- A little Pent Up Are We? -

Ares appeared with a violent crash and a whirl of black smoke. He was unstoppable. The anger built up inside himself was almost too much to handle. So disgustingly angry, he needed to hurt someone, make someone pay. He didn't care who it was, he just wanted to watch someone feel the pain he felt inside.

Growling, he threw a near by table into the wall across the room, watching the scrolls, candles and dust fly. Storming over to another table a few steps away, he over threw the other table watching the wood smash against the wall. Fuming. He wanted his father to pay, kill his father. His mind seemed to have made up his mind for him.

He needed Xena, the only person who would do as he asked, the most loyal person he had on his side. And, he didn't have many. Xena would kill his father, and take down the Gods. All of them have to go. All of them.

It was almost as if Xena knew she was needed,Almost sensed someones desire for her presence... There was nothing peaceful about Sparta and The Warrior Princess knew that very well.Still she had agreed to travel there without question,coincedentally running into her daughter and Ioalus..It was more then coincidence,Possibly Fate.Fate had lead her to this run down Temple as well.Although truthfully speaking she had strayed from her path and gotten a little lost...Not that she would admit that.

There was no visible indication of who the Temple belonged to and she assumed the only people who knew were the residents of Sparta .They had after all taken part in its creation. Time had worn away and destroyed a few monuments in the Temples surroundings,statues had fallen,and along with them the plaque that indicated this Temples owner.It seemed the surrounding forest was attempting to take back the territory that was rightfully his. But inside there was a different story...

It didn't take long for Xena to realize who'se temple she was in,If the decorations didn't give it away,The Man standing a few feet away from her obviously did."I like what you've done with the place...Gives it more of an edge..."Xena said,that signature look of amusement on her face.Although her voice had serious tones in it,those that knew her as well as Ares knew there was nothing serious behind her words.At least not yet...

Ares felt like he should throw something else, and fast. If the stupid thoughts of his father continued playing on his mind, he wouldn't have much of a temple left. Picking up a small dark wooden box, he was just about to throw it, when he heard a voice. Whipping himself around, Ares stopped himself from throwing it at Xena in surprise.

Clearing his throat, he looked down at the mess he had caused, a little bashfully, he walked over to the only remaining unsmashed table he had and placed the small wooden box on the table. Folding his arms across his chest, he looked at Xena. Disdain in his eyes as his father left a nasty taste in his mouth. "I'm glad you like it, I did it myself." he bit back. Really, he wasn't in much mood to entertain, but Xena was always a good distraction for himself.

"I see that...."She said ,tracing her finger over a statue covered in dust.Amazing that it was completely unharmed concidering the disaster that Ares had created within his own temple--But to each his own she always said.Allowing herself to take a few more steps inside the temple,Despite the fact that Ares had a very unamused look on his face,she wandered around for a few minutes.Placing both of her hands on her hips lazily as she shuffled her feet through the temple ,Xena came to a halt and rested a hand on a nearby table.She couldn't think of anything of interest to say--aside from the curiosity to know the reason behind this re-decorating--So why was she still there? Boredom? Amusement? Or was she really looking for any excuse to cut her vacation short? Certainly a few weeks of relaxation would not be that bad....

Xena was never one to sit around and do nothing. Taking into account that the last few times she attempted relaxation all of hell had broken loose..She wasn't to keen to give into it completely this time around.No...She had her eyes peeled this time..Ever ready to leap into action when it called her.If Xena didn't have obvious breasts and a daughter to prove she was female...Most would swear she was a man.Her mindset was certainly far beyond that of any regular male , warlord or not and her strength and skill in battle were to this day ... unmatched...

Xena really was a Jack of all trades.She had experienced and done it all and knew enough to smell bullshit and deceit before it appeared.Sure she knew the ways of a warrior..But Gabrielle had taught her far more then she ever imagined possible..A small village farm girl gave her more then she could ever want even if she were to become a Goddess.Xena spent a life time blinded by her Darkness,bending to the will of her lovers and mentors to please them and make them proud.Even after she decided to use her sword to benefit the Greater Good she still always found herself at the beck and call of someone else ... But who would be there to rescue her? Gabrielle.....who she had underestimated so much in the past,proved to be the strength she needed all along. Ares gave her power,fame and respect...but he never really understood what it was she truly needed...Or perhaps was incapable of providing it at the time...Despite the fact he clamied to love her. Was it really selfless?

Flicking his eyes over her body, he resented her for interrupting him, but in that split second, he softened slightly. It was Xena. She had been the only one to intrigue him for so long. Unfolding his arms, and turning his back to her, he walked over to his throne. One that had been neglected for so long, the layer of dust was almost as thick as the leather cushion.

