Part 11
As Xena silently watched Callisto calmly leave the tomb, Gabrielle, who along with Joxer was still strapped to the altar, gazed up at Xena and sarcastically said, "Are you just going to leave us here?"
Xena shook off her gaze then looked at Gabrielle and Joxer. "Sorry!"
Xena then approached the altar and with her sword, cut Joxer and Gabrielle free.
As Joxer and Gabrielle slowly sat up, Xena gazed over at Callisto once again, but she was gone.
Xena then looked back at Gabrielle and as she gazed into her companions eyes she brushed her hand against the bard's cheek and whispered, "Gabrielle, are you all right?"
Gabrielle grabbed Xena's hand, smiled and shook her head. "Yeah," the bard then glanced down at Amarice's body. "Amarice, is she . . . .?"
Xena nodded. "Yes."
Gabrielle slowly stood up and approached the dead Amazon. As the bard silently glanced down at Amarice, Xena softly said, "She was Callisto's sister!'
Gabrielle's eyes widened as she glanced back at Xena. "Callisto's sister? . . . but I thought?"
Gabrielle then glanced down at Callisto's sword. "That's what she meant when she said she'd given Amarice her sister back?"
"Yeah!"
About an hour later Xena and Gabrielle, having placed Amarice's body into an empty sarcophagus they had found in another chamber of the tomb, exited the tomb and harnessed up their horses for travel. But once outside they noticed that one of the horses stood at the top of the hill along with Callisto.
As Xena and Joxer sorted through their packs Gabrielle just silently gazed up at the the hilltop towards Callisto.
The bard then glanced back at Xena and saw she was busy tending to their supplies. Gabrielle then looked back up towards Callisto and took a deep breath then slowly headed to the hilltop.
As Callisto adjusted the harness and saddle of the horse, she felt Gabrielle's nearing presence and as Gabrielle stopped just a few feet from Callisto the blond warrior glanced over her shoulder and said, "My your awfully brave. Coming up her by yourself? Aren't you scared?"
Gabrielle swallowed then shook her head. "I figured if you wanted to kill me you would have let Dahak do it."
Callisto grinned slightly as she turned her attention back to the horses saddle. "I'm taking this horse, i hope you and Xena don't mind."
Gabrielle slightly chuckled in a bit of relief, although she was still a bit uneasy from Callisto's presence.
The bard then took deep breath and curiously asked, "Why?"
"Because I need a horse!"
Gabrielle shook her head. "That's not what I meant. Why did you save me. You could have let Dahak kill me, why didn't you?"
As Callisto tightened the saddle down she shook her head and said, "Still trying to figure me out Gabrielle?"
Callisto then paused as she took a deep breath, then turned around and stared at Gabrielle as she continued. "Because if you are trying to figure me out, forget it . . . ."
Callisto then shook her head as a look of regret crossed her face. "Only Amarice could do that!"
Gabrielle gazed into Callisto's eyes as she shook her head. "So, Amarice was really your sister? And you didn't know . . . you thought she was dead all these years?"
Callisto nodded. "That's right!"
Gabrielle shook her as a look of regret crossed her face. "I'm so sorry!"
Callisto noded then took a few steps toward an uneasy Gabrielle. "You want to know why I saved you from Dahak? . . . What if I were to tell you it was so I could have the pleasure of killing you myself?"
Gabrielle shook her head. "i wouldn't believe it."
"You know me Gabrielle, what makes you think I wouldn't."
Gabrielle nodded. "Ok . . . because you are not the same Callisto you were a year ago, or even three days ago. You're not the Callisto I know. You've changed somehow. I can see it in your eyes . . . Besides, I can't believe that you would allow your sister to die in vein. Like you always said, you were a monster with integrity."
Callisto then took another step towards Gabrielle and placed her hand on the bard's shoulder. "Gabrielle, I now know why you couldn't kill me when you had the chance . . . and believe it or not, I'm truly sorry for everything I've done to you and Xena.
