Note: Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, Ares, Caesar, Bodaceia, Callisto, and Discord are from the show "Xena Warrior Princess" which is under StudiosUSA and created by Rob Tapert and John Schulian. All other characters are fictitious and of my own creation. Any use of real names is purely coincidental.

Preface [Queen's Hut Amazon Village, 82AD]

Gabrielle, Bard-Queen of the Amazons, writes....

After their other adventures, David and Angela discovered a sword and a necklace.  In the process, they and Cybelle blundered into one of Ares' schemes.  In the process, they met Xena and me.

Chapter 1 [Halls of War]

"Another day. Another plot foiled," a dark man fumed from his throne deep inside of a temple in first century Greece. He was Ares, god of war, and his bearing magnified the power behind his words. Standing nearly six and a half feet tall, clad in leather, and having the most steely gaze, he was quite intimidating especially when he was angry. On this day, he was furious.

"Why?" he demanded. "Why does that mongrel half-brother of mine always ruin my plans? And he had to corrupt my greatest warrior!" He pointed at a stone pillar and a fire ball scored its side. "Too bad, Xena. You could have been my Warrior Queen, ruler of the known world...."

"Maybe she was always the goody two shoes at heart," a female voice laughed from behind.

Ares' countenance soured even more. He spun on his heel to see a woman dressed in jet-black leather and having a mane of hair to match. Her eyes held a mischievous sparkle. "Not now, Discord," he hissed.

"Aw, c'mon...What's the matter? Your prize pupil beat you. Too bad, get over it...." she continued.

"You're really pushing it!" he tersely informed her.

She grinned and came still closer. "You know...you could always find another woman to take her place," she suggested.

"No way," he refused. "Not among the Amazons or any other mortals. If she exists, that woman would be known to me."

"True, true...as long as your keeping your eyes open," she smiled wickedly.

"Oh, you know I am. You know I am," Ares agreed as a grin formed across his face.

****************************************

A stiff wind blew across the Britannic plains chilling its inhabitants and those travelers who traversed it. On this particular evening, two women made their way toward Londinium for supplies. The leader traveled on foot. She was fairly well-built. Her golden hair hung down her back and used a walking staff. She also talked endlessly with her companion. Her friend who patiently listened to every word, rode on the chalk-white steed, Argo. Unlike the first woman, nobody would mistake this person's profession. After all, when standing, she was about six feet tall, clothed in leather and chest armor, a broadsword on her back, and a circular chakram hanging above her right hip. Her hair was jet-black and her countenance was grim.

The walking woman asked, "So, what did you think when Hercules....?"

The warrior held up her hand abruptly. "Hold it!" she interrupted while stopping Argo.

"What is it, Xena?" the other asked, readying her staff for a fight.

"There's trouble ahead. Get ready, Gabrielle," Xena explained. Almost at a second's notice, the Warrior Princess tensed, leapt from her mount, and had sword and chakram at the ready when she hit the turf.

Just then, a band of marauders stepped into the path in front of them. "Hello, Ladies," the leader, a swarthy Persian, smiled. "Your horse looks so over burdened there."

Xena chuckled, "Argo's fine. Now, move along. We're in a hurry." Her hand grasped the chakram even firmer.

The man shook his head and demanded, "Oh no. Either you share your goods, or it'll be your funeral." He motioned for his gang to attack with a single motion of his hand.

They don't realize what they're in for, Gabrielle mused.

Xena arched her left eyebrow, narrowed her eyes into slits, and took her opponents' measure. "No, it will be yours," she stated. Flinging her chakram, the weapon caromed off of a nearby tree, a stone wall, Argo's saddle bag, and then, with almost an independent will of its own, took out three attackers before returning to its mistress's hand. Turning to her companion, she yelled, "Now, Gabrielle!"

The Bard nodded and with two quick movements of her staff, took out three more marauders.

