TORTURED SOUL
Chapter 1 Part 1
by Joseph
Ezell
Disclaimer: Tortured Soul is a work of fanfiction. Any characters mentioned
or implied in this story that are in any way related to the television show
Xena: Warrior Princess or Hercules: The Legendary Journeys do not belong to
the author of this story or the webmaster of this site. They belong strictly
to MCA, Universal Studios. This story is not meant to infringe upon their rights
or the rights of the actors who portray these characters. The events depicted
in this story are fictitious, and any similarities between persons or organizations,
living or dead, is purely coincidental. Also, certain events depicted in this
story such as those in the Xena episode God-Fearing Child are not in anyway
the authors and are the sole property of MCA, Universal Studios. The backstory
theme of Season Five included in this story is not the authors in any way and
is the sole property of MCA, Universal Studios. The only character that is mine
in this piece is Darius. Also, this story is not to be copied in any way without
the consent of the author of this piece of fanfiction.
Warning: This story contains scenes of graphic violence. If this disturbs you
please do not read this story.
Authors note: This story is set some time before the Xena episode Looking Death
in the Eye of the Fifth Season.
Questions? Comments? If so, contact me at: thewarriorzemos@yahoo.com
or zemosms@aol.com.
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Gabrielle sighed, yawning tiredly. She rubbed her face and eyes and looked up
at the thick, green, brush before her, waiting with anticipation for Xena to
emerge.
But, after a few moments of listening and watching intently for her friend's
return, only to see that there was no one there—she quickly looked away,
silently begging for her to return.
Gabrielle smiled, remembering how she had gotten into this little predicament.
After breakfast they had broken camp and traveled for several hours, managing
to cover several miles along the way. Then, shortly before noon, they had stopped,
Xena suggesting that they needed to rest and get some food before pressing on.
Gabrielle had readily agreed, taking care of Eve, Xena's daughter, while Xena
had gone out to hunt for some food, promising that she would return shortly.
Gabrielle had taken the child in her arms cooing softly at the adorable infant
and had taken a seat on a nearby log as she had waited patiently for her friend's
return.
That had been two hours ago.
Gabrielle sighed inwardly, looking down at Eve, who was sleeping peacefully.
She smiled, glad at least that Eve wasn't crying at the moment. In fact, she
thought, she hasn't made a sound since Xena left two hours ago. At least she
should be glad for that much because Gabrielle honestly didn't think she'd be
able to stand it.
It seemed that ever sense that fateful day when they had learned of the prophecy
foretold by the Fates, which had declared that Xena's child would herald the
death of the Greek gods that they had been under constant attack by the Olympians.
Of course, Hercules had eased their burden a little bit by killing his father
Zeus, who was king of the gods, the same day that dark prophecy concerning Eve
was foretold.
Gabrielle shuddered, remembering that fateful day.
Not far away Zeus and Hercules were locked in a heated battle—the sounds
of their struggle echoing loudly through the woods as each fought to destroy
the other.
Meanwhile, Gabrielle and Xena had been experiencing a little drama of their
own as Gabrielle had helped Xena deliver her baby, while not far away from them
Zeus and his demigod son had fought furiously. One time she had looked up only
to stare in disbelief as one of the massive stone columns, which lined the area,
had come crashing down frightening close to them due to one of Zeus's thunderbolts.
Then she had turned her attention back to Xena just in time to see her deliver
the child. But just as Gabrielle had held Eve in her arms she had looked up,
her face draining of color as she stared in horror at the massive form of Zeus
standing over them. Apparently, he had gotten past Hercules and was now intent
upon killing all of them. And as he had gazed them, holding in his hand a bolt
of electricity almost the entire length of his whole body, Gabrielle had been
convinced that that was it and they were done for.
And then Hercules had appeared, throwing his father to the ground and sending
a piece of Cronos's ribs, one of the few things that could kill a god, rocketing
into his chest, killing the mighty god.
Afterwards, they had said their goodbyes to Hercules, who had gone on his way
to grieve for the loss of his father, and Gabrielle hadn't seen him since. Not
that she could blame him, if she had lost her father—especially if she'd
been forced to kill him as Hercules had his—then she'd probably want to
be by herself too. One could only imagine what sort of pain he had been through.
