Chapter 4 [Next Day]

Kyla checked her suitcase, making sure that she had everything. Other than this college experience, she had never been away from home for that length of time before. Yes, I'll have enough clothes. I wish I could bring my charms and herbs but that would cause trouble. 

"Excuse me, Kyla?" Jasmine inquired. "Do you have a minute?"

"Certainly! I'm glad you've returned, Jasmine. How was your training?" the shamaness asked.

The Princess smiled. "It was different. I can say now that electricity is overrated. The Amazons are a great group. Still...."

"Still what?" Kyla wondered, noticing her friend's brow scrunching up. "Jasmine, what is it?"

"Xena and Gabrielle lost a good friend while I was back there. Have you ever heard of Hercules?" Jasmine asked.

"The legendary Hercules? Of course! He actually existed?" Kyla retorted in disbelief.

"Yes. I saw him as an old man. His half-brother had poisoned him somehow," Jasmine reported. "To think Ares-the god of war-is such a braggart!"

The shamaness considered those words, remembering what Clark, Lana and Chloe had told her about their meeting with the Greek Pantheon. That must have been something else. But would they come near us knowing that the Professor, Xena and Dr. Messenger can kill them? "Still, be on your guard, Jasmine, and do not tempt fate. The legends say Ares is spiteful."

"A bully, you mean," Jasmine replied crossly.

"Now that ain't nice," a disembodied voice chided as Ares appeared in the room. "I'm going to have to teach you some manners."

"Try it," the newest Amazon dared him, drawing her scimitar.

"Back off, war god, or else," Kyla urged.

He broke out laughing. "Yeah right! You two-against me? Whatever." He glared at them while drawing his own sword.

"Bring it on! I'm not old!" Jasmine challenged.

He shrugged and matched her steel against his for several minutes. Her skill impressed him but, after a while, she started to tire. "Give up?"

"Never!" she hissed, pushing him backward.

"Really! This has been entertaining but now, I'm ticked!" he spat, throwing a power blast at her.

Kyla pulled her friend out of the way just in time. Great. Now what do we do?

Before he could strike again, he felt his arms pinned to his sides. "Now what?" He looked down to find a giant python constricting him. "What in Tartarus? Get off of me!" Flexing his muscles, he freed himself, flinging the snake against the wall.

Next, a swarm of bees obscured his sight, stinging at him to no avail. "What the?"

Sasha answered, "My friends actually. I'd stop now, whoever you are."

He frowned. "Beat it, Pests!" He waved his hand, creating a breeze, blowing everything away from him.

Or at least it had done so until it reversed and blew him across the room.

"What the?" he growled, seeing Byron and Samantha rushing into the area. "More of you!"

"This is our place! Scram!" the Dark Poet declared, smacking the intruder through the open window space and forcing him to fall several stories to the courtyard below. 

Samantha took a deep breath and shook her head. "No wonder the Professor hates him. What a twit!" Surveying the room, she saw her four friends there. "Are you all right?"

"I will be," Paula assured them all, slowly getting to her feet. "We need to get Clark here on the double."

****


Meantime, the war god dusted himself off and glared back up at the students. Cute trick but I'm really mad now. He willed up another fire ball.

"What do you want?" Eve demanded.

He turned to find the former Messenger behind him with her sword drawn. "Ooh, look at you. You're too much the goodie two shoes to use that thing anyway. Shoo!"

In response, she grazed his arm with her blade, drawing blood. "Guess it runs in the family, doesn't it?" She glared at him menacingly. "Go!"

While wiping his arm off, he surveyed the woman in the white armor. She definitely had something. I could swear that she's Livia. "Look, Livia, why are you helping those brats?"

She retorted, "I'm not Livia! When are you going to learn that? And they are not brats! The only brat around here is you! Leave now!" She waved the sword in the air and held it ready, giving him a fair imitation of her mother's famous glare. "Or do you wish to try your luck against us?"

"Us?" he asked skeptically. "I see only you."

A sarcastic whistle came from behind him.

He turned to find the Child's image standing there; its hands blazing with dark fire. "How'd you get here?"

"Ah thought ya wuz the smart one. Figger it out," the Dark One instructed, throwing a blast a foot to his left. "Last warnin', Smutsky! Git!"

