ACT TWO

FADE IN:

EXT. TOWN - WHARF - DAY

Xena and Gabrielle walk along the docks in the early morning hours. It is quiet, though there are men working around the boats and a few wagons roll by taking cargo from them.

Xena leads Argo, and it is obvious they are headed out of town.

GABRIELLE

You think he'll contact us?

Xena shrugs. She appears preoccupied.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

What if he doesn't?

Xena shrugs again.  Gabrielle watches her in some concern.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

Xena, you know as well as I do he must

have some stupid plot in mind that has

you as a part of it. He always does.

Xena slows to a stop and leans against the seawall, watching a small boat cruise past. The front of the boat has a lurid dragon's head painted on it.

XENA

Yes, he does.

She shakes her head.

XENA

(Cont’d)

And there isn't a damn

thing I can do about it.

Gabrielle leans next to her.

GABRIELLE

Not now, no.

Xena looks at Gabrielle, but Gabrielle keeps looking out over the water.

XENA

I don't know if I could

have killed him.

GABRIELLE

No. I don't think you

could have either.

Gabrielle starts to walk off. After a second, Argo ambles after her. Xena watches them go, then pushes off the wall and jogs to catch up.

XENA

Gabrielle....

Gabrielle turns and looks at Xena.

GABRIELLE

I know. A lot of things happened.

(smiling briefly)

So where do we go from here?

Wait for him to show his hand?

Xena indicates a small bench near the water. She goes over to it, and they sit down together. Argo finds a trough of water and stops for a drink a little distance away.

XENA

Gabrielle, no one wants to find him

more than I do. He's got a piece

of me, and I'm not happy about it.

GABRIELLE

Can't you just... Call him?

XENA

Sure, if I had the Eye of Hephaestus.

But that went down with the rest of Olympus.

Xena stares at the ground.  She does not see Gabrielle sit up and look at her with a strange expression.

GABRIELLE

The Eye of Hephaestus?

XENA

Zeus' leash.

(sighing)

Let's get out of here. The smell

of dead fish is getting to me.

Xena stands up. Gabrielle grabs the skirt of her leathers and holds on.

GABRIELLE

I know where that is.

XENA

What?

Gabrielle gets up and tugs Xena along after her.

GABRIELLE

C'mon.

CUT TO:

INT. EGYPTIAN TEMPLE - INDETERMINITE TIME

This room appears to be inside a pyramid. There are oil pots flickering in sconces on walls that slant up to a point overhead. On one side is a throne, where Anubis, a tall human figure with the head of a jackal is seated.  Next to him, a beautiful woman reclines on a couch, fanning him with a palm frond.

A male attendant enters with a pot of incense. He bows and touches his head to the floor in front of the jackal headed man, then gets up and circles the room, spreading the scent.

A cat enters and walks to the throne, leaping up to the arm and stretching itself out. The jackal headed man strokes it.

A blue flash erupts in the center of the room, fading quickly to reveal Ares. He appears extremely out of place. The cat spits at him.

ANUBIS

Who are you to dare enter

this sacred space?

Ares looks around.

ARES

You call this sacred? You don't

even have a view of the Nile.

WOMAN

May the holy cats eat your tongue

for speaking so to the great Anubis!

Ares sticks his tongue out at her and waggles it.

ARES

Take a hike, babe. Me and

puppy head need to have some

god to god communication.

The woman looks at Anubis. He lifts his hand and flicks his elegant fingers at her. Reluctantly, she gets up and walks out.  Ares goes to the couch and sits on it, extending his boots out on the woven rug.

ANUBIS

I have nothing to say to rag

tag has been war godlings

from the barbarian outlands.

Ares leans toward him. The cat rears up and hisses.

ARES

Ah ah ah.... Don't be so nasty to

someone who's here to do you a favor.

ANUBIS

I need no favors from you.

ARES

Let's talk your decline.

You want this cushy....

Ares looks around and shrugs.

ARES

(Cont’d)

...place for eternity? Or you want to

end up at the bottom of a dust bowl.

Ares now has Anubis' attention. The jackal headed god gets up and paces, his golden skirt clashes as he moves with a musical sound.

ANUBIS

I don't know what you're talking about.

ARES

Sure you do. It happened to us.

It can happen to you. I can stop it.

Anubis stops by the wall and examines the many cartouches engraved there.

ARES

(Cont’d)

For a price.

Anubis does not turn around.

ANUBIS

The waters of life have told me of this danger.

A prophecy of inner destruction brought on

by a mortal woman. You can prevent this?

ARES

(confidently)

Oh yeah. For a price.

ANUBIS

What is your price?

Ares grins.

ARES

Now we're talking. C'mere, Rover.

I'll show you what I need.

Ares takes the chakram off his hip and tosses it onto the throne.  Anubis walks over and picks it up, studying it curiously.

ANUBIS

This... has great power.

Ares nods.

ARES

Yeah. And I want it.

