<thoth_anubis@yahoo.com>
Disclaimers : For full disclaimers see Part 1, but this is a non-explicit altfic. Enjoy!
"Joxer...lay still or I'll restrain you." - Gabrielle.
"Really? With ropes and chains? Meg charges extra for that." -Joxer.
- What Joxer was thinking during King Con
*****
*****
Gabrielle looked around, admiring the tasteful decorations. Psyche's mortal heritage lent her a more reserved taste than most of the gods - who tended to favor cluttered, often tacky gaudiness as a reflection of their power. Finally gathering her resolve, she tentatively called out, "Cupid?"
Cupid and Psyche walked in together from a back room, one of his wings wrapped around her shoulders in a feathery embrace. A silly smile graced his countenance, and they both looked deliriously happy. "Gabrielle?" Cupid asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Psyche looked briefly askance at her husband after he recognized her, but her sudden flash of jealousy soon vanished.
"I'm kind of in a jam, Cupid, and I need your help," Gabrielle explained.
"Hey, now...I like the personal touch and all, but I already shot your warrior for you - twice, as a matter of fact. You need to make a move yourself. The gods can't do everything for you," he protested, holding up his hands in denial.
"Um, I'm not here about that...but thanks." A small smile crossed her face before she could stop it, and a momentary thought of Xena actually loving her almost distracted her from her purpose. She shook it off after a moment, and continued speaking. "I...um, kind of got turned into a god, and I need to get it undone."
Cupid and his wife shared a look, then looked intently at her for a moment as they verified her claim. "Heavy," he said at last. "Have you checked with Zeus?"
"No go," she replied sadly, echoing a phrase she'd heard Aphrodite use once.
Shaking his head, Cupid sighed. "Sorry. I'd love to help, but I just don't have that kind of oomph. Maybe check with Mom? I know things haven't been quite copacetic for you, but she does kind of like you - a little."
"Thanks for the help," Gabrielle said sadly. "and I appreciate your advice." She perked up a little. Looking around, she saw no sign of Bliss. "Where's your little boy? Can I see him? It's been a while, and he was awful cute, even if he was causing trouble."
"Sorry. He's finally asleep," Psyche softly replied, "and we wanted to get in some quality time while he's out."
Grimacing, Gabrielle apologized. "Oops. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. I'll get out of your hair."
"Hey, Gabrielle," the bard-Goddess waited for Cupid to continue, "no matter how it goes, come visit, alright? Maybe we can, you know, help you get adjusted?"
"Thank you, both," she said, pulling them both into an impulsive hug, being careful of his wings. "I will, I promise."
Gabrielle vanished in a flash of light, leaving the two gods alone.
The two shared another look, a bit startled by the odd events.
She was the first to recover her equilibrium. "Now then," Psyche began, shaking off the distraction before turning and wrapping her arms around her husband's neck, "where were we?"
It was hot where Gabrielle appeared next, and the rough hewn rock walls and sulfuric smell unpleasantly informed her she was inside a volcano - a situation that brought back several unpleasant memories. She wandered through one passageway after another, smelling the tang of molten rock and the stench of sulfurous gasses. Heading ever deeper into the earth, she continued on her way.
Hearing a small noise, she followed it down another tunnel, and emerged into a lavishly appointed bedroom, where Aphrodite and Hephaestus were...
Blushing a flaming red, Gabrielle turned and ran, her feet moving in a blur as she flew through the tunnels until she emerged inside a massive forge. She couldn't stop blushing, though she tried to tell herself she hadn't seen anything...
Unfortunately, she had seen far too much. No wonder Aphrodite loves him if he can do that, she thought in awe, blushing even brighter and trying to banish the image from her mind. Unfortunately, her newly divine state had total recall and every motion, every sound, and every inch of revealed flesh hung quivering for her inspection before her mind's eye.
Desperate for a distraction, she began examining the various half-completed and finished projects, weapons, and artifacts that were scattered through the forge. One unadorned sword caught her eye, and with a smile, she realized Xena would love it. She picked it up and admired the craftsmanship, every inch of the blade sheer perfection without any unnecessary ornamentation. Sadly, she returned it to the rack it was hanging on, then walked over to examine a magnificent bust of Aphrodite made from solid gold and standing in a place of honor. "He really loves her," she murmured, appreciating the craftsmanship and love that had gone into the creation of the beautiful sculpture - it practically glowed with the love Hephaestus had shaped into every curve.
"I know," Aphrodite said from behind her.
Gabrielle blushed again, turning to meet the goddess. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to barge in on you like that, especially when you were...occupied." Aphrodite was wearing a transparent negligee that clung to her voluptuous figure and hid nothing.
Although Gabrielle had met Aphrodite before, it was different this time. To her divine senses, she was incredibly, irresistibly, insanely beautiful, and seemed to be giving off waves of love that rocked the new goddess with the force of their emanations. She almost shook with the effort it took to remain unmoved in the face of her power.
"No problemo, babe, we were almost done." She stretched luxuriously, causing Gabrielle to suddenly catch her breath at the magnificent display. Aphrodite smirked, well aware of what she was doing to Gabrielle, and loving every instant of it. "What are you doing here, anyway? Not that I don't appreciate the visit, but Heph's place is a bit out of your way, don'cha think?"
"I need some help, I..." she trailed off as Aphrodite interrupted before she could explain.
