But no matter what those feelings may be, there is one thing that is certain that neither Ares nor Xena can ignore--they are linked by a bond that is stronger than even death. Although they are not ones to admit they were meant for one another, the bond that holds them together makes sure that no matter where they are, they will always be connected.
When Ares first saw Xena, she was the most magnificent warrior he'd seen in all of his immortal life. It was her cruel ruthless nature that drew him to her. Xena's skills as a warrior were unmatched by any other mortal--a quality which Ares himself possessed. But she was more than a good warrior; she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled in the sun like diamonds and her hair was as black as the night sky. She took his breath away.
For years, Xena trained under his guidance, becoming the most ruthless warrior the world had ever known. She became the Destroyer of Nations, ruling almost the entire known world from Chin to Britannia. She was a perfect match for him and they became very close. Ares gave her the chakram, a powerful weapon that could rip flesh to shreds and crack even the strongest swords in half and since then it has been an unmistakable calling card of the Warrior Princes.
After years of being the murdering warrior that she was, something happened that changed her completely. A spark of goodness started to burn within her soul. Xena had done her first good deed when she saved a baby from a village that she'd destroyed. But it was Hercules, Ares' half brother, who really helped her on her new path. He showed her that being evil was not the reason that she was on the earth but that her purpose in life was to fight for the Greater Good.
Now, Ares was not happy with her change, not one bit. Xena now fought against what he, the God of War, stood for. Everything they had once shared was now lost. Ares hated his brother for changing her. It was because of Hercules that she was gone from his life.
So, he did everything he could to try and win her back. Ares first tried to win her back by framing her for killing some innocent villagers, a crime that he himself had committed. She, of course, was put on trial for a crime that she didn't commit and he planned to use that to his advantage. Ares came to her offering that if she would return to him, then he would free her from the villagers that planned to kill her. Xena refused and instead tricked Ares by using the promises he'd made to her against him. Ares was not angry with her--actually he was very impressed but when he left he told her that he would keep trying and that she could expect to see more of him in the future.
Ares then realized that Xena would not come back to him easily. He could see that nothing he offered her, whether it be power or wealth, would get her to change her mind. So, instead, he used something that would probably appeal to her and cause her to do everything he wanted. Ares decided to change himself into her long lost father, Atrius. By getting her to trust him as her father, Ares could mold her into whatever he wished. He tricked her into controlling an army of his and attacking a village that had once done terrible things to her father. It would have worked too, and Ares would have had her back if it wasn't for her friend, Gabrielle. Because of Gabrielle, Xena found out that it was Ares who was pretending to be her father and in the end, she vowed never to return to him.
Again, she had refused him but Ares would never give up on her, not in a million years. He decided to use the Furies to punish her for a crime that she never avenged--the death of her father. He used the Furies to drive her insane and the only way she would get her sanity back would be to kill the one who murdered her father--Cyrene, her mother. Ares thought that if she were insane, then it would be easier to control her.
Yet, even though she was insane, she was smarter than he ever thought that she would be. Xena was able to convince the Furies that Ares himself was her father and that even if she had killed her mother, it would not have restored her sanity but instead it would doom her to complete dependence on Ares. So, the Furies gave back her sanity and once again, Ares' plans were crushed.
Xena now hated Ares for everything he'd done to her. He didn't blame her though; he blamed himself for treating her that way and for being as selfish as he had been. The hole he had dug himself in was so deep that even when he tried to be honest with her about the threat that the "One God" was to the world, she didn't believe him. Ares then betrayed her trust even more by joining Dahak and giving Xena a choice: to either join him and Dahak or to die.
After Xena was able to prevent Dahak from entering the world, she despised Ares more than ever. But he did have one more card to play. He came to her and asked for her hand in marriage in exchange for help in finding Gabrielle after she had fallen into Dahak's pit to save Xena. At first, Xena didn't believe him but then she realized that he was the only one who would be able to find her. She agreed to marry Ares in front of the fates so that their bond would be eternal and unbreakable by gods or mortals--to betray one another would be to betray themselves. But soon Xena figured out that Ares' proposal was just a trick and she refused to marry him.
He confessed that he had saved Gabrielle and that she had given her soul to him in exchange for saving Hope. The only way that Xena would get Gabrielle back would be to give him her soul. Xena agreed because she wanted Gabrielle back and she signed an agreement that said that Ares would leave her and Gabrielle in peace but that she would become his wife in her next life.
