Reluctant Goddess
Part 2
by Titanium and awatcher (Smilegal)
Continued from Part One
Chapter 6 "There's a new goddess in town"
"Wake up sleepy head, come on, waky waky," came from a woman's voice in hushed tones, as if convincing a small child it was time to get up.
A groan came from underneath the covers of a well worn blanket. The blanket was pulled up even farther to prevent any light from disturbing its owner.
"Let's go, it's a bright and beautiful day with all sorts of adventure waiting for us," continued the annoyingly cheerful voice.
Another groan and the body under the covers turned away from the speaker hoping that would be enough to discourage her.
"Come on, up and at 'em you lazy warrior," Gabrielle said in a normal tone of voice as she shook Xena's shoulder.
"Mlfhsthbm, mypthsonnth GO AWAY," was the garbled reply as Xena batted away Gabrielle's hand.
'Now I know how Xena feels trying to wake me up,' Gabrielle starting to think of some creative ways to get Xena up but thought better of it. She was still too unsure of the understanding between them and didn't want to betray Xena's trust by abusing her powers.
"Hey, you were the one who told me you wanted to get an early start. It's not my fault you had too much to drink last night."
At that, Xena pulled the covers off of her head and glared at the bard. "Yes it is, every time I finished my drink you conjured up another one."
With that Xena pulled the covers back over her head and closed her eyes praying Gabrielle would be quiet.
"Oh, and I suppose you only kept drinking them to avoid hurting my feelings?" Gabrielle said with smug look on her face.
Xena decided she better get up and looked at Gabrielle. She was already cleaned up and ready to go with everything packed.
"Let me get cleaned up. I must look a mess."
"Here, let me," replied Gabrielle and started to point at Xena.
Xena eyes went wide as she shouted, "NO! No, I think I can manage on my own."
It was too late, though. Before she could say anything, there were a series of consecutive flashes. The first one left Xena drenched from head to toe. In the second flash, she was all lathered up with soap. The final flash soaked her again before a brisk, warm breeze dried her off . Xena stood there cleaner than she had felt in a long time, in clean leathers and polished armor. Xena was about to say something to that effect when she felt her hair, completely soaked still.
"Do you have something against dry hair?"
"I'm working on it; I'm working on it. Mine had to dry out on its own this morning as well."
Xena sighed and packed up the rest of her things.
"What do you want for breakfast, Xena?"
"Something light, after last night I don't think I could hold anything heavy down."
"Here." Gabrielle handed her a glass of juice and some fresh bread.
The two headed out to the stable to get Argo and started back down the path.
"Are you going to leave the cabin up?" asked Xena looking back.
"Yeah, just need to add one thing," Gabrielle replied as she snapped her fingers. On the door to the cabin appeared a small sign with neatly printed letters:
All
travelers welcome,
just clean up after you are done.
The two continued their journey down the well traveled path.
"Where are we going now that we have passed Syria?"
"East," was Xena's still cryptic reply.
"You know, I could just peek inside your head and find out," Gabrielle stated a matter a factly. As soon as the words word out of her mouth, she regretted saying them.
"I'm sorry, Xena. I would never violate your privacy like that."
"I know, Gabrielle. Look, I promise there is a specific destination in mind, but I can't tell you yet."
"Amazonia," Gabrielle responded knowingly.
Xena shot her a dirty look.
Gabrielle smiled, "It's the only place that makes sense within a couple days journey from here."
Before Xena could reply, a man came flying across the path and landed in the bushes next to them. Xena reached down to help him up. Her hand grasped a familiar gauntlet. She smiled as she pulled him up.
"Hercules, what have you been 'up' to?" Xena asked with a smile.
"You know me Xena, always finding trouble," replied the son of Zeus. "What brings you to these parts?"
"Avoiding trouble, but finding it none the less. What happened?"
"A hydra, big one."
Xena looked in the direction that Hercules had just come from and sighed. She hated monsters. She could handle warlords, raiders, slavers, thugs; anything but monsters.
"Let's get it over with then. Gabrielle, wait here."
Before Gabrielle could say anything, Xena and Hercules were running into the woods. She followed along at a slower pace, keeping track of her friends by picturing them in her mind. Finally, she made it to a clearing and saw them fighting a huge hydra. It was by far the largest hydra she had ever seen, of course she had only seen one other but that was beside the point. Its neck was the length of several men which gave it an advantage. What the head couldn't reach the tail at the opposite end could, swinging around to knock its opponents down. Both heroes were having a hard time staying alive, much less stopping it. The hydra would snap first at one opponent and then at the other. Luckily, Hercules never carried a sword so it only had one head and Xena knew better than to use hers. One head was enough, though. Gabrielle sat down on a log and watched the fight with an amused expression on her face. Hercules glanced back to make sure she was safe. He couldn't figure out why she was just sitting there.
'Gabrielle is usually jumping up and down yelling for Xena to be careful. Something is different about her, but I can't put my finger it.'
The hydra took a snap at Xena which she barely dodged. Hercules grabbed a large branch and brandished it like an oversized club and started beating the hydra back. Xena pulled out her chakram and threw it at the hydra.
"Xena! Don't cut off its head!" shouted Hercules.
The chakram flew by the head and cut open the belly of the monster causing blood to fly everywhere. The chakram bounced off a nearby boulder and returned to Xena's hand.