Not that they had time to look for him either with Athena and the other gods's
constant attempts to kill Eve they had their own problems to worry about. This
was one problem Hercules would have to deal with on his own.
Suddenly, Eve awoke and began to cry, breaking Gabrielle's thoughts. Gabrielle
looked down at Eve and began trying to sooth the crying child, all the while
keeping a watchful eye out for an attack from the surrounding forest.
After all, when you were on Olympus's most wanted list you learned to expect
anything. Here lately nothing really surprised her anymore. Clearly, it wouldn't
be too much to assume that an assassin could jump out from the brush. As a matter
of fact, after what she and Xena had been through so far, she wouldn't be surprised
if Athena herself showed up to kill Eve. Having all of Olympus after you was
tiring because Gabrielle and Xena had been living on the edge and constantly
looking over their shoulders because they knew that an attack could come at
anytime and if they let their guards down even once Eve was as good as dead.
Gabrielle sighed, wondering how much more of this she could take. Something's
got to change, she thought, this can't keep going on forever.
She shook these thoughts from her head and turned her attention back toward
Eve, trying desperately to silence her.
She tried everything she could think of, when, suddenly, she heard a noise coming
from the forest off to her left.
Being as silent as possible, she lowered Eve to the ground, drew her sais and
turned toward the sound—her body tense and rigid as she prepared for whoever
or whatever was about to emerge from the woods in front of her.
Suddenly, Xena burst from the woods, a huge smile spread across her face as
she held a rabbit proudly in one hand.
Gabrielle sighed in relief and put the sais back in her boots. “Xena, you
scared me half to death! I thought maybe you were an assassin or something.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?” Xena teased, her eyes twinkling with
mirth.
“Xena, where were you?” Gabrielle asked, her tone serious.
“Same place I said I'd be. I was out in the woods getting us some grub.”
She replied, throwing the rabbit on the ground and scooping Eve up in her arms.
“Aw, don't worry, little one. Mommy's here,” Xena said, stroking Eve's
face gently. And, almost immediately, the child stopped crying and laughed joyfully
at her mother's loving gestures toward it.
“Hey, how'd you do that? I've tried everything I know and still couldn't
get her to stop crying.” Gabrielle said, her previous anger toward Xena
temporarily forgotten.
“Maybe all it takes is a mother's touch,” the warrior princess replied,
not taking her gaze away from Eve.
Then she turned to Gabrielle, laying a warm hand on her shoulder and giving
it a gentle squeeze. “Listen, I'm sorry about being gone for so long but
it took a lot longer than I realized to find something to eat.” Xena said.
“Besides, you're a good warrior and I knew I could depend upon you to take
care of Eve for me while I was gone. Okay?”
Gabrielle sighed, running her hand through her hair and rubbing her tired eyes
once again. “I'm sorry, Xena. It's just that here lately I've been on the
edge and—“
“Hey,” Xena said, lifting Gabrielle's head gently by the chin, “it's
okay. We're in this together, remember? We've been through tougher situations
than this and survived, haven't we?”
“Yeah, you're right, Xena. I'm just tired, that's all.”
“So am I.” Xena replied. “We're going to get through this, Gabrielle.
Trust me, we haven't gotten this far just to let a few gods stop us. We'll get
through this all right, you'll see.”
Gabrielle nodded, satisfied at Xena's answer. That settled, she started a fire
while Xena began to skin the rabbit.
Once these two things were accomplished, Xena hug the rabbit over the fire and,
while Gabrielle cooked the delicious morsel, Xena sat down with Eve in her lap,
making soft cooing noises at her adorable child, who giggled joyfully, obviously
enjoying the affection her mother was showering her with.
When the food had finally finished cooking, the two warriors ate their full,
and after Xena breast-fed Eve, the two began to pack up their belongings, knowing
they had to be moving on soon. After all, when you were being hunted by all
of Olympus you learned real quick that staying in one spot too long could get
you killed.