Now, she wanted nothing to do with him. Ares' plans to win Xena back had failed, one hundred percent. To her, he was seen as completely evil so he decided to stay out of her way. Ares stayed away from her for a long time, hoping that her contempt for him would soften and eventually disappear. He watched her constantly. Ares knew that if she were ever going to think of him differently, he would have to give her some space.
So, he watched as her greatest mortal enemy, Caesar, captured her and her soul mate, Gabrielle; taking them to a prison in the Apennines. He knew that she would get out of it just fine. She always found a way out of tough situations, even if they seemed impossible.
Ares didn't think that she would ever need his help but unfortunately, he was proven wrong. He saw the Romans crucify her on a cross. It nearly broke Ares' heart and he couldn't understand why she meant so much to him. He didn't know what he was feeling; it was totally new for him. But whatever he thought it was--for the first time he actually missed her. Ares wanted her back.
After her death, Ares had never felt so alone, so deprived of his spirit and meaning. Every day he wished more and more, that he had treated her better, that she had known that he had cared about her. Then after what felt like an eternity for him, Ares suddenly felt her spirit re-enter the world. He hurried to the spot where he felt her presence illuminating the strongest and saw as she opened her eyes for the first time.
It was then that Ares realized what he had felt for her. It wasn't just a desire for her warrior side, but he truly felt that he loved her. He knew that someone like him, someone who was the heart and soul of war, should never feel love, but he couldn't help himself. It was a new feeling for Ares and it scared the heck out of him.
When Xena came back from the dead, Ares realized that he had a chance to start over; to show her a side of him she'd never seen before. But when he looked into her eyes as she awoke, he saw something he'd never seen before. The fire, the desire to fight was no longer there. It was just gone. Ares realized that her darkside was gone and she had become completely purified.
For the first time, Ares felt sorry for her. Everything that he had loved about her before was all gone now; but he still loved her nonetheless. When she was completely revived and well, he realized that she would be able to claim the Chakram of Light, a weapon that had the power to kill gods. But it could kill anyone who touched it that did not have a pure soul. Ares knew that she was the only one who would be able to touch it because she had been completely purified when she rose from the dead.
When she was alone, he came to her and tried to convince her that they were meant to be together. Since she lost her darkside, she had no idea who he was and Ares took that to his advantage. Xena could feel an emptiness inside herself but she had no idea why. With the help of Gabrielle, she finally realized that she was meant to have a balance of lightness and darkness within her. Xena did not help Ares claim the Chakram of Light, but instead she combined it with the Dark Chakram, creating a powerful new weapon for her to use that no longer had the power to kill gods. Ares left, leaving Xena with the knowledge that they would meet again.
By now, Ares didn't really know how to win Xena back. His efforts were failing; he was beginning to realize that he would never be able to get her to return to her old ways. So, he began to use her friend Gabrielle to get at Xena. He tried to convince Gabrielle that she was the sort of person who was perfect to rule the world with him. But she was smarter than he realized and she knew that everything he said had a hidden meaning. She rejected his offer, which left Ares frustrated once more.
Ares was really desperate to win Xena back but he didn't know how to go about it. Between dealing with his new feelings for her and his duties as the God of War, he was torn and confused. When news that Eli, the profit of the way of love was going to lead the people in a war against the gods reached Ares, he knew that he must stop him. But again, Xena and Gabrielle were not going to let them harm Eli without a fight. They found out from Ares that if Eli did succeed, he would bring about the Twilight, a prophecy foretold by the Fates that a time would come when mankind would no longer need the gods and they would lose their powers.
Ares feared for his own immortal life and he was going to make sure that Eli never achieved his goal. He was able to kill Eli and then he tried to use Gabrielle again as a means to get Xena back. He showed her how it felt to be a god and that if she hadn't listened to Eli he would still be alive. After much consideration on Gabrielle's part, she rejected his offer again.
The death of Eli made Xena's feelings toward Ares even colder than they had ever been. She wanted to kill him for what he did to Eli. She was able to get a hold of the Dagger of Helios, a weapon that had the power to kill a god and she went after Ares. But when she was about to kill him, she couldn't bring herself to do it and so he left knowing that there was only one reason why she couldn't kill him and that was because somewhere deep down, she still cared for him.
Ares' feelings for Xena were making him feel vary awkward. He didn't know how to deal with the developing emotions inside of him. When the birth of Xena's child drew near, the Fates indicated that the child's birth would bring about the end of the Olympian reign. Ares then knew that his life on the earth was no longer eternal and he knew that he would have to tell her how he felt before he was gone.