Meanwhile, with the quickness of a jungle cat, Xena gyrated between opponents. Gripping one man's shoulders, she swung her legs into a flying kick that disabled three more men. Then, landing between the last two men, she delivered a haymaker which knocked one into the middle of the next week.

The last brigand snuck up behind her with his sword raised. "Prepare to die, Witch!" he thought and tensed....

...And with patented ease, the warrior's right hand raised her sword to parry the man's thrust. Turning to face her adversary, she scorned, "Nice try, Little Man." After dodging another attempt on his part, she stifled a yawn and batted him unconscious with the hilt of her sword. "But not good enough." A quick glance told her that the attackers were out of commission and that Gabrielle had fared as well as she had.

"Thanks for the warning, Xena," Gabrielle nodded.

"No problem," the Thracian warrior agreed as she resumed her place on Argo's saddle. Then, a strange feeling settled in her gut. Something was going to happen soon. Something awful. She decided to keep a watchful eye as they continued down the path to Londinium.

Chapter 2

A frigid wind also blew across New York City. At the Museum of Natural History, a mysterious necklace demanded scholarly attention. This piece of jewelry had come from Glastonbury, leading many people to believe that it had a link to Stonehenge.

However, one scholar disagreed with that theory. David Dubois had come to New York to study the piece. Along with him were his wife, Angie, a noted oncologist, their daughters, Lauren, Karen, and Deirdre, Angie's parents, his sister, Cybelle Rogers, and her husband, Mike. In the next room, Dave's mother, Sarah, and Angie's parents, Bill and Jennifer Blackwell, examined some paintings.

Walking through the facility, Dave felt a tingle creeping up his spine. So many memories laid in the display cases...from his professor's many expeditions. Dr. Anthony Samuelsohn had been a prominent historian and a part-time archaeologist for half a century before his untimely death in 1989. Over that career, he had been very productive as a scholar and as a researcher. In fact, it was that interest which he instilled in Dave that drove the latter to investigate the necklace.

"Hey, Sweetie," Angie stirred him from his reverie.

"Huh? Oh, Angie...yes?" he asked.

"My folks and your Mom wanted to take a break. They offered to take the girls for lunch if that's okay," she explained.

He smiled. The kids didn't get to see their grandparents enough, that was for sure. "Sure, sounds good. When did they want to meet back here?"

"Oh, about four or so. Why don't you go on ahead and look at the necklace? I'll be there in a minute," she told him.

"Okay, see you in there," he concurred and walked into the room.

************************************

In the next room, Cybelle watched the rest of the group depart for the snack shop next door. Normally, she wasn't into museums. Heck, she had been learning about 2000 years of history until just recently. For two mortal years, or what had been a decade to her, she had secretly trained over in Britain to become a priestess knowledgeable in Celtic lore. At the end of that period, she and her husband had returned to the States and took up residence in Massachusetts.

Now, Cybelle was drawn to a piece of her training...here in New York. She was glad that her brother had made the trip from Tucson. Perhaps, he would know why she felt the way that she did. Seeing him enter the chamber, she decided to follow him.

*******************************************

Just inside of the main exhibit hall, Dave encountered a slender man with a gray suit, dark hair, and shades to match. The guard stood tall and patrolled the area with grace.

"Excuse me, Steve," Dave coughed.

The man was indeed Steve Petersen, an FBI agent and Dave's longtime friend. "Hey, Dubie. Glad to see that you could make it," he smiled. "How's everyone?"

Dave looked around curiously. His psychic senses were picking up on something in the room. "Okay, they're getting lunch. Angie will be here in just a minute, however," he noted.

Steve nodded. "Sounds reasonable." Then, he spied Cybelle and Angie at the door. "Please feel free to come in, Ladies."

"Thanks, Steve," Angie stated.

"No problem. Come and take a look at it," he offered, leading the group toward the dais.

