Little Note: This story is purely for fun, and to keep the people from the Ares and Xena shippers club from going crazy!!
Disclaimer: I get no profit from this story. The character Delenn as well as the story idea belongs to ME!! The character Ares, Xena, Aphrodite and any other characters I may have mentioned do not belong to me, they belong to whoever owns the show X: WP! And I am just borrowing them. No copy write infringement intended. Please do not use this story on your web site, web page etc. without first asking me and receiving my permission, you may however use this story for private use, but must use it with all disclaimers and warnings. If you would like to send this story to a friend, please ask me first, and receive my permission, and you must not get any profit from the transaction.
Authors Note: Wow that was a pretty long disclaimer wasn't it?? I hope I got everything in though; I don't want anybody to take this story the wrong way! This is a story that has a character after myself! Not at ALL like Dysis… I just used how I look and my realms for Dysis, but she was NOT supposed to be me. She acts and is totally different, not to mention fake. This is not a Mary-Sue - this version of Del is an RPG character and is not to be confused with the author. Think Ambrosiaholics Anonymous; Eris, goddess of Mischief and Daring. Also, please note that, if the ending seems abrupt, I apologize. I decided that this fic was more humorous and less serious, and I knew that it needed to be ended quickly, as I had no further ideas beyond the obvious. It was an ill-conceived brain-child in the first place, and it was time to end the venture.
Dedications: This story is for Kat, Illyandria, Barb, Noie, Liz, Something Royal, Ephy, Sara, Tali, Tareena, Maureen, Megan, Mel, Eris, Goddess Of Mischief, Grey, Lily, Xtreme, Destiny, Jules, Korianna, Brittany, Cora, Rebecca, Miranda, Skkye Blue, Aurora, Amber, LadyKate, Electra, Xandra, for everyone I missed, and for everyone at the shippers club for their support, and for liking my stories, even when I didn't! And for everyone at my Ambrosiaholics Anonymous club. Thanks for joining Eris’ and my club; you REALLY helped me develop my character! (Man I really should alphabetize)
Warnings: Sex: That depends on the eye of the beholder. Subtext: Nooooooo Language: Yep, not any more then at AA though. Violence: Mild... hey this IS a Xena story!
MAJOR Warning!! This has become a comedy/crack/spoof fic. Parts of it are meant to be over the top, including the childish gods, reviving warriors, and Olympian rooms. Try to take it lightly and it'll come out, slightly, better. I have no excuses for the plot.
Oh Yeah: This IS an A/X story, incase you were even stupid enough to wonder (JUST KIDDING!) like the dumb asses that write the show… Oops that SLIPPED OUT! Ignore me! *Checks roots for blonde tint.* Ooh no offense to blonds! Some of my smartest and best friends are blonde… it was a joke…
More Author’s Notes: Okay I’m going to shut up now before you people get really, really pissed off at me. Hope you enjoy the story!
Rated: PG-13
Summary: Ares’ little sister decides to do something about him and Xena... No I’m NOT talking about Aphrodite!
‘Wait, he didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?’ EminEm from the song ‘Slim Shady’
Song Choice note: I felt like it.
Now for the story!!!!! *Everyone still here claps*
Gabrielle and Xena were walking across a beach; Argo was in the stables in the town nearby, getting a well-deserved rest after an unpleasant encounter with a thorn. Gabrielle was talking about all the things she’d found in the town, particularly a little place that had a constant flow of bards to tell stories. She smiled at Xena and continued, "It’s called a ‘Bard’s Corner’ Xena! It’s just wonderful, and they asked if I could tell a story sometime! Do you think-"
A flash of purple light stopped Gabrielle in mid sentence. She watched in a bit of indignant fury as a woman stepped out of thin air. Gabrielle couldn’t help a little annoyance showing, after all, here was (if the appearing out of thin air was any indication) another goddess there to mess with them… damn Xena for being some kind of god magnet.
The woman shook herself slightly, to rid lingering traces of the aether that always left her feeling a little ungrounded. She then saw Gabrielle, whose mouth was still hanging open slightly, and screamed in outrage, "You!"
Gabrielle closed her mouth and wondered whether she knew this woman; surely she would remember another god, especially one with such particularly vibrant red hair? Xena sighed, distracting the goddess, "What do you want, Del?"
