Who Will Save Our Souls?

Pairing: Joxer/Ares
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, but to Renaissance Pictures
Summary: Response to JCC Challenge from Bigbucks

This story is not yet, but will eventually be, NC-17

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Challenge:
Write a long story using the shows Xena and Hercules where Ares becomes the King of the Gods and Joxer his Prince Consort.
Requirements:
Hades is Jace, Jett and Joxer's father.
They must have some kind of very powerful ability that they keep hidden.
Joxer is a hermaphrodite but has been hiding that fact all his life.

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CHAPTER 1

Hades rose from his throne to greet the vision of beauty that came toward him. He picked up the woman's tender hand and brought it to his lips. He was momentarily lost in the scent of her, so much like the first blooms of spring. He only wished she could stay for more than just this one night.

"Persephone, my love, it is good to see you."

"Hades." She smiled sweetly as she brought a hand up to his face. "Is dinner ready, my husband?"

"This way, my love." He held out an arm, which she took, and led her off into a dining room. He pulled out a chair for her next to the head of the long table, then sat in his customary seat. Immediately, the servants moved to set plates before them with incredible delicacies, filling their goblets with wine before they left the couple to dine. "A toast, my love. To you, the most beautiful Goddess in creation, and to those we remember tonight."

She raised her glass to his. "To our children."

They both downed their drinks in one swallow, then set about eating their meals, lost in thoughts of the past.

* * *

Thirty Years Previous . . .

"Persephone! Welcome home, my dearest child!"

"Mother!"

The two women hugged each other tightly. Persephone had just returned after her four months with Hades, and had missed her mother dearly.

"What's this? Have you been gaining weight?"

"Well, Hades' servants do feed us well, mother."

"Enough about that husband of yours. Tell me about how you've been."

The two women spent quite some time catching up on each other's lives. Persephone reintegrated herself into the life of one who lived aboveground as she always did. However, Demeter noticed small changes in her daughter: she continued to gain weight; she had unusual mood swings; and her tastes in food had become quite absurd. One day, she confronted her daughter with her observations.

"Persephone, why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what, mother?"

"Don't play the fool with me, child. You're pregnant with that bastard's child, aren't you?"

Persephone sighed. She had hoped to hide her condition from her mother, but she should have known better. "Yes, I am." She jumped as her mother slammed a fist into the nearest inanimate object.

"How dare you allow that-that God to touch you?!"

"Mother, he is my husband."

"I don't care if he's the King of the Gods himself! He kidnaped you and took you away from me!"

"Mother, we've been over this time and time again. He and I have put the past behind us and I have come to love him. And now I am to bear his child."

"Not if I have anything to say about it. It is easy to become with child, and it is just as easy to lose one."

"No!"

"What are you to do, child? He cannot come here to protect you, or his bastard offspring. You know he must dwell in the underworld."

"I will not kill my unborn child!"

Demeter looked over her daughter. Had they been talking on any other subject, she would have admired her daughter's courage and stubbornness. However, her daughter knew how she felt about Hades.

"I will not allow you to keep the child, nor will I allow the child to be raised a full God."

"Then let me take care of it. Anything so long as this child l."
."

Demeter turned her back on her daughter. "Until that bastard child of yours is born, you will not set foot before me. Go, and come back alone."

Persephone raised her chin and disappeared, only to reappear in an abandoned home outside Corinth. With a few motions of her hand, the decrepit building was suitable for the Goddess to spend the next few months.

For some time, she lived her life as most mortals did. She found she enjoyed the small day-to-day tasks such as cooking and cleaning. They gave her mind something other than her mother to occupy her thoughts.

One day, as she was sitting by a nearby stream, she laid her hand against her belly to feel the child within. For the first time, she was able to truly connect with the life inside her. That was when she realized there was not just one, but three lives that depended on her. She smiled; she was to give birth to triplets. Part of her wasn't surprised. Her husband's life seemed to receive mixed blessings in threes: three sons of Cronus, three heads of Cerberus, three assistant judges . . .

She continued as she had for the last few months, every day speaking to the children in her belly. Finally, she felt the first contractions that signaled the triplets' arrival. She lay upon her bed and prayed to Hera.