Dave and the others followed his lead. When they reached it, he felt that the vibrations were centered there....right with the necklace. It was a beautifully woven golden piece encrusted with blue crystals. In its center, an azure sapphire sparkled in the light. The mysterious runes along its sides added to its allure.

"Nice, isn't it? Funny, they say it's a Druid piece..." Steve commented.

That's because it is.... Cybelle thought to herself.

As Dave and Angie passed their hands over the glass, the sapphire started to glow. When Cybelle did likewise, it flashed brightly.

"Did you see that?" Angie whispered.

"What did you do?" Steve asked Cybelle.

"Nothing," she muttered and continued to stare at the necklace.

Her brother studied her carefully. "Somehow, Cybelle's hidden talent is triggering it as well. Interesting...." he noted.

Angie tapped his shoulder. "What's with Cybelle? She seems to be entranced by the necklace?"

"I don't know." he shrugged and walked up to Cybelle. "Hey, Sis?" he asked.

"Huh? Dave, what's going on?" she queried.

"Not much and I hope that it stays that way," he worried. Somehow, he knew that things would never be the same again....

Chapter 3

Discord lounged back on a bed of satin pillows, sipping red wine from a golden goblet. She was not amused that Ares had scoffed at her suggestion to find a replacement for Xena.

"Xena this, Xena that, Xena...Xena...Xena," she muttered sarcastically. Then, she waved her hands in the air, creating a glowing portal in the air. Let's see if I can cause trouble. Too bad that Callisto's stuck in limbo otherwise I would unleash her on those two, she mused while watching events from across history. Then, the viewer picked up on Cybelle's link to the necklace. "Whoa! I'll bet that the brunette chick might be the answer!" she realized and teleported away to Ares' throne room.

*****************************************

The war god watched Xena's dismantling of the marauders with an icy glare. Then, before she could spot him, he teleported back to his throne room...to find Discord in his seat. "Discord, you know that I don't let anyone sit there but me!" he snarled.

"Even for great news?" she supposed.

"This had better be really good," he advised.

"Oh it is....I found your successor to Xena." she smiled.

"That's not funny!" Ares shook his head. "And now, you're really pushing your luck with me."

"I'm being serious. Look..." she told him and conjured up another portal which depicted the events in the museum.

He nodded appreciatively. "Yes, she is worth grabbing," he admitted while stroking his beard.

She sauntered over to him. "Am I good or what?" she inquired suggestively.

"You have your moments. Now, I need a legion," he commented and raising his hand, summoned a group of men. "Men, he directed, I need you to get something for me...." he started. When he had completely detailed his intentions, he presented the leader with a glowing emerald stone. "Use this to get there...and don't fail me. Both Caesar and I will be displeased if you fail," he insinuated.

The legion's leader bowed briefly and looked at the stone. Its glow seemed to encompass everything around the martial group, and a moment later, they were gone.

************************************************

For a long minute, Dave leaned over the case with a magnifying glass examining the necklace. "Interesting...Celtic, possibly fourth or fifth century, he guessed.

"Maybe some further clues might pop up," Steve joked.

Bad choice of words...for at that moment, the light dimmed, and a faint humming noise came from everywhere.

"Dave?" Cybelle inquired. "What is it?"

Angie ran over to her husband. "Dave, did you just feel something strange?" she asked.

At first, he didn't sense anything. But then, the noise progressively increased and in the corner, the air shimmered and started to swirl, forming a nexus. "I have a bad feeling about this," he hissed.

"Normal bad or really weird bad?" Steve sighed.

"Both...And I let Angie talk me into leaving my gear at the hotel," he shook his head.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, you can't walk around New York with an arsenal on you!" she argued. "Honestly!"

Then, strange soldiers...Greek or Roman by their uniforms... erupted from the portal and glanced around. One legionnaire pointed at Cybelle and bellowed in Latin, "Take the Girl and the necklace for Ares!"