"I'd listen to him," Eve recommended testily. "You don't want to face us both, do you?"

He shook his head fiercely. "This ain't finished!" With that, he disappeared.

"Chicken shit!" the Child groused.

"Thanks," Eve expressed, sheathing her sword.

"Wha'ever. Ah was lookin' to whup some ass," it replied. Looking up, he bellowed, "Ya'll 'kay?"

"We're fine! Thank you! Let the Professor know, all right?" Jasmine replied.

"Gotcha! Watch it," he advised, vanishing from the scene.

Eve hustled into the dorm building and up the stairs. As she did so, she sheathed her sword and concentrated, triggering Deirdre's concealment spell. Accordingly, by the time she reached the top of the stairs, she appeared as a religion professor again. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Dr. Messenger," Paula assured her, rubbing her forehead as she said so. 

"You shouldn't have taken such a chance," Eve admonished. "Ares is very powerful."

"Tell us about it," Kyla agreed. "But we accounted well for ourselves. Thankfully you and the Child appeared in time."

Samantha added, "As long as you are all right, Jasmine. Thankfully, you're well trained."

"Thanks to the Magi and the Amazons," the Princess observed. "Once again, I am reminded of how wrong I was about the Jinn."

"He does care, Jasmine," Eve assessed. "Still, why did he appear now?"

"He overheard a comment I made," Jasmine admitted. "Stupid bully."

"Jasmine, cool it," Kyla reminded her friend. "Do you want him to come back?"

Eve shook her head. "He won't return...at least not tonight. I'll let everyone know that you're all right. Kyla, in the event that I don't see you before you leave tomorrow, have a pleasant journey. May Eli protect you."

"Thank you," the shamaness accepted, bowing her head. "And may the Great Spirit continue to bless you as well."

"If only I were so worthy," their teacher accepted albeit with some hesitation. Then she left, allowing them to gather their thoughts for the next day.

Chapter 5 [Kent Condo-Next morning]

Clark hauled the suitcases out to the front room and set them by the door. After spending the last week deciding on what to bring and what to leave behind, he was glad to have everything set. I'm glad Dr. Miles stipulated bringing only one suitcase apiece. He grinned, imagining what Lana would have brought if she were allowed to do so.

"Thanks, Honey," Lana expressed, pouring them each a cup of coffee. "That should be everything." Hearing a knock at the door, she requested, "Can you get that?"

"Sure," he agreed, answering it. There, he found Lex and Chloe waiting. "Hey, guys! Come on in!"

"Thanks, Clark," the billionaire replied, as he and his wife entered the condo. "All set for your big adventure, I see."

"Lana would love to bring more stuff," Clark noted, teasing his wife.

"Honestly, Clark, stop it," Lana retorted, keeping in mind that he was joking. "I can't believe that we only get to bring one suitcase for two weeks."

"That's our Lana. Roughing it means one suitcase," Chloe wisecracked.

Seeing the hostess shake her head at them, Lex put his hands up. "Hey, I'm staying out of this one."

"Smart move," Lana told him. "Miri brought some coffee rolls from the Talon last night. Come on; let's dig in."

The quartet sat around the table and dug into the goodies and warm coffee. With at least a fortnight until the next such gathering, they wanted to enjoy each other's company.

Finally Lex asked, "Did you both need anything else?"

Clark shrugged. "I think we have everything. Lana, can you think of anything?"

"Not that Dr. Miles will let me bring," she replied, needling him right back.

"Besides he can get you anything you need," the billionaire pointed out. "Miri and I will keep things going at the Talon while you're gone."

"Thanks, Lex," the former cheerleader expressed.

"What are partners for?" Lex assured her. "Rest assured, the Talon's in good hands."

"And I'll be there often enough too," the reporter added.

Clark chuckled. "Don't drain the coffee reserves, Chloe."

"Hey, a girl needs payment wherever and whenever she can get it, Farm Boy," Chloe retorted.

"Never mind him, Chloe, you're fine," Lana declared, reassuring her friend. 

"And remember my exclusive when you get back. Dr. Miles promised me an interview about this!" Chloe cheered.

"We wouldn't dare," Lana agreed, knowing how Smallville's Most Inquiring Mind would haunt them until they spilled everything. "Hopefully, we can talk about this over dinner when we get back?"

