A sequel to "Choices and Consequences".
After Xena and Gabrielle leave the camp of the slave traders Gabrielle was leading, under the influence of Ares, they go to Poteidaia so Gabrielle can reconnect with her parents. After a lengthy stay, they leave for Rome to try to find Lila, who was sold into slavery as Gabrielle was.
Chapter One
"Wake up, Lazy. You going to sleep all day?"
Gabrielle rolled over and opened one sleepy eye to look at Xena.
"Do you always get up so early? Don't you ever want to sleep just a little later, even once in a while?"
"For someone who's led an army for so many years, I would have thought you'd be up before me."
"If there was a reason to get up early, I would. But what's the rush?"
"Not getting nervous, are you?"
Gabrielle sat up, stretched, then got to her feet.
"Be right back." She said as she headed into the bushes.
When she returned to the camp, Xena was waiting.
"Not getting nervous, are you?" She repeated.
"Nervous? What have I got to be nervous about?" Gabrielle asked with a small nervous laugh.
"Well -- let's see." And Xena started counting off the reasons on her fingers. "You haven't been home for about eight years. You don't know if anyone knows what you've been doing all that time. And if they do, you dont know how theyre going to react. You don't even know if your parents are alive. -- Did I miss anything?"
"Lila."
"Oh, yeah -- has anyone heard anything about Lila?"
"Okay. So maybe I'm a little apprehensive. But wouldn't you be?"
"Sure I would. But wouldn't I sleep the day away over it." Xena said with a grin.
"Ha ha. I hardly think waiting until it was actually light enough to see constitutes sleeping the day away."
"It's all a matter of perspective. Besides, Poteidaia is still a day and a half away. You have plenty of time before you have to get nervous."
"I suppose. But getting serious for a moment, what if they know about my slave trading and don't want me there?"
"Then we move on. Greece is a big place. There are plenty of villages around. We could even go to Amphipolis if we wanted to."
"What's in Amphipolis?"
"That's my home. Or it was."
"I don't think I've ever heard of it. Is it anywhere around here?"
"No. It's east of Mt. Olympus, in Thrace."
"Oh, that's a long way from here. Do you have any family there?"
"My mother."
"Oh, yes, Cyrene. So she's still alive?"
"As far as I know. She owns a tavern there. I guess she still does. I don't know how long it's been since I was home. Longer than you've been away from Poteidaia."
"Then maybe we should go after we visit Poteidaia."
They ate a small breakfast, mounted up and rode at a slow gallop toward Poteidaia.
"Actually, we didn't live in Poteidaia. We had a farm about a half day's ride outside of it. If I remember right, from this direction, we should come to it before Poteidaia."
After a bit of silence, Gabrielle asked, "So what about you and Ares? How did you two get together?"
"About the same as you and him. He was impressed with the warrior skills I developed after putting together an army to protect Amphipolis from invaders. It's funny, but I'm not really sure when I first met him. That part of my life seems kind of a blur."
"He was messing with your mind, too?"
"Possibly."
They rode on in silence for a large part of the day. Often the trail through the forest was narrow and they couldn't ride side by side.
When they cleared the forest, Gabrielle spoke up again.
"You said you buried your weapons near Poteidaia. Do you think you could find them again?"
"I don't know. I'm sure things have changed in eight years. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see if I could."
"Did you wrap oily rags around them? After all this time they're sure to have rusted if you didn't."
"No, I just dug a hole, threw them in and covered them up."
"Then they've probably turned to rust for sure."
"I have no doubt my sword has. My breastplate was bronze, so it shouldn't be in too bad a shape. But my Chakram will be as good as the day I buried it."
"Your what? What did you say?"
"My Chakram."
"I've never heard of a Chakram. What is it?"
"It's a ring made of two different metals bonded together. With jewels inset around it."
"What kind of metals?"
"I don't really know. Ares gave it to me. He didn't tell me anything about it, but I'm sure it was made by one of the gods, possibly Hephaestus, since he forged the weapons the gods used."
"Why did he give it to you?"
"To insure my loyalty. Or maybe as a token of his appreciation. For all I know, he stole and gave it to me to shift the blame for its disappearance. That way he wouldn't be implicated in its theft. With Ares, you never know."