"Not on your life, Buttwipe!" Dave disagreed and charged into the melee with his bullwhip at the ready.

"I suppose that we fight?" Steve asked, drawing his gun.

"What do you think?" Angie tersely replied and fired two psychic pulses, taking down some of her enemies.

As more soldiers seemed to spill through the gap, it became increasingly obvious that the three defenders couldn't defeat the horde on their own.

Finally, one of the soldiers broke through the mess. With a single motion, he broke the case with his sword and claimed the necklace. Then, with his other had, he firmly grasped Cybelle's arm. "Ares wants to talk to you!" he told her.

"No!" she disagreed and began to think up a workable chant.

Before she could do so, however, the Roman knocked her unconscious and threw her into the portal before following closely behind.

*******************************************

Angie kept fighting yet she gradually lost ground to her opponents.

Then, on top of the other noise, a firm and determined voice advised, Come to me...Come to me...I can help you.

She followed the summons out of the main chamber, down a series of ornate corridors, and into the "Ancient Antiquities" area. Now what? she wondered. She studied the Egyptian, Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek, and Roman items until she spied something unusual. In the corner case, a set of leather armor and a metal breastplate seemed to glow on its own. Angie surveyed the display. Behind the armor, she noticed a sword rusted with age and a circular metal disk with an intricate design.

Do I or don’t I? she wondered and bit her lip nervously. A sudden loud crash echoing from the main hall made up her mind. Well, here goes! I hope that my coat is thick enough! she thought, swinging her arm and breaking the glass case. Fortunately, her parka protected her from the shards.

An alarm wailed in protest, but with the confusion elsewhere, nobody noticed it.

Angie gripped the sword...and felt an overwhelming electric jolt. The aura now enveloped her as well. A thousand needles stung her simultaneously and her hair stood on end. "What? What now?" she asked fearfully.

Rest assured, the voice told her. I will not harm you. I only wish to help. With that statement, an explosion of light triggered still more changes. Angie’s form shimmered. The items in the case flew onto her. Knowledge and memories flowed into her mind. Where Angie had stood...now Xena looked about the area. After 2000 years, she was ready to sling her chakram again for justice.

"Now to deal with Ares’ troops," she growled and rushed toward the battle.

*****************************

Steve pumped round after round into the soldiers. Dave moved between them, kicking, punching, whipping, and blasting them as he went.

"Now, I wish that you had your gear too!" Steve yelled.

"Me too!" Dave agreed. Then miraculously, he felt a familiar weight on his back and in his right hand. Somehow, his quiver of arrows and bow were there! "What? Well, this is no time to look a gift horse in the mouth! Okay, Boys! It’s Party Time!" he snarled, firing shaft after shaft into the legionaries.

Then, he noted a woman entering the room. "Angie?" he called. However, the Amazon sure could fight. She seemed familiar too...especially in the way that she laid into the Romans. With whip, sword, and...could it be a chakram?....she ripped through them like a scythe through wheat.

Steve bellowed, "Hey, Dave! How could Xena be here? I thought that she was only a myth!"

Dave stole a look at their ally. He was right...but the way that she was going, he wasn’t going to stop her at that point.

The Roman second-in-command saw that Cybelle and the necklace had been taken. Accordingly, he barked, "Retreat!" He held up a brightly glowing emerald and the legion vanished in a flash of light leaving only the three defenders...and a lot of questions in their wake.

Chapter 4

"Where did they go?" Dave gasped and looked around.

Steve studied his friend. "I don’t know where you got your arrows from. However, they sure came in handy." Then, he turned his attention to Xena. "So, let me guess...Xena Warrior Princess, right?"

"So I’ve been called." she nodded. "By the way, Angela is all right. You might say that we worked out an arrangement."

Dave glared at the warrior. "You better not have hurt her!" he growled low.

Steve grasped the other man’s shoulder. With everything that had happened to that point, they didn’t need a battle between them at that point.