"Done," Lex concurred. "And remember, guys, Professor Dubois is available if needed."

Clark nodded. "He's always alert, isn't he?" As with Jasmine, he was still adjusting to the Child's 'dark image' state.

"Now, Clark, he cares about us. He has made an effort to back off since our talk at the Talon," his wife reminded him.

"I know. It's just that...well...I thought people got breathing room when they went to college," Clark told them.

Lex quirked an eyebrow and the Smirk appeared on his face. "You wouldn't happen to have any more secrets, Clark?"

"Of course not," Clark replied anxiously. "I just want him to trust us."

"He does, Clark," Lex stated. "It's just that he wants everyone to have the best possible experience, especially given what he dealt with from our fathers."

"And then, there was the incident at the dorm last night," Chloe chimed in.

"Incident?" Clark and Lana chorused. 

Chloe nodded. "Apparently, Ares showed up and started threatening Kyla and Jasmine. From what I heard, Paula, Samantha, Sasha and Byron showed up and helped get him out of the room."

Recalling their own standoff with the war god and the other Olympians, Clark asked, "Then what happened? I wish they had called us."

"They were going to," Chloe continued. "That is-until Dr. Messenger and the Child showed up to take care of things. But why would he show up now?"

That is the million dollar question. Lana scratched her head. Jasmine did say that she ran into Ares while training with the Amazons. Perhaps there are some issues there too. Great, as if we needed any other enemies right now. "Hopefully things will stay calm until we get back."

"Well, we do have enough firepower here in case it doesn't," Lex assured her. "Let's take one day at a time, all right?"

"Sounds like a plan," she concurred. "Just take care, guys. No unnecessary risks."

"That would be great as far as we're concerned," Lana agreed, as they went back to eating their breakfasts.




Chapter 6 [That evening]

[The Loft]

Nick finished his remaining directives for Janette and Alyce and placed them on the table. By the time the latter returned, he and the students would be underway. Having done so, he checked his gear and suitcase once more.

Then his enhanced senses picked up on something close by. Now what? He surveyed the ceiling and skylight.

Through the glass, he saw a familiar red masked figure peering down at him. What's he doing here? "Come in, Spider-Man," he advised. "It's all right."

The Wall Crawler opened the skylight and bounded through the open space to the floor. "Hey, Nick, I just wanted to wish you luck."

The archaeologist looked at him curiously. "Excuse me?"

"With the dig," Spidey continued, still feeling apprehensive. 

"Thank you," Nick replied. "But I suppose you didn't come all the way across town just to say that."

"Actually no," the visitor admitted. "With the fight on campus last night, I want my friends to be safe is all. I wish I could go with you all."

The Elder quirked his eyebrow. There are definitely layers to this young man. "Interested in archaeology?"

"A little. Let's say dealing with some of the beasties over the last couple of years have made me interested. I need a favor...." Spidey explained. "Can you keep a really close eye on the Kents?"

"You know I will," Nick assured him. "Why? Is that sixth sense of yours saying something?" Seeing Spidey tense, the vampire added, "When we were in Javalastan, you seemed to sense danger. Besides, it is normal spider-like behavior, my friend."

"And you know about spiders?" Spidey wondered, feeling really apprehensive by now. "I thought you were an archaeologist?"

The immortal smiled at him. "I've been many things in my life, Spider-Man. Could you stay in the same career for 900 years?"

"Uh...I guess not," Spidey surmised, still not believing that Nick was really that old. "Let's just say my gut's bothering me for some reason. Guys like Ares don't show up for the hell of it. There's something else going on."

He's more insightful than he knows. Hearing those words, he recalled Dave's advice earlier in the day, which came out along the same lines. "We'll be careful. And now, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Uh sure, what is it?"

Nick shrugged. "You do a patrol of the city, right?"

"Yeah. You want me to watch out for something?" Spidey wondered.

"Actually, I would like it if you could patrol Community territory as well. Janette will be in charge while I'm gone but she could use another set of eyes if you get my drift. It should be quiet but one never knows," Nick requested.

"I was attacked on my last swing through there, Nick. Are you sure that your buddies won't mind?"

"I've cleared it with Janette. Of all of the remaining mortals save for the Duboises here, I trust you the most. Besides you do have a reputation within the Community. Well?" Nick continued.