Turning, Del saw Xena, smiled and, using the speed that only a god could possess, enveloped the warrior in a hug - before Xena could put up any protest, "Ooh! Tartarus, Xena, I haven’t seen you in ages! You look exactly the same!"
Removing herself from the over-enthusiastic hug, Xena questioned teasingly, "You’re spending time with Aphrodite?"
In half-pretended offense, Del stepped back, recognizing the truth for what it was. "No way! I think I’m insulted! I haven’t much spent time with her since you left; she’s too much on my own." Gracefully, she steered the conversation to its purpose, "Actually I was just visiting Ar, he’s incredibly angry. He sort of asked me to leave… Okay, his exact words were ‘Del, get the Tartarus out of my palace before I throw you out on your ass.’ He then lifted me up and threw me out… I landed on my ass! I hate it when he’s literal!"
Realizing that the rambling was both a beginning rant and a sidetrack maneuver, Xena suppressed a chuckle, "And this prompted you to visit me for the first time in ‘ages’ as you so kindly put it?"
Del pouted, walking up to Xena and standing next to her, on the other side from Gabrielle. She gave her best pouting face, eyes sparkling with mischievousness, which made her seem young. "Oh come on, Xena! I thought since you weren’t fighting for Ar anymore you might not be that happy to see your best bud. You know, the whole ‘pissed at all the gods’ kick you’ve been on."
Bitterly, Xena smiled, "I wasn’t mad at you, only the ones trying to kill my kid!"
Instantly, the youthful appearance was gone, a too calm demeanor in its place, providing a glimpse into millenniums as Del sighed, "Yeah, I just heard about that… I was away, otherwise I would have helped you… preferably without killing most of my relatives, but either way."
Having watched this conversation for any hints of information, and finding little, Gabrielle finally regained her tongue and the first of many questions she wanted to ask came tumbling out, "Who are you? How do you know Xena?"
Del scowled at the blonde for daring to exist - after all, she was a god, she could afford to be petty like that. Xena stepped between her friends and introduced warily, "Gabrielle, this is my friend Delenn, goddess of lava and revenge. Del, this is my friend Gabrielle, she’s a very talented bard."
Sighing, Del absently flopped down on a log next to the water. "I know who she is, Ar is always complaining about her!" She regarded both women for a moment and shrugged, "I’ll play nice for you, Xena."
Trying to put the pieces together, Gabrielle cautiously asked, "Air? Who’s that?"
Del looked shocked, then she started giggling. Xena shot a disapproving look, looking a bit put out as she explained (after it became apparent Del wasn’t going to clarify), "Ares. Del is Ares’ sister."
Having been put on a topic she most enjoyed, Del smiled, as both Xena and Gabrielle sat down next to her, "Little sister, to be exact."
Gabrielle looked stunned, and jumped back suddenly, as she comprehended what they were saying. "You… you’re Ares’ sister? Not another one!" It was hard to tell if she were referring to sisters or gods in general.
Still, both Xena and Del nodded and Gabrielle sat back down, abruptly claiming, "I feel dizzy."
Forgetting her earlier reasons for instantly disliking the bard as trivial, Del asked, suddenly protective, "What do you have against my big brother?"
Xena sat back, deciding that she was going to stay out of this fight, unless it came to blows. Gabrielle, being a bard with a story to tell, jumped up, exclaiming, "EVERYTHING! He’s a conniving, murdering bastard! And, just like the rest of you gods, he’s always harassing Xena - can’t leave her alone for a minute."
Del stretched her legs out, yawing as if bored, "Conniving, murdering, sounds like war to me. And, while I’m sure Ares can be rightly called many unflattering terms, he’s not a bastard; our parents are very much married. As for the harassing thing, I think he’s being rather nice, since he probably could kill her." She turned to Xena, "You know that over-protectiveness is really cool sometimes… Until he gets pissed and throws you out on your ass."
Choosing to skim over the parts of that tirade that would require later explanation, Xena laughed, "Does the goddess of lava have a bruised ego?"
Rolling her eyes, Del exclaimed, half jokingly, "No, I have a bruised ass, there’s a difference! Anyway I’m not here to chitchat, though that would be fun, it’ll have to be some other time. I have to get back to this war Eris and I started."
Gabrielle sat on the corner of the log, thoroughly miffed, as Xena raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you here for, Delenn?"