"She is unharmed," Xena reassured Dave. "Without her help, I couldn’t have assisted you."

Dave nodded. "Okay, I’m sorry. Look, we need to compare notes...and I know just the place. C’mon!" However, as they turned to leave, he noticed an emerald shard in the corner. I wonder if this was from the same stone....? 

"Find something?" Xena inquired.

"Maybe. We’ll talk about it when we get to our destination," he explained and motioned them down a maze of corridors and to a dead end. A solitary knight faced the three compatriots.

"Now what?" Steve asked.

"Watch!" Dave smiled and pulled on the knight’s lance. As he did so, a large panel creaked open and slowly revealed a hidden office. "Follow me," he directed. After the three had entered the hidden room, the door eased itself closed once again. The room inside was lined with bookcases whose tomes dated between the 1880s and the 1990s. An antique oak desk sat against the far wall. Three chairs would allow the group to sit down.

Dave settled into the chair behind the desk and looked around. "Yup, it still feels the same," he sighed.

"What? How did you know?" Steve asked. "Wait a minute! Was this Dr. Samuelsohn’s old office?"

"Bingo!" his friend told him. "After all of the time that I spent here as a grad student, I could find this place blindfolded." Then, he cleared his throat to signal a change in subject. "Well, now...shall we get back to the matter at hand? We know that our attackers aren’t from this time. But, where are they from???"

Xena arched her left eyebrow. "I believe that I might have the answer to that question." 

"Go on," Steve urged.

"Those men were Greek and Roman legionnaires under Caesar...." she began.

"Julius Caesar?" the FBI agent interjected. "But?"

Dave cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Go on, Xena. Please..." 

"Very well." she nodded. "They serve the war god, Ares, as well. He teleported them here."

"And the glowing green stone...The Chronos stone, right?" Dave guessed.

She concurred, "Right. But, what was their intent?"

"They stole a valuable crystal necklace and Dave’s sister," Steve pointed out.

"But why the necklace? What would Ares want?" Xena pushed.

The question hung heavily in the air for a full minute before Dave asked Xena, "Was Caesar moving troops en masse towards southwestern Britannia?"

The Warrior Princess scratched her chin and pondered this query. Then, a memory popped into her head. "Indeed. When Gabrielle and I fought his troops, he bragged that I couldn’t stop his next plan. His mistake....," she seethed.

"He has to be heading for Althanor," Dave indicated.

"So, what do we do now?" Steve queried his allies.

"Are we going there?" Xena asked.

"Yes, in a few hours...but first, I need to settle things here. I need to check on my daughters first," he explained.

"Certainly, I will change back when we get to the main floor," she agreed as they left the room.

************

"Wow!" Angie gasped, after the transformation. "What happened?"

"You don’t remember?" Steve asked.

"No, I don’t," she huffed impatiently. "The last thing that I remember is being in the ancient display area and holding a sword...."

"You did a lot more than that, Princess. Trust me," her husband snickered.

"Now, what’s so funny? You two sound like I changed or something.....," she demanded.

"You did. Xena Warrior Princess actually," Dave baited.

She snorted, "You’ve got to be kidding! Steve, he’s kidding, right?"

He shrugged and glanced at her husband who was laughing by that point.

"Right?" she insisted putting her hands on her hips.

"We’re deadly serious," Dave managed to tell her while letting a little amusement into his voice.

"Oh right....and I suppose that I did the back flips, punches, karate kicks, and threw that discus thing....," she joked sarcastically.

"It’s called a chakram, Angie," Dave cracked. "And yes, you did all of those things. Now, since we need to talk to our parents, we do want to keep a calm facade, don’t we?"

"That’s for sure. C’mon, let’s go find them," she agreed and we headed for the museum’s main exit.

Chapter 5

Ares and Discord sat in the temple’s throne room. While they were perplexed by the problems and bumbling of their proud lackey’s troops, they loved the energy of the battle unfolding on the screen in front of them.

