Path of Forgiveness

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - AWAKENING

They were in the middle of the grand hall on Mt. Olympus, a place that once was filled with many Gods, but now was only home to two of them. Aphrodite let them go, but before leaving turned to ask, “By the way, how did that potion go? Did it work?”

Xena and Gabrielle looked at Varia, and she looked down and whispered, “Yeah... it worked.”

“What did I tell you?” Aphrodite said with a gleeful smile, then looked at Gabrielle. “And you doubted me!”

“Wouldn’t be the first time one of your spells went wrong,” Gabrielle said with a teasing grin.

Aphrodite waved her hand in dismissal, and replied, “Well, can’t win them all can you?” She looked at the three of them, “Call me when you need to be brought back down to Earth.”

“We will, thank you,” Xena said, giving her a small nod.

When Aphrodite disappeared, Xena turned to Varia and said, “Ares will most likely not be with Eve. Nurturing was never his thing, and I doubt she’s pleasant as a pregnant woman. You need to get to her, we’ll get to Ares.”

Varia nodded, and the three of them walked off in opposite directions, trying to halt a disaster in the making.

*****

This sucked. This sucked horribly. I was three time’s as big as I was when I was in the Amazon Village, and I was starting to cramp. My feet were swollen, and I wish I could just get up and walk around but I couldn’t really move off the bed I was lying in.

There was a child growing inside me at an alarming rate, and I wish I could just cut it out of me to get out of this discomfort I was in. I knew if I did though, Ares was more than likely to kill me for destroying his heir, so I just lay there, staring at the ceiling and hoping this wouldn’t last much longer.

“Oh my Gods,” I heard, nothing more than a mere whisper. I turned my head to look at who had come in, and saw Varia standing there, staring at my very pregnant form.

“You’re huge...” she said, in disbelief.

I snarled. “Well you’re not so hot yourself,” I retorted, though I knew that was a lie. I winced in pain as another cramp hit my side.

“Are you okay?” She asked me.

“Don’t see why you care,” I gasped out, through the pain.

Varia crossed the room to come to my bedside, and sat down beside me. “Go away,” I said.

“I can’t.”

“Why, are you physically unable? Because you seemed to come over here quite fine,” I said.

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then why?” I sneered.

“Because...” she started, but didn’t finish.

“Because what? Spit it out!” I said.

She looked me in the eyes and said, “Because I love you, Eve. I love you more than anything in the entire world.”

I rolled my eyes and snorted, “Yeah, right.”

She took my hand, but I wrenched it away. She looked at me hurt, “I do.”

“Even though I killed your precious sister?” I said, harshly.

Pain flickered across her face and she whispered, “Yes, even though you killed Tura.”

“Then you’re a fool,” I spat at her.

“Maybe I am,” Varia said. “But I can’t help it, and neither can you.”

“Please,” I said and rolled my eyes, “Don’t tell me you’ve convinced yourself that I’m in love with you too.”

“I don’t have to,” Varia replied. “You just are.”

“I’m not...” I started, but she cut me off.

“Your not? Then why did you tell me so? Do you remember, after we made love?”

“I.. I-It was a lie,” I stammered, remembering that night and how I felt.

“You’re a pretty good liar then,” she said, unconvinced by my protests.

“I know,” I said lamely. I let out a growl of frustration, “Why are you here?”

“I’m taking you back home.”

“Good luck with that one,” I said, snorting.

“Eve...”

“My name is Livia!” I said.

“Eve..” she repeated, as she drew closer to me.

“Livia!”

“Eve,” she said again, as her face got closer to mine.

My breath was catching in my chest and I whispered half heatedly, “Livia...” Before she brought her lips down to mine, parting them with her own. I gasped out at the feeling, and wrapped my arms around her neck, drawing her closer to me. I moaned into her mouth as the feeling of her intoxicated me, and then I felt this weird feeling like my brain was turning around inside of my head, and when we broke apart I said quietly. “Eve....”

Varia smiled at me, and I started to cry. “Oh Varia.. I am so sorry...”

“Shh,” she said, putting her finger to my lips, “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Mother and Gabrielle came through the door then, and stopped dead when they looked at me. “She’s back,” Varia said to them.

Xena shook her head to clear it, then addressed us both. “Ares is no where to be found.”

“He went to gather his army,” I said. “Just in case you planned a rescue mission. He’s advancing it on the Amazon Village as we speak.”

“Then it’s time to go,” Mother said, and called for Aphrodite.

Aphrodite appeared and looked me over, “You didn’t tell me she was knocked up! This is going to be a heavy load on my back!” She said exasperated.

“Aphrodite we don’t have time, please bring us back.” Gabrielle said.

“Alright, alright,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “And off we go again!”

I found myself in the clearing of the Amazon Village in an instant, but cried out once we got there from my stomach growing larger, and a contraction pain. My knees buckled underneath me, but my mother caught me in her arms.

Xena called out to Varia, “Get her to your hut, now! And stay with her!”

“But...” Varia protested, obviously needing to plan a defense for her tribe.

“Just do as I say! I’ll take care of things here,” Xena said. “Now GO!”

Just as Mother yelled that out to Varia, there was the steady sound of hooves coming towards us. Ares’s army was advancing, and they would be here any moment.

TBC....