"Whoa, babe. That's Cupie's department. Not that I'm not digging the longing vibes you and the warrior babe are sending, but... let's face it - you need to do something yourself. We can't do everything for you."
"That's what everyone keeps telling me," Gabrielle murmured.
"Thanks for dropping by, though. Nice to see you again."
Gabrielle spoke again at a higher volume. "No, actually... I didn't come about that...I sort of got turned into a god," she explained the situation, then continued, "and I need to get it fixed."
"Fixed? It's not like a disease or something, babe. Go with it. You wouldn't be my first choice to be made into a god, but," she shrugged, "you wouldn't be my last choice either. You should try it... it can be a blast, though the hours can be a drag sometimes." She smirked slightly and openly ogled her. "Anyway, you seem to be dealing with it pretty well."
"No offense, but it's just not me," she denied. "Considering how Xena is about the gods, do you really think I should confess my love, then say, 'oh by the way, I'm a goddess now?'"
"Why not? She already worships you...and I should know." She was smugness personified at that moment.
"It's not the same thing, Aphrodite," Gabrielle dismissed the idea.
"You never know 'til you try." Seeing she remained unconvinced, she relented, and sighed. The waves of love diminished as she focused on the problem at hand. "Did you talk to the old man?"
"Zeus? Yes. He refused. Said I deserved it, even if I don't want it."
"Really? Coolness. Then welcome to the club!"
"That's it?" Gabrielle demanded. "Zeus said I deserve it, so... end of story? Please? Can't you just take it away?"
"No can do, babe. Not in good enough with big daddy to get away with going against one of his direct edicts. Relax, and enjoy it for a while - things will work out."
She looked thoughtful for a moment, then a truly wicked grin crossed her face as she stared at Gabrielle in surprise. After a moment's thoughtful reflection, the Goddess of Love then turned and sauntered slowly up to Gabrielle, breasts and hips swaying seductively as she moved, every tiny movement a lesson in pure eroticism and seduction. She trailed one arm up Gabrielle's arm, raising a trail of goosebumps as she slowly walked behind the blushing young goddess.
"Let me make you feel better...I can show you pleasures that would stop a mortal's heart," she murmured in her ear, running her tongue gently over the inner whorls. "I saw you admiring that frieze in my temple...I can teach you things your warrior's never even heard of, let alone done...and that's saying something, babe, let me tell ya. Give me a few nights to train you, and you'll never have to worry about being able to satisfy her." She began nibbling on an earlobe, sending waves of delicious heat through the smaller goddess' body.
"Hephaestus!" Gabrielle said brokenly, gasping for air as Aphrodite worked her wiles on the panting newly elevated Goddess.
"Oh, hi Heph." Aphrodite didn't even pause in her efforts, though she added in some easily visible caresses with her hands while she spoke. "Wanna help me convince blondie here godhood's a good thing?"
"Maybe later, 'Dite," he responded, enjoying the show. "Have fun, you two," he chuckled, turning back to the swordblade he'd been working on, while pulling on a leather apron for protection from sparks.
"Wanna join the mile high club?" the Love Goddess whispered.
"I hate heights," Gabrielle protested, realizing what a mile was, and what she had meant - and being more than a little frightened - on several levels.
"Trust me, you won't when I'm done with you," she cooed in response, tracing the outline of an aureole through her top with one fingernail.
Gabrielle slipped out of her grasp with a great deal of effort, then ran and hid behind the statue. "Sorry, I'm not interested. Besides, Hephaestus - your husband, remember him? - is standing right here."
Strutting sensually, Aphrodite slowly approached the hiding goddess. "Hephie understands. He's gotta make stuff, I've gotta...well you've got a pretty good idea what I gotta do."
Poised to run, Gabrielle nervously backed away.
Aphrodite looked like she was going to chase her, the thrill of the hunt clearly visible on her face, when suddenly her expression clouded. "Not the fish, again!" She frowned, diverted from her plans. "Sorry babe. A priestess at one of my temples has decided to make an offering of fish. I need to go show her the error of her ways. We'll..." she smiled seductively, "talk...later - ciao!" she faded from sight.
"She does come on a little strong at times, but it's in her nature," Hephaestus commented.
"What?" Gabrielle whirled to face the god, who had continued to stoke his forge during the confrontation.
"All of us, we gods, are by nature obsessed with our spheres of control," he explained, beginning to pound a glowing shaft of metal. "I make things, she well, is love, Ares is war, and so on. We couldn't go against our natures, even if we wished to."
Gabrielle watched him work, taking delight in his skill and the way the metal slowly shaped itself into a blade under the pounding of his hammer. "But what about me? I'm not the god of anything - I just want to get rid of it."
The smith-god continued working, thinking of her question while he pounded on the glowing blade. When he returned the blade to the fire for reheating, he said, "Eventually, once you have assumed a role, you will become the position. For now, you are like a bar of stock, waiting to be shaped into whatever is needed." He gestured to his store of metals in a corner for emphasis, then resumed his labors on the blade.
She thought about that for a while, liking the analogy, but worried about how it would affect her. The idea that she would me molded and reshaped to suit whatever job she was given was not pleasant, and more than anything else convinced her to get rid of her divinity as soon as possible. Watching him work, she mulled over her potential options. Eventually, she worked up the courage to ask, when he was reheating the metal and seemed to be more or less free to speak, "Could you take away my godhood?"