"What odd clothes," she criticized. "Still, they fight well."

He nodded grimly. "Yes, I agree. Those men are Caesar’s handpicked troops out there and they are still wiping the floor with them. Then, they saw Cybelle and the necklace vanish into the portal. "Ah, our prizes will be here shortly. Come...we must greet our warriors." He strode purposefully through the door with Discord following closely behind.

***************

"What were you doing?" the legion’s leader fumed at his men. He was a lanky yet well-built man in his early thirties. He had a severe military haircut and a piercing gaze which cut right through to his men’s very souls. He was Julius Caesar, the most ambitious general in the Roman Empire. Right now, those designs meant assisting Ares and these incompetent plebes were not about to ruin this opportunity for him!

"Pardon us, Great Caesar," his lieutenant trembled. "The two men fought like tigers. We did get Ares’ prizes. But then, Xena appeared and...."

The report startled Caesar and he turned suddenly. "Did you say, Xena?" he seethed. "Are you certain?"

"How could I not be, Sir?" the other continued nervously. "Who else dresses in leather, outfights everyone, and throws that damnable chakram about???"

The Roman leader nodded. "True, nobody fights like she does...Yes, I suppose that you did well enough getting the girl and the jewelry. Very well, you are dismissed."

The subordinate bowed silently and led the other troops from the room.

Caesar paced to-and-fro, listening as the footsteps echoed in the distance. Xena frustrated him. But, he would defeat her. After all, wasn’t he Caesar? Was it not his destiny to control mankind and rule the world? He decided to savor his position before deciding how to best deal with his men.

However, Xena continued to dominate his thoughts. "How could she...?"

"Xena is nothing, if not resourceful. Remember that," a voice lectured suddenly.

Caesar spun to face Ares. "Then you heard?"

Ares grinned with amusement. He blew on his fist and rubbed it against his chest. "Of course, I know? Am I not the god of war? Remember, Caesar, while you are a great general, I am the god of war...."

Caesar eyed the other cautiously.

"...I made you...," Ares continued.

The Roman’s nerves began to flare.

"And I can break you," Ares finished tersely. "No secrets. Understood?"

"Of course not," the other assured him. While he hated to cave into a Greek god, Ares had a point about their relationship. If there was one thing that Caesar understood above all else, it was the nature of power.

"Good." the war god nodded. "Have your men taken the shrine yet?"

"Yes, the pagan building is ours," Caesar reported.

"Excellent. Now, if you will accompany Discord and myself, there is one more spell to be performed there. We will have one more priestess...under my control of course," Ares revealed and, with a wave of his hand, teleported them from the chamber.

********************

The Shrine outside of Silchester had contained a thriving Druid community. After the Romans’ attack, it was abandoned and silent. It was here that the three conspirators appeared.

"Mmm...The mayhem," Discord savored.

"Yes, I love the scene of a battle," Ares concurred. "Come, let’s get to the temple."

Caesar nodded and motioned for a Roman priest to follow them.

The group walked through the town and climbed the stairs to the shrine. Therein, they found the chamber and altar intact even if the Druids’ religious decorations were gone...."

"Good. Everything is ready," Ares smiled and snapped his fingers.

Cybelle’s shimmering form appeared and floated to the dais.

"Now, for the other piece," she noted and pointed her right index finger at the altar. The necklace appeared around Cybelle’s neck.

The Roman general looked at the priest. "Do your work now!" he ordered.

"Yes, Great Caesar," the other man agreed and hesitantly opened the Druid’s book of chants. Then, he began to chant an ancient chant once, twice...and then, a third time. The air crackled with eldritch energies and the unwitting priest became their focal point. He channeled their energies into Cybelle.

Ares, for his part, walked over, and, grasping the woman’s right hand, filled her with still more energy. Having done this, he backed away to his previous position once again.