Xena tucked Eve into the sling she wore across her back and, carefully, put
it on, adjusting it so that it held Eve on her back securely. Then she went
and put out the fire and helped Gabrielle finish packing up all of their belongings.
Once they were finished with that task, Gabrielle stopped to adjust her boots.
Xena grabbed Argo's reins. “Come on, Gabrielle. Let's get going…”she
began, but trailed off when she heard a noise.
Somewhere close by a twig had snapped. She whipped her head around, toward the
forest in front of her. Immediately, her eyes confirmed her ear's suspicions:
the shadowy outline of a man standing amongst the trees, who was almost completely
invisible in the thick, green brush of the surrounding forest. Wait, she thought,
there's more of them. And, on a closer examination, she saw that she had been
right. There were at least three other men, one on the first man's left and
two on his right. Somehow, although Xena couldn't explain how she knew, she
sensed that there were more men than she was seeing. Probably behind them where
I can't see them, she thought.
“Okay, Xena. I'm coming,”Gabrielle said, walking over to Xena, a sweet
smile on her face. But when she saw her friend continuing to stare at the woods
ahead of her, her smile fell away, her expression turning serious. “What
is it, Xena? Is something wrong?”
“It appears we're not alone,” Xena replied, not taking her eyes off
of the woodline.
Gabrielle turned, following Xena's gaze only to see the lush, green forest ahead
of them. She was about to tell Xena that she was seeing things when she saw
it. Although she had to strain to see it, there were four warriors standing
among the trees. If it hadn't been for Xena, I wouldn't have even known they
were there. She thought. How did she do that? Does it matter? her mind hissed.
They're a threat to you, Xena, and Eve and that's all you need to know.
“Alright, I know you're there so show yourself!” Xena shouted, drawing
her sword. Gabrielle took her que from Xena and drew her sais as well.
With that said, the men stepped out of the woods, followed by six other men.
In all, ten men stood before them. Thick, black cloth covered them from head
to toe and Xena also saw that they even wore black cloth on their heads, which
seemed to serve as some sort of hats.
One of the men drew his sword, pointing it in their direction. “Get them!”
he shouted, the other men drawing their swords in response to his words. Then,
as one, they charged forward, an ear-splitting war cry erupting from their lips.
Xena readied herself and when the nearest warrior came her way she didn't hesitate,
sending her sword slicing into his gut. The blow stopped him cold, and, without
a sound, he collapsed to the ground in a bloody heap.
Xena glanced over her shoulder only to see a man trying to sneak up on her,
hoping to get at her from behind. Without turning around, she thrust her sword
behind her and was rewarded with a cry of pain from her attacker.
She withdrew her sword, causing him to fall to the ground like a ton of bricks.
Then she looked up and saw two more men running toward her on either side. Xena
readied herself and when the moment of truth came she jumped into the air, stretched
her legs out, the heels of each boot connecting solidly with the bridges of
each man's nose, sending them rocketing into their brains, killing them instantly.
Just as they collapsed to the ground, Xena landed, trying her best to make it
as smooth as possible for Eve's sake. Four down, she thought, six more to go.
Xena glanced over to her left and saw Gabrielle battling with one of the remaining
men.
At the moment she was holding her own, easily deflecting his blows—and
then, suddenly, her head jerked sideways as the warrior managed to land a lucky
blow to the side of her head. He laughed, amused at his luck. But it didn't
last long though as Gabrielle sent three, well-placed kicks into his mid- section
and several more punches to his head, the last of which, sent him toppling to
the ground. Five down, Xena thought, correcting herself. Gabrielle turned her
gaze, searching for more attackers but stopped when she saw Xena.
Gabrielle, who was now covered in a thin layer of sweat, wiped her forehead
with the back of her arm and nodded at Xena before turning her attention back
toward the ongoing battle. Xena did the same, angry at their sudden attackers
and yet exhilarated at the same time that she and Gabrielle, had, at least so
far, been successful in defeating them.
“Let's get this over with,” she said, determined to do just that.
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From the shadowy confines of
the woods stood Darius. He now stood in the exact same spot the men had been
in before.
