Divine Intervention

Xena was fast asleep at the edge of a quite forest on the Northern side of Greece. Gabrielle was resting next to her and was shivering in the cold weather. Suddenly a loud clash of thunder woke them both up. "Xena, we have to go to a tavern, this is the third time tonight." Gabrielle complained. "As long as it doesn't start to rain we'll be fine." Xena replied. While doing so Gabrielle felt a cool, wet droplet fall onto her skin, followed by a few more, then some more. "Xena it is raining." She confirmed. "It's not raining, it's drizzling." She defended Then there was another clash of thunder, and this time lighting to accompany it. The rain started getting harder and the ground was getting muddy. "Alright Gabrielle, you were right I was wrong. There was going to be a storm tonight." "I told you that this morning Xena, why don't you ever listen to me?" "Let's find a tavern to sleep in tonight, OK." The two cold, wet, tired warriors struggled out of their bedrolls and made their way out of the forest. "There' s a village not far from here, we'll find a tavern there." "Yeah, that's if there's any room left in it." After 15 minutes of travelling through the dark, cold forest, Xena and Gabrielle found a small village. "Athila, sounds like a nice place." Gabrielle commented. They walked through the village and found a welcoming tavern and entered. "Excuse me." Xena said to the barkeep, "Do you have rooms for the night?" "Your in luck we have one left. That will be 50 dinars." "50!" Gabrielle said shocked, "We'll give you 30, not that 30 isn't incredibly over priced." "You can give me what you want but you aren't sleeping here for less the 50 dinars." He said threateningly. "OK we'll give you 50." Xena said unhappily. After receiving the money the barkeep took them up to their room. It was large and beautify decorated, with a luxurious four-poster bed in the centre. Flowing red curtains, which touched the floor, covered the windows and a small table was situated on a rug next to a wall. "We were hoping for two beds." Gabrielle said staring at the one large bed. "Take it or leave it." He replied and walked out of the room. "Nice man." Xena said sarcastically then got into the bed. Gabrielle followed her in and the two slept for what was left of the night. In the morning Xena was the first to wake, gently she woke Gabrielle then went over to the window to see if it was still raining or not. Outside the sky was clear and the sun was out. "Get your things." Xena said to her loyal friend, "We're leaving." Gabrielle slowly climbed out of bed, tired from the night before. "OK." She said half a sleep and did as Xena asked. They both went down stairs and walked out of the door, just as they did so it started to rain heavily again. "I don't believe it." Gabrielle said and walked back inside. "It looks like we will have to stay here for a while longer." Xena realised. They both went over to the barkeep to order some food, but just before they got the chance it stopped raining. "Right, now lets leave." Xena said and walked outside again. But while doing so the rain started again. "OK, what's going on?" She said to Gabrielle while walking back in to the tavern. Gabrielle laughed watching the weather go back to normal just as Xena got inside. "I have no idea." She said. Xena turned around and noticed the weather had cleared up and walked back outside again, but again the same thing happen and just as soon as she walked back inside again it cleared up. "Gabrielle, you try." Xena said. Gabrielle walked outside and just as she expected the rain came pouring down and so she quickly walked back in again. "Well, a little bit of rain never hurt anyone, lets go." Xena said still determined to beat the weather. They both walked outside into the rain, after a few seconds it started to get cold and so Gabrielle out her white fury coat on. "Xena, this is stupid." Gabrielle said shivering. "It's to cold." Then Gabrielle felt a very cold patch on her hand she looked down and saw a few snowflakes on it. "OK, now it's snowing." Gabrielle moaned while chattering her teeth. Suddenly they both heard a loud thud behind them, "Hi Joxer." Gabrielle said without turning round. "WOW it's cold here." Joxer said running up to them. "Tell me about it." Gabrielle replied still shivering. "Joxer do you know what's going on?" Xena asked. "Well, it's strange whatever it is." Joxer said, "In the Amazon village where Kallopiea is it's raining." "What's so strange about rain?" Xena asked. "Cause it's raining fish." Xena and Gabrielle laughed, "Fish." Gabrielle said sarcastically. "Yep, actual fish, that's why I got out of there. This huge eel fell straight through me." "Your serious." Xena said surprised. "When am I not serious? There's no time for a warrior to joke around, especially at a time like this." "We need to find Ares and see what's going on." Xena said. "Ares! Ares! Where are you?" Suddenly Ares appeared in front of them. His face was painted blue and he was wearing strange, barbarian clothes. "Xena before you say anything, this is not my fault." Ares assured. Joxer pointed his finger and laughed at the sight of the God of War. Ares quickly clicked his fingers to get rid of the face paint and to change his clothes back to normal. Suddenly Aphrodite appeared in front of him, "What do mean it's not your fault?" Aphrodite said. Aphrodite was wearing a long black dress. It was completely opaque and started at her collarbone and went to her feet. "Aphrodite, what's happened to you?" Xena said trying not to laugh. "Ares's new bitch has gone insane." Aphrodite said while clicking her fingers to put her clothes back to normal. "Hey, hey, hey. I agree she is a little out of control, but she's young." Ares defended. "What are you talking about?" Xena asked. "I got bored on Olympus OK. All I have up there are a few unknown, pathetic gods, my sister and her son. I needed a companion." "So made a mortal into a Goddess?" Gabrielle asked. "It's not like it sounds." "How so?" Xena inquired. "Well….Well….she's….OK it's exactly like it sounds." "And now the power has gone to her head, she's making the weather out of this world, in Thrace it's raining chickens. She keeps changing our clothes, our shape, our location." Aphrodite explained. "Can't