Del smiled and twisted her hair, a bad habit she’d had since being a godling. "Eris and I started this little war against Athena and Nike… since we’re winning, Ares decided to let us have our fun… He’s on no war probation from daddy… And it got me to thinking… big bro is in a really bad mood and he’s absolutely no fun, he won’t even kill anyone for me-"
Trying to hide her little gasp of disgust, Gabrielle asked, "He kills people for you? What a wonderful relationship," the sarcasm was impossible to mask as she interrupted the goddess.
Perhaps choosing to ignore the sarcasm, Del looked at the bard funny, "So? Anyway I thought that maybe you," she turned to Xena, "could cheer him up. Please? I’ll even be good, I promise!"
Firmly, Xena shook her head, "No, Del. Absolutely no. Not even for you, not even if you’ll be good. I’m not doing that anymore." Quieter, she added, "Besides, I’m still mad about the whole Callisto thing."
Del pouted, "I needed a minion! It’s not my fault she hated you! She was in my realm and so happy there, I couldn’t resist. I didn’t know she was going to spend all her spare time trying to kill you! Honestly I didn’t! I’ve given her an extra workload if it makes you happy."
Xena said, harsher this time, "No, Delenn, I am not going to ‘cheer up’ your brother while you are away at a war."
Del smiled wickedly, moving on to her back up plan, "I didn’t want to have to do this!"
She handed Xena a scroll while mumbling, ‘Throw me out on my ass will you!’ Xena scanned it quickly then looked up, shocked, "Oh, Del, you didn’t…"
Del grinned in mock innocence, "I did!"
Utterly frustrated that she’d been one-upped by the goddess, and firmly reminding herself that all gods were evil, Xena put her head in her hands, "Sometimes, I hate you!"
Demeanor unreasonably calm, Del shrugged, "I know, sweetheart, I know. That’s what you love about me! Anyway, seems the war is in full swing, and I gotta get going. See you later, babe… Ugh, I really have been spending too much time with ‘Dite. But she does have worthwhile minions!"
The goddess disappeared still mumbling something about ‘hot priests.’ As soon as the sparks had settled, Gabrielle asked, "What was that?"
Shaking herself out of a slightly depressed stupor, Xena laughed, "That was the reason half the people Ares kills are dead. Responsible for half the wars and destruction everywhere, and the person that convinces Ares to start wars half the time. That was one of the most deceptively dangerous forces you have ever met. Not to mention one of the only two gods to completely miss the whole twilight by being away."
Sensing that this uncharacteristically long speech from her friend wasn’t over, Gabrielle prompted, "And…?"
Remembering the whole ‘apple incident’ with a vague smile, Xena sighed, "Eris is the other one."
Not making the connection immediately, Gabrielle questioned, "Who’s Eris?"
Continuing, Xena decided to leave apples and revenge out of it, "Eris is Ares’ other little sister. Think of it this way, Gabrielle, they can get Ares to do anything they want, they never get in trouble with Zeus, and they are some of Hera’s favorites."
Gabrielle shook her head, "That sounds scary. So, I guess that means I can’t whack her with my staff?" As thunder shook the earth, Gabrielle amended, "A joke! It was a joke. Uh… What did she do?"
Suppressing a bitter exclamation of her own, Xena handed Gabrielle the scroll. It read:
Xena, You are supposed to cheer Ares up, because he is being a real pain, so you have been invited (no you CANNOT decline!) to Olympus for the week that Ares is on ‘no war’ probation, since Eris and Delenn are off fighting.
Play nice! (Yeah, like that’s possible!)
~Delenn~
Goddess of Lava and Revenge
s
Have fun! (How do you think I mean it?)
~Eris~
Goddess of Mischief and Strife
Sugar high! (We all know I’m gonna get one!)
~Aphrodite~
Goddess of Love
Keep him occupied. (He’s destroying my forests!)
~Artemis~
Goddess of the Hunt and Amazons
Deal with it! (I’m sick of you two fighting!)
~Hera~
Queen of the Gods, Goddess of all Womankind, Beauty, and Marriage
Gabrielle stared in blank shock, "All those goddesses want you to go to Mt Olympus?" there was a tense pause, as Xena waited for the inevitable uncomfortable questions, "Well, good luck!"
Xena stared at the bard, convinced she had heard wrong by the sudden roundabout that Gabrielle had just done in her thinking. "What?"