"As long as it's okay with your friends," Spidey concurred. Then he heard the lift climbing toward their level. "Who?"

"If you want to wait a minute, our friends will be here," Nick told him. 

At that moment, the lift doors opened, allowing Clark, Lana and Kyla to enter the area. 

"Hi, Spidey, what are you doing here?" Lana asked, trying not to blow his cover.

"I just wanted to see if there were any good appetizers on the bon voyage party tray," Spidey cracked.

Peter, you can't stop with the wisecracks, can you? Clark smiled in spite of himself. Something's worrying him. "Anything we should know about?"

"Just a hunch. Watch your backs, guys, and be safe, all right?" the Wall Crawler requested.

"You know it. Can you swing by our place while we're gone once in a while?" Lana requested.

"Right. Well, I have to get going. It's getting late and I have some ground to cover. See you all soon. And, Nick?" Spidey continued.

"Yes?" the vampire asked.

"If something happens, I hope our resident medieval prof knows that I'm available. Meantime, keep your heads down," Spidey concluded before bounding up through the open skylight. After closing it behind him, he swung away, heading toward the east side.

"What brought him here?" Kyla asked.

"He wanted to talk about things," Nick told them.

And voice his concerns over something. Lana rubbed her forehead. Not for the first time that week did she have a strange feeling. "We should be careful."

"We will be," the Elder replied. "Come on; our flight's waiting at the airport. Let's get our things in the Caddy and then we can be on our way."

The others followed him into the lift and rode down to street level. After placing their things in the car, they drove off into the night, feeling ready for whatever adventure waited out there.




Chapter 7 [El Gato Negro, thirty minutes later]

The tavern hopped with business on that evening, as the vampires enjoyed their immortal bliss with bloodwine and reveling. As with most nights, they partied until dawn, keeping the beat going as long as they could.

Janette busily served drinks at the bar along with Alma, her bartender. The busy state of affairs pleased her to no end.

"We'll be out of the white Toulouse 1934 pretty soon," the latter noted.

"That's a popular vintage. Let's hope we can get more," the owner replied, making a mental note to do so the following day. Then she noticed a slight disturbance in the crowd. "Now what?" Walking out onto the floor, she saw everyone looking up at the ceiling. "What is it?" 

"We have a visitor," Vachon, the former Spanish conquistador, noted, pointing up.

Janette's senses also picked up on the visitor as well. "Oui." She looked up to see Spidey sticking to the ceiling. "What are you doing up there?"

"I wanted to talk with you, but customers come first," the Wall Crawler explained. "Uh, is it okay if I come down?"

"Absolutely. You're safe here, mon Ami. I trust that Nicolas spoke with you?" she inquired.

"Yeah," he confirmed after reaching ground level and looking around warily at the immortal crowd around them. "Reporting for duty."

"What's he up to?" one voice roared from the crowd.

Janette glared at the speaker-a short paunchy vampire from Argentina. "He's here as a favor to Nicolas! He's been asked to help keep an eye on things. I agree that his eyes will be useful while our Elder is away."

The crowd grumbled and went back to their drinks, sensing that they weren't going to win their case.

Note to Web Head: never get that lady mad at you. "Thanks," Spidey expressed, joining her at the bar.

"My pleasure," Janette responded pleasantly while pouring him a soda. "You like Pepsi, don't you?"

"Thanks again," he concurred, accepting the glass and, after rolling his mask up to reveal his mouth, started sipping on the cola. "I mean that. Nick's really great with my friends and I'd like to help him."

"Indeed he is," she replied courteously. "Some feel that he is too much so for our own good. Still, he's right. We all need each other to survive. Besides, nobody wants to cross Xena, Nicolas and Dubois."

"Considering what I saw earlier this year, I can't say that I blame them," he retorted, remembering his conversations with the Child. "I wouldn't want to get on their bad side."

She stared at him intensely. "No you wouldn't. I've survived such an experience and it wasn't very pleasant. If anything were to happen to your friends, I pity the attacking parties."

You can say that again. He recalled some of the stories told by his classmates concerning the Dark One's escapades. "Yeah, I think I'd pass on that ride."

The lady of the night arched her brow at him. While his snappy patter would normally have annoyed her, she admired the front he was putting on. He's anxious and who can blame him? Still, if the accounts are correct, he's been through this before. "Wise choice, my young friend." 