you stop her?" Gabrielle said shivering still. "Don't you think we've tried?" Ares shouted. "We can't even get near enough to her to restrain her." "I'll stop her, if you stop the snow." Xena bargained. "Deal." Ares said and clicked his fingers. The sky went back to its usual clear blue colour. And the air started to get warmer until it was normal again. "Thank you." Gabrielle said in relief. "Now for stopping Jaianna." Ares said, "Oh and Xena, we need to keep this hush, hush, OK. I don't wont to lose followers over this." "Whatever Ares." Xena said. "Where is she?" Gabrielle asked. "In the Halls of War, but we can't get in she is using her powers to steal the entrance." Ares replied. "Can't you and Aphrodite work together to beat her power?" "Have you seen this woman cast a spell?" Ares said pointing to Aphrodite, "She always screws it up." Gabrielle remembered when Aphrodite put Xena in the body of a young girl, and the time when she tried to stop a woman from being sacrificed to a God. "I see what you mean." She agreed. "Oh, I don't mean to and I'm not that bad things just go wrong." Aphrodite whined. "Ares if you use your power to open the door, and Gabrielle and I push on it we should be able to get it the door open." Xena suggested. "OK let's go." Ares clicked his fingers and quickly transported Xena, Gabrielle, himself and Aphrodite just outside the Halls of War. "Where's Joxer?" Gabrielle asked. "He's not coming." Ares said and started walking to the entrance. All of a sudden a loud thud was heard to the right of them, they all looked around and saw Joxer scrambling off of the floor. "You almost left me behind." Joxer laughed, "Kind of funny when you think about it, leaving me, Joxer the Mighty behind." "See I do get some spells right, I brought Joxer back from the dead didn't I?" "Yeah," Ares said, "You did that alright. Shame." "Ares!" Xena said and shook her head. "What?" They all walked over to a large building, the roof was held up by tall pillars and it had many steps leading up to the doorway. They went over to it and Gabrielle and Xena started to push on it while Ares used his godly power to force it open. But it didn't move. Joxer ran over to them, "Let me help." He said. "Joxer NO!!!" Aphrodite shouted, but it was too late Joxer tried to push the door but instead he fell straight threw it. "Ow!" He shouted. A women inside walked over to him, she had long curly black hair and was wearing full battle amour. "How did you get in here?" She asked and was about to throw a lightning bolt at him. Joxer raised his hand into the air. "No! Wait my names Joxer the Mighty, I'm a…" "I don't care who you are." The women said and threw the lightning bolt, it went straight through him and hit the door. The bolt threw Xena and Gabrielle, who were still trying to push the door from the outside, to the ground. They quickly got up and ran through the hole that Jaianna made in the door. Ares and Aphrodite were already inside when they entered and Jaianna was throwing lightning bolts at them all. Xena signalled for Gabrielle to go to the right of Jaianna while she went to the left, trapping Jaianna in the middle. When she was surrounded they jumped onto her and wrestled her to the ground. "Now!" Xena said. "Now?…Now what?" Ares asked. "Take her power away." Gabrielle told him. "I can't do that." "What do you mean?" "What I mean, Gabrielle, is that a god can't take another gods power away." Xena lifted Jaianna off of the ground and bound her hands behind her back. "So what do we do with her?" Xena asked. "I don't know, I presumed you were going to kill her or something." Ares grinned. Gabrielle put her hands over her face in distress. "Ares, Xena lost the power to kill Gods when she fought Michael remember." "Then throw her in some lava pit like you made Varia do to Velasca recently." "We can't trap her like that, after all it was you who made the mistake." Gabrielle said. "You were watching us?" Xena interrupted. "Yeah." Ares smiled. "Then why didn't you help Gabrielle when she got shot?" "Well…Gabrielle…that's divine intervention I can't do that. Besides, that Kallopiea seemed to be doing a rather good job, I have some plans for her." Xena pushed Jaianna over to Ares, "This is your problem you deal with her." She said. "What?...Xena…Xena wait." "Why should I solve your problems when you allow Gabrielle to be shot." Ares tilted his head to the right slightly, "Well…it's Gabrielle….you know." Xena smiled and walked out, "Xena…Xena!!!" Gabrielle and Aphrodite followed her out of the halls of war while Joxer stood there grinning at Ares. "What do you want you little maggot?" He shouted. Joxer laughed and ran after Xena and Gabrielle. Ares looked at Jaianna who was tied up in front of him. "Xena!!!!" He shouted again. "Well Xena, it's been two days now and there have been no freak storms, no Gods showing up wearing funny clothes and blue faces. Maybe Ares found a way to control Jaianna after all." Gabrielle said while eating some food around a fire. "Maybe he has." Xena replied. Suddenly Aphrodite appeared in front of them, "Hey guys I heard you talking about Jaianna." "Yeah, what's Ares done with her?" "He's been training her to control her power, I think he actually enjoying it." Xena laughed, "I thought that would keep him out of trouble for a while." "Well as long as I don't end up wearing that… well what do you call it…dress I suppose, I don't mind." "Care to join us?" Gabrielle sat offering her a seat. "And sit on the ground, ha, no offence Gabrielle but I prefer Mount Olympus." She said a disappeared. "No! No! No! Jaianna you turn me back now." Ares shouted. "Doesn't the God of War like being Ares Donkey of War?" Jaianna teased. "If you turn me back to a human now!" He said in his newfound form. "And why should I do that?" She asked. "Please, Jaianna please." Jaianna clicked her fingers and slowly Ares's long, fury, upright ears turn back to normal human ears, along with the rest of him. "Don't you do that again." He threatened. Jaianna laughed, "Let's go and cause a war." "Sounds good to me." He said and kissed Jaianna then sent them both to Sparta. "Oh, I could get used to you." He complemented. Divine Intervention by Kitana copywrite Kitana 2002©

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