Rolling her eyes, Gabrielle repeated, "Have fun! I trust you, Xena. If it means not having half of Olympus trying to kill us, I think you can handle it. I’ll stay in town with Joxer and Argo. So what if I have to put up with Joxer, and you have to put up with Ares? You’re going to Olympus and I can perform at the bard's corner!"
Seeing the underlying motive and recognizing that it probably wasn’t the best idea to alienate the only part of Olympus that didn’t already hate her, Xena shook her head, amused, "All right, let’s go back to the inn and pack. Have a good time, okay?"
Gabrielle nodded and stated, "I want all the details!"
~(*)~
Xena appeared in Mt. Olympus, minus her bags, with a very agitated Del. Xena quickly asked, letting go of Del’s hand. "Where are my things?"
Del smiled, despite her full armored outfit and weapons, and the small splatters of blood on her clothing… she was in the middle of the war. "Right, so you know where my bedroom is? Well I built a room next to it for you, and I put your stuff in there, along with some things I thought you might like."
Xena raised an eyebrow and questioned, more to prolong the absence of her friend, then because she really cared. "Why’d you do that?"
Del giggled mischievously, "Just because I got a whole bunch of the major gods to sign something ordering you to come to Olympus against your will, doesn’t mean I’m trying to be evil! ‘Rissy and I chat at night and I thought you might like to join us!"
Laughing at the way the goddess could go from menacing to child-like in seconds, Xena rolled her eyes, "You really are nuts, you know that?"
In a flash of red light, with the sounds of screaming echoing in the background, Eris appeared, "You’re not talking about me I hope!"
Watching the sisters, both fiery, red-haired, blood-spattered, and not what they appeared, Xena nodded her approval, "Both of you are crazy! Hey ‘Ris, how are ya?"
Eris smiled mischievously, "I’m in trouble, as usual, thanks. Don’t you think I’m gonna let you out of this! Ares threw me through a wall with ‘Eris I’m warning you, stay away from me!’ it wasn’t fun."
Del shrugged unconcernedly, "Yeah, well that’s because you went back, I had the sense to leave him alone when I landed on my ass."
Xena couldn’t help but laugh, "Not bitter at all, are you?"
Eris winked, shifting her sword into her other hand in order to grab Del. "C’mon sis, it’s a total bloodbath and we’re missing it!"
Del giggled, drawing her sword again, "See ya, Xena, can’t miss a slaughter of ‘Thenie’s minions, you know!"
Both goddesses disappeared, leaving Xena alone in the hallway of Olympus. Xena knew from experience that each door led to one god’s personal quarters. It was like an overgrown compound, where each door off of the narrow hall led to palaces, not rooms.
Memory allowed her to quickly find her way to Ares’, correctly surmising that the rest of the gods she knew were gone, leaving no escape route.
Walking into Ares’ throne room, Xena was met by the roar of, "I said get the Tartarus out, Eris!!"
Xena silently flipped over Ares’ throne so she was face to face with him, "Now, now… I’m not Eris."
Blinking up from the midst of a well-planned temper tantrum, Ares looked rather stunned, "Xena? What are you doing here?"
Sensing the confusion, Xena smiled sweetly, "I’m here to stop you from throwing your sisters out… so let’s get this clear; knock it off, stop tossing your annoying sisters, and don’t even THINK of talking to me!"
Ares asked, still very surprised, "Elaborate?"
Xena shrugged, getting up and walking back to the door. "I decided to come to Olympus to see ‘Ris and Del, and apparently they’re gone, for the moment, so I thought I’d warn you."
She reasoned with herself that that was partially true, as she walked to her room, leaving a still quite stunned god of war to wonder at why she was really there.
~(*)~
Athena rolled her eyes, "Ooh, look, Ares’ minions are back!"
Eris and Del rolled their eyes and gave each other looks, Del smiled evilly, "Well, a hello to you too," Eris nodded, adding, "nothing scarier than a goddess of weaving!"
Athena casually replied, "You aren’t twins like Apollo and Artemis… So stop acting like clones!"
Eris and Del clasped each other’s left arms and promptly did a spinning jig, a blur of color followed, and, when it cleared, a circle was cleared of Athena’s troops.
When the rotating flip finished, with their swords in their right hands, they spun in a circle chopping down Athena’s forces. Quickly, the bloody hurricane ended, and Eris remarked, "Not such a tight-ass now are you?"