"I have dealt with hydra's before."
Before she was finished speaking though the hydra was already healed and moving toward her at a rapid pace. Xena dove to avoid it but not before it grazed her shoulder with its tail. The battle raged on for several minutes with neither side able to get an upper hand. The hydra was too powerful for Xena and Hercules to destroy and the heroes were to nimble to be easily killed.
Gabrielle was getting bored. 'Wait here Gabrielle. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. In fact...' a mischievous grin appeared on Gabrielle's face. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The hydra began to shrink in size, growing smaller with each passing second. Hercules just stood there not knowing what was going on. Xena took a quick look at Gabrielle muttered, "Show off," and stepped on the hydra that was now the size of a mouse.
Gabrielle jumped off the log and ran over to Xena and Hercules. Hercules was still trying to sort out what had just happened.
"What in the gods names just happened?" asked a bewildered Hercules.
"No, not gods just one little goddess," responded Xena.
"Which one?"
Xena pointed to Gabrielle who stood there looking innocent, picking dirt from underneath her finger nails.
"Do you want to tell him or shall I, Gabrielle?"
Gabrielle launched into the story about becoming a goddess and the past couple of days she and Xena had experienced.
As Gabrielle told the story, Xena made a mental reminder to herself to have a long talk about using her powers with out letting Xena know. She surprised Hercules, which could have been fatal had the hydra struck while he was standing in shock.
After it was over, Hercules gave her a big hug and said, "Welcome to the family."
"Thanks, but I don't think I qualify as a full goddess yet, maybe something like a goddess in training. I still don't have complete control over my powers yet."
"You took care of the hydra easily enough."
"Yeah, but don't ask her to clean your hair," interjected Xena.
Hercules gave her a confused look as Gabrielle giggled. The threesome walked back to the road and headed their separate ways.
"That was easy," said Gabrielle as they continued their trip to Amazonia.
Xena looked at her but didn't reply. 'Too easy. I know eventually Hercules and I would have been able to defeat that hydra but she did it without any effort. If she keeps this up, what will I do? How will I make amends for the past, if with a wave of her hand she can defeat whatever foe we face? Not to mention protect her from other gods with more power and experience.'
"Are you all right, Xena?"
"Yeah, just a little tired."
"Here, this might help," Gabrielle handed her a big mug full of chilled water and an apple.
"Thanks," Xena grabbed the apple but nearly dropped the mug as a shooting pain hit her shoulder.
"Xena!" shouted Gabrielle as she went to help her friend. "Why didn't you tell me your shoulder was hurt so bad?"
"It's just dislocated. It hurts but there is nothing I can do about that but wait."
"Maybe there is nothing you can do, but I can," Gabrielle touched Xena's injured shoulder. Her hands began to glow and Xena could feel the shoulder settling back into place and the pain subsiding.
"Thanks again."
"What are friends for?" responded Gabrielle as they continued their journey.
'She is really starting to get used to her powers. In a few days, it will become second nature to her, then what happens? I can't continue my quest with her along as a goddess and I won't ask her to leave. I better figure something out fast before she picks up on it. I'll talk with her this evening.'
"It's not even midday and look at all the fun we've had so far. I can't wait too see what happens next," Gabrielle said while starting to skip along the path. Xena just let out low groan and shook her head. It was going to be a long day.
Chapter 7 "Splitting up?"
"You know, Xena; I could just blink us both into the Amazon village and we wouldn’t have to waste time traveling."
That idea quickly caught Xena’s attention. "No offense, Gabrielle; but I don’t think that you have a strong enough handle on your powers yet to be risking my life."
"It was just a suggestion."
Xena and Gabrielle trudged on all day. Gabrielle chattered on about her surroundings, beginnings of stories, and anything else that came to mind. For a moment, Xena could believe it all was business as usual. But, her heart knew that it wasn’t and it was eating away at her. This situation was totally new to her and she hated being in an unfamiliar setting.
Gabrielle chattered away the whole day, but in the back of her mind dark thoughts lurked.
‘Do I want to live forever?’ she asked herself. ‘Do I really want to live while all my friends and family die? I’ve lost Perdicus already. I still have nightmares about that.’ Mentally, Gabrielle shuddered. On the outside, she was still talking away happily. Being a goddess, it was a lot easier to have two things going on in her head at once.
‘And what about Xena? I don’t think I can handle losing her again. She promised me she wouldn’t die on me ever again but that was before I became immortal. What a mess! What am I going to do?’ Gabrielle tried to shake her dismal thoughts but failed. The entire day was spent asking herself questions she couldn’t answer.
As darkness approached, they stopped to make camp.
"Are we sleeping in a cabin again tonight?" Xena asked, half-sarcastic. This whole goddess thing had her in a really bad mood.
"No." Gabrielle replied not picking up on Xena’s tone of voice. She waved her hand and the whole camp was set up. A fire burned brightly in the center with a rabbit roasting over it.
"I’m not hungry."
"Fine." Gabrielle waved her hand again and the rabbit disappeared.
"Do you have to do that?"
"Do what?" Gabrielle inquired.
"Do you have to use your powers to do everything?" Xena asked waving her hands in imitation of Gabrielle.
"You said you weren’t hungry, if you want..."