"So how do you use it?"
"You throw it. It would go wherever I wanted it to, then come right back to me, and no matter what it hit it never lost its razor edge."
"And you buried it? I would think you'd want to hang onto something like that."
"Nope. When I buried it, I was burying my past -- no more armies, no more killing, and no more Ares."
"But if you can find where it is, you are going to dig it up again, aren't you?"
Xena took a long breath, trying to decide. "I was thinking about it. Since we're not going to be farmers, and since there's no telling who we'll be running into, it wouldn't hurt to have a special weapon, just in case."
After they had stopped, made camp for the night, and had eaten supper, Xena noticed that Gabrielle's growing apprehension was starting to make her irritable. So rather than trying to keep her mind off it by making meaningless conversation, Xena told her that the next morning before they broke camp she would have a surprise for her.
"Why can't I have it now?" Gabrielle asked, still a little testy.
"Because I said you will get it in the morning."
"Is it something to eat? Or drink? Is it something I've been needing? Or really want?"
"You'll have to decide about that, in the morning."
"No hints at all?"
"Nope. But the earlier we turn in, the sooner morning will get here."
Trying not to sound as annoyed as she was, Gabrielle agreed that a good night's sleep wasn't such a bad idea.
Chapter Two
The next morning Gabrielle was awake before Xena, and even before the sun started to lighten the eastern sky.
"I feel like I used to feel whenever it was my birthday. I knew Mother and Father and Lila had some kind of surprise for me. I haven't felt like this in so many years!"
"Well, you're going to have to wait a little longer, at least until the sun is high enough so you can see what I want you to see. So why don't you fix us a good breakfast, and it'll be time before you know it."
Gabrielle made breakfast - warmed up smoked rabbit, hard cheese, and brown bread.
"Okay, I think I've waited long enough."
"I guess you have. How would you like to meet another god?"
"You know another one?"
"Well, yeah. Not as well as I do Ares, but she and I have met a couple of times."
"SHE! Are you talking about Hera?"
"No! She's one god I'd just as soon as not have anything to do with. I'm sure you've heard the stories about what she's tried to do to Hercules."
"Yes, but they're just stories, right? I mean, she really didn't try to do all those things to him, did she?"
"Oh, yes she did. You should hear about them from his point of view."
"You know Hercules too?! By the gods, Xena, are there any famous people, or gods you don't know?"
Xena laughed. "Oh, there're probably one or two more, but none that come to mind right now. Anyway, the goddess I'm talking about is Aphrodite . . . ."
"The Goddess of Love? Oh, Xena I'd LOVE to meet her. You really know her, and she's coming HERE?"
"Just as soon as I call her."
"So what are you waiting for? No, wait! Why do you want me to meet her? Is there something I should know about?"
"You'll see. Aphrodite! Aph-ro-di-teee!!"
There was bright, pink-tinged flash of light, and the Love Goddess was standing in front of them.
"Hi, Xena! It's been such a long time! Gee, you look terrible! So what's up?"
"I want you to meet someone. Aphrodite, this is Gabrielle. Gabrielle -- Aphrodite."
Gabrielle tried to say hello, but had to swallow twice before she barely got it out, "Hi."
"Do I know you?" Aphrodite asked.
"I don't think so. We've never met. Believe me, that's something I would remember!"
"There's something about you . . . Now what is it?"
Gabrielle looked at Xena for help. Xena shrugged her shoulders.
"I know! Aren't you one of those horrible people who capture young girls to sell into slavery?" Aphrodite accused with disgust in her voice.
"Well," Gabrielle said weakly, "I used to. But . . . ."
Just then Aphrodite put her fingers on Gabrielle's chin and harshly turned her face just a bit so she could better see the scar.
"Nice souvenir! I'm sure you deserved it!" Her voice was uncharacteristically hard.
Then Aphrodite turned to Xena and said, "What are you doing with the likes of HER?!"
"That's a long story. But the reason I called you here is . . . ."
But Aphrodite, not wanting to hear the story, interrupted her again. "I see you're not on the farm anymore, didn't work out for you?"