When Xena was in Tartarus trying to take her dead son, Solan back to the Elysian Fields, he came to her with a proposition. He told her that he was willing to protect her and her unborn child from the other gods. She didn't believe him and he tried harder by telling her that he cared for her and that if he were to become mortal, he would want to live out his life with her. His words made Xena realize exactly what he was doing. She knew that he was so desperate to live forever that he would tell her that her cared just to get on her good side even if the words weren't true. She asked him if he loved her and he couldn't answer. Ares couldn't seem to tell her how he felt and when she left, he finally told himself that he loved her.
Ares now knew his feelings for her were real but he also knew that she would never believe him after all that he had put her through over the years. When Eve was born, the gods Artemis, Poseidon and Apollo sent their priests after them intent on the destruction of Xena and her godless child. Ares again tried to use her unfortunate position to his advantage. He came to her and said that he had meant what he said in Tartarus--that he did want to help protect her and her child from the other gods. But again, she didn't believe him. All he was to her was the God of War, someone she knew she could never trust.
That night Xena dreamed that Ares had come to ask for her forgiveness and to tell her that he loved her with all his heart. He told her that he wanted to be with her no matter what and that he would do anything in his power to make that happen. Ares admitted that he would sooner die in her arms than live an eternity without her. Xena then knew that Ares was sincere in his words and their relationship became more intimate. They were falling in love. Xena awoke suddenly in a cold sweat, not being able to believe that she had dreamed about him in that way. The dream troubled her; she was unsure what she felt about it.
The next day, Ares knew that he had to try again with her. He came to her and proposed a deal to protect her and Eve from the other gods. He told her that if she gave him a child, then he would make everything go away and they would be safe. The dream continued to haunt her and she knew that he probably couldn't be trusted. She refused him once again but it didn't destroy Ares' determination. Ares would never give up on her no matter how many times she rejected him.
Another opportunity arose for Ares when Athena decided to siege Xena's hometown of Amphipolis. He agreed to help Xena protect Eve from Athena if she gave him what he wanted. Xena knew that he was her only way of protecting her daughter and her hometown from destruction. But when Xena came to him, telling him that she would agree to his deal, he didn't believe her. Ares thought that she had some plan behind it. He told her that he had desired her from the first moment he had seen her in battle and that she always found a way to mess with his head. But when Gabrielle came to him, telling him that if he agreed to the deal then she could never love him, he realized that she had meant what she'd said.
Ares went back to his temple to find Xena seductively waiting for him. They began to engage in passionate love, the one thing that Ares had wanted to do with her for years. But their moment of intimacy was short lived when the wall of the temple exploded. Ares tried to convince Xena that he would keep his side of the deal and that he would take her and Eve away from Amphipolis where the other gods would never find them. But Xena had a plan of her own to stop Athena and so she left Ares without even a backward glance.
When Athena was in the fields attacking the town, Xena came out holding Eve. She intended to have her daughter sacrificed in order to save her family and friends. Athena was about to kill Eve but before she had a chance, Ares appeared. He was prepared to go against his sister just so that he could save Xena's child. He battled Athena and when the siege of Amphipolis had been lifted, Ares was prepared to finish what he had started with Xena. To Ares' dismay, Xena declined, saying that she had never asked for his help. She showed him that Eve whom he had saved hadn't been Eve at all but a doll instead. Ares couldn't understand why Xena would use him like that after he had kept every promise he had made to her. He asked her if she had felt anything while they were together and she replied by saying that she felt nothing for him.
Frustrated and disappointed, Ares left knowing that eventually she would have to come to him for help. Once Ares had left, Xena opening admitted that she had felt something, realizing deep down that she did care for him.
The gods were relentless and Xena knew that. She went to the fates to find out about when the twilight was supposed to happen and they told her that it could only occur once Xena herself dies. Xena knew that there was only one thing she could do--she had to make the gods believe that she was dead without really being so. She was able to get a hold of Death's tears so that she could use them to fake her death. But Ares didn't know what Xena's plans were, all he knew was that he couldn't allow the other gods to destroy her child.