"No, I’m not hungry. It’s not just that. You made camp using them."
"What? You like making camp?"
"No."
"Then what’s the problem?" Gabrielle threw her hands up in confusion.
"You’re just a novice in the ways of being a goddess."
"It’s just a rabbit and our belongings. I doubt I’d do anything to get you killed."
"What about with the hydra?"
"So, now we get to what’s really bugging you." Gabrielle sighed. She sat down on a log and watched Xena pace around her.
"What if you messed up, Gabrielle? Giving baths and making a few campfires is one thing. Dealing with a hydra is totally different. If something went wrong, you could have gotten me or Hercules killed."
"Why don’t you say what’s really bothering you."
Xena stopped pacing and faced Gabrielle. "That IS what’s bothering me."
Gabrielle jumped up and got in Xena’s face. "Why don’t you just come out and say it? You can’t stand not being the hero."
"What?" Xena couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
"The Warrior Princess didn’t get to save the day and you can’t stand it."
"That has nothing to do with it."
"Doesn’t it?" Gabrielle asked crossing her arms.
"No, it doesn’t. I just don’t want to end up dead because of your little experiments."
"My experiments?!! I was saving your butt."
"And I’m thankful for that..."
"You have a funny way of showing it."
"Hercules and I would’ve taken care of that monster eventually. Was it really worth my life to prove that you had the power to defeat it all by yourself?"
"You were never in any danger!"
"You don’t know that. I’ve seen you make mistakes."
"FINE. I’ll keep my powers out of your little battles."
"GOOD." Xena walked off in a huff toward her bedroll. She laid down and tried to sleep.
Gabrielle sat back down on the log and tried to control her temper. She was mad at Xena, but she didn’t want to hurt her badly or kill her and she could feel the energy welling up in her hands. She decided to get a few more scrolls worth of writing down.
The goddess could have just waved her hand and anything she wanted would have been written on the scrolls. But, for some reason, she chose to write it all down manually. It felt too weird not to. If she didn’t write it herself, it didn’t feel like it was hers.
Gabrielle was also trying to keep things as normal as possible. Gabrielle didn’t like getting into arguments with her best friend and, from her point of view, being a goddess was tearing them apart.
So the girl sat by the campfire, cross-legged and squinting because of limited light, trying to write down all her thoughts as they came into her head.
Time seemed to stop and the night went on forever. Eventually, Gabrielle put quill and parchment down and stared at the blazing fire, crackling in the night. It was mesmerizing watching the fluid motion of the flames. Yet, frustration did not allow her to be released into serenity. She closed her eyes and deeply inhaled the cool, night air. Her mind started to wander.
‘I think the novelty has worn off on this goddess thing. I wonder if I can get a refund?’ She leaned back and stared at the stars, shimmering peacefully in the sky. ‘Ah, but I can do so much good." The girl-turned-goddess sighed. ‘And as long as others benefit, I can set aside my own problems.’ She shook her head as she thought to herself, ‘Practically everyone in Greece would love to have what I have. Talk about not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Am I such a ninny that I’m afraid of a little change? Things won’t have to be different. Wait, that’s not true. We’ll get better living conditions and Xena won’t have to worry about me so much anymore.’ She hugged her knees. ‘Quit fooling yourself, Gabrielle. Things will never be the same again.’ Only pride kept her from crying.
Sensing a presence in front of her, Gabrielle reopened her eyes and discovered Artemis standing before her.
"You look confused. Why haven’t you come to Olympus?"
Gabrielle stood up and dusted off the back of her skirt.
"For one thing, I’m not really sure how to do that and I’d rather not blink myself into oblivion. Secondly, like you said, the gods don’t know everything. Only Ares knows how it is to be a mortal and I refuse to take any advice from him." Gabrielle crossed her arms. "What do you want?"
Artemis raised her hands in surrender. "Whoa! Take it easy, I just came to talk to you. There are some discussions going on at Olympus, but no one really knows what to do right now. This is the first time we’ve had anything like this happen."
"What discussions?" Gabrielle inquired.
"Well, for one thing, what are you going to be?"
"Excuse me?"
"You are going to be the goddess of...what?" Artemis asked looking at Gabrielle for an answer.
"Oh. I hadn’t even thought about that."
"Start. We could use some suggestions, believe me. I think Ares was the one who suggested you be the goddess of ‘annoying blondes,’ but personally, I think that Aphrodite already has that covered. Between Apollo and the Muses the bard department is all wrapped up and the Amazons are mine. Oh, while I’m thinking of it, I wanted to warn you that you must be careful. At this point, you don’t have any god really hating you, but you’ve seen what Hercules has to go through with Hera."
Gabrielle nodded.
Artemis lectured on, "It’s real easy to step on the others’ toes and good temperament is not something the gods are known for. You must understand the gravity of the situation."
"I understand."
"Good. It seems that, until you can hold your own, I’ve been appointed your guardian."
Gabrielle’s eyebrows shot up but she said nothing.
"Obviously, Gabrielle, you’re not having fun down here. Though I’ve been putting it off so you and Xena could talk, you need to come to Olympus."
"Now?"
"Now would be preferable."
"Okay, let me just talk to Xe..."
Suddenly, Artemis and Gabrielle were gone from the camp.