"Oh my!" the Queen of the Gods cried as she appeared before the labouring Goddess. "Persephone, you never told me you were with child."

"I'm sorry, Hera. My mother was so displeased and..."

The Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth quieted her, sensing how stressful thoughts of Demeter were to the woman. She materialized all the equipment she needed and prepared for the coming of the three children.

As Persephone was recovering from another contraction, she was hit by a prayer from her most loyal worshiper. She'd always made time to listen to Jorinda's prayers, for it was not often she received prayers from a woman in a marriage much like her own.

"Please Goddess Persephone, hear my prayers. I have been a good and loyal wife to my husband, Janus. Though our marriage did not begin as many do, I have forgiven him for my abduction from my family. I have even become accustomed to his lifestyle as a warlord. However, I seem to be unable to conceive a child. hav have visited every healer we know of, and none have been able to help. In this life I have been thrown into, I wish to gain some control. Any child I am blessed with, I shall raise to the best of my abilities. Thank you for hearing my prayer, Goddess."

The prayer strengthened Persephone, and she let the strength wash over her as she pushed. The first child was now lying in Hera's arms."

"Congratulations, my dear. You have a very handsome son."

Hera materialized a large cradle and placed the infant inside. She then turned to the now panting Persephone to help deliver the next child.

"Congratulations again. You have yet another son."

The final child took longer to deliver than the others. Finally, with much effort, the child left it's mother's womb into the Goddess' arms.

"Congratulations. You have a beautiful..." Hera squinted her eyes and moved to clean the child again. "Hmm. This one is quite special, my dear."

"How, Hera?" Persephone managed to speak between attempts to catch her breath.

"It is both male and female."

"But, how is that possible?"

"I don't know, but the child will require much love and understanding. Now, if that is all, I must return to Olympus." Hera nodded at the new mother and disappeared.

Persephone gathered her strength and rose from the bed to see her children. They were so beautiful. She touched each cheek with a finger, reveling in the love she felt for them. However, she remembered that Hera would most likely tell Demeter about the births. She would have to find a new home for her little ones before her mother could think to do so herself. Remembering the prayer she had heard as she gave birth, she had her answer.

Persephone picked up all three infants and held them close. She disappeared and reappeared in Jorinda's bedroom. She was alone, her husband being away taking over a small village.

"Wake up, my dear."

The woman rose her head and realized a Goddess was in her room. She immediately got out of bed and fell to her knees.

"I have come to answer your prayers. I have here three very special children that will need a kind and understanding mother. Do you feel up to the task?"

"Yes, my Goddess."

"Then stand and receive them."

The woman stood, and Persephone handed over her children one by one. Her eyes welling up with tears, she touched a hand to each forehead, taking away all but one of the godly powers of each child so that they would pass as mortals, and any curious God would mistake them for Demi-Gods.

The woman examined her new children and saw that two were boys, and the other was different. She now understood the Goddess' words. "With your permission, My Goddess, I will name the boys Jace and Jett. The other, I will name Joxer."

"Very good, Jorinda. Good night. Take care of them, for they are very dear to me, and be certain to pray to me to keep me apprised of their progress." The Goddess disappeared, leaving the woman to care for her new charges.

Persephone reluctantly returned to her mother's side for the rest of her time away from her husband. When the time came for her return to the Underworld, she was anxious to see her husband and tell him about what had happened. Hades was saddened by the news, but he understood his wife's actions.

"You did the right thing, my love. At least now we know they're out there, somewhere."

That night, the couple made a vow to celebrate the triplets' birthday every year in the hopes that one day they would be reunited with their children.

~*~*~*~

Back in the present...

Hades looked up from his meal to see his wife in deep thought. He reached over and took one of her hands in his.

"Something worries you, my love. What is it?"

"Mother is once again upset that I have come to you this day. It is now snowing in parts of Greece, creating much damage that I will have to fix upon my return."

Hades looked down at the food before him. "Did you wish to return sooner than you had planned?"

Persephone looked over at him with all the love in her heart. "Of course not, my love. I refuse to let her rule over my life. She knows that this one day I come back to visit you and that I will return come morning."