Becoming more persistent, he tried making Xena see that the only way she was going to survive was through him but his demands only made Xena's view of him worse than it had been before. While Xena, Gabrielle and Eve road in a wagon toward the ocean the other gods where able to drive them off a cliff, hoping that it would kill them. But Xena had given the tears to Gabrielle so that she would be the first to appear dead and Eve had never really been in the wagon; she had left her daughter with her friend, Octavious.
Xena pretend like Gabrielle had died and that she had lost her daughter in the crash. Having lost all of her family, Xena was determined to take her own life. She shouted to the gods atop the cliff and then raised her sword high into the air. Just as she was about to run herself through, Ares appeared, grabbing the sword from her hands. He walked up to her and told her that she didn't have to kill herself. He couldn't stand the thought of losing his beloved Xena. She stood in front of him and took the vial containing death's tears. She told him that there was no way he could stop her and that it was over. Ares pleaded for her not to kill herself, thinking that the vial contained poison. Finally, complying to Xena's wishes to die, Ares slowly backed away as Xena drank the tears. She began to weaken and Ares rushed at her, holding her in his arms. As she slowly faded away, Ares began to feel a sharp pain within his heart. He was losing the first person that he had ever truly loved. His heart was breaking as Xena died in his arms. The last thing that she saw was Ares looking into her eyes, regretting that he had ever let her go.
Ares laid her gently on the ground. He knew that he had to do something for her and Gabrielle; knowing that they had always wanted to be together. He picked Gabrielle up and transported her to an icy cave at the top of Mt. Etna where he placed her in a coffin made of ice.
Ares then went back to get his dear Xena. He gently picked her up in his arms and transported her to the coffin next to Gabrielle's. Ares placed her in the coffin of ice and stood over her lifeless body. He said that he had realized that he could not give her the love that she needed. In his heart he knew that she needed unconditional and unselfish love; something that he regretted not being able to give to her. Ares stood over her tomb, wishing that he had treated her right and that she had known that he truly loved her. He realized that his love was not as pure as hers. His love had been possessive, spiteful, and cruel; which often caused him to hurt the one he loved most. He knelt down to kiss her lips for the last time and then he said that he did love her with all his heart, even if she could never love him back.
Ares closed her tomb and then he made a grave marker nearby the coffins. He took Xena's sword and stuck it into the ice. Ares hung her chakram over the top of the sword and then placed flowers all around it. It was his gift to his beloved Warrior Princess. He would never forget her. Ares left the cave and sealed the entrance, so that there was no way anyone could ever enter. He then disappeared, thinking only of Xena.
The effect of the tears would soon wear off with Xena, Eve, and Gabrielle presumed dead by all of Olympus. It was the perfect plan, the perfect cover, but they could have never predicted that Ares would have taken them away. Their icy tombs would preserve them until they awoke, frozen in time.
Ares was distraught by the loss of Xena. Twenty-five years went by before he was able to see her again; twenty-five years without Xena seemed like an eternity to him. When Xena and Gabrielle awoke, they immediately went to Rome to find Eve. Xena found out that Livia, Champion of Rome was really her daughter. She could not believe that Eve had turned evil, becoming everything she herself once was. She knew she had to find out how she had become that way, who had tempted her onto the path of violence.
Xena went to the arena so she could talk to her daughter and she was shocked to find Eve and Ares together. She could not believe that Ares had been the one to turn her evil. After all the things he had said to her about wanting to be with her, he, in the end had changed her daughter. She knew that he was the one who had tapped into her darkside and seduced her with promises of absolute power. As Eve and Ares kissed, Xena threw her chakram toward them, catching Eve and Ares by surprise. They turned around and saw Xena standing with sword in had in front of them. Ares was speechless. He could not believe his eyes. For twenty-five years he had thought that his beloved Xena was dead. Ares slowly walked up to her and when he tried to kiss her, she knocked him backwards, knowing that he was the cause of Eve's change.
Ares did not know that the Livia he'd had a relationship with was really Eve. He just assumed that she was another warrior for Rome, a magnificent one at that. That night at a Roman party, Xena met up with Ares. Ares didn't understand how Xena had lived for twenty-five years, after thinking that she had died. He told her that he had mourned her for years after she'd died. He had loved her. He wanted a second chance with her but Xena still didn't know if she could believe the God of War.
Later that night, as Xena went to visit her daughter, Ares again visited her. He told her that he had finally figured out that Livia and Eve were the same person. He tried to tell Xena that if he had known that Livia was her daughter, he wouldn't have made her evil. Xena could never forgive Ares for corrupting Eve the way that he had once did to her. He now knew that Eve was alive and Xena was concerned for her safety. Ares told her that he would not tell the gods about Eve if she gave him a child and then he left to let Xena think about it.