Xena had awoken when Artemis appeared. Her sixth sense had told her someone else was present and she was immediately alert. Still angry at Gabrielle, she decided not to let her know she was awake. The warrior was listening to Artemis and Gabrielle’s conversation when they suddenly disappeared.
Xena leapt to her feet and her sword was drawn, but the two goddesses were gone.
"Great. Everything’s gone to Hades." She was starting to like her friend being a goddess less and less. It was too much responsibility to put on one person. Plus, she didn’t like the idea of the bard having to deal with the gods on a regular basis. They couldn’t be trusted. Worst of all for Xena, Gabrielle being a goddess put her in dangers that Xena couldn’t protect her from. Mortal dangers she could handle, but what could she do to protect the girl from all the gods? She resheathed her sword and sat down. The only thing she could think to do was wait.
Chapter 8 "Two roads"
Gabrielle stood in awe at the sight before her. Myths, legends, ancient stories; none had prepared her for the things she was seeing on Mt. Olympus. The entire city seemed to float on the clouds. There were marble buildings as white as new fallen snow lining the main street. Artemis pointed to a nearby palace.
"That one is mine and I cleared a space next to it for yours for the time being."
Gabrielle looked at the palace Artemis had indicated.
"I get my own palace?" asked Gabrielle in wonder.
"It's temporary location, you can put your own up wherever you wish after you complete your training. First things first though, let's get your palace up."
"How do I do that?"
"Close your eyes and focus on a place that makes you comfortable."
Gabrielle closed her eyes and concentrated. A form slowly began to take shape. Gradually, it became solid. Gabrielle heard a muffled giggle and she opened her eyes. Next to Artemis's palace stood a quaint little country cottage resembling her parents' home back in Poteidaia. Gabrielle glanced at Artemis who was still trying to hide her amusement. Artemis composed herself and looked at Gabrielle. "Let me guess, home sweet home?"
"Good guess. Let me try again." Gabrielle closed her eyes again and pictured a castle similar to the ones she had heard in stories. Gradually a new building took the place of the small house. She opened her eyes to a large, beautiful palace standing next to the one Artemis owned. This time Artemis nodded in approval.
"Now that we have your place taken care of, we can move on to other things like your training."
"Let's get started. The sooner I'm trained, the sooner I can return."
"First, we need to see Zeus. Remember, you need to figure out what you are going to be the goddess of so we can fine tune you powers to that area." Artemis gently turned Gabrielle toward the large temple at the end of the main street and started walking. As they passed the various houses, Artemis pointed out the owners.
"That one belongs to Apollo," indicated Artemis. Before them stood a large structure with a gilded roof and radiant columns that seemed to glow. A large open garden could be seen between the columns. "You'll meet him later. He is looking forward to spending time with you. You are one of his favorite bards."
"Really?"
Artemis nodded and continued to walk. They approached another building. This one was as dark as Apollo's was bright. It wasn't so much that it was physically dark, but gave off a ominous aura that made it look out of place among the glittering palaces of Olympus. "Over there is Hades's place. He doesn't spend much time there. He says he's too busy in the Underworld and only keeps it for formal occasions. Persephone is constantly trying to get him to at least put in a garden, but he says it would be bad for his image."
They approached another palace even brighter than Apollo's, but decorated with all sorts of flowers. Glancing in the windows, Gabrielle could see more flowers and tons and tons of mirrors. Artemis quickly walked by without commenting on it. Gabrielle noticed and asked, "Who lives there?"
"Aphrodite," rapidly replied Artemis, who kept on walking.
"Is there some reason you didn't want to tell me?"
"You're a little young to be going in a place like that. Maybe when you are older, say a couple of centuries."
"Why?" Gabrielle asked innocently.
"Look, just promise me if you go there you'll close your eyes before entering."
Gabrielle gave her a look of complete confusion, but nodded her head.
They finally made it to Zeus's temple. Like most of the other temples or palaces that were on Olympus it was made of a white marble that seemed to glow on its own. It was by far the largest building Gabrielle had ever seen. It was several stories high and had wide steps cut out of the marble that made their way to enormous golden doors, much larger than on a normal building. As they neared the doors swung open without being touched and revealed a throne room. They entered and Gabrielle could see a throne at the end of the room. She took a good look at the throne. It appeared to be made out of clouds with lightning crackling all around it. On the throne sat the King of the Gods, Zeus himself. Gabrielle took the time during the long walk to the throne to take a good look at the most powerful of the Olympic gods. Gabrielle was surprised that he looked pretty much like she had always expected; old, but not too old, with a long white beard, and white robes. He was hunched over reading a scroll and apparently bored by its contents. She could hardly wait to meet some of the other gods and see what they looked like.
As they neared the throne a loud voice bellowed out, "Well, well, it's about time you decided to come up."
The King of the Gods put down the scroll and got up to get a better look at Gabrielle. He circled the young goddess as if inspecting her.
"Uh, sorry your godship, I mean your majesty, um...." Gabrielle fumbled for the right words, not knowing the proper use of titles between gods.
"Relax, Gabrielle. Zeus will do fine, we don't worship each other." Zeus stopped pacing and sat back down on his throne. Several of the other gods and goddess filtered into the room to meet the new goddess. General introductions were made with some being nothing more than a nod before leaving to do whatever gods do in their spare time. Eventually, only a handful of gods and goddesses remained.