"Oh, it was working fine, until some of Gabrielle's men happened to stumble across me. I got a little careless and they captured me . . . ."
"Well, what else could you expect with people like HER running around capturing poor helpless women and selling them?"
"There's more to it than that." Xena said. "But the reason . . . ."
"But at least Ares didn't find you." Aphrodite interrupted one more time.
"No, he didn't."
Then Xena paused, puzzled.
"What do you mean, at least Ares didn't find me?"
"Oh! I didn't tell you, did I? Well, I knew you wanted to get away from him, so after I settled you on the farm, I placed a Veil of Invisibility over it. That way he wouldn't be able to find you. But I didn't think to make it so mortals couldn't either."
"What! You're saying that all these years I was hidden from Ares? Gabrielle! That explains it!"
"What?" Gabrielle asked. "Explains what?"
"Why Ares had you capturing all those women! He must have thought that I was hiding out in some village, and he was using YOU to find me because he couldn't!"
"Ares had you capturing and selling those women?" Aphrodite asked Gabrielle.
"Yes," she answered. "Even though I had been a slave and the thought of doing the same thing to other women was hateful to me, somehow he convinced me it was a good idea!"
"I'll bet he gave you some of his special wine, too. Didn't he?"
"Come to think of it, he always brought some, every time he came to see me. And it was delicious I must admit!"
Then without warning, Gabrielle found herself in the very strong, godly arms of Aphrodite, who was hugging her and saying, "Gabrielle, I am SO sorry for the things I said about you. If I had known Ares made you do those terrible things I never would have been so rude!"
Barely able to breathe, Gabrielle managed to squeak out, "That - that's quite all right! It's certainly understandable."
Finally Aphrodite let her go. "You know, sometimes that Ares just infuriates me! I just can't understand WHY he does the things he does! Gabrielle, I am truly sorry for being so mean to you. If there's anything I can do to . . . ."
Now it was Xena's turn to interrupt.
"That's why I called you here. Poteidaia isn't far from here, that's where Gabrielle is from, and she's going home. But she's a little nervous, and I thought that if you could remove that scar, it might make her feel better about what her parents will see. You know, so they won't think she suffered too much while she was a slave."
"Why, Xena, you certainly have mellowed!" Aphrodite said approvingly. "Your time on the farm must have done you some good!"
"You wouldn't mind?" Gabrielle asked, finally able to get a word in.
Aphrodite laughed. "Oh Honey, of course not! I'd be happy to."
The Love Goddess put one hand near Gabrielle's cheek, and out of the corner of her eye, Gabrielle saw gold and silvery sparkles coming from Aphrodite's hand to her cheek, but she didn't feel them touching her.
"There!" Aphrodite said. "All done."
Gabrielle's hand went to her cheek and felt only smooth skin. Then she felt her other cheek, to compare. Then her hand went back to the first one.
"It feels so strange. Does -- does it look okay?"
"See for yourself." Aphrodite said. She then put her hand up with her palm facing Gabrielle. And as her hand moved in a circle, a reflective surface the size of Gabrielle's face appeared, allowing her to see herself.
"By - the - gods." She said slowly, amazed at how smooth her skin was. "This is the first time I've had the nerve to look in a mirror since it happened. Aphrodite, I don't know what to say. Or how to thank you."
"We're not finished yet."
"We aren't?" Gabrielle asked as the mirror disappeared.
Aphrodite pick up a lock of Gabrielle's hair with two fingers. "Will you look at this hair? I have GOT to do something with it!"
"What's wrong with it?" Gabrielle wanted to know.
"Well, for one thing it's short !"
"But I like it short, and I'm used to it." Gabrielle protested.
"You look like a boy! And it's as dry as straw! You just let me work some magic, you'll see."
Aphrodite put both hands at the top of Gabrielle's head, not quite touching her hair, then as the sparkles returned, she slowly move each hand down either side until she stopped at her shoulders. Gabrielle felt her hair get heavy, and felt it touching her neck.
"What do you think?" Aphrodite asked Xena.
Xena nodded her approval.
Gabrielle was running her fingers through her shoulder length hair, amazed at its softness.