Completely silent and with growing
interest, he watched the battle before him unfold with breathtaking speed.
The two women before him were
indeed warriors as Athena had said they'd be. With almost unparalleled skill
and grace they fought their opponents, who seemed by comparison to be sloppy
and amateurs at best.
The men before him had been
given to him by Athena just before he'd left her temple earlier in the day.
They were his, she had said, to do whatever he wished with them.
Although Athena hadn't told
him why she had given them to him, Darius thought he had a pretty good idea.
It was obvious that she'd intended them to be the backup he would need to get
the job done. So, when he'd finally come across the two just a few minutes ago,
he'd dispatched them, while he'd stayed behind to study Xena and Gabrielle in
combat. But before they'd left he'd given them specific orders not the harm
Eve in anyway. They were to only kill Xena and Gabrielle. Of course he'd knew
they wouldn't succeed even before he'd sent them. Although he couldn't explain
it, somehow when he had first laid eyes on them through the portal in Athena's
throne room, he'd sensed that they'd be difficult to defeat. And, as he gazed
at the battle before him, he realized that he'd been right.
But upon realizing that a thought
flashed through his head: Yeah, and it's going to make this job that much
more difficult to complete.
And just as that thought came
to him another quickly followed closely behind it. One that was much more sinister
and dark. And, in truth, Darius didn't know if he really had an answer for it.
When the moment of judgment came could he kill this child?
Never before in his entire existence
had he been asked to kill someone so young or innocent. He'd figured the gods
to be selfish and cruel, but this was unspeakable. What kind of person, or god
for that matter, could be so selfish as to order an innocent child dead and
then go on about their day as if what they'd just done meant nothing? How could
they live with themselves?
Does it matter? his mind hissed,
You've got a job to do so quit thinking about it already.
Darius pushed these thoughts
aside, telling himself that this was just a job like any other and that child's
life meant nothing now because Athena had ordered it dead and orders were orders.
But Darius knew that when this was over his conscious would crucify him as it
always did whenever he killed an assigned target. But Darius wondered, not for
the first time since he'd been given this assignment, if he'd be able to live
with himself when it was over. It was then that he realized that he didn't have
an answer to that question and, as always, that frightened him.
Darius pushed these thoughts
aside as before and continued to watch the battle unfold before him. Before
him Xena and Gabrielle were present battling five men. How they had managed
to survive and remain standing for this long, Darius didn't have a clue.
Then three of them stood together
and proceeded toward Xena. Big mistake! And Xena, seeing this opportunity, wasted
no time, hurtling her chockrum. The weapon made its rounds, taking all three
men out before returning faithfully to her outstretched hand. She hooked it
onto her side and then, issuing a war cry, she turned her attention back to
the battle.
Darius cocked an eyebrow, surprised
by the use of his enemy's surprise toy. Athena didn't mention that either, he
thought. That's just great! I kill whomever they want me to kill and
they don't even bother to fill me in on all the details! That was typical
of the gods, expect him to complete orders without question and, instead of
respecting him enough to let him know everything he needed to know, they'd neglected
to mention it. It was things like that that could very well cost him this mission.
Knowing that the gods treated him like that filled him with a rage that sometimes
he had a difficult time controlling.
Then, clearing his head once
more, he sighed inwardly and prepared himself for what was to come and what
he must do.
**********************************************************************************
Xena readied herself, her body
tense as she waited for the next man to come her way. Of the ten men who had
attacked them, only three remained standing, the third man being the one Gabrielle
had knocked down earlier.
“Come on, boys. Come and
get some.” Xena said to one of the men who was closest to her. They turned
and looked at one another and laughed, grinning broadly as if they thought defeating
Xena were an easy task. And with that they charged forward with their swords
raised.
Xena laughed, exhilarated by
the battle and, issuing her famous battle cry, she jumped up into the air, stretching
both legs out in front of her, the heel of each boot connecting solidly with
their faces, sending them crashing to the ground with an “uhn,” escaping
their lips simultaneously. Xena landed and then turned her attention to Gabrielle,
who was fighting with the last of the men standing. Gabrielle grit her teeth,
unleashing a powerful combination of punches and kicks, which sent him reeling
backward. Then, with a kick to the groin and a roundhouse to the head, he fell
to the ground, somehow still conscious. He groaned but other than that he didn't
move a muscle.