"Have you decided what to be the goddess of?" asked Zeus.
Gabrielle thought for a moment. "People used to say I was always kind to others, so how about the Goddess of Kindness?"
"Not bad, not bad. But, you are entitled to other areas of influence. How about we start you off with two and you can work you way up? Suggestions anybody?"
Ares cleared his throat. "Yes, how about the Goddess of Irritating..."
"That joke is getting old," interrupted Athena. "How about the Goddess of Just Causes? You have fought for enough of them in you mortal life."
Gabrielle blushed and said, "I don't know about that, but I guess it will work."
Zeus nodded his head and proclaimed. "Good, it's settled. Gabrielle, Goddess of Kindness and Just Causes."
"Now that we have figured that out, I can work on my training and get back to Xena."
Ares snickered.
Gabrielle was about to ask what he thought was so funny when Zeus asked Artemis. "Didn't you tell her?"
"Not exactly," replied Artemis.
Gabrielle's face darkened and she turned towards Artemis. "What do you mean 'not exactly' ?"
"Your training will take over a century. By the time you are finished, Xena will be long dead."
"You never told me it would take THAT long!" Gabrielle shouted and stomped her foot on the ground. The other gods seemed amused until they felt the tiny tremors in the building.
"Calm down, Gabrielle. You just caused Mt. Olympus to shake with that little outburst. Think about what would have happened on earth if you had been down there." Artemis put her hands on Gabrielle's shoulders and waited until she calmed down.
Zeus walked over to Gabrielle and said, "Humanity can not afford to have an untrained goddess running around. Look at how much damage Callisto and Velasca caused. I'm sorry about Xena, but sometimes the needs of others take precedence over our own."
"Xena calls that the 'greater good'. I guess in the long run I can do a lot more if I know what I am doing."
"Xena can be pretty smart, for a mortal," Zeus replied with a small smile.
"I'll stay but only if you promise me that no gods will interfere with Xena."
"I can't do that," said Zeus as he shook his head. "The gods are free to do whatever they want as long as they obey certain rules."
"As long as I keep traveling with her no god is going to try anything. With me stuck up here, she is open game for any god with a grudge or personal interest in her." At that, Gabrielle looked over at Ares who stood there trying to look innocent.
"If you won't promise to protect her than at least agree that if any god tries anything I can intervene on her behalf."
Zeus stroked his long white beard and waited a moment to consider this request. "Very well, should any god try to influence her destiny, you may return to help her. I do this only if you agree that you won't leave Olympus until I say you are ready. I know how much Xena means to you, so I will allow you to return twice more. Once to say good-bye before you begin your training, and once when it is her turn to cross over to the other side."
"Unless somebody interferes," Gabrielle interjected.
"Yes, unless that happens first."
"All right, I agree," said Gabrielle reluctantly. "I don't like it, but I do agree."
Back in the land of mortals, Xena sat poking the campfire with a stick. 'I hope she comes back soon. We need to clear the air between us.'
"Miss me?" came from voice behind Xena. Xena spun around and saw Gabrielle in a dazzling white dress. Gabrielle seemed to glow in the firelight like the goddess she was.
Xena shrugged as if not caring, but Gabrielle could see her true feelings. "Yeah, well I just woke up. I figured you were answering the call of nature or something."
Xena walked over and gave her a hug which Gabrielle happily returned.
"We need to talk," Gabrielle said leading Xena back to the campfire.
"Do you mind?" Gabrielle asked and casually waved her hand to indicate she meant using her powers.
Xena let out a wry grin, but nodded her permission.
Gabrielle closed her eyes slightly and clapped her hands. Xena was more than a bit surprised when, instead of the small cabin she had expected, a large house appeared. The two of them headed into the house and before them was a table loaded with all of Xena's favorite foods. Gabrielle grabbed Xena's hand and pulled her into an adjoining room where they found a large bed and a closet full of supplies, enough to last for weeks.
"You got in a lot of practice for being gone only a couple of hours," commented Xena.
"Artemis gave me a few quick pointers on house building."
"You still need a lot of practice," Xena replied softly looking at Gabrielle.
"Yeah, I know. That's what we need to talk about, but first let's get some food into you. You didn't eat anything before, and knowing you, you were too worried about me to eat anything after I left."
Xena let out a small laugh and returned with Gabrielle to the main room. Xena began eating, but noticed Gabrielle spent most of the time watching her. Gabrielle seemed deep in thought and that was beginning to worry her.
"So, did you ever pick out a title?"
Gabrielle was startled out of her thinking. "Um, yeah, Goddess of Kindness and Just Causes. What do you think? Too corny?"
"No, I think it fits you perfectly. You are one of the kindest people I know and you have always fought for what you believe in."
Gabrielle beamed. "Thanks, you know your opinion means a lot to me."
Xena got up and moved to a large reclining chair near the fireplace. Gabrielle sat down on a nearby couch and handed her a glass of aged port.
"Okay Gabrielle, out with the bad news."
Gabrielle blinked. "Bad news?"
"Come on, you may be a goddess but you are still an open scroll. Let's hear it."
Gabrielle sighed and said, "There is good news and bad news. Zeus says I need to stay on Olympus until I have learned how to use my powers."