He finished the glass and rolled his mask back down over his mouth and chin. Then he reached into the web pack, fishing for his wallet.

"It is on the house. Merci for your help," Janette assured him.

Spidey nodded and walked out of the club, trying to call as little further attention to himself as possible.

Looking at Vachon and Alma, Janette shrugged. Nicolas, you choose the most unique friends. Most unique indeed.




Chapter 8 [Four days later-Clearing, Northwestern Greece]

Due to Nick's need to avoid sunlight and desire to show his companions some highlights, the group moved slowly across Greece. 

For the students, it was a chance to do some sight seeing. After hitting the Athens tourist trail, they headed northeast first so that they could see Potadeia and Amphipolis. Then they crossed the region, heading for the area in question. With Nick and Kyla driving in shifts, they reached the site in a day's time.


*****

Kyla stopped the bus along the edge of a wooded area. "I think this is it. Dr. Miles, you said look for the granite marker, right?"

"That's right," Nick concurred from under his protective covering. "We don't have long now until sunset. Why don't you all go out and stretch your legs? We'll hike up there as soon as it's dark."

"Sounds good," Clark concurred, stretching in his seat and hustling off the vehicle. He enjoyed the clean cool air of the countryside rather than the polluted air of the city. "Ahhh!"

"Glad you're enjoying yourself, Clark," his wife teased, joining him. While she agreed with his assessment, she had to rib him about it. Even as she did so, she felt the same sensation that came from being in the Smallville Cemetery. 

"Lana?" he asked her.

She rubbed her forehead. "There's something down there."

"What do you mean?" he inquired anxiously. "There's nobody around for miles." As the sun sank completely behind the hills, he yelled, "Dr. Miles!"

Nick rushed over to their side. By now, his senses were picking up on something as well. "That's odd. There's some sort of energy in the woods. Come on." With that, he led them into the woods, following the residue trail.

****


After they had disappeared, the dim light shimmered and a female ghost appeared. The slender brunette studied the scene carefully, hoping that at last, help had arrived. Please let those two be the ones!

After that, she vanished into the settling darkness.


****


Twenty minutes later, the group emerged from the trees to find themselves in the clearing. Around them, everything appeared to be undisturbed. Yet, for everyone except Clark, they knew something was there with them.

Clark ran a loop around the perimeter, checking for others. "We're the only ones here," he indicated.

Nick shook his head, sensing something amiss. While he could sense paranormal activity, he couldn't see it. "There's something here, Clark. In fact, look in front of you." He pointed toward the gravestones.

"There's nothing there," Clark disagreed.

Kyla shook her head. "Wrong, Clark, there is." She concentrated, murmuring a spell and motioning toward the stones. 

In a minute's time, a scarlet energy field appeared.

"Wow! Where did that come from?" Clark asked, stepping back.

"It was hidden by sorcery. I modified the spell," the skinwalker noted, examining the barrier. Upon touching it, sparks flew and she jerked her hand back. "Ow! What is this?"

Lana turned to see two spirits approaching them. "Uh, guys, behind us...."

They followed her prompting to see two spirits appear in front of them. 

Beside the brunette woman, a well muscled man with shoulder length brown hair looked back at them. 

"Umm, Lana, this is your department," her husband urged.

She rolled her eyes at him before assuring the ghosts, "Hi. Umm, we mean you no harm. We were exploring the area is all. Who are you?"

The spirit woman replied, "My name's Serena and this is my husband, Hercules. Sorry we startled you."

The vampire indicated, "That's all right. My name is Nicolas de Brabant and these are my students, Kyla Buckwater, Clark Kent and Lana Lang-Kent. We were looking for the mysterious tombstones in the area. They're yours, I imagine?" 

"They are," Hercules explained. "We're trapped here because of my half-brother, Ares. We can't cross over to the Other Side."

"Other Side?" Lana wondered.

"Their place of rest," Kyla clarified. "I wish there was something that we could do for you."

Serena gazed at her husband's face for a second before noting, "When Xena and Gabrielle buried us, the priestess Deirdre erected the force field before you."

The quartet stared at each other. 

Then Nick asked, "Xena? As in Xena the Warrior Princess?"