"It...It’s too much!" the priest screamed and disappeared in a blinding flash as the energies reached a crescendo.

Then, Cybelle’s eyes snapped open and she released a silent scream as well. When the light had subsided, she rose from the platform clad in traditional Celtic robes instead of her twentieth century garments.

"Excellent!" Ares approved and stepped toward the priestess.

She considered this man and his companions. "I’m sorry...but who are you?" she asked.

"I am Ares, god of war. The woman is Discord and the man beside her is Caesar," he explained.

"Yes, Ares...Now, I know...I’m...supposed to help you...," she recited entranced.

"Indeed. Now, please rest. We will be traveling to Althanor soon enough," he urged. "Come, we will get you to some place comfortable." In a flash, the foursome disappeared from the temple grounds.

Chapter 6

The scene at the museum went pretty much as Dave had expected...considering that there had just been a major disturbance inside of its main display. Fortunately, Steve's federal connections took care of Manhattan's Finest. In the meantime, Angie's parents agreed to watch the girls. For its part, the university extended Dave's and Angie's respective leaves. After attempting to reassure his mother, Dave left her with his brother-in-law, rejoining his wife and friend back inside of the museum.

"So, now what?" Angie asked him.

"Now, we go after the necklace," he pointed out. "Steve, can you run interference for us?"

"Well...It's going to be a pain, but yeah, I can hold the bureaucrats at bay until you get back. Good luck, you two," the agent agreed.

Angie scratched her head. "How are we going to get it back?"

"With this," Dave revealed and pulled the emerald shard from his pocket. "It's from the stone that the Romans used. Take my hand."

Angie sighed nervously. While she was nervous about this procedure, they needed to go after Cybelle. There was no choice in the matter....She grasped his hand and touched the gem's splinter.

Suddenly, the jewel fragment glowed brightly. Angie and Dave felt a intense electric charge and then, they disappeared from the museum.

Steve shook his head. Why can't they ever do anything like a normal couple? Oh well, good luck. Come back safe and sound, will you?  With that, he turned and walked back towards the detectives and the panicked family members, still trying to figure out what to say to them.

*************************

Dave and Angie fell through what seemed to be a kaleidoscope of flashes and paisley colors. The trip seemed like it would never end.

Angie's nerves momentarily got the better of her. "Dave! Where are you?" she implored.

"Right here," he reassured her and grasped her hand.

"So when...?" she asked.

"Soon, I'm sure," he maintained.

"When?" she repeated.

"So...." he started to answer.

"Wait, what's that?" she indicated and pointed straight ahead of them.

He looked and saw the glowing spot rushing up to meet them. "Hang on!" he advised and took her hand.

As they hit the spot, another brilliant flash surrounded them, and they felt themselves hit something hard.

Dave looked around. They were in a grassy meadow and none the worse for wear it appeared. "Are you okay?" he asked his wife.

"Yes, but I feel different...I don't feel Xena anymore!" she noted.

He surveyed the territory around them and saw a familiar sight behind her. "That's because of two things," he guessed.

"Which are?" she followed.

"First, we're back in Roman times and, as for the second item, turn around," he indicated.

"What now?" she muttered and turned around. When she saw the person standing behind her, Angie's eyes bulged. "Oh wow! It's you!"

**********************

Xena had not slept well that evening. She felt that something was about to happen. So, just before dawn, she rose from her resting place, saddled Argo, and rode away towards the east. About an hour later, she stopped her horse, dismounted, and took a close look around. Nothing. Then, on a whim, she looked up and saw the bright spot appear. "What the...?" she asked. A man and a woman sprouted from it and fell to the ground below. The Warrior Princess decided to investigate.

Then, the woman wailed, "I don't feel Xena anymore!"

This statement froze the Thracian warrior. "Feel me?" she mouthed silently.

The man noticed her and advised his companion to turn around.

 When the woman had done so, she came face to face with Xena. "Oh wow! Xena, it is you!" she realized.