Having, until now, stood in irritated but superior inaction, Athena growled. With a wave of her hand her forces rose from the dead. "Take that!"
Hades growled loud enough to be heard on earth from the underworld, "Stop doing that Athena! Eris, Del, stop slaughtering, do you KNOW what you three kids do to my bookkeeping?"
All three goddesses obediently recited something they’d learnt from birth, "Sorry, Uncle Hades, I’ll never do it again, how many this time?"
The same growled tone echoed, "Three followers die each of you, serves you godlings right! Hmph!"
Eris muttered, "Round one to Uncle Hades…"
Unfazed, Del announced, "Round two starting at the bell, Athena and minions versus Ris and Del versus Hades…"
Athena made a gong chime in the distance and the carnage began again.
~(*)~
Ares was, admittedly, curious. That was why he was standing outside of Xena's room, feeling foolish for thinking of knocking. Somehow, after earlier, just popping into Xena's room (while filled with delicious possibilities) didn't seem like the wisest choice. Still.
Luckily, he was saved from actually having to knock by the door opening and Xena running into him. "What the- Ares?"
"Graceful as always, my dear," Ares commented dryly as he pushed up off the ground, offering Xena a hand that she pointedly declined.
She didn't look like she was having fun. "Yeah, well, at least I wasn't lurking."
Flustered at the implication, Ares spat out, "I was not lurking!" But the point was miniscule. "My sisters put you up to this, didn't they?"
Xena blinked. It did no good. Ares knew her well enough to know if she lied so blatantly to his face about this, and he knew his sisters well enough to fill in the details. "Maybe. They're scared to be alone with you for the week," she raised an eyebrow.
Ares huffed, "They should be," already plotting imminent vengeance for dragging Xena into this. Although…
"No hurting them," Xena was firm. Who knew what the troublesome siblings would get her into if Ares got even madder at them. "Just, lighten up."
But Ares was intrigued now. There was no way Xena would voluntarily be involved in some Eris and Del plot. Which meant they were holding something on her. He smirked.
Xena narrowed her eyes.
"Okay." The possibilities were endless, "Come with me."
Before Xena could mount much of a protest, Ares had taken her hand and they were gone.
~(*)~
"All right," Xena stifled another bout of laugher. "I give. This is hilarious."
With that self-satisfied smirk that Xena would have loved to punch away, Ares nodded. "It is kind of… beautiful… isn't it?"
Directly below them, from where they were perched in a comfortable couch conveniently placed in the middle of a large mountain, was some prehistoric version of WWF, no holds barred.
Eris, Del, Nike, and Athena were still dueling it out. Their armies had been brought to life several times each and were starting to look a little worse for the wear, blinking confusedly every time one of them found himself mysteriously brought back to life. Several had given up and were actually running into swords on purpose, while others were fighting each other as opposed to the enemy. Several warriors had formed a prayer circle and were holding hands and singing, refusing to take part in any kind of battle. Others seemed convinced that they'd entered Tartarus early. At least five men were hiding in the trees, hoping to go unnoticed and avoid stray fireballs that occasionally took out some of the men.
The four goddesses hardly noticed, so caught up in throwing fireballs, trees, rocks, bolts, and other large objects at each other intermittently over the battle. It was like a particularly vicious sibling rivalry, with little wooden soldiers come to life. Though nobody seemed to have noticed.
Every few minutes the ground shook dangerously as Hades voiced his displeasure in increasingly threatening tones. The sky was now storming, with a periodic lightening bolt shattering down from the sky - Zeus trying to appease his brother without actually going to the trouble of finding out what was going on.
The battlefield had become utter chaos, but it was a damn amusing chaos - the sound effects were really the best part. Xena shrugged, "And you're sure the warriors will survive this?"
"Oh yeah," Ares nodded, "Zeus'll make 'em put everything back like it was before, once he bothers to notice what's going on. Now, if I tried that-"
This time, Xena smirked, turning to him, "Another probation period?"
Fixing Xena with a mock-glare, Ares finally shrugged. Most likely, she was right. But, since there was nothing either Xena or him could do about the current pandemonium below them, it was at least worthwhile to watch. A few moments of easy silence passed between them. "We should probably head back. We don't want to be here when Zeus finishes up with his-whatever-of-the-week."
Sparing a last laugh, as both armies seemed to have formed a truce unbeknownst to their leaders and were secretly fleeing into the forest, Xena nodded. "That would be a sight, though."