"It really looks good?" She asked Xena.
"It really looks good."
"Now!" Aphrodite said. "About those clothes."
"What about them ?" Gabrielle asked.
"Well, for one thing, they make you look like a soldier."
"I am a soldier. Or I was."
"Now is that the image you want your parents to see, a tough, battle-hardened warrior? Or would you rather have them see their soft, feminine little girl?"
"She has a point." Xena said.
"Okay. But not TOO feminine. I still have to ride a horse, and search for firewood, and . . . ."
"Well, how about if I dress you up for now, and when you're ready to hit the road, or trail, or whatever, I'll make sure you have some traveling clothes?"
"Now that's sounds good."
Once again, gold and silvery sparkles streamed from Aphrodite's hands. They swirled around Gabrielle from head to toe, and when they disappeared, Gabrielle was wearing a long, low cut, light blue dress with red striping around the waist, the bottom hem, and along the length of the sleeves.
Then waving an arm in a large circle, Aphrodite materialized a full length mirror.
For a while, Gabrielle didn't speak. She could only look at her reflection, hardly able to believe the beautiful woman looking back at her -- was really her.
Finally, with glistening eyes, Gabrielle put her arms around the Goddess of Love.
"Thank you," she whispered, unable to talk. "Thank you so much. I don't know what to say."
"Yeah," Xena said. "Thank you."
"Sure!" Aphrodite answered. "Glad to do it. But, you know how it is -- a Love Goddess' work is never done. I have to go, but before I do -- anything else? Xena, it looks like you could use something decent to wear."
"No. I'm fine."
"Okay, Then I guess I'll see you two later."
"Wait!" Gabrielle said. "Xena, what about your Chakram?"
"No." Xena said quickly. "I know where it is."
"You don't have that thing, do you? I can get it for you, no trouble." Aphrodite volunteered.
"You don't have to do that. You've done enough. I know you have other, more important, things to do."
"Well, all right, then. Gabrielle, your traveling clothes are over there." She pointed toward a tree stump, and a small pile of clothes appeared.
And without another word, she disappeared in a flash of light.
"You look SO good." Xena said. "It's amazing what a new hairdo and some clean clothes can do."
"I'm almost afraid to move. I can't remember the last time I was dressed like this. I'd hate to get this beautiful dress all dirty and wrinkled."
"Well, it's only a half day's ride home. I think you can probably keep it on without too much damage."
"Then I guess we should break camp, saddle up, and go home."
Chapter Three
As they rode away from the campsite, Gabrielle asked, "Xena, what did Aphrodite mean when she said she settled you on that farm?"
"Well, after I left my army I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, but I wasn't too crazy about the idea of living in some village. So after a half a year or so of just riding around the country I decided that if I could find a small farm somewhere out away from everyone, I could settle down and maybe after a while, the Warrior Princess would just fade into oblivion. And since Aphrodite owed me a favor, I asked her if she could find me something like that."
"Why did she owe you a favor?"
"Oh, well, while I was doing all that traveling around, I happened to be in a tavern when I overheard some interesting information. It seemed that some very rich merchant had fallen in love with some young maiden, I don't remember either one of their names. But she fell in love with a stable hand and they eloped. Well, this merchant was more than just a little angry. And because Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love, he blamed her. And he swore vengeance on her! And the story goes that he spent his very last dinar bribing and searching and doing whatever he could until he was able to get hands on a small amount of Hind's Blood."
"I don't know what that is."
"It's the only thing that can kill a god. Put some Hind's Blood on a dagger, or an arrow, then stab or shoot the god, and the god dies. So his plan was to hide out near one of Aphrodite's temples, and when she visited it to see what offerings were there, he was going to kill her. Well, I really didn't think that was such a good idea. I mean, killing the Goddess of Love? But I had no idea how to get in touch with her, so I found Hercules and let him know about it. And since they're half-brother and sister I knew he could find her.
"So, a few days later Aphrodite appeared, and not only did she thank me, but she said that if there was ever anything she could do for me, to just shout out her name, and there she'd be."
"You know, that's a real nice story. Someone should write that down."