“What was that all about?”
Gabrielle asked.
After making sure Eve was okay
Xena walked over to the man Gabrielle had just knocked to the ground. “I
don't know but I'm about to find out.” Xena said angrily, still feeling
the effect of adrenaline left over from the attack. She jerked the man up onto
his knees, preparing to put that deadly, deadly pinch on him.
“Don't bother,” a
voice said, making both Gabrielle and Xena lookup. They whirled around, turning
toward the source of the sound.
Before them stood a man, completely
decked out in expensive looking, black leather with a medium build to heavy
build and handsome features.
And, almost immediately, Xena
decided that whoever he was he meant business and was trouble with a capital
“T”.
“Who are you?” Gabrielle
asked.
“Name's Darius, assassin
for the Olympian order. I sent those men you just fought after you with orders
to kill you as a means of studying you both in combat.” The man replied.
“And why would you want
to do that? Just why would you want to kill us?” Xena asked.
“I don't, actually. I'm
here for your daughter, Eve.”
“And why would you want
her?” Xena asked, already having a good idea why but not wanting to acknowledge
it.
“Xena, I regret to inform
you that Athena has sent me here with orders of kill your child.” Darius
said, a sadness filling his eyes which only Gabrielle seemed to notice as Xena
was too focused on her discovery that he was here to kill her daughter. And,
just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by a cold, expressionless gaze.
“Oh, you do, do you?”
Xena asked, anger welling up inside of her, threatening to make her explode
into a violent rage as it infuriated her every time someone, whether they be
a god or a man, tried to kill her daughter.
“Yes, more than you can
know. But I have my orders.” Darius said.
Xena didn't respond, too angry
to even speak.
“Xena, my orders are to
kill your daughter and no one else. The two of you are free to go. Just give
me Eve and no one else will get hurt. Xena, please, just let me do this and
the two of you can walk away unharmed.” Darius pleaded.
“Not a chance,” Xena
said defiantly.
Darius sighed inwardly, realizing
now that he would most likely have to kill them both in order to kill Eve.
“Here, hold this,”
Xena said, pulling Eve from the sling and handing her to Gabrielle. Then she
slid the sling off of her back and drew her sword. And, without a word, she
started walking toward him.
“Very well, if that's your
decision…” Darius said, drawing his sword in return and started toward
the warrior princess. When the two were less than ten feet from one another
they both stopped, studying one another intently. Neither warrior spoke, choosing
instead to silently dare their opponent to attack.
Darius struck first, swinging
his sword in a downward arc at Xena's head. With a deafening Ching! the
two blades clashed in a blinding shower of sparks.
“Nice blade,” Xena
said, noticing Darius's sword which had a handle furnished with silver and brass
as well as several emeralds, sapphires, and rubies which were embedded in the
bottom of the weapon as well as the wedge-shaped hand guard just before the
blade. The blade itself was mirror like and was covered with Greek letters,
which were engraved into the blade.
“It was given to me by
Athena and was made by Hephaestus himself on Zeus's decree.” Darius replied.
“There's no need to do
this, Darius. You're a warrior and warriors follow their own path. You can choose
not to do this, Darius. Just because Athena's a goddess doesn't mean you have
to obey her.” Xena said.
“Xena, if only it that
simple. Unfortunately, I haven't a choice in the matter. My orders are my orders
and I must obey them.” Darius answered.
The two parted blades—and
just as quickly Xena sent her sword flying at Darius's head, which he quickly
blocked. He retaliated, striking relentlessly at her from almost every direction
with his sword.
Somehow, Xena managed to block
his attacks, launching her sword back at him in much the same way.
This went on for quite some
time before Xena managed to gain the upperhand and, by planting a few well-placed
kicks to his mid-section, she was given the chance she needed to kick his sword
from his hand. And, without giving him a chance to recover, she knocked his
feet out from under him with a backsweep kick.