"No," he denied simply. "Zeus wants you a god for a reason, even if you and I don't understand it. Perhaps he spoke to the Fates." He pounded on the metal, shaping an edge along the sides. He paused in his labors then held up the glowing shaft of metal, checking for impurities. "Know this, though. You are worthy of it."
"How can you tell?"
He looked briefly shocked. "Didn't you know? We can read each other's thoughts, to a limited extent anyway, and you haven't been shielding yourself - you've been broadcasting everything you've been thinking all along." He returned to shaping the blade. "Why do you think Aphrodite came after you so strongly? Your thoughts were filled with images of us, and of your warrior; they called to Aphrodite, and she was drawn to them and the emotions underlying them - strongly."
"Nobody tells me these things!" Gabrielle cried out, exasperated. "Isn't there some kind of manual or training guide?"
The smith-god actually smiled at that plaintive cry. Setting aside the blade for later finishing, Hephaestus wiped his hands on his leather apron. "Let's begin with the first lesson - how to tell if a god wishes to receive visitors."
Gabrielle blushed as her mind flashed back to what she had seen in their bedroom, then blushed even brighter as she realized she was probably still broadcasting her thoughts. "Alright." The smith-god smiled in amusement, making her blush even more.
"So where are we going again, Herc?" Iolaus asked, hurrying to keep up with his friend's longer strides.
"To find Xena."
"Why?" he asked. "We haven't seen her in a while, sure, but she seemed to be doing okay last time we met up with her."
"I had a visitor last night while you were asleep." He turned and looked at his friend, who was looking curiously at him as he trotted alongside.
"One of the gods?" Iolaus asked.
"Oh, yeah," Herc said, shaking his head and wondering how best to break the news about their friend. "And the god asked if we'd go see her."
"So who was it? Hermes?"
"Nope."
"Ares? Aphrodite?"
"No...and stop guessing, because you'll never guess in a thousand years."
Iolaus thought for a bit, then snapped his fingers and said suddenly, "Athena!"
"No," Hercules retorted, exasperated. "Alright, already. I'll tell you, if you'll just be quiet."
"So who was it? Artemis?"
"It was Gabrielle," he replied, hurrying forward.
Iolaus froze in place. "Gabrielle? What, you mean our Gabrielle? Xena's Gabrielle? The bard/amazon/sidekick Gabrielle? I thought you said it was a god?" he asked, running to catch up.
"I did."
Laughing a little at the absurdity of it, Iolaus finally asked, "So when did this happen?"
"Apparently yesterday. Apollo decided she'd make a nice addition to his little harem, and so took her off to Olympus, where she ate something she shouldn't have."
"Huh," Iolaus said, then started to laugh again. "I always knew Gabrielle's appetite would get her into trouble someday."
"You haven't heard the best part."
"What? Better than her becoming a god?" he controlled his laughter with an effort.
"Apparently," he began, not looking at his chuckling friend, "she then proceeded to beat up Apollo."
Iolaus froze, not sure whether to laugh or not. "Uh..." he trailed off, watching Herc's back as he continued to walk, his mirth fading slightly. "Didn't you only manage to fight him to a draw, even when you were a full god?"
"Yeah," he replied, still without expression. "but he ran off before we could really finish it, so it wasn't really a draw. I still won." His frigid tone showing his feelings about that fact.
"So," Iolaus began, thinking better of teasing his friend after hearing the frosty tone in his voice, "what are we going to do about this?"
"Well, Gabrielle went to see Zeus this morning, so hopefully everything will be taken care of soon, but she didn't want Xena to see her until she was back to normal. So..."
"So, we let Xena know she's okay, and hope Gabrielle gets back before she gets too crazy?"
"That's the plan," Hercules confirmed.
Iolaus considered the potential effects of Xena deciding to storm Olympus, and didn't like the results. "Maybe we better hurry?" Iolaus thought out loud.
"Good idea," the demigod agreed. The two friends broke into a loping run.
Back in Hephaestus' forge, Gabrielle impulsively hugged the lame god after the final quick lesson. "Thank you for everything," she whispered.
"You're welcome," he replied, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder, unused to such displays of affection. "Don't worry, you'll work things out in time."
"Maybe," she agreed hesitantly, then smiled. "At least now I can handle the situation a little better. You're a very good teacher," she thanked him.
Hephaestus smiled, the unscarred half of his lips rising higher than the other. He limped over to a rack of swords and took down the unadorned one she had been admiring earlier. "I have a gift for you," he said, waving a hand and summoning a scabbard from somewhere. He sheathed the sword, and held it out to her.
Despite herself, she started to reach for it before stopping and stepping back. "I couldn't...you've already given me so much."
"Then take it as a gift for your warrior," he retorted, still holding it out. "I saw how you admired it when I came in, and it has remained here unused for many years - it's too plain for the other gods' tastes - not even Ares wanted it. Please, take it."
Gabrielle hesitantly took it, then tried to make sense of the straps on the scabbard. Hephaestus helped her position it across her back, then paused to admire the look. Nodding, he smiled his approval.
"Thank you again," Gabrielle began, then taking a deep breath, added, "If I can return to being mortal, I probably won't be able to return, but if I am stuck, I'd like to visit again...now that I can keep Aphrodite from getting too interested in me."
Hephaestus actually laughed at that, his amusement breaking through his customary dour demeanor. "Don't worry, she'll still be interested in you." Seeing Gabrielle's nervousness, he laughed again. "So, where to now? Or are you going to keep going on your little tour of the gods?"