Hades heaved a sigh of relief and rose from his chair, pulling Persephone up as well. Still holding her hand, he led his wife to their bedroom. He laid down and pulled her down next to him, holding her tightly against his chest as if his life depended on their link to one another. Lying in each others' arms, their walls fell and the tears they'd kept hidden for the past year finally fell.

It was while they held each other that the pain hit.

Their grips on each other tightened convulsively. The pain seemed to pulse through every inch of their bodies. They knew there was only one thing that could cause such pain in a God — the death of another God.

After several moments, the pain finally receded. Hades sat up and reached out with all his senses to figure out which member of his family had just died.

"Oh no. Zeus!"

"Darling? No, you can't be serious. It was Zeus?"

He nodded slowly. "I do not wish to leave you here alone, but..."

"Go, my love. I will be fine. It's Zeus and the Pantheon that need you most right now."

He nodded and leaned over, placing a loving kiss on her forehead. Then, with a thought, he disappeared from the room.

~*~*~*~

Hades took a moment to check in with his servants before he headed for Olympus. Zeus' spirit had already been escorted to the underworld, and was most likely getting the tour from his grandson, Strife. Once assured he knew the King of the Gods' whereabouts, he headed up to Zeus' main hall where he knew most of his family were assembled for one of Zeus' infamous family meetings. He and Persephone had both missed the meeting in order to celebrate the all- too-important birthday.

When he arrived, the first thing he noticed was not the yelling and screaming, but the fact that Ares was not part of it. The War God knelt at his father's side, silent and somber.

"Quiet!" At the unexpected sound of Hades' voice, everyone stopped their shouting and turned to face him. "Now, will somebody please tell me what has happened here?"

He was answered by a sea of blank looks. Finally, Ares stood from Zeus' body. "We were having the regular family meeting. Zeus was lecturing us on some rule or other, when all of a sudden, he dropped dead. We have no idea what's happened to him. So far, I can't sense any foul play. Did he arrive in your realm safely, Uncle?"

"Yes, he's safe."

For several moments, the room full of Gods and Goddesses looked at one another, saying nothing. No one knew what to say or do. They were momentarily lost without their King, the one constant in their long lives.

~*~*~*~

"Oh my!" Everyone turned to look at Hermes, momentarily brought out of their thoughts by the exclamation. "I must go. My son is calling for me."

With a final nod, Hermes left the assembled Gods and Goddesses and reappeared at his son's side in a clearing somewhere in Greece. He was somewhat surprised to find the man wasn't alone, but was desperately trying to comfort another man who was crouched in a fetal position on the dewy grass. Hermes' dark son rose to greet his father.

"Thanks for coming," Autolycus said with obvious relief. "I didn't know who else to call. My friend needs help but I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Tell me what happened."

"We were just sitting here talking, when all of a sudden I doubled over in pain. It was really intense there for a moment. Eventually, it looked like the pain was gone, but then I looked over at Joxer and he was mumbling something about his brothers and curled up like that."

Hermes took a step toward the curled figure and placed a hand against the man's forehead. Through that smallest of touches, he was given half the answer.

"Son, did you know that your friend is like you?"

"What do you mean?"

"He has Olympian blood in him. He must have felt the same pain as you did, as we all did. You see, Zeus is dead." He paused a moment, giving his son a moment to adjust to the news, then he continued. "However, that should not be the reason he's retreated into himself as he has. You say he mumbled about his brothers?" The dark man nodded. "If he doesn't know he's a demi-God, he may be under the impression that it was his brother's death he felt."

"Well, how do we help him? I can't just leave him like this. We're supposed to meet some friends of ours in the next town and they'll get suspicious if we don't show up. I get the feeling they're afraid I'm going to corrupt him."

Hermes smiled. He knew his son was a good man. However, he did have his faults, as would be expected of any child born of the God of messengers, thieves and liars. "Let me try. Maybe I can find a way to communicate with him." He held his hand against the man's forehead in a firmer grip and closed his eyes in concentration. Within moments, the two beings seemed to wake as if they had been dreaming. Hermes couldn't keep the smile from his face as he watched his son go to the man's side.

"Hey, Jox, you ok?"

Joxer looked up at his friend with unfocused eyes. "Auto? What-what happened?"

"Zeus is dead. Apparently, we both felt his death."