He fell to the ground only to
have Xena swing her sword at him, determined to cut him in two. He rolled out
of the way at the last second, barely avoiding the swipe of the blade as it
sliced the ground mere inches from where he'd been before.
Before Xena could strike at
him again, Darius raised himself up by one arm, sending a well-placed kick rocketing
into her abdomen. Xena stumbled backwards, dropping her sword in the process,
giving Darius the time he needed to get up off the ground.
Xena quickly recovered and with
a blood-curdling war cry she jumped up into the air, sending several sideways
bicycle kicks into Darius's mid-section. He fell to the ground with a hard thud
only to rise to his feet just as Xena landed. Without hesitating he sent a barrage
of kicks and punches rocketing toward Xena all of which she blocked.
Both warriors were tiring considerably
and Xena, knowing she had to end this battle quickly before she became too tired
to fight, used the only move she could think of to stop this seemingly unstoppable
warrior: the pinch.
But just as Xena was about to
hit him, she saw with disbelief that he was using the same move against her!
Miraculously, both warriors managed to block each other's move.
“You know, every one who's
seen me use that move against them in combat is dead. Ares must have trained
you well,” Xena said, figuring that was the only way he could have known
that move as Ares had shown it to her when he'd trained her so many years ago.
“Ares didn't teach me to
do anything. Athena taught me everything I know. You might as well quit now,
Xena because I will defeat you sooner or later. The choice is yours,” Darius
replied.
In response to his words, she
knocked him backward with a kick to the stomach.
Finally, determined to end this
once and for all, Darius grit his teeth, unleashing a powerful series of unrelenting
punches and kicks too numerous to count, ending it with a roundhouse kick to
her head, which sent her toppling to the ground.
Darius walked toward Gabrielle,
knowing he had to end this now and complete his mission or he would probably
never get this chance again.
Gabrielle put Eve on the ground
and then drew her sais, preparing to dish out everything she had to protect
Eve and stop him dead.
In a second, Darius was upon
her, and although she fought bravely, Darius disarmed her in a matter of seconds,
sending her crashing to the ground with a punch to the head.
Darius walked over to his sword
and, tossing it up off the ground with his foot, he caught it with his hand.
He walked over to Eve, flipping his sword over so he could send the point of
it into her.
He stood over the child and
raised the sword high. He glanced at her, his eyes stopping on her face. It
was then that he noticed the fear in her eyes and the innocence in her face.
It was almost as if she could sense that her mother could no longer protect
her.
“Nooooooooooo!”
Xena screamed, her arms outstretched as Darius raised his sword even higher
and she realized what he was about to do.
But just as he was about to
strike he hesitated again, unable to look away from Eve's face. She was so innocent
and totally vulnerable. Completely at his mercy. Darius panted heavily, completely
absorbed in the form of the still child and it was then that he realized that
he couldn't do it. He couldn't kill Eve. He forced this from his head with lightening
speed, knowing he had to do it but once again unable to look away from the innocent
and frightened face of the child.
It was then that he felt his
legs go out from under him, courtesy of a powerful kick by Xena. And as he hit
the ground he looked up and saw Xena standing over him with her sword raised
high overhead, preparing to behead him.
“Do it!” He screamed,
begging her to end his torment. Xena raised her sword even higher, preparing
to honor his request—and then she stopped abruptly lowering her sword.
“Come on, kill me, Xena!
I tried to kill your child! I'm scum and you know it! And I deserve to die!”
Darius shouted.
“No, I think I'll let you
live. Killing you now would be wrong and I won't give you the satisfaction
of that. We're going to leave now and I suggest you don't follow us. 'Cause
next time I won't hesitate to kill you.” Xena said, her voice low and menacing.
And with that Xena and Gabrielle
loaded Eve up in the sling, put her on Xena's back, and together, with Argo,
they began walking toward the woods. Soon, they were out of sight, disappearing
into the thick brush of the surrounding forest. All the while Darius didn't
bother to stop them, choosing instead to hang his head in shame. He'd had the
chance to kill Eve and hadn't taken it. And, because of that, he'd failed his
mission. What would he do now? Athena would surely punish him for his failure.