I just don't want all of it.

ANUBIS

(thoughtfully)

I see.

CUT TO:

EXT. SHIP’S DOCK - DAY

A large ship is getting ready to sail. The men coil up her lines, and look at the gangplank. Their captain stands talking to Xena and Gabrielle, obviously impatient.

CAPTAIN

Look, make up your mind. You want on?

Twenty dinars each for passage or

thirty if you don't want to help sail her.

The man turns and stomps up the gangplank. Xena look at Gabrielle.

XENA

You're sure?

GABRIELLE

I'm sure. Sure enough to

actually get on a boat again.

XENA

Gabrielle, you're sure it's the Eye of

Hephaestus that you saw? In Egypt?

GABRIELLE

I'm sure. It was drawn on a piece

of papyrus I saw when I was there.

XENA

All right. I don't get it,

but if you say so....

Xena pulls out a small bag. It jingles, but not very much. Gabrielle digs out hers, and it sounds the same.

XENA

(Cont’d)

Guess we'll be manning the oars.

They walk up the gangplank together.

GABRIELLE

How about you man the oars,

and I'll man the galley?

Xena chuckles, and they go on board the ship. Xena hands the ship captain the dinars, and the sailors cast off the lines and raise the sails.

FADE TO:

EXT. SHIP - NIGHT

The ship sails on over a dark sea. Stars stretch overhead, and the sails flutter slightly in the breeze. The water can be heard slapping against the wooden hull.

On the very front of the bow, Xena and Gabrielle sit with their backs against part of the wooden deck. Xena is flexing her hands and examining the palms of them.

XENA

Glad the wind picked up. I've

got more of that oar under

my skin than I put in the water.

GABRIELLE

Here, let me see.

Gabrielle sets Xena's hand on her thigh palm up, and begins to remove splinters from it.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

It's strange to think

about going back there.

XENA

To Egypt?

Gabrielle nods. She continues to work out splinters.

GABRIELLE

I was thinking about my last trip there.

How I'd watch the stars at night

changing positions, and think about

how far from home I really was.

Xena watches her in silence.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

(softly)

How alone I really was in the world.

XENA

I know.

They are both quiet for a while.

XENA

(Cont’d)

I heard your dreams when you slept.

You were reliving Hades every night.

Gabrielle stops what she is doing and looks up, a puzzled expression on her face.

GABRIELLE

Dreams? I don't reme....

XENA

No. I made sure you didn't.

Gabrielle turns folds her hand over Xena's. She has been caught unaware, and it shows. Xena merely looks out over the water with a pensive expression.

GABRIELLE

It wasn't easy for you.

XENA

(shaking head)

No. Ghosts don't sleep. I had

plenty of time to listen to your

soul crying and think about my life.

She gives a bitter snort.

XENA

(Cont’d)

Made Tartarus look like

a piece of baklava.

Gabrielle lays her head on Xena's shoulder.

GABRIELLE

Thanks.

Xena smiles slightly.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

I was so wrapped up in what was

going on inside me, I didn't think about

what it must have been like for you.

Xena shrugs, but her expression softens. She rests her cheek against Gabrielle's head and closes her eyes.

Gabrielle looks up at the stars, searching among them for a while before she finds what she is looking for.

FADE TO:

INT. EGYPTIAN TEMPLE - INDETERMINENT TIME

Ares lies on a padded couch with his boots up. A beautiful Egyptian goddess sits next to him, feeding him figs.

ARES

So, what's your name, beautiful?

The goddess seems very pleased at the compliment.

QETESH

I am Qetesh. I am the

goddess of love.

Ares laughs. Qetesh draws back, unsettled.

ARES

How lucky can I get? Not to

mention you're cuter than my sister.

QETESH

(bewildered)

Your sister?

Anubis enters. He walks in a glide that is quite alien in appearance. He is not pleased to see Ares and Qetesh so close.

ANUBIS

Qetesh. Leave us.

Qetesh gets up quickly and glides out. She pauses at the door, however, and Ares waggles his fingers at her and smiles.  She blushes and disappears.

ANUBIS

(Cont’d)

I have mediated long.

ARES

I noticed.

ANUBIS

It will be difficult. The power of the

chakram has become one. To take

away the good energy may shatter it.

ARES

Ah ah. That's not our deal.

Ares gets up and faces Anubis.

ARES

(Cont’d)

The deal is, you give me one, whole

chakram without any of the goodie

two shoes stuff, and I use it to snare

the gal who's gonna take you down.

ANUBIS

And you can do this?

ARES

Baby, she's mine.

Anubis folds his hands, his jackal eyes regarding Ares coolly.

ANUBIS

Very well. Then it will be done.

Anubis goes to the altar behind his throne, where the chakram is resting. He lays his hands on it, and begins to chant.

Ares smiles. He spreads his hands out to either side, tips his head back, and laughs.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT TWO

ACT THREE