"That's good," interrupted Xena.
"Not when it is going to take over a hundred years to complete," finished Gabrielle. She took Xena's hand in her own and held it. "I can see you only two times, this is one of them."
Xena swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat. "And the second time?"
"I can come back again to be with you when you die." At that Gabrielle started to cry. Xena moved over to the couch and put her arms around her. They sat there silently for several minutes holding each other.
"I know that couldn't have been easy for you to accept but it's for the greater..."
"...good. Yes, I know, Xena. That is why I finally agreed to it. Maybe I can convince Hades to let me escort you across."
Xena gently disengaged herself from Gabrielle and wiped the tears from her friend's face. Gabrielle smiled slightly and reciprocated.
"If the bad news is we won't see each other till I'm old and gray, assuming I live that long, what is the good news?"
Gabrielle brightened a little bit and said, "No gods are supposed to bother you. If they do then I can come back and help you."
"It's good to have friends in high places," joked Xena. She became serious once more and asked, "Does that include Ares?"
"He was standing right there when Zeus said it. He has a choice, leave you alone or have me back in your life. If he leaves you alone he probably figures you will eventually go back to your old ways, but I know better than that. If he tries to influence you then he has to worry about me constantly being at your side. Either way we win."
Gabrielle looked up into the sky and gave a slight nod. "I have to go now."
"Before you go, can I ask a favor of my new favorite goddess?"
"Anything," replied Gabrielle on the verge of tears again.
"Awhile ago, you once promised that if I died you would take my body back to Amphipolis. Would you....."
"Consider it done. Right next to Lyceus."
"Thanks."
"I'll keep the house here until tomorrow so you don't have to spend the night on the ground."
Xena simply nodded, not wanting her voice to betray her emotions. Gabrielle engulfed her in a tight hug and whispered, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't want to see you for a long time."
Xena pulled back a little bit, gave her trademark grin and said, "And when I do see you, I want to see the best goddess on Olympus."
They gave each other a brief squeeze and Gabrielle vanished, leaving Xena alone.
Chapter 9 "Back to school"
Gabrielle reappeared on Mt. Olympus, in her palace. She paced the marble floors, rubbing her arms as a chill overcame her. The goddess ran her hands through her hair and flopped down on a couch. Leaving Xena with a simple good-bye felt extremely inadequate. The most important years of her life had been spent with her best friend. She had to let Xena know she was thinking of her and how much confidence she had in the warrior. Gabrielle summoned a scroll and quill. The young goddess let out a small grin and thought, 'Zeus said I couldn't see Xena, he didn't say anything about writing her.'
She picked up the quill and started to write a short message to Xena. Gabrielle looked it over and decided that, while heartfelt, it was a little too depressing. She added a couple of short sentences to lighten the tone of the letter, rolled it up and tied a blue ribbon around it. 'I'll leave it attached to Argo's saddle in a small bag.'
Gabrielle clapped her hands and the scroll vanished from her palace and reappeared attached to Argo's saddle, waiting for Xena to find it in the morning.
The goddess-in-training wasn’t sure what to do next. She stood up, only to find herself sitting again in another couch right across from the first. The past day was finally catching up to her and, for the first time, she fully realized what the coming years would be like. Gabrielle’s mind screamed for something to think about that did not include Xena. As a result, she found herself surveying her surroundings. Though in reality the room was quite dim, the light seemed to blind her eyes.
"It’s too bright in here," she told herself. With a wave of her hand, all the candles were extinguished. The only light that pierced the room was from a lone window and with a wave of her hand, she quickly did away with it leaving her in complete darkness. The girl could deny her aching eyes no more and the tears began to fall freely.
She lay there, curled in a ball, for who knows how long. Being immortal, time seemed to have no meaning. She wished she could escape from reality and into a merciful sleep. But, gods didn’t get tired and she was denied the small comfort.
Gabrielle sat up suddenly, sensing that a presence was near. She listened intently. Two people seemed to be arguing in hushed tones.
"You go in there."
"Sure, right after you."
"No way. You’re her mentor."
"You’re the one that’s supposed to be teaching her today’s lesson."
"I’ll come back later."
"Uh huh. Quit stalling."
"I don’t want to go in there. She’s an untrained, very emotional goddess. I’d like to live out my immortality in one piece, thank you."
Gabrielle solved the debate. She put her hands over her face and, when she removed them an instant later, red and puffy eyes as well as any other sign that she had been crying disappeared. She briskly clapped her hands twice and appeared in front of the two debaters.
"Hello Artemis, Athena," Gabrielle said. The goddess-in-training looked quite formidable all things considering. Her posture was erect and a slight smirk played on her face.
A calm and collected Gabrielle was not what Artemis or Athena had expected. But, there she was; feet shoulder width apart, arms behind her back, and eyebrows raised.
"Oh, hi Gabrielle," Artemis started. "We were just about to call you."
"Sure you were." Gabrielle relaxed a little. Her hands now hung loose by her sides.
"I’m Athena." She took her helmet off and tucked it under her left arm revealing long, curly, black hair. Her right arm was then extended to Gabrielle.
"I believe we met briefly the other day." Gabrielle took the hand and shook it.
"Well," Artemis interrupted, "she has come here today to start your training."