And, more than likely, she would kill him for it. Darius burst into tears, knowing
that he was as good as dead.
*********************************************************************************
Later that same day, sounds
could be heard coming from inside Athena's temple.
With a brutal slap Athena sent
Darius flying into a wall, causing him to bounce off of it with a sickening
crunch and hit the floor with a hard thud—a blow that would have made a
normal man howl in pain, but not Darius. He'd had years of training which had
given him the ability to take a good beating and still block out a good deal
of pain, making him that much more deadly as an assassin and warrior. But even
so, Darius found it wasn't so easy to block it out now as even he couldn't take
the type of pain Athena was dishing out and not at least make a whimper. But
he decided he'd better at least make an effort to because if Athena saw him
show the slightest bit of weakness, given the mood she was in she'd probably
beat him even more for it. That or she'd just beat me just for the fun of it,
Darius thought, remembering on many occasions of times in the past when she'd
done just that. Time and again she'd made it perfectly clear to Darius that
she was a goddess and he was a mortal and that he'd had better not forget that.
Because of it he'd grown to
hate her for it. Even though on many occasions he had tried not to hate her
he'd found that he just couldn't help it. But, no matter what, he'd never raise
a hand against her because she was his goddess and like it or not he was bound
to serve her as he was bound to serve the Olympian order. Regardless if she
sometimes took joy in beating him up.
Shortly after he'd arrived and
told her what had happened the punishment had begun. She hadn't even screamed
at him. She'd simply reared back and, in the blink of an eye, knocked him halfway
across the room. After that, she had descended upon like a wave of darkness,
choking him, even throwing him across the room repeatly and laughing all the
while in amusement.
Darius had gone before her thinking
that she'd just kill him outright and that his death would have been as painless
as possible. He should have known that she would have resorted to this. Of course,
she'd probably still kill him. She was probably just beating him senseless because
he was the perfect object to vent her rage upon—that, and he'd failed to
kill Eve. Frankly, he couldn't understand why she wanted the child dead so much.
After all, just what had it done to her anyway, it was, after all, only an innocent
child.
Suppressing the almost unbearable
pain in his ribs, which burned like fire at the moment, Darius slowly began
to rise to his feet.
“Oh, no you don't!”
Athena screamed, picked him up by the throat and slamming him against the wall,
“I'm not finished with you yet!”
Darius looked into her eyes
and instantly looked away as if the rage pouring from them was toxic. In truth,
it seemed as though Athena was so enraged her eyes had been replaced by two
red, hot coals.
Her expression itself was one
of pure hate and disgust. Why did she hate him so much? Would it kill
her to be nice to him for once in his life?! Then, on the trail of that a thought
popped into his head: Think of what you are, Darius. You're an assassin of
the Olympian order, nice isn't in their vocabulary.
“You failed me, Darius!
You had a chance to kill Eve and you didn't take it! You blew it, you idiot!”
She screamed. Then, with a grimace of disgust, and noticing that his face had
begun to turn a dangerous shade of blue, she released him, causing him to hit
the floor like a ton of bricks. He lay there, gulping in huge breaths, wheezing
and coughing for several seconds before finally regaining control of himself.
With tired eyes and every joint in his body screaming in pain, which, miraculously
he managed to suppress, he looked up at Athena.
“Oh, did that hurt?”
Athena asked, sarcastically, fake concern in her voice.
Darius gazed at her darkly,
unable to restrain himself any longer. He might be resigned to his fate as an
assassin to the gods, but he wouldn't stand to serve them faithfully and without
question only to have one of them make fun of him, even if it was Athena. “What
do you think?” he spat.
“You dare to talk back
to me?!” Athena asked.
“Why in tartarus do
you want that child dead?!” he asked, the volume of rage spilling from
his body making him flinch inwardly. What was he doing?! Had he gone insane?!
Athena would surely kill him for such an outburst!
“You dare to question me,
Darius? A goddess no less?” She asked, narrowing her eyes.