With a flash that none of the combatants noticed, the couch and its occupants disappeared back to Olympus.
~(*)~
When - bedraggled, bloody, dirty, and wet - Eris and Del finally stumbled back towards their rooms on Olympus, having been properly chastised by their father for 'unseemly behavior,' they were distracted by several loud crashes and thumps, along with muffled voices, coming from the direction of Ares' quarters.
Eris smiled, "Looks like Xena won't want to be talking with us tonight."
"Good," Del stifled a yawn with a wink at her sister, "Let's get some sleep before 'Thena realizes we left all the cleanup to her."
As the two goddesses cleaned themselves with a snap, drifting towards their rooms, Eris commented, "At least our plan worked. Who would have though they'd hop in the sack so quickly?"
Halfway to her room, Del shrugged. "Eh, you know how they've always been. Fighting one moment… the next…"
With a wicked laugh, the two sisters parted, "At least Big Bro will be in a better mood."
"Even Xena will have to thank us."
The doors to their chambers swung shut, both goddesses satisfied. Soon the sound of nearly-earth-shaking snores quite covered the banging from Ares' corner of Olympus.
~(*)~
"C'mon, War God, you can do better than that," Xena huffed, flinging herself out of his reach.
With a growl, Ares chucked his sword at her head, grabbing another off a rack as he passed by and accidentally knocking the entire rack down as he ducked out of a javelin thrown towards his heart. "My dear, you have no idea."
The two warriors continued their dance through the various halls comprising Ares' Olympian residence. Weapons were hurled and easily discarded in their wake, more readily available. Occasionally they got close enough for hand-to-hand combat, which usually resulted in one or the other hitting a wall - hard.
Xena smirked, "Less talk, more action-" she was caught around the knees and drug down to the floor.
They vied for dominance for a moment, but Ares emerged on top, just barely managing to avoid a breast dagger to the side before he got her hands captured. "You were saying?"
After a moment of futile struggle - he had all her extremities quite effectively trapped - Xena stilled. "This doesn't mean you've won."
"Of course it does. Xena, I have clearly won." Ares was incredulous and wary. He knew Xena wouldn't give up without a fight but it would be a pleasant surprise.
Without warning, Xena bucked up, digging her heels into the ground and using their interlocked hands to push him back. They tumbled forwards and, not surprisingly, Xena ended up on top. Still slightly trapped, her limbs tangled amongst Ares', but on top nonetheless. "I don't think it's so clear cut."
The glare below her softened, mischievousness taking its place, "Why, Xena, if you wanted to be on top, all you had to do was ask."
Shaking her hands free of his, Xena began to disentangle herself. "I win."
Hands tangled in her hair, Ares pulled her back down for a hard kiss. Their tongues battled just as fiercely as the rest of them had, albeit with less weapons. When Xena pulled away for a gasping breath, Ares nodded, "You win," not letting her go.
Xena's hands, admittedly, grabbed his vest to pull him closer. Tugging on his lip for a delicious moment. Then she yanked away, harshly, letting go of his vest in the process. Shaking her head firmly to clear it, Xena smirked bitten, reddened lips at the God of War. "I always do."
Stunned, Ares watched her walk away. All bets were off - he was definitely getting to her. Disappearing quickly, Ares mused, "Oh, Xena. You don’t get away that easily."
~(*)~
Xena arrived back in town in time to watch Gabrielle's final performance at the Bard's Corner. The week was up and Ares was off probation. As promised, Eris and Del had promptly returned the Warrior Princess, smiling sheepishly and seeming quite confident that there would be no hard feelings.
Clapping loudly, Xena rushed to hug her friend once the story was over. Once again, Gabrielle had proved her skill in storytelling. Even if the action scenes were a little weak.
Gabrielle smiled happily. "Xena! You won't believe all the stories I've heard - there was this one-armed monster that -" she cut herself off, "Did you have fun on Olympus? Was Ares too much of a pain?"
Smirking at her friend's obvious enthusiasm, Xena laughed, "Olympus was… well, you're the bard. I'll say that it was quite indescribable. Ares was, quite tolerable actually."
If the wide-eyed look her friend tossed her was noticed, Xena made no mention.
And if there were no immediate wars, despite Ares' probation having been lifted, the world failed to notice the presence of a happier God of War, while his siblings wisely chose to ignore it.