"I think," she began, "I'm going to go see Ares," she said heavily, then vanished.
The smith god stared at where she used to be, then whispered, "Good luck," before turning back to his labors.
*****
*****
The screams and crashes of shattering furnishings were the first signs that Hercules and Iolaus were getting close. Following the sounds, the duo soon came upon a temple to Ares - which was presently undergoing major redecoration. The scattered guards lying battered and unconscious around the temple gave silent testimony to the intensity of the conflict still raging inside.
"Come on," Hercules cried out, sprinting towards the temple. Iolaus followed at a slightly slower pace, still breathing heavily from the long run.
"Give...her...back!" Xena screamed, smashing a jar of sacred unguents before turning back to rage at the grinning statue of Ares again. Tearing down a tapestry depicting the glory of war, she shredded it roughly with her bare hands then tossed the fragments onto the fire burning hotly in one corner - a fire built from the shattered remains of the temple's furniture.
"Xena!" Hercules cried out, coming to a halt nearby.
The warrior princess whirled, sword in hand, to confront him. With a mad gleam showing in her red-rimmed eyes, she barked, "Stay out of it, Hercules. This doesn't concern you. This is between him and me."
"Ares isn't responsible for this, Xena," he soothed, holding his hands out so she could tell he was unarmed and nonthreatening. Not that she relaxed much, but still... "It was Apollo."
She looked blank for a moment, and she actually lowered her sword slightly. "Why would..."
"Apparently he thought she was worthy of joining his little band of servants, so he took her off to Olympus."
Her sword dropped from abruptly nerveless fingers. Of all the people in the world, she trusted him the most - after Gabrielle - but if he was telling the truth... "Olympus..." she murmured. "Then I have lost her..." she sank to her knees and crouched there, leaning heavily on her sword while silent tears began to trickle down her cheeks as he cautiously approached her shaking form.
"It's okay, Xena," he murmured, crouching and putting one arm over her shoulders. "It'll work out. Everything's going to be okay."
"It's not okay," she barked, anger momentarily overcoming her grief. "I've lost her, and I never even told..." she broke off and began sobbing, the tears streaming openly down her face now as Herc drew her into a comforting hug.
Iolaus charged in and took in the scene of devastation. "Whoa," he said, then, seeing his friend comforting the weeping warrior, froze. "Since you've obviously got things under control..." he thought while he backed out silently, trying to keep from embarrassing Xena by letting her know he had seen her in her moment of weakness.
"How did you..." she began, then trailed off unsure how to phrase her thought.
"How did I hear about what happened?"
She nodded.
Hercules helped her to stand, then together they sat on the broken altar, the demigod keeping one of her hands clenched in his for support - and to keep her under control, if necessary. "Last night, Gabrielle came to see me."
Her head shot around towards him, "I thought she was trapped on Olympus..."
"Apparently," he began, "she ate some ambrosia."
"What?" she screamed, leaping to her feet, and pulling free from his grasp with ease. "Why? We've seen what ambrosia does, she would never..." She froze, and then her eyes turned icy. "What did that bastard do to her?"
Trying to soothe her, Hercules held up both hands again in a calming gesture. This wasn't the reaction he had had in mind. "It wasn't that..." he explained hurriedly, "She was hungry, and Apollo's supply apparently didn't look like the stuff you'd seen before."
"So she's a goddess, now..." Xena mused, an odd expression crossing her face. "Why didn't she just tell me," she said softly, face falling.
"It was an accident, Xena. She's trying to get back to normal," he explained, "and she didn't want you to see her while she was like that. She's probably right," he admitted slowly. "It was...odd seeing her that way," he continued hesitantly.
"She's not in danger, is she?" Xena demanded.
"Not the way you probably mean," he explained. "She didn't really know how to control her powers very well yet though, and she kept doing odd things - like having her eyes glow. It's a bit... disconcerting."
"I'll have to find Apollo and explain his mistake," she muttered, a feral smile crossing her features.
Pulling her gently back to sit next to him, he cut that idea off. "She already took care of it. Apparently...she beat him up."
Xena looked at him, then raised an eyebrow in sudden pleased surprise. "Really?"
"Really." He looked somewhat disgruntled at the admission. "she said that after practicing with you, fighting him was almost easy." He shared a small laugh with her, then admitted, "It took me by surprise, too."
A pleased smile grew slowly on her lips. "So...what now?"
"Well, I hate to admit it, but...maybe an apology to Ares." He gestured to the surrounding destruction, and added, "You did do a fair job of defiling his temple."
She looked around at the destruction she had caused, then shook her head firmly. "Never. He still owes me for maneuvering Gabrielle into trying to kill herself with Hope." An evil grin crossed her features, "Besides, he sometimes likes a bit of defilement."
Hercules wisely let that pass without comment. "In that case," he said, rising to his feet, "we wait. She was going to see Zeus, so if things go well, she could be back to normal at any time."
For the first time since discovering Gabrielle was missing, Xena began to feel hope that she would be reunited with her missing friend. "So... where's Iolaus?" she asked, a small smile rising on her face.
"Probably outside," Hercules said wryly. "Last time we were in a trashed temple to Ares, he got sent into another dimension." Seeing Xena's confused look, he held up one forestalling hand, and added, "Don't ask."