Ares was running out of options. The woman he loved was ripping his heart apart and it was killing him. After Eve was banished from Rome, Xena headed out to find her. But her daughter was determined to destroy every one of Eli's followers. Xena found herself following her daughter on a path of bloodshed and she partly blamed herself for the destruction Eve had caused.
While Xena was in a village that had been completely destroyed by her daughter, Ares appeared, saying that if she gave him a child, the other gods would never find out that Eve was still alive. Xena declined once more, which made Ares very angry. The pain he felt, being denied by the one he loved finally drove him into a rage. He rushed up to her and told that she had better give him what he wanted or he would bring all of Olympus down on her daughter's head. Xena told him that just the thought of being with him or of having his child sickened her and with that she left, leaving Ares in shock about the words he had just heard.
Ares was now very hurt, he knew that nothing he ever did would ever make Xena understand that he loved her. He had driven a wedge between them and it would be almost impossible for him to pull it out. Xena had followed her daughter to a village where she was able to stop her from slaughtering the villagers. But as she was about to go after Eve, Ares appeared to her and asked her how it felt to be despised by the one you love. He was talking about himself and how Xena hated him but he was also talking about Eve and how she hated her mother.
Xena didn't responded as Ares left. She knew that the rift between them was humongous. But she couldn't forgive him. She couldn't. He had caused her so much pain and suffering in the past. After much effort, Eve was finally able to see the error of her ways, but by then, Ares had told Olympus about her. They were ready to start an all out war on Xena and Eve.
Ares knew he couldn't bring himself to kill Eve; after so many things that he had done to Xena, killing her daughter would destroy any chance he had with her. He tried to convince the other gods that Eve was no threat but they didn't believe him.
While Eve was by the ocean, being baptized, Xena was visited by the spirit of the archangel Michael, giving her the power to kill gods but only as long as Eve remained alive. When the gods appeared on the shore moments later, she was ready for them. They attacked her and she killed Poseidon, Discord and Hephaestus. By then, all of Olympus had realized about the powers she possessed and Ares and Athena showed up. But Ares was not afraid of Xena. He knew that she would never be able to kill him, not after all they had been through together in the past. Deep down, he knew she cared for him.
Ares had to tell her how he felt. That night while Xena, Eve and Gabrielle were in Joxer's tavern, Xena saw Ares through the window, standing motionless in the rain. She dashed out into the storm and Ares appeared in front of her. She didn't know why he was there and so she lifted her sword so that it was pressed against his neck. Ares realized that she was not going to kill him and he decided that it was best for him to tell her what he was there for. She looked at him, ready for any move he made. What happened next was a complete surprise to her. As she was about to move toward him, he stopped her by saying that he loved her. She was stunned at what he had said to her and the anger that she'd had for him before faded. He truly sounded like he really did care.
But then, a deep feeling inside of her told her that Eve was in trouble. She ran back into the tavern to find Gabrielle standing above her daughter, about to plunge her sais into Eve's back. Xena reacted quickly and threw her chakram at Gabrielle's head, causing her to fall to the ground. Xena then realized that the Furies had to have been behind Gabrielle's sudden change of character. But Ares now felt guilty for being the one who distracted Xena while Gabrielle attacked Eve. Both Eve and Gabrielle were mortally wounded and he knew that it was his fault.
While Xena tended to their wounds, the gods once again visited her. They attacked her and Aphrodite appeared, taking Gabrielle to safety. Xena protected Eve and she was finally able to get her into the room with Aphrodite where she would be safe. Xena continued to fit the gods and when she finally had them defeated and Athena left, she went back to get Gabrielle and Eve. When she entered she found Ares about to kill her daughter. He knew that it was the only thing left for him to do, even though he didn't really know why he was going to do it. Xena threw her chakram at him, causing his sword to fly out of his hands. He turned to see Xena who was angrier than ever before disappearing.
Xena took the wounded Eve and the unconscious Gabrielle outside the tavern. She knew she had to save them. Aphrodite appeared to her and finally agreed to take Xena, Gabrielle, and Eve to Olympus where she could hopefully make a deal with Athena.
When Xena arrived on Olympus, Ares came to her again. He offered to make her a god in exchange for Eve's life. Xena refused and wrapped the chains of Hephaestus that she'd had with her around him and then they continued into the main hall.