"Yeah, sure they should. Anyway, when I decided I wanted to settle down on a farm, I called for her, and she had no trouble finding me one."
"So why didn't you want her to retrieve your Chakram?"
"Because it's better if the gods owe you a favor than it is for you to owe them one, even the Goddess of Love. If I had let her find it for me, then I'd be in her debt, something I'd rather not be."
Gabrielle got a very concerned look on her face. "Then does that mean that now I owe her a favor, or two, or three?"
"No, she would have mentioned it. I think she did all that trying to make up for what Ares did to you. Sometimes the gods can be compassionate, not often, but sometimes. And I think this was one of those times."
"Well, that's a relief, I guess."
Gabrielle was silent for a little while longer.
"Xena, you just said that you didn't want to owe any favors to Aphrodite, but weren't you going to do just that by asking her to remove my scar?"
"Well, yes. But it was a favor worth asking for."
"That guilt really is getting to you, isn't it?"
Xena smiled. "Yeah, but that isn't why I did it."
"So why did you?"
"Because. . . ." Xena hesitated, searching for the right words. "I did it because I feel like we've become friends, good friends, very good, close friends. And it's something I wanted to do for you."
"Then, thank you. It means a lot to me that you'd do that." Gabrielle pretended that she had something in her eye, but wiped away a tear.
They rode on mostly in silence. Occasionally, Xena or Gabrielle would look at the sky, judging the time, trying to figure how much longer to Gabrielle's parent's farm.
Finally, Gabrielle said, "Things are starting to look familiar to me -- that rock that's partially blocking the stream. And that oak tree with the top broken off. It's not too much farther now."
They rode through a small stand of trees and when the came out of it, they were looking across a large pasture at a small farmhouse. A trickle of smoke was coming from the chimney. A few chickens were scratching in the dirt near the front door. Off to one side was a barn was a pen with four goats. On the other side of the house was a medium sized garden. And there were three cows and two horses grazing in the pasture.
Xena didn't say anything, but to her, things didn't look very good. The livestock seemed to be underweight, the goats were too small, and the garden was overgrown with as many weeds as vegetables.
Xena looked at Gabrielle, and it was obvious that Gabrielle also saw how bad the place looked.
"I can't do this!" Gabrielle said suddenly. And she turned her horse around and galloped off. By the time Xena caught up to her, Gabrielle had already dismounted.
"Gabrielle, what's the matter? You can't do what?"
"I can't see my parents dressed like this."
"What's wrong with the way you're dressed?"
"Xena, you saw the farm! It's obvious things haven't been going well for them. If they have been having such a rough time of it, it would seem like a slap in the face -- me showing up in this fancy dress like I've been living the good life while they've been struggling just to get by. Don't you see that?"
"Maybe. Or maybe you're just afraid for them to see you for another reason."
"What other reason could there be?"
"Why don't you tell me?"
"Xena, I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do. Think about it. What have you been doing the past four or five years? And how many people know may the name of 'Rielle' as a slaver? And maybe you're worrying that your parents somehow might have made the connection."
Gabrielle's head dropped into her hands as she pressed her fingers against her eyes, trying to stop the tears. When she found she couldn't stop them, she looked up at Xena, the tears running down her face.
"You're right, Xena. What if they do know what I've been doing? And what if they hate me, and never want to see me again? I -- I don't know if I could stand it, if I could stand the look on their faces, and the rejection."
Xena put one hand on Gabrielle's shoulder, then gently pulled her to her and put both arms around her.
"And how do you know they know anything at all?" Xena asked her softly. "Maybe all these years they've been praying to the gods that one day you and Lila will come home safely to them."
With her arms tightly around Xena's waist and her face still buried in her breast, she said, "If only you were right."
Xena leaned back enough to cause Gabrielle to look up at her.
"We'll never know if we don't go see."
Gabrielle stepped back, wiping the tears away. "I suppose. But I still think I should change. As much as I appreciate what Aphrodite was trying to do, this dress is too fancy for me, and for the simple farmers my parents are."
"Then you change, wash your face, and we'll go see the folks."
Gabrielle changed into the knee length leather skirt, long sleeve blouse, and calf-high boots.