"Wow. I didn't know mortals could feel a God's death."

Autolycus traded a glance with his father, then looked back at his companion. "Jox, I hate to be the one to break this to ya, but you're not a regular mortal. In fact, you're a demi- God."

"I'm a what?" Joxer's eyes opened wide as chakhrams and seemed to notice Hermes for the first time. "Who're you?"

"I'm Hermes."

"You're not going to tell me you're my father or something, are you?"

"No. I don't know who your father is, or your mother for that matter. I only came here because my son asked for me to help you."

"So, what makes you think I'm a demi-God?"

"Well, you're definitely not mortal. I can sense the Olympian blood that flows through your veins."

Joxer nodded, not quite understanding what was going on, but afraid any lack of response would only cause the God to explain further, creating more questions in his mind. "Since you're a God, can you tell me if my brothers are ok?"

"And who might they be?"

"Their names are Jett and Jace."

Hermes stretched out his senses for any sign of the two men. He vaguely felt references to them by some of his followers and concluded they must still be alive. "I think they're okay."

Joxer visibly relaxed.

"Now, if that's all, there's an emergency on Olympus that I must attend to. Goodnight, son."

Autolycus rose to face his father. "Thanks again, father." When the God disappeared, Autolycus turned back to his friend. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up. Though I've gotta say, it's been one hell of a birthday." He rose, only to flop down onto his bedroll. "I'm gonna get some sleep. The last thing I want is to be tired when we meet up with Xena and Gabby tomorrow."

"Oh, did I forget to tell you we're also meeting Hercules and Iolaus?" Joxer nodded. "Oh, well, now you know. Goodnight, Jox."

"Night, Auto."

Meanwhile, the meeting room in Zeus' temple was just as Hermes had left it when he returned. Aphrodite leaned over to him from her spot at his left.

"Is everything ok with Autolycus?"

"Yeah. His friend Joxer was having some kind of problem..." Hermes tried to keep his words silent, for Aphrodite's ears only, but the silence of the room echoed his words tenfold.

Hades was broken from his silent contemplation at the mention of his youngest child's name. He pushed down a moment of panic. As far as he knew, he and Persephone were the only ones who knew of the triplets. For their safety, he and his wife had told their fellow Olympians that the children had died shortly after they were born.

"What kind of problem was this, Hermes?"

Hermes looked up and saw that he had become the center of attention. "Well, this young man was apparently one of us, but didn't know it. When he felt Zeus' death, he must have assumed it was one of his brothers and retreated into his subconscious mind."

"Is he all right now?"

"Yeah, I helped him. He was a friend of Auto's, after all."

"Do you know Joxie?" Aphrodite was getting suspicious at Hades' apparent interest in the man.

"Not personally, but I've heard Iolaus mention him once or twice on his visits to my domain." That answer seemed to appease the Love Goddess for the moment.

"So," Aphrodite addressed the room, "what are we going to do now?"

"I don't know about the rest of you," Ares said, "but I'm going to find out who's responsible for this."

"Wait a minute," said Athena, the voice of reason. "First we need to decide on who's going to take over from Zeus. The natural choices would be Hades or Poseidon, as Zeus' brothers."

The two Gods looked at each other, shaking their heads. "We're already in charge of our own domains. For one of us to change would be too great a disruption to the order of things."

"Poseidon's right," Hades continued. "The responsibility must fall to the God most capable of handling the job: Zeus' heir, Ares."

The entire room turned to stare at the silent War God. "Me? If I take over as King, then who will be in charge of finding out what happened to Zeus? Which one of you can honestly say I'm not the best one for that job?" No one chose to answer. "Just as I thought. Once again, I'm left to do everything."

Ares looked down at his father's corpse, then looked across the room at Hephaestus. Heph seemed to read his thoughts and, with a wave of his hand, Zeus' body was enveloped in a bright red flame and cremated before their very eyes.

"Athena, while I'm investigating, you will be in charge. Once the truth comes out, we'll see where we go from there. Agreed?" Everyone in the room nodded. "Now, we still have a world to run. Let's get to work."

~*~*~*~

All but Hades and Ares left the room. Hades walked over to his nephew's side and placed a hand on his massive shoulder.