Xena tried to get Athena to agree to her deal that if she saved Gabrielle and Eve, Xena would leave her alone. Athena didn't agree and instead attacked her. Ares was powerless to stop Athena because he was in the chains but he knew that he had to do something. He crept toward Gabrielle and Eve who were lying on the floor and tried to free himself from the chains.
Xena was finally able to stab Athena but to her surprise she didn't die. Xena knew that Eve had died and she turned to look at her daughter who was lying motionless on the floor. Ares saw the fear in her eyes and he knew that there was only one thing from him to do. He slowly crawled across the floor toward the lifeless bodies of Eve and Gabrielle. As Athena and Xena fought once more, Ares placed his hands on the bodies of Gabrielle and Eve. A blue light began to illuminate from his fingers and into their bodies.
Athena knocked Xena down and just as she was about to kill her, Xena lunged her sword into Athena's stomach. This time, Athena began to bleed and wonderment filled her eyes. Athena turned to look at Ares who was standing up, freeing himself from the chains. She asked him how he was able to heal them without her blessing and he explained that he gave up his immortality to save them. Athena could not believe what he had done and when she asked him why, he said it was because he had a thing for Xena.
Athena fell to the ground and the whole palace began to shake. Once the rumbling had ceased, Xena went over to Eve and Gabrielle, hugging them tightly. She could not believe that they were alive. She then truly realized what Ares had done and she stood up to look at the former God of War standing behind her. Ares just stood there, waiting for Xena to make the first move. He hoped that by doing something so wonderful for her that it would earn him a second chance with the one he loved. Xena could not believe that he had given up his immortality to save the life of a mortal, much less one that would bring about his death. Finally, she thanked him in a loving voice, and he just replied by nodding his head. She didn't know how else to thank him.
Ares was now mortal and he knew his life was forever changed. Even though he knew he wouldn't care much for mortality, he would hate himself more if he had not given up his godhood for her and the ones she loved. He wouldn't want her to live in despair for the rest of her life knowing that it was her fault Gabrielle had died.
After only a few days, Ares was very annoyed with mortality. He'd had a dream that his dead sister, Artemis had come to him and told him that the Amazons had ambrosia so he gathered together an army in order to attack the Amazon village. No one had realized that Ares had become mortal and thinking he was still a god, they went along with his plans. He sent for Xena to help him knowing that she would be able to handle the Amazons better than he could. When Xena got word that Ares had requested to see her, she immediately set off to meet up with him. She owed him for saving the ones she loved and it was her duty to repay him back.
But the Furies had become furious at Ares for having given up his immortality for a mortal and they were going to make him pay. They disguised themselves as Xena, Eve and Gabrielle and pretended that they wanted to attack the Amazons because of the rumor that they had ambrosia. Ares thought that they were the real Xena, Eve and Gabrielle but when the real ones showed up at his camp, the Furies tried to control him, driving him insane.
Xena was afraid for his life. She had to help him because she owed him so much and deep down, she did care about him. With the help of Gabrielle, she was able to devise a plan to get the Furies out of Ares' head. She showed Ares' army that he was indeed a mortal and that caused Ares to grow with rage toward Xena. He jumped on the back of a horse and followed Xena as she galloped off into the forest, the Furies still taunting him. Xena led him to an icy pond high in the snowy mountains where she stopped.
Ares, now completely out of his mind, was determined to kill Xena. He hated Xena; he was hurt because she could never love him even after he had opened his heart to her. They began to engage in a bloody fistfight. Xena knew that the only way to rid Ares of the Furies was to make them believe that he had killed her. Ares finally knocked her into the icy pond. He had done what he had intend to do; Xena was dead. But it was then that the Furies appeared and Ares' sanity was returned. He found Xena floating in the icy water, motionless and he couldn't believe what he had done. His heart was broken because he knew he was the one who had killed her. He was in shock.
When the Furies were gone, having been killed by Xena's chakram that had come flying out of nowhere, Ares dived into the frozen pond to retrieve his one and only love. He pulled her out of the water and laid her on the snow. Tears filled his eyes and in grief, he howled into the sky. He looked down at her lifeless form and said that he loved her. Just then, Gabrielle and Eve came running up. Ares didn't know how to save Xena but Gabrielle knew. She gave Xena mouth to mouth and she was revived.
