CHARACTERS (in order of appearance in Part 1)
Aphrodite
Hephaestus
Athena
Ares
Xena
Eve
Gabrielle

SUMMARY: Missing her husband Hephaestus, Aphrodite discovers a way to get him back and help her brother and her friends in the process.

Olympus was deserted. Aphrodite thought about all the times she wished for a deserted Olympus. Ever since meeting Gabrielle she'd become less tolerant of her family's squabbling, and less likely to participate in them. But the emptiness of the place unnerved her.

She sat on her father's throne in her black negligée as tears began to stream down her face. The gods may have deserved their fate, but she had to admit she missed them. Especially the one who didn't deserve to die, the one who was manipulated into thinking that Xena would kill her.

"Ares says that Xena will come after you first," Hephaestus said with such concern behind his adoring eyes. "He says that she will make Eli the God of Love if we don't do something about it."

"She won't come after me," Aphrodite assured, wrapping her fingers around the ends of his hair, proud to see that her man was ready to defend her. "I know Xena. She's not going to come after any gods who leave her and her daughter alone."

Hephaestus looked askant at his wife. "Ares has known her longer than you. I'm not taking any chances."

Aphrodite sighed and rolled her eyes. "Ares couldn't read a woman even if he did know his alpha, beta, gammas. He is lying to you so he'll have one more god on his side."

"And what about Athena?" Hephaestus challenged.

"That girl hasn't been thinking clearly since Xena killed Elanis, her little head warrior woman," her voice dropped to a whisper, "and much more, I might add." She giggled. "I'm the one who has had to do all the thinking around here. And this strategy business is no fun at all." She rubbed her temples.

Athena appeared before the pair. "Aw, does little sister have a headache? I can't say I'm surprised. In your line of work, that body part doesn't get much use."

Aphrodite's eyes squinted in anger, but she controlled her emotions and stuck to the subject she wished to discuss. "Anyone can see that the prophecy is self-fulfilling. Twenty-five years ago, Father died because of his own fear. Now that you're leader, the same will happen to you and to the gods that follow you if you don't start thinking rationally."

"Rationally?" Athena quipped. She tittered in response. "Rationally? You wouldn't know the first thing about rationality, spinning and living in your little love dreams and your floozy outfits. Sister, you stick to your jobs and let me stick to mine." She turned to Hephaestus. "I need you and the others to keep an eye on Xena, to keep me informed, while I watch over the Furies and see their progress with Gabrielle." She looked at Aphrodite for a moment before returning her gaze back on Hephaestus. "Are you coming?"

Hephaestus uttered his support without hesitation.

"No!" Aphrodite cried. She grabbed his collar and turned him toward her. "Xena will leave us alone, I promise. Please, Hephie, just stay here with me." She cocked an eyebrow. "I'll make it worth your while."

Athena scoffed.

Hephaestus cupped her face in his hand. "They'll be plenty of time for that, love, when I return. I have to go protect my lady's honor."

Aphrodite's face dropped. "I don't want my honor protected. I just want you."

They embraced in deep kiss and barely heard the objections from Athena.

When they separated, Aphrodite whispered, "Promise me though that you'll be careful?"

Hephaestus nodded and kissed her on the lips for what would be the last time. He disappeared in a flash of light with Athena.

She had felt the exact moment he died. It was as if someone had stuck a sword in her heart and ripped it down to her stomach. Was this the pain he was feeling? If so, it was terrible, but fleeting. She was at least grateful that his suffering wasn't lengthy, but it did nothing to dull the emptiness left within her.

Aphrodite pulled her knees to her chin and rocked herself on her father's throne, trying to quell her tears. She eventually gave up and let them flow freely. She was surprised at how well she felt after such a mortal act; it certainly helped clear her mind of her woes. She thought she might tell Gabrielle about the benefits of a good cry, especially considering the girl's current state, and was about to whisk to her location-when The Plan entered her mind.

Oh, it was a good plan. It considered everyone. Why hadn't she thought of this before? She smiled. Not that time mattered now.

A few hours later she summoned her brother in front of her. He appeared, rather indisposed.

"Geez!" he said, adjusting himself. "Some advanced warning would be nice. I'm not used to having a bladder."

Aphrodite laughed for the first time in days. "I wanted to tell you that what you did here last week was brilliant. Sacrificing your immortality to save Gabrielle and Eve. It was the first smart thing I've ever seen you do."

Ares sneered. "I wish I could say the same for you, but I've never seen you do anything smart."

Aphrodite smiled sweetly. "I'm not the one who was so gung ho on attacking Xena nor am I the one who has been moping around the Greek forests in all my mortal splendor this week."

Ares folded his arms and changed the subject. "Alright, why did you bring me up here?"

"You know that baby you wanted to have with Xena?"

"Yeah."

"You can have it-and Xena's love."

Ares shook his head. "No, I'm not going for that spell stuff. I want her to come to me willingly and get it on the old-fashioned way."

Aphrodite leaned over. "That's what I'm talking about."

Ares' ears perked. "What do I have to do?"

Aphrodite reached into a bag that hung from the arm of her father's throne. She produced a large blue stone.

Ares' eyebrows rose. "You've got to be kidding me. The Chronos stone? It's a worthless piece of junk now. Callisto obliterated it. Deimos couldn't even kill Hercules with it."

"Deimos was a dufus. It will work just fine now."

"What makes you so sure?"

Aphrodite smiled proudly. "Callisto changed its chemical properties when she burned it. I merely restored its original chemical properties so that we may achieve the desired results." Ares looked at Aphrodite skeptically. "Hey, I am the Goddess of Love. Believe me, I know my chemistry."

Ares rolled his eyes at her last comment. "How did you get the stone anyway? I'm surprised something the mighty Hercules threw actually found its way to the ground."