Sighing in relief that Xena now knew the truth - and without having to show her personally - Gabrielle leaned against the rail on the balcony overlooking the abyss of Tartarus and turned away from the monitors. Now it was the moment of truth - it was time to face Ares. She knew Ares could help her - he had taken Hercules' strength after all - the question was only if he would. Using Hephaestus' lessons, she queried Ares to see if he was willing to receive a visitor, then vanished with only a small flash of light - she was getting better at that.
*****
*****
Gabrielle reappeared in a place she had never seen before - Ares' home. It looked...comfortable; even though the decor was mostly in shades of red and black and fit the expected martial theme with weapons and banners tastefully hung from the walls, she could easily feel at home in the lavishly appointed suite of rooms. "This doesn't look like the Halls of War," she thought out loud.
"Of course not," Ares said with a smile, turning his throne- like chair to face her and greeting his visitor with a friendly smile. "That place is for work. This..." he waved a hand about languidly, "is for resting...it's home. Welcome to my home Gabrielle," he continued, sitting up in the chair and motioning her forward. "Only a very few mortals have ever been here...but then, you aren't a mortal anymore, are you?"
The steaming hot tub in one corner, and the huge bed, she thought she understood, but some of the other accoutrements were more exotic and outre, like a rack of whips and torture implements, and the iron maiden standing in one corner. "Right," she agreed, eyeing an evilly barbed scourge lying on a dresser.
Noting what she was looking at, Ares rose and his smile grew wider. "There's resting, and then there's relaxation," he chuckled, amused by her reaction. "Sometimes I like to take my work home. Can I help it if I love my job?" She said nothing in response, but continued glancing curiously around the room - a smiling Ares was not something she was used to dealing with, and she put off looking at him as much as she could.
Looking her over carefully, he smiled again. "You look good Gabrielle." Her expression clearly showed her distrust. "No, really I mean it. You wear power very nicely. I definitely like the sword. Been hanging out with Hephaestus, have you?"
"Don't bother with the flattery, Ares. I am not my daughter, and I'm definitely not interested in your attentions." She frowned as he continued to ogle her.
"Relax," he soothed, returning to his throne-like chair to sit down. "Have a seat."
Gabrielle gingerly sat in a chair that looked like part of the supply of torture equipment (it was actually a souvenir of Callisto, but she didn't know that) and waited for him to continue.
"I must admit, I never thought of turning you into a god as a way of separating you from Xena, but the way things have worked out has been...quite stimulating. She was magnificent when she trashed that temple." He wiped a crocodile tear from one eye. "It certainly brought back some fond memories."
"She knows the truth now, Ares. She won't be returning to you."
"I know that," he agreed. "For now at least. Though I must admit, I truly admired her performance in my temple...But let's not talk about her just yet. Let's talk about you."
"Will you help me? Take away my godhood, I mean," Gabrielle held her breath in anticipation.
Ares smirked. "Now why would I want to do that? Dear father was right...you are magnificent."
"Oh, please," she sneered at his flattery. "First Apollo and Zeus, now you. Don't you people have anything better to do?"
"Not that," he corrected, then leered momentarily, "though right now you look better than Hope ever did."
Rolling her eyes, Gabrielle muttered, "Great. Trying to seduce me by reminding me you slept with my daughter."
"No, no," he explained with exaggerated smoothness, holding his hands to his heart to show his sincerity. "I meant only that you have enormous potential. I watched your little barroom brawl with Apollo, and I must admit, I was very impressed. I hadn't realized just how good you had become with your...little stick."
"Don't bother with the flattery...I'm not interested."
"You should be," he retorted, his mask of good humor slipping slightly. "Since Callisto perforated my nephew, Discord and I have had to work twice as hard to pick up the slack. It's irritating, and totally unnecessary."
"So what do you want - sympathy? For having to do your own dirty work? My heart bleeds for you," she sneered.
Clapping, Ares rose and walked slowly around her chair. "Magnificent. Keep practicing that sneer and tone of voice, and we'll get along wonderfully. No, Gabrielle..." he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I want to offer you a job."
"You what?" She spun in her seat and stared at him with mouth agape, taken totally aback by the wargod's offer.
Ares gently pushed her mouth closed, causing her teeth to click audibly together. "Strife was a worthless idiot, and I usually couldn't understand half of what he said, but...he was necessary to make the world work properly. Discord and I are doing our best to make up for his absence, but you...you were the most irritating mortal I've ever met, and now that you're a god, your potential to generate strife is limitless." He stretched out the terminal "s" sibilantly.
He ran one hand along the length of her arm, sending a rush of heat through her body. "Join me, and together we can take the world by storm. Picture it," he urged, "You've done me some favors, I've done some for you, you know we can work together when we need to - if it makes you feel better, I already like you better than I ever liked Strife - and he was family." His voice oozed temptation. "And with the both of us working together, Xena will have no choice but to join us...You, me, and Xena...together for eternity. Tempting, isn't it?" His voice dropped into a seductive whisper, as he started rubbing her shoulders gently with his hands, kneading away tension and filling her with an incredible warmth. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Imagine the possibilities..."
Fighting to control the heat coursing through her body that the wargod's touch inspired, Gabrielle remained mute. She had thought she knew Ares well, but she'd never realized he could be so... Her admiration for Xena rose to new heights. If she could voluntarily walk away from this... this delicious heat...
"I don't even mind sharing Xena with you...now that you're a god, anyway." He looked off into space and pictured the scene, a smile growing as he did. "In fact, I'm rather looking forward to it. I'll even let the two of you use my hot tub."