Ares was ashamed, he felt sorry for himself not just because of him mortality but because of everything. Later that day, Ares sat on a rock, feeling the pains of his aching body. Xena walked up to him and she somewhat felt sorry for him for his helplessness. And it was then that for the first time, they were able to talk to each other like real people. There was no hate or lust behind their words, just kindness and gentleness.
Ares admitted to Xena that he hoped they could be together one day. As a mortal, he knew that he probably had more of a chance with her. To Ares' surprise, Xena kissed him softly, probably thanking him for saving her. But she told him that even though he always got to her, there was a very slim chance that they could ever be together. He was bad for her, she knew that and she could afford to be with him. When she was about to leave him, he told her that he would never give up, that there was still a chance that she could see that they were made for one another. Xena didn't think that it was possible and so she left Ares to begin his life as a mortal.
Xena didn't see Ares again for almost a year, until word that a band of warriors were after him because they had found out that he was mortal. To protect Ares from the vengeful warriors, they disguised him as a farmer and put him on a small farm where Xena had lived when she was a child.
Ares wasn't really sure if he was cut out to be a farmer but Xena was able to convince him that he would only have to pretend to be one until the warlords were off his trail. Then he could go back to being his warrior self. While he was on the farm, he found a little dog that he named Horace. He became very attached to Horace and Xena was amused by the fondness he had for the animal.
When the warlords came to the farm looking for Ares, Xena was able to convince them that he had passed through and headed on his way. The warlords believed her and so she was able to save Ares from them. Ares thanked her for her help, even though she had helped him more than she really needed to. Xena left Ares on the farm with the knowledge that she may come to visit him one day and then continued on her way.
But it wasn't long before they met up again. Ares had gone to Rome when he heard that his sister, Aphrodite had lost her mind. Xena too was there and they found out that the Roman emperor Caligula was sucking Aphrodite's godhood from her and that eventually, she would become a mortal. Xena was able to destroy Caligula but not in time to prevent Aphrodite from loosing her immortality.
Xena knew that now with the God of War and the Goddess of Love no longer gods, the world would suffer. They traveled to the land of the Norse Gods to retrieve the golden apples, which would restore their immortality. When they got the apples, after Xena gave one to Ares and his godhood was restored, Ares tired to get Xena to take one too and then they could live out eternity on Olympus together. He wanted to be with her and immorality would just make it all the more interesting.
Xena was very tempted to take it because she didn't want Ares to be alone on Olympus and deep down, she did want to be with him even though she wouldn't admit it. But Gabrielle convinced her not to take it and so she gave it to Aphrodite who was ecstatic to become a god again. Before she and Ares left, Ares told Xena that he would never stop trying. He loved her and she knew that but they could never be together. So, Ares left Xena and as he did so, she felt a sense of longing for him that she had never felt before.
When Xena got back to Greece, she heard that Eve had been captured by the Amazons and put on trial for her past crimes against them. She and Gabrielle went to the Amazon village to find Eve and learned that they were about to go to war with the Romans. Xena learned that Ares was the cause of the war and she was very angry with him. She couldn't believe that everything that had happened to him while he was mortal had been destroyed once he became a god again. Furious, she went to him and he told her that since he had lost a lot of worshipers while he was mortal, he needed a really big war to get his status of God of War back on top. He explained to her that he is the God of War and that is his job, it is what he was born to do and there is no changing that.
Still angry with him for being the cause of her problems, she left him and tried to convince the Amazons that if they follow Ares, all that awaits them would be pain and suffering. Finally, the Amazons were set straight and they let Eve go. Ares applauded Xena for her brilliant plan and how she is always good at what she does. She smiles at him and responds by saying that it is what she does and Ares says that he wouldn't have it any other way. When he leaves, Xena can feel that there is a mutual understanding between them. For the first time, she doesn't look at him as the enemy and she trusts him. Ares too, has accepted who she is and he loves her for it. He doesn't want her back as a warlord anymore.
In a sense, they came full circle. They may still be on different sides but that have come to respect each other. Ares will always love Xena and Xena will always have feelings for him, but she will never let that get in the way of her redemption. He was wrong for her and no matter how she feels, he will always be that for her. They may always be connected and they knew they always will, but they can't give into their feelings to deeply because if they do, they will destroy themselves. Ares shouldn't love because he is the God of War and Xena should love him because he is her past. But they will always feel that there is something special between them. It is a difficult relationship but after all, difficult relationships are the most exciting. They will always be apart but they are bonded for eternity. Always.