"It came plunging down into one of my temples, right through a nice ceiling mural of me. Let me tell you, it wasn't exactly the best spot either for such a hole to appear, if you catch me drift." She shuddered at the memory.

Ares' smirk became a wide grin. He broke out in laughter.

"Hey, shut up!" the Goddess of Love scolded. "I wasn't very pleased, but I've reworked the situation to my advantage."

Ares' guffaws subsided. He paused for a moment in thought. "What advantage do you gain by going back? You're one of only a few gods left in Greece and Rome. If I were you, I'd be taking advantage of that."

"Well, chill, because you're not me. It all means nothing without Hephaestus here. I want him back."

"Fine, great. You've got the stone. You can go get him. But how why do you need me here and why are you so willing to help me get Xena?"

Aphrodite smiled appreciatively. "I've seen the effect she has on you. Giving up your godhood showed how much you love her." Ares looked around the room nonchalantly, trying to pretend he wasn't hearing what she was saying. She took his hand. "Ares, you are my brother. You're a major pain in the ass and we've never seen eye to eye, but that doesn't change the fact that we're family, and we're basically the only ones left. You've shown a side of yourself that I've never seen in any other family member. You saved my best friend's life. The least I can do to repay you for that favor would be to include you in The Plan. It would give you the chance you want with Xena."

Ares shook his head in disbelief and pulled his hand away. "No, there's some trick here. If I go back and help you change things, giving up my immortality will be in vain. I'll still be mortal, but in the future Gabrielle and Eve will be alive without my help, and Xena won't even remember the sacrifice I made. This doesn't help me at all."

Aphrodite patiently listened as her brother ranted. She interjected, "It will help you. Part of The Plan is bringing Xena and Gabrielle with us."

Ares turned and looked at his sister with new interest. Aphrodite smiled as she realized she'd left her brother speechless. She disclosed The Plan to him. He nodded as he heard each piece, his eyes brimming with excitement.

When she was done, he folded his arms and rested against a pillar. "I've got to say, I'm pretty impressed with your plan. Didn't know you had it in you."

Aphrodite beamed. "Don't let the blonde hair fool you."

"Just one problem," Ares suggested. "Getting Xena to agree to it."

Aphrodite shrugged. "That shouldn't be a problem."

"No, absolutely not," Xena replied when she was told of The Plan. She looked at Aphrodite and Ares in disgust. "I won't be part of your meddling."

Aphrodite pointed to Eve, who was sitting on a rock looking at the two apprehensively. "Think of your daughter, Xena. Think of everything she's been through in the past 25 years. This is your chance to give her the life, the love, the mother she was supposed to have growing up."

Xena's eyes squinted as part of her softened, but she remained resolute. "No. These things happened to Eve for a reason. They helped make her who she is today. I wouldn't change that for the world."

Gabrielle stepped forward to speak, intrigued by the idea. "Xena, I think we should at least consider..."

Xena turned on her friend and screamed. "NO! I just got my daughter back. They aren't going to take her away from me. She's been through all the torment I've been through. I can help her get through it, just like I did."

"You can also help her avoid it entirely," Gabrielle reasoned, "and save hundreds of lives in the process. Lives of Eli's followers. We can raise her as one to spread the word."

Tears formed in Xena's eyes. "Or we can help her spread the word now. It's never too late."

Eve stood up and put her hand on her mother's shoulder. Xena grabbed it and squeezed it tightly, biting her lip to keep the tears from falling.

"Mother, I think you should do it. Change the timeline. Raise me the way you would have."

Xena touched her cheek. "No, you don't understand. Your experiences have made you who you are. I don't want to change that."

"Mother, your experiences can make me who I am. They don't have to be in vain. We can stop this endless cycle. Go back and teach me what I need to know. Gabrielle can raise me too by telling me stories about your conquests, about fighting Callisto and how I have her spirit inside me." She paused for a moment to try to gather her thoughts. "You weren't there to see the pain I went through as a child. The nightmares I'd have where I'd wake up screaming for my mother and no one came. The times when I needed advice and had no one to turn to. I made myself." She sighed. "In the past two lifetimes, I've been robbed of a mother. If there was a way I could fix that, even today, you better believe I'd jump at the chance."

Xena brushed her hands through her daughter's hair. "And what are you going to do in this timeline, little one? You'll be losing your mother again."

Eve smiled faintly. "I've been blessed with getting to know you when I thought I never would. Even though we've only been together such a short time, you've had such a profound impact on my life. I'm going to spread the word of Eli in this timeline, and remember you always. But there's a lost little girl out there who needs you even more than I do right now. Please, save her, guide her." Tears streamed down Eve's eyes. "Make sure she doesn't become the person I was, taking so many innocent lives."

As the two embraced, Ares rolled his eyes. "Heartwarming, really. Can we please get this show on the road?"

Aphrodite smacked Ares in the stomach with the back of her hand. He bent over in pain.

"Ow!" He tried to shake it off. "I'm still not used to this mortal stuff."

Xena eyed him angrily. Her sadness at saying goodbye to her daughter turned to darts of wrath in his direction. "Yeah, but some things never change."

Ares squirmed.

Gabrielle hugged Eve. "I'm, uh, I'm, uh, so..."

Eve interrupted her. "I know. It was the furies. It wasn't you."

"Still, I should have been stronger, I should have..."

Eve put her hand over Gabrielle's lips. "You and Mother are the strongest women I know. There's no one stronger."

Gabrielle looked at the girl with wonder and pride. "I know someone who is."

Xena and Gabrielle gathered around Aphrodite and Ares, taking one last look at their daughter. Their last image of her was of her waving goodbye, a brave smile emblazoned on her face.

Continue >>>