His leer made her desperately want to bathe. First Zeus and Apollo, then Aphrodite and Cupid, now Ares...maybe it was a good thing they'd never done anything; the way things were turning out they would have had half of Olympus watching. She shook off her irritation as he ended his pitch.
"What do you say?"
"No!" She fought off the tendrils of arousal he had been spinning, and rose unsteadily to her feet. Catching her breath, she shakily said while backing away from him, "I'm definitely not interested. I just want to get back to normal."
"A pity. Still, in payment for all we've done for each other, I suppose I should do something." He approached her and held up one hand. "Close your eyes."
Gabrielle narrowed her eyes instead, and they began glowing. "Not likely."
"Trust me." Her reaction was predictable. "Look, I swear on the Styx that I won't hurt you... not today, anyway. Satisfied?" he asked, looking exasperated.
Nodding slowly, knowing the strength of that oath, she closed her eyes, every muscle tensed for the coming blow. She felt nothing, but he abruptly said, "Oh yes, that's much better."
She opened her eyes, but felt nothing different. Then she looked down and screamed. Her clothes had been replaced with something made of black leather straps and silver studs. "What did you do that for?" she demanded.
"Are you joking? Your clothes were hardly suitable for a goddess - even if they weren't green anymore, thanks be to Zeus. These clothes are much more appropriate for your new position." He indicated his own, similar accoutrements of black leather.
"What, these are more suitable? What did you do, raid Discord's underwear drawer? I look like I work at Meg's! Give me back MY clothes, now!" she screeched, clenching her fists and looking mad enough to attack him with her bare hands.
He stroked his beard meditatively then mused, "Perhaps you're right. Black just isn't your color, at least not yet..." He waved his hand and the tight black leather turned a glimmering red the color of fresh blood. "No," he said, "still not right. Doesn't go with your hair." It darkened to the color of a clotted wound. Shaking his head, he made another motion, and it turned the billious green of her old top. Shivering, he gestured again, and the leather turned a pure snowy white. "Much better...white isn't exactly my color of choice, but it does look good on you. Now it's perfect."
"No it isn't! Give me back my clothes!"
"I think not. Leather does something for you...and it definitely does something for me," he smiled toothily. "Hope liked leather...a lot."
Snarling, Gabrielle threw a fireball, which Ares promptly caught and quenched with an off-handed gesture. "Now, now," he admonished. "Don't be jealous. You know I had to let Dahok think I was going along with him. Sleeping with Hope was just...an added bonus." He ran one arm up her leather-clad flank and whispered, "If it makes you feel better, I was thinking of you the whole time I was with her."
Slapping his hand away, despite the sudden impulse that ran through her to lean into his touch to feel more of that liquid heat, she simply continued glaring at the smug wargod.
He suddenly paused and stared at her chest. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to a spot over her heart.
"What?" she asked, her anger dissipating as she looked down.
Abruptly lifting his hand, he bumped it into her nose, then burst out laughing. "I can't believe you fell for it again!" he chortled, turning to walk away.
"Remember Gabrielle - one god cannot undo what another has done," he gloated. Laughing wickedly, he vanished in a burst of crimson fire, leaving her dressed in the leather outfit.
"Get back here!" she raged, shaking her fist in the air. "You're making a bad mistake, pissing off a bard!" Disembodied laughter was her only response, and he failed to return.
With an irritated growl, she tried to teleport away, only to find that she was unable to. He had done something to block her from leaving. She was trapped in his lair.
After raging for a while at the god's trick Gabrielle forced herself to calm down. She had a strange suspicion he was trying to goad her into becoming angry enough to automatically assume the office he wanted her to take; which if what Hephaestus had said was true, would be a very nasty trick indeed. She looked around, and saw something she needed to use. On the wall next to his bed was a large mirror (there was one on the ceiling over the bed, too, but we won't go there).
Gabrielle examined herself carefully in the mirror; it wasn't as bad as she had initially thought. It covered all the vital areas...barely, and it did have a certain elegance - if you considered dominatrix gear elegant. In fact it looked a little like Callisto's armor, and shared some of it's attributes - like barely covering the breasts, leaving the abdomen bare, and having small highlights of glinting silver chain mail here and there to cover some gaps in the leather's coverage.
The skin of some unknown scaled beast was used as a sort of halter to cup and frame her breasts, and reminded her of the material used in the top she had worn briefly while in Illusia. Sturdy strips of studded leather connected it to the low-slung, soft skirt made of strips of leather much like Xena's that girdled her hips, and attached them both to an overly elaborate set of shoulder armor with gleaming steel plates that were covered with etched swirling designs. The gauntlets were the only part of the ensemble that looked truly functional, though the shoulder guards did seem to provide a bit of protection. The sword across her back certainly no longer looked out of place, and the color of the scabbard had changed to match the rest. Her boots were the only things that remained the same, though like the rest, they had become a snowy white.
The whole outfit, now in white leather with gleaming silver studs and buckles, looked simultaneously erotic and dangerous - and was something she would not ordinarily have been caught dead in. With a scowl of irritation, she began loosening the buckles and undoing the ties in an effort to get the armor off.