Not sure what to think, Xena drew her sword.

"Xena, we aren't your enemies! We need your help!" the man told her.

She stopped and glared at him. "Then, what is your purpose here?" 

"We're travelers from a distant land. We came here to retrieve a necklace and rescue my sister. If we leave them with Ares and Caesar, the world will no longer be the same," he continued.

"And what of Althanor?" Xena demanded. "What about the Romans' designs on it?"

"We also want to protect that place," Angie insisted.

The warrior scratched her head and finally, agreed, "Very well. Come on, we need to get my friend."

***************************************************

When they had arrived back at the camp, Gabrielle was leaning over the fire. "Oh, Xena. I was just cooking a meal," she explained.

Her friend nodded. "Smells good. Can you dig up two more portions? The man's name is David, and the woman is Angela."

Gabrielle concurred, "Absolutely." Then, she looked at the others. "So, you two are on the road as well?"

"Yes, we've come a long way," Angie told her.

The Bard took this information in and turned to her friend. "Xena, what's going on?" she whispered.

"Well, Ares is up to his usual no good," her friend advised.

"We have some big problems. There's a crystal necklace and a powerful lady who's wearing it. Everyone in our family has psychic abilities," he added.

"What kind of abilities?" Gabrielle inquired.

"Watch," he advised and focused on her staff. The weapon rose into the air and started to spin. The motion continued and the spinning increased. Finally, the staff slowed and finally stopped its motion before settling back to the ground.

"Nice trick," Xena admired. "But, if Ares is doing something, we'll have to move fast."

*********************************************

The sun bore down on the travelers with unparalleled fierceness as they proceeded along the twisting, dusty trail. Finally, late in the day, the mists intensified.

"We're close," Dave murmured.

The Warrior Princess nodded.

"Close to what?" Gabrielle probed.

"Althanor," Angie stated.

Just then, a triumphant trumpet echoed through the woods.

"Company!" he snarled.

Xena listened intently and grimly agreed, "Roman legion!"

Angie turned to her husband, "So, now what?"

"Now, we fight," he noted and climbed up into an adjacent tree to gain position.

At that point, a small sortie of Caesar's legionnaires crashed into the clearing and attacked the group.

The Thracian warrior whirled and danced through the air, lashing out at anything in a Roman uniform. The chakram ricocheted, caromed, and careened off of still more adversaries.

Gabrielle's staff and Angie's sword found still other enemies.

Dave pumped a hail of arrows into the onslaught, slowing their progress....But, since reinforcements kept coming, the effort would not be enough. Realizing this fact, the librarian exchanged looks with Xena and nodded. "Retreat, ladies!" he directed. "Into the mists!" Snagging his whip on a nearby branch, he swung to the ground, and motioned for the others to follow him.

Angie and Gabrielle followed him. The latter, not seeing her friend with them, turned and yelled, "Xena! Come on!"

The warrior reluctantly agreed and took off after her friends.

The Romans followed but were soon lost in the intensifying mists.

Finally, after running for what seemed like hours, the group stopped in a small clearing. There, a young woman with bright red hair and a white robe watched them approach.

"Xena, Gabrielle, David, and Angela, I trust?" she inquired.

"Right," Xena agreed. "And you are?"

"I am Genaria, a priestess of Althanor. Come! We do not have much time!" Genaria bade her companions and waving her hands, created a misty fog bank in front of them. "Please!"

Dave took Angie's hand, "C'mon, Princess. Let's go."

She nodded and the couple vanished into the fog patch.

The Warrior Princess was about to question his decision but heard the legionnaires' approach. "Let's go, Gabrielle," she decided and plunged ahead, followed closely by her partner.

Genaria looked about and stepped through the portal herself just before the Romans caught up to them, leaving the latter to wonder where they had gone.

For the next part, click here 

Please send questions and comments to dante0220@yahoo.com .