"I thought you were teaching me." Gabrielle turned to Artemis
"I can’t teach you everything, Gabrielle. I have other things to attend to as well. Athena will go over some of the basic rules of being a goddess. I will be back later to check in on you." Artemis nodded to Athena and Gabrielle then disappeared.
"Shall we start then?" asked Athena.
"Ready when you are."
Athena carefully laid her helmet on the ground. She snapped her fingers and a pile of scrolls appeared on the ground at her feet.
Gabrielle bent down and picked one up. She began to read the title aloud.
"‘Choosing the Temple that’s Right for You.’"
"Aphrodite will work with you on that," Athena responded.
"Aphrodite?"
"Yeah. She thinks you don’t fully appreciate the value of temples. You know, after that Joxer event? So now, she’s on a mission to persuade you otherwise." Athena shook her head. "Just suffer through it. You’ll get used to her eventually."
Gabrielle dropped the scroll and picked up another.
"‘So You Want to be a Goddess? Learn all the tricks of the trade in ten easy steps.’"
"You’ll have to talk to Artemis about that one." Athena pointed her finger at the scroll and it disappeared, startling Gabrielle.
"You know, you could warn me."
"Do you warn someone every time you begin to walk?" Athena smiled kindly. She felt for the former mortal and knew this couldn’t be easy for her.
"No..."
"That’s what it’s like when I use my powers. It comes naturally and I don’t even think about doing it. Eventually, it will be the same for you." Athena pointed at a scroll, then wiggled her forefinger. Defying gravity, it flew up from the ground and into her hand.
She began to read, "‘The Gods: What They Know and Aren’t Telling You.’ Oops. That’s not it." The scroll disappeared from Athena’s hand.
Another scroll flew into the veteran goddess’ hand.
"Ah. Here it is. ‘The Law of the Land: What Every God Should Know Concerning the Rules of Mt. Olympus.’" Athena cleared her throat and began. "Rule one: No messing with the Fates." She looked up from the scroll and directly into Gabrielle’s eyes. "Clotho, Atropos, and Lachesis are not to be messed with. Even the gods don’t have any power over them. If you try anything you will be severely punished. Understood?"
Gabrielle nodded solemnly.
Athena continued, "Rule two: No encroaching on other gods’ domain. You remember us having trouble finding you a title? None of us wants to have our authority questioned. Is that clear?"
"Sort of." Gabrielle’s face scrunched up as she tried to catch the full meaning of what Athena was saying.
"For instance, you can’t go saving people from tidal waves. Even though you’re the Goddess of Kindness, that’s Poseidon’s territory. And, you can’t just stop wars. Otherwise, Ares will get quite miffed."
"Is there anything I CAN do?"
"Well, there are always loop holes." Athena’s grey eyes twinkled. "You can’t directly interfere with anything. You can, however, influence things. Say, you want to stop a war that Ares has brought on. Going down to the mortals personally and forcing them to settle things peacefully would be against the rules. But, if you sent some mortal to the area on a mission of mercy, you are completely legal. If that mortal just happens to stop the war, it’s not your fault. You aren’t responsible for the actions of mortals. They’re too unpredictable."
"Tell me about it."
Athena chuckled at the girl’s comment.
"Okay...next rule."
"How long is this list?"
"Oh, there’s about a hundred different rules."
Gabrielle’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Would you care to repeat that?"
"Would you care to pick up your mouth? Yeesh, Gabrielle. That brings us to rule number three. All gods will act in a dignified manner when around mortals. Looking like a bunch of sissy’s and whiners wouldn’t be good for our image."
The bard giggled. "Next?"
"Rule four: Gods will restrain from making constant visits to mortals, except for their Chosen."
Gabrielle's eyes brightened.
Athena caught the look in her eye and said, "I'm sorry but it doesn't apply to you and Xena because of your agreement with Zeus. You have to wait until your training is complete or she dies before you can see her. Otherwise, you would be able to see her almost daily."
Gabrielle’s eyes dropped to the ground, and she kicked at the ground. Her hands covered her eyes so the tears wouldn’t show.
"Come on, Gabrielle. Artemis will get really ticked off at me if she finds you like this. You’ll be seeing Xena again before you know it."
"Not until she dies." Gabrielle’s spoke quietly, removing her hands. This time, she didn’t use her powers. Her face showed every bit of the heartache that Gabrielle felt. "That’s not a very comforting thing to say."
Athena put a hand on her shoulder to offer support.
Artemis appeared. She noticed Gabrielle was upset and eyed Athena suspiciously.
"We’ll be right back," Artemis growled to Gabrielle. Artemis and Athena disappeared. They reappeared inside Artemis’ palace.
"What on Mt. Olympus did you say to her?"
"I was just reading rule four."
"Good choice," Artemis said sarcastically.
"How was I supposed to know she’d get upset?"
"You’re the Goddess of Wisdom. Did you even think about what you were saying? She just lost her best friend; a mortal she’s not allowed to visit. So what did you do? You read her a loop hole and, then, tell her it doesn't apply to her. Did you think that that wouldn’t remind her of her friend? Geez, Athena. Could you be a little more insensitive?"
"I’m sorry. It’s not as if I’ve had to deal with this sort of thing before."
Artemis threw her hands up in the air in disgust.