It was at this point she found the second trick Ares had played on her - she was also stuck in the outfit. She could loosen it, or reposition it, and cautious experimentation showed she could lower her breeches and slide the halter up and down her torso, but as soon as the tried to remove it, the buckles and straps tightened themselves and the whole outfit snapped back into position. And, as he had gloated, she couldn't undo the charms he'd worked into the scanty armor.
Now thoroughly displeased, as well as trapped, she sank into a chair by a small desk, and drew forth a quill and parchment and began composing a story. "I'll teach him to mess with a bard..." she muttered sourly.
After a candlemark's labor, the rough draft was done, and she had to go to the bathroom - desperately. A hurried search of the suite of rooms revealed no facilities. At last, seeing no other option, she lowered her breeches, crouched by the hot tub and spread the leather strips of her skirt. When she was finished, she stood and readjusted her clothing. She was embarrassed and humiliated by the whole experience, and looked forward to spreading her little story across the length and breadth of the known world in revenge.
"I'll get you for this, Ares!" she cried out, shaking her fist at the ceiling. "Just wait and see!"
"You won't be getting anyone else," a female voice proclaimed from behind her. The sound of a bowstring being drawn taut pricked her ears, and she slowly turned to face the person.
Gabrielle stopped when she faced her, and her eyebrows rose at the sight greeting her. She was tall - even taller than Xena - but with the sort of whipcord leanness that spoke of great strength and flexibility without the excess weight of added muscle bulk. She wore a matching brownish grey doeskin skirt and halter set, and a pair of low boots covered her feet. White feathers were braided into her brown hair and she wore an elaborate beaded necklace. Gabrielle noticed these things only peripherally; most of her attention was on the fact that she carried a great black bow that was drawn to her ear - and the arrow was aimed directly at her heart.
"My brother," the woman continued, "is under Aesclepius' care right now, suffering from the wounds you inflicted on him. Do you have anything to say before we join my hounds for a hunt?"
Brother? Apollo? Realizing who she faced, Gabrielle took a deep breath, then slowly performed the obeisance from the Amazon worship service. She sank to her knees, then continued with the ritual. Drawing the armored halter down to expose her heart, she abased herself before her people's goddess. Prostrate before her, she solemnly proclaimed, "I submit myself to your judgement, my goddess, and stand ready to pay for my transgressions," completing the ritual.
The huntress goddess stared as the short figure in white armor performed the ritual perfectly, even going so far as to bare her breast in the traditional symbolic acceptance of her arrow. She eased the tension on the string, and lowered the bow slightly, taking a close look at the upstart goddess who had injured her brother for the first time.
"Gabrielle?" she asked in surprise. "What are you..." she trailed off, then impatiently motioned for her to rise. "I should have known better than to trust anything Ares told me. What happened to you? And why would my chosen attack my brother?" she demanded.
Slowly rising, Gabrielle breathed a sigh of relief as Artemis' bow was lowered. She debated briefly how to phrase her explanation, then said only, "Let's just say your brother's idea of courtship leaves much to be desired."
Artemis' eyes flashed. "He tried to..." her mouth tightened. "I've warned him before about going near my Amazons. I think I need to have a little talk with him again - maybe let him run around as a goat for a few moons to teach him a lesson."
"In his defense," Gabrielle was forced to admit, "he didn't know I was an Amazon," she muttered, "Of course he didn't even bother to find out my name before he took me..."
Artemis' frown deepened, but she slung her bow before helping Gabrielle to her feet. "And where did you get that ridiculous outfit?" she demanded.
"It was Ares' idea of a joke. I can't even get the stupid thing off!" she groused.
Looking it over carefully, Artemis was unable to find a way to defeat the charms woven into the armor. "It could be worse," she comforted, reaching out to lift the scaled halter back up to cover her chosen's breasts. Her fingers lingered momentarily in a soft caress before withdrawing. "I'll find a more suitable raiment for you."
"Thank you, my Goddess." Gabrielle gratefully stated.
"Oh, stop that," Artemis scolded. "You're a goddess too, now, or did you forget?"
"No, but hopefully the situation is only temporary."
"Oh?" she asked.
"Could you take away my godhood? I really just want to get back to my normal life, but no one will help me." She carefully explained her recent past to her patron goddess, watching as her expression darkened as Apollo's behavior was laid out before her.
"I'll turn him into a pig for this - no one does that to my chosen...no one!"
"It's alright, Artemis," she soothed. "It can wait. Umm, look if you can't take away my godhood, how about your bow? Instead of an animal, how about using it transform me into a mortal?" she looked momentarily hopeful.
The huntress still looked irritated, but let Gabrielle steer her away from her planned vengeance on her brother. "It doesn't work that way, my Chosen." She waved her to a seat, then perched on the edge of the bed.
Gabrielle took great pleasure in perching in Ares' own chair, and idly scratched "Xena [Heart] Gabrielle," on the arm with a dagger he had left lying on a nearby table. Smiling at her small vandalism, she turned back to Artemis, who had watched her calligraphy with amusement. "Why not?"
"The bow doesn't change your essence, Gabrielle. Otherwise, when I hunted those I'd transformed, I would only be killing a stag -and the lesson would be wasted." She sighed, then tried to explain in a slightly different way. "Did you ever hear about the time Hercules was transformed into a pig?"
"Sure," Gabrielle replied, leaning forward in interest, "Iolaus told me all about it."
"Even as a pig, he retained his great strength. Or when Discord was changed into a chicken - she still retained her powers, she just couldn't use some of them since she had no hands to invoke them. If I tried to change you into a mortal with it, you would still be a mortal with the powers of a god, or in other words, exactly what you are now."