"I can never make up for what I've done," Callisto then rolled her eyes as she smiled and continued, "all I can do is change!"
Gabrielle silently nodded just as Callisto noticed Xena standing off to the side, watching the situation as a mother wolf watches over her pups.
Callisto's eyes narrowed as she slowly approached the Warrior Princess. Xena's muscles tensed up as she she looked at her arch enemy. As the two women stared into each others eyes, Callisto slowly extended her arm as she said, "I've let my sister down once before. I'm not about to do it again. Thank you for being her friend."
Xena nodded as she reluctantly grabbed Callisto's arm in friendship. "We have Amarice's body in a sarcophagus . . . if you want to take her with you!"
Callisto let go of Xena's arm and shook her head. "No. When a Cirran dies in combat, their body is to be left at that site in remembrance. "
Xena nodded as her and Gabrielle headed back towards the tomb and Callisto followed.
As sunset quickly approached, Callisto placed Amarice's sarcophagus in a seperate burial chamber of the tomb. As Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer all said good by to Amarice, Callisto silently watched on as they left the chamber one by one until Callisto stood alone.
Callisto then took a deep breath as she slowly approached the sarcophagus. "Your right Amarice, I was a monster. I'm so sorry I let you down. I'm so sorry I shamed you."
Callisto then glanced upwards and whispered, "Amarice, I hope you can forgive me. I will try and make you proud . . . little sister!"
Callisto then bent down and kissed the top of the sarcophagus as she whispered, "I love you!"
Callisto then slowly exited the tomb and noticed Joxer waiting impatiently for Xena and Gabrielle.
As Joxer spotted Callisto he jumped up in fear, then shook his head and said, "Sorry, just a reflex."
Callisto grinned. "it's OK!"
Joxer's eyes widened as he stared at Callisto. "So, Callisto," Joxer stuttered nervously, "I guess you've turned good now like me and Xena, huh?"
Callisto began to pace back and forth as she nodded. "Yeah, something like that!"
Joxer clinched his teeth as he nodded. "Good!"
Then at that moment, Gabrielle and Xena emerged from the tomb and Joxer demanded to know what took so long. "What were you two doing in there?"
Xena shrugged her shoulders. "Huh . . . oh, I was helping Gabrielle put her scrolls in the tomb."
"What?" Joxer said in total shock, "why would you do that?"
Gabrielle shook her head. "Well . . . sort of a tribute to . . . i dunno? I mean, Xena left the Chakram in there, why not my scrolls?"
Joxer shook his head. "Uh, are you two OK?" Gabrielle nodded and just as Xena stepped out of the entrance way of the tomb, the doorway began to close.
As the tomb sealed both Xena and Gabrielle shook their heads and stared off into space for a moment. Then Gabrielle shook her head again, looked at Joxer and asked, "What did you want to know?"
Joxer's eyes widened as he said, "About your scrolls? Why you left them in the tomb?"
Gabrielle quickly turned around, looked at the sealed doorway and shouted, "I did what!?!"
Joxer nodded. "Yeah. In fact you just told me you did . . . and Xena left the Chakram in their too."
Gabrielle then looked at Xena and curiously asked, "Do you remember doing this?"
Xena just shook her head as a smile crossed her face. "Ares!"
"Ares?" Gabrielle asked, "you don't think?"
Xena nodded. "Who else?"
>From inside the throne room on mount Olympus, Zeus, king of the gods, watched on and in response to Gabrielle question he whispered to himself. "No not Ares . . . Zeus."
"Brother," a male voice echoed throughout the throne room. As Zeus turned around he saw Hades standing before him. "Hello Hades!"
"Zeus," Hades said with a bit of concern in his voice. "Ares has made a great sacrifice . . . but not for us . . . for her."
As Zeus looked upon the image of Xena he nodded. "I know that Hades!"
"Then I'm sure you know with Dahak dead the spirit of destruction is no longer controlled by a god, but by mortals."