Slowly they rode back to the farm. As they came back to the pasture, they saw that a woman was now working in the garden.
Xena heard Gabrielle inhale, and then whisper, "Mother!"
Xena put her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder, as if to direct her forward. At first Gabrielle resisted, afraid of the kind of reception she might get, but an encouraging squeeze of her shoulder gave her the strength to ride on.They rode at an even trot, not wanting to go too slow, but not too fast either. The whole time Gabrielle's eyes were riveted on the woman, who's back was to them.
It wasn't until they were near the farmhouse that the woman heard them and turned around. She put up one hand to shade her eyes against the bright sun, then leaned forward, trying to identify the two riders. Her mouth opened slightly, then her hand went to her mouth as she recognized her daughter. She dropped the hoe and began to run toward her. Gabrielle jumped from the saddle and began to run to her mother.
Xena watched from horseback, her eyes a little wet, as the two women fell into each other's arms. She could hear Hecuba as she cried over and over, "Oh, Gabrielle! My Baby, my Baby! You've come home to us! Oh, My baby Gabrielle!"
Xena watched as Hecuba covered Gabrielle's face with kisses, hugged her, then kissed her again. She didn't seem to be able to express enough how happy and ecstatic she was. Gabrielle's back was to Xena, but Xena suspected she was voicing the exact same joy and elation. When it appeared that the hugs and kisses were about over, for now, Xena dismounted and walked over to them.
Gabrielle and her mother turned to Xena, their arms around each other's waist, they still couldn't release each other.
"Mother, this is Xena. Xena, my Mother -- Hecuba."
Before Xena could speak, Hecuba was hugging her. When she stepped back she said, "Thank you for bringing my baby back to me."
"Uh - you're welcome."
Once again Gabrielle and Hecuba were holding onto the other.
"Father." Gabrielle said as they walked to the house. "Where's Father?"
"He's inside. He's not doing too good. He's been sick a lot. The past eight years have been hard on him. When you and Lila were taken, it just seemed to take the life out of him."
Xena deliberately kept from looking at Gabrielle, the guilt was like a red hot lump of coal in her gut -- painful and searing.
They entered the darkened house, all the shutters were closed.
"Can't we get some light in here?" Gabrielle asked.
"Your father likes it dark. He says without his girls, there is no sunshine in his life."
"But I'm here now. Is he in the bedroom?"
Hecuba nodded, and led her to the room.
"He's probably asleep. He sleeps a lot."
"Let me wake him up." Gabrielle requested.
Xena and Hecuba stood at the door as Gabrielle went to the window and opened the shutters.
Herodotus looked up, about to complain about the light when he saw Gabrielle. "Gabrielle?" He asked whispering, afraid to speak too loud. If she was a spirit he didn't want to scare her away.
Gabrielle sat down on the edge of the bed, crying again.
"Yes, Father, it's me. I've come home."
Herodotus struggled to sit up. Gabrielle put her arms around him to help him up and they embraced. She heard him whispering in her ear much the same thing that Hecuba had.After a while, Herodotus released his daughter. His strength seemed to coming back to him.
"Help me up," he requested. "I want to sit at the table."
Xena and Gabrielle helped him to his feet and without too much help, they all went back into the main room of the house.
"Open the windows!" He demanded. "I want to see my daughter's face."
Hecuba hurried to comply.
Chapter Four
Gabrielle, Herodotus, and Hecuba talked nonstop until dusk. Not even when Hecuba fixed an early supper did they stop. Gabrielle ended up telling them almost everything that had happened to her since she was abducted, even her life as a slave trader, but only after she and Xena had first explained how Ares had manipulated her thoughts and emotions. To Gabrielle's relief, they understood completely and held her blameless. Both Xena and Gabrielle left out the fact of Xena's inaction so many years ago that allowed her and Lila to be taken.
Herodotus and Hecuba related how devastated the people of Poteidaia were after their capture. The village still hadn't recovered the loss. Although some of the men had found wives in other villages, there had only been a handful of babies born. The town seemed to be dying; there had been no celebrations or festivals since the raid. Even the Winter Solstice Festival was cancelled. The only joy came with the births of the few infants.