Gabrielle sighed in frustration. "I wouldn't have thought it would be so hard to get this taken care of. I mean when Velaska and Callisto ate ambrosia, nobody wanted them around."
Her face clouding at the mention of the would-be Amazon goddess, Artemis forced a smile. "It's your own fault, Gabrielle. You are simply too nice."
Gabrielle again sighed in frustration, then stood. She carefully placed a small caltrop from the pile of martial implements in the center of Ares' chair, skillfully positioning it so it blended into the grain of the wood, then turned back to look at Artemis. "So, what do you recommend?"
"Zeus is preparing a convocation of the gods for tomorrow - all the deities of the pantheon will be there." She rolled her eyes. "Ares told me it was about what to do with you...letting me think if I wanted vengeance, I had to act now - but not telling me who you were. Come to think of it, he was so careful in his phrasing, he was probably trying to wiggle out of an oath." She looked thoughtful. "Maybe I'll turn him into a goat for a while, too."
"He'd probably enjoy it," Gabrielle sourly muttered.
Snickering, Artemis rose and joined the shorter goddess, looking over the small modifications she had made in his chair. "I like the way you think," she said, snickering as she read what Gabrielle had carved, and saw the concealed spike on the seat..
She waved a hand, and suddenly all the weapons and torture implements throughout the room were blunted (except for Gabrielle's trap). The goddess noticed a parchment scroll lying on a desk and went to pick it up, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"No don't!" Gabrielle suddenly cried out, but Artemis picked it up anyway. The title read, "A Fowl Affair." Curious, she unrolled it slightly and began reading it in the middle.
"...he held the transformed Discord by her scaled feet in one callused hand, keeping her under control, while soothing her with gentle strokes of the other. Discord's clucking began to take on an air of apprehension? excitement? eagerness? - it was impossible to tell - as his hands lingered and lovingly caressed her crimson crest. With fingers shaking with anticipation, Ares frantically undid the front of his leather breeches, freeing the rigid shaft inside with one hand while a leer crossed..."
"Gabrielle!" she gasped, suddenly realizing what she was reading. Gabrielle's face fell in shame while her goddess continued to read. Artemis' eyes opened wider and wider as she read the... kinky story from start to finish. When she was done, all she could say was, "A donkey?"
"He made me angry," she shamefacedly admitted. Her face fell as she stared at the floor, wishing she could melt through it. She could face many things, but the contempt of her goddess...
"It's perfect!" Artemis proclaimed.
Gabrielle froze - that was not the reaction she'd expected. "What?"
An evil smile crossed the huntress' face as she looked off into space, picturing her own contribution to Gabrielle's subtle revenge. "Every bard, every library, and every temple from Britannia to Egypt to Ch'in will find a copy of this scroll in their collection tomorrow morning. Ares'll never live it down, nor be able to destroy every copy!" Her smile transformed into one of loving admiration. "You're a genius, Gabrielle."
Gabrielle blushed at the praise of her admittedly sick story. She gathered her few belongings, while her goddess roamed the room, looking over Ares' prized possessions for something else to vandalize.
The goddess paused when she was next to the hot tub. Artemis looked closely into the steaming water then started to laugh. She lifted her skirt, making Gabrielle turn away in embarrassment at her lack of breeches, then added her own contribution to the water.
The huntress smoothed the front of her skirt down and looked the room over smugly. "I wish I could see his face when he comes back," she murmured.
"He deserves all of it," Gabrielle agreed, though she was a little embarrassed by both the childishness of her pranks, and the fact that her people's goddess had gleefully joined in without hesitation.
Smiling, Artemis held one hand out to her. "There's some time before the meeting...join me in a hunt."
"Um...I don't have a bow," Gabrielle ventured.
Artemis handed her one, along with a full quiver, summoned from somewhere. "Easily rectified."
"And I...don't really like to hunt," she admitted softly.
"We won't kill anything if you don't want to," Artemis soothed her. "Let's just see how well the Queen of my Amazons is at her woodcraft."
"I can't... Ares has trapped me here. I can't teleport out," she admitted.
Frowning, Artemis looked her over carefully, then expanded her search to cover the room. "The spell isn't on you - it's on the rooms." She grimaced in concentration. "I'll carry you out, and that will bypass it entirely. Once you're out of here, you'll have no problems."
Gabrielle sighed in relief, and Artemis had to stifle the urge to giggle. "Good. Now come along... it's nearly too late for a decent hunt as it is."
With a grimace, Gabrielle tried to create an enveloping cloak to cover the embarrassing outfit she wore. She thought she had succeeded, but because she was new to the whole concept of matter creation, instead she plucked the cloak from the closet of a rich merchant named Ali in Damascus. Since he'd never liked it anyway, everything worked out for the best. Gratefully she put it on, hiding herself within the enveloping depths.
More than a little nervous, Gabrielle then joined Artemis. She was struck by a sudden thought - every library... Homer, er... Orion might find her scroll...or worse, her mother might be the one to find it in Potadaiea's small temple. "Umm, Artemis...is there any way you could keep my name off those scrolls before you send them out?" she asked.
"Sure," she agreed. "Just tell me... what is 'reticulated rhubarb,' anyway, and is it physically possible for a man to use it like that?" she finished as they teleported away in a flash of light.
End of Part 3