Zeus's eyes narrowed as he angrily responded. "Don't talk to me like I'm a fool. I know very well the price that has been paid with Dahak's death, but I feel much more comfortable knowing that mortals, who are a mix of both good and evil have control of destruction rather than just one god who was truly evil."
Hades nodded. "So do I . . . but I know you Zeus . . . you'd never admit it, but you have a soft spot for Ares. Your divine inspiration told Xena and Gabrielle to leave the Chakram and scrolls in the tomb. You wouldn't have done that unless you were planning on that tomb being opened again someday . . . and if Ares ever got out, with the sprit of destruction in the hands of mortals . . . I don't care to think about that day."
Zeus stared at Hades for several moments then reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, We both know that only a descendent of Xena could reactivate the Eye. So there's nothing to worry about is there Hades?"
"True!" Hades nodded. "Forgive me brother . . . I have work to do!"
Hades then waved his hands and disappeared.
Zeus however took one last look at the image of Xena and whispered. "Xena, so that my son may live again, I make it so your sone lives again!"
Zeus then waved his hand and another image appeared, this time of an area just outside of a small village high in the mountains where Spring had not yet taken hold.
As a middle aged man and woman walked along the banks of a river, they noticed an unconscious boy laid in a melting snowbank along the river.
The couple quickly approached the young boy to see if he was alive. The woman quickly took off her coat, knelt dwon and placed it under the young boys head. The man removed his coat and covered the boy.
As the boy slowly awakened, the woman gently asked, "Are you all right? What happened?"
The young boy slowly attempted to sit up but the man gently pushed him back down."No son, be still. It;s best if you don't move!"
The young boy glanced up at the man. "What happened?"
Then man curiously looked at the boy as his wife asked, "Where are your parents?"
The young boy thought for a minute, then shook his head. "I don't know?"
"You don't know where your parents are?"
The boy shook his head. "No!"
The woman then placed her hand on the boys forehead and asked, "Whats your name? Do you know your name?"
As the young boy slowly sat up, he gazed at the woman, then said, "Solon!"
Zeus looked at this through the image and smiled. The king of the gods then waved his hand and the image disappeared. "Sorry Hades but destiny, is eternal.
"I'm sorry Xena, but that's the best I can do. Alti's curse is too strong . . . but at least he's alive. And at least Ares has a chance to be free again."
Zeus, then waved his hand and disappeared.
As Xena tightened the saddle on the last horse, she turned to Callisto who had already mounted her horse. "Callisto, what will you do now?"
Callisto looked down at Xena and grinned. "First, I'm going to let my hair grow back out! Then, I'm going to do what I should have been doing years . . . make my family proud."
Gabrielle then quickly asked, "But, where will you go?"
Callisto looked up at the sky, smiled and said, Probably home . . . but first . . . I have to go apologize to someone."
Callisto then lightly kicked her horse as she yelled. "Yah!"
As Callisto rode off into the sunset Gabrielle looked at Xena and curiously asked, "Do you think she's really changed?"
Xena looked at Gabrielle and smiled. "I've been there before," Xena then nodded, "I know she has."
Joxer, who had begun to ride ahead stopped and impatiently shouted, "Come on you guys. We have rights to wrong . . . I mean wrongs to right and warlords to bring to justice."
Gabrielle chuckled. "You don't hink Callisto would have taken him with her do you?" Xena chuckled. "I think we're stuck with Joxer."
Gabrielle then rolled her eyes and curiously asked, "Did we ever find out how we came back from the dead?"
Xena thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No! . . . I guess it's just one of those mysteries of our universe?"
Xena then winked and smiled as she threw her arm around Gabrielle's shoudler. "Come on, let's go!"
As Xena and Gabrielle mounted their respective horses, the Warrior Princess glanced up at the tomb of Ares one last time and whispered, "Good by Ares, it's been fun . . . well sort of!"
Xena and Gabrielle then slowly rode away to catch up to Joxer just as the ghostly voice of Ares echoed one last time. "Until next time my dear Xena . . . until next time!"