“I do on this!” he
replied, a part of him screaming at him to stop this foolishness before he got
himself killed. But it was a small part as the rage and pain that he had suppressed
for so long had suddenly come erupting to the surface, demanding to be heard.
Athena looked away, sighing,
realizing that she had pushed him too far. She didn't need this now, one way
or another she and the rest of the gods needed Eve dead and right now, like
it or not, Darius was their last hope it seemed to accomplish just that. Where
else would they find one as committed and loyal as him. Darius may hate their
guts for what they'd done to him but at least he'd follow orders and he'd do
anything to complete a mission. In fact, this was the first time he'd failed
to kill his assigned target.
“So, you wish to fight
me, Darius? Clearly, your tone would suggest that.” She said, looking at
him with tired eyes, her voice surprisingly calm.
“No, that's not want I
want.” He said quietly, suddenly feeling very tired.
“Then, what do you want?”
she asked, walking over him.
“Peace,” he replied.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I want peace from this…place…this…existence.
I want death.”
“You wish for me to kill
you? Is that it?”
“I want to die so I can
go to the Elysian Fields and just—get away from everything and be happy
for once in my life. Going to the Elysian Fields will give me the life I never
had and take me away from the cruelties of life.” Darius answered.
Athena turned away and began
to pace, taking in what he'd just said.
Darius took the opportunity
to repeat the question he had asked earlier. “Why do you want this child
dead, Athena?' he asked, his voice calmer this time.
“It's not just me, Darius,”
Athena answered, turning back toward him. “All of Olympus wants her dead.”
“But why? Why is she so
important to them?”
“Because, it was foretold
by the Fates that the birth of this child would mean the death of the Greek
gods. And, if that happens, all is lost. Regardless of what you may believe,
Darius, mankind cannot survive without gods. So, if you kill Eve for us, we
would be very grateful. Why, if you do this, then you can have anything
you want: your own home, even a kingdom to rule if you want it.”
“I want only death and
peace in the Elysian Fields.” Darius replied.
Athena didn't reply, choosing
instead to look away, thinking this over. “Very well,” she said finally,
“kill Eve and you shall have it. After all, I'm sure Hades will agree with
me on this. Considering that you've helped him before.”
Then she walked back over to
him, and, placing her hand on him, she sent healing energy coursing through
his body, causing every muscle in it to relax. In truth, it felt as if every
fiber of his being was being massaged. But, regardless of this feeling, he knew
that just because she was healing him, which she didn't have to do, deep down
that she didn't really care for him. Then, as quickly as it had begun, it stopped
and the process was over.
“Rise,” she commanded.
Darius did as she commanded, rising slowly to his feet. “As we speak I
have deployed another group of men to attack Xena and Gabrielle. At the moment
both women have been spotted a few miles from here. You are to find them and
kill Eve. Do you understand my orders?”
“Yes, my goddess. Perfectly,”
Darius answered, and nodded and walked past her, heading toward the exit to
the chamber which consisted of two huge double doors and was the only way out
of Athena's throne room. It was that room that they were in now. Stepping through
them would take him outside the temple.
“Oh, and Darius,”
Athena said, causing him to stop and turn around, “if you ever pull
a stunt like that again—you know, have a chance to kill Eve and don't take
it—you won't have to worry about dying 'cause I'll make sure Hades sends
you strait to Tartarus. And, even if you aren't afraid to go there it won't
matter to me 'cause I'll be able to look in on you at anytime and I'll be see
you suffer. And I promise you I'll enjoy every minute of it. Do you understand
what I'm telling you, Darius?” She gazed at him, a sadistic gleam in her
eyes and a menacing smile on her face.
“Of course, my goddess.
I promise that I won't fail again. Eve will die one way or another.” He
answered, meaning every word.
“See that you don't,”
Athena replied coldly.
And, after bowing in respect
to her, he turned and left her temple, determined, now more than ever, to accomplish
his mission. Because this time he had something to fight for. And, one way or
another, he was going to get it…or he would die trying.
Little did he know that chances
were that there was a strong possibility that Athena wouldn't honor her promise
to him.