"Great. This is just great. Tell Gabrielle you’ll continue later. Aphrodite wants to talk with her. So not only is the girl upset, but she has to put up with the blonde bimbo."
"Maybe I should tell her about rule five first. You know the one about not killing or disembodying any..."
"This is Gabrielle we’re talking about, she can learn about that later," Artemis snapped. "I think you’ve done enough for one day."
"Fine." Athena disappeared then reappeared in front of Gabrielle.
The goddess-in-training had sat down and her head rested on her knees. More than ever, she wished Xena was with her. Her friend had probably just gotten up and was reading the scroll she had sent earlier.
"Gabrielle?"
Gabrielle looked up.
"We’ll finish this tomorrow."
Artemis appeared. "Aphrodite would like to talk with you."
"Joy," stated Gabrielle. She picked herself up and said good-bye to Athena. Reluctantly, she followed Artemis to Aphrodite’s palace.
Artemis stopped at Aphrodite’s door. "Well, there you are."
"You mean you’re not coming in with me?"
"Uh, no. I have...stuff to do. I’ll see you later." Artemis disappeared.
"Deserter," Gabrielle mumbled.
A moment later Aphrodite appeared.
"Heelloo. Are you just going to, like, stand there all day or what?"
"No. I was just about call you."
"WhatEVER. Don’t frown, babe. It’ll give you wrinkles."
Gabrielle gave a forced smile. Through gritted teeth, she asked, "Better?"
Aphrodite took a step back, picking up on Gabrielle’s foul mood. "Like, chill. We are about to embark on a wonderful journey. This is going to be so exciting; your first temple."
‘Help," Gabrielle’s mind cried out.
"So, where do you want to start? I hear you’re supposed to be doing, like, the goody two shoes thing; so we gotta find some, like, happy village or something to start out in."
‘HELP,’ Gabrielle’s mind screamed.
"Uh, Aphrodite? I’m not really picky about my temple. Let’s just pick some place and get it over with."
"As if. Listen Gabrielle. There are goddesses. And," Aphrodite flipped her hair, "There are GODDESSES. If you want to be in the ‘in’ you have GOT to have the right temple. And having the right temple all comes down to three things."
"And they are?" asked Gabrielle, cringing.
"Location, location, and location." Aphrodite pounded the palm of her left hand with the fist of her right every time she said ‘location.’
"Of course," Gabrielle stated. ‘Of course,’ her mind thought, ‘this would happen to me.’
"I need you to work with me, Gabrielle. I can’t do this alone. Well actually..." Aphrodite tilted her head thinking.
"Good. It’s settled. You take care of the temple thing for me. Just let me know what decide. Thanks." Gabrielle disappeared before Aphrodite had a chance to say anything. She then reappeared in her own palace.
Aphrodite just stood there, staring at the spot where the goddess-in-training had been.
"That girl is like, majorly clueless." She walked away shaking her head, "I have GOT to talk to her about her wardrobe." A shudder went down her spine.
Back in her palace, Gabrielle took a few steps toward a bunch of scrolls laid out on a table. In a small note on top of the pile was the instruction by Artemis to ‘please read these.’ Gabrielle suddenly stopped her advancement toward the pile and she leaned up against a great, marble wall. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips.
Suddenly, Artemis appeared before her. "There you are. I was looking for you. You weren’t at Aphrodite’s."
"Would you stay there any longer than you had to?" Gabrielle asked incredulously.
Artemis had to choke down a laugh. "Uh, no. Anyway, we have another matter to discuss."
"Ugh."
"This isn’t so bad. I just need to know what you want people to give you as sacrifices."
"Sacrifices?"
"Yeah. You know? Fruit, wine, the occasional sacrificed animal..."
"Animal? I have to have people give me bloody bunnies? I don’t think so. As for wine, I don’t drink the stuff. Why on Mt. Olympus do I need any of this anyway? Trust me, the people down there are having a lot harder of a time then I am. People are starving and I have to take their food?"
"It’s in the rules. Number twenty-three clearly states..."
Gabrielle put her hands up to silence her. "That’s okay, I don’t need details. Well, like Athena said, for every rule there’s a loop hole."
Artemis rolled her eyes. "I am going to have a talk with that goddess."
Gabrielle’s brow furrowed in thought. She snapped her fingers and shouted, "I got it. People will sacrifice to me, but instead of bringing it to my temple, they’ll give it to those who need the food. It makes perfect sense. I’m the Goddess of Kindness, right?"
"I’m REALLY going to have to have a talk with Athena."
"Well," Gabrielle questioned, "are there any rules saying I can’t do that?"
"No," Artemis admitted reluctantly.
"Then it’s settled. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like some time alone."
"As you wish." Artemis clapped her hands once and she was gone.
Gabrielle sat down with quill and parchment and began to write another letter to Xena.
This one would at least have a little better news, maybe learning the rules wouldn't be so bad. After all, she had already found a loophole to keep in contact with her friend. The bard carefully tied a blue ribbon to the scroll, just like the last one. She clapped her hands twice and the scroll disappeared. Hopefully, it would be in Xena’s saddlebag where the warrior would find it later.
Gabrielle stood up and decided to seek out Athena. She wanted to get her training over as quickly as possible and that wouldn’t happen if she avoided taking lessons.
Go to Part Three of Reluctant Goddess
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