Eventually Gabrielle asked the question she had been afraid to ask, afraid of the answer. "Has anyone heard anything about Lila?"
"I'm not sure." Hecuba replied. "Every once in a while some traveler passing through would mention something about some slave-girl servant he had seen, but the description could have been of anyone."
They continued to talk until it was past midnight. When they turned in for the night, Gabrielle slept in the bed she and Lila had shared for seventeen years. But this time, it was Xena beside her. It wasn't the same, but she was glad Xena was there.
Xena was up before the dawn. And when Gabrielle found her right after day break, she was in the garden using the hoe Hecuba had abandoned when she saw Gabrielle riding up. Gabrielle found a rake and began to clear out the pile of weeds Xena had made. As they worked together, side by side, the garden began to look like a well-tended, productive garden should look like. They stopped only when Hecuba brought them breakfast, including a large pitcher of cool water. They were both covered with dirt and sweat, but only stopped long enough to eat, then went back to work.
Herodotus came out to sit on the shaded porch to watch his "girls."
By noon, the two women had done all they could do -- the weeds were gone, the vegetables had been fertilized and watered, and the fence surrounding the garden had been repaired. After a long lunch that included much reminiscing and laughing, Xena and Gabrielle decided to do some repair work on the barn. They had barely gotten started on replacing some broken boards when Gabrielle stopped Xena.
"I need you to do something for me." She said to Xena.
"Sure. What is it?"
"I want you to call Aphrodite for me."
"Why do you want me to do that?" Xena asked suspiciously.
"Because I want to ask her to find Lila and bring her home."
"Gabrielle, are you sure you want to do that? That's asking an awful lot. And you'd owe her an awful lot."
"Xena, I don't care! This is my sister we're talking about! Haven't you seen the change in Father in just the one day that I've been home? And Mother? Just think how happy they would be -- how happy I would be, to have her home again!"
"Gabrielle, I understand how you feel, but asking a god for favors is risky. What if she wants you to -- I don't know, build a thousand temples dedicated to her? Where would you get the money, or the material, or the manpower? It could take you the rest of your life!"
"Xena, it doesn't matter. I would do anything to see the look on Mother and Father's face if I could bring Lila home to them. What if it was your mother we were talking about? Wouldn't you do it?"
"Yes, I probably would. All right, I'll call her for you. But before she does anything, try to find out what kind of favor she's going to want in return, just to be on the safe side."
They walked out behind the barn, well out of sight from the house and Xena called out to Aphrodite. After the third time she appeared.
"Well, Hi! I see you made it. How'd the folks like the dress?" she asked Gabrielle.
"They haven't seen it yet. I'm waiting for a special occasion."
"Oh," Aphrodite said, a bit disappointed. "So then, what can I do for you two."
"Gabrielle has a favor she wants to ask."
"What is it?"
"I want -- I'd appreciate it if you could locate my sister, Lila, and bring her home. She was sold into slavery when I was, and no one's heard from her since."
"Oh, that's a big favor. A very big favor."
"I realize that. But if you could do this, you don't know how much it would mean not only to me, but to Mother and Father ... and to Lila, I'm sure!"
"Well, I'd have to do some searching around, after all this is a mighty big world. She could be -- well, anywhere!"
"I know that."
Aphrodite turned to Xena. "Does she understand the conditions?"
"She knows -- favor for favor, I explained it to her. But she's adamant about this. It's her family."
"Very well, Gabrielle. First I have to find her."
Aphrodite closed her eyes.
While they waited, Gabrielle was watching the Love Goddess intently. As she did, she couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. The barest hint of a smile came to Aphrodite's lips. Gabrielle looked at Xena for support, and realized that Xena was just as beautiful, in a different way, if not more so.
"You know, it's very RUDE to be asking the Goddess of Love for a favor, and at the same time thinking that there is someone who is more beautiful than she is." Aphrodite said, eyes still closed.
Gabrielle looked back at Aphrodite, admiring how flawless her skin was, how amazing her features were, and what a perfect body she had.
"That's better."
The longer they stood waiting, the more apprehensive Gabrielle got, and she began to fear the worst.