"... are you here for something, or just to watch me?" he asked folding his arms again. It was like he couldn't do anything else, he had no ammunition, Xena wasn't making him mad. Only his stupid brain deciding to repeat the argument he had with his father.

"I was in the neighborhood and came across this temple...Thought I would pay my respect to the God of this temple..."Xena said plainly,picking up and examing a few nearby things."See him around anywhere?" Xena added.She purposely failed to mention the fact she was really "lost" and avoiding her vacation for as long as she possibly could without seeming suspicious.Everyone thought she was out hunting for Dinner and possibly scouting the area,which would normally take her about an hour or so on a good day.Dusting a bit of dirt off herself and coughing a little as she inhaled some dust,Xena raised an eyebrow.Whatever playful behavior she had going on inside of her quickly died as if someone had flipped a switch off."What's got you so worked up?"She asked in all seriousness."Well....more then usual."She speculated something ridiculous like failure to seduce someone or losing a battle,the second was more likely to get a rise out of him then the first but Xena kept her comments to herself.Crossing her own arms over the armour covering her chest and leaning her back against a large pillar.

Ares flared his nostrils at her, huffing at her poor attempt to get a laugh or something out of him. God knows, she was good for that, when he wasn't in such a pissed off mood. Growling he scowled at her question. He didn't want to give away his stupid boy anger at his father, but at the same time he wasn't going to lie to the woman he needed to take down the whole dynasty. The woman he loved.

Tilting his head back he peered at her, "Nothing you need to know about just yet." he snapped at her, narrowing his eyes. The reason why she was in his temple at this very time, was a little mystery to him. "You're lost aren't you?" he shifted the attention from him to Xena, his eyebrows rising slightly with his interest.

"...Just yet..." What was that supposed to mean? Furrowing her eyebrows a bit she decided not to press the matter,having no desire to dodge flying tables and pots should Ares decide to fly off the handle once more.Instead she contemplated his question silently."No..I was scouting the area."Xena retorted.Alright so that wasn't entirely the truth,but with Xena's tracking experience it would take her no longer then five minutes to find her camp site again.Even in unfamiliar territory, Xena recognized enough to know when she was headed in the right direction.Not that she had any interest in venturing back any time soon.She could feel the conversation lacking interest and motivation and expected a few moments of awkward silence quickly approaching.

Clearing her throat a little Xena shifted her weight from one foot to the other--her heavy armor making a soft clicking noise as she moved and her chakram gently smacking against the side of her leather under dress at her thigh. Un-crossing her arms and letting them fall loosely at her sides ,she allowed herself to fidget with her gauntlets almost absent minded.Nothing else came to mind,and Xena remained silent.Debating whether or not she should just leave...her feet made no effort to carry her out the door and back to camp.So there she was..

How was it possible that she owed The God of War so much but found herself speechless in his presence? She wouldn't allow herself to admit that she secretly just wanted to see him, with no strings attached.Out of all the allies and enemies she had through out the years,Xena had the most history with Ares.Nine out of ten times her reasons and visits were all strictly business,but there was a soft spot for him in her somewhere.He had selflessly saved her life and the life of her offspring on countless occasions --So she owed him far more than just her life.Although she would keep all those bits of information to herself.

Ares cocked an eyebrow as she defiantly stated she wasn't lost. He didn't believe that at all. He knew her well enough to understand what her facial expressions were, and her body language. Shrugging, he drew a deep sigh. The lack of conversation was a little more unbearable than what he could stand at the present time.

"Xena, I know when you're lost and stumble to a place where you hadn't intended on visiting." he replied with a half smile, smug as he lazily blinked at her. "... I know you better than you give me credit for," winking at her, Ares turned his head to look around at his temple. Not much fun trying to entertain someone, a dirty abode wouldn't impress anyone. Snapping his fingers, his temple erupted in a cloud of smoke and as the dark smoke vanished, his temple was back to normal. Before he started throwing tables across the room, and before the dust had settled with the lack of habitation inside.

"The feelings mutual."She said .They underestimated each other enough to know and yet they always seemed surprised....An endless game of cat and mouse. Accepting defeat Xena shrugged,her eyes scanning the Temple as it magically repaired itself of any and all damages."Yeah well ...you have to get lost to stumble across this temple...."Xena half joked.With all the vegetation surrounding she couldn't imagine any other way of coming across this temple aside from sheer luck.Forcing herself to stand up straight and away from the wall she had been so comfortably resting against,Xena stretched her arms a little.

Failing to take interest in any of the ancient offerings surrounding her,Her eyes wandered over to Ares.A look of indiffirence on her face as she examined his features curiously.Something seemed off....