"You know, you're eventually going to have to take over."

"I know, but I have to do my job first." Ares sighed. "It's the least I can do, for Dad."

"You really loved him, didn't you?"

"He treated me like shit, but he's my father — *was* my father," Ares corrected.

"You might need a little help."

"Are you offering?" Ares asked, almost laughing at the thought.

"Under the right circumstances."

"What do you want?" Ares asked pointedly.

"I want protection for three men in the mortal realm."

"Done. Who are they?"

"Their names are Jace, Jett, and Joxer."

"What is your interest in these mortals."

"My interest is none of your business," Hades all but growled. "Do you accept my offer or not?"

"I accept, Uncle."

"Good. I must see to the Underworld. You know where to find me."

With a nod, Hades disappeared, leaving Ares standing alone in the room. He snapped his fingers and reappeared in his private chambers in the Halls of War. Finally alone and out of Olympian sight, Ares let the rage within take over and started throwing fireballs at every available target. He only stopped when there was nothing left to destroy. He collapsed on his bed and let the silent tears flow.

"Fuck! Why did you have to go now? I don't want to be King!" His breathing turned ragged as small sobs were torn from within. "How could you leave me when there was so much I never said, so much you never told me. Did you ever once love me? Did you ever really think of me as your son and not your enemy?"

Through his tears, he could vaguely make out a prayer coming to him. He was about to dismiss it when he realized what was being said.

"...I don't really know what it's like to lose a father. My Dad's still alive, only in jail. But if Hermes is right, I've got a Mom or a Dad out there I don't even know about. For all I know, it could be Zeus, and I'd have lost him before I even got to meet him. You must have loved him very much, and I know he loved you just as much. How could he not? You must have made him proud.

"Anyway, I know the last thing you need to hear right now is a prayer from me. I just hope you're ok. Good night Ares."

Ares followed the prayer to its source. It was Joxer, the mortal who kept following Xena and Gabrielle. Wait a minute - he wasn't a mortal. Hermes had said he had Olympian blood. And Hades had asked Ares to watch over the man. Could Joxer be Hades' son, and did Persephone know?

He shook the thoughts out of his head. This wasn't the time to figure out the heritage of some mortal; he had to find out what had happened to Zeus. He reached up to wipe the tears from his face and steeled himself for the job ahead of him. He needed to think, so he popped away to his favourite mountain where neither man nor beast would dare disturb him.

~*~*~*~

Joxer looked down at his hands where they were folded in his lap. He hoped his words of comfort were not lost on the God. He wrapped the blanket tighter around his shoulders to try and bring down the shivering in his bones; however, his efforts were in vain. He was not shivering because of the cold, but because what Hermes had said earlier had finally hit him. He and his brothers were not who they thought they were. One of their parents was not their parent. And finally, Zeus was dead.

How would the world survive without the King of the Gods? Or would the Pantheon simply choose another King?

Briefly, he wondered what happened to Gods when they died. Were they judged as mortals were, or were they sent to a special part of the Underworld? Would Hades be capable of returning the dead God to life, or would Zeus be condemned to death? Joxer hoped that Zeus was well and decided to pray for the dead God.

"Lord Hades, hear my prayer. I hope you are well despite the death of your brother, and I hope Zeus is able to find peace after his long life."

In the Underworld, Persephone heard her husband gasp at the same time as his arms stiffened around her. "What is it, my love?" She stroked the arms around her comfortingly.

"It's Joxer."

"Our Joxer? Is he alright? Is something wrong?"

"He's fine. He-he's praying to me." The dark God looked into his beloved's eyes. "He's actually praying to me, and for me. He is hoping I am well."

The couple tightened their hold on each other. "I want to go to him, Hades. Let's go to our child."

"We can't. At least, not yet. Olympus is in chaos, and if we go to him your mother will know and might try to harm him. The pantheon would be too busy to notice."

"Then let's get him and bring him here. He and his brothers. They're old enough now to know the truth..."

"But they can't protect themselves against a God. I want them here as much as you do, but we must wait until the time is right."

Persephone burrowed into her husband's shoulder. "I know you're right. I just miss them so much."

"So do I, my love. So do I."

TBC...