"The same. But you can't know her," the half-god doubted.

"She, Gabrielle and Deirdre are friends of ours actually," Lana interjected while examining the field. 

Hearing this, Kyla finally figured out what Jasmine had said to them before. "There's a new Amazon. You apparently met her."

Serena nodded. "You mean Jasmine? Yes, we did."

"She said she was from the future. You're friends of hers too?" Hercules inquired, trying to put still more pieces together.

"She's our classmate and friend," Clark commented, eyeing the field for himself. "I wish we could break this force field." He punched it with his fist to no avail.

"Perhaps you and your companion can," a disembodied voice announced. In a pink poof, Aphrodite appeared. "Hi, guys; took the scenic route, did ya?"

"Now who?" Nick asked, tensing at this latest player on the stage.

The former love goddess waved her hand at the immortal. "Relax, Tall, Blond and Brooding, I'm on your side. I'm Aphrodite, Hercules' half-sister."

"Aphrodite? As in the goddess of love?" Clark wondered, recalling the mythology from high school English class.

"In the flesh, Big Guy...well, kind of. I used to be the goddess of love but that changed recently. Too bad cuz I could've helped you two get together faster," Aphrodite informed them. "It took you long enough to tell her, Stud Muffins. Geez. Talk about dense."

Lana smirked at her husband before defending him, "He did get around to it-eventually. Now what can we do to help Hercules and Serena?"

But before Aphrodite could continue, Ares appeared in a fiery burst. "As if I'd let you screw this up!"

Nick and the students glared at the former war god, standing their ground and planning their next move.



Chapter 8

Aphrodite challenged Ares, "Leave them alone, Ares!"

He retorted, "Make me! Besides, I owe these brats something!"

"Try it," Clark dared him.

"Don't!" Hercules urged.

"Stay outta this!" the former war god hissed while firing twin blasts at the Kryptonian couple.

Despite the high amount of power, Clark and Lana stood there unfazed; shrugging off and absorbing them respectively.

"My turn," the former cheerleader declared, channeling the energy into her hands and returning fire.

Unable to avoid the burst, Ares flew backward, hitting the big oak behind him. He growled and advanced again. "I won't make that mistake again!" He drew his sword and rushed at Lana, intending on striking her down.

As he swung, the sword clanged off of Clark's super thick skin.

"What in Tartarus?" he wondered.

"Just your abnormal super man," Clark informed him, while delivering a series of super hard blows, knocking Ares to the ground. "Stay away from my wife!"

The attacker glowered at the group. From experience, he knew that Nick would be quite a challenge in his own right. While he didn't know about the Indian woman, even his dense mindset could tell when he was outnumbered. "You won this battle but I ain't done!" With that, he vanished.

"He's like a bad stench," Kyla complained. "Are you both all right?"

"We're fine," Lana assured her. "But what do we do now?"

Nick considered the situation carefully. Normally, they would excavate the site and take the stones and bodies back to Arizona. However, given that these ghosts were Xena and Gabrielle's friends, he had doubts. 

"You can start by doing away with the force field. He ain't coming back," Aphrodite declared. "Let our two lovebirds deal with it."

"Us?" Clark inquired.

"Yes, you two, I meant you," the former love goddess declared. "Geez, you are dense, aren't you?"

"We'll do it together," Lana informed him. "Put your hand to the energy." When he had done so, she urged, "Together now."

As one, they touched the field, causing it to spark and fade away.

"It worked," Hercules assessed, floating above his marker.

"I told you, Bro. I wasn't going to let you down. Too bad, I can't break Ares' deal with Lucifer for you two," Aphrodite replied.

"What deal was that?" Nick asked.

Serena bowed her head. "They made a deal, keeping us from crossing over together. Rather than be separated, we decided to stay here for eternity."

"We won't be separated again," Hercules affirmed.

Clark, Lana and Kyla looked anxiously at each other, trying to think of something to do for these spirits.

"There's nothing you can do," Aphrodite declared. Then she looked to a nearby tree. "Here comes more company."

The mists collected, allowing Deirdre to step onto the grass once again. "Guys, what are you all doing here? Where's the force field?"

"We took it down," Lana admitted.

The priestess gave them an incredulous look. "I created that thing to be impenetrable. How?"