Sure Gods couldn't bleed--Although Xena was known to make a few of them bleed in her time-- but this wasn't her handy work and Xena wasn't to keen on finding out whose it was.By the overwhelming ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach it wasn't good news.Then again when did she ever receive good news that didn't come with a catch? So she was in search of a way to avoid her vacation...Something told her she just found it...But at what cost? The last time she felt overwhelmed this way her mother had passed away and Xena would rather journey to the pits of hell and back then allow history to repeat itself once more.Not when she had anything to do about it. Xena calmed herself internally,the look on her face giving no insight to her feelings.Although she was obviously starring at Ares now.

Reminding herself that she still had no idea what the threat was,she tried to find joy in that fact,hoping for a few days at a spa before someone dropped the bomb on her.

Ares sighed, rolled his eyes slightly, "What do you want?" he snapped, noticing that she was looking at him with the same type of expression he was looking at her with. He wasn't in any type of mood to be 'playing games' with her right this moment. Nor, did he feel like entertaining. Not that he was very entertaining.

(sorry it's short I'm museless)

Turning on her heels slowly Xena took several steps closer to him,closing in the space that was between them by a few inches.Her eyes softened a little--despite her best efforts to keep a good poker face on--and before long she found her lips pressed firmly against his.For some reason this display of affection was the only proper response to his answer she could find.Xena was known for being spontaneous and it wasn't
uncommon of either party to react this way when ever they felt like it.Still she wasn't completely confident in her actions..But to hell with her conscience,It was already too late.Reclining her head back enough to sever the contact, Xena smirked a little.

"Well I obviously seem to be bothering you..."She teased,a sultry look on her face."So why don't I just let you get back to your spring cleaning ..."Xena said half turning to walk away,her words sounding more serious then they truly were.It wouldn't take long for Gabrielle to become suspicious and wonder where she was.Even she knew Xena better then she knew herself.As fun as avoiding her duties were she didn't want to over stay her welcome,or waste time around Ares when he was PMS'ing.

Surprised would have been an understatement. Before he was about to open his mouth and tell her to either pipe up and speak her mind, or leave him alone. That was, before she walked toward him, and before she made the first move and kissed him. His eyes almost boggled out his head, before his body felt like turning to mush. His arms flapped around before they found a safe anchor on her neck, half keeping himself standing and half keeping her from running away too far.

As she broke away, she left his lips parted and his eyes staring at her for more. Quickly changing his face back to his original pouting face, his brows frowned... she teased him. Oh no she didn't... she didn't just do that, and decide it was time to leave? Huffing through his flared nostrils, he grabbed a hold of her wrist and dragged her body toward his, almost lunging at her face with a passionate kiss. Wrapping his arms around her waist. Perhaps, this was just what he needed. A positive distraction to make his day a little more bearable, for himself and those around him.

Leave now? Of course not..Xena had counted on the fact Ares would not allow her to leave so easily. Not after that display pf affection. If there was one thing she knew for certain, it was the fact that Ares had no strength to resist temptation. Especially temptation so willingly offered by Xena.

Nearly losing her own balance with the force Ares used to pull her forward,it was a wonder they didn't both fall back wards. Xena obliged his wishes, making no further effort to escape; at least not yet. Instead she found herself responding to his kiss with the same passion and force. Allowing herself to be pulled closer, her body gently pressed against his, as much as it could without her amour getting in the way. Placing a pale hand on his chest,she was a little intimidated by how much honest affection and possible lust they were allowing themselves to show. Xena had never shown this much before, she always held back.

And yet , she knew his every weakness,where to touch and with just the right amount of passion and force. No other had succeeded in getting a rise out of The God of War, the way only she could. A clever trick that worked to her advantage when she needed to...persuade things out of Ares. But this didn't seem to be the case here..

Gabrielle was talking to herself. I'll be back soon. She says, I'm gonna go for a walk, I'm gonna go get some food. Well, Xena, I've known you long enough! Gabrielle stared up at the stone like building. She sighed, she asked around, and found out that Ares had a temple around here. Xena had been gone to long for her skills. Gabrielle knew something was up. Gabrielle walked up the stone steps, her head tilting. She had to admit she was little scared to find what was inside. She took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. Her jaw dropped as she saw what was inside, Ares and Xena. Gabrielle turned her head to the ground, she then cleared her throat and looked up. Am I interrupting something?She spoke cocking her head upward to wards the two. She felt heat rising to wards her cheeks. She hoped she wasn't turning red. Whenever Xena and Ares were together, it was always part of the plan. But now, Gabrielle knew nothing of a plan.