"I changed it a little," Aphrodite admitted. "The lovebirds' feelings did the trick. Now we need to help Herc and Serena."

Deirdre glanced at the love goddess skeptically. "You just said it yourself, Aphrodite. Ares has made a real mess this time. There's nothing we can do." 

"Too bad you don't have a Chronos stone," Hercules suggested. "You could go back in time."

Kyla shook her head. "We don't need that." Seeing the others' confused looks, she continued, "Diana can get us back there."

"And what about Ares? You know he's not going to sit still for this," Deirdre pointed out. "You better tell Mama and Papa first."

"You know we will," Nick agreed. "Meantime, what do we do with the bodies? Without protection, they're vulnerable."

"I shall take Serena's body and Hercules' ashes to Althanor where they'll be safe. Can you take the markers for the time being? Perhaps Alyce might want to display them in the museum?"

"She would indeed," the Elder concurred. "I hope Xena won't be too upset with us."

"As if!" Aphrodite scoffed. "You kept Ares off of their graves. That should be cool with her and Gabrielle." She sighed. "Whatever happens, I hope your plan works, gang." With that, she disappeared in another pink poof.

"Aunt Cybelle won't be amused either," Deirdre told them knowingly. "I think she'll agree though that you did the right thing here." Waving her hands, she scattered the stones over the site, revealing a linen wrapped body and a small clay pot. "Their remains." One more spell later, she reversed the decaying process for Serena. "There! Well, I'll see you soon!" Turning to the spiritual couple, she asked, "Would you both like to come with me?"

"That works for us," Hercules agreed, taking his wife's hand. After they floated over to the priestess' side, he added, "Whatever happens, thanks for your help against Ares. Aphrodite's right, however, he's not finished yet."

"We know," Nick told him.

Deirdre willed the mists to appear, taking the bodies and ghosts with her to the Hidden Realm.

For a couple of minutes, the group stared at one another, trying to take in what had just happened. After nearly a week of traveling, the expedition had gone up in fog in less than an hour. Worse, they had crossed paths with Ares on something much deeper than they had bargained for.

"What now?" Kyla asked uncertainly.

"Now we head back to Tucson. Let's get back to the bus," Nick told them, picking up one marker. "Clark, can you get the other one?"

"Got it," the younger man agreed. 

Accordingly, they left the clearing to itself-or at least, it seemed so. For minutes afterward, Ares reappeared and scowled at the path which they had used to return to the road.

"If they try to come back to the past, I'll be waiting," he vowed before disappearing again.




Conclusion [Two Days Later]

[Museum of Fine Arts, Campus]

Alyce stepped back to look over the new display. As Nick had expected, the tomb markers caused quite a splash on campus. As with all such things, space was quickly found to display them. Nick, you've done it this time.

"Interesting, aren't they?" the Elder asked, coming up behind her.

"Yes they are. The carving is very intricate," she observed. "It reminds me of Celtic design."

"There's some influence on these particular items," he agreed. "Particularly since Xena and Cybelle designed the second one from what I can gather."

She stared at him in surprise. "You're kidding!"

"No, they were there. Deirdre's appearance at the site confirms that," he noted.

"What was she doing there?" she asked.

"Apparently protecting the deceased. She took the body and the ashes with her, asking that we hold onto these markers for the time being," he explained. "It's Ares I'm worried about though."

"Ares? How is he mixed up in this?" she wondered.

"He poisoned Hercules with hind's blood and then cursed the deceased. Somehow, Alyce, I know we haven't seen the last of him or this issue," he assumed.

She rubbed his shoulder consolingly, trying to ease his mind. Whatever happened, they would be ready for it.


*****


[Luthor Hacienda]

Chloe eagerly scribbled down notes from her friends' latest adventure. From the travel log to the site incident, she saw a great story in the making. "I wish I could've been there with you."

"It was over so quickly, Chloe," Clark remarked. "I thought that the dig would have been more exciting."

Lana stared at him. "As if running into Ares and Aphrodite weren't excitement enough? After that, I'm ready for some boring stuff."

"That's two appearances in a week for Ares," Lex noted, scratching his head. "Something stinks here. Why is he so interested in us now?"

"There was something at the site. He really didn't want us there," Lana remembered. "Remember from our mythology class, guys, wasn't there something between them?"

Lex smirked. "They hated each other. The motivation's there. The question is though what have you gotten us into?"

"Actually it's just us, Lex," Clark corrected.

The businessman's eyebrow arched. "Clark, I thought we were past that. What concerns you two concerns Chloe and me too. Period."

"As if you have a choice in the matter," the reporter chimed in. 

"Deirdre told us to talk with the Professor about this," the former cheerleader recalled.

"Sage advice," Lex concurred, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "This will involve him and Xena before it's over."

Lana took her husband's hand and rubbed it supportively. Still, she had to wonder what Nick's archaeological expedition had uncovered and what the effects on all of them would be. What indeed?


****


[Halls End Castle, Ruthwen]

Dave finished the latest go-around with his councilors and let them go. After a series of especially heated debates over widespread food rationing, he had enough of their belly aching. Fools. Can't they see that the people support them? 

"Ingrates," Ferali assessed, standing up from his chair.

"They have no perspective," the Professor-King noted, shaking his head.

The gnome was about to offer a response when Rev Bem hurried back into the room as quickly as his legs could carry him. "Reverend? What is it?"

"You have guests, David," the Magog priest replied. "It is most urgent."

"Show them in," Dave acquiesced. While he didn't feel like another debate right now, he wouldn't be rude to guests either.

At that moment, Xena, Gabrielle, Cybelle and Deirdre marched into the room.

"Wha? Hey, ladies, you don't need to be announced," Dave stated.

The High Priestess smirked back toward the hall where the guards stood nervously. "Your toadies need some instruction in courtesy toward a countess and a princess, Dave. But that's a matter for another time."
Ferali gauged the seriousness etched on their faces. "What is it?"

"I thought when a friend was buried, he stayed buried!" Xena declared, setting her fist down on the high table with authority.

"Xena, please," Gabrielle soothed. "David needs to know what we're talking about."

"That would be nice," the King agreed. "What is this about, Xena? Sorry, I've been here for three days."

"Nicholas' expedition disturbed a grave!" the warrior hissed.

"He is an archaeologist. That's what they do. Who is the deceased?" Dave replied.

"Hercules, the son of Zeus," Deirdre stated. "Papa, it's worse than that. By exhuming Hercules and his wife, he's involved Clark, Lana and Kyla in a war between himself and Ares."

"Ares?" Ferali asked, remembering the expedition to the Pantheon's headquarters. "That braggart threatens our friends?" He hefted his axe and declared, "I'll deal with him!"

Rev cleared his throat. "Ferali, aggression isn't the answer in all cases. Perhaps, we should all talk about this together."

Dave nodded. "That's a good idea." He sighed and rubbed his forehead, trying to soothe the numbness spreading across his forehead. 

[Within his head, the Child roared, obviously wanting blood.]

Great. His Darkness is hyped up too. Isn't this special? "Great. I'm gone for three days and all Hell breaks loose."

"Leadership's hell, Bro," Cybelle interjected.

The King slammed his fist on the throne's right armrest and glared at his sister. "Nick should know better! He's seen stuff like this! Shit!" He launched a pulse off of the far wall in anger.

The others in the room looked anxiously wondering if he was going to lose it or not.

Rev, for his part, rushed forward and urged, "David, remember the Divine."

Dave took several deep breaths, forcing the Child back. "Thank you, Rev. Gabrielle and Cybelle, we'll have that meeting here tomorrow. I want to get to the bottom of this! Meantime, I'll get Nick and Adam." He stood up, still struggling with his self control. "I just can't believe this crap! Let's go!" He opened a portal and disappeared through it.

Deirdre blanched. "Papa's really ticked."

Cybelle noted, "He has every right to be that way. The last thing we need is a war with Ares and possibly the remaining Olympians right now. Xena, Gabrielle, I wish to speak with Nai-Jin if that's all right with you?"

"Absolutely," the Amazon queen agreed. "Pop us into the village and we'll see what we can do."

"And I wish to come with you," Ferali indicated.

"If that is your wish, Master Gnome, follow us," Cybelle agreed, opening the portal. After ushering her niece and friends through it, she stepped through and closed it behind them.

Rev looked at the ceiling wondering what these events meant. "May the Divine help us now."

None of them knew just how heated things would get...How heated indeed.


THE END (for now)


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